#flashy flash icons

[anestefi]

[blueberriimoon]

Babe it’s pink

[m1lkyw4yw1sh3z]

Our best friend (hi best friend we love you /p!!) introduced us to Blinkies Cafe and this is all we've ever dreamed of and more-

[darkshrimpemotions]

Some friends reawakened an old hyperfixation today so here are some extremely poor quality Bert icons I dug out of my files from 2006.

[mechahero]

//okay if there’s a site that would let its users use gif icons, lambda would use this icon. 

FLASHING COLORS UNDER THE CUT! PLEASE DONT CLICK THE READ MORE IF FLASHING COLORS ARE A PROBLEM FOR YOU!

[artbysconnor]

The DnD party from Wildlife SMP in Episode 1! I just couldn't help trying my hand at these designs, since it combines two of my favorite things currently (Dungeons and Dragons and the Life Series) . Lizzie - Goliath Champion Fighter

BigB - Halfling Circle of Dreams Druid

Ren - Fairy College of Lore Bard

Jimmy - Half-Elf Oath of Redemption (Or Oath of Glory?) Paladin

See below for design notes!

Lizzie:

I knew Lizzie would be a Goliath, and was torn between giving her a martial class or making her a War Cleric. In the end, party composition won out, and she ended up a Champion Fighter, but I kept the half skirt design from her cleric thumbnails and gave her a big ol' mace. Given her pink hair is so iconic I didn't want to go full bald, so I made her hair long along the scalp and tied into two buns and a ponytail (not realistic, but it works in the drawing so I'm sticking with it!). I tried to put butterfly wings in her tattoos by her eyes, and added some flowers to further the fairy vibes on her armor and bring in the light blues from her skin as well.

BigB:

I probably was the least sure about what race and class I wanted to go with for BigB. He fluctuated between a Twilight Cleric and a Druid, and between Gnome, Dwarf, and Halfling. I ended up going with a Halfling to match his easygoing attitude, and leaned into his association with the Pale Garden as perhaps a caretaker and watchful hand over the Fey-like landscape as a Dream Druid. I knew I wanted his staff to reflect that by containing a creaking heart, but I also made his armor woven bark from the exteriors of the black and white trees, with flickers of the orange creaking magic within it, and kept his palette somewhat subdued and faded compared to his more saturated normal palette.

Ren:

Our bard Ren is probably the least detailed here on account of scale, but I put just the same amount of thought into his clothes, too! I wanted to work in little details that make use of materials that would be big for his small racial size as a fairy, such as a button for a poleyn, sewing pins for tuning pegs on his lute, and oversized ribbon ties on his costume. The main costume (a doublet and flouncy pants) is inspired by flashy, slashed Renaissance fashions - I think they suit a bard with a bragadocious energy like Ren. I added a tiny 'wolf pelt' as a cape that was probably a rat or perhaps an ermine, and his sunglasses are cut and polished crystal.

Jimmy:

Jimmy, our normal-sized normal man, was always a paladin in my mind. I wanted to put him in predominantly pretty heavy plate armor, almost like he's trying to protect himself at all costs, and pull in references to canaries and birds with the wing motif and feathered plume on the helmet and cloak clasp (and sword, which is now hidden behind BigB). The gold linear details both reinforce the pieces and provide a flash of yellow in his design to balance the cool blues and silvers, and his unpictured shield in my mind has the image of a great golden bird being pierced through the heart by an arrow or spear of some sort - a tragic house crest that Jimmy seeks to bring to glory.

[eternalsa2z]

Her Name Is Mandi

She received the necklace as a gift. 'MANDI' it said in bold, flashy, gaudy jewelry. At first it didn't make sense...that wasn't quite her name? But as she started to wear it, she began to understand how well it fit her.

M - MADEUP

She started wearing the necklace while applying her makeup. She couldn't miss the name flashing in the mirror as she applied elegant makeup every day. It made sense - she was a high-end aesthetician after all! For some reason she recalled working towards a different goal, like medicine or something. But a little glimpse of her glam necklace and the thought would be covered up like how her makeup painted her face.

A - ALLURING

After a while, her aesthetic changed. She needed something refined and showy to match her necklace at all times. So altered gowns with low necklines and slits up the side filled her wardrobe as her head filled with thoughts of wearing feminine finery. It fit in well with her side-hustle as a hostess at a high-end club. A perfect match to how her necklace nestled between her buxom bosom, which felt bigger and better squeezed by her splendid attire.

N - NEEDY

By now the necklace never left her. Neither did the increasing sense of lust, arousal, and desire. Her head felt emptier with the necklace or a glitzy choker squeezing her neck; instead it was increasingly filled with an obsession with physical beauty, sexy wardrobes, and self-indulgent pleasure. She looked hot; so she felt hot.

Her urges grew until she gave in. She dressed in a scandalous, searing-hot red lingerie set. Constantly licked her plump, inflated, pleasurable lips. Desperately dreaming of satisfying her desires.

D - DOLL-LIKE

Her old sense was hanging by a thread, the opposite of how securely the necklace fit around her plastic form. Desperately she tried to recall who she was, her true self, until an important decision came into her empty head. It didn't matter who she used to be...now she was just a plastic trophy. Built for pleasure, designed to be paraded about, meant to be played with.

The thought broke her brain and cemented her new personality. She was a buxom Barbie. A bratty Bratz. A dumb bimbo doll. Mindlessly she stood frozen, mouth agape, posing in a sexy manner. It was her destiny all along.

I - ICON

The necklace had overwritten her identity completely. She embraced her new self, strutting down red carpets and showing off her enhanced assets. Heads would turn, faces flush, and cameras snap in an attempt to capture her perfect image in their minds forever. She was an bimbo icon yet she kept working to become even feminine, amazingly lovely, and worry-free. In other words - her own ideal!

It turns out the necklace really was a match for her all along. She was a madeup, alluring, needy, doll-like icon. Her name was Mandi. It fit her perfectly.

[katsukikitten]

You don't feel stupid or out of place, not for a single moment as you glide through the packed room to stand at the fringes of the party you came to alone. At least until you see them as you stand by the banister overlooking the sunken living room.

The perfect couple, that normally stayed in, of course would be dressed as the most iconic couple of all time. Her long dark hair flowing down her back, pin straight and pretty face usually painted in bright colors adornes a black upper lip similar to the one you snarl now. Realizing even this far away who the pair were meant to be.

Morticia and Gomez.

A heavy sigh as the negative feeling you shoved down on the way over tries to bubble up. Especially when he takes one strong hand to wrap around her delicate one, bringing her knuckles to his lips to press a loving kiss. As if they are the only two in the room, icy blue gaze hidden behind soft lashes.

It made you sick.

Mostly because you were jealous.

"Morticia all alone?" A voice interrupts your thoughts, letting his fingers slide from your forearm down to your laced palm. Holding your hand up cautiously as if asking permission to press his lips.

"I'm still looking for my Gomez." Denying his request as you pull your hand away, smiling at the white haired man who towered over you. Clasping the banister in front of you elegantly but it does little to hide your cat smile.

"Didn't I see you come in with three pretty young women? All in matching costumes that suggest more than platonic feelings." He quirks his eyebrow, flashy costume reminding you too much of a desperate peacock.

"I can always add a goth babe to my roster." He smiles, attempts to make it extra dazzling as if what he said would be written in romance novels for decades to come.

"Oh sweetheart." Your voice has a dangerous edge as you grab onto his cheeks, pointed claws digging into the skin as you pull him closer to make sure he hears, "I'm nobody's fourth option. Not third or second. I come first."

Before leaning back with a wicked smile as you release him, "Course I doubt those three have come at all."

Watching his face fall in real time as he realizes exactly what you meant, making the mistake of staying put as if any man would ever move you. Staring him down with an almost bored gaze before he finally caves in.

"That's probably why you can't find your fuckin Gomez bitch." He spits your way but it just makes you smile, weeding out the weak men was child's play to you. Eyes sweeping over the party once more trying to avoid the happy couple that seem to move spots every time you try to look anywhere but.

Letting out an audible ugh as you debate drowning yourself in liquor or just heading home.

"Sickening ain't it?" Yet another male voice disturbing your hating hours, although he must have snuck up on you. Leaning against the railing as he stares out over the bodies that grind against one another.

"Hmm?" Pretending not to know what he's talking about even though you see his wisteria eyes boring into the only real happy couple here. He looks over to you sucking his teeth as he catches you in an obvious lie.

"Trying to catch his attention? Won't work sweetheart man's only got eyes for his little snowflake." He leers and it earns a hot glare.

"Not everything is about a man." Your teeth are almost grit as you try to keep your composure.

"Yea? Everyone knows Morticia and Gomez come as a set." He looks your way, a ghost fast mask pushed up and away from his face as if he needed to catch some air, "Not too late to run to the bathroom and fix your hair and slit your dress to be Elvira."

"Again, women can exist outside of men. Besides, who's to say my Gomez just isn't here yet?"

"Cause I heard ya tell that pig head ya ain't got one." He flashes teeth as white as his soft starlight tuffs that peek out haphazardly. He pushes away from the railing, coming to stand closely behind you. Placing his broad palms on the banister in front of you as if to trap you to the spot. Chin on your shoulder as he purrs in your ear.

"So whadya say, will ya settle for a ghost face?" He smells divine and maybe if he caught you a little later in the night when you had far too much to drink you might have gotten drunk off of him instead. Instead you wrap your arms around his, putting him in a sense of false ease as you take a step back and another as if it were a dance and he follows easily. Twirling yourself until now his back is to the party pressing into the banister harshly. Grabbing onto his cheeks, nails biting into his skin as you did the man before him.

"I came alone so I'll leave alone." Smiling before you let him go, heading for the door before you call over your shoulder..

"Maybe I'll see ya in the sequel Mr. Ghost face."

[splatreference]

File Garden Mirror of Splatrefs

hey peeps! I genuinely forget if i've already made this post because i've been meaning to for like 5 months, but the gist of it is that i've been working on a mirror of this blog on File Garden.

This will function as a backup of the blog in case something ever happens to it (e.g. tumblr dies, i get banned, i accidentally delete it and whatever else giant meteor etc.) But it will also serve as an alternative way to access the resources here through another website, as well as easily access all the files themselves rather than having to sift through photo posts.

The pros that come with this:

MUCH easier management and uploading of pictures and even videos (for me). Tumblr has a daily image upload limit and even then the images have to be split across many different posts, which makes it a days-long, sometimes weeks-long process to be able to add pictures. Also don't have to memorize tags. -

Clear organization; folders and subfolders mean that everything can be neatly in one place. Whether you find this easier and/or more convenient to navigate than Tumblr tags is subjective, though. -

Easy downloads! I'm always saying that if you need some references a lot, I recommend saving them for yourself and File Garden makes it pretty easy to my knowledge. I will keep recommending this, by the way. -

In MY experience, load times for images are usually much faster than on Tumblr (which is definitely my main draw for making it in the first place) -

It's not Tumblr, but an actual file hosting site. I know, that's revolutionary

Unfortunately File Garden also isn't perfect, so to be thorough here is also a list of cons:

The site is down ALL the time. I feel like it has constant outages which isn't really unexpected for a smaller site. The good news is that these rarely last very long - the bad news is that you might also run into errors. -

There are no folder icons, which can make it a bit harder than it needs to be to actually find where you want to go, which is annoying given there's no search -

While faster at loading image previews than tumblr by a country mile (especially when reloading the page), loading in the images can be really flashy. As in they literally flash white when loading in sometimes.

Going forward, I'll be uploading everything I upload here also to File Garden. I'm slowly working towards copying every major thing from the blog over to there (it's horrible guys, one copypaste at a time) so it should fill up over time and be usable as an alternate resource!

(Also, for anyone taking a look, please help a guy out in the endless war against admin error. If there's pictures in folders where they shouldn't be or there's thumbnail-sized uploads in some of the folders, shoot an ask here with the location and I'll fix it...)

That's it for this century's status update. I've been procrastinating a fuck ton on actually getting anything uploaded here... hope everyone has a good Sizzle Season and maybe I'll try to catch up at least a little bit.

[hellohimawarihana]

Yu-Gi-Oh Transformations, ranked by me

I did say in this post that Yu-Gi-Oh is no stranger to transformation sequence, but the more you look at it, it's like that all series had this in some degree, so I decided to rank them from least appealing to the most mind-blowing. It was inspired to this post, by the way. Unlike the protagonists ending post before, I'll include Go Rush!! as well, but I'll only include those from the protagonists and their main anime, so no Capsule Monsters or special episodes like Bonds Beyond Time, or supporting characters in that matter.

We'll start with the series that stood out the least, which is...

8. ARC-V

Yes, it’s pretty unappealing even for me. The Awakened version (left) are just him surrounded with aura and his mutated Z-ARC (right) is… not on my book.

7. Original / Duel Monsters

I ranked DM version a bit higher than ARC-V for this list. Yes, it’s the first and longest Yu-Gi-Oh series and therefore it’s iconic but Yami Yugi a.k.a. Atem didn’t really change clothes outside of making a cape jacket from his host. It’s still good that he manages to split into two selves for his partner later in the story.

6. Duel Monsters GX

It’s like Yami Yugi and Awakened Yuya because he spent some time being possessed by Haou / Supreme King (right), but Judai does had a control of his powers after gaining that and Yubel’s (left) powers and abilities, after that he doesn’t actually transforms outside the eye changes so I can’t rank him higher.

5. SEVENS

From demonic look to Sentai hero... Though unlike other series (except number 4 that will be explained later) these came off as one-off forms as he only wears the costumes in one duel with the process akin to early Metal Heroes series. But his roll call of The Yugaman (right) is cool, by the way.

4. 5DS

While the usual preparation before Riding Duel is pretty cool, this part stands out among my brother's favorite Yu-Gi-Oh series. Yusei just turns gold for his ultimate Synchro Summon technique, but it’s still cool. There’s even non-Riding Duel version on his Duel Links portrait too.

3. Go Rush!!

This recently airing series has the protagonist surrounded by blue (sometimes green) aura to turn back into his real, alien form. But it’s just “casual *flash* battle form” so I can’t rank him too high. But I like how he keeps doing this before his own duel, even when he doesn’t use this stock footage anymore starting in Season 2. And he’s unique among the protagonists as he’s one of the two capable of transforming on his own without outside source.

2. ZEXAL

The concept is similar to DM and GX, only this time Yuma merges with Astral and can de-fuse anytime unlike the latter series. Dark ZEXAL (top right) isn’t in my book and just a palette swap between the first ZEXAL form (top left), which is my favorite. But the other ZEXAL forms (bottom) are awesome too, evolving through Yuma and Astral’s bond. I just wish that the other forms appeared in Duel Links as a skill and not just his first form. Normally, this will be all-time favorite for transformation fans for Yu-Gi-Oh, but he’s ranked here because...

Well, you know who will be my top pick:

1. VRAINS

While I grew up with DM series, my interest took at peak after seeing Yusaku’s transformation sequence when he logs into LINK VRAINS or any cyberworld. It’s cool and flashy, and I like the blue background, even though his Playmaker form has barely any blue on it. The pocket dimension where Yusaku transforms fits its technology theme too. I especially like the hair part, just look of his cool face! And he can transform by himself, just like Go Rush!! series!

The only downside is like Go Rush!!, he doesn’t do this stock footage anymore after Season 1 Episode 30, any login after that is just offscreen or the intro survives but he’s just do the login in blue flash of light, which is disappointing, he even lack the double henshin with Takeru! (his adventuring partner who has the same animation when he individually transforms) But I do like the fact that the world unlock scene in Duel Links has this transformation sequence, which is a nice callback for the first episode where Playmaker’s transformation was shown for the first time, especially for the players who had finished the anime since spoiler alert: Duel Links’s VRAINS World takes place after the end of the series.

See more of VRAINS' henshin here.

[leanuponmybar]

OK LONDON CAST ANNOUNCED SO I HAVE THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGHTS

Butch Lesbian Greaseball?

AMAZING 100% CAN'T WAIT IM SCREAMING IM IN LOVE I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE HER SLAY

Return of Tassita? I'm excited. Before now, Tassita hasn't seen the light of day, only appearing in the 2017 Workshop before the 2018 rewrites. We'll see what this character looks and acts like. Hopefully, they'll have an actual personality but we'll see.

About the casting of a male identifying actor as Tassita, I'm not sure how I feel about it. The coaches have always been ladies. When Volta and Wrench were covered by guys, the coaches and Joule were the only girls in the show pre-2018. I bet that Benz (First Cast Tassita) and all of the other Tassita covers will definitely do an awesome job and totally slay on stage, but I don't know how to feel about the genderswapped!Tassita. This may be just me and my tism brain but idk. I wish all the Tassita's an amazing run and to break all of the legs once it opens! (ofc not literally)

A Rusty and Pearl of color? Amazing. It's awesome that we're back to having a black Rusty since the role was originated by a black actor in London. Ray Shell, the original Rusty, has said multiple times that he's very thankful for getting to lead a West End show as a black performer and I love that this brings Rusty to his roots. Similarly with Pearl. There have been first cast Pearls of Color and covers of color before but they've been a tragic rarity. Ofc the queen Reva Rice originating the role on Broadway is continuing to do an awesome job on the Bochum stage. I cannot wait for these two to step into the skates of these iconic characters!

Overall, I'm cautiously excited. In general, I feel like the show is mixing the 2018 changes and some of the changes introduced in the 2017 Workshop. As for the new characters, we'll see more about them closer to opening night.

Now, to speculate. I feel like characters like Orange Flash and Grey Wolf may be racers or new Nationals of some kind. It's not new to add new Nationals so those names sound more flashy while characters like Porter and Lumber may be additional freight. Seeing context clues, Lumber might be some kind of wood transportation car ( i dont know the official name for it)

Well, what do you think? Do you like these changes? Do you not? Do you like the cast?

[anestefi]

[kaseyskat]

in honor of hermie's introduction anniversary AND the anniversary of our first truly iconic oakworthy scene, i present: an oakworthy date!!!

~~

Hermie is waiting for him.

Normal hadn’t meant to be late, really, he didn’t! It’s just… well, he’s been trying to make more of an effort with his appearance lately – after his disappointing year parading the mascot costume around to protect himself from his peers, even if he hadn’t quite realized it – but he’s still pretty new to it, and though his parents had tried their best, they were… also fashion disasters, though neither one of them wanted to admit it.

So Normal had gotten himself into three different suits before settling with a rather simplistic sky-blue blazer and white button-down and a tie that he definitely hadn’t stolen from Hermie on a previous sleepover (it’s sparkly, with vibrant color splashes and weird squiggly shapes; definitely what his outfit needed) and then he spends another thirty minutes just trying to tame his hair. 

And like, he’s been trying to get better about his own personal hygiene. He’s wearing deodorant now! He washes his clothes! But forcing himself into the shower is an entire mental ordeal that typically takes him four days at best, and as such his hair is always permanently greasy; he doesn’t mind it so much though, not when he can attack it with dry shampoo and gel and kind of sort of get his curls into a manageable mane. 

And… well, when he hadn’t been paying much attention to the time in the first place, he is startled but not entirely surprised when Hero sticks her head into his room to announce, “if you don’t take the car in thirty minutes, I’m taking it and then you’ll have to walk to your date.” 

“Mom wouldn’t let you!” Normal retorts immediately. Son of a biscuit, I’m gonna be late! 

Normal is also… not a great driver. He’s definitely gotten better since he started learning, but he barely has a license and only because the Californian driver exam is very lax in comparison to other states. He gets nervous a bit too easily, but also has found that he also gets… riled up very easily. Very, very easily. 

Horrible. Awful. He speeds the entire way to the restaurant, and even then he’s still an entire half hour late, and Hermie’s going to kill him– 

–Hermie, who waits for him at the entrance. 

Hermie, as always, is flashy. As though he had known Normal was going to wear blue, he had styled himself in contrasting violets and pale yellows, wearing a half-skirt half-pants combination suit and his hair all braided back… not for the first time, Normal instantly feels a rush of panicked affection surge through him, and it’s all he can do to keep himself from stumbling into his partner, neatly tripping over his feet the moment he’s in proper distance. 

He’s caught, of course. Hermie doesn’t even seem disturbed that Normal’s late, though his expression is rather unreadable thanks to the bright patio lights and the glare across Hermie’s glasses. “Woah there,” he says, teasingly, “good to see you’re still falling for me.” 

Normal flushes a bright red, and he straightens up, shuffling awkwardly. Despite it all, despite the adventures, this is still the hardest part; getting readjusted to socializing with his partner. “Ah, you know me,” he says, just as clumsily as the way he had fallen, and he manages a very shy smile. “Hi, Hermie, oh my god I’m so late I’m sorry if I made you worry–” 

“-aww, hun, don’t even worry about it,” Hermie coos, and he easily loops their arms together; his bravado, as always, soothes Normal’s nerves, and he finally relaxes, his shoulders slumping as he settles right at Hermie’s side. “Actually, I already spoke with the hostess about the reservation time, so our table should be ready now.” 

It was probably meant to be a calming reassurance, but Normal just feels an instant flash of panic. After all, he was the one that had made the reservation in the first place; this entire date was for Hermie’s upcoming birthday, after all, and Normal had planned it all, and yet he was late, and even if Hermie’s not mad about it, it’s just one thing on Normal’s plans for the night that hadn’t started smoothly, and– 

–and, he’s worrying himself into the ground again. Normal takes a deep breath, and he wordlessly follows Hermie into the restaurant. 

It’s a wonderful place. Hermie, Normal’s found, is not picky about food as long as it has the right texture, and finding a place that served vegan dishes as well as the kinds of foods that Hermie would eat felt like a stroke of luck on Normal’s end. 

It was also very expensive. Luckily, Normal had gotten access to his mother’s credit card for the evening; she had been nothing but supportive for Normal and his relationship escapades. 

The server leads them to a table, and they sit across from each other, and even though it’s wholly unnecessary, Normal reaches underneath the table to hold Hermie’s hands and despite his anxieties and his fears, this part, at least, seems to be going alright. 

~~ 

The meal is only the first part of the date. 

Mostly because conversing while eating was never one of Normal’s strongest suits. He and Hermie had mostly eaten in silence, though the entire time Hermie kept looking at him with that flirtatiously coy smile, and Normal had felt his heart flutter every single time he caught it; is that normal, he wonders? Do regular, sane boys get the flutters every time their partner looks at them? 

Maybe. Who knows? It’s not like regular sane boys have a hand in saving the world. Normal’s basis for what is regular in their world is, naturally, very skewed and he’s come to terms with it. 

Afterwards, though, while still holding hands, they go for a walk. 

The city at night is lovely, despite everything. Normal clutches onto Hermie’s hand like a lifeline as they shuffle down the sidewalks, taking their time; they’re still early, even though Normal was late to dinner; Normal thinks it’s because they both ate pretty quickly. 

“So,” Hermie finally starts as they walk, and he’s once again glancing over his shoulder, barely looking where he’s going. “How are your sessions going?” 

The sessions. Right. 

Normal has been… in therapy, with his dad. It sounds very strange in theory, but it’s actually been pretty effective; together, they’ve worked through a lot of previously unspoken issues, and Normal actually feels so much better about his family and himself after acknowledging the issues that were passed down through the generations of their family line. 

For awhile, during the entire, end of the world mess, Normal wasn’t sure if he’d ever feel comfortable in his own skin again, let alone in his family. Now, he and his dad have a mandated one-night-a-week hangout time, and it’s the best Normal’s ever felt in his entire life. 

“Getting better!” he finally answers, as peppy as he can muster, even as he starts to subconsciously perk up now that he has something to ramble about. “Dad’s been getting into art again– did you know he was an artist as a kid? He stopped for awhile because of the whole like, trauma or whatever, but he’s really good! And he actually listened to me and started taking dance classes so now we can dance together.” 

Through it all, Hermie listens, making little noises of interest and attention when Normal paused for breath. This, too, is normal; while Hermie is overdramatic to a fault in public, he tends to curl into himself when he’s comfortable with a person, and Normal’s learned to not take his silences so personally over the years. 

It’s nice being listened to, is all. Hermie’s never really made Normal feel like he’s talking to himself either; he actually, genuinely listens, and usually is able to offer witty insight to whatever problem Normal has to talk himself into solving out loud. He, too, has stopped taking Normal’s ramblings as a sign of ignorance, and as the years have passed, they’ve fallen into a very comfortable spot. 

“Link’s going to same class though, it’s kind of funny; oh, speaking of, how did your plan go? Did they fall for it?” Normal beams up at Hermie, and Hermie snorts. 

“Normal, I think Link could sweep Taylor off of his feet and into a dastardly kiss, and Taylor would still be convinced their friendship is clearly just ‘bros being bros’, as it were.” Hermie rolls his eyes a little, though he has that fond little smile he gets when he talks about how his shenanigans with Taylor are going. “I think he’s beyond helping.” 

“You probably would’ve said that about me back in the day,” Normal points out, and once again, his cheeks heat up. “And now look where we are!” 

“Look where we are indeed,” Hermie turns his head slightly so that they make direct eye contact; it’s always been difficult for Normal to make direct eye contact with Hermie, because he’s always had that wild spark, a ravaging desire, and it’s always been a little overwhelming, even if Normal’s gotten better at handling the way his insides curl. For a moment, Hermie looks at Normal with that fond, all-consuming want, and something inside Normal turns into juice and he’s flushing hard enough he must be red all the way to his ears, and– 

“--oh, we’re actually here!” Normal squeaks. 

Surely enough, they’ve made it to the theater; the next biggest perk of the restaurant was that it was conveniently located in a certain part of downtown San Dimas, and so the theater truly was only a ten minute walk away. Tonight, they’re playing the hit Broadway Musical adaptation of Captain America: Civil War, and though admittedly Normal didn’t know much about the adaptation, he could respect the commitment to turning an entire vintage film series into musicals. 

Plus, Captain America happens to be one of Normal’s favorite superheroes of all time, so when he heard that the Broadway show would be touring, he had to get tickets! 

Nevermind that Hermie is still squinting suspiciously at the marquee as they walk in to scan their tickets. “You know I still haven’t watched the other parts of this,” he says, casually, as they line up. “You might have to… explain, certain elements of the plot.” 

“I haven’t seen it either, but I love the old series, and you’ll see why!” Normal says enthusiastically. 

He had known, when he got the tickets, that Hermie wasn’t exactly the biggest enthusiast of the old Marvel movie series, since he preferred the Batman villains. However, even he loved a good musical, and Normal had leaped at the opportunity to introduce his partner to one of his favorite characters of all time. 

Hermie makes an noncommittal noise, but he follows Normal willingly to their seats. 

It’s a fun musical. Normal cries when the fighting starts– he doesn’t mean to, but even now the betrayal feels so familiar and especially with how much he projects onto certain fictional characters it just feels too real. Hermie takes it in stride, letting Normal lean against him and curl into his side during the worst of it; and through it all, they never stop holding hands, never stop clinging to each other. 

“Wow, that was a lot,” Normal breathes when the show is over, and they’re patiently waiting for their turn to leave the auditorium. “So, what did you think?” 

Hermie’s expression is, once again, unreadable as he hums thoughtfully, reaching down to gently curl a thumb underneath Normal’s eyes. “It was decent,” he finally says, in that very controlled, monotone voice he uses when he’s trying to be passive. “Clearly it had the intended effect on you, so–” 

“--oh my god, you hated it,” Normal whispers, and he slumps, his face surely reflecting the absolute horror that he’s experiencing. “This was a birthday date and you hated it, of course you hated it I’m so–” 

“--Normal,” Hermie interrupts, and he sounds vaguely amused, biting at his lip as he takes Normal’s other hand to ground him. “I didn’t hate it, it’s just not my taste. Now don’t worry; we have one more stop on our night.” 

This is… news to Normal, to say the least. He had been the one planning this date, after all, and the show had run for long enough that he hadn’t thought to add a third destination. The implications – that maybe Hermie knew they’d need it, that Hermie definitely hated the show and wanted to end the night on a high note – have Normal shrinking down but he shuts up before he can somehow make this worse. 

I’m the worst boyfriend in the world, he laments as they finally leave the theater, this time allowing Hermie to take charge to lead them to… whichever third destination he had in mind. First being late, and then planning a bad date… I think even Taylor could’ve done better than me. 

Still, they walk. And walk. And while Normal stays quiet, he still clings to Hermie’s hand, and at one point Hermie just laughs and curls an arm around Normal’s shoulders, and they definitely earn weird looks from the other pedestrians but who cares about them? It’s just Hermie and Normal, Normal and Hermie, and he’s starting to feel a little bit better about his massive fuck-ups by the time they reach the park. 

In hindsight, Normal should’ve anticipated that this particular park was where Hermie was going to bring them. It was one he often used to practice his characters, meeting new people and exchanging dialogues and whatever else he did for pre-audition character building. Normal’s met him here more than a few times for lunch and more casual dates, and it feels right for Hermie to lead him to the gazebo. 

It feels perfect, actually. Perfect enough that Normal can’t believe he didn’t think about it first. 

“I’m sorry,” he immediately apologizes when they sit down, shoulders hunched as he curls into himself almost by habit. “Tonight was supposed to be so perfect, and I had so much fun but I don’t think I considered you again, and I’ve been trying so hard to work on that and it still– I’m sorry, Hermie.” 

Hermie stares at Normal for a long moment – long enough that Normal fidgets restlessly underneath the gaze, his cheeks heating up – before he snorts. Then, he laughs, and it’s a full, hearty laugh, interspersed with almost hysterical giggles. It’s the kind of laugh that has Normal awkwardly laughing along, even despite his confusion. 

“Oh, Normal,” Hermie drawls when he finally stops laughing, and he wipes at his eyes, sniffling. “I didn’t care what we did tonight.” 

Normal blinks once, twice. 

“We could’ve gone and joined a circus for all I cared,” Hermie continues, and he once again reaches for both of Normal’s hands, squeezing them both gently. “I like spending time with you. So if you’re happy, I’m happy. You should’ve realized that by now, you think I followed along some of your more daring escapades because I wanted to get my hands dirty?” 

Normal’s breaths catch in his chest, and he sighs, his shoulders shaking with it. “You’ve said that before, I just… I want this to be perfect, you know?” 

“I don’t know about you, but while I can flawlessly perform the act of perfectionism… I’m not perfect, Normal,” Hermie says, and he leans forwards on the bench they sit on, dropping one of Normal’s hands to gently brush hair out of his face. “And neither are you. And I don’t want you to be perfect either, because that would mean outshining me, which I would not accept.” 

Normal, despite himself, giggles at the thought of a jealous Hermie. “Okay, I guess so,” he concedes, and he finds himself leaning into the touch, curling his head into Hermie’s hand. 

“Good boy,” Hermie purrs, and he tilts Normal’s head upwards just enough so Hermie can lean down and kiss him. 

It isn’t like this is the first time they’ve kissed either, but Normal still makes the most embarrassing noise in the back of his throat as Hermie’s other hand finds itself at the small of Normal’s back, supporting him as he leans upwards. He still doesn’t really know what he’s doing, but here more than anywhere else it’s easy to follow Hermie’s lead, to savor the intimacy of it all. 

When Hermie breaks the kiss for air, Normal finally has the strength to move his own arms, wrapping them around Hermie’s neck as Hermie kisses his nose. “Happy birthday,” he breathes, his voice strained and rough around the edges; the emotion it conveys, however, is enough. 

“Thank you, kitten,” Hermie whispers right back, and as he kisses him again, Normal thinks maybe the night wasn’t a total disaster like he thought it was– as long as they were together, any date was a good one. 

[baelpenrose]

Nihilus Rex 31: Next Step

The back and forths writing this one.... Oh side note, Afterverse Studios does NOT endorse anything that Nils and Lash or their new psychopath plan in this chapter! Do not do this! @canyouhearthelight and I did have a lot of fun going back and forth with this tho...

When you're high, who ya flyin for?

When you ride, who ya ridin for?

When you toast, who ya drinkin for?

When you play, gotta deal with the devil.

Pop Evil "Deal with the Devil"

Nils

The date with my parents and Lash had gone without a hitch - hopefully the ladies’ day would be good for Lash and my mom. And Mrs. Botelho. 

In the meantime, Bishop, me, Lash, and Dickie Gray - Richard, I supposed - were meeting up to talk about our next big plan, which also had to include some kind of provision to rid ourselves of the attention of that obnoxious Fibbie who was still crawling around town. We had our minions posting about her movements to keep from getting caught flat-footed, but I still wanted her out of my city as quickly as possible.

Heh, ‘my’ city. I sounded like a mob boss.

“Bishop, you have the proxies set up to call the human-hunting enthusiast?”

“Yeah. Creampuff, Baklava, we’re gonna talk about your choice of lieutenants.”

“Yes, but later. Get the fucker on.” 

The screen came to life, and that same, deeply unpleasant icon popped up. “Nihilus, Phoenix. You wanted a meeting?”

“We have FBI in town. Our next mission is going to be to deal with some eviction notices getting served - and to take care of some banking properties while we’re at it. You already called our bluff on the QAnon bullshit, so real talk - none of us here want the government or big corporations owning all the houses or all the medicine. So we’re breaking that up a bit. But we want something to draw off the FBI while we do it. We have to do something beneficial enough to build support and flashy enough to draw attention off our core command structure.”

“Is there a reason we’re going with social engineering?”

“The reason the right always loses populist games in the long term is that they don’t invest in helping people with their actual problems.” 

The icon with the skull and dagger flashed. “Heh. Point. Benefits for loyalty. Can’t last forever.”

“He who comes to a principality against the wishes of both its nobility and its people should endear himself first to the people for they, who hope most not to be oppressed, shall bind themselves to their benefactor upon receiving generosity where they feared evil, where the nobles, seeking to oppress, can be dealt with as open foes, replaced with pliable fools in austerity and bribed to compliance in prosperity.” I quoted. “If I choose who to satisfy, I choose the average person. It means I have to kill fewer enemies in the long run. If the politicians could just figure that out, we’d have a lot fewer issues.” 

Lash blinked. “Machievelli isn’t normally the person one quotes if they are making a moral argument.”

“And yet the argument I just made would lead to more moral governance if its tenants were followed than anything our current government is doing.” 

“Still… Machievelli?” she muttered.

Bishop glowered and I abruptly realized he’d muted all our mics for us. “Children. Maybe don’t argue with each other and therefore imply internal division when your psychopath lieutenant with the survival of the fittest mentality is in the room?”

“Right.” I unmuted. 

“I think I’m satisfied with your logic. Do whatever flashy bullshit you want to get the fibbies attention, and whatever civic crap you want to get the normies on board.” Gray sounded unimpressed. 

I thought about it. “Right now, what are they saying on the boards you’re frequenting?”

“A lot of them are still on board with their local churches that keep raving about the current dumbfuck-in-office being anointed by god, or about dealing with those goddamn degenerates that have been making all the kids squall about pronouns lately.” His tone made it clear his own opinion on the queer community’s existence itself was likely indifferent at best, but that in his mind their true sin was not deviance but whining. He struck me as a person who would more easily respect an armed queer than an unarmed cishet, and ultimately I could follow the logic, uncomfortable though it was.

“So, as long as the gays pay taxes?” I quipped.

“Long as they don’t ask me to take care of them.” He muttered. “I don’t give a fuck what people get up to as long as they don’t need taking care of once they’re grown.” 

I filed that away for later - I was getting a fuller picture of his worldview the longer this went and I was increasingly certain we were gonna need to put him down. “Where were you going though?”

“Lot of people in the far right are gonna be a little bound up with the government because a lot of their churches have a little love affair with their modern day King Cyrus, Emperor Constantine, whatever analogy they’re using this week.” 

I sputtered. Christians were not being persecuted in the US, and…Stupid, stupid. Okay, something to work on. “Got it. I’ll have to work on that. Thanks for the tip.”

I glanced at Lash. “I… I honestly cannot figure out anything to say to him for this current operation that wouldn’t derail it,” she shrugged, biting her lip in apology. “I don’t agree with it, but his logic is sound enough that arguing may actually tip him against us.” Even as she said it, she looked queasy.

I glanced at him. “Alright then. This meeting is done. Keep our people that you’re supervising out of anything until I contact you again.”  The meaning of those words was clear - they were still my minions, not his. The call terminated.

Churches were keeping people locked in line with the state, as churches historically tended to. Okay, so our next job was going to be to fracture…Many megachurches had a lot of people who open carried, right? Our gun nut guy might be able to tell me, and I could double check later, but that had been in the news lately. I could check which ones…

“Lash. If these hateful megachurches that love SWATing gay clubs - the ones who just love. Love. Showing off their second amendment rights in church. Who have, for years, been fed a steady diet of ‘the government is coming for your children’ and 'the government are coming for Christians’. What if, and hear me out. What if they get SWATed back? What if we get a firefight between them and the cops going? Get a wedge between the right and law enforcement, leave the state without non state actors? Re-create the Night of the Long Knives via false flag?

In a gesture I had long learned was her method for buying time, she took a long, deep drink of water before speaking. “I don’t understand guns in a place of worship, I’m going to be honest. It… it baffles me, I guess? But then I see shootings on the news, and wonder ‘why do you think guns are the answer?’.  So, logically - “ She took another long drink of water before gasping for breath. “I guess I think it isn’t logical to have guns in a temple, and the police should know about that.  Provided,” she hedged, “that they know there are children present and, if they need to fire, it’s at grown up height.” She held her hand level with her eyes, a hair around five foot.

I was already thinking. "If we call SWAT, they're going to go in with weapons at shoulder height." Of course, once they were fired on, anything could happen. If kids were hit, that'd be more reason for the churchgoers to fire on cops in the future, the ‘jackbooted thugs shooting Christian kids’ narrative was something we could get a lot of mileage out of…

“Baklava is a pacifist, in case you haven’t figure that out,” Bishop grunted.

I laughed, while Lash huffed. “I just hate hearing people use ‘survival of the fittest’ when they mean ‘might makes right’.”

“No she bloody well isn’t,” I said to Bishop, idly, then shifted my gaze to my girlfriend. “No, I get that, though I can’t really argue that nature miserably echoes capitalism in that survival favors those who outcompete - or at least adapt. We both want a gentler world than the rules of nature - either the bloody ‘eat or be eaten’ he imagines or the ‘thrive and adapt or die’ that Darwin actually suggests.” 

Bishop looked between us and finally threw up his hands. “Okay, I’ll bite. You’re saying the same thing and rephrasing it, like it means something different. But ‘survival of the fittest’ is pretty clear.”

“Oh my god,” Lash groaned. “It’s the least clear thing in the world, apparently.  You, chucklefuck on the phone, and most of Nils’ pet racists all think it means ‘survival of the toughest and best equipped to fight’, when that’s the last thing it means. ‘Survival of the fittest’ means literally that: ‘to those who adapt and fit in with the least effort go the spoils of evolution’.  Why do you think mice are so common?  They aren’t exactly out there whipping ass and taking names… but they are definitely having more babies and more live to a reproductive age than larger predators, that’s for sure.”

“Which,” I added, “Is also why invasive species are so dangerous. They’re usually better able to adapt really well to a variety of environments and take over niches that more specialized species rely on, which leaves a lot of things on the chopping block. I am not totally sure I trust the idea of ‘natural selection’ as it actually applies for morals either. In natural selection, you have a plague, and then everything that can’t survive it dies, and either you have enough left for a stable population or you go extinct. I’d hope we can be better than that as well.”

“Don’t even get me started on anti-Semitism as a result of the bubonic plague,” Lash muttered, covering her face with both hands and shaking her head. She peeked at me. “I know you’re the historian, but you don’t go into clean water initiatives and miss that little gem.”

“You don’t study history without noticing that any bad thing in the middle ages, they somehow managed to blame on the Jews. Except for one part in the early 11th century in Northern Germany of all places, where they blamed it on pagans in the Black Forest. And even then, they roped in the Jews and threw in a pogrom on the side.” 

“Circling back to our current surprisingly less racist than most of our minions issue…” Bishop cleared his throat. “Do we - or better yet, the two of you - trust him?”

“I want to point out he’s absolutely not less racist than most of our minions, and he might actually be worse, it’s just in a very specific and far more flexible and less dogmatic way. He’s an accelerationist fash.” I said, irritable. “Put this way: to him, white people being more militarily advanced and able to conquer everything was proof that we’re ‘better’. Same time, to him, the idea of ‘white genocide’ is laughable. Most white supremacists are deep-down terrified of having to compete on equal footing with people of color because they wonder on some level if they’re actually better or if the global majority has been artificially kept in second rank the whole time, so they rely on cops. This psycho thinks that police protection is making white people weak and decadent and wants an outright race war to get people sharpened back up. So no, I don’t trust him, I want to put him down as fast as possible.” 

“Which, in English,” Lash interjected, “means that while most racists think they shouldn’t have to do as much as they are doing now, Gray thinks they aren’t doing enough. So yeah, I don’t trust him as far as I can throw this mall.”

Bishop looked between us. “And…you’re working with him? You just said he’s not as bad as the average lunatic you’re dealing with but almost an order of magnitude worse. And you’re working with him.” 

“Yep. Which is the other thing: any idea of how we dispose of him when he outlives his utility?” 

Lash gave me a dangerous look, looking at Bishop in silence before looking back at me. “You two really haven’t figured that part out? It’s pretty obvious.”

“I thought about the police route, if that’s what you’re thinking. Set him up as our next patsy. There’s no way he doesn’t roll over on us if we play that route, unless we go way out of our way to ensure he isn’t taken alive, which…he may be harder to play that on than most of them. And we’d want to let him cook for a while before we let the ax fall on him.” 

“Suicide by cop, you got it in one,” she fired at me. “Bishop, the main reason I’m willing to work with this guy - and probably the same for Nils, at least a bit - is that he doesn’t want cops involved, at all.  Which is something we don’t want either.  So, take a racist who hates cops, let him poison the whole batch to the same line of thought, and then we just… wind him up a bit at a time.  Eventually, we might be able to make him take care of himself for us, as a martyr rather than an enemy.”

“And if you don’t, your minions Order 66 you during your moment of triumph.” 

“Given the number of gun permits the guy has…. I’m betting on blaze of glory,” Lash admitted. “No one who distrusts cops owns that many weapons without being willing to use them.”

I thought about it. “The risk is setting him up at the right time and giving him time to marinate in our brand of chaotic shit. Too early and he dies before he’s gotten his minions fully trained and drilled, which is what we want him for. Too late and his martyrdom creates a spinoff force that isn’t under our control. Timing is going to be key.” I couldn’t deny Lash’s argument though - Gray was probably capable of giving a 30 minute lecture, on demand, about how the 2nd Amendment was the most important one in protecting us from government overreach. 

Bishop took a breath. “Alright. So. Speaking of using him. You told him to wind up his minions in the megachurches to be worried about the deep state. Did you have a particular target in mind for the SWATing?”

I froze. “I had a few, some pastors who keep making news, ones I…figured ought to get some pain before things were out.” 

Lash didn’t even seem to hesitate, which I hope made Bishop rethink his comment about her pacifism. “That crazy one down in Florida, the one that protests the funerals of veterans.  Most gun lovers are either vets, vet-adjacent, or wannabes, right? Low fruit, easy pickings.”

“I was skewing towards that guy in Tennessee who keeps making news for really uniquely fucked up takes about what should be done with queer people, since there’s a lot of wannabe vets and gun nuts afraid of the ‘deep state brainwashing their kids’ in that congregation. No harm in going with both.” 

Bishop blinked and stroked his beard. “You two have some grudges, I see.  Love the readiness, though.” He pointed at Lash directly. “I did expect you to at least need to think about it, love.”

She shrugged. “Being pragmatic and being a pacifist aren’t the same thing, Bishop.  And what is it, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?  Fewer hateful adults, fewer fearful kids.”

I was busy staring, open mouthed, at Lash, and feeling incredibly happy she and I were together. 

He rubbed his temples. “You two are…I can’t say if you’re bad for each other or good for each other. Ever since you’ve gotten together, both of you have been more focused, more disciplined, come up with better ideas. But you’ve been more ruthless, Nils has been more self-destructive, and I don’t know where it’s going. I suspect I want to be there to see.” 

“Nils is eating three meals a day,” Lash pointed out. “And 85% of my parents are barely out of the hospital… last time we relaxed, Baba lost a leg and Mama lost the lobe of one lung.  You know how I feel about my family.”

“Yeah, I do.” Bishop took a breath. “Sorry.” He walked towards me and then whispered, “And you? You’re eating, but the medication…”

“It’s under control.” I said, quietly.  I actually hadn’t double-dosed on my adderall in weeks. “Honestly better than it’s been in years.”

Bishop made a ‘hm’ sound. “My apologies. Maybe I was just rattled.” He looked like he wanted to say more, and then simply said, “I’m going to grab us some coffees.”

I turned to Lash. “What do you think that was about?” 

“All I’m going to say is, I didn’t know he thought I was a pacifist.”

“Easy mistake to make, in this business: you place a high value on human life.” I squeezed her hand. “Bishop just makes the really common mistake of conflating kindness and mercy for weakness.”

“Him, we keep,” she squeezed back. “The more people to rein us in if needed, the better.  Which reminds me… I think I need to tell Mori something.  I don’t want my entire family left wondering if something happens to me, and Mori I at least trust to not tell Mama or Baba anything until she has to.”

[eggshellsareneat]

Alright lads, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Geometry Dash 2.2 might be releasing tomorrow.

For my non-geometry dash followers, this godforsaken game is coming up on its 10th anniversary, and has surpassed Six Entire Years since the previous update. The official Youtube channel has released a premier dated for tomorrow at 22:00, has 22 icons on the thumbnail, and a trailer that's 22 seconds long.

Level creator "ilrell" has a video on the "Best Level of Every Month". It shows just how increasingly insane creators have gotten in order to make standout levels. For instance, the best level from early 2.1 is something like Glyph--

Which, I mean yeah, it looks pretty good. It's got some great colours and flashy movements. As a matter of fact, the creator of that level (Optical) would go on to build a career in graphic design.

I mean, hey, let's flash forward to today. Surely levels aren't that different, right? After all, what's releasing right about now?

...oh

If you don't want to click on that video, you're missing out. Cytokinesis is an alien/lab-themed opus themed around controlling two players simultaneously (check the second half of the video!) It's not even the most ambitious level coming out.

I cannot stress enough how completely this game has changed due to the community constantly striving to one-up itself. Want some more? Here's a level made in fourty-eight hours, here's an ori-themed level with a frog at the end, here's a god-damned level layout.

So I'm a bit uncomfortable with 2.2 coming out. As is everyone, I think. Sure, it adds much needed optimizations to the game, and we're all hyped about the brand new "free fly" and "spider orb". But outside of that, it adds enough features to transform the game entirely.

It's a bit unsettling. I've been playing ever since the 2.0 update, and I feel like we all contributed to make the game into what it was. The game wasn't updated in the past six years, but as a community we turned it into our own.

And by that regard, the game being updated feels oddly paternalistic. It feels almost like the developer is coercing a certain style of level and gameplay. It feels like we're being robbed of what made this game so unique.

But on the other hand, this update adds so many new tools to be creative. I've been waiting for the newfangled "spider orb" for YEARS, and we're getting optimizations and increased limits on pretty much everything.

It's an interesting place to be in. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

[jortroublejagerlieds]

Freja! Artistic Director, Equinambulist and Couturier of the Circus of Dreams

A small description of exactly what Freja does at the Circus of Dreams... Though it may have been shorter to explain what she doesn't do.

From concept to performance Freja has a hand in most if not all the shows under the big top on any given day. Costumes, Choreography, Posters, and Props cross her desk on a daily basis.

Under the lights she is most commonly found as a vaulter, roman rider, or herd director at liberty.

Her main mount Onyxmirror is her iconic companion in the ring, a vibrantly flashy mare Ydris and Freja scouted at a horse bazaar. After returning to the Highland, Onyx decided she would never again hide her magical coat, steel grey changing to bold black, white, and gold in a flash of light.

She is a pampered diva, trained in every discipline at least once, excelling in dressage, liberty, and airs above the ground. If Onyx isn't showing off across Jorvik, she's rifling through Ydris' pockets. The ringmaster spoiled her and Freja has no qualms letting him lie in the bed he made. Not that he minds, he has a sweet spot for the mare's flair and attitude, even if it does leave him wondering if he really did have an extra cracker in his pocket at some point or if he's just going insane.