#finally my magnum opus has been released

[boatboysrowout]

please tell us more about the mall au, specifically etho and his pipe bomb, i need an entire thing of him running from the cops (i am your number one fan ignore that i only just found out about you that doesnt matter)

hey guys. wanna hear about white castle pipe bomb c plot?

this may come as a surprise to some, but etho is a natural at customer service. he’s always been a pretty chill guy- it takes a lot to faze him, probably a consequence of his proclivity towards explosives in his early years. that calm exterior translates well to working the front desk of a local electronics repair store (not that he had needed a summer job, really, but doc and beef both went home for the summer, and someone kept leaving him visa-friendly job applications in every nook and cranny of his dorm- he found one in his cereal a few weeks before finals, and even that one had nothing on the one he found folded up in his toothpaste).

that being said, being good at customer service doesn’t mean that he’s completely immune to the agonies of said customer service. being good at customer service just means that after the eighteenth laptop he has to factory reset while a teenaged boy swears up and down he had not in fact clicked on a link for sexy singles in his area, etho’s able to wait until the boy leaves before attempting to gouge out his other eye.

he’s searching for a screwdriver when his phone buzzes with a text, and after a longing look at his toolbox etho flips his sign to closed and heads over to the white castle. he makes a quick stop at the arcade tango mans to set a new high score on the pinball machine, effectively guaranteeing tango will be glued to the pinball machine until he regains the top leaderboard spot, and then continues on his way to the white castle, spirits high. 

etho’s good mood abruptly vanishes after stepping into the white castle, as bdubs has apparently deemed etho’s delay in arrival unforgivable and is now withholding the free fries etho had been promised.

etho slumps himself over the front counter, not unlike a wet cat, and starts causing a scene, whining about his awful day full of idiot teens and potential self mutilation that can only be staved off with free food. bdubs staunchly ignores him and cleo threatens to pour hot oil on his head.

eventually actual paying customers come in and etho’s continued presence becomes a problem, so bdubs heaves a sigh and offers the fries to etho as long as he pays full price for them, to which etho, an extreme couponer, reacts appropriately.

etho’s eye narrows as he peels himself off of the front counter, demanding the fries free of charge. bdubs refuses. cleo smacks bdubs on the back of the head and tells him to just give etho the fries so he'll go away.

etho gives bdubs one last chance to give him the fries for free, and by the time bdubs physically removes him from the premises etho is already plotting his revenge and heading straight back to the art store to collect a favor.

(you see, somewhere between the fifth and eighth laptop etho had to factory reset, tango texted him that he managed to jailbreak the pinball machine to accept a quarter for unlimited plays, and etho abandoned his job immediately to take advantage of the incredible deal.  

that was his intention, anyway. but what happened is this: etho had never really shaken off the hold explosives have over him. after he’d been put on a five different government watchlists by the time he was seventeen he’d taken a step back and started focusing more on computing and getting into college and other projects that were less likely to necessitate seizure by the canadian government. he’s clean. he left that life behind him.

however. 

when the sound of an explosion comes from the cute little art shop as etho walks past, there’s not a second of hesitation before he swung the front doors open and entered the shop.

it hadn’t taken him long to locate the source of the explosion, following a trail of smoke down a half hidden flight of stairs to a door with a hastily scrawled sign on it reading 'SUPER TALL AND HANDSOME EMPLOYEES ONLY.’

etho opened the door, walking into what has to be the world’s most pathetic meth lab. in the corner there was a stack of cardboard boxes labeled NOT DRUGS/DEFINITELY LEGAL SUBSTANCES. beakers filled with unidentifiable substances were bubbling over onto the table. a laptop near etho’s foot displayed results for a google search of ‘how to tell if a cut needs stitches and also how long can you set yourself on fire without going to hospital.’

“THIS ISN’T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.” a man who etho vaguely recognized from grian's beginning of summer introductions had shouted, throwing his body over the contents of the table in a desperate attempt to hide the beakers from view. a few shattered under his weight and etho heard him stifle a whimper. “everything here is perfectly normal and also legal.”

breaking bad played quietly from a tv somewhere in the background.

etho raised an eyebrow.)

in the end, they manage to work out a deal: etho would not call the cops or tell anyone about joel's secret little operation and in return, joel owed etho a favor.

and now etho will cash that favor in.

(“so let me get this straight. you’re pissed your friend wouldn’t give you chips for free and your first instinct is to go to a meth lab and steal my meth supplies to get back at him.”

“failed meth lab. and yup.”

“there’s something wrong with you.”

“at least i know how to make meth.”

“wait, you what.”)

they start small. prank calls, anonymous yelp reviews calling the really loud cashier short, launching fireworks through the drive-thru window. it doesn’t take long for them to get bored with that though, which leads to bdubs walking into the white castle one morning to discover a horse standing in the middle of the lobby. 

the horse seems very at peace with the situation, wandering over to chew on bdub’s hair as he sputters and cleo ignores the situation entirely. bdubs is left with the task of removing the horse from the store, except the horse seems to be taller than the doorway and not particularly interested in leaving, so eventually bdubs is forced to give up. There’s just a horse in their lobby now. 

it doesn’t take bdubs very long to become attached to the horse, much to the detriment of cleo. she’s running the white castle single handedly by the end of the second day, serving customers and manning the kitchen while bdubs whispers sweet nothings to the horse in the makeshift horse stall he made in the women’s restroom. 

it’s pointless to try and reason with bdubs, so cleo makes her way over to the art store basement where joel and etho have set up their base of operations. ignoring the now functioning meth lab, she demands the horse be removed from the premises in exchange for a reasonable one free small fry per week. 

reasonable to cleo, and least. both jeol and etho scoff at her offer and demand at least one large fry per day each, to which cleo laughs in their faces. she doesn’t bother making a counter offer, simply turning on her heel and walking out of the basement. she pauses for a moment at the front of the shop to make sure she hadn’t been followed before grabbing her lighter from her pocket, casually flicking it on and taking a step towards the tissue paper.

by the time joel and etho notice something is amiss the fire department has arrived, and they’re barely able to hide the evidence of their operation before firefighters are breaking down the door, carrying them out through the art shop, entirely engulfed in flames. 

(“so in retrospect, ripping all the smoke detectors out of the ceiling probably wasn’t a great idea on your part.”

“how was i to know i was gonna get into a war with an arsonist, all i wanted to do was mind my own business and make meth!”

“fail at making meth.”

“shut up.”)

now relocated behind the counter at etho’s repair shop, joel and etho prepare their final attack.

the plan is simple: using supplies salvaged from the meth lab, etho will construct a smoke bomb and throw it through the white castle drive through window while joel takes advantage of the distraction and steals all the fries the white castle possesses.

making the smoke bomb is a piece of cake, and when joel isn't looking etho sneaks a few of his own more... volatile substances into his backpack. just in case.

joel enters the white castle and cleo immediately clocks him due to joel being the most suspicious person alive always, but she cannot be arsed to investigate. it’s been a long fucking week. joel knows what will happen if he messes with her.

bdubs, however, feels an impending sense of doom through his Etho Senses and rushes over to the drive-thru window and whips it open, immediately screaming at the sight of etho across the road winding up his arm with a smoke bomb in his hand.

and that’s when things really start to go wrong.

because here’s the thing: etho’s been missing an eye for most of his life. he knows his depth perception is shit. but he’s so caught up in the adrenaline of the moment, and bdubs screaming isn’t exactly helping him focus, and listen the baseball scene in canada isn’t exactly thriving-

all of this is to say that etho activates the smoke bomb, winds up, and promptly chucks it five feet to the left of the drive through window. it bounces off the side of the building and rolls to a stop against the tire of the car that had been pulling up to order.

several things happen in very quick succession:

1. the smoke bomb begins pouring out smoke, completely obscuring etho from view and flooding into the white castle

2. bdubs attempts to continue screaming but immediately regrets it as copious amounts of smoke invade his lungs

3. the car which had previously been pulling up to the drive through attempts to exit the scene as quickly as possible, but due to the aforementioned copious amounts of smoke misjudges where the road turns and makes a hard left directly into the wall of the white castle

the very same wall where bdubs had leashed his horse mere minutes before, and the very same wall joel had been creeping along.

the horse and joel are immediately flattened, and upon seeing this bdubs’ impassioned screaming reaches pitches previously unknown to man, and all hell breaks loose.

cleo starts cackling and arms herself with a makeshift flamethrower thrown together with hairspray and a personalized lighter. bdubs attempts to leap out of the drive-thu window but his foot gets stuck and he falls out of the building, crumpling to the ground in a still screaming heap before scrambling back up through the drive-thru window and into the fray. joel manages to claw his way out of the rubble, finds himself face to face with cleo and her flamethrower, and has half a second to regret the his and hers shrek mugs that trapped him in this stupid country before he’s running for his life. 

etho himself ends up sitting peacefully on the bench outside the white castle entrance, his mask helpfully filtering out most of the smoke. it’s lucky he grabbed some extra materials from joel’s lab really, he knew bdubs wouldn’t hand over the fries without a fight. 

he’s in the middle of assembling a device that’ll definitely get him put on the american government’s watchlist and ignoring the screams coming from inside when two men rush past him into the white castle, shouting something about justice and burgers. etho waits for a second, and almost immediately they come rushing back out. he waves at their retreating figures, one of whom he’s pretty sure is the theater kid that tried to put on a one man show of macbeth during welcome week.

etho wraps the fuse around his pipe bomb and stands up, brushing the debris off of his pants and strolling into the fray.

he finds bdubs almost immediately, the man standing on the counter and clearly audible even over the fire alarms and incessant swearing from joel and cleo, who now both have improvised flamethrowers and are duking it out in the kids play area. despite the smoke bduds and etho lock eyes instantly, bdubs paling a few shades when he sees what etho has in his hand.

bdubs jumps off the counter and attempts to run to etho, but is cut off by an entirely engulfed in flames joel. it seems that bdubs did not learn a single lesson about the flammability of his hair product from his run in with grian at the beginning of the summer, because his hair bursts into flames after the slightest brush from joel, and this time cleo isn’t standing nearby with a fire extinguisher.

it should be noted that most of the white castle is entirely engulfed in flames at this point. etho’s at the center of it all, cradling his pipe bomb like a baby and searching furiously for his promised free french fries. 

he’s stopped by cleo who meets his eyes, smiles wide, and lights the pipe bomb fuse. 

-

etho and cleo stare at the wreckage of the white castle. look at each other. look back at the rubble.

the sirens in the distance are distinctly closer now, and both etho and cleo abruptly realize how much evidence is contained on their person. 

“joel’s probably fine.” cleo says. “i saw him run into the walk in freezer after i burnt away the last of his clothes and hair.”

etho nods. “bdubs is too short to get crushed by rubble.”

cleo hums agreement. they stand side by side for a moment longer before cleo turns to etho.

“well, i won’t tell if you won’t.”

with that she turns on her heel and walks away. etho sticks around for a few more minutes, watching the flames die down and the last of the white castle crumble. he digs around in his pocket for a moment and pulls out a blackened handful of fries, yanking his mask down to shove them in his mouth as emergency services skid into the parking lot. 

sticking around turns out to be a mistake, etho quickly realizes, as his white hair reflects the light from the police cars and catches the attention of every officer there. he takes off at a sprint, pulling his mask back up and booking it straight into moving traffic, dodging cars and leaving the yells of the police officers and the rubble behind him.

and that’s the last anyone sees of etho that summer.

(og link here!)

[pisceantarot]

⋆ ｡  𐀔  ° ‧     what you can do to aid your future self, a message from your guides<3

PICK A SCENE AND DISCOVER... what blessings await you in the (near) future? what can you do right now to align with this energy? a channeled message from your guides!

                      ꕤ * ．   pile one.           →           ꕤ * ． pile two.

                      ꕤ * ． pile three.           →           ꕤ * ． pile four.

release all tension in your body, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. ask yourself: "which pile has a message for me today?" when you open your eyes, what image did your eyes fall on? what image do you feel most drawn to energetically? that's your pile!

this reading is timeless! it will cross your path whenever it's meant to find you 🍀 i was called to channel this energy to provide guidance for those who feel a bit stuck right now, but also as a little source of positivity! you are worthy of good things, don't ever forget this 🩷 (stream sunshine & rain by Kali Uchis!)

PILE # 01 :

what's waiting for you?

you're being guided to align with your soul's path. there will be several opportunities and chances (out of nowhere, i'm feeling) headed your way that will be significant for building the future you want for yourself. it might not feel like it, though!! i heard "wait, really?" when i'm channeling the opportunities headed your way, so some of you might be unsure or doubtful about how any of this will benefit you. i'm hearing spirit say that if something feels right, even if it makes no sense at all, go for it! you might be surprised with what you find on the other side<33 (i'm sensing this will set you up with skills, experiences, connections, etc... that will be the key to opening the door to your soul's path!!)

i'm also feeling my heart glow in my chest, so there could be a lot of emotional healing going on!! you'll be making space for love, both self love but also love from others!! (could be romantic, familial, or platonic!) if you've been disconnected from your heart space, i see you finally being comfortable enough to get in touch with this part of yourself. this will feel like a pressure falling off of your shoulders. for those who feel like they always have to fight for love, consideration, attention, etc... i see this coming to an end!! you will feel much lighter and much happier<33 there's a lot of gratitude in this energy!

what can you do now to help your future self?

to me it feels like this pile is going through significant transformations! you're balancing the scales, i'm hearing. whatever you're doing, it's working!! (or at the very least you have all the tools right now to sculpt something beautiful<3 while typing this, i just saw an image of michelangelo's david inside my head... so some of you could quite literally get started on a project that will be your magnum opus 🤭 very exciting energy!! trust your intuition to guide you and take inspired action!!) for those who are seeking to venture into something new, make sure to keep your imposter syndrome in check! you are worthy of sitting at the table with the big guys. you are worthy of putting yourself out there. don't hide yourself because you fear there's no space for someone like you. don't hide because of "what ifs"... spirit wants me to remind you that rome wasn't built in a day, don't set yourself up for failure by expecting too much at once. slow and steady wins the race!! they want you to look back and see how far you've already come. i'm really feeling like this pile is a winner, though, this is very potent energy<3

PILE # 02 :

what's waiting for you?

troubling times are over, is what i'm hearing. you'll finally be able to relax and catch a break! i see a ship sailing on the sea with a shore in sight, so you're very close to the finish line<3 if there's something you've been looking forward to/a project that has to be presented soon, this will go very well!! (i'm seeing either a vacation going well, exams being successful, or a work presentation going exactly how you want it to go!) when i'm in this energy, my body just completely relaxes after a period of stress and hard work. you'll be carrying the fruits of your labor and slowly but surely heal your body from being in "survival mode".

i'm very specifically hearing something about trauma healing as well. spirit is redirecting my attention to my womb, so this could be sexual trauma or trauma associated with motherhood/the relationship with the mother. while this energy does feel very intense and heavy, once you start addressing and nurturing this specific wound an accumulation of creative energy will explode within you. this is perhaps the most beautiful blessing of all: you'll feel inspired again<3 you'll be finding purpose. this is very potent energy!! you're on your way to unlock untapped creative potential within yourself which will lead to very blessed future endeavors!!

what can you do now to help your future self?

don't give up! your hard work is paying off, i see a weight being lifted off of your shoulders very soon. if you're feeling stuck or especially unmotivated, i see this ending! don't be too hard on yourself and be gentle with both your body and your mind. while i know i said not to give up, i do feel like some of you need to be extra careful with burn-outs, though... there's a difference between moving forward and growing through discomfort vs pushing yourself to a point of exhaustion while your body is screaming at you to stop. taking care of your body will make you instantly feel better! i'm especially talking about psychical contact with your body (and not necessarily the sexual kind either!) like, you need to be extra gentle with yourself when you put lotion on your body, hugging and caressing yourself while looking in the mirror, etc... gentle and loving touches with your own body will bring you sooooo much comfort, is what i'm hearing! really enjoy feeling the warm water of a hot shower against your skin, really live inside of your body. don't use it as a lump of flesh you have to carry with you, see it as a gift the divine gave you to experience this world. once you start to adore the vessel you live in (even while faced with the chaos of your day to day life) your energy will improve a lot!

PILE # 03 :

what's waiting for you?

my spiritual pile<3 you'll be developing your gifts! i'm getting very much siren vibes, someone who'll be very alluring and has finally found their voice... you could be having a very healing experience near a body of water in the future! i see you very much at peace with your own (feminine) energy and moving into a very harmonious relationship with your mind, body, and soul! this is very nice!! you'll be unlocking a lot of secrets. in my head i'm seeing spirit give you insights on something really special. to me it feels third eye related, as if you'll finally understand the inner workings of yourself as a cog in this universe, and being able to transmute all energies that come your way. (basically turning dirt into gold!) what i'm particularly seeing in my head is a chest with divine secrets, amethysts, and coins being opened by a key only you hold. you're definitely going to have some sort of divine epiphany that will lead to invaluable insights! this could happen while on a walk, i see nature being particularly important for this pile!!

when i'm in this energy, it all feels very mysterious and sensual to me. (when i try to go deeper to discover what this secret could be about, spirit is playfully redirecting me because i'm not supposed to know 😭 this knowledge is only meant for you.) it will reveal itself when the time is right, is what i just heard. regardless you'll be extremely seductive and attractive, i'm seeing someone dance under the moonlight and beckoning me to come closer, you're very magnetic. the next blessings waiting for you will be very spiritually expansive, it will bring you a greater sense of both peace and power!!

what can you do now to help your future self?

i think this pile needs to be reminded of doing their daily spiritual practices 🤭 (if you've been following them dutifully, your guides are very grateful for this!) this pile honestly feels like magic. you're surrounded by magic, you're working with magic, life feels very magical!! i see you being ready to level up, to aim higher, all because you have your basics down. doors will be opening very soon as long as you keep following this path, and your intuition knows exactly where you need to go— even if your brain is still catching up!

i'm feeling two very specific scenarios here, so i'm going to explain both!!

for people practicing loa: consistency is key, keep up with your mental diet! i see you finally finding a routine that works well for you, i see a "aha"-moment where you realise how manifestation works for you. i'm getting the vibes of "master manifestor" here, so i really see you leveling up and moving onto more "ambitious" manifestations. limiting beliefs will disappear. here it's important to go back to basics and not to fall into the trap of overconsumption. yes, you can read all the manifestation posts you like, but if you don't consistently practice what you read then what's the point</3 but you'll have a breakthrough soon enough! i see you really finding something that works for you!!

for people practicing witchcraft: you will be leveling up in your spellwork! consistently sticking to basic routines when it comes to grounding, protecting, and cleansing yourself will pay off with a very solid base. this will allow you to handle much more complex spellwork. i also see your work being much more potent and powerful as your body and mind become more stable. rituals will become much more intense and i'm really sensing that you will be much more connected to the divine. more spiritual powers will course through you as spirit knows it won't harm your vessel, this is what i'm hearing specifically. extremely powerful energy, make sure to give yourself enough rest!!

PILE # 04 :

note: when i started on your pile, i (very loudly, mind you 😭) heard "you are my sunshine" by johnny cash play in my head. the guide stepping forward feels like an elderly figure with masculine energy (doesn't mean they have to be male, though!) who feels very protective over you! i'm getting gentle vibes from them, even though they're a bit rough around the edges!

(this is a very specific message for only a select few of you, so please only take this if you feel called to it, but i need to mention it: if you have a grandparent/elderly figure who passed away, i sense a lot of regret for not loving you enough. i see someone loving you fiercely (on an energetic level now), but they were unable to express this love properly during their life on earth. there's so much regret and sadness surrounding this. they want you to know they're very proud of you!! you might be feeling their energy around you, still<3 it's almost like they want to support you now in ways they weren't able to do before...)

what's waiting for you?

peace. the feeling of standing on top of a hill and looking over a flower field on a warm summer day. you'll feel at peace, your heart is soft. you left your armour behind. you will feel a bit uncertain (exposed and vulnerable), but i see you being brave and strong. it's very possible you just had to make a very important decision. (it could change your life entirely, you had to leave the old behind.) and while you're sad about all that you left, i see you being hopeful for a better future. and brighter days are ahead of you! i'm seeing more love, more appreciation, more confidence!! you're looking for your place in this world. not for what you do, but for who you are.

this could be a pile that's moving away, starting a new job or career, or simply decided to turn their lives around. this will be bittersweet, but i see you remaining hopeful and strong and knowing it's for the best. you're doing amazing, this is the right choice<3 you know yourself best and no one else can make these decisions for you. if you're planning on doing something that feels right to you (regardless of what other people might think or say), i see your guides being extremely proud of you! (they're calling you sunflower in my head!) know that you can face whatever the future has in store for you, know that you are braver and stronger than you think!! your blessings will come from everywhere, i'm sensing, all because you were brave enough to leave the old behind!

what can you do now to help your future self?

i just heard "it's okay". i'm feeling the need to hug you, to comfort you. your guides wish they could hold you and tell you it's okay. while this pile doesn't feel unhappy, i can't help but wonder: "when was the last time someone showed pile 4 they genuinely cared?" if you're feeling lonely, please be extra gentle with yourself. if you're surrounded by people yet something is missing, please don't feel like anything is wrong with you. this pile needs to face wounds regarding loneliness and fears of being truly seen by others. not just the image you project towards others, not the "polite" and "acceptable" version of yourself. no, your heart is shining a very bright light and this light deserves to be seen by others. you deserve to receive a lot more love from the people around you. don't let them take you for granted! take your energy back in case it's needed. i feel once you find peace within yourself, once you're aware of the extend of your worth, things will be changing exponentially!! wishing you so much warmth, pile 4<33

[midnightsslut]

A Guide to Red - The Quintessential Taylor Swift Album

After the release of The Manuscript, the role of Red and Red (Taylor’s Version) in Taylor’s life and discography has been highly discussed. A lot of people have referred to it as her magnum opus and most formative album. I have decided to compile a condensed list of about a dozen key interviews, performances, speeches, posts, and videos from 2011 all the way until 2024 that illustrate the importance of this record for Taylor’s personal life and career. I’m putting the list under a cut because it got pretty long. You don’t have to go through all of these, obviously, but I would suggest at least one per era. The bolded ones are essential in my opinion.

Pre-Red - These interviews hint at Taylor’s emotional state at the time and thus the content that will be explored on the Red album

2011 The New Yorker profile

Taylor Swift reveals new album is all about heartbreak - Extra TV

Bonus: an article going through Taylor’s arm lyrics on the Speak Now World Tour, which she described as mood rings for any particular show

Lover diary entries from the making of Red (credit to @cabincreaking for the scans)

- All Too Well lyrics first draft (February 2011)

- Random bursts of happiness and anxiety during the Speak Now Tour (June 17, 2011)

- Red (September 8, 2011)

- Holy Ground (February 2012)

- Nothing New (March 2, 2012)

- Working with Max Martin (June 10, 2012)

Red era - Listen to the original sixteen songs on the Red album at this point.

Red announcement livestream + Q&A

Red prologue

2012 Rolling Stone interview

2012 The Guardian interview

2012 Billboard interview

2012 Esquire interview

Sirius XM Town Hall - an hourlong interview from the day Red came out

Good Morning America - this is the first mention of the ten-minute version of All Too Well

Red track-by-track descriptions

Random interview where she discusses the connection between writing Speak Now and Red

I Knew You Were Trouble music video

Diary entry about how love is fiction and she might move to New York after all (January 6, 2014)

Diary entry from Grammy night (January 25, 2014)

Red Tour London performance of All Too Well - any performance of this song from 2013-14 will work here, but this one has a pretty comprehensive speech

Final performance of All Too Well on the Red Tour - just listen to the speech here

Post-Red era - Over the course of these interviews, you’ll see her relationship to the album evolve.

Taylor’s description of Clean (skip to 11:18)

2014 BBC Live Lounge interview

1989 World Tour interview where she mentions thinking she’d never sell as many albums as she did with Red before 1989 came out

Clean speech - a lot of these will work, but these two best describe her relationship with the Red era and heartbreak in general

All Too Well (The 1989 World Tour live)

2015 GrammyPro interview

All Too Well Super Saturday Night performance

Reputation Tour All Too Well speech

Red into Daylight performance - 2019 City of Lover concert in Paris

Re-recordings era - at this point, listen to the red vault

2020 Rolling Stone podcast

Red (Taylor’s Version) prologue

2021 Saturday Night Live performance

All Too Well: The Short Film + Behind the Scenes

Seth Meyers interview

2022 Tribeca film talk OR TIFF (both are equally good. I have a slight preference for the former, but there are some interesting new details in the latter). You could also watch directors on directors from the same year as a bonus, but it’s less comprehensive.

2022 Graham Norton - How All Too Well (10 Minute Version) came about + how the re-recordings inspired Midnights

Also listen to Midnights

The Eras Tour

All Too Well speech (Glendale Night 2 & Atlanta Night 1) - any of the speeches from March and April 2023 will work, but these two really illustrate how she feels about this time in her life now and how the fans changed the Red album for her. Obviously credit to @cages-boxes-hunters-foxes for the transcripts!

Maroon first ever live performance (‘This is a song about something that happened a long time ago, but it took place in New York’)

Aaaand finally listen to The Tortured Poets Department, especially The Manuscript

This is a lot, but it’s worth it. Enjoy!

[sylusbelovedart]

After date (Magnum Opus)

Disclaimer : Just some Sylus brainrot. I wanted to write something sweet since I've been breaking my own heart with angsty thoughts. Sylus might be a bit OOC, sorry.

I know it’s been weeks since Magnum Opus was released but I can’t help but think what the after date was like for Sylus and MC ? Don’t get me wrong, the memory was SO SO good and SylusMc are 👌 I love their dynamic so much. But I'm curious about how they both freaked out afterwards.

Like how did Sylus get home ? I'm sure he must have had the biggest and brightest smile on his face, just thinking about their date. Maybe he will drive slowly at first still too dazed about how well the day went. The pretext to go out to eat just to see her, turning into a memorable date of shopping, teasing and taking care of each other. He could almost still feel the soft touch of her fingers lingering on his face, and how close and intimate it all felt. And then he will start driving faster, a rush of adrenaline flooding through his veins, already thinking about their next date, already planning your camping trip. But maybe not everything needs planning he thinks. He knows you always surprise him in the most sweetest ways and he can't help but want more. After all, isn't greed and desire what drives most people ? That man would be going at such a high speed, and if you were, you would be clinging to him. Maybe joining him in his madness, laughing or screaming at him, scared. Either way, he enjoys every and each of your expressions. Tightening his grip on the brake, he almost screamed in the wind that he finally got the women he longed so so long for.

And what was MC’s reaction after he left and she closes her door ? My girl must have been silently screaming, not yet believing how lovey-dovey they were toward one another, or how natural it felt for her at that moment. She would also be extremely embarrassed. What has he done to her ? She would be jumping up and down from excitement while also punching the air, flashbacks about how things unfolded. Because at the end of the day she’s just a girl too. And as she went to the bathroom, she would just be a blushing mess thinking about Sylus and his sweet words and stare at herself in the mirror, a loving look in her eyes flushing her cheeks red "a loved art piece" she would mutter embarrassed to herself "such a smooth talker".

And after she washes up and prepares to go to bed, she sends him a message to know if he got back home safely and he might respond with something like

Sylus : Already missing me, kitten ? 😏

And MC would laugh at his use of emojis because what in the world was that ? But he was feeling silly and so was she.

MC : When you say it like that…

MC : I just wanted to make sure you went back home safely.

And Sylus red the message at least three time before replying to her. He almost sent a "you're the cutest" before erasing it.

Sylus : I did.

Sylus : Shouldn't you be asleep by now ?

MC : That’s good.

MC : I'm going to bed.

MC : Thanks again for today. It was a fun.

And as much as their relationship progressed and the banter and sweet-talking they have when they meet, she still feels shy and self-conscious when it came to talk about her feeling. But it was fine. Sylus would get it.

Sylus : Should I be concerned about this grateful attitude of yours ?

Sylus : You push me to ask you out but then get concerned I might get caught. You’re concerned about my taste in women and get mad at me, but then you hold me and take care of my skin, and now… you’re thanking me ?

MC : 😐

MC : You make me sound so mean.

MC : Forget I even said anything.

MC : THE DAY WAS AWFULL

MC : 😡

Sylus : [vocal] ha ha ha. Please don’t restrain on my account. I enjoyed today’s… date too.

MC : So you’re starting to admit it too ?

MC : Wow 😳 We’re making progress.

Sylus : Weren’t you the one who said we were dating earlier ?

MC : I did.

MC : Why ?

MC : Don’t tell me you’re planning on shying away now.

MC : You can’t even tell me properly when you want to see me. Should I be the one wearing the pants in this relationship ? 😔

Sylus : 🤨

Sylus : Getting pretty carried away now aren’t we ?

Sylus : Also, are you planning on scolding me ?

Sylus : Please make sure to call me beforehand.

Sylus : I’m willing to hear all of your complaints.

MC : ...

And as your eyes are slowly closing, you felt yourself drowsing almost forgetting to answer to Sylus.

Sylus : But I guess that will be for another time. A sleepy kitten needs her beauty sleep.

MC : No

MC : Im perfectlyzwake

MC : *I’m perfectly awake.

Sylus : Make sure your teeth won’t bite off your tongue with the lies. Make it believable next time.

Sylus : And as I told you before. You don’t need to adapt to my schedule.

Sylus : Make sure you get proper sleep for tomorrow.

Sylus : Don’t want to find a stubborn hunter injured because she didn’t get enough rest.

MC : You’re the one scolding me now. 🙄

Sylus : 👀

Sylus : Wouldn’t want on you the burden of wearing the pants in the relationship.

MC : Yeah sure. Such a gentleman.

You waited a few minutes before finally saying him goodnight.

MC : Goodnight, Sylus [Mephisto sleeping emoji]. See you… next week ? Maybe ?

Sylus : Oh. I’m planning on seeing you earlier than next week.

Sylus : Goodnight, kitten 🍷✨

[snzydarling]

Trial And Error

fandom- totk  characters- link, Purah, Sidon, Zelda  relationship- zelda/link cw- sneezing, kink content, mess notes- hi!!! I'm locked in!! So hard!!! This might be my magnum opus. I forgot to include it I think but his ears are twitching just as much as his nose in this because I think it's cute LOL hope u all enjoy it!!! the puffshroom allergy is inspired by @sf-akahana 's fic !!! its literally never left my brain

Link's never seen anything like a Puff shroom. Probably something dredged up by the upheaval, they're long and vase-shaped, and as Link quickly finds out, incredibly itchy. 

He's somewhere in central Hyrule, fighting off a minor monster camp at the request of a stable hand, when he feels something land at his feet.  His first instinct is to shield himself from some explosion, gasping, but that proves useless as he gets a lung full of something and is sent coughing, stumbling around Uselessly In the cloud of smoke. His nose is on fire, twitching desperately with need of release, but there's no time. He has to get out of there. 

Link runs until he can finally see, breath held against every spasm of his lungs. Once he's out, he can't breathe for another reason, though, nose aflame and flaring. He's sent reeling with a rapid set Off inhales, barely avoiding choking on his irritated lungs as he sneezes and sneezes. 

“ hiA’tSHh- t'CHh-  e’TCHh-ieww! hI'H-TSCHh-! hiD'TCH’yu! t’CHh- eT’tChh-t'CSHh- e'TCHhi-ieww!” he stumbles forward, still off balance, every breath of air he manages to choke is stolen from him in an instant. He needs to breathe, so he pinches his nose between the fingers of his unchanged hand and prays to Hylia for something as he takes in another whining inhale. 

“hD'NGK'T-! e’nDT- n'GKT! heiH'TSH-n’GKT! hiH-hiA'TCHh-iewh!!” he finally gets some respite, wheezing into the damp grass beneath him. But he's not done. His nose tickles with such need, and his eyes are streaming, and a mess is running down his face. Scrubbing his nose against the rough fabric of his sleeves sets off another reaction, making his Entire face itch with A desperation he's never felt before as he pitches forward. 

“ ‘iISHHihh-yU! hI’ySCHHh-e’TCHhih-yu!   hiAh’CHHTt-ieW!” Link whines, his breath coming still in pitchy gasps. His nose isn't even satisfied, still aflame, prickling deep within his swollen sinus. He's never sneezed like this before. He tries to swallow it down, tongue pressed to the top of his mouth as he stands. He doesn't dare to dust himself off. 

The trek back to Lookout Landing is slow going. Every time He can't resist the urge to scrub His nose against something, he's left pinching his flaring nostrils, trying to hold off any kind of reaction. By the time he finally drags himself to the landing, the sun has changed positions in the sky, and Purah's staring down at him with an unreadable look in her eyes. 

“Jeez, what happened to you?” She clicks her tongue, studying his itch-flushed face, and dares a poke at the skin above his sinus’. It sends every feeling he'd been trying to repress back to the forefront, and there's Nothing he can do but stumble away from Purah as he twitches and twitches from his nose to his ears as he gasps, teetering over the edge, before yet another fit tears itself out of him. 

“ y'DSCHh-! eHD’TZzHhih-iewh! hyIHT'DZzsH-yuu! hyI-” There's a hand on his shoulder supporting him, too large to be Purah's, and when he finally manages to look up, there's a soldier giving him a worried frown. He can't hear what anyone's saying, too muffled beneath his pitchy inhales as a whine escapes from his throat. Vaguely, He thinks he registers something about ‘washing off’ and ‘Hylia, bless you!’ ashes sent into more Rapid sneezes. 

He tries to gesture vaguely at himself as he catches his breath, but it's interrupted as he's thrown forward with a “hIHt'CHHhi-!” that scrapes his throat and leaves him coughing and wheezing into his elbow. The cover is pulled from him, and Purah tells him he's going to “smother himself, silly man.” And his entire system is shocked as he's suddenly doused in cold water. 

The short-circuiting is enough to let him get an actual bearing of their surroundings, and he looks up through swollen lids to see Purah worrying her bottom lip at him, the same soldier holding an empty bucket. He grins Sheepishly at Link. “Sorry, it's the only thing we could think of. You were having a pretty bad allergy attack.” Allergy?  He knew what they were, of course, but Link had never been allergic to anything. He tries to get Such across, with a shake of his head that sends water droplets flying from his hair. 

Purah sighs. “Well, obviously you do now.” She begins, poking him in the forehead and graciously avoiding his nose. “There are a lot of new things around. Do you know what it was?” So link pantomimes a mushroom and then an explosion, the crude gestures sending Purah giggling a bit into her hand. “Sounds like a puff shroom.” The soldier states, now handing him a towel, Link's not sure of the source. He doesn't ask, too exhausted and still-itchy to do much of anything besides dry himself off. 

“A puff shroom, huh?” Purah muses to herself. “Looks like you'd do well to avoid them, chosen knight.” 

 _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Resting for A moment in some unnamed forest near Hateno village, Link decides to experiment. 

He's a resourceful person, whether through training or by nature, and he's smart enough to understand the benefit of puff shrooms might have in battle. He has 3, stuffed as far back in his inventory as he can manage, and he buries his face in his hood as he takes them out. The sight of the white spores floating in the air makes his nose twitch. 

He takes out an arrow, sniffing as the itch starts to build at the tip of his nose. It's not his first time attaching something to an arrow like this, but he's not sure how much puff shroom's exposure his nose can take. He has to test it. 

So he stands, taking his bow and aliGning the arrow in its ridges, a subconscious motion. His nose is starting to tickle so much, though, and he scrubs it on his shoulder before assuming a proper stance, staring Down A tree across from the clearing he's in. 

inhale- he draws himself tightly, taking a check of every part of his body. He draws his booting tight. He tries to ignore the glittering white powder on his hands, just inches away from his nose. hold- with everything taught with anticipation, he aims. Closes one eye and aligns the bow until the tip of his arrow is staring at the center of the tree. His nose is starting to burn, urgent and needy. He tries to ignore it until his lungs start to demand more air, taking in hitchy breaths. And release- the arrow whirls by his ear, but he can't see if it met its mark because He pitches forward just a moment after. 

“y'DSCHh-! eH’TZzHhi-! hyIHT'shHi-yuu!” he manages to peel his eyes open for just a millisecond, trying to observe how well the puff shroom envelopes everything, but the sight of the spores just ignites the itch again, and suddenly he's sneezing impossibly more. 

“h'EISHHh- eTCHh'iew! hyH’tTCHHhi-!” he can feel his Nose drip onto his upper lip, he realizes mutedly, but there's nothing he can do about it yet, because everything just tickles so much that he's got no choice but to scrub at his face, failing to realize his hands are covered in the mushrooms Spores. He's hopeless to his own body as he gasps, head thrown back like a wild animal, every part of his face wet and on fire with Need.

 He's smart enough to keep his hands away froM his face now, but it leaves him sneezing down his own front, misting his clothes and the grass beneath his feet. Something finally, mercifully gives, and he can finally breathe, Chest heaving with the effort. He needs to sit down, but not before scrubbing His hands raw in a nearby Pond. 

He lays in the grass, head still spinning, watching His horse stare at him with judgmental eyes. He paws at his nose, the faint tickle still residing up in the tip of his nose, sending him into a rapid flurry of small, breathy sneezes. 

It might be for the best if he doesn't use them in battle, after all. Maybe his horse will eat mushrooms. 

_ _ _ _ _ _

It's months before the allergen presents itself again, so Link's entirely unprepared when it does. 

That's not the only reason, though. He's come to expect it in battle and at the trunks of trees, but being face-to-face with a puff shroom in the middle of Zoras's Domain is unprecedented. 

It's literally face-to-face, too, Because Sidon’s hands are eye level To link, and he's holding one of those mushrooms in his clawed Grasp As he chitters on eagerly. 

“Link!! How lovely to see you, old friend! I was just discussing with one of our dear warriors about you!! Impeccable timing, as always, friend! Rivan apprehended this from a bokoblin this morning and thought it might- oh dear, are you alright?” For all of Sidon's ability to talk anyone's ear off, his perceptiveness deserves credit, as Link wrinkles his nose and gives his head a rough shake that he hopes communicates something. 

Sidon softens anyway. “You look A bit unwell, dear friend. Have you considered getting some rest at the inn? I must say, the water beds are truly…” As he talks, he presses a cool hand into Link's shoulder. If he squints, he can see the white spores against the bright red of the king's skin. Unfortunately for him, the movement jostles the mushroom just slightly, and spores float up directly into Link's face. 

He can't help but gasp as the tickle Ignites, prompting even more concern and even more movement from Sidon, kneeling and talking incomprehensibly to link, whose sole focus is the tickle that's ignited Itself across his nostrils, leaving him in a staccato hitch as he desperately tries to pull away from Sidon's stubborn grasp. 

“hIHH! hih-hAh-” “dear me! Have I made you cry, dear friend?! Do not worry, link, I will-""hiAh’CHHTiew-! hiD'TCH’yu!!” unable to move quickly enough, he sneezes into the open air, beads of mist joining the dampness of the air. Sidon releases him suddenly, leaving him to stumble back for a moment. 

Can Zora even sneeze? The thought only grasps him for a moment as he throws his head back, the itch not muffled but somehow worsened by the release. He takes in a quick gasp, then another, and another, but nothing's enough to send him over the edge, even as the tickle burns to the tips of his nostrils, his mouth gaping wide and flashing long canines to the world.  He opens a watery eye, taking in Sidon's concerned frown for just a second before something about the light or just the sight of that hylia-forsaken mushroom finally breaks the dam. 

He gasps, taking in impossibly more air, before pitching forward entirely uncovered. “h'EISHHh- eTCHh'iew-!hI'H-” Suddenly, remembering some vague sense of decorum left over from years of knighthood, he buries himself into his elbow. “tCHh-eTChh’yu! hIH'h-  snf!” He gives another wild shake of his head, feeling something adjacent to cleared out, until He's faced with a sudden dampness on his upper lip. 

Shame overtakes his relief, and he can't help the redness on his cheeks as Sidon peers down at him with a half-curious, half-concerned look in his eyes. Link gestures to the mushroom, forgotten in his Hand amid the whole event, and hopes that's enough to connect the dots, because if Sidon doesn't know what's wrong with somebody, he'll pester until he does something he thinks will help. 

In this case, it does. Sidon breaks his stupor after just a second of staring, whirling into motion with a simultaneous wide step-back and handkerchief pressed into Link's hands, which are hovering dumbly in the air. Despite Link's clear embarrassment, or maybe as a result of it, Sidon grins down even wider than usual. 

“Goddess bless you, dear friend!! I've never seen you sneeze quite like that. I apologize for not knowing about your allergy, a true friend should know about that kind of thing!” Link waves off his apologies as he gives an embarrassingly productive blow into the gifted handkerchief. The material is fancy, soft, and tickly enough to warrant a quick “tI’shiew!” into its folds. It's such a contrast from his issue treatment of his nose, as he's so used to just scrubbing it against whatever sleeve he has on, absentmindedly. The difference from the usual rough fabric to this simple display of royalty is enough to send a pang of hurt into his heart somewhere, but he mentally shakes it off. 

Without his knowledge, Sidon has started pushing him towards the baths, babbling Something about ‘washing everything off’, disregarding the fact that he's the one that had the puff shroom, though he's not sure where it ended up now. Sidon's absent-mindedness is so familiar that it stings, a strange habit today, but Link allows himself the rare privilege in getting lost in it, Finding himself suddenly exhausted with the day's events. 

Puff shrooms and really anything to do with fighting are pushed far back in Link's mind for the moment. 

If he doesn't come back to himself until hours later, waking up in the nicest bed in the inn, he doesn't question it too much. 

_ _ _ _ _ _

It's such unknown territory that he's not sure what to do with himself. Ganon was defeated, and after long and painstaking months of rehabilitation, they've finally found some peace back in Hateno. 

It's a good thing, too. While the house itself is sturdy, over a year of disuse left every surface covered in nearly an inch of dust that took them hours to clean, and left both of them a little sneezy. But now, the house was starting to feel lived in again. 

There was the lingering scent of dinner in the air, and sunlight lit a patch of the wooden flooring up like gold. Link found himself in bed, limbs tangled up lazily with Zelda's as he stared absentmindedly, tracing the grain of the wooden floor. His face lay against her cool neck, forehead set against its crook, and he could feel one of her hands working itself through his tangles of hair, brushing out the knotted bits between her fingers. Ever since he had gotten her back, they stayed impossibly close, like 3 months of staying together like puzzle pieces could make up for almost a year of separation. 

When Zelda breaks the Warm silence, he can feel her voice vibrate against her throat. “I went to visit Sidon the other day,” she pauses, probably waiting for a response to verify that he's awake. He gives it in a soft hum. “He told me a story about a little mushroom making you sneeze.” She punctuates the sentence with little giggles, only increasing in intensity as he flushes a bit with embarrassment. 

She presses a gentle kiss to his nose, and he scrunches it in response. It conveys the annoyance because she giggles again. “No, it's cute. I didn't know you were allergic to anything. I want to see.” That makes him look up at her, wide-eyed with surprise. She smiles even wider. “For science, of course. Would you do that for me?” She asks so gently. He doesn't tell her that he'd give her the world if she asked; he doesn't even need to. 

_ _ _ _ _ _

When Zelda managed to acquire a puff shroom, it was so long after the initial conversation that Link had completely forgotten about it. 

She comes home one day from some fancy meeting link that wasn't invited To- not that he particularly wanted to go, anyways, with an extra pep in her step that leaves Him making a questioning noise when she walks in the door. 

She smirks at him. “Oh, it's nothing. Just something for later.” She winks at him, giggling, and runs upstairs to their shared Bedroom. Links will as a knight is possibly the only thing keeping his curiosity at bay, but he also knows that if he doesn't prod, she’ll usually spill eventually. 

Eventually turns out to be a couple of hours later, when they're both lounging out against a tree, full and happy from dinner. Link is half asleep when Zelda jumps out, rushes inside, and runs back out, grinning with her hands clasped behind her back. 

“I can finally fulfill our little promise.” She teases, placing her hands into her lap, palm open, revealing a small, grey mushroom. The sight of it alone makes his nose start to itch, and he scrunches up his face to quell it. That's all the time it takes for her to get even closer to him, staring at him with a silent ask. “Do you trust me?” And “with my life.” It is such a common song-and-dance for them that she doesn't even need words. 

The already-blooming itch spells certain disaster, but Link can't ever say no to Zelda, so he nods anyway. She pulls a handkerchief out of her pocket, setting it into his lap. “You'll need this, I think.” She teases with a gentle peck to his nose, already starting to twitch. 

It takes her a minute to decide how to go about this, evident by the Way she gently worries her lip. Eventually, she takes the puff shroom in both hands and holds it up to his face. She locks eyes with him, anticipation and eagerness and a little bit of something he can place in them, and bites her lip when he leans forward, sniffing in deep. 

The effects are imminent. He gasps, throwing his head back, nose on fire from tip to nostril. it prickles deep into his sinus’, so intense that he doesn't know what to do besides hitch and hitch, until he takes in a whiny breath and throws himself forward until he meets a solid weight. 

“hiAh’CHHT-! hI’TSCHhih-t’CHh-eH’TCHhh’yu-!!hIT- … hiH - hA'DTCHh! hH'kNGT'yu-! hI'H-” he realizes with desperation that he just cannot stop. Every breath he manages to suck in Is immediately pulled away from him, and they've done nothing to quell the itch. He's curled into himself, trying to hide such a shameful and weak display. But they keep coming, and he's barely able to think.

“hD'NGk't-! hIAH-” His body is short-circuited when a kiss is pressed against His lips, unbothered by the mess clinging to his cupid's bow. “Don't hold them in.” The lips mutter against him, leaving him hopeless in his body again as it finally catches up. It can't be so simple, though, never for him, and he's left gasping, staring up at the sky through allergic tears in a standstill. 

It tickles so bad ,though, and he's so desperate. A whine escapes him, high-pitched and begging for some kind of relief as everything in his nose feels like it's on fire. His mouth is gaping open in a pathetic display, chest stuttering with every needy gasp. 

Zelda. The thought comes to him like light at the end of the tunnel, and suddenly he's gasping for her, begging for help, and he can hear her Soft laugh somewhere underneath his own raspy, uneven breaths. Then there's a finger tracing the outside of his nose ever so gently, and he barely feels the touch before the tickle is ignited impossibly more, and he gasps impossibly deeper. 

“ah’EITCHh-E’SCHh’yu-!! hI'ySCHHh! hA'DTCHh-ieww!! oh-hiIDTCH-tSCHhi'ieww! hi-hiIH- 

..hiDt’tSCHh'yu!” Even his nose is getting exhausted, the fit leaving him panting and his face uncomfortably damp. He tries to scrub the remnants of the itch away, but it triggers a quick, little “hits-sSHh’iew!” That he doesn't quite cover in time, so he's forced to look at the little droplets of mist left in the air as he sniffles wetly.

“May Hylia bless you, love.” Zelda’s voice startles him- in his allergic desperation, he'd completely forgotten he was there, and the realization makes his head spin. He curls back in on himself, shame coiling up in his gut, swallowing hard. it makes A little click! Sound, muddled by the congestion in his throat. 

A pair of hands, impossibly gentle, bring his face back up to the light. Every self-deprecating Thought is brought to a screeching halt as she kisses him again, hands holding him in place as he tries to pull away. He doesn't have any good way of articulating that he's gross, so he just makes a raspy-sounding whine against her lips. She pulls away, then, giving one last peck to his bottom lip. 

She moves one hand to the handkerchief long forgotten in his lap, using the other to cup his face as she cleans him up. His nose is so sensitive that the too-gentle touch leaves his nose tickling away, and he paws at Zelda's hand as he hitches, feeling his nose twitch and twitch, but she holds firm, handkerchief pressed to his nose, and there's nothing he can do when she rubs his nose again.

“hiD'sHhu - hI'DtsHh! d'shH-yu! hiD'tShh! hiH-! hiDtT-!” They're ticklish and entirely unsatisfied, not nearly enough to quell the last bit of the itch prickling deep in his nose. He holds his breath, fighting every need to take in more pitchy gasps, waiting for something. And Zelda, tried and true, manages to understand. There's that underside of a nail again, tracing down the crooked bridge of his nose, and everything comes Alive with such intensity that he's helpless to it.

“hiD’TSCHHh'yu-! eH’TCHhh’yu! e’TCHh-ieww! oh-” He pants with relief, but Zelda removes the damp handkerchief from his nose, and he's just filled with shame. A knight should never be so weak, so disgusting, never in front of his princess. Her father would probably banish him to the depths for a display like that. 

But Zelda doesn't mind, somehow. Instead, she cups his face again, brushes the irritated tears from his cheeks, and massages the irritated skin under his eyes. “Bless you,” she mutters, so impossibly tender. “I think that did the trick.” And she smiles against his lips. 

Once the adrenaline well and truly wears off, he's exhausted. His head started to ache, and he was sure he pulled something in his back from being thrown forward so much. Zelda guides him forward, into the house and bed, setting him down with a kiss to the top of his head and a promise to return in a moment. 

Link took the time to truly blow his nose, and the satisfaction of it outweighed the embarrassment at how loud it was. Sniffling again sent a “dsch'u!” tumbling out of him, his nose is still abnormally sensitive. Within a minute his eyes are drooping close, but he's startled awake When his hands are guided to a steaming cup. 

“Warm milk,” Zelda explains, sitting down next to him with her cup. “Are you feeling better? Your eyes are all red.” There's something deeper in her tone, so he looks over at her, where she's frowning down at her untouched drink. “I'm sorry for making you sneeze so much. I didn't know you were so allergic.” He shakes his head and tilts his Head in a dog-like way that makes her giggle. “Yes, I did enjoy it.” She admitted, leaning into him. 

“I've never seen you sneeze like that before,” she continues, pressing her lips to Adam's apple. “It was so cute.” He feels her mouth curve into a smile against her throat. The feeling is ticklish, and it makes him cough. Once he surfaces from his shoulder, he takes a long drink of the milk and hums mostly to test his voice. He's surprised to find it mostly intact, if a bit congested. Link kisses her back, long and gently, on her lips. He has to pull back far too soon, though, unable to breathe through his nose enough not to suffocate. 

Another soft fit escapes him- “d'tcHh-! hi’dtshh'yu!” lazily covered by his wrist. Eyes drooping, he feels more than hears the “bless you” from Zelda from where she's nestled against his neck.

[fillinforlater]

It’s that time of the year again. What are some of your favorite smuts released in 2023?

Monday of Appreciation: Part 104

Hello everyone, Smite here!

2023 is coming to a close and it's been quite the year, a mixture of "this is a bridge year for greater things to come" and "WE LIVIN' NOW MF!" What is a bit different this year is that the highs weren't as high and the lows weren't as low compared to previous years---maybe that is just me getting older, maybe it's hindsight. Either way, I'm good and this year was good.

But some things are more than just good. I'm of course talking about these writers and their stories that I have featured today. All of them deserve special mention, but I want to focus on two of them specifically.

In a year of great, fantastic and already legendary fics, these two stand out.

Without further ado, let's dive into the final MoA of this year:

-1-

@fanfiction4sooya: Can't Save You Now ft. Chaewon, Kazuha, Sakura

I- I- I just read the damn tags and new I one day had to give this a shot. ff4sooya has crazy ideas, futa galore, different dynamics and kinks, which is SO MY THING. This has Mommy and Daddy involved in an absurd (and absurdly hot) threesome that I couldn't take my eyes off.

Now I definitely need to read more and you should too because I bet there are a bunch of Masterpieces in that long Masterlist!

-2-

@iznsfw: Drunken ft. Olivia Hye

Is it really a Monday of Appreciation post without IZ?

Seriously, what this genius is able to cook up in a commission or in the currently ongoing (HYPE) IZ DAYS OF CHRISTMAS is absolutely incredible. We have long stories with in depth characters and love drama that ends not only smuttily but sweetly. Who the fuck needs books, when you can just binge IZ?

With "Drunken", they have once again hit it out of the FUCKIING park. There is never enough Daddy kink fics, yes, but mine seem like nonsensical cringe porn compared to this beauty of a piece. I love how it plays with my heart, no I'm not crying---okay, now that is hot.

Let me change that: there is three very fucking special stories today!

(I think this might even be better than Levi's Hyeju, wtf)

-3-

@cataboliac: Enkindle ft. Wendy

Firstly: I LOVE YOU CATA, BIG QT!

Secondly: "Enkindle" feels a bit like coming home, like a day in Paradise, like the one person that shines so bright in your life that you don't want it to go. And you know, that is the great thing: this might be Cata's final fic, the farewell, but not only is his life gonna be great and he'll be super happy - we also get to read this again and again, and I'm sure I will one day.

Thank you, Cata, for hanging around!

Thirdly: I'M GONNA KISS YOU, CATA!

-4-

@writerpeach: Delectation ft. Wonyoung, Yujin

1.000 Notes, and it's still not enough for what is my pick for fic of the year (FOTY? FOOTY? There is a scene like that, yep). IZ*ONE truly never dies, but it is IVE and these absolute super stars, bomb shells with flawless faces and different, yet irresistible bodies that have us in a frenzy.

Talking about frenzy, all those 30,699 words are a frenzy. I thought Peach would set it up with a long and painful tease that has us edging the entire time BUT NOPE this has so much fucking smut, so many lines of neediness and horniness, it is impossible to finish in one try or two tries or... I dunno, seven-hundred tries?

It's detailed, it's straight forward, it's sex from every fucking angle, I can never get tired of this. I will go so far and say this is Peach's magnum opus, the GOAT fic by the GOAT writer. At least for that day, I can say this without a doubt.

Peach, you are crazy and thank you for that <3

#PeachPavedTheWay #AnnyeongzForDaddy

[halcyon-deluxe]

top 5 albums released between 2020 and 2025?

Hi bestie - I've been sitting on this forever because it took me ages to narrow down half a decade's worth of music, but I think I've picked my favs as accurately as possible. This was a lot longer than i anticipated 😅

1. 'Brightest Blue' (2020) - Ellie Goulding

I've always been a ride or die for Ellie, but this is easily her best album to date, with her fanbase collectively agreeing it's her magnum opus and she'll probably never outdo it. On top of this, it got widespread acclaim with boundless amounts of praise. It was nice to see EG finally get her flowers for her artistry, as her last release was Delirium in 2015, which, while a great pop album, was her least artistically driven album and lacked a lot of what made Lights & Halcyon so unique and memorable.

Brightest Blue was a much needed return to forum, but an evolution to her creative formula from her first two albums. In the first track 'Start', EG opens the album with a recording of cheers from a crowd of her Delirium tour, but she recalls feeling particularly devoid of all emotion as she realized her fame was killing her. She felt like a puppet and lost all control over her career, and it was eating her alive. She stated that at the time, Delirium felt like the natural decision, but not necessarily the right one, that Delirum was a great pop album but not a good "Ellie Goulding" album. It took her five years to figure out exactly what that should be, and what she delivers is such a home run.

On 'Start', EG iterates "I think I'm gonna reinvent myself again / wash off all the paint" and ends with the lyric "you fuck with me, I'll start a war" which, to me, is the best possible way she could have reestablished herself after the five year gap between albums. Every song is so unique in genre and construction, but sonically, the production is so cohesive. Each song sounds like different kinds of water, despite the album crossing through so many different styles of music. The album actually has two identities - the first 13 tracks falling under "Brightest Blue" the self-reflective narrative of EG's growth through the past 5 years of her career. There's a clear evolution in her penmanship and lyricism, with the main spotlight on how her titantic vocal range has developed between albums. The second half of the album titled "EG.0" is Ellie crafting 6 songs to recapture her "ego" as a pop star. Each song on EG.0 is bold, confident, and collaborative to lean into her pop star persona.

Brightest Blue is Ellie at her best - introspective, self reflective, honest and vulnerable. And at the same time, EG.0 is Ellie at her boldest by allowing Ellie to bridge vulnerability into bullet proof confidence.

It's an unexpected yet entirely rewarding dichotomy of emotions. Love I'm Given is the peak of her career and in context of the album's narrative, it's probably my favorite moment of her career. It's a soulful, self reflective anthem of self love written in a way that i haven't heard anyone else articulate. Flux is vocally EG's best song in almost a decade. Tides is her most artistically creative in terms of experimentation with her typical pop formula. It's very much in the world of "Anything Could Happen" from Halcyon. There's so much to each song.

Please give Brightest Blue a listen if you haven't heard it, it's a lovely experience.

2. 'Stillness & Motion' (2022)- from Sonic Frontiers

This soundtrack is an EDM goldmine. It has a mix of everything - chill vaporwave vibes to the sickest trance music you'll ever hear. EDM is probably my favorite genre because i absolutely looove the engineering that goes into it, and SEGA put so much care into each track. They also mixed rock and screamo into the album which is a very nice treat.

It's my favorite release of the decade because of how fresh and individualized each track is, combined with how each track fits into the game. It's so cohesive with the game's levels, plot beats, boss battles, playable characters... i have no notes, and probably like 15 favorite tracks. But, undefeatable is probably my favorite of them all.

It is my favorite hype song :D pleeeease give it a listen, the drums go hard and the chorus slaps.

3. 'A Touch Of The Beat' (2021) - Aly & AJ

ATOTB is one of my favorite albums of all time simply because it is increibly easy to listen to. The album has a very consistent folksy soundscape with touches of rock and country. It's purely for the vibes and the aesthetic of driving through the countryside at sunset, with each song being its own self contained story. I love the album dearly, because it is so self aware about what it is trying to be: a collection of easily digestible treats that you can always come back to snack on, no matter the occasion. ATOTB is as timeless as any folk album, but its charm and charisma given to it through Aly & AJ's coy and playful lyricism is what will make it shine.

My favorite song on the album is 'Personal Cathedrals'. I adore the lyrics, there's something admirable about AJ's blatant distaste for being stuck at a boring party with horrible vibes and judging everyone around her for being cold heartless and devoid of all joy.

4. 'The Loneliest Time' (2022) - Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen has developed such a passionate fanbase for her titantic, unshaking ability to craft the most perfect pop music melodies you'll ever hear in your lifetime, and TLT is just even further evidence that CRJ is quite literally the best in the business when it comes to crafting a perfect pop album. In context to the rest of her discography, TLT is the most vulnerable record of her career, even in hindsight compared to its sister album "The Loveliest Time".

TLT is Carly at her best and most self aware. She copies her own homework from her second album Emotion by structuring it almost 1:1. Straight out of the gates, Carly opens up to the world on a huge pop banger 'Surrender my Heart' much like that of Emotion's opening track 'Run Away With Me' or Dedicated Side B's opening track 'This Love Isn't Crazy' - which, in hindsight, seems like the first attempt at what 'Surrender My Heart' would become: vulnerable, outspoken, honest, and euphoric (everything Carly does best).

Much like Emotion, the songs sandwiched between the first and last tracks are impossibly good and impossibly hard to rank because they are all spotlessly comstructed to have the most invasive earworm of a hook you've ever heard in your life. How can I be expected to pick a favorite song? 'Surrender My Heart' is vulnerable and windswept, but 'Talking To Yourself' is probably one of the biggest pop bangers of the 2020s, yet the bass guitar sample on 'Bad Thing Twice' rewired my brain chemistry into a dopamine factory while 'Keep Away' is the most melancholic and brooding song she's ever written. And don't even get me start on the "I can feel the sun on you" lyrics from Bends.

10s. 10s across the board. Carly, I love you.

5. 'Higher Than Heaven' (2023) - Ellie Goulding

So remember how I was praising Ellie Goulding for her outspokeness and passionate, unadulterated vulnerability articulated through her brilliant penmanship? Well, none of that is present on 'Higher Than Heaven'.

Before the album even had a title, EG stated that HTH would be her "least personal record to date" after how emotionally taxing 'Brightest Blue' was for her. Much like the Halcyon -> Delirium pipeline, Ellie found it a bit difficult to get up and sing incredibly vulnerable and heartwrenching ballads every night on tour and just wanted to lose herself in dance pop all over again just like how she felt on the early days of her Delirium tour - only this time it would be on her terms.

For HTH, Ellie wanted another big pop album to showcase how far she had come since Delirium, and EG.0 didn't QUITE hit that threshold for her.

Delirium was very much an album made for driving your teal blue 2014 fiat convertible down palm springs California on a warm, clear summer day out to meet your friends by the beach. Creatively, HTH is the opposite. HTH is a disco fever dream on LSD. You have soaring hooks and infectious melodies worthy of an expensive dancepop album glazed in sultry synths and broody electro pop elements, with dashes of trance, vaporwave and disco.

With absolutely ZERO nuance.

There's no hidden message to HTH. There's no story. There's no overarching theme. It's just fantastic dance pop with Ellie's gorgeous vibrato and huskiness. And I couldn't have asked for more. HTH is the polar opposite to Brightest Blue in the same way Delirium was the opposite of Halcyon, only this time EG knows exactly what she wants from each track. HTH is inescapably comforting, parasitically infectious (is that even a word lol), and unapologetically surface level. And the best part is Ellie wants you to know that. She's not going to pretend that Higher Than Heaven is the new Purple Rain or anything like that.

It's just fun. There's no nuance. Only good vibes and midnight disco synth pop.

Turn off your brain and give her a listen

Thanks for the ask bestie sorry this took so long to answer 😅

[dalesramblingsblog]

OK, I think it's time to actually commit words to writing and actually stick to them. I have tried several times to write this post, and on several occasions have even managed to do so, but I've never managed to follow through on my stated commitments. For the most part this is because, well, I simply didn't want to, because I knew it would be difficult, but I think I've reached a point where it would be far more difficult not to.

Let me cut to the chase: Dale's Ramblings, on WordPress at least, will be going on indefinite hiatus. There are several factors at play here, from the fact that I simply don't find the average quality of the books at this time to be good enough to make the project as much fun as it has been in the past, to my ongoing university studies, but the main reason is... well, I'm sick.

I have, of course, known this intellectually for a while now. It's been about a year since I actually started to figure things out and realise how profoundly affected I had been by my long COVID. Frankly, the fact that I was able to write as much as I did in 2024 - 252,000 words, let's recall - even in spite of being ill is something of a minor miracle.

And more to the point, I did all that because... well, it was fun. Like, I say it's become less fun, and in an objective sense yeah it probably has; I'd rather be still reading books like The Also People than Kursaal or War of the Daleks. But, like, it was still fun. Tremendous fun. I can't stand books like Kursaal or War, but I look back on those reviews with quite a lot of fondness, and I think I've done some of my absolute best writing over this past year.

But there comes a point where you have to weigh the fun in one hand against the realities of your body in the other, and the fact is that I'm sick. I have, in all likelihood, been pushing myself a mite too hard at times, but I wouldn't have done it if I didn't sincerely get enjoyment out of every syllable. If it stopped being fun, I would have stopped, and I'm lucky enough that Dale's Ramblings has never stopped being fun.

Yet I also realise that I can't keep up this gruelling production schedule forever, chasing arbitrary deadlines for no greater reason than my own neurotic desire for neatness and symmetry.

So, then, a hiatus. We've done them before, but this one still feels harder because I desperately *want* to continue. And I will, some day; I've already committed too much energy to the idea of this project as my weird, sprawling autobiographical magnum opus. As much as it's about charting the Wilderness Years, Dale's Ramblings is just as much about charting the evolution of some scrawny suicidal fourteen-year-old into... well, we still haven't quite figured out an ending just yet.

Consider this a weird blip in our chronology then, a literary caesura, to be followed up on at a later date.

Which leaves us with the Ko-fi, as eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I've already put up two of the three book reviews for April 1998, thinking as I did that I'd release them in March to coincide with the next anni-VARsary. I won't, obviously, but I will keep them up on the Ko-fi for those who are just dying to get a sneak preview, and you should be getting an additional 9,000 word review of The Hollow Men in the next couple days once I give it the final readthrough. Oh, and I'll probably cover Andrew Cartmel's Swine Fever for free on here as well.

There might be further Ko-fi exclusive early access reviews published in the coming months, but they will not be coming with anything like the current rate of regularity or reliability. I don't know exactly when they'll be going public, I suspect I'll want to hold the entire volume until I finish it so I can write without deadlines looming over me.

Is that greedy of me? Perhaps. But again, I'm sick and, for the foreseeable future at least, unemployed. This is, for now, the only way I pull in any sort of income that I can really call my own. If you can support the Ko-fi at all, even if it's just for one month or it's just a one-time payment, it would be greatly appreciated, but if not, I mean, I'll still be here. Just, y'know, rambling with a little less frequency or structure.

But I think any sense of structure went the way of the dodo when I ditched the dedicated "Positives" and "Negatives" sections of my reviews, really, so I think this was always just going to be my cosmic fate.

[insertdisc5]

Devlog #16: Answers and Questions

Hello everyone! Welcome to this month’s devlog!

If you just stumbled upon this, I am Adrienne, also known as insertdisc5! I’m the developer, writer, artist, main programmer, etc of the game. The game being In Stars and Time, a timeloop RPG, which is also the next and final game in the START AGAIN series, following START AGAIN: a prologue (available here!).  You can find out more about In Stars and Time here!!! 

LET’S GET TO IT. This month is Q&A: Cohost edition!

“A Q&A again?” Heheh well I don’t have anything to talk about this month ✨ We’re working hard on finalizing the localization! And on porting to consoles! And on secret stuff! You know, the usual!!! Get excited!!! So, Q&A again 💖 And see, I asked questions for Q&As on Twitter. On Tumblr. On Discord. But some new social media platforms have entered the fray. SO.

Welcome to Q&A: Cohost edition. (Follow me on cohost and/or read this post I wrote about why I think cohost is neat teehee) (and follow me on bluesky if you want. I like it way less though. Sorry bluesky)

@ItsMeLilyV asks:

One of the bits of advice that gets tossed around by indie devs is to avoid making RPGs, especially for your first few games, because they tend to be large in scope, difficult to prototype, and easy to underestimate.

Was this ever a fear for you in making START AGAIN, or In Stars and Time? Did you take any special precaution to keep these games within a scope you could handle, and did you learn tricks from START AGAIN that carried over to ISAT when in came to keeping things manageable? Thank you!! ✨

I had no idea that was a piece of advice given, but yep, that makes a lot of sense! Since I didn’t know, I went in blissfully aware, teehee.

I will say that I am familiar with working on big projects from working on comics, and with seeing big webcomic artists always mention to never start with your magnum opus… And I could tell ISAT had the potential to be way bigger than I imagined, which is why I decided to start with creating the prologue to get used to RPGMaker as well as making games. Kind of a pilot of sorts!

Again, thanks to comics, I know to keep my scope pretty small, because even if you keep it small it WILL balloon into something way bigger than you thought. Just for the prologue, I imagined it’d be a 20mn game, and it’s easily a 2-3h one! Keep your scope small!!!

As for tricks, when I catch myself thinking “wow what if I added this cool thing”, I try to always keep in mind those two things: 1. How long will it take to implement (including bug testing), and 2. Does it add something important to the game. I know we always want to add a fishing game, or a fun minigame, but do you Need It. Does it add something substantial to the story, to the Themes. Or are you just adding it because you like fishing games. Which is a valid reason, but also, maybe just make a fishing game instead. You are not the Yakuza series!!!! You are a small indie gamedev!!!! Think about you in 4 months who has to fix all the fishing game bugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@stem asks:

how is it to have a piece of art that's basically done (as far as i understand) that you can't share yet? like how do you personally bide the time until it's finally ready to release, or is it not really a challenge to wait? :0c

It’s so weird!!! The game has been done for so long!!! I’m very glad I asked some friends to playtest the game, so I could at least get some feedback before the game is out… In some ways it feels like the game will be done twice: once back when I finished making the game, and once when the game actually comes out. It’s just a very strange experience. Sometimes people tell me they’re excited to find out more about this story beat, or about this character, and a part of me is like… Wait, haven't you played the game? Oh, yeah, it’s not actually out. Guess you’ll find out later.

EDIT: My god. I just checked on my private devlog for when I completed the Alpha of ISAT. It was in August of last year (I lay down on the floor and look at the ceiling) (I still had to finish all the illustrations so really the game was Done Donezo in October but still…)

anon asked:

What role did Armor Games play in creating the final product?

SO MANY THINGS. Here are some of them: support when it comes to porting/marketing/social media/localization, feedback on the game and how to make it better, community guidance, testing support, QA/internal testing… The game couldn’t be the way it is without them.

For more small details, I have a weekly meeting with my producer, Dora! We talk about the game and how everything is going. A couple months back, I also was checking in with the internal QA team fairly often to fix any remaining bugs. They also helped me find ISAT’s additional programmer, Isabella, and she is a godsend because coding is hard. They also take care of communicating with press, finding more opportunities to showcase the game in conventions, talking with the localization/porting teams… I am probably forgetting a thousand little things they did to help out!!! THEY’RE SO GOOD OK

Anon asked:

So obviously the skills/spells/what have you are based off of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Did you design each "type" to be like a certain style? Rock being heavy damage and defense buffs, scissors being speed and quick attacks, like that?

Absolutely! I just went with the obvious. Rock is physical damage, defense focused, Scissors is swords, attack focused, and Paper is magic, mind focused. It was fun to develop a spell system around those! I’m excited for people to find out more about Craft…

@nickshutter asks:

I really loved START AGAIN (streamed it for a small handful of friends) and was super happy to hear about a follow-up! The cast is so much fun and their personalities are really well-balanced—did any of the characters change pretty drastically from their initial conception during development of the game?

I’m so glad you streamed it with friends… I hope you had a good fun time…

And for sure! Isabeau and Mirabelle were pretty set from the get go (himbo and shy wallflower), but Odile started as more of a gentle teacher type, even if I very quickly went the snarky old lady route. Siffrin and Bonnie were harder to pin down– I wasn’t sure how to portray Siffrin’s despair in the prologue, and started showing them more overtly depressed, but I thought it’d be Very Yummy to have them show a happy facade to their friends. And then, for ISAT, I had to figure out what a non-depressed Siffrin would be like, for the first couple acts of the game before the despair sets in. As for Bonnie, I had a lot of trouble figuring out what they’d be like, what kind of kid they were, what their relationship with everyone else would be like, and then I thought about what their past would be like and then their characterization was set in stone. Sometimes you need to figure out One Thing to unlock a character’s brain. I’m very excited for everyone to find out more about each character in ISAT!

@SuperBiasedGary asks:

What games (or other media) lit a fire under you to create your own?

It could be stuff you liked so much it inspired, something you found frustrating because you felt an itch to do it differently, or something that made you realise humans make things and you could be one of them.

I found a lot of indie games inspiring, but I think Umineko might’ve been the one that made me go… Oh, anyone can just make a massive video game narrative. And you can make it very simple, with kinda goofy sprites, and still manage to make an incredibly touching story!

As for frustrating games that lit a fire under me, I think I’d say in general, I found issue with the classic trope of the “main character helps people and doesn’t get anything back”. What often happens in some games is that you help NPCs with their problems, sometimes helping them with very intense, complicated problems! For a very long time! And, in exchange, you get… A cool item? A nice new skill? And that’s it?

I know this might be complicated to implement on a narrative perspective, but I remember playing Persona 5, and your character just went through a very harrowing experience (like, oh, being INTERROGATED AND TORTURED BY THE POLICE) and you help your friends during social links, and they go “thanks for your help! Bye~” like WHAT ABOUT ME. WHAT ABOUT MY PROBLEMS. CAN YOU GIVE ME A HUG

So on a certain level, I wanted a game where instead of the characters around you having problems, the main character also has problems. And is subconsciously screaming “CAN YOU PLEASE NOTICE I HAVE PROBLEMS AND GIVE ME A HUG.” And hopefully, the characters notice. Winks

Hm. I do want to say I wrote most of the prologue/ISAT during the pandemic, and I felt very lonely and not supported. But then guess what. I told my friends about how I felt. And most of them told me they had no idea, and vowed to support me more. And now I’m closer to them. So the moral of this answer is, yeah, it’d be nice if people noticed, but also, you need to tell people when you’re feeling bad. LOOKS AT SIFFRIN

Anon asked:

Is there a song you listen to in order to put yourself in the sasasa/ISAT mindset?

I have a whole playlist baybee. Before you ask: there aren’t any hidden meanings behind those song choices. It’s about the Mood, and also my personal tastes in music I listen to when I need to concentrate. I like songs that go WUB WUB

 In no particular order, here are five random songs I played on repeat when making the prologue:

Future Club (Arcade Version) by Perturbator (in bold because this was THE song I listened to on repeat. I believe I gave it to Lindar for inspiration lol)

Arcades by C2C

Wake Me Up by Para One

The First Wish by DROELOE

Les Enfants du Paradis by World’s End Girlfriend

And here are five random songs I played on repeat for In Stars and Time:

Down by Chloe x Halle

Nonsense Bungaku by Eve

Non-Breathe Oblige by PinocchioP

Gentle Heart by Jamie Paige

Ready For The Floor by Hot Chip

It’s interesting, the songs I listened to for the prologue are generally more heavy and frenetic, while the ones for ISAT are more hopeful… I made sure to listen to more lively songs for ISAT, since that’s the feeling I wanted to give off…

That’s all the questions I have! In other, non related ISAT news, I have started a new project and having a lot of fun. It’s a visual novel this time. I’m hoping to get some screenshots ready in the next few months, but also I’m taking it easy on this one. If it takes years with many breaks in between to get it done, it’s fine. What matters to me right now is the process!

That’s all I have to say for today! Let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s any aspect of the game development struggle you’d like me to talk about! See you next time!!!

AND DON’T FORGET TO WISHLIST THE GAME ON STEAM ALSO IT REALLY HELPS BECAUSE STEAM’S ALGORITHM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW OFF GAMES WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF WISHLISTS THAT’S THE REASON WHY GAME DEVS ALWAYS ASK TO WISHLIST!!! OKAY BYE!!!!

[mryaksalot]

Plans for the rest of 2024 and beyond.

2024 has been a turbulent year for me, to say the least. I went into this year with an entire agenda as for what I wanted to accomplish in terms of writing. Little did I know how differently things would turn out for me.

My mental health back in March/April was not great if I’m being honest. I found myself not having nearly as much motivation to write as I did before. I decided to take a break from social media, fic-writing included, in order to work on my mental health. I’m happy to report that I’m doing a lot better now, and my motivation to write fics has increased significantly since June.

During my time away from the internet, I had time to reconsider what my intentions were when it came to my writing. I always enjoyed writing for the fun of it, but I also wanted my stories to stand out from the rest. I wanted to create something that was entirely unique, something that I can look at and be proud of.

The following is a list of all of the things I want to accomplish for the rest of 2024 and beyond, highlighting future stories as well as major changes in regards to my writing.

Backstory AU/The Road To Success

I’ve always viewed The Road To Success as my flagship story. I created this AU all the way back at the beginning of 2021. Hours upon hours have been put into fleshing out this AU into the multi-chapter saga. So many changes had to be made along the way(including starting the whole story over from scratch back in 2022). The story is now over 140k+ words, and it’s nowhere near finished.

Admittedly, I went a little overboard with how much thought and ideas went into this AU. I was not aware that this project would take so many months, even years, to put together. I don’t have an editor – I write, edit, proofread, and publish every one of my stories by myself. That takes a while to do.

Back in January 2023, The Road To Success went viral. This was around the time the 3rd and final season of the reboot came out, and AO3 was flocked with fans eager to catch the hype train. For a good few months, my story was gaining an immense amount of readership, which encouraged me to pump out as many chapters as possible in a short time frame.

But, like all hype trains, the excitement from the new season release cooled down. By the fall, the only fans left were diehards like myself. I was also experiencing some major burnout from pushing myself so hard. I had other responsibilities outside of social media like work, school etc. This burnout led to several delays of new chapter uploads.

During my break, I had time to rethink several components of my Backstory AU. I made a handful of changes to The Road To Success. The most prominent one was making the story much more Yakko-centric. I wanted to make a story showing how hard work and dedication to your craft can get you to places in life you’d never imagine. Yakko is the perfect character to convey that sort of message.

Initially, I wanted to include more character perspectives beside Yakko, but I ultimately decided to size it down. We’ll still see some of their perspectives (Wakko will get his own chapter at some point), but for the most part, the spotlight will remain on Yakko. This is his story, after all. Because of this, the current version of TRTS is much shorter than I originally drafted 2 years ago.

I have thought about expanding the universe even more with additional stories, but I have decided to hold off on that until I reach a certain number of chapters (you’ll understand when the time comes). I’m currently working on a 2-parter, chapters 17 and 18, which will take priority for the time being. I will save an announcement about bonus content for another day.

The Backstory AU has really become a passion project of mine. You can say it’s my magnum opus. I intend to take my time with future updates going forward. I used to pump chapters out as fast as I can, but I don’t really feel like I need to do that anymore. I feel like my content is better when I take my time to make sure everything is right. I want this AU to be executed to its full potential. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes.

Oneshots/Additional projects

I have always been open to doing external projects on top of working on the Backstory AU and The Road To Success. Though recently, I have cut back on the amount of oneshots that I put out. There are two reasons for this:

1. The time I spend on these oneshots takes away time that I could be spending to write up the next chapter of The Road To Success. That story is a much higher priority to me, so I would like to put my time and effort into that before I decide to work on something else.

2. There really isn’t much demand for me to pump out as many oneshots now than there was 2 years ago. As I said in the hype train analogy, when a show gets new seasons/episodes, it draws fans to social media – it gives fic writers the motivation they need to push out new content. But now that the Animaniacs reboot has ended, a majority of the casual fanbase who had jumped onto that hype train had left to other fandoms.

But while the Animaniacs fanbase is much smaller now than it used to be, it allows me to focus less on the demand and more on the product itself – that product is the Backstory AU. I feel like I can take my time on new chapters knowing the diehard fan base will still be there. As long as there is an audience, I will write for as long as I still feel value in my work.

With that being said, I am going to be putting most of my focus on the AU going forward, rather than adding onto the load. I feel less anxious that way, knowing that I have a clear path in getting a fic done with little delay.

However, I am still open to doing oneshots in the not so distant future; I’m just putting priority on a bigger project at the moment. That might offset some readers who enjoy shorter content, but do know that all of my oneshots currently posted will remain on the platform for anyone to enjoy. Not to mention all the other great content getting posted on AO3. We’re a small, dedicated community, working together to make content for our own enjoyment.

But while I’m cutting back on individual oneshots going forward, I have something that you might enjoy.

Splats Of Ink/The Drabble Collection

Back in January, I decided to try my hand at a drabble collection. I saw that a couple of my fellow Animaniacs writers were doing it, so I thought “Why the heck not?” So far, I have written 6 entries to the collection, all of which have received decent feedback from readers.

I’m really enjoying doing the collection so far, because it gives me the chance to write out those strands of ideas floating around in my head. None of the drabbles in the collection are directly related to anything major, but that was the intention. The drabble collection is like my own personal sandbox – a place where I can figure out what works and what doesn't.

I won’t say yet what you can expect for future ideas for the collection; the collection itself is sporadic for the most part. But I would like to write out some deleted/extra scenes from The Road To Success which didn’t make it into the story. There is a lot of cut content from that story which I feel is still worth sharing. Other entries will include character study, and characters which I feel aren’t shined upon that often.

These drabbles will take the place of oneshots, and will typically be released during a wait period(when I’m in the midst of working on the next chapter of TRTS). As I said previously, I will still do oneshots on occasion, if I am able to come up with an idea that I can expand upon. For the most part, however, expect much more of the drabble collection in the near future.

Conclusion

If you made it all the way to the end, I just want to express how thankful I am to everyone who has supported me and my fics after all this time. I’ve been at this for 3 years now. I have made several new friends during my time here, and I’ve seen the talent of so many people in this community.

With that being said, I will be taking my time with my fics going forward. That doesn't mean I’m gonna quit necessarily, but I will be taking my time with my fics to ensure that they can hold up to their full potential. As long as there is still engagement in the fanbase, I will continue to write fic for as long as I still hold value to my craft.

If you have any questions about any of the information above, do not hesitate to ask. I will answer any questions you have, whether it’s about the Backstory AU or another project of mine. I want to be as transparent to you guys as I can.

Cheers.

[skysometric]

Zeta - As Complete As It Gets

Zeta was my "magnum opus" back in 2014… the pinnacle of everything I had learned with level design in Mari0 1.6. Everything about it is as grandiose as possible – colorful levels made with an omnipalette tileset, unique challenges that blend Mario and Portal elements in fun ways, a plot holding secrets close to its chest. I released about half of it in various demos up until mid-2013, getting lots of praise and attention from the community! I was quite proud of myself and my work…

But I had ambitions to use features that hadn't even been added to the game yet, like a full custom music album, water tiles, custom enemies, cutscenes. I decided to shelve the project for a little while, at least until later versions of the game gave me more tools to work with. Those new versions came and went… yet I never returned to Zeta, instead embracing other big new projects like Retrush and Floating Isles. Zeta faded into history, left unfinished, a casualty of ADHD novelty-chasing.

Many of the ideas that were planned for Zeta would later find their way into my other projects, but the idea of returning to Zeta itself has always been daunting. Despite the fact that I was so proud of it in 2014… it's a little uneven looking back on it now. In addition to finishing the existing levels, there's a ton I'd want to rework from scratch! That would practically be a new project in its own right.

The perfect excuse to return to Zeta came when I started streaming all of my Mari0 mappacks in a retrospective series. Most of them I was content with showing as they were released… but with Zeta, I specifically wanted to show it in its best light, as close to its original vision as possible. So, using modern tools in AE, I added all of the music I wanted to add from the beginning, added warps between areas of unused content, and even finished the final boss! The stream itself went great, and I had a lot to say about development of the mappack – you can watch it in full here:

The short version is that Zeta is honestly better than I remembered! Even though there's still a few rough edges, and the blend of Mario and Portal elements gets kinda wacky at times, it has a cadence to it that's genuinely unique and fun in its own right. It's a lot more mature than I expected, and getting to revisit it was a joy.

And since I already have all the materials ready… I'm releasing this version of Zeta to the public! This version has a little more work done on it since I played it on stream, including the addition of water tiles in some areas and fixed time limits in most levels. There are still a few unfinished levels, but otherwise… this is how I wanted Zeta to be, ten years ago. This is as complete as that original vision gets.

I have to make the distinction that this is the "original vision" because there's SO MUCH I would change these days. Before I did the stream, I had to mull over just how extensively I wanted to change things up – but I decided that preserving the original vision was most important… and if I want to change things more extensively, that will be a separate release. I guess let's say that a Zeta DX isn't off the table~

For now, though, here's that original vision preserved as faithfully as possible. It doesn't run in the original Mari0 1.6 anymore due to the music and the final boss, so you'll have to use Mari0 AE. A decade later, please enjoy Zeta as it was meant to be played!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/85z8jqotzun1e8z/Zeta%20-%20As%20Complete%20As%20It%20Gets.zip?dl=1

[tumblydovereviews]

The Sign: Bluey's Magnum Opus

This was originally scheduled to be a four-part review but I have something even bigger coming up and, ultimately, I found myself with more ideas for a sole post on what is now one of my favorite episodes of the series and wanted to do a much deeper dive into it.

Magnum opus. Defined as the greatest achievement of a particular person or work, while a magnum opus isn't always the best in quality, it more often than not represents an amazing feat in the series' history. And, the Bluey 28-minute special "The Sign," is no different. With praise and acclaim from both critics and casual viewers, and currently holding the highest rating of any Bluey episode on IMDb, it's safe to say that this episode is one of, if not the best that Bluey has ever had to offer.

Bluey's array into long-form content didn't start from this special, though. In 2020, a new play titled, appropriately, Bluey's Big Play, was released to audiences with positive reviews from all demographics. Needless to say, Bluey long-form content was desired more than ever, and The Sign only delivered in that aspect.

The Sign focuses on Bluey and Bingo learning about their family's plans to move out of Brisbane and into the city, where Bandit has received a new job. Bluey is heartbroken, while Bingo takes the news oddly well. At the same time, the Heelers are also preparing for Frisky and Radley's wedding, which will be hosted at the house before the big move. The Heeler girls, along with Muffin and Socks, derive a plan to get Frisky to move the big "FOR SALE," sign out of the driveway so nobody will buy the house, but plans are changed with Frisky ends up in an argument with Rad and calls the wedding off, leaving Chilli and the Heeler cousins on a road trip to find her, save the wedding, and (possibly), the house as well.

Despite being four times longer than the average episode, The Sign's pacing didn't feel slowed down compared to a regular episode; instead, enough plot has been packed inside of the special to account for the longer runtime. Not once did I feel like the special was dragging on or moving too fast. The pacing was perfect. The animation was great, and the lighting in certain scenes was amazing, especially during the dance party at the reception.

Bluey's growth as a character also stood out tremendously. This Reddit post sums everything up amazingly. Bluey is getting older; she can sit in the front seat, she can listen in to conversations she'd initially be ushered out of for being 'too young,' and she spends more time hanging out with Chili and Frisky during the search than with her sister and cousins. By now in the series, enough time has passed for Brandy to be noticeably pregnant and for Rad and Frisky to develop their relationship, so Bluey is at least 7.5 years old now. Seeing such noticeable growth in her character is a wonderful thing.

The small details in the special as well are amazing! Seeing Grandpa Bob again, Frisky's family, and Brandy finally getting pregnant! Honey gets her first speaking role since Season 2! Pretzel has two mums! Socks is speaking in full sentences and has her biggest role in possibly the whole series!

But, perhaps the best part of The Sign was it's use of the butterfly effect, a reaction in which something seemingly mundane has a much larger impact and leads to a chain reaction. Each event has a purpose, whether we see its need immediately or not. Muffin jams the coin in the wrong spot of the binoculars, but the coin is used by the sheepdogs to discover Winton's house for sale and decide to move there over to the Heelers' house instead, which ends up being the final straw in Bandit's decision to keep the home. The motif of the Ulysses butterfly, first seen in Slide, as a reference to good luck only fuels the butterfly effect in the special.

My favorite scene in this special would have to be the ending, featuring Lazarus Drug in the background. The sheer anger on Bandit's face as he throws the sign onto the grass. Chilli diving onto him and sobbing, her shoulders shaking with the weight of her emotions. The girls running towards their parents, elated on the revelation. The Heelers, enjoying a dinner of fish and chips, the house almost completely empty as we pan up to the sky and the end of the special. This scene struck a chord with me that I had only felt during Bluey's saddest moments, and I had to admit, I shed a few small, but significant tears.

Bluey's The Sign not only teaches us about the sheer impact of the decisions we make everyday, but it also shows us how, even when life takes us in directions that we can barely respect, everything will always work out in our favor. Life gives us enough bad things to anticipate, that maybe anticipating isn't the best thing after all. Maybe, we should just say, "We'll see," and hope for the ultimate best.

This is why I believe that The Sign is not only one of Bluey's best episodes, but its magnum opus, Joe Brumm and Ludo Studios' greatest achievement to date. Not many preschool shows can expand to thirty minutes while still keeping audiences of all demographics engaged. Not many pieces of media in general can be both realistic and fun like Bluey can. Not many shows can show to us, the audience, the little moments in life that leave to big lessons as well as Bluey is able to. The Sign not only encapsulates the show's mission but goes well beyond of the barriers that children's TV is forced to be in the best way possible.

[imaginespazzi]

SOMEONE(you) COOKED HERE. WOWEEEE Mommy HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN THIS REVIEW THIS IS YOUR MAGNUM OPUS. Also sorry this is so late, work is crazy and all of my favorite fics updated last week. Do you, pb524830, and pboogerswbb have some kind of conspiracy to release on the same date?

May 2033 ~ A few minutes ago ~ (YA I WISH IT WAS ONLY A FEW MINUTES BETWEEN CHAPTERS AS WE'VE BEEN IN PAIN)

Stephie is so fucking cute I can't handle it. Just picturing her in a huge bed covered in a hoodie saying “Go away Mama. I’m mad at you,” I can picture her so vividly

"A craving to have Paige there too, a craving for the two of them to be cradled in the blonde’s strong arms, a craving for this almost perfect picture to be complete." -> Azzi lets get real your arms are much stronger than hers lol

Have I mentioned that you have made me do a complete 180 on Azzi -I lowkey didn't really love her early in the story (blasphemy I know). You know how to build a character arc thats for sure.

"they’ve always been hers." -> Ok this made me think about the phone call on Paige's wedding day and with the context we have now that is low key so gut wrenching for Azzi.

“she’s like family?” -> GIRL SHE YOUR DADDY

The verbiage of 'keep miss buecks forever' is making me laugh I am picturing her in a little closet under the stairs like harry potter 🧙🏿‍♂️

“how you don’t know?" -> I cry 😭😭😭😭😭

April 2027 - You know I'm always excited for some juicy Olivia content.

"The thing is that Azzi knows she can survive -can even succeed- without Paige- but she doesn’t want to." -> hmm I am wondering if this is a little glimpse into some of her reasoning for turning down the proposal. That she might cease to have her own identity and accomplishments recognized, a fear that she would be known as Paige's WAG and nothing more? Something Olivia was super happy to be known as 🤣

Ice's excitement about Azzi's plan is crushing me

Just a little while longer baby. I’m coming to you. Forever. -> TOO LATE BITCH

The glazing of Paige's hotness this chapter- those unrivaled ads really got to you eh? I mean I guess its not glazing if its true!

Oooh finally some Polivia action. Sex scene please🤣🍑🍑

May 2033 - No notes!

Wow this has really been the longest day ever

This conversation is so cathartic thank god finally

I have no notes on this conversation because it was very satisfying and honest and both of them have valid points lol

May 2027 - Tristan and Olivia should get together it feels right

Ok it has always made me laugh when you get asks being like HOW WAS STEPHIE MADE.. as if it would be anything but a one night stand with a dude

Sometimes you need to get laid in a drunken rage, and sometimes a penis is just right there 🤷🏻‍♀️

Azzi… keeping a baby because you don't want to be lonely is very much not a reason to keep a baby. I mean it worked out for ya but jesus christ!

Alright so I am so happy we finally got the reveal of this sequence of events… I think I pretty much predicted that Azzi getting pregnant was a direct result of her finding out about Olivia, but I absolutely LOVE how you added the factor of her deciding to keep the baby because of the engagement announcement. Just adding another way Paige is pretty much responsible for Stephie's existence. WHEN IT COMES TO 5 YEAR OLD STEPHIE, PAIGE, YOU ARE THE FATHER (crowd screams, Maury shakes Paige's hand)

One thing I was curious about - when we first meet Olivia after P's goodbye presser, she talks about how Paige kept them on the DL for months because she didn't want Azzi to find out and wanted to tell her first. Does Paige think the engagement announcement was Azzi's first time hearing about Olivia? Did she not give her a heads up in between Azzi seeing her with O and the announcement? Cold blooded 😬

Ok this was far too long and I have nothing left to say except the ending of this did leave me feeling optimistic, whereas the cliffhangers leave me feeling empty and sad lol. I vote Paige makes her decision quickly and the rest of the story is pure fluff the end bye love ya. 🤱🏻🤱🏻🤱🏻

OMG BABES I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU! I figured you were busy and I wouldn't get a live reaction this time but I'm so happy you're here <3

And lmao no we don't plan it but great minds and all that I guess...

Okay starting by calling me out....I see

Stephie is the actual loml like I'm so attached to this little kid

You're right, you're right Azzi's arms are definitely stronger but hey Paige's are pretty nice too

Awwww I'm glad I've been able to write Azzi in a way that made you like her again. She's definitely changed a lot in the last couple of chapters and has grown as a person in this fic.

Paige is really just Stephie's pet she wants to adopt

I like your break up theory :)

I'm just a girl who likes pretty girls...thank you Phee and Stewie for those ads

POLIVIA OH MY GOD DON'T MAKE ME GAG. Just writing them all cute made me gag a little, I couldn't do anything more without offing myself.

Writing the chapter was pretty cathartic; felt like a long time coming for them.

Listen as much as it pained me to write about a man....it was inevitable like truly nothing else was gonna make sense to the plot.

Never say Azzi hasn't made spontaneous extreme decision in her life...she will simply point to her fucking child.

At the end of the day, not by blood, but but destiny or fate or something like those things, Stephie exists because of Paige. They're tethered your honor.

Yes it was but that's not necessarily how Paige wanted it to happen.

[merge-conflict]

thread-safe

goro takemura x valentine

After V has fled from Arasaka with Johnny and Alt, she meets with Goro, who has come to bring her back. Their argument turns into passion, but there is more at stake than just their broken hearts.

“You slept with Silverhand,” he counters, the accusation slipping out before he can stop it. It’s been on his mind from the moment she left, how she could not only betray him but betray him so completely. “After everything he has done!”

V’s smile is mirthless. “I didn’t know you were keeping such a close eye on me.”

“There was an investigation.” The truth sounds hollow, even to his ears.

Her chrome fingertips glide over the back of his hand and he releases her, feeling like he’s been burned. “Should I have lived like you? In total denial?”

“At least I did not consort with the enemy.”

She tilts her head, frowning almost imperceptibly. “Am I your enemy?”

It’s misdirection. Provocation. He’s seen her back enough people into a corner with a similar technique, until they are too angry and defensive to avoid admitting fault. Working hand-in-glove with Abernathy, exposing their target to expertly crafted repercussions. But she’s not as invulnerable as she is pretending to be, or as unaffected.

“Are you?” he asks. He already knows the answer but wants to hear her say it. The instant he touches her cheek she leans into the touch like a cat, eyes fluttering closed as he leisurely runs his fingers down her neck, down the line of her shirt, over the curve of her stomach. He lingers at her belt, tracing the buckle as he feels her muscles tense. The gesture is complete only when he slides his hand between her legs, palm pressed against her clit through several layers of fabric.

She makes a guttural sound, pressing into him. “No.” Read more on ao3

a/n: This is my magnum opus. It's a heart-breaking gut punch and I feel like I finally had the skill to accomplish the fic I've wanted to write since I first played Cyberpunk. :3

Bonus Track:

[blurhawaii]

AO3 roundup 2023

for the first time in many years i actually wrote things. this is largely because i daisy chained fic exchanges for pretty much the entire year, but whatever works, right?

anyway, my new year resolution last year was to write more and i ended up writing 70,980 words across 11 fics. which is, i think, a big success.

1899

werewolf heart | maura franklin/eyk larsen/daniel solace | 7K

part werewolf story, part butchering of selkie lore, all set on an abandoned, haunted steamship

'cause he knows it's all worthwhile, he told me | eyk larsen/daniel solace | 4K

post canon fic exploring the dangers of being pulled early from a cryosleep

mine, yours, and how it went | eyk larsen/daniel solace | 7K

part 1 - daniel doesn't abandon his son at the first opportunity, and eyk is seduced by a sad, wet man attempting to be a dad

the truth has always been a lie | eyk larsen/daniel solace | 17K

part 2 - daniel and maura have coded conversations, elliot is sad, and eyk continues to be slowly seduced by daniel's lacklustre parenting

From

your pleasure's set upon slow release | jade herrera/jim matthews | 5K

jim is schrodinger's widow until tabitha comes back and opens the box. or jade invites himself into jim's bed

Indiana Jones

never knew the cold hand of danger; til i met this one and let it inside | klaber/jurgen voller | 7K

klaber visits voller's classroom at the university of alabama, a possible look into why klaber is so loyal

Project Blue Book

mass migration | j allen hynek/michael quinn | 2K

an entire forest uproots and moves while quinn blindly steps into a precurser to a threesome

a blood pact of sorts | mimi hynek/susie miller | 1K

mimi takes a sledgehammer to a bomb shelter and susie helps

The Nice Guys

for the good life is out there somewhere | holland march/jackson healy | 1K

jackson teaches holland how to take a punch to the face

The Quarry

every fortress falls | travis hackett/laura kearney | 9K

basically a 5 times fic, spanning the entire game. highlighting touch and moments of kindness, sometimes at the same time

and finally, my magnum opus

The Departed

posthumously | billy costigan/sean dignam | 5K

snapshots of a life in slow recovery. or billy survives the bullet and now he has to survive dignam trying to be nice

here's to 2024 and hopefully another productive year !

[carmenized-onions]

First of all HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

I just reread everything for the THIRD time and I finally built up the courage to send my thoughts. I am OBSESSED with this story! You had me hooked from the very first chapter you posted. I don’t think I’ve ever read a fan fiction that was this damn good. Every single detail is so well thought out, you have captured these characters perfectly. I can’t believe that you are writing this one week at a time (we need to get you in the room when they write season 4). Every character is written so well throughout this story, I can tell that you really get this show. I’ve always felt disconnected when reading fan fiction because the writing style is usually so different from how the actual show is scripted, but man… you nailed it. I feel like you understand these characters better than the actual writers of the show. Nothing you’ve written so far has felt out of character. I’m actually furious that this story isn’t cannon because it’s so damn good! I won’t make you read every single thought for every single chapter because that would take me forever to write and I’m not that great at writing. I will however share with you my overall thoughts on chapter 13:

Holy shit! This was THEE chapter. I love a flashback episode and this was PERFECT (I think you should be very proud on how this turned out holy moly). It is mind blowing how well you’ve fit Chip into this story. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a more detailed review of this chapter but next time I promise to write out my thoughts as I read. I am very excited to see what happens next. Have a lovely day!

THANK YOU DEAR, sorry I’m late to all these birthday wishes myself, I’ve got like 20 asks in my inbox, my apologies for my lateness loves, a bitch has been busy. 

THIRD re-read is WILD!! I wish I was still on my once a week release man, I was in my BAG. Hopefully after the move I can finally get back into it. ALSO listen, if anyone knows, how to get in that writers room, i’ll make myself so available. I’ll go anywhere. I’ll meet you on Huron and Orleans right now storer please. (though I do think they already filmed a majority if not all of S4? Which,, I’m not gonna lie I am worried about. They need Joanna Calo back like fucking yesterday. God i’m so in love with her). It really really means a lot to me though as a screenwriter being told so often that I should be in the room. So sincerely thank you!!

AS WELL AS THE STYLING YES!! I consider myself pretty versatile in terms of being able to switch my tone based on what genre I’m working with, but as a little fucking freak, The Bear lends itself very well to my own frantic stream of consciousness constantly over the top writing, I think. So I’m happy about that. And thank you thank you for saying I understand the characters, I’m always always trying to do their personas justice cause they’re !! just so !! I love them. They’re all very rounded out and managing all those little people quirks is always so fun and interesting. I can’t deny I also wish Chicago’s Kindest was cannon. It would be so interesting to see it play out in show perspective, rather than y’know having it as almost always Tony’s perspective going through her days. Ahhhh I can’t think about it for too long or I’ll lose it. 

AND THOUGHTS ON CHAPTER THIRTEEN THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY THEEEE chapter,, I think that’s why i’ve had so much trouble with Chapter 14 honestly, because it was like oh christ. That was my magnum opus. It’s all downhill from here. Hopefully that’s not the case, but we’ll see. I need everyone to gas me up so much when CH14 comes out. Chip is so woven in to the story at this point and it’s gonna personally hurt my feelings so much when S4 comes out and everything I wrote is not possible in future canon because Christopher’s gonna do that to hurt ME personally. Jkjkjkjk. But it is a secret fear I have. It’s fine. 

Thank you so much for your thoughts!! Also listen, I love getting peoples play by plays, but never feel pressured to do em!! Honestly hearing like people’s analysis’ of scenes as a whole that stuck out to them is probably my favourite shit to see— I LOVE IT ALL THOUGH— I DON’T KNOW— ITS ALL VERY GOOD AND I’M THANKFUL FOR ANY AND ALL THOUGHTS I GET!! I’M GONNA SHUT UP NOW!! Hope you enjoy the next one when it’s out see you then !!