#darnest answers

[darnestdungeon]

Where was anything said about favorite foods for the characters :0?

It was in a very old AMA, but I guess I misremembered it-- it didn't ask what were their favorite food but rather what would each hero have for lunch! And here I was all these years thinking Dismas' favorite food was ham sandwich...

[iero]

#okay

Live at Maxwell’s | x

[starshipsofstarlord]

locked away

summary. whilst hiding out from walkers in a closet, you grow extremely bored. the only thing to do is daryl, but you have to make sure he stays quiet

warnings. smut, handjob, sub!daryl, dom!reader, praising, mentions of gagging, crying

MINORS DNI (18+), I DO NOT CONTROL YOUR CONSUMPTION ON THIS BLOG 👻

divider credits. @cafekitsune

The aroma of cigarette smoke that clung addictively to his clothes filled your nostrils as you hid in union together, avoiding the stream of deadly walkers that marched in their haphazard staggering through the wide hallway. There had been worse that you survived through, so as long as you didn’t alert the parasites that filled the decayed human bodies of your presence, you would be fine.

Boredom struck you after the first hour of leaning all of your weight against the chipped brick wall, listening without consent to the groans and growls of the dangerous passers-by. If you had a nickel for each time you expressively rolled your eyes that had adjusted to the shadows which conjured a graphite colouring to which you could see, you would be astoundingly rich in a world without cash currency.

You had an impulse to blabber out the most random thoughts that appeared intrusively in your mind, although you were sure if you dared to your beloved Daryl would gag your mouth with that dirty red rag and tell you to shut up; and it wouldn’t be a first time for that. Your shoulders slumped defeatedly as the pressing circumstances of the long and drawn out waiting game refused to come to an end.

How many goddamn walkers were out there? Actually that was an answer you’d rather not find out whilst you were contained in a narrow closet which was consumed with lacklustre silence. Daryl wouldn’t even meet your eyes in the dark space, sternly pent up from your antics during the run that had lead you into being entrapped by your own free will and vigilance to live another day. He was pissed, and worst of all in this circumstance; turned on.

His pools of pitiful blue distinctly avoided your gaze, trying his darnest to focus on the stakes that were against you both. But he was pursued by a cloaking of consuming lust, his shoulders rigid as he thought repeatedly of your earlier words. If you’re a good boy, then maybe we’ll have some fun before we get home. It wasn’t likely to happen now, the bowman thought intuitively, sharply discarding the sweet images of pleasing you from his brain.

These walkers were preying risk to more than just his life, he felt like he could explode from the overbearing desire to feel your hands rake upon his entire body, and he mentally cursed as he felt his cock spring to life at just the the sinful thought. He grunted in solitary longing, pacing with light and feline like steps as much as he could in the limited ground that was cemented in the storage room.

“Something wrong?” You almost inaudibly spoke, cocking your head as the corners of your mouth twitched in mocking amusement, and he would have whined in response if there wasn’t the threat of the passing walkers merely inches away. “Come here, let me help you baby.” His head was lowered in a submissive bow as he followed your command, creeping towards you until your chests were all but touching.

It was something you adored, to see Daryl in such a state, and it made you feel powerful without any limits. The flow of your bloodstream began to pound with revelations with what you could make your obedient man disperse himself to. It was like he was a buffet of possibilities, however his arousal was rubbing against your thigh, making you recall his desperation, and it would be satire and cruel for you to allow him to suffer without your amorous caregiving.

You shuffled, keeping a balance on your body weight so that you didn’t accidentally stagger backwards into the buckets or moulding mops that were leant against the wall to your left, as you lowered your hands to his wide hips, giving him an affectionate squeeze before you turned him in your embrace so that his back was facing your front.

Admittedly there were times where you loved to listen to him beg and cry for lustrous attention, but now was not the time; neither one of you could make so much as a speck of noise, it was going to be difficult as often times Daryl would draw out long and pathetically attractive moans each time you held contact with his cock in any manner, but he would just have to be quiet somehow, and if he couldn’t control himself, you had ideas of how to make him.

“Be a good boy.” You whispered with sultry warning in his ear as you reached further around him, slowly and tantalisingly unweaving his belt, pulling the strip of leather through the flimsy loops which granted you access to undo the button and fly of his trousers. With swift motions you did so, carefully shoving them down his sides as his cock was released from its containment. It was leaking defiantly with precum, and he resorted to calming breaths as he steadied his own self into being relaxed despite the nearby danger.

He inhaled immediately as he felt one of your hands wrap perfectly around his achingly hard length, gliding up and down the taught and erect flesh which made him throw his long locked head back in pleasure. His eyelids twitched as he fought against his desire to let you know how utterly amazing you were making him feel, as he bit his own bottom lip over and over. You dared to increase the pace in which you were stroking him, and a shattered gasp tumbled past his bared teeth.

Without so much as a thought, you smothered his mouth with your hand, pinching his nose a couple of times between your thumb and forefinger to restrain the oxygen he was permitted for a few seconds. A vibration riveted against your palm, as a quiet moan was silenced by your restriction. His whole body was rattling, as he began to rut his hips so that his cock was moving in the grasp of your soft hand.

“Such a good baby.” Your breath hit his ear as you forbade yourself from saying anything else, knowing that it would be obscenely dangerous, and the hoard of vacantly minded walkers were more than capable of pushing through the locked door. Your thumb rubbed expertly against his tip, as tears began to fill Daryl’s eyes, however he continued to jerk into your grip, and soon they fled from his tear ducts. His salt water, pleasure filled tears rolled onto your hand, weaving across your flesh as his tongue rolled pathetically around your palm, losing any grounding to reality that he had.

It drove you on farther, moving your hand at a quicker pace to make him spill over the edge, and with one last tough tug, he expelled his seed from his balls, it shooting directly in the air for a moment, and landing vividly on the ground. Daryl continued to shake like a leaf, breathing a kind kiss to your palm as he held your hand against his mouth for a while longer. This was definitely an interesting tale, however you would never tell anybody else. Everyone else thought Daryl was the being of all dominance in your relationship, and it made you inwardly cackle at how wrong you were.

He was as submissive as a human could come (pun intended), and he stood there idly and cautiously as you aided him in tucking his cock back into his confines. You grappled his belt, pulling it back around into its holding as you pulled it tightly around his waist, your eyes glowing with the satisfaction that you could make him so easily crumble. With one last pat to his sensitive bulge, you waited a while longer, until the coast was clear and it was only a few stragglers of the herd to take out in order to make your unruly escape.

[ditzyclown]

i've decided to celebrate this spooky season by trying my darnest to answer all the asks on my inbox

[anamoon63]

Sims Say the Darnest Things: When you get this, list five of your characters and their best quotes so far. Then pass it on to five other storytelling simblrs.

Thank you my dear @nocturnalazure for this question, it was so much fun to answer! 🥰

FROM MY THE CHO BROTHERS GAMEPLAY

Terence: Mhm, and do you want me to get rid of her the old-fashioned way, or Terry the Terrible’s way? Dale: Whatever you think is best, just please, please, don’t let it involve bloodshed, okay? Terence: Doesn’t sound like fun to me, but okay, we’ll do it your way.

.....

Terence: Now I need some information about the victim… oops, sorry, I mean, about the girl. You know, name, waist, breast and hip sizes? Dale: Terry, come on… Terence: Easy, bro, I’m just kidding. Why do you have to be so damn serious about everything?

(The Cho Brothers, December 07, 2021)

-----

Kelly: So - we finally see each other. Riley: Unfortunately, yes. Kelly: Yeah, I hate to see you too, but there's something I have to tell you. Riley: You have something to tell me? What would that be? Kelly: It's two things, actually. The first, I'm glad you're leaving this dorm at last. And the second…

Kelly: Don't you DARE come near MY boyfriend again, YOU HEAR ME?

(The Cho Brothers, September 26, 2022).

----

Dale: Can we stop talking about Terry and focus on business? Kelly: Do you even talk about anything else?

Dale: Sure, I talk about bars, and sex too. Kelly: Sex, of course. How could I forget? That’s what the Cho brothers are all about, sex and money, in that order.

(The Cho Brothers, November 24, 2021 post).

----

FROM MY TIME TRAVELER STORY:

Julliette: So, I'll tell you only this: whatever is going on with your DNA, whatever you are, I don't care. I'll still love you whether you're a vampire, a werewolf or whatever." Robin: "A werewolf? Come on Jul," he grinned. Juliette blushed. Juliette: "It may sound silly, but love you and I'll never leave you, no matter what kind your DNA is." Robin: "I love you too, dear. And it's not silly at all, in fact it's lovely, and a relief to hear that from you".

Juliette: "I - wouldn't mind if you were an alien either". Robin: "Really? Most people are terrified of aliens." Juliette: "Not me. And I'd still love you if you were one". Robin: "Hm. that's… good to know."

(Time Traveler, Episode 209. Hinting the Truth)

----

Dustin: Of course, I’m not saying that Oasis Landing is the only place with nonsense laws, I just thought that in the future humans would be more like… free. Robin: Oh, we are, but in the book of the Council two children are more than one man can handle. And if you have them by the forbidden method, the infraction is double.” Dustin: Forbidden method, that blows my mind, I mean, I know Oasis Landing families who certainly didn’t ‘engineered’ their children. My parents, for instance, and Judith’s.” Robin: Because they’re privileged citizens. If you’ve worked for the Council like Mr. Planeson, your family enjoys a lot of benefits other people can’t even dream of having.”

Dustin: So, in the future everything pretty much remains the same: the rich and powerful have all the good stuff and the common people stay poor as ever”.

(Time Traveler, Episode 159. Privileges).

----

Ok those where more than five characters, lol.

I could go on and on, but I hope these quotes will do. I mean, my sims aren't too philosophical as to quote them, but I hope the things they say are at least entertaining. 😉

(For new readers who want to see more of the The Cho Brothers gameplay, you can to my #The Cho Brothers tag here in Tumblr, or to The Cho Brothers category on my WordPress Blog Los Sims de Ana If you're interested in my Time Traveler story, you can check it out on my blog too, via Categories for recent episodes, or in the Time Traveler tab of the menu at the top of the home page for past episodes).

[ridiasfangirlings]

yata and kamamoto being those kinda friends who go to the darnest of places just to try a restaurant kamamoto heard about lol

They are absolutely that kind of friends, I can totally see them wandering around the weirdest places in Shizume because Kamamoto heard a rumor about a really good restaurant and invited Yata along. Kamamoto is absolutely the type who hears all kinds of rumors about secret restaurants, like the ramen shop that’s only open between 4-7am and it’s hidden in the middle of a back alley that you can only find if you know the secret code to enter. It’s supposed to have the tastiest ramen though and Kamamoto is determined to try it out and see if it’s truly fated ramen, Yata doesn’t quite know how he got dragged along here but he’s coming too. I imagine them following all these clues and it probably happens constantly that Kamamoto figures out the clue and suggests the answer to Yata, who tells Kamamoto that there’s no way that’s right, he’s figured it out though and they end up taking multiple detours all while Yata refuses to admit he was wrong. By the time they end up at the ramen shop they’re both exhausted and irritable, luckily the ramen does turn out to be pretty tasty though it’s not quite the amazing ramen Kamamoto had hoped for. He still gives it a seal of approval and they head back to Bar Homra, Yata being very proud that he found this restaurant so easily while Kamamoto just sighs all weren’t you the one leading us in circles though.

[greenplumbboblover]

Sims Say the Darnest Things: When you get this, list five of your characters and their best quotes so far. Then pass it on to five other storytelling simblrs.

I didn't answer this for a while, because I didn't had much story content at the time :p But I think I got something here!

Jamie: "I don’t know! Who the hell forgets their underpants after WooHoo!"

Mortimer: "Whenever no one wants to talk to me, I tend to write them a letter. Makes them actually feel guilty about ignoring what I wanted to talk about. You should try it!"

Nancy: "I’ll show him I care!... To the printer room!"

Pauline: "... Girl, you literally just called me up and asked what I’d wear to a fishing event but looking sexy at the same time."

Christopher: "Oh, Watcher on a waffle!"

[simdreams]

No one tagged me to answer the "sims say the darnest things" tag buuuuuuut I can tag myself and make my own rules lol (quoting some random speeches from my ocs that appear here from time to time) Evan: (to the quote "ok, you are not a Big Mistake") "Great! The next time someone asks me what I like to hear in bed, that'll be the answer." Kate: "You can pick the shape and color and then pay with money instead of giving up your soul for it." Anna: "You are single and I'm not even close to considering underwear as your Christmas present!" Lucy: "You never read the Bible? Food waste is a sin." Jimmy: "He's still your boyfriend, though, and I really enjoy having all my teeth."

[colliecore]

I, an asexual woman, have had problems oversexualising myself for as long as I can remember. When I stopped seeking validation from it, I noticed instead I used it as entertainment; "Men are dumb." was my thought process, "I am simply exploiting their sexuality and letting them enjoy themselves to me because..."

See, I thought I had an answer to that one. However as any vicious cycle goes, it repeated but stayed hidden under a layer of deceit. I know I have self respect now, I know that I am better than, not exploiting men but exploiting myself — because in reality, that's what I was doing.

I never had friends, not even as a child — All the friends I did have were people taking advantage of me and I was too autistic, niave and unaware to notice.

This year, I'll be putting my energy into finding true friends. People I can love and can be unapologetically myself around. I'll try my darnest to have at least one pure connection with someone. I'll get myself out more and I'll update you on my monthly goals. I look forward to this February. I look forward to every month. I am hopeful for the future.

Thank you.

[darnestdungeon]

I've recently seen a post on reddit pointing out background characters such as the one in the image, could you by any chance get this ripped by its self?

Here's the little fanatic! They're really cute, aren't they? (this is just an edit I've made of the assets, the unedited textures are under the 'read more')

EDIT: omg this is so funny, I went to save the file I edited and then apparently I had the same idea of assembling these assets earlier at some point, because there was already a file with the same name! Except I used a backdrop on this one too. (also I didn't bother to clean the white specks around the borders of each asset, as you can clearly see if you zoom on it)

[lemonhemlock]

I can’t find the post now, but recently you reblogged something about how the show didn’t think through the implications of making the Velaryons black- it phrased mte very well! I love the actors chosen to portray all these characters- Steve Toussaint is wonderful, and as you said, Wil Johnson absolutely maximized his time as Vaemond. Both actresses for Laena were criminally underused, and Phoebe and Bethany are excellent! I have no complaints about casting! But the writing for the Velaryons specifically just makes it so uncomfortably obvious. For one, in F&B, this family is already shafted by team black. Laenor cuckolded and eventually killed, Vaemond murdered and the cousins mutilated- in the context of the show, for saying the very obvious truth! Like I’m shocked they didn’t think through how this would play on TV, aside from allowing Laenor to live (which is its own thing that has weird ripples they also didn’t seem to think through)

The show then takes it a step further and makes Rhaena and Baela little more than set dressing for the first season. In F&B, we know both girls have plenty of significant moments to come, and if they were white characters played by white actresses, it wouldn’t seem so glaring. But obviously they aren’t, and it instead reads like black characters getting shelved in favor of white leads. It’s just so frustrating to see major showrunners not seem to comprehend how these choices will be viewed by modern audiences. Sorry to rant in your ask! It was the first time I’d seen that touched on in a way that really spelled out the problem here.

Hello there, thanks for dropping by. I'm torn on the issue of the Velaryons, because, on the one hand, for all the criticism, it does make a difference, especially for the actors. You have to question whether HotD would have really been improved upon if everyone were white. It's a ridiculous question to ask, because networks trying to be more inclusive and hire more actors of colour is always going to be a good thing at least for said actors' careers. And the Velaryon actors really hit it out of the park with their limited screen time. Even so, the visibility spike they must have had by appearing in a very popular show watched by millions can't hurt, no matter how mangled their character's development is. So, ultimately, are we really worse off with making the Velaryons black? Not saying I have the answer to these problems, but it's not as easy as just dismissing this decision for diversity points.

On the other hand, there's really no way to say this differently, but not only are the Velaryons shafted hard by the Targaryens in the book, they also end up shafting each other. Corlys does his darnest to prevent his granddaughters from inheriting, Baela and Rhaena bring their 6-year-old cousin Daenaera to marry her off to their brother, Alyn cheats on Baela etc. It's very messy. All of these characters are flawed and meant to be critiqued, but race-swapping them has also geared the conversation away from that, since they already suffer from being shelved in favour of white leads, like you said, so fans are perhaps more wary of being critical of them.

It's true that Baela and Rhaena are reduced to set dressing in the show, but their participation in the war is very limited in the books too. I've criticised their acquiescence to Rhaenyra's betrothal plot in the show, but they're content to be the consorts and not heiresses in the books, as well. So this is not just a show-only thing, it's in line with their book behaviour.

There is also a popular interpretation of Rhaena's character as a symbol of hope and reconciliation for the Targaryen dynasty. It's true that she is the more diplomatic and gentle of the sisters, but, in the wake of HotD... how do you chime into the conversation to point out that ultimately this is a character that was designed to be a white Targaryen girl who just hatched a fire-breathing monster and could very well partake in that supernatural power? (Baela is worried she might use Morning to avenge her first husband's death) I realise that mine is decidedly the unpopular interpretation, but for a corner of the fandom that is so hellbent on criticising the Targaryens for their use of dragons and wholeheartedly agrees that Westeros is better off without them, Rhaena gets off the hook a lot for perpetuating this very system.

In addition, no one bothers to point out that Morning also dies pretty shortly afterwards (for a dragon). Where exactly is the hope here and for whom? Not for the King, certainly, as Rhaena leaves court because her brother cannot stand to be in the presence of dragons (she says she feels unwelcome). He is known to history as dragonbane as the last known dragon dies in 153 AC, so there's no way Morning was older than 24 when she died. After that, House Targaryen's obsession to bring dragons back will haunt them for the rest of their history.

[This is more of an aside, not criticism, but indicative of the same environment. Rhaena's marriage to Garmund Hightower is also seen through rose-tinted glassed. Fans like to think that her six daughters are indicative of a happy relationship, but they do not take the Lady Sam situation into account. If you look at the Hightower family tree, the High Septon refused to marry Lyonel, the heir, to Lady Sam and for a good chunk of time, all their six children were illegitimate. Martyn, the second son, had no issue. Which means that the High Tower would pass to Garmund's line. Perhaps we should interrogate if the reason they had so many children was because what Garmund needed/wanted was a boy, but they just kept having girls. In any case, this exercise was rendered futile at one point, as the new High Septon did indeed agree to marry Lyonel and Lady Sam, after which they got their children legitimized.]

[fictionalreads]

9-1-1 Lone Star Season 4 Catch Up

Episode 11

Judd gonna be a granddaddy!😂 That whole conversation was a wild ride

Oh we get to see Marvin! He’s selfish. Could’ve just been a cameo and not a whole plotline

Oh she’s evil. It’s a ball and they didn’t mean to hit the ugly ass gnome.

Should’ve just let them have the ball.

Mateo. No do not pay that bail.

I’m with Judd. Wyatt doesn’t seem like firefighting is his thing. I wouldn’t make the call either. Woah I didn’t say he was soft Judd. You could’ve told him you wanted to see him on a ride along first or something.

Bad idea Nancy.

Damn. He died. Marvin did it himself, not you Mateo. BAD MATEO NO DRINKING

What the fuck am I watching? Oh he took the rap for Mateo and that’s why he owed him.

This is so weird. But I see why Marvin is a plotline now.

Episode 12

Oddly, I’ve seen this one.

Episode 13

Damn why is her tongue swelling so much.

Grace you still feeling some type of way? I’m not saying you can’t, I’m just saying if you don’t want your mama to know why maybe act more natural.

JUDD SAID HER VOICE WAS THE FIRST THING HE FELL IN LOVE WITH 😭😭♥️ I love them.

LMAO Owen is the other man. Yes he is freaking out.

God I love Judd, “Hey, you riding with us?”😂😂

LMAOOOO DID HE JUST POKE THAT MAN?!

EEEEEWWWWWW HE JUST BROKE HIS CHEST

Damn everybody husband going down. JUDD BETTER NOT GO DOWN

Oh shit she knew

THEY SINGING!! Ain’t nobody gonna get the doctor? The man woke up.

He probably poisoned himself.

Episode 14

Y’all trying too hard to blame her. I don’t believe it.

Paul. You are incredible. I love you.

I love Tommy but her storyline is kind of cringe. But Grace and Tommy together are in fact hilarious. Did he really just break up with her?

Paul gets the win again.

Owen you interfered. You don’t think he would feel some type of way?

HE WAS TRYING TO POISON HER!! OH SHIT IS SHE DYING FUCK OWEN

Episode 15

Y’all it feel like he was kidnapped or something.

Now how did you get knocked out?

Oh that’s sad Grace. She had to listen to that. I really thought the girl was gonna die.

Yeah that detective is an ass and not very good at his job. Oh kick his ass Grace, he did not just tell you to stick to answering the phone.

McGregor please go away

Awe shit Lexie died.

Tell Carlos. Don’t respond. Damnit Grace! CALL SOMEBODY ELSE NO GRACE AND WHY IS MCGREGOR JUST SITTING THERE CALMLY

SHE SWITCHED THE GLASS Smart Grace even if Judd still gonna kill you

He dying?

Episode 16

Tell them. Cause if you just die they’ll wonder.

That was not an answer to the boy’s question.

That guy is a creep, don’t talk to him kid.

Oh good the kid is safe. LOL Kids say the darnest things.

DAD JUDD IS THE CUTEST!! “What are y’all doing Thursday? Good y’all can babysit”

Get out Tommy

Tommy you don’t get to play dumb and be mad. The man called mayday and you ignored it and intentionally stayed it. I get your intentions, but you still put yourself at risk.

Tarlos is so cute

LMAO The reverend and Grace gonna go on a date if y’all don’t get ready.

Watch Grace and preacher man get into it on their behalf. 😂😂 I SAW IT COMING

“Get yo ass up Tommy”

Really Tommy? I mean the man didn’t have to go to HR BUT YOU DID IGNORE HIM

WYATT NOOOOOO I really hate that they did that to Wyatt just to make Tommy and Judd make up.

Episode 17

I think Judd is my favorite. From both shows. This is a new revelation for me.

Woah Carlos you have no from to talk. I don’t wanna get too political cause that’s not this blog but cops started out as a group that was meant to capture slaves so…

Nancy why you so invested?

NOOO THE BABY SAVE THE BABY

Judd don’t do this to my emotions. Oh no he lost function in his legs. I know people live full lives after, but it still sucks when you have something and lose it.

They’re showing Carlos’ dad too much and giving him a role in the wedding other than just being his dad. Nothing better happen to this man.

Judd I can’t believe you’re actually quitting.

Okay Owen do we really need the speech.

Owen. The man clearly had white wine, why did you fill his glass with red?

Ah shit. He got shot. HE DIED?! WHAT THE FUCK

Episode 18

What’s with the eyes Carlos?

Oh God he called him Tyler.

Shave Carlos. Usually I prefer men with facial hair but you just look greasy.

Of course the man had secrets. He was a Texas ranger.

The only upside to this episode so far is that it started doom and gloom which means it’ll be happy at the end.

Judd. Take the signals he’s sending you. He ain’t all that comfortable. Shit I sound like Judd when he’s talking.

This man said 2003 and my mind said “oh 2023, wait how did he make a video in October of 2023? It ain’t October yet and he died.”

Judd. Caregiving ain’t for you. He didn’t ask you to quit, that was your choice.

Oof. The airplane sound? Judd. My guy, my love (platonically cause you belong with Grace), you can’t do that.

Bad Carlos! Don’t hunt down people alone!

NANCY LOOKS SO GOOD MARJAN AND HER MAN LOOK CUTE TOGETHER

Did we know Paul was officiating? I feel like we did but it’s been a minute so… I forgot. 🤷‍♀️

Why is Marjan crying at Tommy singing? I mean it’s beautiful. But you okay sis?

No Owen is not ready.

Oh I liked that ending sequence a lot.

Miscellaneous

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down to watch this show so I’m doing one big post.

Vaguely I remember episode 13 being marketed by the Kendra drama, but I can’t remember if they talked about the McClain sisters singing. If they didn’t, missed opportunity.

TARLOS WEDDING

[incaensio]

𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑫𝑬 𝑻𝑨𝑺𝑲 𝑶𝑵𝑬: 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙳𝙰𝚈.

both katniss and peeta sleep horribly that night — the comfort of his arms have become such a solace to katniss that, most nights, she barely wakes up, so she is oblivious of his own struggles, but that night it's plain that neither of them have it easy. neither of them wants to talk either, though, so they settle to hold one another, a little tighter now and then, only for them to part when it's still dark outside because peeta has promised to help his family get ready for the reaping and katniss wants to tell him not to go, to stay in their desperate embrace, but the words are ash in her mouth and he leaves with the promise to come back before they have to leave for the reaping. it would be cruelly selfish of her to ask him to hold her when he may as well be spending last precious moments with his own family (whatever bad blood there is between them seems to be unimportant when the sword hangs above all of their necks — the four of them, who had cowered when peeta had to go to his calvary, now stand in the same place, and he can do nothing for them).

her prep team has a field day as they haven't in weeks, since the wedding. though they do her make up — trying their darnest to hide the dark under her eyes — they let lilian do her hair; mother also does prim's, and the girls do lilian's, before lilian gets into one of cinna's finest dresses and the morbid ritual carries on. reaping clothes. her mother's graceful frame barely conceals the dread as she has to slip these clothes on for the first time in over two decades—the last she had, had been the dress katniss wore last year, the shroud that had been discarded still at the train. this one is nothing like that, not old and beloved, but new and too rich to feel personal, yet it is a mourning cloth all the same. katniss almost vomits nothingness right then, but holding tight onto prim's hands, she does not puke her empty stomach out, nor she runs away.

it's all lights, camera, action, from then on. peeta is in his place, and katniss is in hers; hands intertwined, bodies close, smile bright towards the camera as they are announced, the victors of the 74th hunger games, the mentors for district twelve. her own smile sets into a grimace as the treaty of treason is read, and katniss is certain she is trembling by the time effie says she will pick at the girl's names first, as usual. katniss finds her mother's fair face amongst the forty somethings, and as a name is read out, she notices the faint relief that comes across lilian everdeen's features, before worry makes the creases in her face become more prominent. but she's not walking towards the stage, instead she's leaving the bull pen with the other women of her age bracket, towards prim.

instead, walking towards the stage, is hazelle hawthorne. "what are you— what is she doing?" like in slow motion, hazelle comes towards her, but she has no answers, and neither does peeta, only a soft beckoning of ‘katniss’ leaving his lips. hazelle hawthorne! had called out effie trinket's voice, and katniss had been so grateful it had not been lilian everdeen that she had not noticed who else was her closest female relative within the age range for reaping. her aunt, hazelle, gale's mother. the air is knocked out of katniss' lungs as she rasps out a "no!" and she flails, almost pushing hazelle away — only she does not get to touch the tribute before peeta is wrapping his arms around her frame, keeping katniss grounded. "no," she mumbles, again and again, but peeta holds her, and as she clings to his shirt, she is almost thankful he keeps her from crumbling because she can no longer feel her legs, her body, her face; she can only taste the tears that flood out of her eyes and hear effie's voice repeat hazelle hawthorne over and over again.

there’s no volunteers this year. not one of them can give out their lives so that a mother of four can go back home — katniss can not register anger at the grief-striken faces in front of her; she can not sense much other than her own despair, the stomach - churning guilt that ressurfaces with a furious might. she can feel peeta's body stiffen though, and that is what makes katniss comes to the realization the reaping is not yet done. and he has three in this ring — his father, and two older brothers. so she pulls her face away from his chest, eyes still blurry as she focuses on effie's face, so she can see and hear as she calls out the male tribute.

it's not gale (she remembers to breathe).

it's not a mellark, either (some of peeta's tension dissolves, and his hand stops crushing her own).

it's chandler something, a pale man that becomes even paler as he climbs up the stairs.

no volunteers for him either (she is a one-time thing, a fluke, she is reminded of words she's heard at the capitol; the first and only to be so foolishly masochistic she accepted death so a loved one would live).

katniss tunes out from then, refusing to even look at chandler’s face as he approaches to take his spot and shake hazelle's hand. she can not look at him, she knows right then, as her eyes finally find gale's across the square, and she makes a promise without any words.

katniss has to bring hazelle home. alive. whatever the cost (and for once, gale will not hold it against her).

[clonesupport]

for the ask game: choose: sigma or sam drake? 😤

oh fuck-

oh dear..that’s uhh…..well that’s just the darnest question isn’t it—

after way too much deliberation and banging my head against the wall i almost cant pick but i kinda wanna say sam drake- I ALREADY FEEL BAD IM SORRY SIGMA I TAKE IT BACK— my final answer is both

[benefits1986]

YE 2023 Countdown: Story Lines > Story Lies

Show. Don't tell. That's how worthwhile stories ought to unfold.

Feelings Management 101 is now in my book. It's not easy but if I want to nail down my "14 going 40" life peg, I'd have to train my protein-deficient social and mental muscles in time for another social construct called NEW YEAR. Let's add subtopics in this rubric so that I don't fall into the trap of overthinking, for a change.

Today is a holiday, I think, but I'm on wellness leave; so, I just had a super "go with flow" day because I usually plan my leaves down to my shot list and numbers of rum/whisky shots taken, too. Since, this day is quite curious, let me try to show how it panned and dollied. CHOZ.

Story #1: Passenger Seat Princess Dashboard Confessions I shared that my 4th anak-anakan was the one who convinced me to go to ina and ama's humble home for Christmas. She asked me to be her passenger princess since she is a student driver. She invited me for brunch in Muni Coffee because she knew I'm getting back to IF after feasting on a whole lot of decent holiday food that doesn't involved spaghetti, macaroni salad, fried white tilapia or ina's famous menudo ng angkan.

I slept for 7 solid hours which is a pleasant surprise as I'm trying my best to refocus my lens that has been wonky for a few months, already. Honestly, I need this break to prevent the 12 out 12 signs of burnout. I asked her if she wanted to review so I could squeeze in even 4 solid hours of work, but, she choked me. LOL. She told me that she'd also run errands and that she'd need me to be with her.

Of course, I said yes, because why not? As we were passing through the balmy roads of ina's sleepy town, we had a real talk without the filters. I asked her how she is, really and this time around, I actually answered her: Ate, "kamusta ka ba talaga" question which I usually evade and divert. She was taken aback when I told her that her luwas to Manila is actually a trigger turned glimmer. I thanked her because that timeframe reminded me that my life is not as crappy as I thought it was. I also told her that her 100% trust with my meager existence is something that keeps me more alive. Of course, we had a good dash of bashing, but I told her that I'm learning a lot from her Gen Z brainwaves. LOL.

Even when she knows that she's the tamer version of wild child, scattered brain, brain fog me, she's allowing herself to embrace emotional maturity way better than me at 23. LOL. Ang lala ko kasi talaga nung 23 ako. HAHAHAHAHA. She also asked me super specific questions that I'm not gonna TMI because, kahihiyan levels 100000.

Honestly, she is my kind of "uncut" journal, too. Medyo lume-level na siya kina soul sis and Ju sa mga puwede akong ma-blackmail levels na 'to. LOLOLOLOL. But, I'm not threatened because she is my safe space when it comes to certain topics that are super ugh.

Syempre, dinaldal na naman ng tatay kong magaling ang Japan trip ko and seryosong if I have the funds and she has the time, I'd take her to Japan with me. HAHAHAHA. E busy na siya sa Q1 since she's off to med school preps. Ako naman, super specific lang din ng budget because medyo mapapalaban tayo ng malala sa JaFunds pero ready naman tayo kahit munti. LOL. Hotel bookings from travel buddy paganaps are super sulit because maganda location. HAHAHAHAHA.

I know, one day, we'd spend 2 weeks in Japan and by then, she's closer to giving me a legit med cert for whatever it is that I'd like to officiate. LOL. Kidding aside, seeing my 4th anak-anakan in her element even if she's stabilizing her body chem, the pressure of being the first doctor sa angkan, her ate-daughter duties and all the things in between, I know she's gonna make way better choices than I did ages ago. I'm kinda living vicariously through her, too.

#2 Kids Say, Do, Feel, Think The Darnest & Darkest Things Since my three Gen Alpha cousins think that I'm 27 years old, I almost flipped. LOL. Ganun ba talaga ako ka-immature? Hahahahaha. They feel like they can just invade my space and don't feel sorry for them or for me. LOL. I find it funny that even when I'm RBF, they seem to come too close whenever there's a window of opportunity.

Mga 3 hours max lang talaga kaya ng pake ko, but, this holiday kagulo with them hits differently. First, I gifted Vi her second violin. It's a hand-me-down from a super good friend who migrated to get married and have a kid. This violin is a reminder of my first ever encounter with an actual hold up. LOL. I did a few lessons, but, I didn't push through as I remember the scenes with every fiddle. The mom of Vi almost flipped because the price tag is kinda steep. I told her that "pahiram" lang naman 'yun. HAHAHAHAHA. Violin-teacher approved because the former owner, my super good friend actually played it for a short while.

Second, Vi is so weird because she kept smelling my pits as she's trying to sleep. Sabi ko tigil niya kasi 'di pa ako naliligo. Sabi niya: Why do you smell so good? Sabi ko naman: UHM. NO. Weirdo kasi si Vi. As in. Artsy e. But, you know why I don't want her actions and her comments? I smell mother dragon's pits when I want to lambing and go to sleep even when I was a full adult na working na. LOL. Ang weird pala nun noh? A while ago, I didn't get triggered which is so refreshing. Small win ko 'yan. Allow the emotions to flow instead of constricting them and CTRL + ALT + DEL them.

Third, my Virgo baby girl (VBG) who's dalaginding middle child is a tough cookie. Medyo kakaiba 'to kasi she and my brother share the same birthday. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Dad teases me na kamukha ko 'to nung bata ako pero payat siya. :p VBG is super moody to the point that it gets off the roof. Very Virgo, very like my brother especially during his early days. You know what calms VBG? Hugs and words of affirmation --two things I abhor. :D But, I've learned that kids who have fucked up mood swings usually feel overstimulated and/or overwhelmed. Hugging her and affirming her even when I feel like a total idiot reminds me of my childhood in a way. As a millennial Tita, I think and see the difference of this approach. It's not easy, might be counter-intuitive to a lot of people, pero wapakels naman ako since wala namang masamang sumubok. She threw a good round of tantrums because she was teased yet again by my brother and her mom.

I gave her space and tried hugging her. I told her that I'm just by her side and that she's a sweet, gentle, smart baby girl. Aba, nakalma. HAHAHAHAHA. 'Yung pagiging middle child niya kasi is medyo sagad. 11 months apart lang sila nung bunso. Ayun, tantrum volcano eruption averted and nahatid namin pauwi ng maayos sa bahay nila since maaga pa silang lalarga bukas.

Third, my binatilyong cousin (Le) who's the only thorn among the roses, is shaping up. He's no longer the bully brother kahit paano. He was actually the one who started my age reveal and he failed miserably. Akala raw niya talaga 27 lang ako with matching wide eyes and mouth opened wide. Le is a thinker and a competitive doer. Siguro kasi siya lang lalaki and he seems to have this thirst to be the kuya when he's but the second child with an ate (my 4th anak-anakan) who's super straightup na strict na RBF. He seems to have a girlfriend na and I'm really glad to see him in a more confident and caring chapter. HUHUHUHUHU. Syempre, mga jokes nilang magkakapatid medyo graphic na graphic. Matic lang sa kanila na DIE as a joke. Sabi ko tigil nila 'yun kasi it's a bad joke. They learn it from YouTube raw and it's a joke, a common one. Sabi ko naman, tigilan nila kakanood ng kunwaring kid-friendly channels.

Kids. I think is not my cup of tea nor my goblet of sangria, but as I told my 4th anak-anakan, if magkaroon ako, TL 'yun. GG pa. TL = true love. GG = God's Gift. JUSQ. I have yet to get my check up again kasi mas madali pa rin for me to go to the menopausal route para tapos na talaga 'tong topic na 'to. :P Mas madaling magiging negotiations and zero chances na ng inception.

#3 The Box of Chocolate and Crate of Lemons Called Life

My tito (Eu) chose to stay in ina's home instead of having a trip with his whole family. His reason: Fighting the gravity pull of his advanced CA. Tito Eu has been battling this bitch for 3 years in no less than Singapore's National Cancer Center. It is a bloody fight and I've been trying to reach out to him more often even when this reminds me of Tito Taurus quite a lot. The thing is that, Tito Eu is dad's "best rival" ever since they were hunting down firewood and getting coconuts at a young age together. By best rival, I mean, 'yung magkapatid na onti lang years agwat and basically outsmarted each outher nung bata. Dad naman is not competitive unless triggered, so, I try my best to help him look after Tito Eu. Dad said that he's not ready to lose another family member to CA.

Tito Eu is a strong force to reckon with. LOL. But, what I like about him is that he wants a healthy debate and is open to a super unfiltered talk. The past months, he's more vocal about how he really feels and this is something that I hope to happen more and more. Since he flies non-stop to get treated and tested, our time to catch up is not that much. I guess that this is another way for me and dad to face death as friend rather than a foe through Tito Eu.

He knows that he's but a ticking time bomb and that his expiration date is just around the corner. Since he's an adrenaline junkie, dad and I egg him to do shit that would make him more alive which are: skydiving, bungee jumping, getting a pimped 4WD pick up and the like.

It's heartbreaking to hear him share that he's feeling the pull of his battle as he's been losing weight because of poor appetite. From 102 kgs, he's now at 100 kg, real quick. I'd try to squeeze in a roadtrip with him if he's up for it in the coming days. When you see him, he doesn't look sick at all, maangas pa rin 'to e. My only hope is that he'd be able to make peace with the things that he's worried about; so he can focus on his graceful finish. Easier said than done, but I know and feel that this sad story is a story of hope and total surrender. While at it, I'd like dad and I to have more open conversations about this topic, too.

#4 Mothers Know Best/Mothers Know Nothing Moms, moms, moms. The world is made and destroyed by moms. LOL. Having a mom is tough. Losing a mom is way tougher; even when it can be "good riddance" at the core.

Moms are usually given a report card that they didn't sign up for, but did anyway. Seeing my titas and cousins who are living the mom life up close and from afar is weird. It's kind of expected from moms to know so many things and know best even when they are clueless about answers and questions, too.

Moms also know nothing because there's no graduate program or even a handbook for this super specific role. However, moms signed up for this and they try their best to embrace all the facets and fuck ups that go with motherhood in the hood.

Losing mother dragon and ina is a game changer. Even when the celebration in ina's house is above average, the menudo and white tilapia of ina are irreplaceable. I've been gently asking my angkan one on one about how they're coping and damnnnnndamin all over and over and over again.

I guess, this is me trying my most challenging empath/wounded healer era to date. While at it, I am also able to come closer to how I didn't grieve mom's loss since 2012. It's always on WIP but now, steroids doesn't trigger me as much. Palliative healthcare topics don't burn me inside out. More importantly, I'm slowly growing into a headspace that's brewed the right way.

I want to go on and on and on and on, but I'm choosing to end this here and now, for now. Catch you later?

[darnestdungeon]

Hello! Hope it's not a bother, but would it be possible to get 3D renders of the enemies from DD2? I know the devs made a Google folder of posed renders but I'd love some proper image reference of them all considering how detailed their models are.

No pressure! Thanks for reading.

Hi there, sorry for the late reply! If you don’t mind, could you share the link to this folder of posed references you mentioned? I feel like this would be helpful for those who never heard of it! I’m not sure if this is something the devs shared on the dd discord, I’ve left the server months ago after one too many bad moderation incidents– which didn’t even involve me, I just lurked and felt bad watching it all.

About your request, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it– someone else had already asked for dd2 enemy refs two years ago and my answer was the same, there are just way too many models. On the wiki, I just counted 74 enemies (including variations like knight/fallen templar) and bosses (end of confession + warlord), and there will still be more added on the upcoming kingdoms free dlc. 

This is just way too many for just one person to handle, it already took ages to render all the 12 heroes available at the time, the enemies would take even longer due to their drastically different sizes, I’d have to adjust the camera position and keyframes for each of them every time, slowing down even more the already slow rendering process, not to mention the effort of setting up the models in blender with their 2 textures (base color and shadows/lineart).

Another complicating factor: extracting the game assets have become unreliable lately due to some backend changes in Unity, the software dd2 was made in, which messed up a bit AssetStudioGui, the software I had been using to extract assets. For instance, I recently tried to get assets from another game made in Unity (The Pale Beyond) and kept getting errors through the extraction process, in the end there were a lot of missing assets, I had to edit a couple myself to put them in the game’s wiki. This is a great game btw but I cannot rec it much due to how miserable the animal deaths made me feel (rip entire penguin colony, I’m a monster).

Now, truth be told, none of the above reasons would impede me if I really really wanted to do it. Heck, making all those dd1 gifs took way more effort and time than rendering all the dd2 hero refs combined but I still pushed through it because I love dd1. I just don’t feel the same passion and drive about dd2 as a whole. I don’t enjoy the gameplay loop, I don’t like the backstories, I don’t appreciate the inconsistencies, like, Antiquarian was deemed “too evil” to come back as a hero, as said by the devs during a live, then turns out Flagellant was the one torturing Vestal but he gets a free pass? And he comes back as a half-rotten walking corpse? As our ally? While we have to kill other half-rotten walking corpses which aren’t obviously evil and by all means could just be attacking back in self defense (widow and woodsman)? See, I have no big qualms with any of these claims individually (sure, let Flagellant and Vestal put the past behind and get amorous, go nuts), but add them all together in the same game and it starts to feel like an inconsistent mess. 

Also, why did time only seemed to pass for Flagellant? It would be so cool if all the heroes had this crazy treatment, like Crusader coming back as a corrupted Tangle soldier, Vestal (or Runaway for the matter) being a former fanatic cult member, Highwayman as a gaunt, like a collected head that somehow survived and escaped and so on. It just feels odd to me that only one hero came back wrong, you know what I mean?

But oh well, none of this matter to me anymore. I just don’t feel like making dd2 renders for the time being, hope this explains!