#girl glitched for a solid second there

[bloomzone]

Hey Bloom,

Me and my friend were doing the morning announcements at our school for a month and on the last day, I messed up a bit and couldn't go through with it. I froze. I backed away while my friend encouraged me to continue but I just couldn't. I don't know why it happened or what went through my head but I'm just really ashamed of myself and I'm overthinking way too much. I'm even considering changing schools just because of this. Maybe the reason I'm so embarrassed by this is because there were a few people there and and I messed up in front of all of them. I don't know how to stop feeling this way. I can't stop thinking about it despite it happening two days ago.

Do you have any tips on dealing with embarrassing moments and self-criticizing thoughts?

you need the “get out of your own head” energy

you're overthinking something that won’t even matter next week girlie , ur brain keeps looping that awkward moment like for exemple what happened to u in the morning announcement but girlie fr zoom out. You’re not defined by one weird laugh, one clumsy sentence, or one mistake. You’re not that one scene you’re the entire story there is plenty of episodes in ur story . Two weeks from now? You’ll barely remember what you’re spiraling over today. Two scrolls. Two solid nights of sleep. That’s how fast things shift.

And while we're being real nobody is thinking about you as much as you think they are. That girl who glanced at you weird or that guy who saw you mess up those teacher they’ve seen worse and probably didn’t give it a second thought. People are way too wrapped up in their own lives to analyze yours.

Your mind is lying to you when it says “everyone noticed.” When it says “you blew it.” That’s just insecurity. That’s not reality and it's normal to feel this way .You’re allowed to mess up. You’re allowed to be human what you're not allowed to do is keep beating yourself up like it makes anything better It doesn’t It just keeps you stuck.

I had a rough moment last week too. I felt dumb, I wanted to disappear because I'm also an over thinker like u (I had to read a long text with difficult words IN FRENCH by myself Infront of class and I messed up too and there was like 60 person who love judging ppl ) But I didn’t I didn't k!ll myself ofc I turned off my phone, had something to eat, went to bed and watched a good movie . And life moved on like it always does.You don’t need to erase the moment. You just need to outlive it.

So next time your brain starts spiraling, cut it off:

1. Say exactly what happened. Out loud.

Stop letting it loop. Say it like a fact.

“I tripped in front of everyone.”“I stuttered when I was talking.”“I said something awkward in class.”

That’s all it is a single, small moment in one day of your entire life.

2. Remind yourself that literally no one cares like you do.

People don’t have the time or energy to obsess over your awkward moment.They’re busy thinking about their own life. Their own problems. you are not the center of anyone’s judgmental universe. That’s your anxiety lying to you.

3. Cut the drama :

Yes, it felt like the end of the world.But what actually happened? You had a human moment u are a human and also them . It passed. The earth didn’t stop.Don’t build a whole identity around one glitch.

4. Move your body. Get out of your head.

do 20 push-ups or go in a run outside. Take a cold shower,go shopping,watch a movie,draw,go see nature, listen to music .. do what make u happy at that moment like it's last day of ur live

Change your state = shut down the spiral.

5. Ask this and answer it honestly:

“What’s the worst that actually happened?”

You got embarrassed. That’s it.

You didn’t ruin your life. You didn’t burn every bridge toward ur dream u didn’t become unlovable.You had a moment. That’s all.

journal prompts idea :

1. What’s the story I’m telling myself about this moment?

Write down how you’re interpreting the situation. Is it really as bad as you think?

2. What does my inner critic say right now?

Write out the voice in your head that’s been criticizing you. Now, challenge that voice. What would you say to someone else if they were speaking this way to themselves?

3. How does this moment define me?

Does it actually? Or is your embarrassment making it bigger than it needs to be?

4. Why am I giving this one moment so much power?

Break down why this particular thing is still on ur mind. Is it really that important in the grand scheme of your life?

5. How would I see this moment if it happened to someone else?

Would I judge them the same way I’m judging myself? Probably not. Why do I treat myself differently?

6. What does it say about me that I’m embarrassed about this?

What does this feeling of embarrassment reveal? Is it about fear of judgment or something deeper about how I see myself?

7. When’s the last time I embarrassed myself and survived?

Look back on other moments of embarrassment. How did you move through them? What’s different now?

8. What does my fear of judgment say about my self-worth?

If I’m scared people are judging me, what does that say about how I see myself? Am I attaching my value to their opinions?

9. What would I say to someone who is in my shoes right now?

If someone else was feeling the same embarrassment, how would I comfort them? Use those same words for yourself.

10. How can I start being more compassionate to myself in these moments?

Write down ways you can show more kindness when you mess up. Think about how you can support yourself instead of tearing yourself down.

11. What’s the truth behind my inner critic?

Write about how your inner critic isn’t telling you the full truth. What parts of it are lies?

12. What’s something I’ve done recently that I’m proud of?

Counterbalance the self-criticism by reminding yourself of your strength and accomplishments.

13. What’s my definition of failure, and is this embarrassing moment actually failure?

Is this moment truly a failure, or is it just a small stumble in your journey?

14. How does my embarrassment hold me back from moving forward?

How much space are you allowing embarrassment to take up in your life? What’s it stopping you from doing?

15. What can I learn from this embarrassing moment that will help me grow?

Shift your perspective , what lesson is here for you? How can you use this experience to do better next time?

@bloomzone

[iciatheguardess]

*30 minutes earlier....*

"I'm GOING to have a HEART ATTACK."

Starro sighs, rubbing his face. "Viv, you're gonna be fine!"

"Are you sure? Because I feel I'm about to pass out right now," Icia protests, almost dropping the prosthetic eye as she waves her arm around. Dunite swats her wrist before returning her attention to holding the veil out of her face.

"Icia if you drop and break that thing, I swear to god I'll march out and tell everyone right now! Don't be fuckin' swinging it like that!"

"Dunite, tone it down a little.."

"Right, right, sorry..."

Icia sighs shakily, taking the moment to adjust her elbow on the table and grasp the prosthetic. "No, it's okay, I need it."

"No, you don't really need to be screamed at on your wedding day, lets not scare anyone who could be walking through the halls..."

"One, I really hope not, everyone should be in the ballroom. Two, I could always use a good get-your-head-in-the-game from Duni," she replies. Dunite shrugs, hiding her grin.

"Just put the prosthetic in, girl! It can't be THAT bad!"

"It's not exactly an arm, Duni, I've never been good with this stuff and you know it."

Starro leans against the nearby dresser, fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves and smoothing down the fur. "... you know, if you're REALLY struggling...."

An exasperated sigh escapes Icia's mouth as she whips her head around to face him, frost gathering on the veil. "For the last time, Tonio, I'm not letting you do it! That'll just make everything worse, it's a solid and definite no," she asserts. The slight glare in her eye is definite.

"Alright, alright, just offering."

She exhales shakily, wiping a bit of nonexistent sweat from her face. "Okay, I changed my mind... Duni, could you maybe step back a little...? I just need some space for this."

"Yeah, 'course." Duni lets the veil fall from her hands and steps back next to Starro, sitting atop the dresser and swinging her legs back and forth. Once she's out of sight, Icia sighs and repositions herself again. Her elbows ache from how long they've been pressed onto the vanity, fingers tingling.

"Okay," she mutters, placing a finger on both eyelids. "Okay, okay, okay, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine... just get it over with, it's going to be fine...."

Sucking in a quick breath, she parts the eyelids and stares into the empty purple flesh where an eye once sat. Icia almost gags as she notices the socket glitch ever so slightly.

Don't think about it, just do it! she internally yells, squeezing onto the prosthetic eye and trying to put it into the socket.

An unpleasant squelch and pained grunt causes both Starro and Dunite to flinch. Icia pushes away from the vanity and stands, both hands clasped over her eye as the other two rush to her.

"Viv?!"

"You okay?!"

"I'm fine, I'm.. fine- ow...."

Icia slowly pulls her hands away. "Does it... does it look okay...?"

Dunite and Starro's jaws drop. A cold shiver runs down Icia's spine as she quickly reaches up to cover the scar again.

"Is it bad?!?!"

"Are you KIDDING ME?!?!" Dunite almost yells. "It's PERFECT!"

The frazzled bride freezes. "It is-?"

"YES, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

"I'm not even exaggerating Viv, it matches so well, seriously- even the snowflake pupil matches your freckles! It's literally perfect, you look beautiful!!!" Starro raves.

Trembling, Icia carefully removes her hand from her face a second time and clasps it tight in her other. Starro and Dunite beam, waiting to see their friend and sister smile as she hopefully realizes how perfect she looks...

.... but the smile doesn't spread across her lips. Her expression of anticipation never leaves her face.

Starro and Dunite's energy falters from the lack of response.

"... you don't seem okay."

"I don't know if I am."

"Do you need to sit down, Viv..?"

She shakes her head slightly, but still feels around behind her for the vanity chair and takes a seat as her leg bounces anxiously. The heel of the boot rapidly tapping against the marble floor seems to reverberate through the whole room.

Dunite and Starro crouch down beside Icia, trying to stay in her line of sight as their own worry grows.

".... Do you need something? A hug? A cry? Pep talk? A slap? Something like that?"

"I don't think so..."

"Are you sure. We can get you some water or chocolate, or like... a bucket, maybe?"

Icia shakes her head, although her arms slowly fold over her stomach and hold it tight. Both Starro and Dunite glance at each other uneasily.

"It's... probably just wedding nerves.... I think I'll be okay, I just... have to get the anxiety out somehow without entirely freezing the room and ruining our outfits."

"Oh! I know what you can do for that!" Starro suddenly exclaims, reaching into the dresser and pulling out a light gray towel. Icia's eyes trace the repaired rips within as sleeves are pushed up and hands are wrapped in the towel.

"Okay," he states when he's done. "On the count of three, you're just gonna push all the nerves out. You have control of your ice now, yeah?"

Icia nods.

"Great. You're gonna push it all into the towel- preferably away from us. Just get it all done in one quick swoop."

"And... you think this will work.?"

Starro rubs the back of his head, smoothing down his curled hair a bit. "I mean.... I'd give you a pillow to scream in otherwise but I think that'd just make you start sobbing."

Icia pauses before nodding. He's not wrong.

As soon as she looks ready, Starro pulls Dunite behind the changing partition and peeks out the side. "Okay, you ready?"

Icia nods a bit.

"Okay. 3.... 2...."

She closes her eyes as tightly as possible....

"1.... GO!!!"

And with a scream, she forces as much of her anxiety physically out of her arms as much as possible.

The towel freezes solid in an instant, and a jutting of ice spikes sharp enough to break wood easily breaks like a thunderclap through the air. Dunite yanks Starro back right as the longest of the spikes narrowly forms right past the partition.

No one says anything for a few seconds, or dares to make a sound aside from Icia's heavy breathing and eventually a crumbling crash as the frozen block of fabric slides off her hands. Many of the ice spikes shatter along the marble as it does.

Finally, Starro sucks in a breath and peeks past the partition.

"Viv...?"

Icia stands exactly where he left her, staring down at her hands with a kind of disturbed awe he doesn't fully understand. It's impossible for him to tell quite what's going through her brain... but she doesn't look completely horrified anymore. He takes that as a success as she glances up at him, much calmer than he expected.

"... that... actually helped, I think..." she eventually replies. Dunite beams and walks out from behind the partition, taking her friends' hands and ignoring the lingering chill of them all.

"So you feel better then?"

".... somewhat? It feels more as if the emotions are muffled than gone... or like they're fog that's temporarily lifted."

"Well, that's better than completely panicking!!!"

She nods slightly. "Duni... could you head to the ballroom please...? Make sure everyone's okay and not dead. Make sure everything's going as hoped. We'll be there soon."

Dunite nods excitedly. "Got it- but before I do, can you c'mere for a sec?" Icia tilts her head and stands, walking over. Dunite looks up at her for a few minutes before suddenly, her arms wrap around her in a tight embrace. Icia hardly can react before her friend lets go.

"You're gonna be okay. It's gonna go great. It's all gonna be okay."

And Icia only can nod and stammer out a hushed "Thank you" before Dunite runs out, leaving the two siblings alone with each other.

Ten minutes.

Ten minutes of silence.

Ten minutes of the most nervous, exciting, anticipating silence that either of them have ever experienced.

Icia sits on her bed, eyes full of and lips pressed together so tight not a word can escape. Starro's hand never leaves her shoulder, except for as he adjusts her veil to ever so slightly cover her right eye.

"..... you look beautiful, Vivian."

"You keep saying that, Antonio..."

"What, I can't say my sister looks amazing on her wedding day?"

She doesn't respond, watching as he goes down to her door and opens it. The uncharacteristic silence of the hallway outside makes her heart leap.

"It's time. Y'ready?"

Surprisingly, Icia immediately nods and stands. "Ready."

She exits through the door, met with empty silence and a lack of any movement down the hall. It's almost daunting.

The two walk side by side, Icia's arms held rigidly in front of her. Starro walks with a bounce, as always, even though his stars are essentially swirling rainbow at this point. This walk feels as if it'll take forever.

"The flowers are at the venue, yes?"

"Yep."

"Everything is going well?"

"Mhm."

"The swords are in place?"

"Yep."

"...."

".... you're just saying that to help me, right? Because you haven't been to the venue either yet."

".... yeah.... 'm sorry."

Icia shakes her head. "No, it's okay. I appreciate it."

There's a small pause before a breathy chuckle leaves the bride's mouth.

"This is so weird," she mutters. "I always thought I'd be walking through our childhood house for this. Walk from there... across the street... down the sidewalk to the bench... and then all the way to the park. Get married under that pine tree you once fell and broke your arm falling off."

Starro laughs. "Did you actually???" He asks, incredulous. Icia shrugs, a half smile forming over her face.

"Maybe once or twice... the point is, I never expected to be getting married in... a kingdom."

"Yeah... bet not."

Icia stares straight ahead as they turn a corner. "... so much has changed. Everything. Over and over. Nothing's ever really felt constant. I..... I'm not Vivianna anymore. I'm Icia. I have two brothers, not one. My parents are gone. I'm the guardess of a kingdom... one I ran away from... and then I saved it again. I've....." She trails off, eyes sinking to the ground.

"... grown. You've grown, Viv."

She glances back at her brother.

"The last time I saw Vivianna Marino, she was... ready to escape. Going to college for graphic design and history, she was elegant but also kinda silly... and had a lot of weights on her shoulder. Hell, I think I'd even describe you as brash... especially when protecting me."

Icia forces a chuckle. She remembers that.

"And now, she's.... also this Icia person. She's probably the most elegant person I know without being haughty. She's still a protector. Still a guardian. Still optimistic and loving and a great example for anything except self care maybe. But she's just... grown in a way I can't describe, y'know...? She's grown into you."

The two stop walking.

"And I mean... look around us-! We're in a castle, for YOUR wedding to a man our mother would've killed you for dating! And- and I'm the one giving you away to him?!?!"

"Oh, Tonio..." she bites back tears.

"If that's not growth for both of us... I dunno what is. Its a whole lot more than just growing physically though... and again, I don't think there's words for it. But.... yeah. It's just... you've grown and..."

He stops for a moment, sniffling and turning away to wipe his eyes before turning back, stars swirling with the brightest yellow and blue Icia's ever seen.

"... I'm proud of you, Vivian. I'm so, so, so proud of you and so proud to be your brother, because guess what? You made all this happen. This wedding wouldn't be happening like this if you didn't make the choices you did."

Icia's smile grows as she nods, swiping away a tear from her cheek. "Y-yeah, it.... yeah."

"I'm just rambling at this point, I know.... but I just.... don't know what to say, but I can't stay silent about it either, you know?"

Icia nods, and the two start walking again. A silence falls between them as they both collect themselves. They hear a few notes of piano radiating through the staircase they approach, as Starro holds out his hand. Icia takes it, holding up her dress slightly as they walk down the staircase. Each step is counted.... one more step to that'll (hopefully) be the happiest day of her life.

The piano is even more clear at the bottom of the staircase, each note faintly detected in the distance. Just a few more hallways and turns.

".... hey Viv...?"

"Yeah?"

"... do you think Ma and Papa are watching....?"

Icia pauses, her step echoing softly against the music.

"...... I want to believe they are... why?"

"It's just... we've changed but so has everything else and.... I don't know, it's everything. We know how Ma would be... what about our dad? Especially with Slyn, and...."

He trails off, unsure how to put his feelings into words.

A shaky exhale leaves Icia's mouth.

".... I want to believe they're proud. I know our father is. Our mother.... I want to believe her soul on the other side is... healed. We all know she wasn't well here, religion completely took over her... but she still loved us, you know...?"

"She loved you."

"No, Tonio, don't you say that, don't you fucking say that, do you not remember the night after you were attacked? Yeah, maybe I got injured, but do you not remember the way she held onto us both and thanked God we were alive...? The way she held onto you?"

Starro falters, looking down.

"... the mother we love would be sorry. And that's the mother who I saved a seat for. The soul of a mother who wanted to protect her kids. Not the mother who abused you and couldn't accept beliefs beyond her own. Not the mother who let a twisted version of 'God's Word' get to her head."

She reaches over and squeezes his arm.

"If there's one teaching of hers I do believe in, it's that our loved ones are always with us in spirit. And... as conflicted as I am about her, and even our father.... they're our parents. I can't not love them. You don't have to believe the same of me but... I still believe they wanted the best of us. But that doesn't excuse their actions. It doesn't excuse her abuse, and it doesn't excuse his lack of intervention. And it doesn't excuse either of them abandoning our brother," she explains.

"... but we still do love them."

Icia smiles sympathetically. "Quite the conflict, isn't it...?" Starro nods in response.

"Yeah.... I don't like it. Can we.. talk about something else for the rest of the walk?"

"Of course we can."

The two start walking again, although noticeably slower as the piano music continues to grow sharper and louder as they finally turn into the hallway leading to the ballroom entrance... and the waiting section for the wedding party.

"Anything else on your mind...?"

"Um... I dunno- do you rememberrrr... your graduation party? How Papa cried when you showed him the diploma because he couldn't get one...?"

Icia's smile grows, forgetting the ill excitement that has been churning in her stomach the whole day. "Oh my gods, and how you ate so much cake at the party that you were basically bouncing off the walls?"

"Yeah, I do!!" Starro giggles. "I still remember the feeling, my whole body felt like it was buzzing and I couldn't stop laughing. Felt like I was on drugs almost."

"I think I'd rather you be buzzed on cake than on drugs, honestly... or, what about the time you fell off the tree?"

"Why are you bringing that up again! They wouldn't let me into the park for like 2 months after I healed!"

Both siblings laugh a bit, before trying to hush themselves so their laughter wouldn't permeate the music too much.

"Okayokayokay we can't be laughing too loud- what else d'you remember?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy. But do you remember when our cousin snuck his girlfriend to our family reunion?"

Starro tilts his head. "Which one?"

"He was about 19 at the time, you were 4. I remember hearing one of our uncles scream and I rushed to the room, and this poor girl was trying to hop out the window while our cousin's throwing clothes to her and our uncle was cursing him out."

His eyes widen. "Shut up, are you serious?! And you never told me?!?!"

"That's not even it, she ended up falling into the pool about 2 stories down before running off because our aunts were screaming bloody murder. But no, that night..." Icia starts through giggles.

"Yeah...?"

"Ma was talking about how she took you and some of the nipoti to the gelato shop down the road, and she tells this story about how this random woman scrambling to put on clothes, soaking wet, while our aunt was chasing her with a wooden spoon. Apparently she and the shop worker covered everyone's eyes in time."

"Oh my GOD THATS WHAT IT WAS- SHE NEVER TOLD ME WHY SHE DID THAT!"

Both siblings heave into heavy laughter again, barely able to contain it. Icia wipes a tear from her eye, the anxiety almost completely forgotten.

"I always wondered what happened! Now I remember which cousin- didn't he have a new girlfriend every other week or something?"

"I think. Last I heard before we lost contact was that he came out as gay."

"Wow... maybe it runs in the family, heheh."

They both snicker with hands over their mouths. And finally, both siblings stop at the end of the hallway.

"... I got one more. Do you remember the first wedding we went to...?"

Icia thinks before tilting her head. ".... you know what? I don't think so. Have we even been to another wedding...?"

"Papa told me about it. You were 5 I think, I just turned 2. He says it was simple and elegant and the bride and groom looked at each other with so much love he thought it was fake."

"Wow.... why do you mention that?"

They both look up at the entrance to the wedding party prep... one area for the groom, and one for the bride.

"Just think this wedding's gonna kinda be what he meant, if that makes sense. I can't remember but, if I ever have to imagine a wedding where the bride and groom look at each other with as much love as he described... I think it'll be this one," Starro shrugs.

There's a small pause as he looks over at his sister. Her smile hasn't quite faded yet.

"You ready? No turning back now."

"I could never turn back. It's just a matter of waiting instead."

"Well, in that case..." Starro steps forward and opens the bridal curtain. "After you."

Icia smiles warmly and steps into the prep area.

It's time.

[velvetjune]

Played some hours of MGS4 Guns of the Patriots. It’s so weird and funny. Spoilers:

Everything is happening all t he time. Ads, information, multiple screens and controls, different conversations all at once. I listened to a podcast episode about the game itself where the hosts outright said ‘I’m sure the player is on their second or third run of the game while listening to this.’ It’s 100% on purpose (the on the nose AI, tagged ID weapons, war economy, etc etc), but it’s a big change from 1-3.

Playing Rising before this added a lot more context than I would have expected. Unphazed by the moo-ing giant robots

Another MG game, another massive parallel to Shadow Moses

Drebin appearing out of nowhere to take up a long cutscene explaining the intricate backstory and mechanics behind a weapons shop. His pet monkey is downing multiple cokes in the background. I buy multiple playboy magazines and nothing else.

Old Snake laying down for a full minute so he can listen to pop music to heal both psychologically and somehow physically (same).

If you call Otacon in the trash, there’s a magical codec conversation where Snake talks about being smelly and covered in bugs.

MkII has the cutest animations and is perfect.

Enemy designs, particularly the one with marionette puppets, are 10000/10. Girls night out! And Vamp looking good!

Snake and Otacon are married. I missed these guys so much after playing games centered around Big Boss. Also they should NOT be raising a kid. She’s doing Otacon’s job half the time, while living off of instant noodles, burnt eggs, and handheld video games to keep her entertained.

Campbell faintly in the background while I’m watching Sunny on the baby cam and reading about Drebin’s shop: this is REALLY important information about the story snake you NEED to pay attention

Johnny “akiba” IBS diversity win. Shitting his pants constantly (I’m so sorry for your team, Meryl). When I died as Snake, he got a flashback of seeing Johnny’s ass out after being caught by enemies—I’m sorry to that Snake that had that be his last moments.

I’m in love with Meryl’s design and her bullet earring. Such a step up from her character in 1 that still retains that same character and her efforts to be a soldier.

I’m bad at this game on normal mode and died many times. It glitched a lot in the frog unit fighting and Snake got stuck in a neverending loop of being kicked down by a frog soldier before being able to get back up <\3

Mei Ling getting a high ranked and powerful position = fantastic! Otacon saying she got it from sleeping around with older men and Snake saying he has a chance = terrible!

big naturals snake

the snake crawl on the ground focusing on his ass?

Naomi CRYING at seeing Old Snake’s body???? Be nice to him

The B&B unit is there to be a sexy villain, literal model under their beast appearances, but I do like the concept of them transforming into beasts from war, and how Snake himself is a beast. Will Snake shed his skin and get a sexy reveal like the B&B unit? I can only hope (this is a moot point because Old Snake is already hot and sexualized)

Blue roses fit in with the beauty and the beast thing going on and Snake’s artificial and ‘determined’ fate, but my mind always goes to Twin Peaks.

Knowing Raiden will appear somewhere with a new cyborg body is now the least strange aspect about metalgear solid 4. He’s still an absent father like in Rising! How the hell does Rose get with Campbell in this game, then back to Raiden in Rising….. Worst couple award

^He called Snake soon after and he is NOT deepthroat. Terrible at being undercover, both Snake and I immediately recognized him

I became emotionally attached to the random group of prisoners that led me to the mansion and gave little hearts when I bumped into them. Spent too long defending them before realizing I just need to go ahead and find Naomi.

Snake’s psyche rapidly going down when told he had 3 months left, then rapidly going up when I hit the secret command that let him stare at Naomi’s chest

Almost fell for Laughing Octopus being MkII/Otacon

The gameplay is closer to Snake Eater’s, but with the addition of a shop and locked weapons, and, like that game, I struggled more with switching weapons and learning the controls. It’ll probably be easier as I keep playing, but it’s taking longer to adjust and I already know I’m going to ignore 99% of the weapons. It’s also considerably less smooth than the master collections games and V, so I often miss my shot or the animation lags. Unsurprisingly, I prefer V’s that improved on pretty much everything, but I also like the simplicity and controls of the second game. Every game in between those dealt with having so many tutorials, healing/weapons to keep track of, somewhat clunky controls and cameras, etc. combined that made them feel more dated and less fun than the earlier ones.

Going to contradict myself, but Snake’s psyche bar and the various ways to keep his stress levels down is unbelievably clever and unique. So much dark sad humor when it shows up in any cutscene with Snake’s issues comically piling up. It’s not the only game to do this (Disco Elylsium is one of my favorites!), but i love its integration into the story and strange options for dealing with it. The animation of him rubbing his back if you crouch for too long or his psyche going up with back compression—it’s a stark contrast from the first game and it’s effective!

This game is ugly to look at (very desaturated). I’m also very biased towards the intense blue-green of the first two games and the style of the MG ones! However, the live action ads and blend of tech with humans/environments is very cool.

I want to see more Liquid Ocelot.

[erzivy]

Do you have any sort of headcanons for the Hacketters Post-Quarry?

YOU KNOW I DO

do the counselors go to school post-game? based on vibes and nothing canon

laura: immediately goes to school at the next available semester max: works in the trades bc it's something he's solid in (raised in a blue collar working family) jacob: takes a gap year and goes to tech school for nursing emma: takes classes at a local college next semester but doesn't fully enroll abi: works teaching kids' art classes at a local rec center and does her own art there as well nick: takes a gap year, doesn't work. goes to school eventually but switches majors a few times kaitlyn: also works in the trades and does odd jobs, has a second job as a barista ryan: say's he's taking a gap year to process but never goes to school, eventually ends up freelancing animation bc he gained some online recognition dylan: gifted kid burnout puts him in "should i go to college" limbo for a couple years and his brain doesn't function well in a traditional school setting so he ends up doing online courses

do the counselors do anything fun with their hair post-game?

laura: cuts hers shorter (inspired by the classic glitch) max: grows a mullet jacob: has a crisis and shaves his head emma: bleaches her hair blonde for fun abi: dyes her hair weekly with temporary dyes nick: learns the curly girl hair routine kaitlyn: gets an undercut ryan: grows locs <3 locs ryan my beloved dylan: grows his hair out a little, lets kaitlyn do what she wants with it bc she knows how to cut hair

here's a small handful!! i have many more but i may need more specific prompts :,)

[john-of-liechtenstein]

GAMES I PLAYED IN 2023 - FIRST HALF-ISH

i've been seeing a lot of this in gif form but i do not have the energy or video material and also i'm late but i rly wanted to make a post where i say a lil bit abt all the games i played and how i liked them!

pokemon platinum, soulsilver, white, white 2, y, sun, alpha sapphire & shield: i started a big mainline pokemon marathon in 2022 but most of it fell on 2023. it was a lovely time tbh and i miss it! platinum was a bit too grindy (but we love cynthia) and soulsilver traumatised me for glitch reasons. my favorites out of this lineup were definitely gen 5 in terms of storyline and pokemon selection, the later ones were a bit too handholdy and slow for my taste, and alpha sapphire could not compete w the og emerald which is my favorite pokemon game of all time. i did rly love shield though but that's bc i'm a) a football girl and b) i played it on my wife's sofa askfjhkasjf. anyway music is bangers all around and i do love The Concept of pokemon so i didn't hate any of them.

lonely people potion shop: this was an absolute surprise indie gem that i found on my wife's itch.io in 2022 but i replayed it for her in 2023 so it counts. this game is a rly short very fruity visual novel where you make potions for people and chat with them. it's one of the most heartwarming and gentle games i've played, every character is so lovely and caring towards each other and also to you the player! 100% would recommend i cried a bit several times.

validate: i really wanted to love this game because a dating sim/visual novel/narrative fiction type game w a super diverse cast (in terms of backgrounds, body types, gender, sexuality, and mental health struggles) and such a lovely art style? sounds perfect! and it would be if the characters weren't so...unlikeable sjfhaksjfa. it eventually got so difficult for me to root for them and also kind of frustrating bc the routes overlap in a way that even if you get good outcomes in one route, you can still mess up the relationship in a different route (because you have routes for each of the characters) so i ended up not finishing it.

neo cab: another one i never finished but was rly intrigued by! another visual novel but choices matter type deal where you play as a taxi driver in a dystopian world where you're being replaced by self driving taxis. the mechanics and cast are really cool and if the storyline didn't stress me out so much i would've finished it by now but i definitely will one day!

coffee talk 1/2: barista simulator meets visual novel in an urban fantasy setting where you also kinda save the world one drink at a time! i loved the first one so so much and finally played it last year in preparation for the second one coming out that i'd been anxiously awaiting, it's so vibey and the characters and their storylines are so interesting and i loved seeing their heartfelt interactions! also the first game was giving such strong queer vibes but they kinda dropped the ball w that in the second game trying to backtrack on that. ruined the experience for me a little bit but still a very solid game w cool additions to the already great cast of the first game!

skyrim: not much to say about that one. my favorite classic walking simulator that i keep coming back to, still very much playable and so pretty even on the switch! unfortunately also incredibly broken so i can't finish the solstheim questlines kjsfhkajsfas fuck you todd howard

calico: wonky little game where you explore the world and also bake and own a café that you can fill with all sorts of animals from cats to snow foxes to capybaras because why the fuck not! absolutely delightful, 10/10

later alligator: lovely little puzzle game w great old timey detective vibes and a banger soundtrack where everyone is alligators. these characters are such great fun, i loved the writing and i loved learning about all of them and doing tasks for them! the minigames got a bit frustrating at times bc i was lacking the coordination skills or just general strategy and there are some completionist things i could never do because of that and the main character (the main guy you're doing things for, not the player character) can get on your nerves pretty quickly but otherwise a lovely game w a great twist in my opinion

strange horticulture: this one made it into my all time favorites too. you play as the owner of a supernatural plant shop in a place where A Lot of strange things are going on. it has a bunch of really cool mechanics like plant identification and a lot of map related puzzles to find new plants, secrets etc. the overarching story that gets revealed bit by bit from an unknown person's pov outside of the gameplay while related events are also happening in real time was so interesting, and there are a lot of cool choices you can make that lead to various more or less unsettling outcomes. the spooky vibe is SO good but at the same time it has a very calming homey feel AND YOU CAN PET THE CAT 10000/10

penko park: another absolute indie banger. probably something like a pokemon snap but the beasties look fucking stupid and kinda creepy and the lore is cursed as hell. throughout the game you explore the remains of a park that was built upon the abuse of all sorts of cute little creatures (and big creatures) and while you mostly try to take pictures of every weird looking fella in their different emotional states that you bring upon them in various ways, maybe there's something you can do to right the wrongs of the park founders! who knows! (also special shoutout because these are german devs and as a german, i am especially demanding when it comes to german games and this one knocked it out of the park) (haha the park get it)

[tumblingdown4ever]

Clashtale Chapter 1.

  Things had been going well in the universe of Clashtale since the last chapter. Gaster researched the personalities of other characters from various timelines and Scareware would go to collect the code from them. It was a very effective method of creation. However…Outside of Clashtale resided something much more sinister. A creature that would soon destroy the peace that had been made around this AU.

The empty void where Scareware had been trapped inside was not lifeless. A Bete Noire stood there in the emptiness with a disappointed frown as she stared at the spot Scareware once resided at. This girl was known as Terrorbyte or Terrorbite. The representation of Agate’s will that once resided within Betty. Unlike Scareware however, she seemed to be in her version of Betty’s true form.The ends of her hair seemed to fade into an edgy red instead of the usual hot pink it usually was. Her flesh that resided underneath her fake human skin seemed to be a wicked purple color, a sign of change and evolution. 

Terrorbite’s frown would slowly twist into a sadistic grin as she flexed her purple claws. “Ahhh, so the failure managed to escape before I could come to collect her.” Her voice hinted at excitement rather than disappointment however. “Good, that means I can have fun hunting her sorry hide down. Now, all I need is a lead to where she’s hiding…” The girl spoke mischievously as she walked through a pink tinted portal. 

Scareware would quietly place her hands together as she sat down on the couch of the skeleton brother’s house. Well, the soon-to-be house of theirs anyways. Ink and CORE!Frisk would be hanging over the rail of the second floor, nodding in approval as it was finally time for more characters to be brought into this world.  She repeated the process of creating Gaster, but this time she had decided to use much more coding to keep them stabilized. It took a few minutes but she had eventually placed all of the coding she saw fit to create the new pair of skeletons. A pink light radiated the sight as their bodies finally formed into a solid instead of random strings of code.

 There they stood as the light dimmed and slowly faded from view. Sans seemed to have similar clothing to classic, the same applied to Papyrus as well! Their bones were a darker gray almost like a graphite shade. The skeletons had two lines that ran down the top of their skull until it eventually passed their left eyes and disappeared under their jaws. Sans had pink lines that contrasted to Papyrus’ green lines that ran down the skulls. Ink would grin happily before gasping at something he had noticed. In his typical happy manner he would leap over the rails and run to Papyrus. “HE HAS SUNGLASSES AS AN ACTUAL PART OF HIS OUTFiT!” He would exclaim as he leapt up to point at the black sunglasses resting on Papyrus’ forehead. Sans and Papyrus’ clothes were pretty similar in color from what Ink could tell, their clothes were carbon black in color. Sans had a pink sweater underneath which seemed to contrast the black clothing well. Sans seemed to have some sort of glitch over her right eye however much like Geno Sans. Their pupils were a light shade of purple, if one squinted it could be mistaken for pink. 

(More precious art by my friend Savvy!)

(This art of Mismatch/Clash!Papyrus is made by my friend Homo Detector!)

“Wait- Sans is a female? That’s an interesting choice, it’s not that common after all!” Ink rubbed his chin with curiosity. “So, where’s her ‘parts’ at?” He turned towards Scareware with a non-existent eyebrow raised. “Parts? What do you mean? She’s a skeleton-” Scareware seemed confused by the question, it seemed obvious to her. Ink however tilted his head as he began to explain “Usually female Sanses get ectop…Actually, nevermind!” He would rub the back of his skull with a few sweat drops rolling down his cheekbone. 

“Can you two introduce yourselves?” Ink would return his attention to the skeleton siblings. Papyrus would move forward to introduce himself naturally of course. “I am the coolest Papyrus! The soon-to-be Royal Guardsman, and spaghetti connoisseur!” He would strike a pose with a hand resting on his hip just like Classic Papyrus! Sans would yawn before taking a step next to her brother “My name is Sans. Sans the Skeleton. I think this place would be great for a nap tibia honest.” Sans’ smile would turn smug as Papyrus began groaning in frustration. 

Scareware would wave as Ink and CORE!Frisk departed from the AU, a smile on her happy face. Sans and Papyrus would be bantering in the house behind Scareware in the meantime as she watched them leave. This place was becoming more and more of a home each day. Gaster would be standing next to a tree nearby, seemingly waiting on Scareware joining him momentarily. She’d finally turn and walk over to the skeletal scientist who awaited her in the forest after seeing her friends off. “Alright, I’m going to create Asgore without those two here to watch me. I think I’ve gotten better control over it now after all!” Scareware spoke in her bubbly voice, she was truly free from the chains of what she used to be. It was almost inspiring to watch her now. Scareware would cough up some code and slowly piece it together to create Asgore, a happy smile across her face.

Scareware would activate her ability and finish the process of creating Asgore, The King of the Monsters. Asgore would stand up from kneeling and look down at Scareware with a gentle smile planted on his face. His golden hair would shift and sway in the icy wind as it blew, his black cape lifting up from the current. Asgore seemed similar to his Undertale counterpart until one looked at his armor, it was a carbon black color with red trim around the separate chest pieces. “Howdy! I am Asgore Dreemurr, King of Monster-Kind. I do believe you’re my creator, aren’t you? It is sort of odd since I seem to have memories that go further into my past than this movement.” He would release a hardy chuckle and rub the back of his head. His voice seemed deep and majestic, yet it also sounded kind. Gaster would step forward before Scareware could respond to the fluffy king. “King Asgore, I believe you should meet Sans and Papyrus first. Once you’re all acquainted you could meet with Scareware as a group.” Asgore was taken back at first before realizing his true intentions. “Ah, thank you for your recommendation Doctor Gaster. I’ll make sure to return in a moment.” He would chuckle and walk towards the skeleton siblings who were still amidst their bantering.

Scareware would look at Gaster curiously for a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head. He was always calm and collected, thinking about the most effective ways of creating characters for this world. It was almost- SHLINK. Scareware looked around for the source of the fleshy sound before looking downwards. Red. Red. Red. Scareware saw the snow under her feet turning crimson. Was this a dream?...A nightmare? It was then that she noticed one of Gaster’s hands with a blade protruding from it…The blade was buried in her chest…

[hezuart]

Heya! Just wanna say I can't wait for more about your au and also what is your favourite L. Game from concept art to design?

Hi! <3 L Game? as in Little Nightmares?

I'll go least fav to fav 3. Very Little Nightmares. Tiny mobile app screen where you tap to control. The screen cannot recognize my meaty fingers's input!!!!! UGH I'm just annoyed with the controls. The story was fine I suppose but felt like it lacked something. Lacked some oomph. Lacked true moments of horror. Not made by the original developers. Was the first LN game to introduce the fact that there are other children out there with scary supernatural powers. This LN game was a side story for the explanation behind the hanging man from LN 1. (At least... kind of.... the hanging man is a weird situation thanks to the comics...) It's an odd Six cop-out. We're led to believe this character we are playing is Six, only to reveal at the end she's a whole different character and then just... immediately killing her off. We can't even figure out who she is as a person. We don't really have any interactions with other characters enough to solidify her personality. I did adore the hidden easter eggs in the game. Nome with a bow was cute. I was curious about the other enemies and their circumstances, like why the butler is handcuffed. Where the girl's mother was. How so many kids end up at the Nest. Really only lead to more questions than answers.

2. LN1 is really good. Heavy Ghibli inspiration. A great introduction to a dark world, a unique dollhouse camera angle perspective style. A slight rocking to the screen to indicate you're on a boat. The amazing lighting. The finale; Six walking off sucking out souls of the guests that chased her to eat her, when she's now eating them. Perfect revenge power trip. Knowing she no longer has to physically consume things anymore. The nome she killed, but all the nomes she hugged still coming over to watch her leave (?) great scenes... The DLC introduced tough water mechanics that glitched out the physics engine but still were interesting enough for the DLC character. Showcasing a true addition to the Maw to peak the interest of viewers. The horrific and terribly sad ending and plot twist that took everyone by shock. Despite its glitches and perspective-deaths, its still overall a solid game. 1. LN2. I'll admit LN 1 is more put together than the second game. The sequel (or prequel rather) seemed messy in development, like they weren't sure where to really go with it. They had a lot of rough concepts and a lot of it seemed to get scrapped mid-production. Seems like they even intended for heavy DLC exploration with other children too. With how it turned out, its a pretty decent game. But knowing the scrapped DLC content and alt. directions the story was gonna take, it feels like a bit of a confused narrative. We got confirmation that the children really do turn into grotesque adults. That there are other children with creepy powers. We know of Shadow Six's origins. We know why people flee to the Maw or other places away from the mainland. The concepts are frankly more fascinating than the finished story, (children plugged into tvs, Mono feeding Six or Six feeding Mono, giant ???? meat baby???? you can't top THAT) tho the finished story is probably cleaner than the latter. Six dropping Mono at the end was so shocking to everyone and after thinking hard about it, I can't find any real logistical or emotional reason for her to do so. I think it was just genuinely a forced in betrayal for shock value. And hey, it certainly was shock value. Despite this game ending in completion, or really, a loop... and despite it being a PREQUEL... I can't help but feel like this game ends on a cliffhanger to me. Like there's more to the story. There's stuff untold about this universe. So LN 2 and LN1 are really close in favoritism. LN2 had the most fascinating concept art ...without Ghibli Bath Houses to take inspiration from like in LN1, so they really took it in risky directions. But I still acknowledge LN1 is more solid of the two. I think I just enjoy the LN2 mechanics a bit more. I like working together with Six, though frankly I was really disappointed learning that LN2 was in fact, not a multiplayer game. That Six gets separated from Mono several times throughout. I have plenty more to say about these games but this is probably the simplest assessment to give right now!

[what-if-nct]

hiiii today's reminder is i listened to beatbox (the album not just the song I'm not a sociopath) today and honestly. it's a shame that dream's title tracks are the worst songs in the album. this isn't always the case, i mean hello future and mfal but those might be the only exceptions. and i know they're super popular now and a lots more people are listening to the entire albums but it's just SUCH a shame. like wayv gets good title tracks that you'll love instantly and great b sides. 127 gets… let's call them attention-grabbing title tracks that grow on you and great b sides. dream gets the worst of both, just sorta mediocre title tracks that you don't immediately fall in love with in the first listen but also you're not particularly liking them more as you listen to them more. candy had the nostalgia element, but their last few title tracks just haven't stood out to me musically and it's a damn shame, for the quality of their b sides. like better than gold is still a solid favourite of mine. irreplaceable, walk you home, 123. hell all of the b sides off hot sauce and glitch mode are SO good. just… what a shame

Hii, You know what I have only listened istj once then never again, it's not bad it's just not really second listenable. Beatbox definitely was an against my will kind of song. I only intentionally listened to it like twice. But I did really like Glitch mode like it's a vibe definitely was replayed. I also did really like Hot Sauce and Hello future. But I think the last dream title track I loved loved was Ridin, oh damn that was a while ago. But Ridin is definitely one of my favorite dream title track. Wayv definitely wins the lottery with title tracks cause they have never disappointed. SM drops the ball alot with Wayv but their songs are always a masterpiece. 127, there's only been like two missed for me that's 2baddies and Superhuman. I know a lot of people like superhuman and its wild it's beside 2baddies. To be fair 2baddies only loses me at the chorus. But I actually dislike superhuman more than 2baddies I know I know. But I'm actually upset that's the song they promoted in the US. It didn't sound like 127. It sounded like supershineexo and I just couldn't vibe with it. I like NCTs unique sound cause it's still versatile but very them. Like favorite I like it I don't love it cause to me it sounds similar to exo. Like Fact Check just from the chorus oh That's 127. I think dream feels like they have an idea of their sound but is still figuring the details. Wayv pretty much has a specific sound, and 127 has there's. Dream the structure is there but it's not solid they still have to find their exact sound. Their concept was figured out but as they grow up that concept has to as well. I don't think anyone wants to see 25 to 28 year old men singing wheels on the bus. 21 to 24 is already too far.

Also I just saw a commercial for the movie Priscilla, and I didn't feel any need to watch the Elvis movie but this one actually looks really good and I'd rather see Priscilla's point a view. On the podcast Just Trish with Trisha Paytas when she said I don't care about men's stories I felt that. I don't like movies with male leads all my favorite movies are female led like Clueless, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Sabrina the teenage witch , oh I love sex and the city. I just prefer female driven movies and shows. I literally only watch modern family for Gloria, Lily, Alex and Hayley. Oh also Cam. Love Cam. The exception is Will & Grace but I'm really just there for Grace, Karen and Jack. Sorry that was random but that thought happened while I was replying to your ask.

[anotherwvba]

Road to the Women's Circuit pt. 7

As the seconds ticked down to the start of the second round, Niki's thoughts raced. I've got her patterns down. I know her moves. Her neon green gloves felt heavy, but empowering, like a complex code ready to be deployed and execute the program she’d written.

Across the ring, Cutie was in a similar state of mind. She's good, really good. She’s studied me, but I’ve still got some tricks she hasn’t seen. She could feel her pulse through her red gloves, like a brush in her hand, as if they too were eager for the fight to continue.

The bell rang, and the crowd roared in anticipation. The atmosphere was electric, each spectator knowing they were witnessing history in the making.

The girls met in the center of the ring, their gloves touching lightly.

"Ready for round two?" Niki asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement

"Born ready," Cutie replied, a playful confidence in her voice.

They circled each other, the tension palpable. Niki was the first to make a move, her jabs quick and calculated. She was trying to take the initiative, to set the pace of the fight, to exploit the patterns she saw in Cutie’s movements.

Cutie was on the defensive but not passive. She knew Niki had watched her carefully and now was the time to use that. She dodged and weaved, her movements fluid and graceful. She stuck to her style, her pattern, occasionally going on the offensive with quick, sharp jabs.

Niki sensed an opportunity. Cutie was sticking to her patterns, just as she'd hoped. The more Cutie stuck to the familiar, the more confident Niki became. She began to get more aggressive, her punches coming faster, her movements more deliberate. Niki was leading this dance now and she could feel it.

"Come on, Niki! You've got this!" Von Kaiser's voice rang out from her corner, his German accent thick with excitement.

Cutie's defense was a solid wall, but every wall has cracks. Niki slipped a pair of left jabs through, popping Cutie in the mouth. Cutie countered quickly, her own jab landing squarely on Niki's cheek.

"You'll have to do better than that," Cutie taunted, her eyes flashing.

Niki grinned. "Oh, I plan to."

Analysis complete, Niki thought. Seizing the moment, she feinted with a left and drew back her right. Her mind swiftly calculated the trajectory, the force, the exact spot where her glove would meet its target. Cutie moved right into the position Niki wanted. Niki’s glove swung through the air, aimed precisely where Cutie’s face would be.

And wasn’t.

In a split second, Cutie’s style had shifted. It was subtle, but enough. She swayed back, Niki’s right hook sailing harmlessly passed. “Glitch in the system?” Cutie taunted, eyes alight with excitement.

Before Niki could even think, Cutie nailed her with a hard counter—a swift uppercut followed by a left hook, each punch landing with precision. The crowd gasped, the sound echoing through the arena like a wave crashing against the shore.

Niki was stunned, head spinning, vision blurring. She'd been so sure of her read on Cutie, so confident in her strategy.

"Gotcha," Cutie whispered, her eyes locked onto Niki's as she closed the distance quickly.

Cutie launched into a rapid flurry of punches: a jab to the face, a hook to the ribs, an uppercut that grazed Niki's chin, another jab, and finally a powerful right cross. Each punch landed hard on her stunned friend.

As her last punch connected, Cutie felt a surge of energy. Glowing brush strokes danced around her gloves like flames and the crowd roared, sensing the shift in momentum.

Niki snapped out of her daze, her eyes widening at the sight of Cutie’s glowing gloves. She began to back off, circling the ring. She threw out jabs, not aiming to land them but to create distance, to keep Cutie at bay, to buy time and create space.

She’s tough, Cutie's inner dialogue raced. I've got to slow her down. I need to land a Blaster Blow, make her feel it. Her eyes darted, searching for the perfect opening.

Across the ring, Niki was in a similar state of mind. Smart, Cutie. Not the same fighter I thought I had figured out. Need to find her new pattern and fast. That glow isn't for show.

Cutie decided to make her move. She bobbed and weaved. She feinted a jab, then ducked low, trying to get inside Niki's reach. Her movements were a blend of offense and defense, a dance designed to close the gap between them.

But Niki saw it—the pattern, the rhythm in Cutie's movements. And she seized it. With a swift, straight right, she caught Cutie clean on the jaw. The impact was like a bolt of electricity, jolting through both fighters. The sound echoed through the arena.

The glow on Cutie's gloves flickered and then faded, dissipating like mist in the wind. The crowd let out a collective gasp, sensing the ebb and flow of the battle.

Yes! Niki thought, a surge of triumph rushing through her. Let’s go!

Seizing the moment, Niki went for a follow-up left hook, her body coiled tight like a spring. 

But Cutie was quicker. With a straight right counter, she caught Niki right on the button, the point of the chin, right where it hurt the most.

Niki's legs went to jelly, her vision blurred. The crowd gasped, sensing what was coming.

“You’re mine, Niki,” Cutie whispered as her eyes locked with Niki’s.

Niki was reeling and Cutie was right on top of her, gloves flying in a blur of red and black. A jab grazed her cheek and a hook barely missed. Another jab landed to the body, but a straight right found her temple and the world went sideways.

A final uppercut swung through empty air as Niki’s legs gave way, and she went down, hitting the canvas as if in slow motion. The crowd erupted as the thud reverberated through the arena.

The referee immediately began the count. "One! Two! Three!"

Cutie retreated to a neutral corner, her eyes never leaving Niki. Her thoughts were a whirlwind. You’re down, but you’re not done. Come on, Niki.

Niki's mind raced as she lay on the canvas, her thoughts a chaotic whirlpool of panic and confusion. I’m down. I can't believe I'm down. What do I do now? Her thoughts were a chaotic mess.

"Nein, Niki! Calm down!" Von Kaiser's voice cut through the fog in her mind, his thick German accent tinged with urgency. "You are stronger than this!"

Across the ring, Cutie watched from the neutral corner, silently cheering on and encouraging her friend. Come on, Niki. Get up. You've got this.

"Take the count," Von Kaiser's voice was now steady, calming. "Reboot. Get up at eight. Breathe."

Niki's eyes locked onto her coach's. She nodded, her thoughts realigning. Reboot. Restart. Yes, I can do this. As the referee's count reached eight, she pushed herself up off the canvas, her legs holding, her guard up. 

The ref looked into her eyes, checking for signs of a concussion. “What’s your name?” 

“Niki Binary.”

He nodded. "Box!"

Cutie moved in, her gloves at the ready, her stance agile. Her eyes searched Niki's for any sign of lingering disorientation. How hurt are you, girl? Sensing an opportunity, she threw a quick jab followed by a hook, testing Niki's defenses.

Niki dodged, her mind settling into focus. The panic was receding like waking from a bad dream. She kept her distance, circling the ring, her eyes never leaving Cutie's. She was back in the fight, and Cutie could see it.

Realizing her window was closing, Cutie decided to go for broke. With a burst of speed, she charged in, fists flying. A jab aimed for Niki's face, another jab and a hook targeting her ribs, and then a powerful uppercut meant to finish it.

But Niki was ready. Her defense was like a firewall denying access. Cutie’s punches met gloves or air, not flesh. And then she saw it—the opening, the momentary lapse in Cutie's defense. With a swift, short uppercut, Niki struck, connecting cleanly with Cutie's chin.

What just happened? Cutie stumbled back into the ropes, stunned. Her eyes glazed and her thoughts jumbled.

“Here I come, baby.” Niki saw her chance. She dashed in, her fists poised for a flurry that would turn the tide. Her right glove pulled back and was ready to fly when the bell rang.

“Time!” Referee Saltamico dove between them, arms outstretched.

Niki stood there, her fists still clenched, her gloves raised, her eyes locked onto Cutie's. She was ready, her mind clear, her focus razor-sharp.

Cutie, still on the ropes, shook her head, dispelling the last remnants of the stun. She looked at Niki, her eyes meeting her friend's.

The crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheers and boos, the air thick with anticipation. 

"You almost had me," Cutie replied, respect in her voice and a relieved smile on her face.

“You’re not off the hook yet,” Niki shot back, fire in her eyes as a smile tugged at her mouth.

Both fighters turned and made their way to their respective corners. 

As Cutie sat down on her stool, Coach 'Cane—Piston Hurricane—was already waiting for her, a towel in hand. "You got careless at the end, niña," he chided, his thick Cuban accent coloring his words. "That was your round."

"I know, Coach 'Cane. I got excited, thought I had her," Cutie admitted, catching her breath.

"You lost the first round. You won the second with that knockdown, but she kept it close," Hurricane said, wiping her face with the towel. "Win the third, and you win the fight. Don't get reckless."

Across the ring, Niki slumped on her stool, her eyes clouded with doubt. “Did I lose that round too?”

Von Kaiser chose his words carefully. “Yes, meine kleine Kämpferin. But your flurry at the end made the second close. Still, you need a knockout.”

"I don't know, Coach. Did I even belong in this ring? Am I good enough for this?" Niki asked, her voice shaky.

Von Kaiser leaned in, locking eyes with her. "I have never questioned your heart, Niki. And neither has anyone else here." He gestured toward the crowd. 

Niki looked around and saw faces—some cheering for her, some for Cutie, but all were captivated by the fight.

“This,” Von Kaiser took her glove in his hand, “is not where steel lives.” Then, he tapped her chest, over her heart, “This is. Show them your steel, meine Schülerin."

Niki’s eyes met her coach’s and she nodded, a renewed sense of determination washing over her.

The referee's voice cut through the noise. "Seconds out!"

Niki stood up. Von Kaiser popped her mouthpiece in and gave her a final piece of advice. "You need a knockout to win this. Eyes open, mind sharp, hands fast.”

Cutie was already on her feet, rolling her head to loosen her neck muscles. Hurricane gave her a nod and a final piece of advice before stepping out of the ring. "Remember, patience and precision. You've got this."

As both fighters readied themselves for the final round, their inner thoughts reflected their resolve.

Niki thought, Three minutes. I got three minutes to knock Cutie out. Focus, Niki. You can do this.

Cutie's thoughts were equally determined. Stay focused, stay patient. Win this round and bring it home.

The crowd on the edge of their seats. As the best friends waited for the bell, their eyes met in a silent acknowledgement, to leave everything in the ring. They had three more minutes and would have no regrets.

[little-green-lies]

I can't believe you think they're treating Choni badly this season or that they have bad storylines and especially that they painted Toni as a villain in 708 when she was simply finally granted some perspective and they tackled an issue with their own writing that always plagued Choni back in the high school days, to show how much they've matured. Their content this season is nothing short of excellent.

Okay this is the second time I'm typing this because Tumblr glitched and wouldn't post the first one. I probably typed too much but I really wanted to give you a solid answer. I will try to keep this more succint but I have a lot of thoughts on this so hopefully it posts this time.

I apparently also deleted my first paragraph so I've typed this section out three times now. I do not think they are treating Choni bad this season. My issue is and will continue to be the setting for this season. After two seasons of them not being together they've now thrown them into a situation in which they "can't" be together and that irks me. I thought when we got confirmation that they were soulmates, that maybe just maybe they'd let them be fully happy in the final season. And that is the full crux of the issue, it's the LAST season. I discuss Riverdale a lot more on my main page (which I encourage you to check out because I do speak about this a lot more in the tags of a lot of my Riverdale reblogs) but i actually just made a post stating that I think this may be Riverdale's best season. They opened this season with one of the strongest episodes I've seen in television thus far. Especially coming from a CW show. I do think this season is also shaping up to be Choni's second best season. They've had a lot of solid scenes and Vanessa and Madelaine are giving it their ALL. That being said, forgive me for hoping the last season would be spent wrapping up happy endings mixed with the usual Riverdale drama. I did not go into this season expecting SO MUCH new plot. And if it wasn't the last season, I wouldn't complain as much. That's always been my biggest gripe, it's the last season. That's all. If this was season 5 or 6 and I knew we had 7 seasons, then I would have nothing to say. Because yes, it's given us some really good content. I just don't want it for the finale. They could've tackled homophobia back when Kevin came out to his dad or when Cheryl came out to Toni. I don't want to see my favorite character forced back into the closet because they decided to set us in one of the worst eras in American history.

Now for my villain comment. I stand by that. I do think that scene framed Toni in a really bad light and here's why: Everything she said was valid and yes, it's an issue I've been wanting them to tackle for YEARS. What she said is not what made her the villain. It was the way they framed the scene that I knew would be misconstrued by the people that watch this show and always have a bone to pick about whatever she says or does. Up until that scene, we were led to believe that Toni's biggest issue with Choni is that she lost herself. But all they show that as, is she's given up writing for cheer. Okay fine, drop cheer and go back to writing. Cheryl wants to see her gf but she's not gonna stop her from doing what she loves. However, Toni breaking up with her felt out of left field to me because she's allowed to be her own person AND still date Cheryl. So I figured maybe they were setting it up for the fact that she doesn't like commitment and the other greaser got in her head about Cheryl being a rich girl too scared to come out of the closet. Also a valid reason. But that's not the scene they gave us. What they gave us was Cheryl asking if the issue was because she was white and Toni saying yes. Nothing up until that point had given us any indication THAT was the issue. What frustrated me even further was that they don't even give them room to have a discussion about it. Toni says her peace and leaves and all we get is a shot of Cheryl crying. She clearly cares about Cheryl enough to have pursued her for that long and then she drops her without even having a discussion?? And so soon after they got together? If we had gotten a scene where the difference of their skin was brought up before that (and that could've have been anything from an offhanded comment to Cheryl laughing about something someone says in their presence she didn't know was meant to be a dig) and we see that register with Toni, it wouldn't have felt off balance. Especially since her and Betty get along and she's white. Her and KEVIN get along and he's white. Kevin and Clay are dating and there seems to be no problem THERE. So they can be okay but she can't date Cheryl because of it? It just felt like after they gave us such a strong opening ep regarding race, to then have her drop that with no nuance didn't sit right with me. All of the digs against Toni that we had seen had been because she was bi or at least "queer adjacent" as far as Evelyn was concerned. The only time we see anyone being racist, is when she's dealing with the adults, never the teens. And I knew someone was gonna watch that and say "oh of course the black girl has an issue with her white gf blah blah blah". That's why I said they set her up to be the villain. Not that she was one. Purely based on how that scene was framed. It just felt like it was missing context. And who knows, maybe they filmed a scene and then cut it but either way, it felt off to me and having it not get brought up again until the Black Athena ep just left me feeling unmoored.

[lesser-mook]

DC HATES And Disrespects Superman

In contrast, they really REALLY want Supergirl to be relevant, to supplant him. Despite her just being a gimmick, a seasonal DLC. Every attempt to try to push her ends in a wet fizzle. Everytime.She's one of the most underwhelming characters in DC but WB can't keep her out of their mouths like she's deep or some shit. They'd sooner give us a "woman of tomorrow" movie than give Cassandra Cain or Jason, or Sodam Yat any time of the day.WE STILL haven't gotten Superboy Prime in a show, or a Starfire movie. Make that make sense to me. So on top of all of that, yea, they're going to neglect a superhero who represents the best of humanity, in an era where humanity is going to shit. And try their damnest to push the knockoff who in theory represents the same thing, just minus any authenticity because again, she's sloppy seconds, badly coped homework that the teacher wouldn't grade because it's so shitty. MOS was a mess, My Adventures with Lois-Chan was a fucking embarrassment. A rushed, wholesome piece of shit, New 52 with a side of Tumblr,  & some cameos because it can't stand on it's own two feet for obvious reasons, it's incompetent and it's garbage. *Just watch The Animated Series.* Superman & Lois, Smallville were decent. Red Son was trash. Injustice was a wet blanket. Somehow, the movie in some ways less insufferable than the comics. DCAMU had so much potential, and ended too soon. This new DC animated movie verse was basically non-existent for me, i don't give two shits. That man of tomorrow movie was a feverdream, the script had 3 things going on, didn't know what it wanted to be. Superman Returns is tricky, him leaving like that is out of character but the movie itself is more Superman than anything we've gotten since. As of 2024 *The most solid depiction of Superman in post 2000 DC, on-screen is the DCAU version.* The biggest issues there are the nerfs, but as for characterization? DCAU Timmverse pulled it off. Cause they definitely amped up his powerlevels as the seasons went on. Superman FOR TOMORROW by Lee & Azzarello. Good read. Also deals with Supes in a modern world where the old school boyscout shit doesn't always work. DC doesn't know what to do with Superman atm, because they forgot the point of Superman. Superboy prime was one of the earlier evil superman takes that worked because he was supposed to be a contradiction, a hypocrite, a glitch in the matrix. He should've been gotten a role as a game boss or something, surprised DCUO hasn't already done it, they're pushing Supergirl because they forgot that they have Superman already, you literally do not need her when Superman exists. They're trying to trivialize him by making him evil 24/7 and replace him with Kara BORE-EL or PowerTits, and no matter how hard they try and have been trying the past 10 years to do it. She'll never replace him. Never. She doesn't have the ability, and never will. She's a party trick. He's the ideal, the blueprint of modern superheroes. DC needs to remember that, they need to remember that they have THE Ultimate Superhero in their possession (until he's public domain & they might buy him again) So they need to put her lame ass to rest, and give love to better characters. Some of them queer, some of them not even humanoid. All they need to do to make Superman work, is just put him in a situation (like war world) where he's deprived of every reason to hope and through sheer will provide hope to the prisoners by never giving up. Like Gladiator but with Superpowers, Superman fighting his way back home, intergalactic action. OR? Just adapting the recent "UP IN THE SKY" story, that as a movie would be a narrative masterpiece for Supes, because that book perfectly embodies Superman. Perfectly. A race with Flash, time travel, inter-galactic battles, Superman going through hell to save one little girl, a serious question of how much one child's life is worth vs the rest of humanity- it's a good story. That is what should be a movie, that movie would fix the DC Superman problem, not entirely but it would be a reset, a needed reset.

[lisamona1503]

SPIDER MAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE REVIEW

Ah yes, In this day of constant remakes and revisions of old stories. It can be hard to find good media, luckily Spiderverse wasn’t one of them.

Here I’ll be talking about the movie in depth, if you want avoid spoilers just go the very bottom to see my recommendation and number rating .

PRAISE

As per usual, the animation was fantastic with the mix of 2-D graphics and 3-D, alongside other great features of styles like paper cut outs and even stop motion. Every character has a great design, and the music was incredible! Specifically for Miguel who has a digital sounding horns, I find it cool that it almost sounds like a mariachi band but in the future which makes sense considering Miguel is Spanish descent and also from a sci-fi background.

The story is also pretty solid no big plot holes, in fact there was a solid conflict in the narrative of saving people. In the movie miles wants to save certain people but can’t due to events call “canon events” this a reference to canon which is what is real in a story. In spider-man universe every character has certain emotional events they need to happen in order to keep they’re universe in tact. If one doesn’t let certain events happen than it could lead to the entire death of a universe- miles in specific has to go through his father dying, or else the universe of his own could collapse. Miles’s universe is specifically important due to the fact he was a first “glitch” in the system meaning he was the one who started the process of connecting different universes which potentially means that if he messes up his canon event it could mess up the entire web universes altogether.

This conflict is great and understandable, while you can see why Miguel does what he does, it doesn’t mean we think that miles is a idiotic in his actions. Almost any teenager would probably have a hard time understanding or even thinking about losing a father, this is especially seen in how he is shown to have father issues so having him die suddenly would make his lost hurt more. Never being able to tell he is Spider-Man or that he could make it up to his dad before his death would be devastating.

I also liked the characters in this one as well, we got at least 3 new main spider-man London spider-man, a punk rocker who looks like a magazine cut out. Indian Spider-Man which is probably the newest member only doing 6 months of super work, and lastly holographic spider-women a girl who is a tech genius but she doesn’t get that much screen time.

After those characters we have recurring ones as well, Peter b Parker, or brunette Spider-Man. Turned into a dad and has a baby daughter, and gwen who comes back from the last movie. All do pretty great but I must say that gwen takes up too much screen time even if she is my favorite character. She is probably the second main protagonist in this movie, I can see the reason why though as she does some things that could be seen as very disagreeable like lying to miles constantly about important issues. Showing her perspective can help us understand her intentions of why she did so she doesn’t look too villainous and she is also heavily implied as the love interest.

Now with my long praise I will have to say my critique of this movie and talk about any pet peeves I have

CRITICISM

now people on the right are probably wondering “it might be good but isn’t it filled with political fluff?” I would definitely say yes, there is certain Easter eggs and dialogue that can definitely seem SJW and make it clear where a majority of the artist in the movie lean towards. Examples would probably include, a lot of BLM pins and trans flag in Gwen’s room and pretty much all of spider-punk’s character. Now while this might be in the movie, that doesn’t feel like a big reason to not watch it, I highly disagree on the stances that BLM and what Gwen’s flag says. (I’m a nun after all) Yet that doesn’t mean I won’t watch it, because these political and real life issues are quite literally in the background of the story and trying to convince me to agree with the stances. I know a what a person said about SJW that I highly agree with “you can have SJW artist and character and even writer, but all of those can be done good. As long as it isn’t a SJW story” This quote is pretty good in saying how they’ll always be artists and writers who lean toward a certain political angle and even characters themselves but as long as those characters are in a story that can enjoyed than it’s a story worth telling. I agree, one can highly disagree with one’s political viewpoint and still enjoy they’re work if it’s good.

I will also say that it isn’t all SJW propaganda, in the story both Gwen and miles have father figures who are policemen and are seen and looked up to in the story. Fatherhood is actually shown a lot in the story which I love as we don’t see many father and child stories as much anymore. There’s also at least a some better justification for being so left-leaning, spider-punk is a rocker who is an loves anarchy and going away from authority so it makes sense he would be be radical and all social Justice like- this goes with Gwen as well, as she’s a girl that probably is all rock band like and hangs with hobie so will probably have a similar viewpoint as him.

Now with those political fluff explained, I will talk about aspects I dislike. First Peter B Parker bringing his baby around is a bit annoying to me, why bring a baby you love so much to a battle? The movie even points out how this pretty bad parenting, it’s the same for the pregnant spider women who I don’t even know the name of. Because she was in the movie for so little, both are equally silly as I really don’t get putting you’re child in danger like that. Peter B Parker is probably much more annoying as it’s also clear his wife didn’t want him to go with the baby either. The only reason I feel it put here was because of that seen where he says “I made her because of you” or another is that in the comics there has been an ongoing frustration with Peter Parker not being happy at all and fans wanting him to just have a family finally and start his life as spider-dad. So maybe this is a fan service for comic readers who are tired of a cesspool of Spider-Man suffering.

The movie is also 2 hours and ends on cliffhanger, it’s been ongoing trend of movies doubling runtime to 2-3 hours on average and making it a part 1 or 2. Likely to have more justifiable reason to come to theaters but doesn’t make it any less annoying, I like movies that have a story that can be finished up in a whole movie. The only reason I let this movie slide is because it’s animated and it’s rare for a runtime of 2 hours for this kind of medium.

Lastly this is a nitpick, but I am a bit disappointed at how we didn’t see the other spider people from the last movie. Penni Parker was a nice edition and people know I love Nicolas Cage as noir. So seeing them only at the end of across the spider verse makes me a bit disappointed. 

CONCLUSION

Overall spiderverse was a good break from the MCU and Disney in general. Showing how superheroes can never go out style with a good story and visuals as a cherry on top. I recommend this to everyone. For families I will say that 10-17 is a better age group for Spider-Man across the spiderverse but if you’re more loose on ratings than it’s not too bad if younger kids watch it.

I will say that there are a lot of bright colors and lights so for those who have sensory issues, test out with a few YouTube clips before you go to theaters as it is flashy. Overall 8.5/10 a good sequel.

[imvgincs]

                           ❛   you   told   me   to   stop   being   a   smart   ass,  ❜   she   jested,   however   as   he   materialized   through   thin   air,   it   was   only   when   his   hands   landed   on   her   that   she   registered   he   was   even there.   the   realization   hitting   her   a   beat   too   late.   suddenly she   felt   his   brute   force   sending   her   to   the   ground.   bracing   herself   for   the   impact   the   girl   pixelated   before   she   could   meet   the   solid   surface.   transported   back   into   the   light   for   but a   second,   she crouched   low   to   the   ground,   strategically   minimizing   her   own   shadow   before   she   was   coming   back   to   him.   glitching   a   few   feet   behind   where he stood in   the   shadows.   returning with   vengeance.

                           "Silent treatment, huh?" He sneered, his attack missing by a hair's breadth as she deftly dodged. Before she could counter, he vanished into the shadows, only to reappear with a swift grab, yanking her down to the ground.

[themetalvirus]

prime spoilers

its so funny that shadow kept screaming SONIC JUST FUCKING LISTEN TO ME FOR A SECOND into sonic's face and he just KEPT. IGNORING HIM. DUDE LISTEN TO SHADOW HES A FUCKING GHOST STUCK IN THE VOID YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HELP HIM. JESUS CHRIST. i'd punch sonic too after that

i love rusty rose. i love her. i LOVE her. i hope she gets her free will back, she is clearly capable of good (and was turned good in that one episode). get all of the programming OUT of her and just let her make her own decisions, i don't even care if she returns to eggman anyway because it's all she's known for so long, i just need to see her with free will. please. someone help this poor girl

speaking of people who need help, nine :( NINE. nine. NINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hes SO!!!! he needs to experience the magic of friendship and shoot his first friendship rainbow beam so bad. hes so lonely and USED to being lonely that he chose a barren wasteland to call home. that's no way to live, man.

also captain knuckles had a reeeeally concerning turn in that last episode, his Gemstone Guarding Instincts kicked in and he went a little nuts. i want more of that tbh. more nutso knuckles

i was expecting a lot more from prime but this is very very clearly not the end, it's clearly not even the whole of season 1 and is being split up into different release chunks for netflix (like glitch techs is 1 season but was released in two seperate chunks as "seasons 1 and 2"). i personally hoped to see more worlds, but i'm also glad what we DID see was fleshed out. i was expecting a more episodic format in terms of visiting the worlds so i'm happy we get to spend actual time in each of them and get to know the characters and their problems

i'm wondering if sonic erased his original friends out of existence when he shattered the paradox prism (like how green hill doesnt exist anymore) or if they also landed in different worlds. or the void. or something else entirely

speaking of green hill, isn't it super weird that they just... decided all of sonic's world is green hill. i guess it's for budgetary reasons? and to control the scope? but it's super fucking weird right, like, i'm not the only one that thinks that's weird? there are. other places in sonic's world. sonic doesn't live ANYWHERE he just ends up in green hill a lot. maybe it's also for a point of comparison, like how the loop-de-loop is always in the same place? just to have more solid landmarks to see what's different. i just wish they did that with like. multiple areas of the world. instead of multiple landmarks of Just Green Hill

anyway waiting for the next part of this show to drop is gonna be torture. i have some Gripes and Grumbles (WHERE IS BLAZE IN THE PIRATE DIMENSION? WHERE IS SHE!) but nothing is ever perfect and also i love having stuff to gripe and grumble about. rusty rose is my new best friend btw. (also the knuxouge enjoyers are eating well, congratulations to those who that applies to)

theres gonna be so much fanfic about these goddamn places i can tell. especially the fucked up eggman won world. theres so much potential there. i'm hoping (like another person said) that rusty rose's backstory is that she got kidnapped, sonic wasn't there, and she got turned into a fucked up robot thing. because wouldn't that be fucked up. that would fuck this version of sonic up too, he'd feel so upset and guilty that he couldn't help her (and then be determined to help her NOW even if shes evil). i wish they spent more time on rusty and the pirate amy recognizing each other and being freaked out tho. thats also a lot of potential

i also want to see sonic find another version of himself. i don't think that'll happen? because like, he doesn't exist in any of these worlds because he's the god of these gajillion universes. but also i want him to find a fucked up version of himself and go dear god that could have been me. itd be neat i think

in any case i am kissing these writers on the mouth for rusty rose and nine. i am a sonic fan who craves being spoonfed more funny little guys so i can point and go HEY I KNOW THAT GUY but i'm also just really glad that big is part of the crew. hes so good :)

i have more thoughts but also i am eepy and i dont feel like typing anymore. sonic prime flawed and for babies but also good. i'm glad we finally got a proper action cartoon this time, it's wicked cool. i love rusty rose did i mention that yet. i love rusty rose

[subpar-ghoulfriend]

Let’s have a baby

yandere!EraserMicx PREGNANT!Reader 

A terrible mix up leading to an accidental pregnancy? Or something more intentional? Either way now you were pregnant with (none other than the beloved power couple heroes) Eraserhead and Present Mic’s child. Time to discuss how co parenting is going to work. 

TW: pregnancy, artificial insemination, yandere elements, mentions of stalking, alludes to potential custody battle

You had been avoiding the two men for the past week, which was challenging seeing as they managed to find your phone number, address, and place of work. Any time you blocked their calls they got a new number. Two Pro Heroes versus a twenty something civilian, it was only a matter of time until you were cornered.

Now the couple stood between you and your apartment. You had a long shift at your job as a pet groomer and just wanted to get some rest.

Present Mic was the first to speak. "Hey lil momma, we heard you had work today so we brought you some dinner. We thought we could talk over a nice meal."

You had no response. You were tired, both physically and emotionally. You had been put through the ringer ever since meeting them at your doctors office. It was a total Jane the Virgin situation. You went in for an assessment about some supposed ovarian cysts and unknowing left artificially inseminated. There was a supposed mix up, a digital glitch that somehow merged your chart with the surrogates - apparently your names were super similar. Two weeks later you were called back into the doctor's office and informed of what took place. And now you were in this living nightmare.

And the two heroes had nothing to do with the error. There was totally a surrogate. They hadn't paid off your provider. And why would they? You had never met them - although given their patrols they may have seen you once or twice...

They were tearful when they were informed of the mix up, they had been waiting patiently through the whole process and now everything was thrown in chaos. They offered to compensate you for your service which sent you into a blind rage. They just assumed you would carry a child, a child with half of your DNA, and then give YOUR baby away. Rationally you understood that they had planned to be be the only parents to the child, but that was with a professional surrogate who understood the process, who didn't want the child in their life, just happy to help out a loving couple. But that wasn't you, you grew up wanting to be a mom, and now they would take that from you.

What if they tried to legally take sole custody of the baby? Surely they had some pull in the judicial system. Besides, they were a solid couple with money, while you were alone with no family and working two jobs. The thought made you sick to your stomach.

You were shaking as you tried to push past them. Maybe they would just disappear if you ignored them, a girl could dream. But instead they tagged along inside. Albeit you weren’t fighting them on it, you knew this had to happen eventually.

Aizawa easily found the cluttered dining table in your small apartment. You flinched when the loud one tried to help you shrug off your backpack. Taking a seat on the couch you waited for them to start berating you.

"Come sit at the table, dinner is getting cold," Eraser spoke for the first time.

"I'll eat later, I'm not hungry."

"You may not be, but the baby needs to eat."

You glared, how dare they insinuate you didn't know what your child needed. If your body was hungry, you ate. If you were full the baby was full too.

But, you complied, not wanting to argue, "Fine, but I ate a snack not too long ago."

As you ate, Mic kept you company, picking at some left overs, they clearly ate before their visit. Aizawa was rummaging through your place but you managed to hold your tongue until he began throwing things out of your fridge.

"What are you doing?" You hissed, getting up out of your seat.

"Mic and I will bring you groceries tomorrow. The food you have is barely safe for an adult, let alone a fetus."

"Are you kidding me? It's not like I'm chugging alcohol and living off Twinkies. Hey! I just bought those turkey slices. How is turkey bad?" You whined.

To make sure you wouldn't dig the food out trash he dumped it out of his container.

"Zashi, don't let me forget to empty the trash on our way out. Do you know how much salt is in deli meat? And there's no way you can drink any of this while you're pregnant." He gestures to the cans of soda.

As the frustration built you had to fight back tears. They couldn't come in to your home and start throwing out your things.

"Some of us don't make ridiculous money, I'm buying what I can afford and the doctor never had any problem with my health." You hissed.

Hizashi felt the tension thickening, "Hey hey hey, it's okay. Sho and I will go get you some good stuff. We just gotta watch out for you and baby."

And that was the end of your resolve, you stomped past the Hero and locked yourself in your bedroom. Finally tears began to drip down your cheeks.

Back in your kitchen Mic was chiding his boyfriend for being so tough on you.

"So I should just back down while she stuffs herself with junk food?"

Mic gave him a shrug, showing him a bottle on your counter, "At lest she's taking her prenatal vitamins?"

Grabbing the keys to your apartment Aizawa instructed Mic to wait with you while he got you better groceries. He would make copies of your keys on his was back.

You prayed they would leave soon. You were laying in your bed having cried yourself out. Barely into your second month of pregnancy. You still had to endure this for at least seven more months, but most likely much longer.

Next thing you knew you were opening your eyes and the clock read seven AM. By now your uninvited guests must be gone. Nervously you sat up, praying that you'd skip the morning sickness just once this week. You had always had a weak stomach and even the doctor was surprised you were already experiencing the symptom. Unfortunately the minute your feet touched the floor you knew what was coming. You sprinted to the restroom, not even checking to see if the duo had left.

God this was terrible, you didn't just hate throwing up, you were terrified of it. What if you started and never stopped? But it did come to an end. You wiped the water from your eyes and took a moment before standing from the floor. You screamed when a hand slid under your arm, helping you up. Another set of feet rushed to the bathroom.

" What's wrong?" Hizashi huffed as he skid to a stop.

You pulled arm free from Aizawa's grasp. "What are you two still doing here?"

You turned in the faucet to rinse your mouth. Trying to calm your stress, the nausea was trying to return.

Undeterred the scruff pulled your hair into a bun before rubbing your back. You debated returning to bed but that wouldn't get them out of your apartment. You told them you need to sit down, both of them nodding, still wearing their concerned expressions. They got you a glass of water before joining you on the couch. Stubborn men, you sat at the end of the couch so they couldn't both sit, but Mic decided to perch himself on the armrest.

He started petting your hair, "You feelin better little listener?" You nodded in response.

"I got you more food, let us know if your hungry."

You sighed in defeat, "I'm barely two months pregnant, I can fend for myself. What did you all want to talk about?"

You anxiously placed a hand on your stomach. Both men felt their hearts flutter recognizing your maternal instincts kicking in.

Aizawa let Mic begin, he was the more gentle of the two.

"Well, we figured we got off to a rough start. You got put in a tough situation. We shouldn't have assumed you didn't want a child so we're not mad at how you stormed out. But either way we expect to be in our baby's life. The two of us talked it over and we don't want to fight you if you want to be in their life too. So if you wanna be the mommy we're cool with it."

You could blame your reaction on your hormones for your response but you didn't, "Geez thank you so much for allowing me to be in MY child's life."

Aizawa placed a hand on the back of your neck, giving you a gentle massage. "Okay then, the three of us are gonna have a baby. That means you have to stop ignoring us. We can raise the baby together, without involving anyone else. But if we have to, we can always go the legal route for the baby's best interest." 

He knew it was a low blow, but the couple needed you to stop fighting them. Your eyes snapped to his and you shook your head in protest.

"Okay then we're all the same page," Aizawa reassured you.

Mic cheered, "Now we can focus on the fun stuff."

"Hun," Eraserhead caught his attention. "There's still a few more important things to figure out. We don't want you going back to that doctor. They're incompetent. We scheduled you an appointment with another's clinic for next week. Okay?"

You couldn't find your voice after how easily he threatened to take your baby. So you just nodded. Half listening.

"Good. We also went ahead and programmed our numbers into your phone. We need to be able to check in with you."

"Okay, but I can't use my phone at one of my jobs."

"About that lil momma," Mic started. "You work a lot, which is totally bad ass, but we don't think you leave enough time to rest and take care of yourself."

You tried to protest but Aizawa cut you off, "You also shouldn't be working around so many animals. Even though we love animals, they can be unpredictable and one dog can trigger all the rest into a frenzy."

You were dumbfounded, "I've never heard of anything like that happening. One of my coworkers was pregnant last year, she worked until her maternity leave. Plus I need to be able to pay my bills. And don't offer to compensate me again."

"Why do you have to view it as compensation? We just want to take care of the mother of our child. Just think about it. Mic and I have to go take care of some business but we'll be back later this week."

---

Back at their home Hizashi was dramatically splayed on their bed.

"Babe why are you pouting?" Aizawa asked.

"Why can't we just bring her home already?"

Aizawa sympathized with his better half, but they needed to be methodical. He reminded Hizashi that they didn't need to cause her even more stress, especially so early into the pregnancy. If they played their cards right they would have their happy little family soon enough.

If they could ease you in to the relationship everything would be easier in the long run. They had been managing just fine until now, they could wait a few more months.

He joined Hizashi on the couch. Mic was comforting himself the way he usually did when he felt like this. He was scrolling through the countless photos they had collected since their chance encounter with you over a year ago. 

[hammieslice]

OXENFREE II: Lost Signals Speculation

Because holy fuck y’all am I excited about this oh my god it’s a new Oxenfree game in the year of our lord 2021 and I want it now. All of the information I’m about to give to you has been gleaned from the new Indie World Showcase trailer that was on the recent Nintendo Direct (though I watched it on Youtube), and is simply speculation on what the next game has in store. None of this could be canon, or all of this could be canon, I have no idea! That’s what makes it fun. It also got long, so I unfortunately have to put this under a read more.

For starters, we know based off of the video description in Youtube that this game is set five years after the original OXENFREE, with an (assumedly) entirely new cast of characters. The player character, Riley, is the one we see the most of in this trailer. But I’m going to list things as they come in order of appearance, along with images, so the first thing we have is:

These strange masked people, sitting by a campfire. From what I can tell, it looks like two females and one male, but I could be wrong. Their masks are white, half-white and half-black, and a 1/3 majority black with a crescent of white. I think this has to do with the next clip we see in the trailer, with the moon glitching out and turning from full to half-and-half:

Although there may not be a connection at all. For a second point, I think that Riley will probably be an adult, based on the voice that speaks to her over the radio later on in the trailer. More importantly, I think she may be a meteorologist, thanks to the line, “I need a weather report on the clouds over Edwards Island?” and the first appearance of her walking up toward a broken light house, seen here:

It’s just after that we see who I think will be her companion for the game, like Jonas was to Alex, that for now I’m calling Hard-Hat man. I say this because he looks like he’s wearing a hard hat with a light built in, and I think he may be an electrician, from the line “Residents of Camena have reported strange interruptions in their radio broadcasts-” before cutting out. You can see the two of them pictured on a cliff below:

I also think that most of this game will take place in Camena itself, rather than Edwards Island, or perhaps in both locations. This is due to the very obvious clips right after this zoomed-in image of Riley and Hard-Hat man, where you can see Edwards Island to their left, and what is presumably the Sunken to their right.

As a side note, I think that Hard-Hat man is going to be the “coward” of this game, or at least the reasonable one as said by my friend. The final image that I want to bring attention to is during what I believe is Riley “tuning into the source” like Alex did, except this time, she’s tuning into the source in Camena:

If you pay close attention, you can clearly see that the radio waves are physically cutting through things now. They have a greater bearing on the real world than they ever did before. One line has chopped entirely through both a solid rock and a tree, not only that, but set the tree on fire. It’s an entirely new ballpark of power here, folks. That ends the images part of this, but I do have an idea as to why Riley could be so interested in Edwards Island, based on nothing but my own hubris and what I think would be interesting.

Consider this: Riley is one of Alex’s old classmates who wasn’t able to make it to the “bash on the beach,” and ever since Alex went missing in the loop, she’s been trying to search for her. For five years, she hasn’t had any luck, until tonight. Another one of my friends, @onewhoturns​, suggested the idea that Jonas could be with her looking for the girl he barely remembers. I don’t know how Hard-Hat man will fit into the story, but his body language in the trailers makes me think he may not know Riley well, or that he prioritizes his safety over everything else.

I think the loop has grown past Edwards Island now, and into Camena. It’s backed up by a line in the original game, too- “And we will grow. And we will engulf.”

But, this is all speculation. If you have any other ideas, please please tell me about them in the notes of this post. I’m dying to talk more about Lost Signals, and I can’t wait to see what Night School Studio has in store for us next.