#come on guys its basic civilization building

[cinnabeat]

i hope it doesnt end at just carrots like i truly think if they utilize their magic with all crops they could be a high quality demon produce supplier

[gloomyteddybear]

dark fantasy concept

introduction

tw/cw: blood, body horror, mild suggestive, fucked up morals and content that comes with the dark fantasy genre, dehumanization(?);

isekai modern-reader into 'ye olde darke-medieval-fantasy' but instead of into the body of a human to re-create the industrial revolution. put them into the body of a very cryptid/monstrous version of a vamp

at first mc starts like rlly feral, jumbly-instinct thoughts. but as they begin to drink more blood they get more grounded. so basically hunger = madness or smth.

there's also gamer/leveling up/system adjacent things. but only for mc. where it basically counts how much kills they have and it rewards them with skills and its also kinda like a countdown to how many liters of blood they have left until they go bonkers.

since it's the medieval times, technology ain't that good, or most of anything for that matter. it's bad.

since mc is a spoiled city mouse, they rlly want to have modern commodities that only rich people at this time gets. like frequent baths, good infrastructure and basic plumbing. fancy shit like that.

they kinda get obsessed w/ it since its literally the only thing that's familiar and comforting to them so they try rlly hard to get it. either by killing rich people and stealing their houses or building their own spooky mansion by becoming a noble or smth.

it's kinda like those tropes of rich pretty vampire that gets absolutely monstrous w/o blood. with the bright eyes and growling with sharp teeth.

mc really hates when they get feral cause it makes them feel like a mindless monster, not unlike those that gets killed by hunters and mercenaries. so they cope by being as 'civil/cultured/refined' as possible.

absolutely disgusted at the idea of drinking blood, so they keep gaslighting themself into thinking it's wine. prolly has tarps or smth on their table and fancy glasses.

they often come off as arrogant or stand-offish in the 'don't touch me with ur dirty hands peasant' way, but in reality they're just... a paranoid myso/germaphobe.

they're really fancy, imagine ye stereotypical vamp aesthetic but in sleeping robes. just, like, a really comfortable vampire.

and they have really terrifying non-romanticized features as a nod to the feral-cryptid side they rlly want to hide. like the trope of vampire having tapedum lucidum  or unique teeth marks (y's in leeches or patterns)---

---not those sharp and needle-like teeth for puncture that will leave delicate dot-scarring, perfect for symbiosis, self-control and donations. but textured teeth that's obvious that there's no way to stop the bleeding even if you wanted to, meant for gouging and death. kinda like bullet shrapnel or twisted daggers.

but it won't be complete w/out character interactions.

❤︎ mercenary / monster hunter (placeholder: montague )

>kinda like the witcher or mando at first glance. stoic, gruff guy, very tanky but somehow is very stealthy. has a dog trained to smell blood-trails and harmed prey, it is very rotund 'cause of treats. it's name is whinny (a pun, win, whiny, wine(both the drink and the olde english for friend)) like it's owner, the dog find you sus but later becomes attached to you.

>tendencies probably started out in pity, 'damn is this a baby vamp? hopeless. guess i gotta feed them so they get strong enough to be a honorable adversary'. love a guy with a code of honor but dubious morality. but then he got too into it? he finds the fact that a 'monster' has more of a moral compass than him interesting (ur human kill count being lower, disliking torture, etc) lowkey wants to fix you but in a making you better at murder way.

>has a protective dynamic w/ reader but only later on (monty basically wanted them dead lol), brings them lots of prey to feed on (mostly of the bipedal variety, wink wink nudge nudge), if ya refuse to feed there's definitely going to be some tough-love to encourage a healthy diet.

>can be either romantic or familial dynamic. but there's definitively a touch of fear/intimidation on either party.

❤︎ honored guest / your good friend (placeholder: aldwin )

>is either a himbo or really 'cowardly'. the first guy you ever met that you didn't outright attempt-to or kill. kinda milk-toast at first glance. but the only guy you know can't and won't kill you. you often contemplate turning him into a thrall to keep you company for as long as you 'live', (he isn't that opposed to the idea) but often back out because you still have modern sensibilities, mind control bad.

>you often baby him, both in fear of making him scared of you (the smell is fearousel not actual fear) and also because technically he is one compared to you. that's a grown man, he's not actually scared of your mansion he just wants to be near you 24/7.

>sometimes you use him as a juice box, but only after hosting extravagant dinner parties whenever he visits (which is often, on both), making sure he eats enough to replace the blood and too drunk to feel pain. it was actually his idea, managed to convince himself that the dinner is for replenishing and not because you want to celebrate him. the actual feeding is awkward, you refuse to use your teeth and used one of the dinner knifes.

>friend zone/ one sided. mc is in denial/deeply oblivious. can be read as codependent (emotionally).

❤︎ the scholar / the monster doctor (placeholder: boris )

>doctor/physician guy. he has glasses :), someone who takes ur ideas seriously, sees you as a kindred soul, both in the studies and about your nature. has a whole jekyll and hyde situation, his jobs is kinda the reason why he goes awoo in the night. he's surprisingly very soft? mild mannered, polite, a proper gentleman. (whinny hates him lmao)

>kinda a goldigger, first approached you with the intent of having you sponsor his 'research' (monster biology) but later decided to have a collab w/ you. you still treat him as kinda of a sugarbaby still, reserving a special place in the manor to serve as his lab and giving him lots of artifacts and equipment. you mostly do it to see if he has a cure for vampirism (aside from a very painful death), but it's nice to see a very chivalrous man get flustered when it's him being spoilt.

>the wolf side is the complete opposite of his demeanor, feral, bloodthirsty and animalistic, it attacks and destroys everything in it's wake, it cannot harm you due to your strength, but the intent is obvious. it's a very harrowing affair filled with angst, (except the part where you're prepping for the full moon and needing to chain him with silver), you know what's its like to lose control and hurt someone innocent so you always try to do damage control for his sake.

>kinda puts you in a pedestal, sees you as someone out of his league.

❤︎ the oldest servant / elder-vampire butler  (placeholder: aldair )

>kinda older looking in appearance but still pretty-boy enough(? somehow). you didn't turn him, he came with the mansion. he used to be a thrall to someone else but now he's a under your reign. has beef with everyone except monty (prolly teaming to make you less hopeless), specially hates aldwin. he's less alfred, more sebastian/claude or ron molan(TCF).

> it's not exactly known why he's loyal, considering he wanted to kill his previous sire and you don't treat him any better (by your standards, vampire culture is weird). maybe it was the way you just... 'subdued' it and allowed him the pleasure of killing his torturer? causing some weird begrudging-debt turned devotion, that or the fact that you are not a pureblood---or at least act like one.

> kinda thinks ur a spoiled wimp but still spoils you. way too knowledgeable abt your habits, you stretch out a hand and he's already putting a glass of 'wine' between your fingers. you shift in your seat? he's already getting you a footstool (mostly an unfaithful servant or a prisoner), you accidentally tear out someone's throat? he's already collecting their blood in bottles, cleaning the crime scene and creating your alibi.

> you're deff being primed for something. maybe related to the dozens of bottles (and sacrifices) in your cellar.

[clueless-fan-critic]

Deadpool and Wolverine: The Prequel to the Mutant Saga

Here's How the X-Men Could Be Part of the MCU

If you're catching up on comics, the X-Men recently are experiencing one of the worst events in their history as mutants in comic book event Fall of X. Long story short, the "mutants being hated" status quo is in play and pulling the entire Marvel Comics Universe into it. With recent success of Fox's most successful leading mutants in the MCU, the audience is now asking the question... What will this mean for Mutants? In this theory article, I'll explore possible directions that the MCU may take with its cast of incalculable mutants.

X-Men Vs X-Men

What I noticed in X-Men media is that it's basically mutants against mutants. I mean, unless you singularly focus on one goal like the Krakoan Era, there's a chance that a mutant will either defect to another team, fight over leadership, or straight up leave because their feelings were hurt. Seriously, the Umbrella Academy can stay more cohesive than the X-men and those guys are a dysfunctional family. Even with legit reasons for leaving or defecting, it just gets tiresome by the fact they'll probably come back with no hard feelings.

My idea for this issue is that the people will only see the X-Men as the problem rather than mutants themselves. Think of a larger scale Civil War scenario with neutral mutants, like civilians, in the conflict getting hurt because of the X-Men's actions. This can also add themes of security or freedom, profiling, and the abuse of power by the government.

Speaking of themes, let us move on to the overall idea that mutants are always associated with. The exact reasons that were explored in a show with a recent mutant in the MCU.

X-Men and Proud

What might be addressed in the MCU is the prejudice and bigotry of mutants compared to people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and so on. I know that mutants are allegories for minorities, but that's the point. They're allegories. The one thing that I want discussed is whether the hatred is earned by mutants. Because think about it, mutants are called Homo Superiors and considered the next step in human evolution. Those ideas can seriously give you an ego and be generally disliked because of it. They also manifest crazy dangerous superpowers as teenagers, like if Hulk and Thor were emotionally unhinged boys who trashed a city over a taco. That's a more definite reason for people's hatred: constant destruction with no accountability or responsibility. But now we're getting the idea of mutants as a whole being treated as minorities and I feel that wouldn't exactly fit as well if the MCU introduced clearer examples of prejudice and culture.

Another example is the confusion of prejudice for mutants being the same as other kinds like racism and xenophobia. For example, basically Emma Frost, a blonde white mutant, is less likely to experience the same struggles as a black woman or an immigrant from another country. A discussion between her and Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, really exploring what it means to be an outsider and struggling to be accepted would combine both real-world and mutant issues.

But with the Mutant Saga coming, are we going to follow a new cast of X-Men or reintroduce old ones from the past?

The Old and the New

One advantage of the Multiverse is reintroducing old actors from previous Fox X-Men properties into the MCU. You could have The Gifted's Emma Dumont aka Polaris or Legion's Dan Stevens aka Legion. If you bring back characters as cameos, why not use them as much as possible to really build the MCU Multiverse. This would also give some closure to cancelled shows or movie franchises and maybe those characters to the MCU.

False Hope or Idea Generation?

Now, whether these ideas get any light in the upcoming Mutant Saga or just get shoved randomly into projects for no rhyme or reason, I have no clue. I guess it's good to have that kind of expectation with recent X-Men projects like X-Men 97, but I'm not holding my breath.

[tatortart]

Text dump for the 2003 TMNT AU I’m figuring out. Mostly for my own fun, etc etc etc.

Basically: the turtles are in their mid-twenties. Things have quieted down, or as quiet as they can get for four mutant ninja turtles. They still get pulled into trouble now and then, but life definitely isn’t as intense as it was in their teens. They’ve settled into their life, their routines, all is good with the world.

Unbeknownst to them, someone with a chip on their shoulder has been steadily working away at his own plans. Mutants haven’t been treated with much kindness over the years—more specifically, Old Hob hasn’t seen much of it. The way he sees it, humans aren’t going to give a damn about mutants until they’re personally affected by the issue. Hob’s got enough resources to craft something that’ll really make the issue of mutants a personal problem for humans.

And thus: the mutagen bomb. It goes off one summer’s eve, catches a decent size of the city’s population. It’s pure chaos—military police are called in, people are panicking, nobody knows who or what is behind it. The turtles all get to watch it play out over live television and see the peace they’ve built just go up in smoke.

The area most heavily mutated is zoned off by military police and Mutant Town is born. With that comes exactly what Hob wants: talks of what to do with a population of mutants, civil rights and liberties, and most importantly, a ready made community for him to work his way through and make damn well sure he’s on top of it all.

As for the turtles, Old Hob isn’t even on their radar for who’s responsible. Their sights are set on folks like Bishop, maybe even some mad science by Chaplin or Stockman. But they find themselves having to navigate the whole social complexities that come with…well, being able to live openly amongst fellow mutants and all that can entail.

Hob though!

So, Leatherhead isn’t the only mutant the Utroms created. Hob was mutated alongside of Leatherhead, raised and cared for. Through the Utroms, he was encouraged to undertake his studies of life sciences and the effects of mutagen��all the better to understand how and why he came to be. With Leatherhead, the two grew up as brothers, debating with each other as they grew and found their own specialties within the scientific fields.

But Shredder’s attack on the TCRI building throws all of that aside. Hob misses his chance to escape with the Utroms, forced to flee much like Leatherhead did. He’s not foolish to think that humans will accept him with open arms, but the life he finds himself living, scraping by on the streets and keeping himself hidden, his family gone, his brother lost to the wind…bitterness sets in quickly. Hob exists on the edges, much as the turtles once did, and he’s struggling. Unlike Leatherhead, he doesn’t find himself a support network, isolated and alone, and that leaves its mark.

Deep down, Hob wants that connection again. And in his own way, he’s working towards that. Forcing a mass mutation allows him to exist freely amongst other mutants. He’s able to access resources, take advantage of the confusion and cement himself as a voice of reason throughout the panic. As long as no one traces the mutagen bomb to its source, he can finally establish roots and find the connections he’s been looking for.

The downside is that this is Hob…who tends to think he’s the smartest guy in the room and that’s a mindset that will bite him hard in the ass sooner rather than later.

[brainzzzeater]

Alternative events to marvel's civil war, an nsfw spideypool prompt inspired by Dead Girl Walking

I would love to write this but my knowledge of the civil war event, and the characterization of comic Ironman and Mr. Fantastic is pretty basic. So I want to put this idea out here if anyone is inspired by it! This vision came to me after listening to Dead Girl Walking from the Heathers musical while I was drawing spideypool:

Peter has just rejected Mr. Fantastic's or Iron Man's (or both like a "hey spidey can you meet us here? we need to ask you something" situation) proposition for him to join the hero registration side. I want to think Stark is being his asshole self and not thinking its a big deal which really pisses Peter off since Pete already doesn't really like him, while Reed is trying to be more sympathetic about it since they are friends.

And Peter thinks they have to be another level of stupid to think he would agree to that. Which he says to their face. And a few other choice insults.

Rough section I wrote before giving up:

“You want me to do what?”

The ticking of the clock and low breathes coming from behind Peter’s mask where the only sounds filling the room. Suddenly he became painfully aware of the fabric pressing against his face. Tony Stark and Reed Richards sat in front of Peter in one of the meeting rooms in Stark Tower and their bodies went stiff after hearing his reaction.

Before Reed could begin his long explanation again Tony cut him off, “You have to unmask kid.”

Peter’s heart pounded in his chest with a mix of anger and disbelief. That stupid remark on top of being asked to do something so off limits? He scoffed, “Your joking right?”

It felt like a life time between Reed and Tony sharing a pained look before staying silent again. Clearly not joking.

Peter lifted from his chair, “I can’t just reveal my identity to the world are you insane? I have family and friends to protect. I want my privacy and a normal life! You can’t ask me to do that.”

“Peter you have to understand that you joining our cause could push us to a safer future. You could inspire hundreds to register. Do you not agree that people like us could pose a threat to the world if gone unchecked?”

Peter stopped and clenched his fists tightly. Reed wasn’t wrong, but he wasn't ready to give it all up, to put his family on the line, to give up the few moments of his life where he still felt like a normal person. He gave a slow nod.

“I mean, kid, c’mon. What about your life is normal? At some point you must have known that this…” Tony waved his hand at him, “double life you have been living wasn’t going to last forever.”

Peter clenched his jaw tight, ‘kid’, he was pushing thirty and still getting called a kid by a guy who didn’t even know him. By a guy who's been handed a life on a silver platter. A guy who hasn't walked the streets of the city since the last alien attack.

“Sorry that you keep your head so far up your own ass that you can’t pay attention to the world around you.”

Before he runs away knowing that come tomorrow they will be on the hunt for Spider-Man. On the hunt for Peter Parker.

Insert 1 to 1 dead girl walking scene.

It's fun cause there are a few directions you can go with this like:

Pete and Wade are already dating and Peter just shows up at his place to relieve the stress building up in his head with a doink sesh before they both go into hiding OR,

There was already tension building between them and Peter was like hey fuck it my life is about to be destroyed anyway so I'm going to go confess my attraction to this guy OR,

Mixture of both were Peter goes to Wades place to talk to a friend (who he has not normal feelings for) about what just happened and one shoulder rub to destress leads to "I've got nothing to lose" thoughts and yeahhhhh

I'm probably not going to do anything with this? At least not until I have more free time+read up a little more on the civil war event. But I think some of you guys would like it so do with this information what you will!

[sapphires-and-silver-linings]

Half-Life | Chapter One

Leon was alone.

Pairing: Plaga!Leon S. Kennedy/F!Chubby!Paranormal Investigator!Reader

Tags: Fluff, Angst, Body Horror, Suicidal Thoughts

Notes: This fic came to me in a fugue state after pulling an all-nighter. I was just really thinking about the potential for Plaga!Leon angst and what it would be like for him to live as one of the monsters he used to put down. I also think it's dismal how little Leon/Chubby!Reader content there is right now, so I made it myself. I'm not sure if I want to leave this as a one-shot or make it a short chapter fic, so let me know what you guys think!

Masterlist | Next

--------------------

Leon succumbed to the parasite.

He managed to defeat Saddler and his monstrous puppets, being able to somewhat retain his mental state without a master to control him.

He got Ashley to safety, but he told her he was staying behind, knowing what might happen if the government got its hands on him. He figured it could go a few different ways: they’d either kill him immediately because he would be deemed a threat, they’d experiment on him, or they’d use him as a bioweapon—the thing he’d been fighting against this whole time.

Ashley tried to convince him that she and her father would do what they could to prevent those outcomes after all he’d done to save and protect her, believing (as a young girl would) that he could be fixed and live a normal life.

Leon knew better than that. And so he asked her to tell the world he died when she made it out. Despite her protests and her tears, she did just that.

He then met with the merchant after saying his goodbye to Ashley. The strange man let Leon trade his weapons and equipment—things he’d never need to use again—for basic supplies to ease his transition into living in the wilderness.

Leon had always preferred civilization to the great outdoors. The irony that he'd spend the rest of his life in the middle of nowhere after lamenting this fact was not lost on him.

With a cheerful adieu, the merchant packed up his things and left, never to return.

Leon was alone.

At first, it was almost peaceful.

He lived off hunting the animals in the woods and spearing the fish in the lake with his new scorpion-like tail. He even maintained a friendship with the dog he helped (that helped him in return), aptly naming him “Wolfie” because Leon had never been the creative type.

Even with his animal companion, though, Leon felt… lonely. He had lost everything; his friends thought he was dead, he no longer had a purpose to fulfill beyond survival, and his humanity had been ripped away from him—one of the few things left he ever really held onto while fighting monsters for so long.

He craved human connection more than anything but knew he had to settle for what he had.

And so, when the occasional curious hiker appeared nearby, he did what he could to scare them off. He rarely had to do much to ensure that they wouldn’t come back, using the decomposing bodies of the Ganados and the carcasses of his prey as “decorations” around the entrance of the village.

Of course, there was the occasional brave soul who ventured into his new home. Leon had to take matters into his own hands by either darting between trees and buildings to feed their paranoia or simply showing himself from a distance, standing to his full height and glaring them down.

They always ran screaming after that.

The longer he lived alone, the less human he felt he was, giving in to baser instincts to survive and provide for himself and Wolfie.

But he tried to maintain the human side of him that somehow still persisted, in any way he could. 

He’d talk out loud to himself and his furry friend. He holed up in the village chief’s house and took care of it to the best of his ability. He would set traps for rabbits and birds. He even used the old motorboat to go fishing in the lake, though it eventually ran out of fuel, forcing him to rely on the four appendages that sprouted from his spine as makeshift paddles.

He did his best.

The years slipped by and his loneliness only grew.

Wolfie was old now and Leon worried what would happen to the little sanity he had left when his only companion died. He did what he could to keep the wolf-dog comfortable, ruffling his clawed hands through his fur as he’d done a million times. But now gray tinged the animal’s coat, and Leon wondered how he never noticed it before.

What about Leon, then? Was he aging, too?

In a fit of rage, during the early days of his transformation, he had broken all the mirrors in the house, not wanting to look at himself and what he’d become.

So now he traveled to the well outside, staring at his rippling reflection in the dark water.

The skin of his face was still smooth—or what was left of it after his mouth ripped apart to make room for the rows of deadly sharp teeth that burst from his gums.

His once blue eyes were now a vibrant, glowing red, his vision having been improved vastly by becoming the ultimate apex predator. Just another step further from his humanity, he thought.

He kept his hair the way he always liked it, though learning to use the rusty scissors he found while out rummaging in the village had been a challenge with his new needle-like fingers.

His body had been slowly… growing… over the years. Elongating. His arms and legs, once thick and corded with muscle, were thinning into gangling limbs.

God, it was like a second puberty. But infinitely worse.

He barely fit into any of the clothes he’d collected, the articles simultaneously too loose on his form but far too short to cover his lower abdomen and calves. He didn’t bother with shoes anymore, none able to be pulled onto his taloned feet.

It was fine, however, as the ground wasn’t painful to traverse now (even on the roughest of terrain), and he no longer experienced the cold or the heat in a way that could affect him. That was one of the few “improvements” he welcomed over time, after facing the sweltering summers and winters blanketed in snow.

Despite these changes, though, Leon realized while studying his mirror image that there wasn’t a single indication of aging to be seen. Not a gray hair or wrinkle in sight.

Internally, he began to panic.

If he didn’t age, would that mean he’d be stuck living like this forever? That once Wolfie passed, he’d be alone for eternity?

He wished he had just gone with Ashley and hoped whoever greeted them would have gunned him down on the spot. At least then he wouldn’t have had to live this half-life, practically a ghost already haunting these woods.

He wondered if even the cruelty of experimentation or being used as a weapon would be worth no longer facing this suffocating isolation.

He chided his younger self for his optimism that being left behind was the best option.

It was set, then. After he buried his dog, he would finally pluck up the courage to kill himself. It wouldn’t be easy for him. Leon had always been a fighter, never wanting to give up. But he was tired, and there was nothing besides his animal companion that was keeping him tethered to the world. He was listless.

And yet, there was still a part of him that hoped something might change. He of all people—if he even had the right to call himself a person anymore—knew better than to let hope lead him.

It had been a decade of the same, hadn’t it?

The monotony of his days was almost too much to bear. He thought years ago, before he was infected, that he would enjoy a life like this. It was peaceful in a way, wasn’t it? He realized now he missed the chaos.

A far-off noise suddenly jarred him from his thoughts.

Another “improvement” had been his enhanced hearing. He could pick something up nearly a mile away.

He tilted his head to better decipher the sound.

Footsteps.

Well, that wasn’t unusual, given the area. It was full of wildlife, after all.

But then he heard something else, something that made his whole body freeze up.

Something so distinctly human, there was nothing else it could possibly be.

He heard singing.

+++

Your family and friends had called you ridiculous when you told them you wanted to hunt the supernatural for a living.

Perhaps they were right, but it was a passion of yours to seek out the weird and wild. Maybe that was why you were so compelled by what went bump in the night.

You weren’t sure you truly believed in ghosts and cryptids and the like, but you had an open mind and the ambition to seek out answers. Given the state of the world and the B.O.W.s that terrorized it, you supposed the supernatural might not be far removed from reality, anyway.

You had always been deemed “strange” by others. Had always been on the outside looking in, wondering why being normal never came easy to you.

It didn’t help that your body type—short and plump—made you feel further removed from everyone else. You never thought you were ugly or unattractive, but that didn’t stop others from deciding you were, based solely on something so trivial.

But you weren’t completely alone. Your family loved you, you made good friends, and you even had your fair share of relationships over the years.

You learned that normalcy was bullshit, and so you embraced your strangeness.

And that’s what led you to this abandoned village, hidden deep in the Spanish woodlands.

The locals of a nearby town had told you of the horrors that occurred here. Stories of missing hikers and a cult seeking to take over the world through a parasitic bioweapon; of the daughter of the former United States president being rescued by a young agent who died tragically while saving her life.

You knew all of this already, of course. You had done your research on this place and what had happened to it.

You knew that Ashley Graham made it home safe—traumatized but mostly unharmed. You knew the cult and its monsters had been completely wiped out. You knew the place was practically a ghost town, the forest beginning to reclaim the ruins.

None of that, though interesting, was what brought you to this village, however.

What caught your attention was what came after.

Many were curious about the place when the news broke, but only a rare few dared to visit it. Fewer still ever made it past the gate.

But those who did spoke of a creature who lurked in the shadows. They claimed it was tall—nearly seven feet—and its eyes glowed red. No one had managed to snap a photo of it in their state of panic, but the descriptions were all consistent.

El Escorpion, they called it.

It seemed like a solid lead, and even if you never found this recently discovered cryptid, the tragic and insane history—not to mention the creepiness factor—of the location would be enough material to write a compelling post for your paranormal blog.

Despite your family and friends’ initial concerns about your career of choice, you were doing well for yourself.

You still had to work on the side to pay for your rent and all the expenses that came with your investigations, often cranking out clickbait articles for a quick buck. But your blog had only recently popped off, your posts receiving a ton of new followers after an emotional visit to the ruins of Raccoon City (and likely a dangerous one, considering the radiation).

People liked your methods. They liked that you explained the story behind every location you visited with great detail and respect, but managed to keep it fun while still building up a spooky atmosphere.

If you were honest, the popularity of your blog wasn’t something you really cared about. Although it was nice to see the numbers rise and people engage with your hard work, the content was controversial and you were often belittled for your passion. The only thing you wanted was to get as many followers as it would take to receive sponsorships in hopes of making enough money to take your investigations to new heights.

It definitely wasn’t easy trying to live your dream, but so far it had been rewarding. You hoped this trip would be, too.

You had just exited the vehicle of the friendly (and very, very chatty) local who was kind enough to offer you a ride to your destination. They were a fan of your blog, they told you, and warned you to be careful.

Once they drove off, nothing could have prepared you for the horrifying sight that greeted you when you began your journey.

Bones and rot littered the ground—were even strung up on the surrounding trees like party streamers. Several of the carcasses seemed awfully fresh, and you weren’t sure, but some of the older remains looked… almost human?

No, you had to be imagining it.

But if the visuals didn’t make your stomach turn, the smell definitely did.

Ignoring your watering eyes and the gag reflex threatening to trigger, you pulled the collar of your shirt over your nose and snapped a few promising pictures before moving forward.

It was a bit of a walk, having to travel through an old hunting lodge that had seen better days in order to finally reach the village gate.

You balked at the human skulls that lined the top, a chill lurching up your spine at the realization. Instead of allowing the sinking feeling in your gut to control you, you took some more photos instead, determined to see this through.

You drew in a deep, calming breath and opened the gate, having to use most of your strength to push through the rust that coated its hinges.

You practically vibrated with a mix of excitement and anxiety as you looked at the village before you.

It was terrifying to do this alone, but you had grown used to the solitude during your investigations. You reminded yourself that the most you had dealt with in the past were other people pulling pranks on you and wild animals going about their business.

So, you continued on, not wanting to feed the needling fear that someone or something could have been left behind by the cult.

You spent some time in the village, singing to yourself to help settle your nerves, before leaving out of another gate. You didn’t have a map of the area, no one having been much further than the village in the ten years since its abandonment, so you simply had to explore on your own and hope you didn’t get lost.

You were walking down a wooded path, taking in every detail as you meandered forward, when you heard a rustle in the trees beside you. 

Whatever it was, it must have been huge. You prayed it was a deer.

Gathering your courage, you faced the direction of the noise and drifted closer to the edge of the forest, your movements careful and deliberate in hopes of not scaring whatever it was off or goading it to attack you.

It was broad daylight, but you were struggling to see into the shade cast by the densely packed foliage.

“I won’t hurt you,” you whispered gently as another movement from whatever it was jostled the bush in front of you.

It was stupid, but you felt inclined to reach out your hand, hoping it wouldn’t get bitten.

That’s when you saw the pair of glowing eyes staring at you through the leaves, roughly waist-height to you.

You felt some sense of relief at that, believing it to be a woodland animal.

That is, until the eyes started to move up. 

You froze in place, hand still outstretched, as a massive creature stood upright before you, their features obscured by shadow. 

Your mind screamed at you to run but your legs remained locked in place.

This is it, you thought. I’m going to die.

Well, at least it was a good run.

The creature stepped forward into the light and you were met with possibly the most horrifying beast you had ever seen.

It was over a foot taller than you, its form similar to that of a human, if not for the four long, spidery appendages that unfolded from its back, a scorpion tail whipping behind it.

It had talons on its feet and long claws instead of fingers, the tips of them dangerously sharp, its worn clothes hanging off of it awkwardly. 

Your eyes eventually climbed back up to its face, its mouth split nearly to its ears as it bared its fangs at you, glinting wickedly in the midday sun.

Your gaze met those glowing red orbs once more, the creature’s expression akin to a glare.

Something about its face seemed so familiar to you for some reason, the mix of confusion and terror only further cementing you to the ground. 

You still didn’t move when it took another step closer, its leg nearly brushing your still outstretched hand.

“You should’ve been running by now.”

You were startled by its voice, the sound deep and masculine. And pleasantly human despite the obvious threat.

You knew you had heard it before.

He leaned forward, his head level with yours as he searched your face, looking clearly befuddled by your refusal to escape.

“You’re practically begging me to eat you, little rabbit. But I prefer a chase.” He sounded serious, but he made no move to touch you.

Your hand finally fell to your side and you swallowed, hard.

“You’re lying.”

He raised an eyebrow at you, barely visible behind a curtain of choppy blond hair, before replying, “Excuse me?”

You took a shaky breath. “You’re lying. You’re not going to eat me. You’re not going to hurt me at all. There hasn’t been a disappearance in the area for ten years and everyone who’s come here since has lived to tell the tale.”

He laughed in surprise, running a claw through his hair. It was so uncanny how human it was. And how familiar. “Maybe I’m just a bad hunter.”

“Well, if those animal remains at the front of the village path are anything to go by, I highly doubt it.”

“Not all of them were animals, you know.” 

“The ones that weren’t are too old, though, aren’t they?”

“You’re observant, I’ll give you that.” He folded his long arms over his chest, red eyes looking out across your surroundings, sounding almost sheepish as he added, “You know, this might be the most I’ve talked to someone I should be eating instead.”

He shook his head and chuckled to himself before meeting your gaze.

And then it clicked.

“You’re… You’re Leon Kennedy, aren’t you?” you breathed.

He stiffened at the name. “How do you know who I am? Did someone tell you? Did someone send you here?”

He took another step during his inquisition, your noses nearly touching, his hot breath fanning across your face as you glanced at his sharp, sharp teeth.

“I’ve seen pictures of you. Interviews, too. You were all over the news when you survived Raccoon City. And again when President Graham claimed you died in action.” You paused for a moment in thought before you asked, “Did Ashley Graham know you survived?”

He scoffed, pulling back and stepping around you to add some distance. “I asked her to tell the world I was dead so I could live the rest of my days in peace as this… monster.”

“Ah, and all these curious visitors are like annoying kids in your front lawn?”

He huffed out a laugh. “Something like that. Why are you here, anyway? You seem kinda far from home.”

“Well…” It was your turn to look sheepish as you tried to explain, “I’m a paranormal investigator, and I came here because there were cryptid sightings in the area. Guess you’re the cryptid. Mystery solved.” 

He rushed back over to you, grabbing your arm. The movement jostled you and made you flinch, but it didn't hurt. He winced at your reaction, though, and loosened his grip. “Listen, please don’t tell anyone I’m here. I don’t need this place becoming a tourist hotspot. Not yet, anyway.”

“Not yet..? What does that mean?”

“Don’t worry about it, just… Please just promise me you won’t tell anyone about this.”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “The problem is that I spent a lot of money on this trip, and if I don’t have something to show for it, my career could flop.”

He sighed deeply, releasing his hold. “Look, I can make it up to you, okay? If you’re strapped for cash, I have a bunch of gemstones, jewelry, and expensive little knick-knacks. Take what you can carry, got it?”

You thought on it for a moment, considering your options. You wanted to respect his privacy, but it was difficult to let something this big go. However, if he was willing to pay for your silence, you supposed you couldn’t complain. Maybe you could even buy better equipment when this was all said and done.

“Okay. Deal.”

He moved to shake your hand in his clawed one but pulled back when he noticed you eyeing it nervously. “Great. We’ll get you your stuff and send you on your way before it gets dark.”

“About that… My ride isn’t coming to get me until tomorrow morning. I was planning to camp out here tonight,” you revealed.

He gave you an incredulous look. “You’re telling me you heard rumors about a monster living in the area and you decide you’re going to spend the night here? No backup plan?”

“What can I say, I like to live on the edge. Besides, I didn’t really believe there was a monster out here, anyway. Egg on my face, I guess.” 

He rubbed his eyes with his palms as he let out an exasperated breath. “Right, well I guess you could spend the night, then. There aren’t any B.O.W.s left in the area except me, obviously. But some of the wildlife isn’t exactly friendly. Would be safer for you to stick with me.”

Your lips parted in surprise at his generosity before you offered him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Mr. Kennedy. I appreciate it.”

“Please, just… Just call me Leon.”

“Well, thank you, Leon,” you said, proceeding to give him your own name. 

His lips peeled up in what could almost be described as a bashful smile before he pointed further down the path. “C’mon, then. I can make us dinner.” 

You shocked him by hooking an arm through his, beaming up at him.

“We better get to it, then.”

+++

We.

Leon hadn’t heard someone say that in a long time.

Maybe things could be different.

--------------------

Masterlist | Next

[eluxurex]

GRGRGGRGRRRR WORLDBUILDING

👁️👁️

Ah yes, world building. My favorite. Hehehe...

So basically in OtherSpace ( the book I'm writing). There are souls. Souls are created from the very essence of the universe, which has different rips around the galaxy.

Luckily for us, a rip appeared right above Earth, souls started venturing down below. It is unsure how the first people came to be, but it is suspected that they didn't really follow the rules of the world.

Anyways, different souls were created. Human souls, monsters of all kinds and animals. When a baby is born, there is most likely a soul destined to come in contact with the body and thereby make it theirs. Souls are meant to go into the bodies of their type.

But then, they are some minor errors. Sometimes animal soul would accidentally enter a human body. Usually, this shouldn't be noticeable, but if the soul is strong enough, it can make physical changes to the body, like having an extra ears or a tail that corresponds with the type of animal the soul was to belong to.

Then, there are defective souls. Souls that weren't destined to have a body. Most of the times, these souls glitch out completely and destroy themselves, but the ones that survive are what to be referred as spiritual parasites.

Somehow these guys gain the power forcefully kick a soul out of its destined body and take it for themselves. They're a subtype of the broader clas of Parasites.

Parasites are actually split into three main groups: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual.

Physical parasites are you usual parasites that we now about, jumping from one host to another after, eating away at the victim from the inside.

Emotional parasites are actually just physical parasites that desire something else from the host: Emotions. They need the certain hormones a sentient being produces to survive. They usually attach themselves to the brain of the host, rewiring the brain of the host to enable them to see(or rather, hallucinate) them. These are usually the least dangerous of parasites, as study has been shown that they can be beneficial both to the host and parasite. Trying to remove an emotional parasite from its host will result in death of both the host and parasite. They usually go for a workaholics/people with intense emotions.

Spiritual parasites are the most mysterious of them all. Some of are actually defective souls, some were created from raw human emotion, like Eli. Not much is known about them, except for the fact that they're impossible to be truly killed.

In this world, when more non-humans had been discovered as the days passed, there was a big revolution about their rights. Some of them chose to be 'civilized' and join society, others preferred to keep to themselves and live with their kinsmen. All their rights are respected and they are many areas around the world that are off limits for building as some of the non humans live there.

A hierarchy graph, popularly known as ' The Danger Table's, was created to easily know how each individual person can be civilized

Green- Approachable and easily civilized

Dark Green- Needs some guidance

Yellow: Possible Threat but can be civilized

Orange: Same thing as Yellow but more deadly

Red: Eradicate at Sight

This hierarchy Graph is an impartial ranking system as even an ordinary human can be in red for being a terrorist and monster in green for helping out in community service or just simply being respectful to other races.

(I love yapping lmao)

[coffbeanie]

Thoughts on The Penguin Series before watching it

I see some reviews coming out for the penguin series already, and from what i can tell they’re fairly positive and make me very excited!! but there’s still something a bit off to me and idk i just need to yell it into the void

For context i really liked The Batman! it was a great film, it def brought some hope back to DC films, i enjoyed the interpretations of the characters, and i’m super excited for the next film!! Also for the Penguin, I haven’t seen much promo since the trailer when it first came out. I know DC on instagram has been pushing a few other teasers and sneak peaks but i haven’t watched any of them.

I’m saying all that because ik the Penguin is in capable hands and that there is a very slim chance i’m going to finish the penguin and be disappointed-i’m sure its going to turn out great but rn the premise for it seems kinda…boring??

Like The Penguin starring in a mob drama à-la The Sopranos or The Godfather-great things to take inspiration from! but also seems very basic to me?? like it seems like the safest most basic option for a penguin centric show, which has me feeling kinda disappointed

And my issue is that a mob drama Penguin show could be really cool and interesting!! if the show was willing to include more fantastical elements!! A lot of other mob dramas are grounded and based in the real world but how cool would it be to see someone try to do that surrounded by other villains? a (For the most part) regular guy like Oswald trying to build his empire when people around him have powers and out of this world gadgets? Trying to act somewhat civil with gangs who follow a costumed villain with weird looking goons! Treating all of that with the same seriousness as a typical mob drama cause that’s just the city Oswald lives in but he’s gonna do whatever it takes to make it his and get the respect he deserves!!

But Reeves has already discussed the possibility of fantastical stuff within his version of the batman, and from my understanding, it’s meant to be very “grounded” which…like i said i trust the people behind this version of the batman i know they can make great things!! i just wish we got more “Fantastical” batman stories, and just from what we’ve seen, the penguin series has me feeling a bit meh cause it seems kinda bland on paper, and i fear it’ll be kinda basic, so it’s definitely a case of i’m gonna have to see it to see if it’s any good (and i’m pretty sure it’s gonna be great)

Also side tangent on Oswald’s appearance below

hey so when i said i liked the interpretations in The Batman I lied. Oswald character wise is fine!! His attitude, Colin Farrell’s performance, all great!! what i take issue though is with his appearance, and this falls back into the issue of doing “grounded” batman stories

Oswald, at least physically, shouldn’t really look realistic. Yeah short, fat people with pointy noses exist, but for Penguin it has to be hella exaggerated and you need to take into consideration other bird or penguin-like features, and that’s why Farrell’s prosthetics don’t really do it for me (also i saw that thing where he complained about his prosthetics)

Again, I really enjoyed his performance in The Batman, and I’m sure he’s gonna do great in The Penguin, but they used all of the prosthetics to just make Farrell look like another person who probably already exists out there. They didn’t really do anything interesting with it, nothing to make him particularly “ugly” which to me, is important to his character, when you consider how Oswald wants to be accepted by “high society” a group that especially cares about appearance, especially in Gotham.

That’s just in the face, and when it comes to his body I do not like it. The way they made his body Farrell doesn’t even look fat?? Especially with his height he looks more built than anything (google says he’s 5’10”? far from short) It leads to him looking intimidating, which he shouldn’t be, at least physically. The Penguin isn’t scary because of how he looks, he’s scary cause he’s The Penguin. Without his title, his power, his reputation, he should look like someone even a pretty regular person could take in a fight (ik there are interpretations where Oswald is a trained fighter!! but i’m meh on them i don’t mind if they make him a fighter i just prefer it when he isn’t). Farrell’s Penguin just doesn’t really have that “pathetic-ness” i feel most Oswald’s should have, at least with his appearance

TLDR- my hopes for the Penguin are both extremely high and extremely low at the same time-also if ur gonna do prosthetics do something interesting, and bring back short, fat, and “ugly” Oswalds

[the-fluff-piece]

Could I request Prompt #1 w/ Smoker? Honestly there’s just not enough of him out there… And I’m a sexy or smut 🍆 kind of gal, but if you’d rather write something sweet for this, I’d be down for that too ☺️

And congratulations on 200! That’s definitely not nothing. It’s a milestone and you should celebrate it.

This is part of the follower milestone event

Hello Anon,

Thank you! I feel like I always have to play everything down. 200 is definitely not nothing!

Yes, poor smoky is begging for it with his shirt open but he doesn't get enough attention 🥺 but he needs it so bad! This one kind of escalated in length, I am sorry

And its 18+ so minors don't click on that.

Here's

White night

Smoker's worst nightmare is coming true: he needs to attend a dreadful marine ball! And Tsuru even assigned him a date to take. What should he even do with one of those noble brats of high birth?

Angsty, shy Smoker and some light smut

Smoker

Smoker was the most uncomfortable he was in a long, long time. Put him on a battlefield, beat him up and shoot holes in him - he was fine with that. Put him in a suit and he wanted to get executed instantly. The bowtie around his neck seemed to choke him and he hated dress shirts on purpose. Even if it was the official gala uniform, he hated it. The marine gala uniform for his rank was basically a fine suit with vest, bow tie and his medals and rank signs. He forgot he even had half of these. Valor? When?

His large hands fumbled with the flower corsage he was supposed to give the girl that had to spend the evening with him. She was a princess or something. At least Tashigi felt as uneasy as him. She got pressed into a dress that was not at all her style, in a bright pink shade and shining applications. Her date for the evening would be an officer of similar rank that Garp picked.

You

So your dad and some marine admiral made you go to one of those boring marine balls were uptight, unsocial marine officers had to show to the public that they were civil people instead of devil power wielding savages on par with the pirates they hunted.

You would have to spend the evening with "the white hunter", he looked about as funny as eating a bowl of screws, so you didn't have great expectations about the evening. At least he looked hot, in a grumpy older guy with excellent physique kind of way. You had read about him in the newspaper when he managed to bring in some big, bad pirates. For some reason, his shirt was never closed.

Your father had assured you that the man was maybe a little rough, but a good man. He protected the upstanding citizens of the world and was far less prone to convoluted marine politics than most. Just recently, he managed to bring back a group of children that had been kidnapped, so you hoped that he wasn't a bad guy, despite his reputation as being cruel.

As you get out of the carriage you put on your best good princess smile as you make your way to the foyer. He was hard to miss, you could already see his white hair and a pillar of smoke in the crowd.

Ugh, here we go. Another evening of boring war stories. It was undeniable though that he looked splendid. The cut of the uniform accentuated his broad, muscular build and made him look almost handsome. His hair was neatly groomed and his piercing white eyes were mesmerising. Only his scowl and the cigar in his mouth destroyed the picture a little bit. He seemed as unhappy to attend this ball as you were.

"You must be vice-admiral Smoker, I am- " you tried to greet him. He didn't hear you. Instead, he grunted something at a small woman, who bowed like she was his subordinate.

"Goddammit Tashigi wear your glasses!" He berated her. What a stern guy. The woman flipped a pair of glasses from the top of her head down in front of her eyes and studied a vase with a bouquet very closely, apologising.

You tried again but he didn't react. Either he only heard barked orders from his superiors, or he was half deaf from all the shooting and the bellow of his own voice. Maybe both. You decide to lay protocol aside for a second and poked a finger into his side. Irritated, he looked down.

"Yes?"

You clear your throat and say in the loudest and clearest way possible: "you must be vice admiral smoker! I am pleased to meet you. I am princess y/n, as Admiral Tsuru surely told you."

"Oh, uh I am vice admiral smoker, at your service!" It seemed like he wanted to salute you, but stopped his hand.

"I know" you said. Now that he's facing you he looks more like a nervous school boy than a weathered soldier. And he was a giant. Your eyes were level with the white flower in his buttonhole. You saw his nervous hands mistreating the delicate flower bouquet he was supposed to give you, but likely forgot he had.

"Oh thank you so much, what a beautiful colour" you said, pointing at the corsage in his hands. With widened eyes, he looked at the gift and nods.

"Yes of course" and motioned to put it around your wrist. He didn't take his gloves off, nor did he greet you properly. He is lucky that you're not one of those hags that end whole careers over societal missteps. He was really trying hard to get the small band onto your wrist, but even the tips of his fingers were still too clumsy and the corsage seemed to develop a mind of it's own. You gently took it out of his huge paws and put it on your wrist. The flowers were already creased and crushed. "Lovely " you comment. He may be a lion on the battlefield but on this marble floor he seemed more like a lamb. You will have your hands full tonight maneuvering this oaf through all the rules and protocols no one taught him about, so that he didn't embarrass you or himself.

"Vice-admiral, let's go to the buffet until the dancing starts. I imagine you are far too busy to attend these frivolous parties often, let me show you around." He manages to swallow and nod, you hope he understood what you were saying. Follow my lead and this won't turn into a disaster.

Smoker

He didn't know if he was lucky or absolutely doomed. Maybe both could be true. He was just letting off some steam disciplining Tashigi, when a tiny woman appeared with the aura of a leader. She looked short and fragile, her speech was melodic and overly polite, but sharp as a blade. He felt in every inch of his body that she was here to get him through it, and if he didn't cooperate she would be able to destroy him through means he couldn't even grasp. He had a faint flashback to his first drill instructor.

He couldn't help but notice her noble face and regal posture, completing the fine beauty of a woman who was intelligent and cunning. She looked like she was used to giving orders and having those carried out.

He remembered to hold out his arm for her just in time and she took it. Her grasp wasn't strong, but she took the lead, gently tugging in the direction they had to go. The woman had balls and the spirit to back it up. He respected that. Maybe Tsuru picked her just for those qualities.

She led him around showing him the buffet and explaining the dishes and their properties to him like he already knew that. She somehow, without saying anything or gesturing, made a waiter appear with a whiskey on ice for him while she took a glass of sparkling wine. It was damn good whiskey, Smoker had to admit. He relaxed a little.

The buffet was an abundance of fine dishes and snacks: There were fine tartelettes, a selection of cheeses from all four seas, exotic fruit, roasts and seafood. His head spun and he couldn't remember half of it, wasn't sure if he had to. Simultaneously she greeted uncountable pairs of very important people, dukes and duchesses, barons, industrial magnates, professors and whatnot. He was relieved whenever he met someone he knew - and wasn't on bad terms with. Vice-Admiral Jonathan from G-8 was there, being stuffed by his wife with food, Tsuru was there, looking as grumpy and mean as ever but nodding to him benevolently when she saw him and the princess. Admiral Sengok was glued to the buffet and greeted Smoker warmly, his mouth full of crackers and cheese. Maybe the strict rules aren't as strict for everyone.

The princess was single handedly leading the evening for both of them, he barely had to speak, she did it for him, ending most sentences with "don't you think, Vice Admiral?" Or "as I'm sure the Vice admiral would agree". All he had to do was nod and try to smile. They had crossed the ballroom once from end to end and had greeted most of the other guests. The princess led him to a corner and drank from her glass, observing the room.

"So Vice-Admiral.Smoker, now that you've had your first glance at the party, do you find it acceptable?" He asked him with an easy smile.

"Yeah, I...guess. very acceptable indeed." He had to wreck his brain not to fall back to his surely more than inappropriate way of speaking.

"You know you don't have to call me vice admiral all the time, I don't really care for the title. Just Smoker is fine" He told her. "And I am not good at this whole fancy party thing.

She gave him a warm, beautiful smile, sending electricity through his body.

"I noticed" she said, chuckling. "That's why I am going to be blunt: I know you're not the kind of man who likes to be here, but I see that you are honestly trying. I respect that. I assure you that I will help you get through this evening smoothly and we will leave at the earliest hour we can. So we just need to dance a little and we can excuse ourselves, get back to our lifes."

He nodded, dumbfounded because of the sudden change of manners. Her voice, before formal and polite, adapted a more playful and relaxed tone. Was this the way she usually spoke?

Smoker had to swallow and make a confession: "I can't dance."

"Dear Vice-Admiral, I am shocked!" She put her hand on her mouth and widened her eyes in pretend surprise. "Don't worry about that, we will mostly dance waltz tonight, you just need to make the basic steps and I'll lead you."

He almost told her that the man was supposed to lead, but he realized it would have been stupid.

"I know the basic steps. Tsuru send me to a crash course last week." He admitted. "But I'm not good at it."

"If I may be so nosy, why does Tsuru want you here?" You asked him the question that burned in your mind. It made no sense to push someone who wasn't suitable, if that guy was just strong he could clobber pirates in a lower rank, so there must be more to him.

"Don't know." He grunts. "Ask her."

"I will" you said, already planning your approach to find out.

"Why are you in the marine, Smoker?" You decided to just ask him. You had asked the question a few times now and the answers were all very telling.

"I just want to spread justice. Root out all those who wreak havoc in the world." His voice got louder as he spoke, turning a few heads. He seemed to really mean it, maybe he wasn't as bad as most others, who just wanted the power that came with it.

"The music is starting. Let's dance." You said as you lead him to the dance floor, where others already waited.

Smoker

Dancing. Was. Hard.

It was a pain to look where he stepped, it was almost impossible to time his steps with the music and the hardest thing of all was holding that small, beautiful woman in his arms without going crazy. One hand on her back, one holding her hand - he never got so near to that kind of woman, let alone one he was actually getting interested in. Her charm and cunning weren't lost on him, no matter how many defenses he had built against personal drama over the years.

The music was pleasant and the princesses ballgown swung elegantly from her hand, where it was held by a small loop. He could get into this. Could get into her - but he had to remind himself that he was just a Marine brute, built for fighting and hunting, and not good for much else. She was used to gentlemen courting her, the finer things in life, politics and polite conversation. All things he didn't know. His heart sank a little as he realized this evening was all he had. But he would make it count, it was even acceptable that he court his partner, even a little. It was what everyone wanted after all. As they danced and she gently led him across the dancefloor, he indulged in staring at her and imagining a future he would never have.

You

You were smiling, this was going far better than you had anticipated. The marine oaf turned out to be a man with principles, but no mind for politics. He understood the importance however and cooperated with you, making this more pleasant and easy.

His hand was big and warm on your back as you danced and held your hand with great care, your small hand was completely engulfed in his. Once you got used to his tough demeanor, you could really get into his marine-soldier charm. Later, you would have to look up more of those pictures of his bare chest.

The music stopped, so after a few dances it was time for a break. You lead him back to the buffet to get another drink and told him how good he was doing.

"Thank you" he smiled, looking proud of himself and helping himself to another whiskey.

"What is over there?" He asked, bending down to you.

"Oh, the garden" you answered. "People basically just stroll there and there are some benches."

"I could use a bit of fresh air..." he said, waiting for you to weigh in.

"Of course, it's more quiet out there, let's take a walk" you say and take his arm again. Usually the gardens were the territory of lovers, hiding from the prying eyes of the public. But he didn't need to know that.

The gardens where lush and in full bloom. Huge hedges created many secret spots and over everything hung the sweet scent of the flowers and herbs, especially strong in the colder evening air.

You took random turns, not really looking where you were going, just enjoying the break and relative calm out here.

You heard a little to late the giggling and sighing of lovers around a corner in the maze of hedges - and suddenly you and Smoker stood in front of a half naked pair of young nobles, fooling around in the darkness on a bench.

You could hear him gasp as the couple giggled and retreated further into the foliage - it was not exactly a faux pas, just a frivolous encounter the two must have expected.

"Let's go down here" you nervously said as you lead him around a different bend.

"Where they...?" Smoker asked huskily.

"Yes" you answer, watching the big man blush like a teenager. His pale skin and white hair did nothing to hide his pink cheeks.

"The garden is also the place for lovers" you told him.

"Lovers..." he mumbled.

"They are usually not able to meet in private because of chaperones and rules or just distance, so it's an open secret that people enjoy each others company in the gardens." You informed the clueless soldier.

"And we are here..." he growled in an ominous tone.

"Just walking here is also fine" you told him, unsure of what he was thinking about.

The two of you stopped - there was a dead end with a bench in some kind of alcove, a perfect spot for some secret fun. You couldn't deny that the guy was hot and was probably a special experience in the sheets.

"Do you want to sit down? No one will see us here" You asked in hushed tone.

"Yes" he pressed out. He seemed nervous, so he must have understood your offer.

He sat down beside you in the stone bench and began staring at the path to his feet. You leaned a bit against him, but felt his body tense, and you wanted to move away again when his hand wrapped around you and pulled you close.

He looked at you, his pale.eyes glinting in the faint light of the lamps.

"Is this...uhm...like the, uhm, couple from before?" He stammered, his face red now.

"If you want to" you answer lightly, hearing him pant. What a strange man, you were used to charming noble men who talked all the time and said nothing, he talked little and told you so much.

He looked like he was about to panic, but he pressed a hot kiss to your lips nonetheless. Even his lips where rough, it was part of his charm. You laid your arms around his neck and kissed him back, inviting his tongue into your mouth. He was inexperienced, but passionate. He drew you onto his lap and devoured your mouth like a starving man. He panted and grunted as his hands were gliding of your body aimlessly.

You could fully straddle his lap and he still had to bend down to kiss you - and he still aimed lower, kissing a trail to your jaw and down your neck. You could already feel his erection through his pants as he bucked his hips against you.

Button by button, you opened his shirt to reveal that chest you already saw in the papers. His skin was white like marble, making him look like a statue in the pale light.

You would have loved to savour him more, but an encounter in the garden had to be quick, or the next couple came around the corner. You opened his pants, unable to see him clearly in the darkness.

He was panting and growling unintelligible things when he pulled his pants down and began fingering you under your skirts.

"No time" you whispered in his ear as you already guided his cock inside you. Maybe you should have studied him more closely before - the sudden stretch of his sheer size made you gasp in surprise. He moaned loudly, a little too loud for your taste, and you put your mouth on his to stifle his uncontrollable moans while you began moving up and down.

His eyes looked like he was in sweetest agony while his chest rumbled with his deep voice.

--‐-------------

You were almost caught by some other guests strolling past, but both of you were so eager you were cuming almost immediately. Disheveled and breathless you stumbled away from the onlookers to sort yourselves out and not let anything on.

Smoker

He couldn't believe what had just happened. In the course of a single evening he found the perfect woman and made love to her - two things he thought would never happen. Her body was so soft and sweet, he felt like a feral beast when he couldn't hold back anymore. There was not enough time for anything in that moment, his head still spun and he was unable to speak as he watched her smooth her hair and set her dress right again. He wanted to tell her how much he wanted her, but the words weren't there. She was too good for him, anyway. She was charming and eloquent, beautiful and noble, while he was little more than a dog in human form.

He stumbled through the rest of the evening in a haze of desire and denial, not knowing what to feel or do. They stayed silently together, leaning against each other, until people started to leave, among them her father and siblings who than called her to go home with them.

"I...thank you for tonight" he managed to say. "You should get back to your life" he repeated her words from earlier this evening. His heart almost burst as she whispered: "I have to thank you, Smoker. If you are in the area, come visit me sometime."

He felt her slip something the pocket of his suit before she vanished. He stood there, lost, not wanting this evening to end.

____________

Just a day later smoker was back with the G-5, back in his usual attire and already whipping the idiots back into shape. He still couldn't fathom that he had felt impossible bliss as he was making love with a real princess. Only the note he kept in his pocket was telling him it had been real. A little piece of paper with her name on it. It smelled like her perfume and was drawn in the direction she was. She has invited him to find her - and he was still debating whether he was even worth it.

[solar-serpent]

Hello! I would love to join your offer for readings. I pick venus. Thank you so much! - Giovana

Hello, Gio! Thank you for stopping by to participate in this game. I hope everything's going great with Uni (:

I'm sorry for the wait. Here's your reading.

I have mixed feelings about your soulmate’s Venus sign. I drew the Page of Swords for this reading, which is associated with Gemini. While I can sense mutable Venus energy, it could be either Gemini or Pisces. In my astrology class, we had an inside joke about Gemini and Pisces: “same species, just different elements!” 😭🤣 So here’s where I let my intuition guide me in describing your soulmate’s values and other equally important details, regardless of their Venus sign.

He has jet-black curly hair, a slim build, and is average height—not too tall but certainly not short. He’s an explorer at heart, drawn to solo trips where he can discover new places and observe animals, like birds, in their natural environments. He seems mesmerized by nature and the soul he finds in animals and all things green. While he likes people, he feels that his intense curiosity might sometimes overwhelm them.

He’s intellectual, with deep thoughts he rarely shares with others. On the surface, he might seem like your basic guy, but when he speaks, he reveals insights that are well-analyzed and thoughtfully concluded. He’s somewhat of a loner and has a strong connection to spirituality, even if he’s not particularly interested in witchcraft or Tarot readings. He finds his spiritual beliefs through nature and certain books. His spirit animal is the crow—mysterious, handsome, and clever. He’ll only pledge loyalty to someone who truly treats him well. Otherwise, he’ll take flight and vanish into the night.

He’s passionate about both the arts and construction. He probably knows how to fix a leaky pipe and how to carve a bull out of a block of wood as well. He has this unique balance between being a refined, civilized man and someone who could thrive in the jungle and emerge as its king. He’s also a man of many secrets. He’s not comfortable with confrontation or being in the spotlight, so he purposely keeps some of his skills hidden to avoid drawing attention or having people ask how and when he learned them. He doesn’t want to come off as a show-off, despite being naturally talented at many things. He’s not necessarily a slave to books; he believes that in order to thrive in life, one must be in tune with themselves. He can also be overindulgent at times. As a solitary man, he may seek comfort in his solitude through drinking and overeating.

He’s drawn to women with a temperate character. He doesn’t have a specific "type", looks or particular personality traits don’t matter to him. What he values most is his peace, so he would appreciate someone who can help maintain that tranquility. However, I do notice that he’s likely attracted to women who are natural healers, who love nature, and who aren’t shallow.

I hope this reading was to your liking. If you wish to support me, I will gladly accept a coffee from you.

[stitchthesewords]

📓👀

-🍂

Okay so you get maybe the only ethubs-centric idea I have ever had, for some reason. I need more ethubs thoughts.

So there's this series of games called My Time At Portia and My Time At Sandrock which are both incredible fun farming/life sim style games. So that's where this idea comes from.

Okay so first, the setting would be a Minecraft fantasy world [of course] but like, far more clearly post apocalypse than I normally do. They're building new citys in the shadows of the ruins of old, or sometimes on top of them. And since this is based on hermit builds, the builds are for sure like MASSIVE - whereas comparatively the 'city' they live in is comparatively simple. I kind of want to set it on the outskirts of a jungle, which is like an ancient manmade planted forest that has WAY overgrown in the apocalypse and so there's tons to explore, along with the ruins around the city. You know, for the vibes.

Bdubs is a Builder - one of the people tasked with getting civilizations feet back under itself. He takes on any tasks - big or small. Someone needs a new chair, he builds it. There's a baby, he builds the nursery. The city needs a new wall - yep. Bdubs. And in order to encourage a ton of work getting done, Hermit Town's builders are pit against each other in friendly competition. And Bdubs absolutely wants to win at the end of the year - they earn points by getting commissions for the other citizens and city done. So obviously there's a huge draw for him to do a ton of stuff. I'm thinking Pearl and Scar are the other two like Official City Builders because I think the three of them would have a really interesting dynamic.

Etho is a part of the Civil Corps - basically the security force of the city. Also on this team are False and Gem I think. They're supposed to patrol, act as a sort of police force kind of? But also they keep the mobs at bay even in the outskirts of the town like where the builders tend to live. They're whole thing is making sure no one dies of unnatural causes. They ALSO go in and secure ruins so people like Bdubs can go claim materials and parts from the old world to be used in the new one - and info too. You see, in the ancient ruins is ton of lost redstone knowledge, and civilization has been working on relearning their roots here. So you've got like - I think Cub, Tango, and Mumbo as researchers who want that information, and Etho and Bdubs as the people who provide it.

So all that out of the way I think the plot is actually pretty simple. Bdubs is trying once again to beat Pearl and Scar at the end of the year Builder Awards by taking on more and more commissions throughout the year. More commissions means he's out and about collecting materials and building things around town and at his workshop. Being out and about more also gives him a GREAT excuse to see that smug bastard civil corps guy who he's definitely NOT infatuated with, thank you very much, which is definitely not why he conveniently needs help only when Etho is around.

I think it would be a softer plot than I normally go for where its Bdubs and Etho learning more and more about each other as the year goes on and falling in love while exploring the ruins around their city and helping each other, all the while Bdubs is working himself hard in order to win the commission competition and FINALLY beat Scar, which is what the story's plot is working towards. A lot of soft moments, some mild to moderate dangerous situations, 1 very hot civil corp member coming to save the day....do you see the vision. This would definitely be one that I would play out like Rift AU where its a series of connected stories instead of linear but god I can just like. FEEL the softness from here. The falling in love, the friendly competition. Its very different from most of my aus tbh but they deserve it.

[m0e-ru]

okay so who’s here to ask about fish while i procrastinate on this fic /crickets/ okay good so

i don’t have much nautical nonsense going on so any sea enjoyers or boat lovers have anything to say please tell me anything i don’t know what the fuck is going on

I try to adapt the whole of P4 into a navy pirate sea thing whatever. Okay so the plot is that Inaba is this far off kind of fishing town city thing hold on let me draw it

Okay shitty ipad drawing. Anyway circular body of water which connects to the ocean sea or something. Civilization on the edge of the water or whaever

There’s fog that seems to concentrate only in the middle of that body of water and nobody can really get through it. People can get lost in it but they’ll end up somewhere outside the fog safety, they won’t get lost but they won’t exit where they’ll expect and they’ll never know what’s inside the fog.

When it rains enough, the fog would move to the warmer land and shore, then a storm brews in the area where the fog was originally concentrated in. It’s okay if it happens though, nobody gets to go outside but as also as no one comes near that part of the water they’ll be fine. It passes all becomes normal sooner or later.

and that’s what makes the town quirky lol. Souji’s parents are these naval based trading logistics kind of people and they also. travel by water a lot. Souji’s stuck being homeschooled or goes to some schools when they stay on land for an prolonged period of time but it’s never long.

His parents get a big offer and leave Souji with his uncle and cousin in bumfuck nowhere. But they also left him there because of this connection with the Junes equivalent of this au because they also have them as their partners.

Suddenly a mystery arises where dead bodies end up on the shore. They don’t look poisoned nor wounded anywhere. Their bodies look perfectly preserved besides the water damage, and the report that they didn’t die by drowning either.

The Investigation Crew is formed and they set out to the fog which they can enter apparently and see the Horrors and find the victim dumped there for whatever reason before it’s too late.

OKAY more world building shit where do i start ‘you haven’t mentioned the mermaids yet’ yeah there’s like two of them hold your horses.

The Midnight Channel is just like. If there’s commotion going on in the collective unconscious, people can peek their heads outside at midnight to hear the sea sing about who everyone’s thinking about. If you personally recognize who the subject of the song is, the song would be more cohesive and understandable rather than a melody without clear lyrics. If there’s a victim in the fog, the song will be about what they’re hiding and that they’re essentially letting people know about it now.

The TV world is basically the space inside the fog. The rogue Shadows are just like. sea monsters or something in the water. I haven’t figured out Persona equivalents though sorry. They get super pirate powers or something maybe then they get to punch fish with their bare hands lol.

There is no way for normal people to enter the fog unless theyve been put in by someone who can enter. And normal people can’t leave the fog once they’re in it either.

Just explained how the fog works above. Anyway, if the fog clears and moves to land, the “storm” has a sea monster in it as a Shadow self equivalent. It will sing a song about its human self, and if the human self denies, they’ll die.

Souji docked into town for the first time and there’s this boat repairman mechanic dock guy who greets him before local inspector comes by with his daughter to come fetch him. Souji gets a weird sea dream and apparently has powers to enter the magical fog now.

Two kids from his class tell him they can’t enter the fog and they try taking a boat to it for shits and giggles and to show Souji they’ll end up on another side. And they actually manage to get into the fog. Expecting to come out a different side of the fog, instead they hear a song of a distressed woman who hates another woman and is considering to end her own life. This sea lion manatee thing, idk i haven’t decided, comes up to them and pushes them out of the fog.

So a dead body shows up. Anyway um. Souji tries the rumor Chie mentioned and hears the song of a girl this time. Yosuke says she sounded like she was Saki and she sounded like she was in pain. Chie and Souji couldn’t make out the song as much because they don’t know Saki as much as Yosuke. And her body washes up on shore.

Yosuke wants to go back into the fog and Souji follows. Chie on another boat with a rope to their boat but it looks bitten off when they enter the fog so she cries. Yosuke and Souji meet the manatee sea lion thing and Yosuke calls it “Teddie” and he guides them to a part of the fog where the mist starts forming some illusion in the shape of the last victim’s reality.

SEA MONSTERS and um. Souji beats the shit out of them with the power of god and anime (izanagi maybe idk. lightning.) Yosuke hears his Shadow singing and talking shit about him and they have a throw down and he gets his powers and the fog starts changing shape and there’s no song anymore. They make a promise with Teddie they’ll make this part of the water quiet again and stop dead bodies from washing up.

OKAY DID THAT RENDITION OF THE INTRO MEAN ANYTHING . i could go on but i’m actually getting tired whoops.

okay back to world building. i’ll be honest i haven’t thought much about the IT because i’m insane or whatever.

Teddie is magical and shapeshifts to a humanoid form because i think he should do that. But he goes back animal mode to entertain the kids in the market.

Adachi was kicked out of the last crew was in and started sail boating his way to Inaba because that’s the only news he has of any similar patrolling inspector jobs he’s heard of and the nearest one apparently. He’ll be stuck in bumfuck nowhere until he can get a ferry or a better boat out but whatever.

He crashes his boat on the dock and starts yelling at the guy who was suppose to guide him. Same guy is dripping sopping wet from the rain earlier and also smells like fish, but he says he came from the fish market or something. Guy fixes Adachi’s boat and he leaves to get recruited by Dojima or something.

I don’t know how he gets victims to the fog don’t ask me about that. Anyway Namatame does his delivery gigs anyway and for some reason has an extra dingy on his boat to just. have victims drift inside maybe.

Naval logistics and deliveries are pretty hard because you can’t go straight across the fog, so it’s the long route of going around it. Junes equivalent group came around and had a bunch of imported products which started the decline of a bunch of local businesses but that’s how it was going to be.

The Velvet Room Ohhh S.S. Velvet or fucking whatever. Blue boat that constantly sails around the edge of the fog and is magical and never seen by no one but Souji. There is no one on the boat except like, three people. Sometimes the captain is there, sometimes he’s not. Margaret’s the acting captain but is ultimately there to assist Souji in finding the truth (a fish) and also babysit this kid she fished out of the water that he also met near the docks or something.

Marie amnesiac and likes writing poems and shanties and she sings them on starboard sometimes when no one’s around but starts screaming when Souji climbs aboard after he saw it sailing around and maybe Igor called him there.

She isn’t really human and she kind of smells like fish and the sea constantly also she has amnesia and says people shouldn’t bother with the truth and the fog and there’s no point trying to find the center of it (literally)

But she enjoys her new memories and experiences and will want to make more but she remembers SHE’S A FISH!!!!!! (siren) Then she thinks her voice was dangerous the whole time and goes shapeshifts fully and dives to the bottom of the sea. Margaret helps Souji’s crew to dive down and find her and save her but also realize there’s another fish behind everything.

HERES THE PART YOUVE ALL BEEN WAITINF FOR so iznmi’s also a fish (siren)

it’s creepy because they really do know all your desires and your character and what you’re hiding and they’re the ones initially singing the first song before the victim actually gets into the fog.

Covered in seaweed and white moss and giant molted exoskeletons and scrap linens, and underneath it’s just a rotting fish constantly bleeding decaying with parasites all over and bony and terrifying how it can trick you with its voices and songs. In their humanoid form they can’t stay out of water for long because they’ll start smelling of rot or whatever.

Siren whose species was once actually well loved and worshipped and is guardian of that land they're trying to engulf and drown because they've been forgotten in the greed of the riches they've gathered for these people.

Siren mother who gave birth to two offspring and the elder one who watched her die from human greed and destructive desire. So it vowed to grow stronger and give humans what they deserve. But infected by polluted water and parasites that have been keeping them alive as a zombie until they forget their identity and sense of self. Forgetting their own promise of revenge and not acting right they lash out on their own sister they wanted to protect and leave her to forget her own identity and die alongside the humans she adores so much and who she actually wanted to protect.

alsoim fucking tired. goodnight my biggest fans i am going ! to bed

[spiritelectric3]

My Journey Through Homestuck Act 3 (Pt. 2)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Time to prioritize my heroic destiny over the heat death of the universe!

This post goes from page 002842 to 003053

-Yes. This is all about Jade's pet.

-So he's a god. That's good.

-The pet was foreshadowed by the PUMPKIN!?

-wait, what pumpkin?

-Why does it feel like Jade is on the "The Witness" island?

-Also crater lagoon is an unoriginal name.

-As shocking as it is to John that is father is just an ordinary guy who likes to keep clowns around the house, I immediately get the sense that something is up. This room is constructed too specifically to not have a secret compartment. Also, even without the clowns, there is still a sense of performance in the room, with the cards and the handcuffs, which we already know John's dad knows a trick around. John may not be able to judge this book by its cover.

-Did the Midnight Crew predict the realm of darkness? Actually more importantly, is Midnight Crew canon to the series its fictional in!?

-Cool. New character Jack Noir. I think I'll just call him Jack.

-Heheheh. Fourth wall.

-Is he evil, or is he just grumpy?

-Also, I'm a little unsettled by the implication that everything important in John's life has immediately become the basis for the entire culture of the dark realm (and presumably the light realm). It's such a strange notion to take a single household, and rapidly world build an entire civilization such that nothing in the house is out of place.

-Y'all, I think he just doesn't want to wear the hat. He shouldn't have to wear it if he doesn't want to.

-Boring, but this really is the best way of doing the fetch modus for this circumstance. Again, John likes to wing it, so this is perfect for him.

-Ah yes, because everything in this series goes well when you fire something up and see what happens.

-Also never mind on the fetch modus thing. This is way worse.

-Imagine eating build grist

-He's so fancy now.

-Fruit gushers aren't candy though

-Wow. I can't wait for Betty Crocker to become lore relevant.

-Wait, is Jade's pet the adult in Jade's life actually? What!?

-I like how whereas the parents and adults are eldritch because they are adults whose behavior is strange to children, Becquerel is just an incomprehensible beast.

-So he is a dog! Cool! I'm assuming that he is, for all intents and purposes, a dog.

-At least Jade has a good relationship with him.

-I can't wait for Homestuck to become the Fly

-Why is every adult in this secretly an agent of God or something?

-*** ****, **** ** * ********* **** **** * ***** **** ************ ******** ** **** ** ***. *** **** ******. **** **** * *** ****, **'* ** ********* ** **** ****. (I was advised to cut this. Basically it was me putting forth the argument that John is "as cisgender as they come", though apparently there's a popular interpretation of John as transfem based on info that comes up down the line. So, instead I will list the four main characters from most to least eggy they come off to me thus far: Rose, Dave, John, Jade)

-Also this attitude feels so shitty after we just saw Rose be put into hell.

-Why does Jade have a robot?

-Why does Jade need a dream robot?

-Someone else will do the dance in late act 4.

-Interesting portrayal of dream logic.

-If the robot dies, does Jade die for real?

-John's birthday package? On John's birthday!? (p a c k a g e)

-Ooh, another flashback.

-Ah, yes. The Hell of winter birthdays... You know, Andrew Hussie very well could have just put all of the birthdays in different seasons. But NOOOOO, they're all gonna be in WINTER!

-The TROLLS! Do we love them in this household? WHOOOOO KNOWS!?

-You know, I know just enough about the story of homestuck to actively question to what extent the series was planned

-What do you mean John? You finally have a poster for the Joker movie! (He would have one, wouldn't he?)

-Huh. This is like the first time the comic has cut from a character going from one place to another. This is both intriguing and terrifying.

-Wait whaaaaa...?

-Also I love how every character in this is constantly slowed down by problems which require the most inconvenient solutions.

-I can't wait to find out who through this spear several acts later

-OHHHH NOOOOO!

-Oh, okay. Well, I'm glad Jade's gift has some use.

-Wait, in the future/the actual fucking now that is just being introduced, there is a time sniper pointing at the WV (Wayward Vagabond) hundreds of years after the apocalypse happens in OUR modern day?

-Oh. Never mind I guess, but can you fault me for thinking that HOMESTUKCK would do something like this?

-Oh ha ha ha. His name is Aimless Renegade and they have an AR. That's infinitely clever. (I'm being sarcastic, but it actually kind of is)

-Wow, I can't believe Andrew Hussie looked at pictures by M. C. Escher.

-Wow. I can't believe that Homestuck Act 3 is making me look at Homestuck Act 2 to prove a point (The posters were unchanged in Act 2. I would venture to guess that this is some multiverse BS).

-Actually, if we're sticking to the name puns, would that make WV... West Virginia?

-Tbh, I'd be more concerned that the posters have looked like that to Rose since before the meteor hit

-Ah, more perception shit in a comic entirely about perception.

-Also, here's a quick note. Most of the Lightners and Darkners we've met are known by two words that are easily put into initials (WV, PM, JN, and AR). I want to note that every character here has done the same thing with their screen name (GG, GT, etc.), which is different from their actual initials. One wonders what the difference between traditional initials and these screen names is.

-Also to Rose: OBJECTION! The rules of Sburb have explicitly been that Rose can only see what John perceives, so if John can't see the scribbles, then neither should Rose. (Also this is probably wrong logic, but I don't care FIGHT ME FIGHT ME FIGHT ME FIGHT ME)

-Or maybe John's dad is clown obsessed, but doesn't like to keep the clowns in his room, what do you think of THAT!? This is evidenced by the magician shit he still keeps in his room anyway! HA! IN YOUR FACE!

-AHA! YOU JUST SUGGESTED THAT THE SCRIBBLES WERE A RESPONSE TO WHAT THE FATHER WAS KEEPING AROUND THE HOUSE! PLUS, HIS FATHER KEPT BEING THE ONE TO CORRECT JOHN WHEN HE CALLED THEM CLOWNS AND NOT HARLEQUINS. (I should note here that I do not fail to see the irony that Rose is explicitly failing to make these same observations about herself).

-Something I'll note is that this is being framed as John's journey to make, but it's Rose who has to do the building. That isn't to say that John isn't doing any work, but he's not the one doing the main progression thing. He's kind of just grinding.

-I like that Jade's instrument isn't that absurd if you think from the capability of growing arms.

-Whaaaaaa..? Is this where we get to the everyone has their own planet thing?

-WAIT! Is that why Earth doesn't matter? Cause killing Earth is effectively killing one person. (Also forget coming up with people's planets, what's Earth's person?)

-So Jade already has a path to the medium, but a very different one. Huh.

-Wait, are the kingdoms of Dark and Light the afterlife?

-Aw, this is adorable... for a scene of two people being shot at.

-Let me guess. There are like... 2 other towers right?

-ha ha IRONY

-I like how John's gift to Jade is presumed to be wonderful on little info aside from the fact that Jade ACTIVELY DISCARDED THE GIFT

-I'm gonna be completely honest. I have absolutely no idea how this new hole pattern is achieved, and why a conditional or wouldn't just make an arbitrary item with some aspect of either/both item.

-HOW TF DOES OVERLAPPING CARDS GET YOU LESS HOLES!?

-Ohhhhhhhhhhh waaaaaaait. I get it now. John is scanning the cards overlapped. Not punching them. That's how you get less holes.

-Okay, this is actually pretty Molly Millions-core (Someone please get that)

-As useless as a lot of these items are, this is certainly satisfying my neurodivergent need to know so many combos.

-Interesting that symbology is incorporated into this. I mean, you'd kinda have to if you wanted a system that understood what a hammer was. (Ah, yes, phenomenology. Time to spend five hours talking about tables).

-Also, game design wise, this is a pretty cool weapon customization system. Probably one that I'd actually use. Okay, mini rant though: What is up with the over reliance on weapon customization in video games? All that does is require you to constantly give up on your comfort objects in favor of a ridiculous power creep. Just let me pick a weapon early on and role with it, or at the very least, let the weapons be more about personal taste. See, this is why I like shooters like Half-Life and Bioshock (not Infinite. FUCK Infinite). They actively work to invite you to come up with your own fighting style based on which weapons you gravitate towards. Or at least be like Adaca and force players to try out different weapons due to things like ammo and not a stupid sense of quality control that's really just the developers making one number higher than another. Okay rant over.

-Also, it's obvious which ghost dad poster was gonna work.

-Also, why not prioritize the pda/computer combos? One of the biggest challenges thus far has been keeping consistent communication with Rose. Why not ensure easy access?

-I love that ---- (has his name been revealed yet? Do we even know?) led Dave to a big fight just so he could win and THEN give Dave the game. Something something "He just wants his little bro to be better" probably being why he's a known problematic fave on tumblr. I mean, it would be stupid to not give him the game at all. Presumably all of the adults know about the incoming apocalypse, and the need for these kids to succeed.

-Also, why did he destroy Cal?

-OMG he has a fucking iphone

-I... don't really know what's going on in this sequence.

-Also it's really fucking weird how she's texting John in the dream in real like.

-Are the clouds how she sees the future? That's a bit weird

-It's nice that they're accelerating Jade in time so we can adjust less.

-This is some petscop shit

-Wait. The fucking og meteor was ancient. THE FORESHADOWING THAT THERE WERE METEORS WAS A METEOR IN A DREAM!?

-Wow. Rose is an architect.

-Ah, the record on dave's shirt is broken. nice touch

-Awwwwwwww

-I love how it is still just a little spiteful. Oh, Rose, you are such a joy.

-John's gift does feel just a little bit passive aggressive.

-Oh, God. I'm gonna have to go back so I can keep track of the trolls. Can't wait until I have all 12 (though tbh. It'll probably be easier once I can see them).

-Also, this was a while ago, but I can't get it out of my head. John's supered up outfit has real drag king energy. I actually might be tempted to dress like that depending on the circumstances and how I'm feeling, which makes June Egbert make a little more sense. Not saying John is an egg. Just saying that I like the outfit, and John rocks it.

-Okay, so GA (why so many Gs?) is super intellectual or something. I wonder if the 12 trolls split up such that 3 of them must seek to torment exactly one of the protagonists

-Aww, they'e getting along

-AT's assertion, knowing the trolls have some time traveling capabilities, is a little unsettling. Did Dave not do nothing wrong?

-Also this conversation is getting uncomfortable

-You know what. Dave didn't do nothing wrong! HE'S DOING SOMETHING WRRONG RIGHT NOW!

-I am dying inside

-I am dying inside

-I am dying inside

-Good on you TA! I don't know who you are, but I'm rooting for ya!

-As for the future people. It's interesting how Homestuck focuses on teenagers when these characters carry an atmosphere of behaving like children playing with toys, except the toys are guns.

-Wow. AR is just pissed at everything.

-Also Jade grandpa

-I like the storytelling choice of building up all the stuff about Jade's grandpa and guns, and then for that to lead to AR having a fuck ton of them.

-AR NOOOOOOO!

-Oh my god. THEY ARE ALL CRAZY

-I can't believe he just veered to the left and shot the sphere

-Oh my god. Is this just to deliver a present?

-Wow. The old man isn't dead. Huzzah

-This is actually really sweet.

-Also, based on what little I know from the fandom, I find this blue and green dichotomy fascinating. John even wrote in blue. I wonder to what extent green is just how he's been presenting. Oh, god damn it! John is an egg!

-This time travel shenaniganery is... interesting.

-No more hat! No more hat!

-The guitar thing actually worked?

-Hey! He's finally drinking the juice without fearing that it is piss!

-What the fuck is the plant?

-Wait. The void sends things back in time?

-Is that a motherfucking FLCL reference!?

-Wait, WHAT!? THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING OH MY GOD!

-I don't even know wtf was happening with those copies of sburb, not to mention ALL of the weird time travel shenaniganery going on here!

-I think I get it now. Homestuck was not meant for Andrew Hussie. Homestuck is a god meant to be brought forth by some other prophet who fell absent, resulting in a false prophet becoming true. Now the god seeks to dig into our souls and bring forth what it has meant to this whole time.

And that's it I think. The story's certainly ramping up, and we finally got Rose to the medium.

Okay, so some quick housekeeping. Firstly, I think I'm just gonna... not do the longer analyses. Firstly, the college school year has been going a bit, and I have both schoolwork and extracurricular projects to prioritize. Secondly, there is a lot of info in homestuck, much of which has not been revealed, and it is too easy for me to make claims that are proven false way down the road. It's one thing when I do so off the cuff in these posts. It's another thing when I make a bold statement that falls apart. As for the "What is Act 2 about?" question, I think I'm just going to settle for it being about the characters who hadn't already taking the steps needed to rise to the challenge that they must face for the remainder of the story. John must get his bearings and focus on getting to the top, and Rose and Dave begin their quest to get the remaining sburb copies in earnest. That's good enough for me.

As for our actual next steps, next up is the intermission, which I should be able to take care of in one post. First though, I plan to take a look at Jailbreak, one of the previous mspaintadventures, as an example of my own intermission before we get all game of thrones in Act 4, which I believe should take about five parts, if I'm staying on my "roughly an hour" setup. For now though, I'll say that we ALL KNOW I'M STILL AT THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.

[rametarin]

I think the right leaning people might also have a better chance of fighting against "wokeness" in media if they could, as a whole, make stronger arguments. As it is it seems that the only arguments people make are "Ugh they went woke this is shit" or "OMG this has a gay/black/female/whatever person in it. It is the embodiment of evil indoctrination to our children" like neither are particularly convincing and since there is no real argument it just reinforces claims of bigotry.

You're absolutely right. Which is probably even more annoying than their shitty positions on most things; their inability to form any coherent argument against bad faith pseudo-science because they're too busy trying to affirm their own. But the non-secular kind.

They're pants on head, screaming incompetent, ineffectual and so much so that even garbage like Critical Race Theory being put into practice in public schools slips by, because the biggest detractors and the most probable people to raise objections to it are genuinely the people that have latched onto anti-wokeness because it seems like the shortest bus to validate racism.

This is made even worse by the fact that actual wokes don't want to argue against liberals that know the literature references to the bullshit they use to justify their ideology, and they don't want to argue with objective people who don't see anything sacred, whether it's metaphysical or ideological. They want to argue with theological people, because they can argue their dogma is secular, therefore thanks to separation of church and state, religious Christian culture has to stop at the door to the civic buildings, but social constructionism gets to be part of the fabric of our doctrines and values.

They want to argue with the dude that twangs on a shitty guitar and sings, ♫ Jeeesuuuus! ♪ as the response the question of where ethics and reality come from. They want to argue with the guy that insists that you can't have morality or even culture without their religious doctrine, shrug their shoulders helplessly and look the sane and reasonable one on the side of SCIENCE! by comparison.

They do not want to argue with the secular nontheist-to-nihilists, because then they have to argue knowing full well their opponents isn't going to cite Jesus or presuppose the existence of the Judeo-Christian god at the center of everything, and instead demand the person use objective, empirical evidence that does not have its roots in prioritizing sociological meanings before basic math, science and anthropology. They want to look good in front of rebellious teenagers that already don't respect the transparently oppressive nonsense of their shallow and sometimes petty, tyrannical religious parents and make them feel like society is finally shrugging off the yoke of superstitious nonsense.

Even figures like Jordan Peterson keep fumbling and getting stuck in the mud this way and just doing the Woke culture's work for them by proving everything they puff up about western civilization as inherently misogynistic, LGBT-opposed and evil, because they won't stop fucking citing religious competitive arguments in why they oppose them. It's exhausting and nauseating.

[gaylittleguys]

ok 2/3 watched verdict: Prometheus was definitely the better of the two, but still miles behind the original. Both are basically just entirely different tonally and story-wise from the original that they really would have been better served being their own entirely different thing. It feels like it’s more interested in the synthetic/human/engineer creator/creation parent/child thing, and the aliens are just sort of thrown in there.

It’s really hard not to just compare it to Alien 1979 bc I love that movie and it’s really good lol. I liked both of the protagonists in the movies, for the most part they were both very compelling and interesting characters. I think it’s a very contemporary movie move to give characters a relationship to give them ‘depth’ (especially women.) but I don’t think it works here. I really didn’t care for Elizabeth’s partner in Prometheus, I think their relationship would have been fine as just coworkers and professional partners. I can see a parallel to other movies with men as protagonists having gfs/wives that do nothing but die to fuel their tragic backstory, and maybe there was a similar reversed intent here, but idgaf he was annoying. Also personally I find it more compelling to have a crew of characters in this sort of tense horror story to not have close (romantic) relationships, because inevitably it ends up being a case of one half dying for tension. If a couple shows up you KNOW at least one if not both of them isn’t making it out of there. As was the case for. Hm. Almost the entire crew in Covenant. :| Just make everybody coworkers that’s more interesting I beg you.

I think the philosophical questions raised in Prometheus were very interesting, even if it got a little muddled in the script. The above noted tensions were interesting and it’s not too far a jump from the reproductive horror of the original. Although taking it to its next, less visceral and immediate level. Covenant seemed to kind of dump a lot of it in favour of a more blockbuster-y action. Although the dialogues between David and Walter were interesting too, building off of some of the synthetic/human questions in its predecessor.

Buuuut also i think it’s not interesting to explain the history of the aliens and such. The mystery is what’s intriguing. If I may talk about the original again, the reason why I love it and why it’s stuck as a staple is because of its sense of tension and mystery. Even though I’ve seen it many times if still on the edge of my seat! I’m scared for the characters! These ones don’t come close to that tension. They’re so fast paced you don’t have time for the dread to sink in. And the mysteries of the world itself in the original draws you in! You see the inscrutable alien remnants from a long dead civilization and you wonder what it all means and who could have made all this. And I think those questions are more important than the answers. It’s such a letdown that it’s just like. Idk it was some big bald guys. That’s nothiiiingggggg. You see the big machine in the center of the ship that looks like a body becoming part of the controls itself in that beautifully horrifying Geiger style. And these new ones say. Well. A guy goes in there. Nothing interesting.

Although it may be bc I’m tired now and was only partially paying attention, but. Why was David selectively breeding more nursery xenomorphs. Just because he was bored?? I mean I get it I guess but. Ok. What an uninteresting answer.

Technically and visually they were both very beautiful, again Prometheus more so, and I thought the engineers ship was very cool looking. I did think a lot of the human tech was very generically scifi and I was missing the clunkiness of the original. But I’m also biased I love that era of scifi tech.

Anyway! They were ok and I will watch Romulus tomorrow.

[cybermoonmoon]

From March 20, 2020. The start of Covid Lock Down.

The story thus far...France going offline Spain, and Poland just went Germany not far behind. Canada just closed its borders, including the one with us. The States by the numbers will lock down by the end of the month...maybe sooner. We're three weeks behind Italy.

In the Emerald City the schools were shut possibly till fall. Bars cafe's shops closing. Basically the City is going offline. Folks bunkering up.

NYS Governor Cuomo decried that lack of Federal leadership. Said there's "...chaos" throughout the country. This as each State is making it's own rules many of which conflict with the States around them.

As for the Feds,...like #45 said, "...it will disappear like a miracle."

In a cab coming home from Hospital where I finally got my meds. We listened as Cuomo said that there will be the need to build Hospitals as the Chinese did from scratch to deal with this.

The Feds have to do this via the Army Corps of Engineers, and civil construction companies. Them guys in China put those things up in about a month. Amazing what can be done when ya life depends on it.

My cabbie said that his family in Haiti are okay. As far as he knows it's not there yet. I'll have to look that up. More folks on the streets are wearing masks now. At a glance maybe twice as many since before this past weekend.

These coming months the balance of this year will be trying.

We'll make it. We just will.