#but.... it could go wrong. i could not like it etc etc

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

I saw your post about Rafe and Reader on a family vacation, and I liked it! So could you maybe do another part to that, like maybe they are at the beach or shopping etc and Rafe and Reader are being really touchy etc?

thank youuuuuu

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Reqest: more rafe + family shenanigans

Warnings: Rafe being inappropriate, no smut,

—

‘’There you are!’’ Wheezie exclaimed the moment you and Rafe strolled into the cabin, twenty-seven minutes behind the rest of the family. ‘’We’ve been back for almost half an hour. Where did you go?’’

‘’We got lost,’’ Rafe said coolly, taking a long sip from his water bottle, as if it was no big deal.

Beside her, Sarah wasn’t buying it. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, giving the two of you a pointed look. ‘’You got lost?’’ she repeated, her tone full of doubt.

You nodded, stepping in to back Rafe up. ‘’That’s on me. My lace came undone, and Rafe stopped and waited for me, but when we tried to catch up to you we took a wrong turn. Luckily we found our way back.’’ 

Rafe glanced at you, impressed by how you could lie on the spot so well. You even sprinkled some truth. You did take a wrong turn, but it wasn’t an accident. 

Being younger — and far more innocent — Wheezie was easier to fool with your lies. But Sarah wasn’t stupid, and neither was Ward, who was standing behind the kitchen counter and prepping for the barbecue tonight. He knew his son too well to be easily deceived. 

‘’Do you need help with the vegetable, Mr. Cameron?’’ you asked, your tone light and polite as you moved closer to the counter. It was an attempt to shift the conversation, redirect the attention away from your little detour.

Ward glanced up, giving you a small smile in thanks. ‘’Sure,’’ he said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the cutting board. ‘’You can chop these carrots and the bell peppers.” 

You slid into place, picking up the knife and getting started. 

‘’I’m gonna go shower,’’ Rafe declared. He came up to you and kissed the side of your face, his hand lingering on the small of your back. ‘’You’re welcome to join if you get bored with the carrots and bell peppers.’’ 

Sarah wrinkled her nose, having unfortunately heard. ‘’You’re disgusting.’’ 

He didn’t say anything, but you could feel his smirk behind you. 

‘’Rafe, come on. Wheezie’s here…’’ Ward reprimanded tiredly for the umpteenth time. 

Fortunately, the younger Cameron had her nose deep in her book and didn’t pay attention to what Rafe had said. 

You were good for Rafe, but your relationship was very physical. And with that came Rafe’s unfiltered mouth — much to his family’s dismay. They were happy for him, but they could do without the constant smacking and grabbing of your ass or any other non-PG display of affection.  

‘’What? I just want to save water, like you said we should. The planet and all,’’ he defended, playing the innocent card and talking out of his ass.

Unfortunately for him, Sarah didn’t buy it. Rafe never cared about the environment. 

‘’I’ve been doing good things to help lately. We even stopped using con—’’

‘’Rafe!’’ you cut before he could finish, your cheeks flaming up.

—

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[txttletale]

I'M NOT LEARNING TO PLAY MAGICAL GATHERING

A subtractive game for three or more players.

First, decide who's the JUDGE.

Each non-JUDGE player should click the following links to assemble Magic: The Gathering cards representing, respectively their GUY, their guy's STUFF, and their guy's SPECIAL TECHNIQUE:

https://scryfall.com/random?q=t:creature

https://scryfall.com/random?q=t:equipment

https://scryfall.com/random?q=t:instant+or+t:sorcery

Each round, you may reroll one result. Once every player has decided whether to reroll, take turns to ATTACK (explain in 90 SECONDS why your GUY would beat the others in free-for-all combat with their STUFF and TECHNIQUE).

After each ATTACK, the other players may each DEFEND (spend 30 seconds explaining why the ATTACKING player is wrong).

You are only allowed to refer to the name, art, and flavour text of relevant cards to make your arguments; you may not refer to any rules text on those cards or to any Magic: The Gathering rules concepts or lore.

Once all ATTACKS and DEFENSES are finished, the JUDGE decides a winner under the same criteria. That winner is the JUDGE for next round.

ADVANCED EDITION

To add more variables, go to https://scryfall.com/random?q=t:land to generate an ARENA and https://scryfall.com/random?q=t:enchantment+-t:creature for a BATTLE SCENARIO each round. These apply to all GUYS & can be invoked in any ATTACK or DEFENSE.

a game by w.s. healed.

go ahead and archive this, full permission granted, etc.

if anyone else wants to reference this or remix it or whatever you can do that too.

i like the idea of a 'subtractive' game, a game that is produced entirely by removing parts of another game. the 200 word limit providing an obvious utility to a larger (in this case, much larger) intertext seemed like a perfect opportunity to play in that space. i have made the executive decision to consider each link to be a single word--i could have used hyperlinks to make this more clear-cut, but i think actually having the links written out increases playability.

PATCH NOTES: shortly after posting, i altered the advanced edition rules to remove enchantment crteatures from the battle scenario pool, as they're not really in the spirt of it.

PATCH NOTES 2: after graciously being informed of a typo in the TECHNIQUE link, i have corrected it to (as intended) pull up a random instant or sorcery

200 Word RPGs 2024

Each November, some people try to write a novel. Others would prefer to do as little writing as possible. For those who wish to challenge their ability to not write, we offer this alternative: producing a complete, playable roleplaying game in two hundred words or fewer.

This is the submission thread for the 2024 event, running from November 1st, 2024 through November 30th, 2024. Submission guidelines can be found in this blog's pinned post, here.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Greetings sex witch. I hope this isn't a repeated question, I tried looking through your job for anything on this.

For context, Im cis male and so is my partner. When we have sex, I have a problem that's that I just don't seem to feel pleasure the way I think I should? Most of my body's sensitivity id fine, when it comes to penis I either don't feel all that much (like I feel there's a touch there but that's it), or it suddenly becomes really really sensitive in in a quite unpleasant way and I just want to cut it short. I've tried to sort of push through it to see if it feels better but it doesn't. I also have never been able unless it's me masturbating, and that mostly takes a looooooong time (it's more a result of prolonged stimulus than outright pleasure). It's frustrating because I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or it just feels that way and I happen to not like it that much.

Thank you a lot!

hi anon,

it's always such a bummer to hear that people feel like something is wrong about the ways that they experience pleasure! granted, I'm not an expert, but what I'm hearing sounds like there's only a problem if you're measuring your experiences against how you're assuming other people are having sex in terms of sensation, duration, etc. don't do that! other people aren't you; there's no reason your sex life needs to look like their sex life.

the penis is but one of many possible erogenous zones. it's a popular one, to be certainly, but just because something is popular doesn't mean it's for everybody. unless you're a disembodied penis sending this ask in (in which case, hi, I have follow up questions!), there are presumably an abundance of other parts of your body for you to explore and enjoy, so why not give those a whirl?

also, I might just have vibrators on the brain because I'm reading Hallie Lieberman's book Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy, but have you ever tried a little vibration on your penis? it can be a great way to increase stimulation and sensation much faster than a human body part could.

either way, I think getting a bit playful and trying out some other things sounds like a great way to go here.

[girlactionfigure]

Human Rights and Human Wrongs

URI KURLIANCHIK

“It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means… Horror has a face, and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies.”

— Apocalypses Now

There has been a lot of talk about the "dehumanization of the Palestinians," so let's talk about this for a minute.

First of all, what does it mean? In plain English, it means Jews no longer have pity for Arabs who get hurt in the war they started to eradicate the Jewish people in the Middle East. This is mostly true. Even the eyes of the most gentle Israelis light up when they see a rocket hitting a Hezbollah launcher in South Lebanon or a building block used by the butchers of Hamas demolished in Beit Lahia.

It wasn't like that until recently. How did we come to this?

When I was a boy, Israel was a leftist country. We had huge peace rallies, the Oslo accords, all our war movies were of the insipid "shooting and crying" genre. We even had a subject called "peace" in school! People like me were viewed as crazy marginals (except back then, I also supported the two state solution, all civilized people did). To even suggest that not all societies wanted peace was seen as vulgar and uncouth. Nice people cried for the innocent dead on both sides. We could forgive the Arabs for killing our children but not for making us kill theirs. Etc… etc…

This euphoria of peace born out of the Oslo Accords was followed by decades of barbarism from the Arabs that eroded the pity reserves of the Jewish people. 

Yes, pity is a resource, and it's finite.

This wasn't the result of slanted reporting or anti-Arab propaganda. The media was firmly left-leaning and went out of its way to defend the Arabs after each new atrocity that was difficult to imagine was done by humans, and the widespread celebrations that followed. More and more, people asked themselves, “where is this peace partner? What kind of a society are we expected to live side by side with?”

Jews were torn to pieces with bare hands, baby skulls were smashed with rocks, little girls were butchered in their beds, children were massacred in schools, in discotheques, on buses. People were mutilated, castrated, crippled; not as collateral damage but meticulously, with sadistic precision, by an enemy that seemed to always prefer to go after defenseless civilians, that seemed to revel in atrocity.

And each time, the Jack the Rippers responsible for these horrors were celebrated as heroes by the Arab street and their progressive allies. No one stood up and said, "guys, there are laws even in war." No, when it came to hurting us, it was always, "by any means necessary." The laws were there to prevent us from protecting ourselves, never to protect us, and “resistance” often seemed like nothing more than an excuse to indulge in sadism.

Time after time, year after year, decade after decade; the Arabs produced images of horror that even the most progressive Israeli peacenik couldn't spin into anything other than what it was: the portrait of a savage society.

The change didn't occur at once. 

People first started voicing opinions that were outside the Overton window, only to be shut down in polite society. Then polite society started shrugging because it ran out of arguments.

Then October 7 came, the ultimate atrocity exhibition, the ultimate barbarity, recorded in vivid details and spread so ubiquitously there was no chance anyone missed it. Shocked and hurt, the Jews who still had pity learned that the Arabs and their progressive allies had no pity or even empathy for them.

"You made it up! You did it to yourself! It was only military targets!" and other forms of sadistic gaslighting were hurled smugly at a grieving nation. "Where are the 40 beheaded babies, haha? With or without baking powder, har har?"

The message was simple: "No matter what happens to you, you deserve no pity. Your very existence is a crime."

For many, this was the final straw. 

This was the moment their last shred of compassion for the enemy evaporated and their hearts became hard. Hearts of survival. Hearts of war. This is what the pseudointellectual farts mean when they talk about, “the dehumanization of the Palestinians.” The enemy finally managed to push Israeli society into not caring about the enemy. It took 40 years of hard word but we’re finally there.

Will this pity ever return, or have we finally transformed into a new kind of nation? I don't know.

What I do know is that when you treat someone without pity for decades, don't expect them to be compassionate towards you forever. 

Commit enough inhumanities and you'll be dehumanized.

[fairystarstorm]

Thinking about what's going wrong with Arcane s2

I have not finished s2 yet (still need to finish act 3 but basically got all the major spoilers). I feel like a big problem with this season and why the Z vs P conflict fizzled out is that so many characters are simply not in the that narrative anymore. Especially since they all had interesting stories to explore in regards to it. And if they are apart of the plot line, the things that would make things more interesting are simply ignored.

Taken from the narrative

Heimdinger: the founder of the city realising that the society he built ain't shit and that he failed Zaun by not helping to uplift and protect them (instead of just picking out a pupil from Zaun and calling it a day). All that Talk about how destructive magic could be in the wrong hands while realising he build a society filled with those exact wrong hands because of his inaction. Him actually putting in the work to change and dismantle those structures and belief systems that he allowed to grow in the first place

Jace: He goes against his own morals once again to build weapons for Caitlyn and her team. But we get none of the introspection or the regret that should have gone with it. Why because he is off in an alternative reality fighting for his life. He finds out that Hextech is poisoning Ekko's tree and there's nothing more to that conversation?? If something had gone wrong with the core it could have destroyed Zaun? Something could have happened that could have disabled or killed many others like it did with Viktor. But let's gloss over it. Him reconciling with his actions as a councilor??? That kid really was just a blip in his life i guess.

Viktor: a big problem I feel with Viktor's character is that he can feel very removed from Zaun at times. Like we never got to see his horror about Hextech being used against his people. We never got to know about any family or how he actually felt about being resurrected. What his plan was for Zaun beyond making a little commune. A huge part of that is also because they barely let this man have meaningful interactions with anyone in s2 besides ghost Sky and Jace. Vi, Jinx, Vander and Isha going to his commune could have been a possibility for that. Because even though I do believe that Vander and him did not know each other personally, I don't think he would not have known of him. Also we barely hear him talk meaningfully about his identity as a Zaunite in Piltover

Ekko (and the firelights in general): In my opinion the biggest snub. The others character arcs were mostly about other things in s1 (piltover politics, hextech etc.) but Ekko's whole motivation was to protect his ppl from both the enforcers and Silco. However we didn't get to see him deal with the rise of enforcers in the undercity or Sevika being the one to try and unite Zaun. We didn't get to see him grapple with the fact that Vi became an enforcer or that he was wrong to place his trust in Caitlyn. And even though I love how ep7 is highlighting his good qualities I wish they were explored in his timeline. Him being there would have also allowed for more spotlights for the firelights and Zaunites in general. None of the other people in the cast (Except for Vander) are as involved with regular people in Zaun then he was. It makes Zaun feel less complex and lived in beyond the visuals.

Mel: Considering that they are setting up her mother as the true big bad (which flattened the Z vs P conflict + general bad writing surrounding ambessa which i won't discuss now), it would have been nice to have her be able to react. Like in the beginning of the season we get it a little bit with Mel using spies to figure out her mother's plans. We could have had her realise that Piltover is not fundamentally different from Noxus because of how easy it was for her mother to take over. Only that the violence they dish out is different between the 2 cities. We could have had her sit that in both cases she is part of the oppressive class and that she was only acting out of self interest rather than actually caring about these issues. Instead of her being Kidnapped to get powers, let her finish the story arch that had been set up for her in s1.

Underexplored

Sevika (And Jinx): her involvement with Silco and how that is seen by Zaunites that are not chembarons. Ppl being unwilling to trust or listen to Sevika pleading for united Zaun when she was apart of Silco's operations make sense. Silco brought shimmer into Zaun. Ekko says that a lot of the firelights joined because of how it ruined their lives. Sevika having to struggle with her role in it and how it ultimately makes it harder for the to reach her goal would have been satisfying! Also her showing up after episode 4 would have been nice in general. Also same with ekko, she was the only one who was reaching out and communicating with different groups of Zaun. She and Ekko were windows into Zaun society that they just kept closed for some reason.

Vi: Just everything man.... her trauma, her choosing to be an enforcer, her alcoholism... her relationship with Jinx/powder, her guilt, her role as protector who seems to be failing no matter what she does. All kinda of flushed through the drains for caitvi to be able to exist (yes i dislike caitvi, no i also don''t really care for jayvik or timebomb and i am also a lesbian).

Jinx: I thinks she has been done quite well so far but I have heard for how her arch ends and it is just bad..... also wished they explored Isha more and what Vander coming back would mean for Jinx

Caitlyn: wish they would actually put the responsibility of her actions onto her instead of Ambessa/Jinx killing her mom. Also the fact it was never addressed that even in s1 she was microagressive as fuck towards Zaunites. Yes she eventually saw the need for independence (after talking to Ekko mind you) but does that mean anything if when she was in power due was actively making things worse for Zaun. She could have started working kn redeeming herself but the fact that the narrative/the writers don't want to put the full blame on her just makes that idea seem laughable

Tbh a lot of it has to do with the fact that the writers didn't let characters interact with each other for long periods of time or deal with the consequences of their actions but hey at least the coplesbians fucked and the scientists had their madoka magica moment

[moonys-tea-leaves]

Another major factor in birth outcomes is support.

And you might expect that trans people would be more vulnerable here - but this circles back to how trans people are less likely to choose to get/go through a pregnancy. For a trans person to be comfortable getting and staying pregnant - they likely have support.

Trans people are also basically forced to be more selective

I've seen time and again.

A birth experience that could be considered "traumatic" to outsiders (emergency c-section, etc) where the birthing person feels very supported and empowered before, during, and afterwards: the person giving birth can walk away without trauma and feeling very positive about what happened.

Meanwhile, a birth that's "perfect" can be intensely traumatic.

My first birth was very traumatic because the first midwife who attended was so awful. Thankfully the second midwife, when she finally got called in, was an ANGEL. She was so supportive and within an hour of her showing up, baby was born.

The prior 8 hours of labor with an unsupportive midwife were still really traumatic and it took me years and a lot of work to be able to give birth again.

On paper, nothing went "wrong". There was no significant tearing, no one needed hospitalization, etc. But because of that lack of support - I was still traumatized.

How many cis women go through a birth with a boyfriend/husband who isn't really involved or supportive, only to go home and be emotionally abandoned and left to deal with the baby alone?

Having adequate support is vital to being able to have a good birth expereince.

And, yes, you can have absolutely everything in place and still end up traumatized.

Life is like that - sometimes, tragedy strikes for absolutely no reason. You can be eating your favorite meal and choke to death.

But that's not an excuse to accept poor outcomes as the norm. We can absolutely make changes that result in higher rates of positive birth outcomes and reduce the rate and severity of birth trauma.

(I have no idea if anyone replied to this I just feel like talking about it)

giving birth sucks tbh. not only do you and the baby you’re birthing almost die, usually you shit yourself and often you tear your taint. then you have to push an organ out of your body (placenta) and if even a little of that remains in your body, you can hemorrhage to death or develop an infection that essentially rots your body from the inside out. even if you had a relatively “easy birth”, you bleed for weeks on end. even after that stops, your body and brain is changed for the rest of your life, the pregnancy leeched minerals from your bones, that can cause osteoporosis later. minor urinary incontinence is not uncommon, brain scans of people who gave birth show permanent changes in their brain, you’re never quite the same.

I say all of this not to say giving birth is disgusting but it is a harrowing and visceral experience. society downplays how fucking awful it is and makes it out to be a ~magical~ experience but it isn’t a magical transformative experience for everyone. it can be an extremely traumatic experience for someone who wanted to carry a pregnancy to term, much more so for someone who did not want to be pregnant in the first place or someone who knows their baby won’t survive the birth. anyway, abortion is a right. pregnancy and birth aren’t just inconvenient, it’s fucking awful.

[echantedtoon]

His Heart

Just some good ol yandere Neuvillette content. I don't support yanderes irl, etc. @trancylovecraft

"You look at me with cold eyes. You see me me and turn away as if you didn't know me."

"...Do I know you?"

"You know that I couldn't have shown you me. Gave you me. I couldn't show you my weakness so I put on a mask to see you but I still want you. A flower that resembles you blossomed in this garden of loneliness. I wanted to give it to you as I rip off this mask. But I know this can't go on forever."

Her eyes still gazed at the ground. Her body small but still so strong as to crush his soul. Rip his heart out to serve on a platter to herself but somehow still rejected the notion she could do that. The whole world sitting in her grasp yet she was completely naive to it or didn't care she had it.

"I will not satisfy your desires for more than what was agreed. I can accept your apologies but I cannot forgive."

"I have made peace with that notion. But I am not here to beg for forgiveness that I will never receive, for I have hurt you and I accept you're stubborn enough to always hold that grudge."

Her form was ever calm. Looking at him for what felt like a millennia of wait. Time vanishing and space darkening except for the gravitational orbit of beauty that revolved around his mind and shown through his sights since the day he laid his eyes on her visage.

"Then what is it do you seek from me, Neuvillette?"

"It's not what I seek. It's what I desire. Wishing that love is as perfect itself. Wishing all my weaknesses are hidden." The room fell sideways in his mind. An oozing feeling on continuous falling for her over and over again. Swallowed by the monster that demanded he claim and the beast that roared at him for everything he did wrong to be made right again. "In a life where nothing was ever genuine, you carved a piece out of my heart that will never feel complete unless you yourself abide by it's beating."

Her answer a head tilt. Eyes grazing the state he was in. Clawing through bodies. Ravaged by freezing cold. No doubt such a sight she disliked but was more than ready to accept given the circumstances.

"What desire do you want that I haven't already given to you?"

Blood ran black fading to a possessive desire. A stark contrast the dripping liquid made compared to the delicate object the palm held out. Staining it purity by the blood of the slain and war. Presented to her gaze which widened slightly at soft petals. A beacon of softness in the blight around them. A rose 

"Accept my devotion and become my wife. A place not beneath but beside me. For we were lovers before we were ever born in this world. My name shall be your own, your blood shall be mine, and all combinations of life will be one. Accept all of me, as I already have all of you."

She stared at him like that he told her was the most foolish thing he ever said. Heart racing. Eyes staring. Her hand slowly reaching out to him. His eyes widening as the desire he's been wanting finally being fulfilled- Until she stopped.

Her lungs filled with a shaking breath. "Kill me if you insist on finishing what you started, but I have no intention of bowing to a king who wears a crown studded with the jewels of every sin he committed."

For once he looked taken aback stopping just a few steps away from herself. "Kill you? Oh, dear me. Is that what you thought I came here for?" His head shook swaying ivory locks. "No, no, no. That wouldn't be beneficial to either of us."

"Then why?"

"Why? You have got the arms I want to be wrapped in. You have got the eyes I want to get lost in. You have the smile I can never resist. You have got the voice I want to listen to for hours. I decided on you. I want you and only you."

"I fell in love with your words! Unfortunately they were all lies!"

"No. That's not true." That gentle smile was back as he approached her once more. "I didn't lie that I love you. It wasn't a lie before and it certainly isn't a lie now."

Her body did not give him the satisfaction of an embrace nor the courtesy of a smile as his hand caressed her cheeks.

"You're a dangerous man."

"Ah. But you see the most dangerous person is the one who listens, thinks, and observes."

[onyx-syn]

LA! Buggy with a Reader who's Insecure about their Nose

Warnings: Fluff, Gender Neutral Reader, Insecurity, some Mockery (Buggy thinking that his nose is worse), Kissing, and Praises/Body Praising

*Don't steal my writings and claim it as your own*

*18+ Only*

A/N: I wanted to write something sweet/fluffy and refreshing admist all the smut I have written 😩 taking a breather a bit as I finish some of these works!

🌹Buggy💠

🌹Despite being the 'enthusiastic', 'out of this world' performer and extroverted he may seem like, it's a curtain to hide his insecurities that he feels deep down

💠Worried that he isn't doing good enough and that he needs to do better, worried that he isn't pleasing the audience, etc. One of his biggest insecurities revolves around his nose

🌹His nose is a deep root issue he's had ever since he was a kid, being made fun of or ridiculed for it, even by those he considered close to him. Being called a clown admist of that. So why not be the clown that they fear

💠When he first met you, he didn't even notice anything wrong with your nose or why you could be so insecure about it

"You think yours is bad? Look at this shit", he tells you pointing at his obvious red nose.

🌹It's not that he intentionally means to be mean or mock you. He's never met someone who experiences the same deep rooted issue that you both physically can't change

💠The more and more you two become close, the more you both start to open up to each other. Him taking some time, as he doesn't want to bother you with his own issues. A lot of the time, he believes that his issues are too much or too little to matter

🌹However, you reassure him that any issue of his matters just as much as he worries about yours, including your noses

"Your nose is a feature that makes you, you, a feature that is a particular characteristic of your facial structure, a loveable feature that lights up your face"

💠Those words play over and over in Buggy's head. He doesn't want to believe it, but when he hears your voice, in the dead of night as you both lay together and alone, he knows to trust your words and takes it to heart

🌹Buggy can be observant, no words needed when he stares at you, taking in all your features. The way your nose is a defining feature in your facial structure makes you stand out to him

💠The way you smile, your skin crinkles underneath your droopy nose and lifts the nostrils a bit. Or your button nose lifting a bit when you smile. Or when you turn to the side and the bump in your Mediterranean nose brings an odd comforting feeling in his stomach, such a small feature of yours that he oddly finds endearing

🌹When you both are laying on your shared bed, comfortably in each other's embrace, Buggy will place kisses on your nose, soft and gentle

The moonlight shines through the window of your shared bedroom. You and Buggy cuddling underneath the fabric of your blanket. The room was calm, the only light being emitted was through the window.

Your chest was halfway on Buggy's chest, your left arm wrapped around his waist as your right arm was a little bit above Buggy's head on the pillow, feeling his blue locks through your fingers. Buggy had one arm around your waist as the other gripped onto your thigh, bringing it over his hips.

You hum in delight as you nuzzle your head deeper into his curly hairy chest, hearing his heart beat. The sight of you in a peaceful state made Buggy's chest feel tight, the sight was too sweet to behold.

He raised his hand from your thigh, cupping your cheek upwards. He soft lips kiss your nose, gently over and over again.

The action makes your face scrunch up a bit, your eyes fluttering open to only have another kiss contact your nose. A giggle erupts from you in his grasp.

"Bugs", you whisper softly to him. "Whatcha doing?"

Buggy doesn't answer at first, his lips never leaving your face. Going from your nose, to your cheeks, to your forehead before going back to your nose.

Buggy pulls away just enough so his eyes lock onto yours. You can see the look of admiration swirling in his iris.

Buggy speaks, a cheeky smile appearing on his face. "You're so beautiful" He tells you.

"I love your features so much, you're just too precious to not appreciate you know sweets?"

💠Essentially becomes your hype man to feeling a bit more confident. This man is a performer, he knows how to get the audience excited for something that hasn't been shown to the eye yet

🌹 He'll cup your cheeks in his hands, his thumbs caressing your skin as he begins to reassure you and praise you

"You're nose is absolutely wonderful doll, don't listen to what those shit heads say"

"You stand out among everyone peach, with that smile and nose, I can see you from the east blue sea and back baby!"

"I can kiss this face over and over again if it means I can see that smile on your face"

💠He's oddly very soft and sweet here then people normally see him. To him, when he speaks these words to you, is the words he wished someone told him when he was young

🌹There are times where he does slip up, sometimes not knowing what to say or to do, since he's not to all familiarly with this new feeling of giving appreciation. But God does he love your smile

💠If you star in any of his performances or shows, he'll personally paint your face. He is an expert at makeup and painting, how to extenuate someone's features of needed

🌹He loves making your nose red to match his, a related feature and Insecurity that you both share that brings you both closer together

💠All this man wants is to be loved and love someone, that someone being you. It may not be perfect all the time, but you both make it work through both of your issues and insecurities

[herefortheships]

Just a little stepdad!Betelgeuse and stepdaughter!Astrid idea/headcanon for you tonight:

Imagine Astrid came back with ghostly powers from the Netherworld after BJBJ, like we've been speculating here recently, and, with Lydia unable (or unwilling??) to help her navigate this one power in particular, she resorts to calling Betelgeuse for help. That power: remote possession of the living, just like the Maitlands did, and just like Betelgeuse did in BJBJ.

I can understand why Lydia would want Astrid to push this one down. One thing's a ghost taking over another person, but a living person making other living people move to her will? Kinda scary! It could go wrong in so many ways! Lydia would probably struggle to come to terms with it, at least for a while. And that's why this idea is so interesting to me, tbh! There's a lot there to explore: questions of morality, "just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should", etc.

Astrid takes no shit from no one, but she does have some students "bullying" her at school that get on her nerves. What other perfect targets to practice her new powers on? 😂 Imagine the chaotic duo of Betelgeuse and Astrid controlling the people who bully Astrid at school with their ghosty powers, both of them hiding in the bushes dressed in camo outfits, staring with binoculars from afar while their targets make complete fools out of themselves. Betelgeuse doesn't exactly have a moral compass to think "these are just kids, shouldn't mess with them like this", and that's exactly why Astrid thinks "yep, he's the only one who can really help me learn to use this power". Anyway, that'd be totally hilarious. Wait until Lydia finds out what they're up to. lol

No, but, hear me out, what if Astrid goes dark side with these new powers and THEN Lydia and Beej have to work together to get her back? And Beej almost sacrifices himself (or sacrifices something important to him... gonna have to think that one over, but hear me out), he has to sacrifice something and do everything he can to right this wrong. He did help Astrid out, and things went horribly wrong and it's mostly his fault. He goes above and beyond to save her and it finally shows without any doubt that his actions are not selfish; that he really does love Lydia and her family.

Anyway, going way too cartoon plot with this last part, maybe, but I love this idea. 😂

[ratgirl2020]

Never forget the live episode after ACOSF was released where Ava and Steph discussed:

How Azriel and Gwyn had chemistry before the BC, not necessarily romantic but "something subtle"

That the Azriel and Elain portion of the BC felt "wrong." They discuss how they've been reading Sarah's work for a long time and that the vibes between the two were different... Steph ends by saying she doesn't think this is the route that Azriel will go down and that she's happy they didn't kiss.

How Sarah doesn't do anything unintentionally, they think that the shadows reactions are important. With Elain, the shadows feel like it's not right.

That Az had the opportunity to explain to Rhys that 1. he loves her 2. he loves her soul or 3. I want her to be happy and I think I can make her happy... instead... his response felt like he was "owed this." In his own thoughts or to Rhys, Azriel could have mentioned love etc. BUT SJM INTENTIONALLY did not .... probably because he doesn't love her. In Stephs words Azriel was like "3 brothers 3 sisters, let's do this" Rhys(sjm) shut this down.

That people can have sexual chemistry with someone and not be in love with them. And how Elain/Az felt more like a "rebound."

Steph admits she was captain of the E/riel ship for years...but that all changed in one book. Steph also claims her gut has never been wrong about Sarahs pairings.

💖

[theambitiouswoman]

Im the girl who asked the advice for the guy who just broke up. He invited me at his birthday today and kissed another girl in front of me..

left the birthday telling him that I thought that at least we have interest in each others he told me that he explained wrong and there's no interest. And how he was able to do this in front of me....

I feel my chest so heavy rn I can't sleep and he even made me go back home at 4am alone and didn't even asked me where I was etc. I felt teased from all of his friends.

During today he didn’t even text me and I know it’s his birthday but he could send me at least an are u ok.

I hate him so much for what he did to me

I’m so sorry you went through that. What he did was deeply hurtful & you didn’t deserve any of it. Watching someone disrespect your feelings like that, especially so publicly is a cruel experience.

Right now, it’s okay to feel angry and upset. You have every right to feel what you’re feeling—don’t let anyone minimize that. But try to remind yourself of this: his actions say everything about him, not about your worth. Someone who truly values you would never treat you like this.

Moving forward, I need you to remember a few things:

1. Men are very direct. Take what they say at face value.

2. No one is going to reject attention— it doesn’t mean interest (re read 1).

3. Always take mixed signals as a no.

4. When a man wants you, nothing you or anyone can do will change his mind.

5. Emotionally unavailable people aren’t emotionally available to anyone. If they were emotionally available to US, they would be emotionally available. No confusion. ( re read 1)

This might sound a little blunt but you just simply do not deserve to have been put in that position.

You deserve someone who is sure about you. Is clear about their intentions and only wants you. If you have to over think and analyze, hope, wish, try to convince, it’s is not for you. And honestly not everyone should be for you because you are special, amazing and unique.

Also, don’t talk to that guy again please, he suck’s 💗

[ellouchi]

Jimmy dating headcannons (sfw/gn reader)

Disclaimer: this work contains unhealthy interpersonal practices and elements of abuse.

Side note: this was going to be LONGER and include nsfw but I've decided it's better to divide everything into parts. Finally getting this out because there is a critical shortage of Jimmy x reader works (cries and picks up a pen). Let me know if I missed something or made a mistake.

Enjoy!

— ok starting with the fluff: Jimmy feels too embarrassed to properly hold your hand, like some small shy boy. He will make it seem like you've the one who acts childish of course, holds your hand if you plead enough and only for a minute in public, for a bit more when in private. You can be lucky enough to tag after him holding his sleeve if he feels like it. Jimmy secretly loves to hold your wrist, especially in a tight grip, feeling your pulse beating under your skin (he is like a handcuff).

— Jimmy doesn't say "I love you", not in a usual sense. Instead it's always alternatives like common "You make me feel all warm and stupid inside" and the most rare "You mean a lot to me" spoken in a quiet sincere tone. Unfortunately "I love you"s are reserved for manipulation. He knows it gets people very compliant or/and defenseless. It doesn't do any harm anyway because he's merely speaking the truth. It's actually a litmus test if you love him or not, so be very careful with your words during those moments.

— primarily uses your name or alias you go with instead of pet names. Sometimes, Jimmy would use baby, babe, sweet cheeks (bear with me); dear, darling and love when he's pissed off or he tries to be condescending.

— Jimmy has a preconceived notion that your parents/family wouldn't like him, he has enough self awareness for that. Because of this, he'll try to make it seem like he's better than he is, so you better play along. If your family hates his guts, Jim doubles down, resulting in both parties wagging a war. Doesn't give a fuck about them at all after that disastrous first meeting. However, if somehow you family did take a liking to Jimmy, he's glad....but also puzzled. I think Jim has had shitty childhood, so when he is treated like a proper family member, he's lost. He doesn't want to see your family often because of his complicated feelings, but makes exceptions for the special occasions.

— Jimmy knows and remembers things about you to the points it's both scary and impressive: likes and dislikes, fears, dreams, ambitions etc. On the more positive side, this includes songs, books, movies, comics and anything like that — even if he doesn't like it, he has an understanding of what it is. If you call him out, Jimmy either says he doesn't care (he does, so much actually) or says "Of course I do, you can't shut up about [thing]" (lies).

— Jimmy doesn't have a lot of free time on his hands. If both of you are free, that means you are spending this time with him. No, your plans won't matter if they exclude Jim out of the picture. This involves discouraging you or outright sabotaging you. As per usual, he wouldn't find anything wrong with this kind of behaviour. You should just stop being unreasonable and spend some time with your lover. Look, he even went out of his way to find a movie you two would enjoy watching.

— birthdays with Jimmy are weird (if you could tell from the game). If you look forward to them, so does he; if you don't, well he congratulates you when the day comes and that's about it. It's much worse when the gifts are involved, because Jimmy will actually try to get what you want, and the more expensive it is, the more positive reaction he expects from you. He saved up throughout the year, denied himself pleasures and worked his ass off — if you don't shower him with appreciation and gratitude, he will make a scene about how selfish you are. On your own birthday.

— Jimmy keeps your gifts and trinkets in his drawer (if they small enough). He has some photos of you together, small souvenirs from trips, cute notes you left him — you name it. This habit will get creepy: the things having a lot of sentimental value to you, your trash like discarded perfume bottle and cream tubs, even your underwear. He wouldn't care if you made fun of him, but god forbid you misplace or throw away anything from that drawer.

— Jimmy loves when you rely on him. However, to a degree because this man quickly gets tired of running errands. If he offers to do something it's safe to agree, asking too much will get him worked up so don't overdo. With that said, Jimmy always does small things, like making your preferred beverage during the day, calling to remind you something, doing small chores unprompted, basically covering your bases. It's hard to feel unloved when you are remembered and cared for in that way. Also gives him an ammo for fights in case you forget how much Jimmy does for you.

— Jimmy insists on driving you everywhere (so people would know that you belong to him). Also it means Jim has lots of good punishments at his disposal when you two fight: lock the car from the inside? Leave you somewhere you don't know? Or just not pick you up altogether? Better leave all the arguments for later or don't bring them up at all...

— you are one of few people to see Jimmy's playful side: he just loves to joke around you. He wouldn't like it, but your sense of humour would rub off him greatly. If that wasn't enough this man loves to prank you in small ways: it's childish stuff most of times, like hiding or misplacing an item in your house and playing innocent. Other than that, Jimmy will whistle and catcall you when he sees you and will slap your ass in public when you leave. You are encouraged to prank him in return too, but you will be pranked harder next time. Grins, snickers and snorts a lot but laughs very, very rarely. However, it's one of the most healing things you could experience. Literally restores years to your lifespan.

— Jimmy doesn't like seeing you upset actually. He's not super soft or doting, he will pry the reason for your distress out of you whether you like it or not. If he deems it's unimportant, will tell you to suck it up, maybe even make a sarcastic remark. If it's serious business, he involves himself. Of course half the time it makes your situation worse and him angrier at himself which translates to Jim being angry at you.

— when Jimmy is upset, it's best to wait it out. I headcannon Jimmy used to have terrible anger issues but with years managed to control them to a degree. It doesn't mean he wouldn't lash out on you, his partner, it does get ugly. Him hugging you for comfort is actually more frequent than you would expect. As long as you don't address his tears or say much, Jimmy would calm down with little to no issue. Don't bring it up later too, he won't respond and will pretend it never happened.

— finishing with the reminder that you will be carrying Jimmy's emotional baggage as well as your own if you have any. I hope you have strong and healthy arms and back for that. If you're not careful enough or *cough cough* stay ignorant of Jim's bad influence on you, he will bring you to his level and mold you into who he wants you to be. But it doesn't work one way: in theory, you could "fix" some of his unsavoury outlooks but don't expect too much. After years of blood, sweat and tears it's possible to finally convince him to go to therapist. Praying he would continue on his own wouldn't be enough and you would need to actively encourage Jim to not give up on his mental health treatment. Way to go!

[bomber-grl]

Nico Di Angelo x Child of Medusa 🐍

Pairing(s): Nico Di Angelo x M!Reader

A req for @calypso-74213! Also cringe-ish warning

Everyone at camp is terrified of you

I mean its said that people are scared of what they don’t understand

And you’re sort of an anomaly

Not to mention that you’re able to turn ppl to stone, the only barrier separating them and you, bding your sunglasses

Also because you closely resemble humans/ demigods

Yknow, besides the snakes instead of/ amongst your hair, scales here and there, and your eyes

Especially since Medusa isn’t known to be particularly fond of men, so it leaves much to think about and question

Then again, Athena-

Anyway

Many aren’t fond of you, that’s a given. I mean many campers weren’t very welcoming of Nico and his status(?) as son of hades so I can only imagine the treatment you go through

I mean at least everyone has the decency to pretend to be nice to you

But the tension is still there

The first day you were introduced was by Chiron, usually he’d leave the camper up to the counselor these days but you’re a special exception (along with Percy)

So bam, new cabin for not a god but rather Medusa

I’d imagine a lot of discourse, especially since it’s only for godly parents and the whole pride aspect

But eventually, with much persistence from Percy and others who are willing to back you up, you get one

Which is only a result of them being proven wrong by your origins and proven to be a nice person

Also, might I add, you’re likely here because of being mortal/not completely monster and need protection like many demigods

Anyways, Nico isn’t at camp all that much

Especially since he has this idea that many people aren’t fond of him (which changes throughout the series)

When he hears about you through the grapevine he’s intrigued

He never thought that someone such as yourself would even exist but then again he could say that about the gods and Olympus

Only once he finds out that you’re treated like shit (at the start of your stay) does he go to find you and see what your deal is

And he’s pleasantly surprised

You pass all his standards

1. Don’t be an asshole

2. Don’t be an asshole

Oh, and did I mention don’t be an asshole?

You were more than pleasant to hang out with and he found himself looking for you amongst the crowds of demigods at camp

He looked forward to seeing you again

Only then does he realize how he’s fallen in love with you

He never would’ve imagined he’d ever fall in love with a son of Medusa, but here he is

He’s admittedly hesitant to confess to you

It’s so obvious too

You’re at the lake like you usually are

You tend to spend time there when you’re not having fun at arts and crafts or training with weapons

This is the time of day you two usually hang out and that’s only proven more by the fact that Nico is seated right next to you, gazing at you

Almost lost in thought but then you snap him back to reality- wondering what’s up

That’s when he just tells you, he almost shrinks away until you tell him that you reciprocate his feelings

He’s honestly shocked by the whole thing and just stares at you until you hesitantly hold his hand

From them on you’re officially boyfriends and he can’t emphasize how happy he is to have you

The sun isn’t always shining and so bad things are bound to happen, what’d you expect? You two are a demigod and a half monster (?)

Your origins might be a mystery but you know better than anyone not to fear the dark

So when Nicos having certain days where he’s struggling, he’s glad that you can embrace all of him

Change of tone but you and Nico are just chilling as Jules- Albert drives you places when Nico realizes something

He’s never seen your eyes, or rather, looked you straight on

I mean you’ve kissed, hugged, etc etc but he’s never seen you without your glasses

Which how could he? He’d literally be turned to stone

But that doesn’t stop him from wondering

His eerily long silence next to you prompts you to ask him what’s up

And finally after much convincing that ‘we listen and we don’t judge’

He tells you

And of course you laugh but just because you find it endearing that he wants to

Of course it’s something that never goes anywhere but if he asks a Hecate kid if there’s stone proof potions- well that’s none of your business

[luminousdryad]

might just be me but I feel like Vi would've RAN out of that cell the second she was free to find her obviously suicidal sister and try to talk her out of it

I get that the point of Jinx telling her to "go be with her (Cait)" is for Vi to finally choose herself for once but when Vi was at her lowest during the pitfighter era, it was Jinx who brought her back by asking for her help with Warwick/Vander and through Jinx's gentleness with Isha, Vi finally saw Powder again and that's why she wondered if they could stay in Viktor's little haven

like I feel like these two never actually got to talk about certain things, like idk, Vi telling Jinx that it was Cait who got her out of prison, Jinx talking about how lost she is now that both Silco and Isha are gone, etc.

Ekko saving Jinx still could've worked, but Vi has to be the one to do it earlier

something that annoys me in Arcane is that for all the things they set up, the characters barely talk to each other about the issues (and when they do I feel like it's always glossed over or done offscreen; it was reasonable in S1 how Vi didn't know how to react during the tea party scene, but in S2? when she's had time to process what her sister has become?)

Vi going from determined to kill Jinx once and for all to pleading with her and telling her how much she loves her no matter what she becomes, no matter who she thinks she is, she will always be Powder to her (and maybe that she's sorry she failed to protect her and for being a bad sister to which Jinx can respond by refuting her words)

so when Jinx goes to end herself, she's more willing to hear Ekko out cause Vi, the person she's looked up to all her life and who takes priority even over Silco, finally told her she loved her unconditionally, echoing back to "I thought you could love me like you used to. Even though I'm different." And loving unconditionally doesn't mean tolerating their wrongs–it just means you care for them wholeheartedly despite the things they do. And for Jinx, who has always defined her worth by what she's able to do for people... that's exactly what she needs to hear to think twice.

(Vi's words are her anchor; Ekko's encouragement pulls her back to the surface)

[toasthaste]

ok here are some In Stars and Time thoughts: (wow! that's a lot of thoughts actually! long post warning! also warning for like every possible spoiler, don't read this if you haven't engaged with the game to your satisfaction)

I'm obsessed with the fact that the loop that ends up being the final one is the one where EVERYTHING goes wrong. I spent the whole game subconsciously building up my Perfect Final Loop in my mind, how I'd get every item to make sure I didn't miss an opportunity to use em, do all the friendquests and such... I didn't even realize I'd been building up that ideal scenario until after credits rolled! Really really cool. The timeline where Siffrin does the worst stuff he does in any loop is the one that stays. And it's still a happy ending! it's a better ending because of that! His friends saw him at his worst and still loved him! He didn't have to do everything perfect to keep them around actually! Something about that feels so right, to me.

I keep using "ludonarrative resonance" to describe this game and yeah ok I'm huffing my own farts here whipping that out but whatever, it's REAL. The player and Siffrin are on the EXACT same emotional journey as each other, we're getting tired of seeing the exact same lines over and over again right alongside them, we're taking shortcuts because we've seen it all before and just want to grab key open door grab crest etc etc make the progress go. We're starting to find these previously-charming characters grating because we've just seem them repeat the SAME lines over and over and over and OVER again until they start feeling like caricatures of themselves who we can barely feel any real compassion for any more.... It's just so.... clean, it's so perfect, to me. It helps that Siffrin is also one of the more relatable characters I've encountered in, like, media. I don't usually relate to fictional characters much, but, man, the emotional constipation, the building scorn, the depression, the Being Weird About Touch... I mentioned in another post that it's really just Siffrin and Murderbot who I've ever found viscerally relatable, of all the characters ever in media. So like, it's a pretty rare position. (I do not relate to the pun-love though. I'm funny I'm good at goofs but bad puns are extremely tedious to me. Which perhaps goes to show how well-realized Siffrin is, given that I'm able to look the other way....)

I think they could have stood to make Loop's Whole Deal a bit more obvious. I had no clue what their fucking deal was at any point. I totally missed the interaction that lets you learn about The Incident and thus get more Loop info at the end, and... it's valid to have different endings in a game of course, but... I felt like I really missed out tbh! And I had no way of knowing I had to keep interacting with the silver coin.... idk. It felt a bit like a gotcha I suppose. And Loop's deal is really cool! Holy hell! I'm doing a quick replay of the game to see more convos with them with this context, and to get the ending with them, and like--!!! There's so much here! Loop tellins Sif to use the royal We, they even tell Siffrin, like-- Loop asks Siffrin why he doesn't just tell his friends about the loops, maybe they can help, why keep it a secret? Meanwhile... Loop!Siffrin is stuck in their own helpless timefuckery world and refusing to let Siffrin know about it! The Siffrin from the Start Again timeline never learned those lessons, they're still trying to help someone else while refusing to ask for help themselves, refusing to even let on that there's a problem! And getting more and more emotionally fucked up about it! Man it's good. I guess it does make a replay more rewarding, not knowing this until the end, the first time, but so much of the game is already a replay that, idk, it does feel weird to replay it. I've already done so many repetitions y'all.... But I guess that's pretty meta, also...

Oh I'm under the impression this is not terribly uncommon but I absolutely did get got by the ?diary? that had the story of the person making a duplicate of themselves so they had someone to talk to. Like I fully thought that was describing the King and Siffrin, I spent a long time under the mistaken impression that Siffrin was a copy of the King in some capacity. Oops.... I might try to gently lead Beloved Roomie away from this interpretation when she plays it. Planning on being pretty hands-off overall but this is one area where I feel it might be justified to violate the prime directive.... But we'll see!

I wish I liked the music more..... This is a game that I think really begs for some real heartwrenching tunes to enhance all of the everything but instead none of it does it for me at all. I think that's a real shame, it's by far my biggest complaint. I'm not asking for Undertale-tier, but, at least something I'd want to put on my playlist for the emotional resonance, y'know?

THEY ACTUALLY KILLED THE KID !!!! LIKE!!!! I guess I have some biases I might should think about but I was not expecting a game that begins with so many explicit pronouns introductions (rather than just giving us context clues) and that has no real cursing to be willing to kill the kid, even impermanently? Let alone so gruesomely? I think I was expecting a much greater level of.... idk, tweeness, fanglessness, than we actually got. In spite of being a fan of insertdisc5's comics for YEARS and years! And like! Damn! Props to them!

God. God. So, like. All the ending fakeouts were fucking great. I genuinely thought the All Friendship Quests ending might be the Real One, I was prepared to be disappointed because it felt too soon and just not.... quite.... right? But I did think that was probably where it was heading! But it wasn't! I got got and it's so heartwrenching and also so satisfying, the mood whiplash from loop to loop is fucking sublime.

And-- AND! The real ending! So like. Some of the stuff I missed was just me not pursuing specific content correctly. But some of it is genuinely just, like, stuff that has no actual purpose besides flavor. Flavor, and.... The locked passphrase door in Dormont. The four-pointed leaf you can get (but not in the final loop!), the bell chime, etc etc. You can't actually really do anything with any of this stuff. But you don't know that! It feels like there's still all these loose ends! And!!! Those loose ends do their job SO WELL! The dev knows Gamer Instincts, knows people are gonna have that mental tally of boxes-yet-to-be-checked. Left some forever unchecked on purpose, which-- At the end, the real end, when Siffrin is about to talk to the Head Housemaiden and find out, for real, if this is the final loop or if it's all going to happen again, again, again. He's scared. He's traumatized! He's thought he Had It so many times! SO many times!!! Hope is terrifying! Hope is a poison! And the game has left these loose threads, and at least for me I really was not sure it was going to work. Like it seemed likely but the same metaknowledge of story structure that made me think it was likely also told me "but wait, there's all these loose threads, and the only way for them to trick us again WOULD BE to make the ending SO elaborate and epilogue-y....." I was nervous right along with Siffrin! I was uncertain! Fucking fantastic work, using my own gamer's instincts against me. Thrilled about it.

All the characters are so well realized. They all have specific relationships with each other, not just with Siffrin (Important!!!!! Huge complaint I had with BG3, they didn't put their whole pussies into this!!!!). And, and, I love how they all have different feelings about the time loops. I love that Mirabelle doesn't want "spoilers," and meanwhile Bonnie doesn't mind them and thinks of their alt-selves as like... them-but-not-them in a very cool way.

There's something about-- the way the game starts as a regular degular videogame and then graaaadually becomes, essentially, a visual novel as the actual gameplay becomes trivialized. Which itself is like, really really cool with the themes! And also, just.... I never would have picked up a straight up visual novel, I just, don't get into them, I'd rather read a book, but! I was already invested! It got its hooks into me when there was gameplay mixing things up and those hooks weren't about to let go just because the gameplay didn't super matter any more!

Straight up when we first see Red I didn't at all process that it was a Color in a game with No Colors, Canonically. They had to spell it out for me. It didn't occur to me to be surprised. I'm just too used to colors existing I guess idk. I think I wish the colors thing had gone somewhere a bit more...? I'm GUESSING it mostly originated as just a cute little explanation for why the game is all grayscale and then fit in with enough stuff to be given elevated importance (?) But it felt... hm. Underdeveloped, maybe. I think I really want more stories in this.... "Setting" and "Universe" and "Series" are not quite the right words but hopefully you get the idea. I want more so there can be one that develops that more. Not that leaving stones unturned is, like, illegal ofc. I just find the idea very compelling....

What is it with time loop stories and themes of loss that cannot be outsmarted. Man. I wondered, for so long, if Siffrin's country was going to be restored in people's minds, if that was one of the main big Plot Things we'd see. And it just didn't! Their memory is going to keep being bad, they're going to keep having all these huge tragic gaps and it's just. What can you do. At some point you have to either be permanently paralyzed by the horrific injustice you've suffered-- or you have to try to live a life. And. Man. I don't think I've actually ever encountered a story that was so much about that exact specific form of loss, the loss of one's culture, history, language! All of it. Gone from everywhere. It made me think of the obvious things and just. Man. What a howling void. The contrast with Odile's deal made it a lot more effective too I think. More of an expanded meditation upon these themes than just one toe dipping in, I guess? Hm.

Odile's battle profile pic when she's at low health is so fucking hot this cartoon character is so hot goddammit.

Game good. You're only reading this if you've already played it, I hope, so I can't use this space to recommend it in a meaningful way but. Heck. Game good.

[scarf-it-box]

As a bus driver i feel obligated to elaborate on this. From my understanding: (which could be more informed..)

Smaller buses need to have seatbelts. In the event of a crash, its the same as any other smaller vehicle and many bad things, including rollovers, are possible.

Regular, skii, 30-40' buses (think gillig brand? Accordion buses count as this bc theyre a short bus with a trailer basically) do not require seatbelts, as in the event of a collision, the bus is more likely to stay fine and upright(unless you hit a long nose semi or somethin..), protecting the passengers inside and not to mention that when its busy more than half the passengers are standing anyways. They also put more precautions on the CDL(in the US) and asssume that Profesional Drivers will be in less collisions. Bus drivers get a seatbelt so that in the event of an incident, they can stay firmly planted and control the bus to a safer position (many accidents avoided this way). We do however try to secure anything else that might become a projectile in a crash-skii stuff goes in skii racks, wheel chair users are secured in, etc. (Though it doesnt help when someone brings their whole cart on board 0-o)

Larger buses than that need seatbelts again (think MCI brand/greyhound buses), as they will be traveling at high speeds and more can go wrong in the event of a collision, especially if they have a higher center of gravity.

Do buses have seatbelts where you live? yes/no (if mod wants to add a never been on a bus option that's fine)