#but there's only so much exposition I can take at once so I'll probably be thinking about this for a while

[shiroganeryo]

Hi there. So don't mind me, I was going through your dazatsu art a while ago (both you and your husband I think?) and also saw some of the captions. You said you two met when you were cosplaying dazatsu? I don't mean to sound stalkerish so please feel free to ignore me, but that is about the sweetest thing I have ever heard😭❤️ I would like to draw one of your cosplays as our favorite couple. You could send me a picture you like- paint over your faces if you don't feel comfortable or-

And again and I emphasize, feel free to straight up reject this or ignore it, because I know it's odd. Just wanted you to know how you warm my heart, and I love your artwork as well<3

Have a nice day or night

Hello there! First of all, don't worry about "sounding stalkerish", it's very sweet of you to drop by just to let me (and by extension, us) know about your thoughts! 😊 The thing is, it's not that we met when we were cosplaying; perhaps me saying we weren't a couple yet gave that impression, but since you asked, I might as well tell you the full story?

You may want to sit, it's a little long (though I'll do my best to be brief) 😅

We already knew each other, we had been acquaintances for a long while, actually! We met when we were 14/13 or so (we're 31/29 now, I'm the older one). We weren't really that close, but we were on friendly terms and all that.

I'll skip the very personal bits which includes (but is not limited to) us getting closer to each other and stupidly pining mutually, but the sequence of events that led to it is one (!) of the reasons why I tend to say we're a "dazatsucore" couple. Because:

He was into me > I noticed on the spot, and did nothing > I was into him > he didn't know because I hid the fact > leads to him blurting out a confession thinking he'd be turned down > I do not turn him down but ask for some time to think things through because I want to be sure of my feelings first > not too long after I have an answer.

By the way, everything I'm saying gets even better (and funnier) when you consider I'm the "Dazai" one, while he's the "Atsushi" in this.

Anyways, about the cosplay shenanigans you inquired about; back when we were getting closer to each other (2016ish), I had become interested in BSD but knew nothing about it; I knew he had watched it, asked what were his thoughts on it, he said it was nice, recommended it, etc. He then commented that he planned to cosplay Atsushi, showed me the character and shared his cosplay plans.

I had only watched the opening so far (the thing that led me to ask him if the anime was good), and Dazai was the one who had caught my eye the most, so I said, very offhandedly, that 'hey, I'd be down to go with you to the con, I do entertain the idea of cosplaying Dazai'.

He was like 'woah, really?! That would be so fun!' but also got extremely nervous on the spot. I obviously noticed. You see, my spouse isn't really the type of person who can hide his feelings very well + I'm good at reading through people. We've always been a funny match in that regard, ngl.

From a quick Google search I did to gather references for the outfit, I could tell the two characters were a somewhat popular pairing, so I made 2+2, I also already knew he had a crush on me and just did nothing about it, like I explained above. So he had gotten nervous that people could mistake us for a couple because the two characters are (were? sadly) a popular pairing.

Which I did know... And again, did nothing about because while my suggestion to cosplay together was sincere, having no intentions of manipulating him or anything, that did work in my favor as well so two birds, one stone.

In the meantime, what I told you above happened and we started dating. And, for obvious reasons, we decided to go ahead with the cosplay plans 😌 I've never posted a clear picture showing our faces because we're not the best photographers out there, but here's one of the least terrible ones:

The icing on the cake, that doesn't have much to do with us, but is still something we remember about fondly: we're Brazilian, and Brazil is a very big country. The anime con we were going to attend was the biggest in our country but also some good hours away (a 9 hour travel away to the capital, to be more precise), so we took a bus ride with some people headed there as well. It's common for people to make these "con attendees" group rides and they're always really fun experiences + very cost efficient.

One of the people we befriended on the ride was this girl who, coincidentally, was cosplaying as Chuuya. Since we're a queer couple (nb sapphics who go by he/him pronouns) we didn't know what amount of gay was okay in public, but this one girl knew we were a couple, 100% sure of it and it was genuinely beyond funny seeing her and her friends waiting on us to just do something, anything, that gave the answer away.

We kissed like... once, when they were nearby, and the reactions were priceless, ngl. The euphoric I KNEW IT faces.

Back then we weren't married yet, so no telling rings or anything, but this Chuuya had gotten the vibes somehow. When I asked her how she knew before we even did anything, she said, just like this: 'it's the way you look at each other 🥺'.

I need you to imagine Chuuya Nakahara saying this, with this expression. Makes it all 20x funnier. Also the reason why I usually write him as a wingman/enabler in my fics.

Oh, and about the "he had no idea I knew all along", I did tell him... last year 😂 We were reminiscing about things and he went on a tangent saying something along the lines of 'I feel kinda bad because it was selfish of me but I liked the idea of us being seen as a couple back then so I didn't tell you the characters were a popular ship'.

To which I replied: 'Oh, I knew, don't worry.'

Cue shocked Pikachu meme for my spouse's reaction. I then explained that I was fully aware of everything all along, and he was like 'thank GOD you decided to play along then because I had no idea how to charm anyone' 😂

It feels good to put our silly story out there, I had told this story only to one person in the fandom so far (I won't tag her, but Katsu can confirm we're two dumbasses in love) because I don't usually talk about personal stuff publicly like this unless on a whim but also because, like I said, it's a very long story even with skipped parts.

I hope this was fun to read, at least? 😅

As for what you asked about drawing us, I'll apologize, but neither of us understood exactly what you want to do. If you could elaborate more on it, we'd be grateful and could give a proper response! All in all, thank you for sending the ask, it was really lovely of you to stop by just to say that! 😊

[comicbookhyperfixationtime]

Uncanny X-men #196- What Was That?!!

CW: racial slurs

Last Issue Recap: The Power Pack made a cameo and Wolverine did not disembowel a child. Callisto in the Morlocks did show up and they are as skrungly and terrible as ever. And then there was Secret Wars 2 which I have mentally blocked out of my brain because it's too pointless and annoying to take up important Nightcrawler Obsessing Space.

Anyway, HOLY HELL, how did this cover make it to print?! Its literally a woman in a gimp suit! Have I talked about Rachel's Mutant Hunter gimpsuit before? I feel like I have, but I would once again like to say, what the actual fuck.

It's Chris Claremont so I expect to be using this a lot in the near future. Also, in this cover there are spikes around her crotch that form a thong/triangle shape (super umcomfy 😬) which (spoilers) are not there when she wears the suit in-issue. Which just makes this worse.

Gimpsuit aside I don't like this cover. The composition is meh, and its the same sort of misdirection we saw in the last issue. Is Rachel going to beat the shit out of the X-men and get stabbed by Wolverine? Of course she's not. The splash panel on the first page is pretty striking though.

The title is uncreative, but I do adore when writers try to work their issue title into the first page's dialogue or onomatopoeia or something (Thor #366 is my absolute favorite example of this). This is a fantastic first page, not only does it immediately set up tension, mystery and stakes while quickly delivering exposition, but it cleverly uses the in-universe curtain behind Professor X as a tool for adding motion and energy, whilst directing the reader's eye around the page.

I half forgot that Professor X is actually a professor and that he didn't just make that title up to sound cool. Hell, since he has a PhD it should actually be Dr X but that sounds a little too much like a porn knockoff of Dr Strange for my and Marvel's liking. Jesus Christ I bet he's the sort of proff who never ever grades essays in time because he's too busy fucking off fighting Godlike entities in space. I'd give him a 2 on Rate My Professor so fast.

Several students in this packed classroom are smoking. Oh 1985, how the times have changed!

As his students leave, Professor X laments that he cannot simply read their minds and figure out who's thought this was. Not because this would be highly unethical, but because his mind and body has been weakened ever since he got the shit kicked out of him by anti-mutant muggers a few issues back.

Meanwhile, Storm is home in Africa on her self discovery tour, where she is- shot in the head and left for dead by the racist poachers she'd fought before?!

I know logically this is just a fakeout but I'll be damned if it isn't some good tension! Also; the racist poachers are a brother-sister pair named Andreas and Andrea. Their parents must have hated them even more than I do.

We immediately cut to Kitty talking about Ororo's letters at a team meeting just to hammer the stake further into my goddamn heart. The Gang has gathered in a deli to discuss Professor X's mystery, including Magneto (whose presence goes undiscussed, probably because it was explained in Secret Wars 2) and some blonde lady named Aleytys who I have no idea who she is. (Edit: I know who she is- Lee Forrester, Scott Summers ex-girlfriend who apparently hooked up with Magneto in New Mutants. What an absolute power move.) Something I haven't mentioned yet because it hasn't come up is that Chuck has been hiding his growing frailty and power loss from his friends and teammates for some reason I've forgotten but which is probably stupid. Also he can walk at this point in continuity but that's not important.

Rachel sees the Beyonder shows up for his editor mandated plot interruption for a few pages and I'm not going to discuss it because I Don't Care.

My thoughts exactly Kitty.

Speaking of the best boy, he is off at his parish, talking to the priest about his crisis of faith.

I cannot imagine what it must be like to go into confessional with a superhero he has heard some shit someone redraw this man in that one stock photo of the priest.

The monster Kurt is talking about his the Beyonder because goddamnit I guess I can't just ignore that motherfucker. TLDR, he was the ultra-powerful being who started the excuse plot for the original Secret Wars. In Secret Wars 2 he comes to Earth to learn the meaning of life or some bullshit and wanders around causing problems before turning himself into a baby (probably, idk I never finished it, Jim Shooter did that before so he'd probably do it again.) Kurt's faith has been completely destroyed by the Beyonder's sheer power which is like no being he's ever seen before- oh please.

This whole scene sort of pisses me off. First off, its more wanking off about the Beyonder and I really don't want to hear about this guy. Second, its another reason to leave Kurt out of this weeks plot and that pisses me off, give my boy more screentime! Third, this really doesn't feel justified by the Beyonder. Nightcrawler saw Dr Doom hand him his ass in Secret Wars, he knows he's not omnipotent. Nightcrawler having a breakdown is fine but there's way more interesting stuff for him to break down over.

Back on the main plot, a group of shadowy figures sneak into Professor X's office and plant a bomb under his desk! I see someone has been reading Hitchcock's quotes on suspense.

Rogue and Rachel are flying over Columbia U having a dramatic irony-laden conversation about how much less nasty this current timeline is than Rachel's home time whilst she mind-scans for the culprits. They don't find them, but they do find a mugging in progress and stop it.

I'll tell you what else is a crime, that hairdo! Yeesh.

It turns out the civilian they saved is a anti-mutant jackass who was grafitti-ing the words "Muties die!" when he got jumped, because Marvel civilians are assholes. Kitty and Wolvie take a quick break from crimefighting and have an conversation that's too cute for me not to share.

Kitty phases into a building because she sees a light on in a lab after hours. She finds some of her student acquaintances skulking about and, despite having doubts that any of them could be murderers, is immediately suspicious. I personally think the fact they ordered pizza with anchovies on it would be enough to peg them as supervillains on the spot, but Kitty is more of an optimist than me. The terrorists realize Kitty is a mutant and confront her about it.

Kitty Pryde just said the N-word. This isn't ok. I don't know how the editors at Marvel ever thought it was ok, and it speaks volumes that they did. "Mutie" isn't a real swear. "N-----" is. That word is hateful and terrible and affects real people and it is not ok at all to equate it to a made-up slur. The X-men are supposed to be an allegory for suffering that empowers minority groups. This just hurts them more. Hell no to all of this.

I took a hot minute to absorb what I just fucking read and then moved on with the issue. The terrorist kids get the jump on Kitty and chloroform her before she can phase out, with intent to kill her. Meanwhile, Magneto, Professor X and Rachel Summers are in the Prof's office, discussing the case and the Beyonder's continued presence because he's been stalking them like a weirdo. Rachel tries to psychically link the three so they can sense the Beyonder like she can, but using her psi-powers sets off the bomb, which is actually not a bomb but a "psi-scream," a device that amplifies and reflects psychic energy back to its source. This is a massive plot-hole; how did they know Xavier was psychic?! As far as I'm aware its not common knowledge Professor X is a mutant at all, let alone what his powers are! And these are just normal Columbia U college students with no connection to any supervillains or secret organizations whatsoever, there's no way they'd have access to this info!

The bomb overloads Rachel and she accidentally destroys the office, sending out a shockwave of energy that sends Professor X and Maggie flying. Rogue has to catch them both which I find sort of curious because its always so inconsistent whether Magneto can fly or not (my personal headcanon is that his costume has metal soles and he levitates them). Rachel senses Kitty's distress through their psychic link and freaks out so bad she manifests her BDSM Mutant Hunter costume. She flies over to the lab, explodes the anti-mutant students and rescues Kitty in a very hetero way.

Cannot imagine what goes on in Kitty Pryde's head. Must a beautiful and terrifying place to visit.

The guy in the pink jacket from before regains consciousness and tries to shoot Rachel, but its a bit like trying to stab a rhinoceros with a butter knife. She's about to kill him, when Magneto shows up to stop her from making the same mistakes he has.

I don't know bout you but if Magneto in a suit told me to do anything I'd drop whatever I was doing immediately. I love reformed Magneto, such a richer and more interesting character than racist whiny asshole villain Magneto. I sure hope Marvel lets him continue to grow as a person and don't constantly regress his character for the stake of a stupid status quo! Haha. I hate the Endless Wheel of Comic Book Samsara.

The conversation between Magneto and Rachel is honestly really beautiful. Two people who've never interacted before, but understand each other's pain better than anyone else can. Its a fantastic scene only slightly marred by the final panels being of the Beyonder observing the scene and giving some pointless, longwinded commentary. Its too long for me to screenshot and post here so I super recommend you check this out for yourself!

On the plus side, next issue is Dr Doom!

Final Thoughts: This issue had some really high highs and some really low lows. I'm honestly super shocked the panel of Kitty Pryde saying the N-word isn't more infamous than it is, because holy fuck that was awful.

[moonshine-nightlight]

Being sick for the past week meant that I had nothing better to do today than lay in bed and refresh tumblr waiting for chapter 34, and seeing it at the very top of my dash was the highlight of my day! The wait was definitely worth it, my health for the duration notwithstanding lol

SPOILER WARNING FOR PAST CHAPTERS IDK HOW TO PUT READ MORES IN ASKS I'M SO SORRY

You made the right call taking the extra time to edit this doozy of a chapter—figuring out how to share Dale's exposition in a way that made sense and fit into the events of the story while maintaining tonal consistency must have been quite the process, between the restrictions of Sana's POV, regency genre conventions, and the story's (heh) natural climax being Dale's identity "reveal" followed by the wedding. I'm very curious if you currently have any ideas for how you're going to tackle this exposition in the novelization, or if you're inclined to handle it differently at all!

@weasellyferret

i hope you're feeling better! i'm so glad you enjoyed the new chapter!

i hav no idea if u can even put a read more in an ask anymore and i can't hide it now but my answer will be under the read more

thanks! i think some people really underestimate how helpful even self editing is to make things coherent, especially for a long chapter like this one that covered so much but also was literally just two ppl talking to each other (ppl lov to say they'll take any update, but lik, thats cuz they dont knooow lol and i dont just want it to b passable, i want it to b good).

with lore/backstory like this i also have to make sure it makes sense to readers who havent read any of it before nor know any of the even more info that I know because there's even more worldbuilding and dale backstory that wont end up in the story.

i'm glad u think i pulled it off to any degree because i was still pretty nervous when i was posting it that it did make sense, fit in the world, was followable, interesting but not just exposition monologue, etc

yeah, chapter 30 where they have the reveal convo is the primary climax of the story and that's also 'just talking' in a sense so its interesting to write this story in that sense lol

while i had the broad outline of the world and dale's backstory from the beginning (i did a little exercise where i sketched out a sort of Dale POV of chapter 6 to get into his mindset which was super helpful) as I wrote the story a lot more of that info became fully fleshed out/defined. so for the novelization, i'll probably try to work more of the info in earlier or have better allusions to it, which will make some of the info in chapter 34 more of a quick confirmation than the exposition itself

ie i might add a chapter with more detail on Sana researching with Dale's books that Bilmont smuggles and plant suspicions of what went wrong with the summoning; i might adjust the chapter after the attack to be more of a convo about the assassination that the grandparents interrupt where Sana can suspect more of Dale's past etc and generally spread out what i can so its more foreshadowed/natural - things like that

other aspects sort of have to be told to Sana because its POV limited, evn when it is updated to 3rd POV. i'll probably do a straight POV swap and minor edit ; then take a look at it as a whole, reassess things on my own, run those ideas by some writer friends/betas and get their thoughts, and finally my editors (who i used for DSM) are also very good with making sure worldbuilding fits in right and so their advice will be helpful - especially since they will only get the draft i giv them without knowing how it was and what changed etc

once chapter 35 is out (which i'm still writing because smut is a challenge to right and i write it more slowly than other things) i'll start slowly editing and passing along to betas the rest of the story (i've got thru chap 11 done and betas who only read those and who are chomping at the bit - u think u've had a long wait? lol) but it will be spring by the time i do any big edits/revisions and then i'll giv it to the editors, who i already lik, semi-lined up for that time period and idk how long they will take because its a long book and then i'll need to process their edits too so it'll be a lengthy process, but i hope everyone knows it will 100% b a novel and i hope they enjoy it!

now back to stabbing away at the smut writing ;)

[castlebyersafterdark]

OKAY so inspired by that post about 'going down on' each other - to that anon, i salute you; writers are so very excited about turns of phrases and words so picking up on this is not weird at all, in fact it means you've recognised the way words in fact do paint pictures. after all, words are all writers have!

so vinny, please impart your opinion on the following descriptors of dick and when you'd use them if ever in fic/hcs 🤭

dick

cock

prick (seems like an insult but it has such a good reverence, halfway between the two above)

manhood

arousal (lmao)

erection

hardness (kinda love)

length

penis 🤭

Ooooooh, FUN!! What a lovely topic hahahahah 😂😜😈 Time for some cawwwk tawwwwk lol

Words as our ways of painting pictures - yes!! I think language choice contributes to the mood in writing. There are certain phrases and terms that lend to a more humorous approach to a story. Or making something sound like traditional erotica prose - even if we poke fun, readers do have a certain expectation and vibe when engaging with certain genres. Genre too! The era, the time period. The personality of the characters. Action versus dialogue versus exposition and prose.

For writing purposes:

Dick/cock - Pretty much use dick or cock for the most part in writing. I think cock is a sexier word, great word, one of my favorite words 🤭Use it a lot more and will dip more into that once a story moves into the sex scenes. It's hard to describe, but there's a certain point and vibe for when a dick becomes a cock in the action of a scene hahaha. But it's true!! I'll switch in other terms to give writing variation and not become monotonous, but cock is the #1 Prick - I don't think I'd ever use this. Unless writing a character using regional slang. It's not in my own vocab so it wouldn't be a natural choice. Probably would be restricted to dialogue only for me. I've definitely said "don't be such a dick" but I can't imagine myself saying "don't be such a prick" Manhood - Lofty language for traditional erotica. Seems kinda straight to me. Like a woman would use this to describe a man, because it's a differentiator. And that's fine. Maybe that's just me. Arousal - Yeah I think I'd use this one. Variation when describing the lead up before the actual sex of whatever type happens. "He could feel his arousal hot beneath his jeans..." or something like that. It's fine. Erection - More matter of fact, descriptive rather than sexy. Not for the spicy sexy parts of the story. It's word choice. You can say either "He could feel Mike was aroused" or "He could tell that Will had an erection" and take your pick for writing style. I think the former sounds nicer, but it's not jarring to use either. This body part gets hard, it gets erect. Writing style. "As subtly as possible, he crossed his legs to his his erection" works just as well as "...he crossed his legs to hide his arousal." Neither are better or worse. Hardness - It's a state of the thing itself, yeah? It's what's going on. I would probably word sentences to say "he's hard" or something instead of calling a dick someone's hardness. Probably hardness more as an adjective rather than a noun if that makes sense? Length - Use this for physical action rather than just calling the cock a length. "He stroked up his length and..." or "He slowly sunk down the length, inch by inch..." etc. It's part of an action rather than just dick alone? Penis - Is what it is, too clinical. Can't really say most in general use it in sexy scenes in fanfiction in particular. I think it could make an appearance in dialogue out of a character choice. "So, you really want me to just lie there naked, fully penis out, and you're gonna sketch me? Really?" See what I mean? It's not to be hot, but it has personality! MORE CHOICES: Bulge - Specifically useful to refer to the dick as still covered by clothing or underwear, because that's what it is at that point. Especially underwear. Pole - Prob not gonna use in writing, but this is one that's pretty common in casual conversation? When using slang terms at least, personally. Shaft - I think this is similar to length, useful more for describing an isolated part of the dick rather than just the whole thing itself, which sounds kinda silly that way. Seen in cheesy erotica when used badly. Member - Can't explain why, but I really don't like this one! But I see it here and there and hmmm. Not into it. Boner - This one is very personality based, wriring style if it's a little more silly or even playing into combining your narration voice, if it's leaning into the vibes of the character who is leading the story. See above but another option: "As subtly as possible with his friends nearby and unaware, he crossed his legs to hide his unfortunately timed boner." I added more to give the line some personality to demonstrate it working in prose where it might otherwise seem childish. It's a little juvenile of a term, so giving the narration some sass kinda works? Junk - Conversational and silly, definitely not super sexy. Dialogue only.

[inkovert]

Writeblr Positivity Tag

Tagged by @pertinax--loculos. Before I begin I just wanna say...Pockets...this BFF-ship is not one-sided. You're super cool and I always love seeing you on my dash and I miss reading about your stories (haven't heard about ATN in a minute D: I know it's in the 'second draft/editing' graveyard so I get it). My only disappointment is that we evidently live in different time zones so we're never active at the same time :'(. But yeah just had to clear that up. So EHEM, onto the tag!

What motivates you to write?

Oof. I've been trying to remind myself of the answer to this because your girl seems to keep forgetting. I think @pertinax--loculos put it beautifully: 'I write for the same reason I breathe. Because if I didn't, I would die'. I don't think I'm necessarily motivated to do it at this point, it's just that I'm incapable of NOT doing it. Which inevitably makes it difficult when I find myself in a slump and desperate to give up because I can't produce anything I deem "good enough". I know despite my frustrations I will keep trying to produce something because giving up is evidently not an option. In the past though, I think I was motivated by the prospects of other people eventually reading my work and wanting to give those imaginary future people the same feelings/experiences my favorite authors have given me when I read my favorite book. But as it's gotten harder and harder to get eyes on my work, that's stopped being a motivator for me (which is probably for the best).

A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud of/happy with. If not, maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them):

Can you believe it took me SO long to find an answer for this LOL. I think I'm mostly proud of how scenes I've written turned out, not necessarily specific lines. But I'll go with this one, because it stuck with me the most after I wrote it:

The last thing I truly tried to create was the destruction of myself.

Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them, and what are they like?

Hands down, it's Vince. Like, I love that boy. I can think about him in relation to almost everyone in my cast of characters and I smile even harder. But I think the relationship that I love the most in my story is the one he has with Cami. It's just so...wholesome and pure and playful and loving. Like the two of them truly come to care for each other so much, in a way that almost transcends any kind of relationship (their relationship is fully platonic btw). But Vince is just a lovable idiot. He is the resident himbo. He doesn't take life or himself too seriously which makes him easy to get along with. But he also has such an incredibly big heart and is actually quite sensitive once you get to know him. But the care, respect and admiration he grows to have for Cami over the course of the story is just so beautiful to watch and is one of the parts of my story I look forward to writing/developing the most. I could ramble on and say more but I will reign myself in.

What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

I know this is an uncommon answer but...editing. Blank pages intimidate me. I hate coming up with words on the spot with nothing to build off of. But I love coming back to a chapter I've written, opening up a blank doc beside it and rewriting the chapter with stronger language/words/prose/dialogue etc. I'm often able to flex my writing chops when re-writing or editing a chapter rather than just writing it from scratch. The right words just come to me a lot easier and I can phrase things more eloquently than before. I know this is not what true true editing is...come back and ask me again in 6 months when I have to edit the completed second draft of my story and I'm writhing in agony.

What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Dialogue. Dialogue. Dialogue. I struggle with writing an engaging narrative voice/exposition. Can't worldbuild for my life. Descriptions scare me. But ask me to write a compelling, emotional, humorous, realistic conversation between two characters and I will hit the ground running.

What is something in the writeblr community that is most enjoyable?

I think Pockets also had a good answer for this that I agree with - people never forget you. You can be gone for 4 weeks, 4 months, or 4 years, but the minute you log back on and make a post, people will welcome you back into the community with open arms like you never left. And you realize just how much of a place you actually had in the community whereas often when you're in it on the day to day it can feel like you're shouting into the void and no one's listening. But people are listening and lurking and liking your posts, they just may be too shy to approach you or prefer to be in the shadows. But I can think of like at least 5 writeblrs who I've thought about in the last month and wondered where they went off to because I haven't seen them on my dash for months. Despite my qualms with writeblr at times, there is a semblance of a community here that I don't think many other platforms have or can replicate.

A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Scrivener. Literally Scrivener. I would not be able to do anything if I didn't have Scrivener. Scrivener is my life. It literally has everything a writer could need and more. When I tell you that everyday I'm discovering a new feature on this shit as if I'm using it for the first time rather than the mf 10 years I've had it. It legit has everything. “But what about —?” Yes. The answer is yes, it can do that, too. And I'm so grateful for it. And it's a ONE TIME purchase which is such a steal. It provides you so much and asks so little in return.

A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law, etc)

HA

(what an anticlimactic question to end on but I legit do not worlbuild. I truly admire anyone who can but it's not me.)

Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

@starry-sky-stuff @lady-grace-pens @rose-red-ink @freedominique @vacantgodling @kaiusvnoir

And anyone who sees this and wants to jump in! Feel free to say I tagged you, happy to read your responses.

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Abducted by Demons Recap

I don't feel like I got all my thoughts out on this arc so I'm going to make a general post. I'll probably do this for every arc.

This is the first arc of the series. So it has to make sure a new reader understands the premise and what to expect through the series. The first half of this arc is very exposition heavy as a result. Once the audience knows what is going on, the story focuses on the mood.

Throughout the first half, we get glimpses of how something is not right about the village but the second half goes completely off the deep end. There will be moments that are more graphic and unnerving than what happens in this arc, but the first arc needed to be extreme so anyone curious will understand whether or not they're interested or can handle this series.

And as for the art style, I absolutely loved how Karin Suzuragi drew eyes throughout the arc. In particular, I loved the moments where a single uncanny panel would be included in an otherwise normal scene.

My absolute favorite panel in the arc is when Rena asks Keiichi if he ate the ohagi. Nothing before or after that panel is unusual. Then that one panel pops in and you can feel a shiver go down your spine only for everything to continue as if nothing happened.

And all it would take is a little bit of detail in her eyes to remove the uncanniness and unease this panel causes.

Since this is the first arc, the story also had to blitz through the process of establishing everyone's closeness. The arc is entirely focused of Keiichi and Rena's relation and how it completely collapses when Keiichi finds out about the series of murders in Hinamizawa. On a reread, Keiichi and Rena's friendship felt like it was focused on to the point the other characters are essentially background characters. Later arcs will flesh them out more, but we don't know much abut Mion, Satoko, or Rika outside their connections to the murder victims.

Similarly, Tomitake interacts with the main cast far more in this arc than he does in later ones. It makes his death hit harder.

Some notes about major characters from this arc:

Keiichi Maebara: He moved to Hinamizawa three weeks ago.

Rena Ryugu: Birth name "Reina".She had moved out of Hinamizawa when she was younger. At some point she assaulted three boys with a bat and smashed every window in her school. In her psych evaluations, she frequently talked about Oyashiro-sama as if she is possessed by it. She moved back to Hinamizawa a year ago.

Mion Sonozaki: Leader of the group's after-school club. She has several misdemeanors due to her actions during the village's protest against the dam project.

Satoko Hojo: Related to the second and fourth set of victims

Rika Furude: Related to the third set of victims

Curaudo Ooishi: A detective with the local prefecture who wants to figure out the cause of all the deaths. He suspects a group within the village is behind the deaths.

Jirou Tomitake: A photographer who visits Hinamizawa several times through the year. He died by scratching out his throat.

Miyo Takano: A nurse at the local clinic. She went missing after the Cotton Drifting Festival.

Satoshi Hojo: Satoko's older brother. He used to be part of the after-school club. He disappeared a year ago. Prior to his disappearance, he started carrying a bat and practiced his swinging. He also became distant from the club.

Now let's go over what we know or suspect about the murder mysteries:

Since 1979, someone has died each year during the Cotton Drifting Festival.

The first death was the director of the Dam Project. He was murdered and dismembered by several people. The person who took the right arm is still at large. However, the Director might still be alive.

The second death was Satoko's parents. They fell off a cliff. The wife's body was never found.

The third death was Rika's parents. Her father died of an illness and her mother drowned herself in the swamp. Her body was never found.

The fourth death was Satoko's aunt. She was beaten to death. Satoko's brother Satoshi also went missing around that time.

The fifth death was Jirou Tomitake. He clawed out his throat after apparently being attacked by several people. Miyo Takano has also gone missing. Tomitake's death is suspected of being drug induced.

Every death has a pattern of one discovered death and one missing person. People in the village refer to the disappearances as the person being "demoned away"

The villagers refer to the series of deaths as Oyashiro-sama's curse due to the connections to the dam project. However, each new victim is less and less connected to the project. Tomitake had no connection at all, and Ooishi suspects the murderers are just targeting outsiders at this point.

back

[planets-and-prose]

Find The Word

I was tagged on this by @k-v-briarwood, thank you for the tag!

My words are: Leak, Beam, Favor, Neglect.

I'll tag @chayscribbles, @n1ghtcrwler, @bones-and-rainbows, if y'all want to, and anyone else who does want to :) Your words are: Blue, Rip, Shine, Blanket.

Since Continuing Education really isn't...written, I'm doing Signature Powers so we'll see if that half-done, swiss cheese manuscript pulls some decent quotes. These are...entirely unedited, but I'll provide limited context when appropriate.

Leak (AKA the two local aromantic enbys learn about queer-platonic relationships)

“We…slept together,” Vandita murmured. "Overnight." “It…looks that way,” Hikari replied, trying for a chuckle. It came out oddly forced. “And it doesn’t feel wrong,” Vandi added. They also looked shocked at this turn of events, and that brought Hikari at least a little bit of comfort. Thank the gods that they weren’t the only one out of their element. “No, it doesn’t.” Silence stretched for a moment as the morning sun leaked through the window, spilling shadows across the room. “So, we…should we talk about this?” Vandi asked, sitting up in bed. “Maybe? Yes. I think we likely should. Maybe you have more experience in this than I do?” Gods, they hoped one of them had experience.

Beam (Exposition, and allusions to me being unable to NOT have a shapeshifting character)

"Niko, if we don't find anything, it'll be fine. You've been helping so the pain isn't as bad, and I haven't shifted in quite some time. I could live like this easily. If we find anything, it'll be amazing, but we don't have to." "But you SHOULDN'T have to live this way! You shouldn't! Your damn contractor…" "…is just one of many contractors. I don't have it the worst, trust me. It's just how things are in a lot of places. I should have known better. I asked for power, and I signed a contract stating that that power had a price. Yes, I didn't know about the bone issues, but…I should probably have known. That's just the way it is. Contractors have and will do much worse." "But it just…! Ugh!" Niko huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Still. If I can help you, I will, so we're going to try. Besides, travel might be nice. You're so used to running around in the woods, hopefully it'll be good for you too." Rose beamed. "I have missed the woods."

Favor (In which Vandi and Hikari come back, and Vandi's pronouns are inconsistent because they're she/they and honestly I did this whole thing in a month for NaNo lol)

Hikari nodded and gave a sympathetic grimace. “Overprotective father?” “You could say that.” Thinking of their father, how angry he’d be…how he probably had half the army out searching for his two errant children…it was definitely something. But it was liberating to not be associated with her father for once, to not have to be royal or perfect or even have to worry about it. The only person who might know about their royal background was Gil, and he hadn’t said anything so far. It was probably alright. “Well, I’d better go check on Seri. She’s…having a rough time.” “She does have a lot on her shoulders, it seems. She’s not really letting any of us in.” Vandita shook her head. “She doesn’t really trust that easily, and I’m trying to get her to loosen up. But it’s definitely not working.” “Well, time’ll do it. Go take care of your sister,” Hikari told them with a reassuring smile. Vandita nodded and left Hikari’s chambers in favor of Serilee’s.

Neglect

Apparently I haven't used this word? Ever? I checked like four manuscripts...so either Scrivener hates me or I'm not utilizing that particular brand of angst enough. So I'm throwing in a random excerpt from SP that I Just Felt Like.

Codell turned his attention to his quilt, examining the bright patterns and the intricate detail. Now that he couldn’t hear or speak, he learned that his eye for detail improved markedly, giving him an ability to sew intricate patterns, distinguish between colors and fade one seamlessly into another in a way that seemed almost impossible to achieve with blocks of fabric. Living in silence gave plenty of time to recreate beautiful mountain views in quilted fabric, bringing an art that was once thought to be simply “homey” into an art form of its own. And if people managed to get past the stony exterior and the strangely all-knowing stare, they would have the opportunity to buy a truly resplendent piece of artwork. Yet few did, so often Codell simply sat, beneath an awning so as not to burn his fair skin, sewing in…well, it was always silence for him. But few tried to talk to him. Today wasn’t an exception, aside from the vision.

Thank you again for the tag!!

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 10th ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

Season 1 | Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7 | Ep. 8 | Ep. 9

LETS GOOOO MCD flashbackkkkk

Oh look finally a good look at TBH and the mastermind's faces, nice thanks OFC the big bag is Kaibyaku the medical dude

ah so in the end it all leads back to that company if all three of them worked in the same place

Ofc the classic cheek punch then pass out, always happens

LMAOO they knocked each others teeth out and made friendship bracelets out of it thats a romance right there.

Oh damn does that mean that kaibyaku has some of of medical issue? that was an IV in his arm im pretty sure or at least some sort of drip. Maybe Jakurai will play some sort of big end of series role that heals him? I hope not, that would be a bit boring but it would make sense since kujaku posse is the only duo not affiliated with the whole TBH trio thing

Leader battle lets goooo we'll probably get another leader song which is always fun

I hope we get a TBH one

EYYY HEADSET MIC LETS GOOO I looooveddd rosho's one and im so glad theres another one which is always fun

Huh mic embedded in the hand? Thats an interesting concept

[On a second rewatch I think its interesting how Kenji specifically says "I can't fall here. Not we. Theres some foreshadowing that he is the only real one here. He specifics in his rap vers that its "that wretched party" that belongs in a grave, not any of our characters in particular]

[also another detail. The necromancy + skull imagery to their rap verse…. they are bringing back old ghosts with their song… they are so tragic. The rap on as second watch is just so much more tragic once you know everything]

Kuko's rap uses the letters T B H as the starts of his verses which is fun

NIce imagery of three dragons fighting for dominance, a very apt metaphor for IchiSamaKuko who are just hothead extremes

huh wonder what was ripped up

oh thats a neat explanation of how they were able to do a lot of supernatural stuff. I feel like it would have been more interesting if it was a hallucination, but hey I'll take that L its not that bad even if a bit uninspired/not very well foreshadowed

Also the vibrations as controlling element, as someone who can hear electronics, is something that would work for me 100% wwwww I would go crazy if i had to hear those annoying sound waves 24/7

I mean exposition episode but its kinda cute actually? I hate that they're doing this after revealing that they're dead but it does put in the point that they were people, not good people, but still people

bro… bro… satoru specifically says in his rap that the world's our kitchen… he has so many kitchen metaphors here…. bro still holds his dream of opening a restaurant with his totally platonic life bro even after death… bro…..

I mean its not that bad of a motive, im not that convinced that they're in the wrong. I'm also very much a sucker for acts of destructive love which is why i may be more inclined to cheer for kaibyakumon

While I do wish that they had fleshed out Kenji's relationship with Satoru and Akira a bit more, I do feel like the duo's dynamic on its own was really well presented before the big reveal. Like what's Kenji's feelings about SatoAkira, why is he so invested in this whole plan other than borderline idolizing kaibyaku?

I feel its hilarious how kenji's just sitting there while kaibyaku is just going on his monologue wwww

Nice, i like how they used Oosaka's island nature into their planning but there Are other bridges going into the mainland im pretty sure?

okay but why should you care? Like hes doing a overall good? Kaibyakumon's goals are aligned with the overall cast's motive of making sure that the government is placed in check so if the team wants us to have a reason to root against them, gotta give a good reason, esp after that backstory

LMAO HIFUMI oh i feel so bad for him

[dalesramblingsblog]

Brief Thoughts on Judge Dredd Novels, Part VI: Dread Dominion by Stephen Marley

If Stephen Marley's second and final contribution to Virgin's Judge Dredd line feels less polished than his first, then it probably only speaks to just how well-oiled Dreddlocked was.

This is, admittedly, a novel which starts and ends absolutely fantastically. The beginning, featuring a Mega-City One haunted by the intrusive presence of an alternative timeline, sings with the usual literary Marley weirdness, perhaps best exemplified by an extended sequence at the very start featuring an imperilled citizen by the name of Edgar Allen whose misfortune turns out to have been witnessed by a "Judge Corman."

Which is about as unsubtle as you can get, really, unless you were to have three clone versions of Lord Byron named Mad Byron, Bad Byron and Dangerous to Know Byron. Just... speaking hypothetically.

Also nice is the way in which the evolving status of Chief Judge McGruder, tying into contemporaneous developments in the comic from around this time, manages to reinforce the sense in which these novels have actually been surprisingly welcoming to any non-afficionados of the 2000 AD lore. Y'know, like myself.

Obviously all the big, cataclysmic developments in McGruder's arc are kept firmly to the comic strips, but even without having read a single Prog, the status quo as of Dread Dominion feels like a totally logical extrapolation from the steadily building characterisation of McGruder ever since Deathmasques.

Sure, these comic continuity ties are occasionally a double-edged sword - take a drink every time the events of Judgement Day and Necropolis are mentioned, and while you're at it, here's the number of a good rehab centre I know downtown - but by and large, it really helps contribute to the notion that the world of Mega-City One is a constantly evolving tapestry.

Once the action shifts to Dreadcity... well, issues do start to present themselves here. As with a lot of attempts at alternate timelines in a medium like novels where you're always a bit pressed for time, the necessity to establish how this realm is a departure from its counterpart leads to some rather brutal exposition in the book's middle portions.

This being Marley, I was never outright bored, and it helped that there were a lot of gonzo ideas to hold my attention. At the end of the day, Dread Dominion is still a book which opens with an Acknowledgment to the Emperor Caligula himself, so you're certainly in for a wild ride.

Still, it's perhaps quite telling that Marley's next big attempt at a bizarre and inventive world with Managra was very much framed as a discrete construct that isn't defined in opposition to an existing timeline, which does rather cut down on the excruciating exposition.

Things pick up quite a bit once we reach the climax, what with Caligula's complete breakdown and a pitched aerial battle between various flying marble heads and fists, however, and it's just about enough to overcome any misgivings I might have had to that point, so I'd still broadly call Dread Dominion a success, albeit a qualified one.

(Although I'll also point out that Marley's ominous literary quotation game isn't quite as polished here as it was in Dreddlocked, or as it will be in Managra, feeling a bit too much like the occasional and haphazard dropping of an arbitrarily chosen Shakespeare line in an effort to impart a deeper meaning.)

Tough to rank this one, but I'd probably do it like this:

Dreddlocked

Deathmasques

The Medusa Seed

Dread Dominion

Cursed Earth Asylum

The Savage Amusement

[wykart]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @mr-jaybird

tagging uhh dude you took all my usual guys. anyway @hellynz @picnokinesis

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

52

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,074,876 :0

3. What fandoms do you write for?

It’s mostly been Doctor Who (30!) but recently I’ve been focused more on the Horizon video games. Back in 2019 I wrote quite a few for the Umbrella Academy. There’s a few in there for other video game series like Dishonored, Bioshock, the Last of Us, and then one for Adventure Time :)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

These are all old and I’m too scared to read them back rip (all the Umbrella Academy except for a crack in the mask).

Haunting Five

Useless

Fifty-one years (and one day) later

A Crack in the Mask

Fix Her

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Mostly! I read all of them but don’t always get around to responding. Not that I get heaps I just forget or don’t know what to say haha.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

There are so many contenders for this. I’d say I generally go for ambiguous/bittersweet, but that old Umbrella Academy fic 'Useless' was very angsty in general with an ending to match.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Sheer Poetry!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nah

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nah

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I’m not a fan of crossovers in general but I once wrote a one shot about the Doctor and Yaz meeting Aloy from Horizon bc I had to lmao

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Don't think so

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

The Doctor and the Master. I haven’t written all that much for them but they’re always on my mind. You can swap one incarnation out for the other, mix and match them for endless flavours of toxicity. They’re perfect.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Oh so many. I really want to finish my Bioshock Infinite re-write at some point but it’s such a big project and since I’ve been furious at the flaws and potential of that game’s story for 10 years, I know I’m going to be perfectionistic.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Probably imagery and building a certain tone/atmosphere. Generally one that’s unsettling but also weird in a comical way. I’ve written things that are almost nothing but imagery fr.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting to the damn point. Also action, I tend to avoid it. I over explain to the extreme and am a huge control freak when it comes to shaping the reader’s interpretation, both with exposition and down to the micro-level with punctuation trying to establish a certain cadence. I’m getting better at this!!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I only know English :(

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Against the Lightning is definitely my most polished and ambitious fic and I’m really proud of myself for finishing it. But my personal/sentimental favourite is still Sheer Poetry, which holds all my Doctor Who feelings in a weird, misshapen package.

Cheers this was fun. I'll take any excuse to talk about my writing instead of actually doing it.

[glassbirdfeather]

Baldur's Gate 3 half-baked missing ending content

I'm not going to post a direct link here because tumblr likes to kill posts with them.

Below is a screenshot of a Larian forum post, which itself was copied from a reddit post that was unfortunately deleted before I could screenshot it; probably because it linked to a google drive document containing decompiled game content, but I personally reviewed one of the files in that drive that they are referring to and can verify it contains what is claimed below.

There is a single spoiler for Karlach's cut ending in the following text.

<ID: A larian forum post by Madguise titled "To those disappointed in the endings... [Reddit post]"

I'll be copying and pasting since this is very much important; I think there is good reason to assume the situation will be fixed in the (near) future. If you look in the game files (an extract of the decompiled dialogue files can be found here) you can find; [I have removed the google drive link here, sorry]

END_GameFinale_CompanionFates Withers has gathered the companions together one final time as a reunion of sorts 6 months later. They each exposit their various activities. Minthara is not here because she is only present if she is partnered with the player (she is still a speaker here but can change). END_GameFinale_WithersGathersCompanions 6 months later after saving Baldur's Gate, Withers gathers the companions and player around a campfire to invite them to recollect what they've been doing. END_GodsAndMonsters_WithersChronicles Scene that plays after END_GodsAndMonsters_WithersMeeting in which Withers settles the accounts of what happened to all the characters after the events of the game ended.

These files have tons of variations in them and are overly long so I will not copy everything that's in them here, but in my opinion it can be assumed that these are the "17000 endings" Larian talked about just before release. Maybe the game was shipped with everything leading up to the ending finished so they could get it out the door and had time to add all of this stuff later, but nevertheless I feel people should know that these files exist and that there is already a major framework for an epilogue, ending slides etc.

If you want to take a look yourself, go to the link above. There is so much in there that it's hard to cover everything at once, but my personal favourites so far are [spoiler]Karlach having her ending slides take place in the City of the Dead if she dies at the end while playing as her and Withers repeating the question you asked him at the beginning back to you at the end.[/spoiler] It's such a shame this is not in the game already.

This makes me glad that there is a ending somewhere in the games files, but it also makes me upset that they decided to launch their game without an ending. Maybe they did'nt think the game would garner a lot of attention, but I hope they will patch everything in real sooner rather than later.

End ID>

[emmys-grimoire]

Lesson 56 analysis + 57 predictions

I was right and wrong! Nothing unusual.

The Belphie-Diavolo arc continues and we go to meet up with Diavolo, only to discover it wasn't him who paged us, but his captor. We go to confront the captor who threatens us with a gun and Diavolo seems pretty carefree and oblivious about the man's true intent until he freaks out and attempts to shoot Belphie. MC can use their magic to protect him, but he informs us that bullet don't harm him anyway. A lightbulb seems to finally go off in Diavolo's head and he realizes what is happening, and he transforms and seems adamant about punishing the assailant. Belphie learns how much Diavolo cares about him and goes all tsundere-y throughout the rest of the lesson.

The big thing that happens is the Diavolo background bits and his confession + kiss. I anticipate there was much squeeing, but it was pretty standard confession fare. I have a harder time getting into it because we didn't really have any big bonding moment with him prior to him apparently falling for us.

But whatever. There are some interesting bits to comb through!

Raphael: Misunderstood?

We find out in the beginning of this lesson that Belphegor has a much higher opinion of Raphael than the rest of the brothers, that seems to have stemmed from Raphael once saving him when he got lost in the forest back in the Celestial Realm.

Up until this point, all associations with Raphael have been negative. This gives us some background on why he might be irritable and snide all the time, because Michael is also noted to be a sadist by Simeon, who enjoys making harsh demands of his underlings. He might be a hint resentful and taking it out on the brothers? That might be multiplied if Michael clearly goes easier on them due to favoritism in spite of all their troublemaking. I think that'd kind of make sense.

They like to put emphasis on how secretly malevolent the Seraphim are -- that they're duplicitously evil. Not sure how much they're actually trying to hide it, though? It sounds like Raphael was pretty upfront about how he felt about everything.

Diavolo's Flaws

We find out that Diavolo is actually aware of his penchant for using his royal status to get those around him to do what he wants. We also find out that his mother died giving birth to him, and his father was very strict in raising him. He was sheltered, and not allowed to speak with anyone outside of the castle.

Getting Tywin Lannister vibes. Diavolo isn't sure whether or not his father hates him for being responsible for his beloved wife's death.

In spite of being sheltered from the outside world, Diavolo still manages to meet Barbatos, which I think confirms that Barbatos was not always in their service. I was wrong that Barbatos's employment was connected to his father's machinations, though: it was Diavolo who twisted his arm into it, because Diavolo desperately wanted a friend and became enamored with the stories of the outside world that Barbatos told him.

Diavolo threatened to abdicate his throne if Barbatos didn't stay. Which is actually... kind of an asshole move? I imagine he refused for a reason, and Diavolo taking the throne was apparently very important to his father (and probably the Devildom as a whole if the succession would be muddled).

I don't think at this point Barbatos minds, but I wouldn't blame him if he initially did resent Diavolo.

Diavolo has demonstrated he has the ability to sense lies and he's a good judge of character, so him being unable to ascertain whether or not his father or Barbatos really likes him seems noteworthy. I think Barbatos is the best fake smiler among them, but he's been at Diavolo's side the longest.

He has a surprising amount of insecurities when it comes to his closest relationships, but I'm afraid a lot of it is his own fault: if he hadn't extorted Barbatos and instead Barbatos entered his service of his own free will, he probably wouldn't need to second guess the butler's intentions. Additionally, if he didn't demand Lucifer make a vow in exchange for his sister's life, there's a chance that maybe it'd be easier for Lucifer to open up and get closer to him like a friend naturally would.

And then maybe he wouldn't have spent most of season 2 worrying over how Lucifer may respond to bad news!

But he's growing out of it. Sort of. I'd be wary of him trying to strongarm MC into a decision they may not necessarily want to make, though, even now. Maybe especially now given his apparent attachment to them.

Barbatos scheming

Barbatos is being schemey!

I have a feeling this involves the information Luke relayed to him about a potential rift growing between Michael and Simeon. I would not be surprised if Barbatos has actually peered into the future and knows what Michael might be planning, and he's positioning himself to counter it.

I was hoping hard mode or the subnode would shed more light on what this conversation entailed, but nope, it was just more fluff. I doubt they were just discussing dinner, though.

Predictions

This lesson was more Diavolo-centric than I expected but that's hardly unwelcome. Like expected, it was a good fluffy lesson in spite of the, uh, grim background.

The brothers behaved for once and didn't intrude upon our bonding experience with Diavolo and Belphegor.

We didn't actually receive a star for this trial, which is... odd. Maybe we'll receive it in the beginning of the following lesson, or perhaps this romp wasn't a trial? It'd be the first one that wasn't. I'll be really surprised if they go for another twofer and don't give Lucifer his own special arc.

I was expecting to be rewarded our star and having the lesson end on a cliffhanger but it feels like the next lesson will be the beginning of the final arc. Outside of Barbatos's potential maneuvering, we weren't given any further information on what Michael may be planning.

If Season 2's format is any indicator, the next lesson is when everything suddenly hits the fan. I sense another sudden exposition dump on the horizon.

They did mention going to yet another space-themed park but that sounds like it'd be too... samey. Also not a place that sounds like it'd be Lucifer's cup of tea.

I'd be willing to bet Barbatos will play a part in the finale and by extension so will time travel (again), but other than that I got nothing. If Michael is aware of Barbatos's powers -- and he may very well be -- maybe he'll be the one who manages one hell of a Xanatos Gambit and try to turn it to his advantage. I'd be surprised if he wasn't similarly prepared, particularly if he's plotted and meddled with Devildom affairs in the past.

But I'm not even entirely sure what he really wants yet, and that drives everything.

The most straightforward motivation would be getting the brothers back, but he must know they would never willingly go back presently and we're not even entirely sure daddy would want them back. I theorized that he might be trying to get MC to turn the demon brothers back to their angel selves but there really hasn't been much progress shown in that regard.

I do expect our meddling in the flashbacks will have some unforeseen consequences which Michael alluded to, but I still don't know exactly what and I'm not entirely convinced that they will actually be to his benefit.

He might want to change the past, prevent whatever triggered Lucifer to start hating their father and/or stop him from meeting Diavolo and growing more and more doubtful about the Celestial Realm's intent... but he already had that opportunity when MC went back in time, and he would have to find a way to manipulate Barbatos into getting him to that specific point in time. If he's in league with Solomon, he could feasibly do that via the pact but...

Are we really betting on a villainous Michael-Solomon tag team? idk man

And Barbatos can just eliminate that timeline fork with a snap of his fingers, like he did before.

I guess I'm finding out along with you guys. Again!

[aot-snk-4238]

AOT No Requiem Fanfic Review Part 2

Disclaimer: I am not a supporter of ANR myself, so I knew that I probably wouldn't like most of what this fanfiction is putting out there. That being said, I decided to check it out anyway because I was interested in seeing what changes these people were planning on making. This review is not meant to bash the work or the team of artists and writers behind it. These are just my own personal opinions, and I will try to express them as professionally as I can without coming across as aggressive or rude, as that is not my intention.

After a four month hiatus, it looks like the popular fan fiction Attack On Titan No Requiem is back in action. I'm glad to hear that their creator is doing okay. Since this fan fiction covers the final three chapters, I'm splitting my review into three parts. The first one can be found here so if you haven't read it, you can check that out first. I kept it short and to the point and I intend to try and do that with the rest of these as well, so without further ado, here are my thoughts on the second installment of this short series:

This chapter opens up where the previous one left off, with a clash between Eren and Armin's ideologies, their discussion getting more heated by the minute. Armin still believes in a more peaceful way out of the situation that involves more talking and less bloodshed, whereas Eren sees no other options other than the path he is currently on. Fuming with anger now, Armin grabs Eren by the shirt and this is where the scene transitions to the rest of Eren and Historia's conversation from chapter 130. I still can't believe we were deprived of this in the canon universe, so I was interested to see if any of it would play out in a way that I wasn't already expecting. As it turns out, it did not. I was fully prepared for them to confirm or at least imply that Eren is the father of Historia's baby considering what theory this whole thing is based off of and that's exactly what happened. To their credit, they didn't make it as cheesy and overly-romantic as I was afraid they might, but it still could have used a bit more exposition and time to develop. I didn't care for what appeared to be a brief elopement scene in the woods, though. And was that supposed to be Floch officiating it? That's...just too weird for me. Sorry, but a secret wedding in the woods with Floch as the priest felt more like a joke to me rather than a serious event. I remember when most fans used to hate him, but that changed at some point and now he's quite popular. I can't tell if it's for the sake of memes or if people really had a change of heart. And just to be clear I have no issues with people liking him, I'm just a little confused as to how it came about. As for the whole pregnancy subplot in general, I don't think there's anything that can done to make me like it at this point. It came out of nowhere and it led to nowhere. It looks pretty clear to me that making Eren the baby father is the only solution that people can come up with to have it actually mean something and have relevance, which only serves as further proof to me that it never should have happened in the first place. Even if this team has something clever up their sleeve, I feel like there's only so much they can do to make it better, especially considering that they're only changing the last three chapters. To me, a much better handling of Historia post time-skip by Isayama would have involved giving her a chance to actually be queen and exploring her thoughts on Eren's actions and whether she would have allowed the Yeagerists to take over the island. We saw in the end that she did let them take over, but we're not clearly shown why. We also never found out why Eren was able to change her mind so suddenly regarding his plan and what made her decide to have a child. Not to mention that not once did we get to see her interact with the rest of the cast, which it doesn't look like will happen in this fan ending either. It was just her in that stupid chair and then the baby is born and that's it. I appreciate the AOTNR team's attempt to breathe some life back into her, but it still doesn't make up for all the missing screentime she had from chapter 90 onwards.

Moving on to the last part of this chapter, we see that after learning Eren's secret, Armin has had enough. He calls Eren a hypocrite for hiding what he did with Historia from everyone and how things could have been better if he just trusted them, but Eren is still unfazed. Armin asks Eren why he was brought back into Paths if it wasn't actually going to fix anything, and this is how the rest of the chapter plays out:

I like the way this cliffhanger is depicted. It shows Eren and Armin both as children this time facing each other, each with a determined look on their face while their adult faces shine in the background. It serves as a good visual representation of just how much things have changed between them since their early years and prepares the audience for a huge face-off outside of PATHS where everyone else is still trying to fight off Ymir's horde of ancient titans. Speaking of that, these two fan-made chapters have not given much focus to what's been going on on the outside, unlike Isayama's chapter 138. It looks like their three biggest priorities here are giving us Eren's POV, which we didn't get until the very end, Historia's POV, which we never got at all, and a final boost of character development for Armin. As a result, other important plot points are put on hold, such as what's next for Zeke and the rest of Eren's friends. This, paired with a lack of action sequences, causes the pacing to feel slow. Seeing where we are now, though, I'm assuming that it will pick up next chapter. And now that they've given Historia some much needed attention, I'm interested in seeing if they have any plans for Mikasa. There are a lot of people who strongly dislike her, so changing that perspective into something more positive looks like it's going to be a big challenge and I'll be very impressed if they pull it off. Overall, I thought this chapter was okay. It's very good for a fanfiction, though, and I'm glad that other people are enjoying it. I'll be grateful if it brings at least some level of peace to this fandom in the end, so until next time, thanks for reading ✌.

[succulentsunrise]

Hello Sun! Gonna give some love back for the questions you asked regarding my ocs.

How about question 35 for Tani? 48 for Icree? And 12 for Luka? A variety of questions that I felt might be suitable for each oc.

Take your time with the answers. I await patiently.

(By the way, I finally started reading Where the Fire Lilies Grow and I like the introductions to your ocs. I thought it was a good balance of exposition and character interaction.)

First of all, thank you!! ❤️ 🥺 Very happy to answer them, thank you so much!

I'm very honoured to hear you are reading my fic, and I hope you'll like it. It might start off a little slow, but I promise it becomes more tragic exciting a bit later! 🥰

---

Tani: Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

Tani tries her utmost best to rationalize errors, but it is very easy for her to fall back to certain thought patterns. For example, in combat situations, there is a certain trait she has that she sees as a failure: as a commoner, she has very little magic to begin with. She has only recently come more in terms (see Where the Fire Lilies Grow) with the type of magic she has.

Tani often assumes disasters and failures are due to her lack of skill and ability, even when she knows it is not so. "If only"-is a very common thought for her. She can't help for yearning things that others have, in that sense, but at the same time she tries to reach those points with her own hard work. She doesn't believe in shortcuts.

Icree: How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish?

Icree gestures a lot and energetically. Her whole body becomes part of the movement: when she is happy, she is very lively; when confident, she might be more still, but still gesture quite a bit; and when sad or angry, Icree's movements become more restrained. It's like she is unconsciously keeping back negative emotions, but lets positive emotions roam free.

Studying is probably when she is most controlling of herself, and therefore doesn't gesture a lot - but will whine to anyone who listens. Studying and she have a love-hate relationship!

Luka: How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations?

This is a fun one for Luka! His education shows quite a bit in his speech pattern: he tries to be formal and polite with strangers, no matter their status, and carries himself with that kind of aura. However, once he is comfortable with someone, it relaxes, and one can notice that he's absorbed quite a bit of slang that nobles aren't supposed to. His pronunciation stays mostly very proper though. His vocabulary might falter when he becomes anxious, as his mind just wants to flee the situation and refuses to find complex words.

I think it is difficult in the first place to judge someone's intelligence by their speech, vocabulary or pronunciation, so I'll leave that alone. It's easy to see Luka is a noble by the way he speaks, and so one might assume either that he is educated or that he is stupid, depending what one thinks about Clover nobles!

[jq37]

I'll be the one that bites the bullet. Fantasy High episode 11--thoughts?

**spoilers for cool kids, cold case**

Hoo boy. 

That could be my entire write up honestly because, geez ya'll. 

Let's break it down. 

Sidenote, I just got mildly into Overwatch so every time I say that and I say it a fair amount, I hear Lucio in my head. 

Anyway, like I said in an earlier post, I'm now pretty sure that the bloodrush fight didn't go the way Brennan expected. Like either he didn't expect them to win or that they would win but not kill Daybreak because there was so much exposition and change and repositioning in this episode. It was a lot like the first session with all the setup. It's like he needed to get them on a new trajectory so he took an episode to time jump and change the status quo before--BAM. But we're getting to that.

In another show or even another episode of this show, the opening convo with Ragh might have been the wildest part of the ep. There’s just so much to unpack there.

Fig making him kowtow to Gorgug and everyone being like dude, stop making it weird. 

Before she did that, Emily paused and you could just see every other person looking like “What insane thing is gonna come out of her mouth now?”

Kristen getting the scoop on his super gay dreams. 

Adaine trying to get him to got to therapy (and also to realize that he's gay). 

The group whole ass making him cry for possibly the first time?

Fabian trying to shut everything down.

“You’re cumming from your eyes.”

 Kristen, please stop. I’m begging you. 

As I suspected, the group reached the point of yeah, we NEED to call Riz's mom this ep. Like, they *had* to call her. You can only realistically take shenanigans so far before it becomes straight unrealistic to not just call a responsible adult. 

And, speaking of, yay! We got to see a little of everyone’s parents just like I wanted/predicted. 

We actually got a lot of stuff from my wishlist. There’s so much time jumping and stuff in this episode I don’t even know where to start. 

This is probably the wrong place to start but I remember wondering what their Christmas equivalent was because they can’t have Christmas because of the Christ thing so when they were like Solstice I was like, oh duh. It’s literally right there. How could I miss it.

OK I guess 

Christmas Solstice party at Gorgug’s house! I knew his house would end up being the hang house.  

Sklonda handled the situation pretty close to how I thought she would. I really think Brennan was forced into a, “This adult is too responsible to not wipe out my next ten plot points over the course of a week,” corner and that’s why he had to pivot. More on that later.

Fabian just refusing to eat any of the fast food she got them.

I totally forgot Adaine has diplomatic immunity. Which actually means she’s the ideal Bad Kid to do anything shady they need done, even though that’s not really her style.

Unlike, other people

We’re getting there

I’m glad Brennan drew the line at Kristen’s parents actively being in a cult. He was like, OK no. They’re willfully ignorant but they’re not PART OF THE CULT.

I also think it’s interesting that they didn’t actually kick her out? Like they sorta kinda did but not really because it seems like she’s couch surfing of her own volition a little and staying home sometimes too? I wonder how her brothers are doing.

Both of Fig’s dads just work at her school now. I wonder is they commiserate about her w/ Goldenhoard.

I can’t believe Brennan is letting her just ruin the life of this random, full-adult dwarf doctor. Like, imagine if any adult in her life found out about that.

Brennan says bud a lot. Almost as much as he says rad.

Gorgug choosing playing the drums as his proficiency, but not well. Just, like, a simple drum beat. Bro. Why.

Adaine’s makeover!

I knew we were gonna get to see that. Or at least I really hoped we would.

And it was in boutique setting similar to what I imagined. A little surprised that she went straight for the jeans and t-shirt thing but dope. I want fan-art. 

Also, if I hadn’t already been convinced, that scene would have convinced me that Fabian got everyone the gifts (before it was confirmed later).

“You’d look nice as a sailor.” Is that like a pirate thing, bro?

Real talk, does Fabian for-real, for-real have a crush on Adaine low key?He’s complimented her looks more than once, which he hasn’t done with the other girls. They’re at a similar social class which might be a factor. And he clearly has a thing for blond elves.

WE’LL GET TO IT. 

I am Concerned about Adaine’s jean jacket, regardless of how dope it is.

Someone needs to talk to Fig about the rat thing. Possibly also Emily. 

42069 LANE (or whatever it was). I hate that I love Brennan for that.

“The worst thing about you is that you’re rich.”

But aww, Fabian. I’m glad it ended up being him (and shoutout to the anon who pointed that out to me). This is exactly the character growth I wanted from him.

When Gorthalax said that tryouts had already happened, I was legit upset for Fabian for a sec. Also, how did I know Gorgug was gonna somehow end up on the bloodrush team?

Guys I feel like there’s still a million more things to talk about.

Adaine finding out about Riz’s dad. God I hope there’s a heart to heart soon but she won’t just drop that info unless she has a really good reason.

GILEAR. I can’t believe that was him on a NAT 20. God, he has zero game. Also, imagine Fig and Riz as siblings. Lord.

The return of Tracker. I was concerned that she was in college but she’s like a Sophomore so Kristen is good to go as soon as she stops being a total disaster so actually that’s probably a moot point. 

Sidenote, kinda surprised that she’s a cleric. I thought she was off religion totally but I guess she just switched. But I feel like it’s hard to be totally non-religious in a world where gods 100% for sure exist?

Adaine going, “Mrs. Gukgak. Actually Captain Gukgak,” to her racist-ass dad gave me life. 

OK so re: the whole conversation about perditional contradoxy and treaties and war and such. How much of that was in the plan and how much of that was last minute retooling by Brennan? Because, I’m going to be honest. If it wasn’t for that comment by Siobhan, I would never have guessed that we were off the rails. But, with that in mind, this feels like the work of a GM who needs to keep the game going because things ended up moving too quickly.

It does answer the question of where the story is going now that the Harvestmen seem to be taken care of. I was a little surprised when Brennan was like, “Yeah Riz’s mom gets them all arrested,” because I’d assumed that the bad guy was going to be just the higher guy on the totem pole. 

OK, I’m sure I’m missing some things because this was a JAM PACKED ep so, if I missed something you wanted my thoughts on, please tell me and I’ll be super happy to write more words but let’s get into that scene. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OK OK OK

Before we start, I’m so pumped about all of this development but I hate how often I’m going to have to type the word Eolwyn because my fingers refuse to accept that that’s how that’s spelled.

ANYWAY

Dude, the pacing, switching between Adaine and home and the rest of the gang at the party. Like, I knew what the reveal had to be as soon as she walked in but I was still like, “Oh my God. Oh my GOD.”

Sidenote: It was very convenient for Brennan that Adaine never actually read those books because it was an easy and non-cheating way to dole out exposition now, later in the game.

What were the mechanics of Adaine not being invited to that party? Did Eolwyn specifically get her not invited? Did she actually get invited but couldn’t go because of the dinner at home? Did all her friends still decide to go, knowing she wasn’t invited? Was she OK with that? How exactly did that go down?

EOLWYN

BUSTING into that party

Magicking up a bunch of LOVE SLAVE PUPPETS

SNORTING magic coke

Playing Spin the Bottle DEATH ROULETTE 

MAKING OUT WITH FABIAN

CUT TO: I’M GOING TO KILL MY SISTER

DAMN BRENNAN, I did NOT Expect you to go THAT hard.

AND THEN IT KEPT GOING

Assuming they all live, I can’t WAIT for the, “YOU KISSED MY SISTER????” conversation. 

Which means they’ve either never met Eolwyn or only in passing and not enough to remember her. 

Shoutout to Riz for being the only person to give Adaine a heads up. 

Her eyes glow blue when she does certain types of magic so I’m just picturing her walking into that room, eyes blazing blue, ready to F up her sister (even BEFORE she finds out what’s going on).

I don’t remember if she called Eolwyn a c**t in this ep or the promo for next but I was like, “Oh damn.” Like you got her to escalate her cursing that much that quickly? Damn.

Also, I love that when she’s really upset, Adaine skips the magic and just starts hitting people. 

OK, so remember in the first ep when Eolwyn tried to have Adaine steal that book? The book that I’m pretty sure is the one they mentioned as having wards on it to keep monster stuff from happening at school? So, here’s what I want to know. Has Eolwyn always been a part of this? Because, clearly, it looks like she is right now. But it’s possible the original intent was that she wanted to get Adaine to do it as a prank, not knowing it was important and then, Brennan checked his notes while salvaging the plot and decided to work it in.  

Also, unlikely, but imagine if Eolwyn somehow induced Adaine’s panic attack during her entrance exam to Hudol specifically so she would fail, have to go to Augefort, and steal the book for her. Wouldn’t that be wild?

Idek what else to say about that last ten minutes or so that isn’t just incoherent, Ally-esque screeching.

I have to say, battle eps are never my faves but I’m looking forward to this one more than any other one so far. 

Man, I can’t believe I thought Eolwyn asking for that textbook might turn into a sister bonding moment. Lol @ past me.

Anyway, kick her ass Adaine!

[the-letter-horror-lover]

Notes:

Don't forget the poll

Vote on your prompt

Chapter 10: This trip would go smoothly

Summary:

Exposition chapter (sorta) into the minds and thought process of everyone.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Red couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was that what was eating at you? The strong and confident you that he saw all those times. Why didn't you talk about it? He then remembered what your sister had talked about.

'When ever Lilo has those kind of dreams it usually holds a little truth. She might have seen a way they could break our barrier or an entrance we overlooked. Don't argue and listen to the dream is usually my best advice.'

But what if it was just a regular nightmare? He thought when you had cried the other time it was just from the shock of it but if it's truly eating at you, how could he make you feel safe?

Gunshots were heard further in the distance, grabbing both of your attention.

"Sorry didn't want to but we got company!"

Red stood up and looked around. He saw a small hoard coming towards your group. His sockets went wide and he grabbed you by the arm. Yanking you up and carrying you on his shoulder.

"Red, what the fuck."

"sorry cheeks ain't got time ta explain."

He ran back to the car dropping both of you in the backseat as your sister took the wheel. The wheel spun in the gravel leaving you slightly dazed. You looked around to see that things seemed to be calmer. Red was sweating profusely. You thought it looked quite weird that a skeleton would sweat red but it must be related to his magic. You turned around to reach into the trunk. Rule #12 (bounty paper towels) to wipe away at the excess sweat. He let you do it although you saw his cheeks flaming red.

You smiled once you were done.

"Sorry, that might have been rude."

His lazy smile returned and he sat back with his arms behind his back.

" 'nythin' for ya doll."

He drawled out his sentence and wiggled his eyebrows. He told you both that he was due for a nap and that he would be out like a light for the next few hours. You promised to wake him up for dinner.

Once you heard him snoring your eyes met your sister's in the rearview mirror.

"So, did you tell him?"

You shrugged your shoulders.

"A bit of both. I'm scared. What if it's all true? What if this dream will also happen?"

"I'll stop, you talk."

She slowed down her pace on the highway until coming to a full stop. She pulled the handbrake of the car and put it in neutral.

"You both die. Instead of me taking the bullet it's Red that takes it. It all starts going south from there. The worst part is, I can't stop it and I keep dreaming about it."

You furrowed your brows and ruffled your hair with your hands. Your own frustration becoming too much to bare.

"Fin is probably dead. With the amount of Z's in Atlanta I'd be surprised that anything but stragglers survive. We can check if you want. We can turn around and explore Atlanta until you are satisfied."

"No!" You shouted, eyes wide with panic.

"That's even worse. What if it's the second time I saw it in my dream? What if the second time around Red steps in front of me? We can't risk it!"

She nodded and let you rant until you couldn't form words anymore. It took a little while but both of you came to the same conclusion. You had to stop thinking about it. Your dreams weren't always accurate. You couldn't let them be real.

"You know what happens anyway if I die."

"Don't. We don't talk about this anymore."

"But you'll do it."

You crossed your arms and looked outside, your sister taking this as her cue to drive some more. She wasn't that far off the mark. You truly hated the idea of death but you did feel slightly better after talking about it. Slowly the snores of Red and the car's engine lulled you into sleep.

The next time you woke up it was pleasantly after a dreamless slumber. You looked around and saw that you were the only one in the car. You got out of the car and slammed the door. Looking around you seemed to be on some kind of camping ground. Your sister was hanging clothes to dry while Red was working a grill. You wouldn't question where they got such a big grill from or the meat.

Red spotted you and grinned from afar.

"well looka that. sleepin' beaut' is finally up."

You stretched your back and turned to your sister.

"How long was I out?"

She shrugged.

"A couple hours or something like that. We let you sleep in. Thought it would be a good idea since you've been losing sleep these days."

"ya nightmares are common where ‘am from. knew ya needed da rest."

You thanked them and all of you ate peacefully. You stayed the night to sleep in the hummer and took first guard duty since you didn't think you had it in you to sleep. Stitch would take middle and Red last. You kept the fire lit so you'd have a source of light in case any stragglers made their way here. Stitch and you always have the argument but since you proposed to smoke some game meat Red had hunted for dinner. How did he even find this much meat in so little time?

It was then decided that the fire could stay lit until morning. A grill on top and the fire, a few feet above the flame and a poking stick and a smokey sauce Red had brought back from the supermarket. Blessed be the supermarket once again. Your shift was pretty quiet. One or two stragglers but mostly just the sounds of the quiet night. Soon enough it was time to switch shifts and you went to the car to wake up Stitch. You shook her slightly and she grumbled but stood up slightly. She blinked slowly before you saw her get spooked and throw a knife behind you. You finally heard the gurgling sound of an infected who had just died.

You turned around to it and then her, placing your hands behind your back and allowing her to get out.

"I told you. You loose your natural night vision when you are exposed to a bright source of light. It could have been bad sis."

She left the car and stood above its body. Rule #2 (Double tap), She had to make sure it was truly dead so she plunged another knife into his skull before grabbing the two she had used on him.

She placed her hands on her hips and whirled around to face you. She seemed to gather her words and like the pressure was slowly building up. You waited for her to blow a fuse but it never came. She just sighed.

"You should get some rest. It won't do us any good to argue this late in the night."

You looked back to her and offered a hug before climbing the passenger side and laying there. You could hear the snores of Red, you turned around to look at him and observe him. How could he just kiss you like that? It's like he didn't even care what you thought. You did like him or you think you do but that was so sudden. You didn't even get to talk to him about it after.

That wasn't fair. How could he look like nothing was wrong in this world? He had kissed you and you just let him? Why? Just so he can break your little heart after? No, Red isn't like that. Fucking self doubt, making you question the only person you've ever liked. Would he even talk about it if you asked?... Maybe you should try. You leaned over the seats and got close to his ear (?) to whisper to him.

"Hey Red. What do you think of Lilo?"

He grumbled in his sleep but it wasn't anything coherent. Well at least you were sure he was asleep. It had been such a long time since you or your sister had some alone time.

You went to check in your backpack and got out a battery powered adult toy. You hoped it didn't make too much noise but you both know it shouldn't. You turned it on and slowly rubbed it along the top of your pants. The pleasure wasn't enough so you shimmied your pants down and were now in your underwear. You rubbed it along there and the vibration was indeed stronger but you needed more.

You had enough of your panties and decided it was time they left. The toy now right flush against your clit made you shiver. You rubbed circles with it and stuffed a bit of your t-shirt inside of your mouth to prevent any mewls from escaping you.

The closer you got the harder it was to contain yourself. You wanted to moan but it just made you crave more and more release. You were about to reach your peak. Just a few more seconds, you felt it as you tighten-

...

The toy stopped vibrating. You were left with the toy in your hands and you felt completely dejected. What the hell? Was it really missing a battery so close to you finishing? You got a spare battery out from the big pack of batteries you had. You twisted it open and replaced the old battery. You closed it and turned it on.

...

Why isn't this thing working...?

You tried another battery thinking it might have been a dud.

...

Still nothing.

You wanted to throw it but you knew it made too much noise. Why did you only rely on that one? You struggled to think coherently. You just wanted relief and without a good toy that would be much harder.

...

Anger, sadness, defeat. There's only so much you could do, your climax now out of reach. It had been half an hour and you couldn't get close to it. You had to relent and stop for the night.

When you woke up you felt groggy and sluggish. You got out of the car as Stitch was still sleeping in the back seat. Your mood was sour but at least you could spend a little alone time talking to Red.

"Hey Red. How's breakfast coming along?"

He stiffened and you heard the pan sizzle but the skeleton didn't answer you. You went close to him, tapping his shoulder to gain his attention. He turned around to look at you. You saw his cheeks flushed red and his eyes darting around anywhere but to look at you.

"heya, stitch's not up yet?"

You shook your head and that seemed to appease him. He went back to flipping the skillet but there still seemed to be some tension there. You decided to be direct and ask him.

"Did something happen with Stitch?"

He looked back at you and you saw sweat beading down his skull.

"nah nothin' happened with ya sis. we peachy."

That was highly too suspicious to your liking. You tried to prod Red for an answer but he would flat out ignore any attempts you made towards it. You were fed up and that's when your sister got out of the car. She yawned and stretched herself to her full height before moving slowly towards you.

"Morning sis, Red."

She shot him a look and Red immediately tensed up. He audibly gulped and you saw him twist his collar around his neck to fidget with. That was definitely your sister's fault. You gave Red a tap behind the skull and then went to confront your sister.

"What did you do to him?"

She looked sly and just shook her shoulders.

"I didn't do anything. I just explained the rules."

The rules? The survival rules? No that wouldn't make much sense, he doesn't really follow rules. What would make her this smug and him this distanced?

...

"You gave him the talk. I can't believe that you gave him the talk!"

She just twirled a piece of her hair on her finger and sat on a trunk.

"He needs to know his place."

She gestured towards Red. He looked like he would rather be in the middle of a hoard armed with only a butter knife than deal with you and your sister's shit. You forced a smile and grabbed your sister by the scarf. You brought her face close to yours and spoke eye to eye.

"Take that back."

You yanked her forward and she just placed her hands behind her head. She was messing with you wasn't she? She wanted to see if you were serious about him. She clicked her tongue and you just threw her off you. You made sure you had your equipment on you and darted for the woods. She wanted to get a rise out of you and she sure did. Now you need to let that frustration go so you don't act rashly.

You saw a small group of zombies and darted for them. You undid the button to your knives and immediately threw one at the closest. It hit him square in the face. He went down and that's when the others got agitated. You took a second knife and threw it at a second one. This time hitting him in the neck. The black sludge of what used to be his blood leaking from the wound. They finally caught sight of you and one sprinted towards you.

You just took out your machete and swung it at the first one. You saw him fall and immediately kicked the second one so you could focus on the third one. You had priorities in this fight. Your next strike brought him down and you just plunged your machete into the skull of the second one who had fallen over. The other two were slow and you easily took them out. Your breathing was ragged but it felt refreshing to let out your pent up energy. Couldn't forget the rules though. Rule #2 (Double tap) to make sure they're actually dead.

You leaned down next to one of the trees. This was a lot to digest. Your sister was such an asshole for doing this but you know it's because she cares. Cold and calculated to a t, as always. You just didn't like to be part of her target audience. You heard leaves crunching and immediately got up, your blade at the ready. Red got out from behind the trees. He had his hands in his pockets and nonchalantly walked towards you.

He took you by the hand and started walking back towards camp. He didn't talk, he didn't whisper, he wouldn't even look at you. It was a silent agreement to just follow him or it felt like it. You were perplexed by his behavior but also quite loving the attention. It was probably his way to deal with things and you liked his thoughts on the matter.

You must not have realized how lost you were because Red wasn't bringing you towards camp. You started looking around and he kept holding your hand. You were somewhat reassured but still felt like something was off.

"Red, where are you taking me?"

He just turned around and you saw his eyes dart around a bit before they settled on looking at the ground. He had stopped moving. You looked at him worryingly.

"Red what's wrong?"

"ya what's wrong. am tryin' ta cheer ya up but ya ain't calming that damn soul of yours. it's actin' like am tryna kill it.

...

just shut up and follow me. ok?"

He mellowed down on those last words and you just marched forward with him. This time side by side. As you both moved forward you heard the sound of water rushing by. He gestured for you to keep quiet and moved some branches aside. Next to the water was a deer and her fawn. You looked in awe as Red sat back watching your face glimmer with delight.

"there's still good out 'here. ya part of it. ya sib is too but she can be... a bit calculated. i know she means well. so, let's put this behind us. go into the next part of our day, or somethin'. am not good wit' words."

You looked at him and saw some glimmer in his eyelights. Their usual lights were pretty opaque but right now they shined differently. It was like a reflection of his soul. You grabbed his face intent on making your intentions known when a gurgled scream was heard in the distance. The fauna retreating where it had come from and you and Red running back towards camp. You saw him sweating as he ran but he still followed you.

Once you reached camp it was all packed up and already in the car. Your sister standing on the hood getting a tan.

"I'm not sorry by the way. You know I'd do anything to protect you. You're always the one to go head first into danger and for a stranger like him. It irked me. I needed to see if you were serious."

She jumped off the hood of the car and came up to you. She stood there like a kicked puppy while Red looked on, not sure what to do with himself. You extended your arms and your sister jumped in for a hug. She squeezed you tightly and felt your shoulder grow wet. She did feel sorry.

She was probably scared of losing you for doing this. You patted her back and Red looked to you for his next move. You gestured towards the car and he just slowly walked towards it.

Your sister's sniffle slowly died down and you just moved her towards the back seat of the car. She climbed in and you buckled her in before joining Red at the front. He smiled at you, although a little wearily. You just took his hand in yours and squeezed it lightly. He smiled and did give you the side eye.

"when were ya gonna tell me, ya had da keys?"

"Sorry. I should have before but with everything going on I never had the chance to bring it up. You know, being shot and all."

You saw him pull a cd tray and couldn't help but stare. He chuckled and told you to pick one. So you did and decided to pick a fitting song for this trip. AC/DC, Highway to hell. Red laughed as he recognized the song. You both started laughing as you enjoyed the choice of music. You moved up the highway and continued for this long journey. Now that everyone's feelings were mostly put at ease, this trip would go smoothly.

Notes:

I promise next chapter is the prompt it shouldn't escape me anymore. ; - ;

I love all the positive comments and feedback I received on the previous chapters btw. Any comment and or ideas are more then welcomed.

Vote on your prompt

Although it looks like we might already have a winner. Can the vote be swayed?

swayed?

Chapter 11: Two girls and a skeleton walk into a sex shop

Summary:

Well according to the title of the chapter, what could go wrong? You know.

...

Nothing, right?

hehehe

Oh wait you can see my evil laugh. Never mind carry on!

Chapter Text

You have been restless for the last couple of days. It wasn't because you didn't sleep well. Luckily enough, once you talked about the nightmares they stopped. You must have worried too much. No, what was eating you up was that your toy had stopped functioning and you couldn't bring it back to life no matter how hard you tried.

One day when Red was out patrolling you told your sister. She laughed and tried her best to repair it. She was also unsuccessful. You asked if you could go to a sex shop and she told you that it would only work if you saw one ahead on the road. So now you have to patiently wait for one.

You watched the road like an hawk to make sure you'd spot the first sex shop in sight, although you hadn't been very lucky. You tapped your foot from the backseat as Stitch and Red were talking. Red was driving and he had been so engrossed in his talk with Stitch that he had missed something you spotted.

You tapped on your sister's shoulder and gestured to the side. Red caught on and looked in the same direction.

"hell nah. we ain't stoppin' 'ere."

"Yes we are!"

You both said at once. The highway exit was coming in fast and you both looked at one another quickly.

"Rule #4." (Seat belts)

Red scrambled on his seat to remember which one that was. You saw him quickly tighten his seat belt and in that same second Stitch was pulling on the emergency break. The car sheared to the side and stopped right in front of the exit. You felt the spot where the seatbelt dug into your skin but beyond that you were fine.

Red's sockets went black and he took a second to recuperate.

"are ya both tryna get us dusted?"

You shook your head, Stitch shrugging. You sighed and placed your hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry Red but I really need to go there. You understand, right?"

He looked at you and you saw him eye your breast before his cheeks turned crimson and he looked away. He took off the break and went for the exit. You smiled and thanked him. He just kept mumbling incoherently to himself. You looked at Stitch who seemed relieved with this turn of events.

Red stopped in front of the store and parked the car. He looked to the side of it and saw a few miles down the road a mall. He didn't see any undead activity outside although it looked like the mall was occupied. You'd have to do a quick in and out to prevent yourself from attracting any unwanted attention.

Red followed you both inside although reluctantly while you started browsing the shelves for a good replacement. He slowly walked down the isle of the empty looking shop. He didn't trust that this place was this clean and neither did you or your sister.

Stitch did a full round of exploration with you at her back before you both felt comfortable enough to truly explore this place. You went to the section which held most of your attention while Sitch wandered the shelves. You didn't even pay attention to Red who was ten steps back from you, sweat beading his skull as he saw you browse the toys.

You finally turned around hoping to see him or your sister and realized neither were there with you. You continued browsing and decided to call out to your sister. She poked her head from a cabin and you saw her get out in a sexy latex outfit. You started laughing uncontrollably and finally you saw the edge of Red's jacket around the corner.

"Red you have to see this. Oh my stars Stitch, why did you even try that?"

You couldn't be stopped and neither could Red who had apparently just cleared the corner and seen your sister. I guess she wanted a rule 32 moment (Enjoy the little things).

She said that everyone should get something out of this trip and you shook your head.

"Agreed but not that, please. You look ridiculous."

You heard the latex squeak and couldn't stop your laughter. Your sister asked for a better argument and you just asked her to listen to herself for a second. You saw her facial expression crinkle in doubt but she did as you said. Her expression of horror was priceless.

"It's that loud? This isn't apocalypse approved."

You hummed and saw her quickly dart for the changing room. You turned back to the shelves and finally found a toy that was similar to yours. You held it tight and quickly stowed it in your bag. As you zipped your bag, Red cleared the corner, his face a pretty red shade. You saw he had one of his hands behind his back.

You raised an eyebrow and asked him if you could help him. He nervously revealed what he had in his hands. You saw a black and red collar with a black fur trim on it. It was beautiful and for a second you wanted to humour Red.

"Red it's beautiful!"

Before he had time to answer you took it from him and put it around your neck. The colors on his cheeks turning brighter by the second.

"How do I look?"

You exposed your neck to him. You saw how he eyed your neck and you could feel how his eyes trailed on you. You decided to egg him on.

"Do you like what you see?"

You saw the sweat that was already accumulating drop down and more started replacing it. You smiled as you achieved the intended effect. Red slowly got closer to you. You saw his tongue lap his sharp teeth and your breath itched. Maybe this had been a mistake. He looked almost feral in a way and that didn't scare you, it excited you.

He grabbed you by the waist and whispered in your ear.

"it ain't nice to play wit's a monster doll. might think ya serious or somethin'."

You shivered at the contact but didn't push him away. You very much wanted this.

You heard a loud thud both of you stood and you reached for your machete. You then saw a mannequin's head fall to your feet. You looked from the second floor where your sister was laughing.

"Wanted to see if you both were too dumb with feelings to react. Glad to know you wouldn't have died."

You sighed and rubbed the bridge of your nose.

"Ahah, very funny sis."

She just shrugged and sent another one.

"They have a ton of these upstairs. Why don't we use them as target practice?"

You and Red shared a look before your sibling threw a whole body mannequin. You yelled at her but she just shrugged another one instead. As you were all talking and exchanging banter you heard the door open and saw light coming in, you and Red standing at attention while your sister was too busy throwing more stuff from the second floor.

You saw a human figure standing in the door. They looked mortified and unready to see people here. Red placed himself in front of you and growled at the intruder.

"stand back doll. ain't trustin' that one."

You readied yourself and hoped your sister would stay up there. That way at least she'd be safe in case of a shoot out. Everyone stayed still until you heard a gun shot fired from the second floor. The human immediately raised their hands up and looked back to you.

"Let's be pacifists here. There's enough of the dead trying to kill us out there. We don't need to do this between humans and uh monsters, right?"

You looked at them and you felt Red grab your hand as he made a step back. The human in front of you sighed.

"I was just here to de-stress, my dudes. I didn't mean to stumble upon more people needing it."

You looked up and saw that your sister had her sights on them. At least they couldn't get out of this alive if they tried anything. You decided to be a little reckless and took a step forward. Letting go off Red and moving in front of him.

"doll!"

"Take it easy, I got this."

You went and stood in front of them. Your eyes met theirs and you felt the tension rise. You looked at their gear and it didn't look anything like what you'd imagined a survivor would have at this point. You extended your hand.

"I'm Lilo. My monster friend is Red and the one that's making sure you'll die in agony if you try to hurt me is Stitch."

You saw their smile tighten and you felt like you had won this first battle.

"Well, I’m TK. Nice to meet… one of you so far. The other two are kinda rude.” They said, stage whispering the last part to you.

You eyed them suspiciously. They have black hair and brown eyes. They’re wearing some baggy clothing with what looks like leather sewn into it as armor, a tool belt with two large pouches collapsed shut, smaller pouches on that. They have baggy pants that also have leather on them, and are wearing sturdy looking boots. You held their hand tight in yours and brought them close to your face in one fell swoop.

"If you try anything I'll kill you myself."

TK nodded. You gave them a side eye glance and pushed them back. They gestured with their hands as they spoke.

"So what's got you all in these lands?"

You decided to put back your machete in its place and made your way out of the door, TK following you out.

"nonya."

Red was next to you and told this to TK with a threatening tone. You felt them shiver and they probably had a hard time standing up to Red. With a bit less ease the human stood in front of you. Now out in the sunlight you saw that they carried no real weapon except a small army knife on their belt.

"Come on I'm just curious!"

"Like our friend said. None of your business."

This time it was Stitch who was now standing behind you that said it. You realized that they were both very hostile towards this human. Were your senses dulling? You didn't feel like they were much of a threat. Sure, it's the apocalypse so everything can be misleading but he didn't have the aura of someone who's a bad guy.

You decided to take Red aside while your sister stared at him.

"Red what gives?"

"he ain't alright doll. he's hidin' somethin'. not sure what yet and i ain't stickin' 'round ta find it."

You sighed. You knew Red wasn't wrong and you also knew you should trust him but you wanted to try and trust this person.

"How about this? We give them half a chance? First sign that they're a bad person we get out."

Red didn't seem happy about it but he relented.

"ya better be ready to pack fast."

You nodded and went back to your sister. You saw her talk in almost a friendly manner to TK.

"I thought you didn't trust TK?"

"I don't but they are non-binary. So I guess we bonded because of it. So what's the plan?"

You explained it in her ear while TK got some death glares by your favorite skeleton. While they both head out without fighting one another you look to see that this other human didn't have a car. You raised an eyebrow at TK and asked for an explanation.

"Oh yeah, I use this to go around."

They took out the longboard that they had behind their back. You almost sneered finding this highly unlikely considering the state of the roads.

"No but seriously."

TK gave themselves a light knock on the head before climbing on top of the board. You saw the board glow a deep blue before it was lifted off the ground. You eyed the thing suspiciously and then turned back to Red.

"That's a thing?"

Red just shrugged and walked up to TK who was levitating a solid 3 feet off the ground. Red placed his weight on the side of the thing and you saw a deeper glow envelop the board before it fell altogether. TK yelping in the process.

"guess kid ain't tha' good at usin' magic."

He smiled deviously and you just knew Red had something to do with it, although you couldn't prove it.

“Rude…” TK mumbled, giving the skeleton a bit of a deadpan look. “Like, you woulda only been more obvious there if ya stated ya were gonna mess with me.”

You just smiled awkwardly not sure what this was about. You turned to look at Stitch who shrugged. Welp, you weren’t going to get any help from her. You saw how hostile Red was being to TK and you decided to intervene. Let’s hope this was subtle enough.

You took Red by the arm squishing his arm in between your breasts. You looked at him and gave him big puppy dog eyes as you squeezed a little more. Trying to get his attention.

“Sooo~, you guys doin some Master/Pet kinda thing ooor…?” TK questioned, raising a brow.

You turn awfully pale but that quickly stops as you feel the rush of static in the air. You turn to Red who’s sockets are pitch black. You still kept your arms around his and tried to reassure him.

“It’s alright Red.”

You turn to TK and give him a dead pan look.

“We were just being silly. I tried this for fun.”

You gesture to the collar around your neck. You quickly undid the buckle and took it off. You didn’t want to throw it away so you just started packing it in your bag. You saw Red deflate from the corner of your eyes.

“Ah, sorry for assuming!” TK said.

“It’s alright Lilo isn’t used to people being around us to make those assumptions. Because I wouldn’t make them.”

Said Stitch while snickering. You shoved her lightly and she just smiled even brighter.

“So… do you guys need a place to crash for like, a couple nights? I get a more nomadic feeling from you, so I won’t ask you to stay, but you guys can stay with me for a bit and restock if you need to.” TK said.

You looked at Red and Stitch. Red seemed on edge but Stitch looked oddly at peace with the idea. You knew you had to be the one to decide on this.

“We could use a good night of sleep if you don’t mind. Also we got some gas cans that need filling if that’s a possibility.”

“what?!”

Apparently Red wasn’t too happy with that answer. You went to whisper to the side of his skull.

“Just one night, after we leave. I just want to have one night where we can be safe.”

He turned to face you and you saw his tension deflate. He didn’t know why your eyes convinced him but he would follow you. You knew you wouldn’t do anything reckless and you managed to share that feeling to him.

“Alright, well, shall we get goin then? Also, can I ride with you since i'm filling your gas when we get there anyway?” TK asked, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

Stitch went up to Red and asked him for the keys. The skeleton grumbled but ultimately gave her the keys. You took him aside as Stitch and TK were climbing inside of the car. Red was still glaring at TK and you had enough. You grabbed one of his hands and flicked his forehead.

“That’s enough Red. I know we haven’t had the best experience with humans but give them a chance.”

Red looked at TK who was taking the front seat with Stitch. They seemed to be doing small talk and Red sighed.

“ya not goin’ to back from this ain’tcha doll?”

You shook your head.

“I just want to stop running for one day. Can you do that for me?”

He looked away from you and scratched the back of his skull. He mumbled under his breath and you saw him look back into your eyes.

“fine but first sign somethin’s off. am gettin’ us out of there.”

You squeezed his hand and he suddenly took a reddish tone. His skull turned ever so slowly red. You heard honking and just like that the color was gone. You smiled at him and made your way with him to the back of the car.

It wasn’t a long drive to the mall. Red stayed silent but you saw how tense he was. You were surprised to see how well guarded this place looked like. You realized this place was more akin to a castle than anything else. It had a moat, a bridge, walls and towers. It looked sort of rustic and you had never seen something like this. Usually people seemed to make due with what they have but this one camp seemed to be thriving.

There were trenches that were dug so deep you could see the zombies falling in them but you failed to see them once they dropped down. Two towers stood on either side of what was essentially a medieval drawbridge. You saw armed guards on top of the tower who were equipped with swat vests and helmets. Beyond the moat you could see farms stretching to the buildings.

Your eyes went wide as you realized that this place was a literal fortress. You saw the guards weapons be pointed to your car and Tk poked their head out the window, waving at the guards.

Instantly the guards weapons lowered, a moment later the drawbridge following and admitting the group entry. You were surprised by the organization required to make such a place work. You couldn’t believe that if you didn’t stop here you might have missed this place. Stitch seemed nervous all of a sudden and that gave you a bad feeling.

“Nervous Stitch?”

Red turned to look at Stitch, although he couldn’t see her face he could definitely feel the nervous energy around her. Why was this place making the both of you so on edge? He thought you wanted to come here. He’d like to ask you but he’d keep it to himself for now. Maybe once the three of you are alone he can see what’s bugging you.

You placed a hand on your sister’s shoulder and she turned around and looked at you. The slow drive was directed to a parking garage on site. You got out of the car and tentatively looked around. Stitch took the keys out and gave them to Red. The skeleton eyed the place suspiciously. You were all in the same boat if you had to guess, rule #22 (when in doubt know your way out).

As you slowly took the place in TK guided you back elsewhere. You followed two paces behind and you suddenly felt your sister grab your hand. You saw how she looked at you and you gave her a reassuring smile. She sighed but still marched on with you.

Walking back towards the mall's main entrance, they saw a person there with a book.

“This is the sign in. It's for if any family members or loved ones come by, they’ll know you're here.” Tk explained.

You looked at your sister who shook her head.

“We don’t need that. The only loved ones or family I have are with me, right now.”

The person manning the book smiled softly and looked up to you.

“You can just put your names here then. Don’t need to be all fancy if you don’t want to.”

You felt bad saying no to that person for some reason. You decided to put in your name as Lilo. Stitch followed suit but Red seemed hesitant. He looked up to the person and whispered to them.

“can i look in first?”

Right, maybe Red had a family. You didn’t know him that well. You decided to let him do it in peace. You went up to your sister and you saw the look she gave you. You knew exactly what it meant but decided to ignore her. Her smile turned lopsided and she sighed as she went past you to talk to TK.

Red joined you and he eyed your sister suspiciously.

“somethin’ up with ya two?”

You shook your head.

“No, I guess this place is just getting to us.”

You hesitated to tell him. You looked back at Stitch and then to Red.

“Later? Not now Red.”

TK guided you inside once in, they were swarmed by people welcoming them in. You were surprised but that didn’t compare to the amount of anxiety a certain skeleton next to you was having. Said skeleton was grinding his teeth and had both his hands in his pockets. You saw his whole demeanor change from how he usually acted. It didn’t even compare to the first time you had met Red.