#i have read both of them st least 5 times.

[gayandangery]

Between You, Me, and the Fence Post by @taelonsamada and Secrest Between Friends by @romirola have completely rewritten my brain chemistry and I think about those two fics CONSTANTLY. highly recommend everyone read them rn!!

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

[dark-moonlust]

Getting Pounded by Nagas PART 5: Βabies

Pairing: Two nagas x f!human reader

Summary: it has been two months since your precious eggs hatched. You have a blissful life with your mates and babies. Your nagas are the best daddies in every way. 😉

Warnings: minors don't interact, 18+!!!!, starts cute but then there is smut, lactating and feeding babies, double 🍆🍆, fingering, p in v, οral (male), anal, dοuble penetr. Don’t like, don’t read please.

This is part of a series. Find all the parts here.

Soft afternoon light filtered through the colorful curtains. The nursery was filled with the adorable cooing of your baby naga boys. You sat at the comfortable armchair, your naga hybrids in the cradle of your arms. It had been almost two months since your precious eggs had hatched, stealing your heart forever. They were a mix of human and serpentine body, just like their daddies.

You marveled at their tiny, adorable forms which fit just perfectly in your arms. Little Rowan looked after his daddy, Thorne. He had a cute, chubby face with big eyes the same color as yours, and a tiny green-scaled tail. Little Bjorn, however had inherited your human nose and lips, and Ragnor’s eyes and red-scaled tail.

You were so proud that your DNA had been accepted by the eggs and they now looked after you as well.

You kissed each of their chubby cheeks and blew raspberries on their round bellies. The little ones giggled and looked at you with tenderness and love. Ahh, your heart felt so full!

Sitting back comfortably, you lowered the neckline of your dress and offered your breasts to your hungry little naga hybrids. They eagerly latched on your nipples, tiny hands nuzzling your breasts as they began to nurse, their tails cradling your arms waist. It was a calming and incredibly beautiful sight, watching them feed and grow stronger with each passing day. And dear Gods, they did eat a lot. Which was good because you had so much milk that sometimes it made you uncomfortable.

Gentle cooing sounds echoed in the quiet room as the babies fed, their tails curled lovingly around you. They suckled greedily, their attention fully devoted to your breasts. A soft slithering sound caught your attention; your mates. With a smile, you turned to see Thorne and Ragnor entering the room. Your naga mates were tall and handsome with strong shoulders and chiseled muscles. Their lower torsos extended into supremely long and powerful tails that moved gracefully across the floor.

They had just come back from work. Thorne and Ragnor were rangers, they protected the frontiers of the rainforest. Your mates looked incredibly smug to have returned just in time for the feeding of the little nagas. They surrounded you from both sides, their scaled tails coiling around your seat. No matter how many times you fed the babies, they loved the sight of you and they also got highly aroused by it.

“Hey, there pretty mama,” Thorne said, bending down to kiss you deeply, tongue slipping in your mouth.

When Thorne pulled back from your mouth, Ragnor was claiming your lips, his long tongue brushing against your smaller one.

“Our beautiful mate,” Ragnor murmured proudly. “Feeding our babies. Looking so beautiful and…” he whispered in your ear, “sexy.”

“I breastfeed at least twenty times a day, aren’t you bored watching me yet?” you teased them, a bright smile on your face.

“Never,” Thorne said huskily, eyes on the babies suckling your nipples. “We can never have enough.”

“Look at our precious little ones,” Ragnor said, caressing each cheek of the babies as they fed from your breasts. They moaned softly at their daddies but kept feeding, too hungry for milk to care.

“Hungry little monsters,” Thorne chuckled. “They are enjoying it so much.”

“They take after their daddies,” Ragnor said, leaning in to kiss the mound of your left breast. His lips were warm and soft against your skin, but the baby didn’t like the disturbance and groaned softly.

“Easy there, little guy. I’m not going to steal your mama,” Ragnor said then winked up at you, “yet.”

Thorne followed, kissing the mound of your right breast. The other naga baby ignored him and latched your nipple harder as if to keep it for himself.

You winced a little at the tug, your cheeks blushing. “You two are incorrigible. Worse than babies.

Ragnor gently stroked your neck. “We can’t help it. It’s hard not to get a little jealous of our babies,” he grinned. “They get the best parts of you.”

You laughed, the sound blending with the hungry coos of the babies. “Well, our babies have their needs,” you replied, your eyes twinkling with love. “They need to be fed constantly.”

“And so do we,” Thorne whispered, kissing you lightly. “But we can wait.”

Once the babies finished their meal, they released your nipples with soft wet plops and squealed up at their daddies. Ragnor and Thorne held them in their arms, kissed and fondled their little tails. Watching your mates with the babies made you so emotional and at the same time, so happy that you’d carried their eggs and went through all the intense naga birth procedures.

Your baby hybrids were worth all of this and so much more.

An hour later, your babies were freshly clean and tucked in their cots, sleeping with their tails coiled over one another and their cute little mouths forming precious smiles. You and your mates kissed them one last time on their foreheads and quietly left the nursery.

“I believe it’s now time for you to take care of the daddies,” Ragnor told you, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

You giggled as they led the way to your bedroom, Ragnor’s strong arms pulling you down onto the mattress, his long tail wrapping around the bed. He kissed you, his mouth possessing yours, tongue licking inside your mouth. Thorne joined in your side, kissing the crook of your neck, tasting and teasing, making you moan with need.

A few expert tugs and wiggles and they had you naked beneath them, their hungry gazes roaming your body. After the birth, your breasts were full and round, your nipples incredibly sensitive and leaking milk. Your belly was also softer and curvier as were your thighs. Your mates were in love with your body and since you were a little shy about these changes, they took every chance to remind you just how perfect and sexy you were.

Ragnor slipped between your legs, arms holding under your knees and spreading them wide apart. Your pussy clenched with anticipation, leaking with arousal and with your mates’ seed from when they’d fucked you earlier this morning.

Thorne’s lips trailed a path down your neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses. Ragnor took one swollen tit in his hand, his tongue flicking over your sensitive nipple. Thorne cupped the other, molding it to his large palm while his thumb toyed with your leaky nipple. You squealed as they took turns worshipping your tender buds, hungry lips and tongues bringing you to the edge of ecstasy.

“Such stunning tits,” Thorne murmured, his breath hot against one nipple. “Full and ripe.”

Ragnor’s tongue nursed from the other bud, lapping up the leaking milk. “I could spend an eternity worshiping our mate,” he rasped. “Feasting on her leaking nipples, pulling, tugging, suckling.”

“Also fucking her pretty pussy and tight ass,” Thorne added cheekily, suckling your nipple into his mouth, tongue whisking the leaking tip.

“Oh, yes, that, too,” Ragnor said with a husky drawl. “Pounding her so deep that she can’t speak. Filling her up with our cum.”

“S—Stop teasing,” you said, clutching both their shoulders, your body shaking from overstimulation.

Unbothered, your mates resumed devouring your tits, massaging the tender mounds and doing all sorts of shameless things to your buds with their tongues. Your poor nipples, so sensitive and aching, responded eagerly to your mates’ touches. You stayed there and moaned lewdly as they had their way with you, your breaths coming in short, ragged gasps.

Soon, their hands joined in the sensual game.

Thorne’s fingers reached between your legs and he began to rub your clit in slow circles. Instinctively you arched your body, bucking your hips to gain more friction. At the same time, Ragnor’s hand slid over your inner thighs before stopping to tease the rosebud of your ass. He probed gently at first, his fingers lubricated with your juices, tracing the rosebud before thrusting two thick fingers inside.

Drawn-out moans left you as you thrashed and wiggled while they devoured your nipples and teased your pussy and ass. Their tails came to clutch around your thighs, holding you brazenly open for their ministrations which heightened your arousal and finally pushed you over the edge.

With a cry, you came undone, your body convulsing, your mind blanking out for a few moments. Ragnor and Thorne continued to tease your body, no less intensely. They suckled your tits loudly, slurped at your milk and let out animalistic growls. Thorne’s fingers were languid over your pussy while Ragnor’s stayed buried inside your ass.

“Fuuuuck, you’re exquisite, mate,” Thorne murmured, his lips claiming yours.

Ragnor watched as you were kissed, pulled out his fingers and leaned to kiss your neck.

Both nagas let out low vibrating purrs that that sent shivers down your spine.

When you finally came down from your high, you kneeled between them and started stroking their bodies, taking turns kissing each of them while tracing their bulging muscles and then down their cockslits. Their double cocks were already aroused and had emerged from their slits, jutting angrily toward their stomachs.

Your hands found Thorne’s shafts and your fingers wrapped around both of them, his cocks obscenely big in your small palms. Meanwhile you worked your tongue around each of Ragnor’s dicks, tracing the bulging veins and licking the beads of pre-cum on the heads. Ragnor jerked his hips with an audible moan, thrusting one dick into your mouth, your lips stretching, throat tensing.

Their tails joined in the game, coiling around your breasts while the tips slithered down your legs, opening your asscheeks. Ragnor’s tail filled your pussy while Thorne’s slid past the tight bud of your ass and up your guts. Muffled moans escaped you at the dual penetration.

“Mphhh…” you breathed when Ragnor drew back his cock which was glistening in your saliva. You immediately sucked his other cock while pumping Thorne’s with your other hand, both their tails fucking you with primal ferocity, causing your tits to bounce.

You alternated between your mates, pumping them with your hands and taking them in your mouth. Their cocks were hard and thick, the long girths kissing the back of your throat. You choked only a little and took them like a champ, slick sucking sounds and primal groans resounding across the room.

“Yes, mate —fuckkk, feels so fucking good.”

Ragnor slammed his cock down your throat, chasing his release.

“Ghrr….! Hmnn!” You gagged when the rip of his cock kissed the back of your neck, his hot release spurting down your mouth. You took both cockheads into your mouth and shallowed every drop. Ragnor roared, his hips undulating violently as he came down your throat.

Thorne came next and you instantly put his shafts in your mouth. Your mouth filled with the cockheads while your hands wrapped around the lengths that didn’t fit. In seconds, you were swallowing load after load of his cum. His jizz was too much, it dribbled down your lips but Thorne gently pulled it back into your mouth with his thumbs. You swallowed everything obediently.

“Such a good girl,” Thorne growled as you nursed his cocks, licking a long slow stripe up the underside of the shafts. “Taking every drop of our cum.”

“And letting our tails fuck her tight little holes,” Ragnor drawled, his fingers tracing where you were filled to the hilt with their tails. “Want our tails to keep fucking you, love? Or do you want our cocks?”

“Hmphhh…” you tried to talk but your mouth was filled with Thorne’s cockheads.

“There you go,” Thorne slowly pulled back, slipping from your mouth, a string of saliva connecting his shafts to your mouth.

“Co-cocks… want to be full,” you muttered, a hazy smile playing on your lips. “Cocks, pl-please.”

“Whatever our mate wants, our mate gets,” Thorne kissed you wetly. “We’ll give you our cocks and our love.”

“And lots, lots of orgasms,” Ragnor added, claiming your lips, too.

Thorne laid down on the mattress and gently rearranged your body, pulling you to lay with your back on his chest, your legs splayed wide. Ragnor came to rest between them, watching at where their tails were still fucking you slowly. The nagas retracted their appendages and instantly wrapped around your legs, keeping them obscenely open.

Ragnor hovered above you, rubbed your clit then used his thumbs to pull your outer lips apart and expose the glistening entrance of your pussy. You were drenched, your folds pink and puffy. The bud of your ass was also swollen and the sight of your eager holes made them feral.

“How about I fuck your lovely pussy, love?” Ragnor rumbled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Thorne can take your tight little ass.”

“Hmm… yes please…” you clutched him desperately. “Want you both.”

“Sharing is caring,” Thorne muttered cheekily as he lifted you by the globes of your ass and positioned you over his twin cocks. He cupped both shafts and prodded your tight asshole with the heads. You whimpered, your tight hole stretching to accommodate his massive cocks. Inch by inch he lowered you down until he was deep up your ass.

It was then when Ragnor pushed forward, clutching his shafts in his palms and driving them inside your pussy. You accepted them, inch by delicious inch, filled to the limit, your belly swelling with their girths inside you.

“Tight. So wet and tight.” Ragnor’s gaze smoldered with need. “Taking us so good. Our good little mate. The mother of our offspring. Gonna make you feel so fucking good, love.“

They started to grind inside you, their hips pumping steadily. They stretched and filled your holes again and again. You sobbed and clung to Ragnor for dear life, while Thorne toyed with your nipples and flicked your clit in time with his thrusts. You came in no time, pussy and ass clenching around their cocks, body arching wildly. Their tails gripped your hips so you wouldn’t shift away from their pounding.

They didn’t stop.

They kept fucking you through your orgasm, Ragnor’s grip tightening as he pulled you to ride him. Your legs wrapped around his torso and he lowered you onto his thick, waiting cocks. The stretch was intense, his girths stretching you to the brim. Thorne sat up behind you, his chest against your back as he adjusted the angle and thrust his cocks up your ass.

The new position was overwhelming, you were so completely filled, consumed by the sheer intensity of their shafts rubbing inside you.

They settled into a maddening rhythm, pounding your holes at the same time, never leaving you empty. Your arms clutched them while your small body, trapped between them jerked in time with their powerful thrusts. The sensations were maddening, leaving you gasping and begging for release.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Thorne breathed against your ear, hands tweaking your nipples. “I can feel your ass clenching around me.”

Ragnor hummed. “Can’t last much longer,” he said, his voice rough.

“Hmmm… m’ too, want to come— ahnn… close so close,” you whimpered as they pounded into you, changing nothing in their tactics.

“Let it go, little mate,” Ragnor drawled. “Let it go and take our cum, hm?”

You nodded fervently, clutching them while bouncing on them and chasing your peak.

Thorne’s cocks drove deep into your ass, and Ragnor’s cocks filled your pussy utterly, their relentless pace shattering you. You came with a cry, every nerve ending on fire.

They followed right after, their cocks pulsing and filling you with loads and loads of their seed. It was so much it overflowed and tricked down your thighs.

As the aftershocks of your orgasm faded, they gently rolled you sideways, their cocks still hard inside you. They kissed you, Thorne against your back, his hands caressing your face. Ragnor lay in front of you, whispering soothing words as he nibbled at your neck. You fell asleep nestled within them, satisfied and full of love.

Your mates. The loves of your life. The fathers of your children. Your everything.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Also, what do you want to happen next? What do you want to see? More smutty stuff on Patreon, too. 😊🖤

[ivaalo]

Introduction

This is a fan analysis about the results of 24 polls posted on Tumblr by the user @zeldatourney. Huge thanks to them to have organized this tourney.

(Keep in mind my first language isn't English, so I might make some minor mistakes)

This is a long post with multiple graphs, so I'm putting a "Read more" button here!

For each game, the question asked was "How high does [game] rank?" with 7 answers possible to choose:

S tier (One of the greatest)

A tier (A favorite)

B tier (I like it)

C tier (Meh)

D tier (I'd rather play something else)

F tier (AWFUL)

I haven't played this game

The poll started on the 2nd of December 2024 and ended the 9th of December 2024.

Disclaimer: This is not a representation of the Zelda community as a whole, but a result of people who saw and voted for the polls between those previously quoted dates.

For the rest of this post, I will simplify each game's name by its abbreviations. For example, "A Link To The Past" will be named "ALTTP". The polls didn't specify if it contains the original games or both the original games and the remakes. They will be named as such:

[TLOZ] The Legend of Zelda

[AOL] Adventure of Link

[ALTTP] A Link to the Past

[LA] Link's Awakening (DX) (+ the unnamed 2019 remake)

[OOT] Ocarina of Time (3D)

[MM] Majora's Mask (3D)

[OOS] Oracle of Seasons

[OOA] Oracle of Ages

[FS] Four Swords (Anniversary Edition)

[TWW] The Wind Waker (HD)

[FSA] Four Swords Adventures

[TMC] The Minish Cap

[TP] Twilight Princess (HD)

[PH] Phantom Hourglass

[ST] Spirit Tracks

[SS] Skyward Sword (HD)

[ALBW] A Link Between Worlds

[HW] Hyrule Warriors (Legend / Definitive Edition)

[TFH] Tri Force Heroes

[BOTW] Breath of the Wild

[COH] Cadence of Hyrule

[AOC] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

[TOTK] Tears of the Kingdom

[EOW] Echoes of Wisdom

Collected data

Each poll being independent from each other, the number of votes varies from one poll to another.

For each games, I added the percentage (as picked up from the HTML for a better precision). The result is either 99.999, 100 or 100.001, so I sometimes cheated to add or remove 0.001 somewhere. Tumblr doesn't give you access to the exact numbers of vote per option.

So before ranking the games, I have to show you first what games are the most played. Adding all answers and doing:

Played (%) = 100 - "I haven't played this game" (%)

I'll use colours to differentiate 2D games (in terms of gameplay) to 3D games. I'll also highlight spin-off games and multiplayer games.

Here are the games played by more than 75% of players:

We can already see a huge pattern. All the 3D games are there. And the only 2D Zelda game to be played by 75% of players is ALBW. BOTW and OOT are the most played games of the sample, as those were huge turning points and both cultural and commercial success.

We can also notice the difference of 5% between the least played 3D game (MM) and the most played 2D game (ALBW).

Let's continue to look at the other played games:

EOW is most likely low as it's the most recent game, at this time, but also because it's not a 3D game. And the hype train was low compared to TOTK. (3 months of anticipation compared to 4 years)

And finally, the multiplayer games are the least played games, excluding COH. Also worth noting that all the spin-off games cited can also be played with another player, but it wasn't the main focus of the communication. COH being a musical tactical rogue-lite only appealed to a specific part of Zelda fans.

If these polls contained the CD-i Zelda games, Link's Crossbow Training and Tingle games, the score would probably be under COH, but we never know!

I'll keep these colours as labels, to recognize them better in the next images.

Alright. Time to share the ranking. Here is the global result, sorted by release date in North America:

It's kind of a lot to see! Overall, the games are pretty liked. So first, let's take a look at the disliked games:

Please note that the X-axis was zoomed, so we can see the result better.

We can already notice that AOL makes a huge contrast. As this game is considered as the black sheep of the franchise because of how different it is, its reputation mostly came from the difficulty of that game.

Almost a factor of 0.5 divides the first disliked game to the second. TFH the second disliked and the original TLOZ follows.

ALBW is the least disliked, with under 1%, counting D tier and F tier.

But notice the F-tier (red) line. It varies a lot, so let's take a look at the most hated games:

Yep, TOTK is third, this time. As I don't personally think it's awful, it definitively disappointed many by being too close to BOTW and having a lot of issues BOTW didn't have.

Nobody voted "F tier" for ALTTP nor OOT. Same for OOS but keep in mind this game was the least voted one too!

Alright, enough for the hate! Let's look at the most appreciated Zelda games.

Yep, the majority of Zelda fans like 22.5 out of 24 of the games! (TFH being exactly 50, I half-counted it!)

TWW is being almost unanimously appreciated, with almost 97%, and the second one to get this score is TMC, a 2D game, with more than 96%!

You can notice some gaps, like between ST and COH, and then between the Oracle games and TOTK.

Now let's look at the most loved games:

5 3D games are in the top 5, except for SS and TOTK. TMC is very close to beat BOTW and remains the most loved 2D Zelda game. Notice how SS and TOTK make a huge gap between the game before and the game after, like voters use them as references. The two Hyrule Warriors games are, in a funny way, between the Oracle ones.

Let's add a step forward and look at the S tier only:

Nothing changes for the top 9 games. However, EOW seems more nuanced and is less considered as best than TOTK.

Final results

And finally, let's rank them using the Majority Judgment:

The Majority Judgment was created to propose a more democratic way to vote. Each candidate has multiple mentions, and you (the elector) must attribute one mention to each candidate. Since this poll uses this exact method of vote, I decided to rank them all using the Majority Judgment. To count using the Majority Judgment, you must focus on the 50% axis, and look at the category that crosses it (more than 50%). That gives you the tier, and the best tier wins.

When two or more candidates get the same tier, there are multiple ways to rank:

The first way is to put a line at the middle and see which line has the higher percentage. (Less precise but more simple)

The second way is to divide it into multiple tiers by doing the first method again and again until each candidates has a unique tier. (More precise but less simple)

But since I didn't want to compare B++++ to B+++-, I used the first method. It's my democracy and I do whatever I want!

Just keep in mind that depending on the way to count these games may be swapped:

ALTTP and LA

OOA and PH

AOC and HW

SO, for the data. Top 5 is TWW, MM, TP, OOT and BOTW. To be honest, I imagined MM to be a more nuanced game, or at least more controversial, since it has a unique concept.

The A tier only contains 2D games, except SS. TMC, ST and ALBW are the favourite 2D games. ALTTP and LA are always very close. The last one of the tier is EOW.

Only mainline games are in the S and A tier.

The first game of the B tier is a spin-off game, followed by TOTK.

TFH was one vote away from being in the B tier. And no surprise, AOL is the last one.

To sum up, according to the participants who voted for these polls:

S tier

🥇 The Wind Waker

🥈 Majora's Mask

🥉 Twilight Princess

⭐ Ocarina of Time

⭐ Breath of the Wild

A+ tier

The Minish Cap

Spirit Tracks

A- tier

A Link Between Worlds

Skyward Sword

A Link to the Past

Link's Awakening

Echoes of Wisdom

B+ tier

Cadence of Hyrule

Tears of the Kingdom

Oracle of Seasons

Oracle of Ages

Phantom Hourglass

B- tier

Age of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors

Four Swords Adventures

Four Swords

The Legend of Zelda

C+ tier

Tri Force Heroes

C- tier

Adventure of Link

Thank you for reading! ~

[daughterofheartshaven]

A Virgin New Adventures reading guide

I told @gotyouanyway that I'd give them my reading guide for the Virgin New adventures that I made for a friend a while back and posting it publicly was easy and also means other people can use this too. I wrote this back in 2021, but stand by it from what I remember. It has been like 5-6 years since I read some of these books, so if I rated your favorite too low lemme know and I'll give it a re-read.

This might not be that helpful if you want to pick just a few books - I designed it more to streamline VNA experiance

The key:

1 - I'd recommend skipping

2 - Eh. You can skip, but there is at least something to be gained by reading it

3 - I would recommend reading this. It's not plot-critical, but it is a good read or useful setup

4 - Read this for sure. It's either plot-relevant, or just that damn good (or both).

Timewyrm: Genesys - 4 (introduces the timewyrm and the series; unfortunately it's also not great.)

Timewyrm: Exodus - 3 (continues the timewyrm story, and is a fairly straightforward but interesting story)

Timewyrm: Apocalypse - 2 (eh. Not much for or against it either way)

Timewyrm: Revelation - 4 (concludes the timewyrm arc with style)

Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible - 3 (Good if you can wrap you head around it)

Cat's Cradle: Warhead - 2 (depressing as all get out, but very well written)

Cat's Cradle: Witch Mark - 3 (just plain weird. Does finish the current arc and sets up Return of the Living Dad)

Nightshade - 2 (kinda weird. Notable as the first Mark Gatiss story)

Love and War - 4 (plot-relevant. Also awesome)

Transit -4 (Introduces important recurring character. Hard to follow but really good even if you can't follow it)

The Highest Science - 3 (good story, but ultimately not amazingly important)

The Pit - 1 (I did not enjoy)

Deceit - 4 (Not a great read, but important to the plot)

Lucifer Rising - 4 (Amazing, with important character development for our protagonists)

White Darkness - 2 (first David A. McIntee novel, but not especially gripping)

Shadowmind - 3 (good demonstration of where Ace and Benny are as characters, vaguely interesting plot)

Birthright - 3 (good character piece for Ace and Benny, shows a darker side to the Doctor without being dumb about it)

Iceberg - 2 (plot is messy and weird. Only read if you need the Doctor's half of the story from Birthright)

Blood Heat - 4 (starts alternate universe arc, important developments for the Tardis)

The Dimension Riders - 2 (gonna be honest here - I don't remember a thing about this one either way)

The Left-Handed Hummingbird - 3 (first Kate Orman novel. Pretty good, although a little weird and hard to follow)

Conundrum - 3 (Be prepared for weirdness. And superheroes. Helps setup for No Future and Head Games)

No Future - 4 (concludes the alternate universe arc with style, establishes Ace from here on out)

Tragedy Day - 3 (dark, but good. Worth a read)

Legacy - 3 (Kinda dark, but it works. Be prepared for over-continuity)

Theatre of War - 4 (Pulls off one of the best plot twists I've seen anywhere, and introduces Braxieatel to the Whoniverse)

All-Consuming Fire - 4 (Not plot-relevent at all, but is very good, especially if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan)

Blood Harvest - 4 (Major plot point in the Whoniverse)

Strange England - 2 (takes strangeness to an art form. Can be freely skipped)

First Frontier - 4 (plot relevant for spoiler-y reasons)

St Anthony's Fire - 2 (dark and weird, but well written)

Falls the Shadow - 1 (Just... no)

Parasite - 1 (Written by Jim Mortimore, therefore depressing as all get out)

Warlock - 2 (I did not read. Sequel to Warhead, so only read if you liked it)

Set Piece - 4 (major plot developments for multiple characters)

Infinite Requiem - 2 (like The Dimension Riders, I remember nothing)

Sanctuary - 3 (a pure historical. Not really great on its own, but helps set up Human Nature)

Human Nature - 4 (The story that was adapted to TV. One of the best New Adventures by itself, becomes even better by having fun comparing it to the TV version)

Original Sin - 4 (plot-relevant)

Sky Pirates! - 2 (Only if you like Douglas-Adams-esque dark humor)

Zamper - 3 (Somewhat interesting follow-up to The Highest Science)

Toy Soldiers - 2 (Adds pretty much nothing, but not painfully bad) 

Head Games - 4 (a worthwhile look at where the Doctor has been going and who he is)

The Also People - 4 (probably my favorite New Adventure, although Theatre of War and Human Nature are also up there. Also resolves a recurring character's arc)

Shakedown - 3 (Fun, but ultimately fluff)

Just War - 2 (Weird and ultimately unimportant)

Warchild - 2 (Same situation as Warlock. Starts Psi arc, but can be skipped)

SLEEPY - 4 (Generally good story, sets up Psi arc if you skipped Warchild)

Death and Diplomacy - 3 (only worthwhile as setup for Happy Endings)

Happy Endings - 4 (Plot relevant. Ultimately fluff, but plot-relevant)

GodEngine - 4 (not plot-relevant, but an excellent story)

Christmas on a Rational Planet - 2 (part of Psi arc, and lays groundwork for Faction Paradox stuff, but I couldn't really follow it)

Return of the Living Dad - 4 (cleans up old plot threads, and is a great story in its own right)

Cold Fusion - 4 (Not plot relevant, but an excellent, gripping story)

The Death of Art - 2 (part of Psi arc, but not great)

Damaged Goods - 2 (Russel T. Davis's first Who work, but very dark and nasty)

So Vile a Sin - 4 (finishes Psi arc and has other plot relevance)

Bad Therapy - 2 (deals mostly with repercussions of previous story, but not great in and of itself)

Eternity Weeps - 1 (Jim Mortimore's writing is too depressing for me. Technically plot relevant in that Benny and Jason get divorced but not worth it)

The Room With No Doors - 4 (setup for Lungbarrow, good story in its own right)

Lungbarrow - 4 (concludes the new adventures of the seventh doctor in a surprisingly meaningful way)

The Dying Days - 4 (a nice little coda to the series that sets up Benny's adventures as well)

[bunnyjoyce-blog]

Quality Time Pt 4

In understanding how Schroeder and Lucy might each have Quality Time as their love language, we can look at different strips which have the pair hanging out indoors or walking outside together, where Schroeder is typically not hostile and where Lucy is not overtly flirting with him. In these cases they are often comfortable together (at least until the punchline in some strips). These were more common in the 50s and 60s, but in multiple examples, Schroeder and Lucy can be suitable companions.

5/20/54 — He’s happy to tell her about his new record

1/15/55 — Schroeder opens up about how he feels about music.

3/18/1955 — They both listen to Charlie Brown read about Beethoven

6/11/56 — both playing in the sand/dirt with Charlie Brown

11/4/56 — He was willing to listen to her music box and was polite, then wanted to share his music box. From his POV he was probably trying to share something he personally enjoyed with Lucy.

8/9/57 — Schroeder opens up to her and shows vulnerability.

2/14/60 — Schroeder walks with Lucy and Linus on St. Valentine’s Day

9/28/60 — Schroeder reads aloud about Beethoven.

12/9/60 — Lucy helps him announce Beethoven’s birthday (which she has done on multiple occasions)

12/12/64

12/28/61 — From their body language, you can see that Schroeder is voluntarily walking with Lucy. Here Schroeder offers helpful advice to a problem Lucy is facing. (Look at that smile in the 3rd panel.)

4/8/63 — Schroeder tells Lucy about his purchases and volunteers information about feeling depressed.

7/19/63 — Out walking together

3/28/64 — He asks HER opinion on his hair.

3/29/64 — Schroeder accepts a doughnut when Lucy offers him one, and the two discuss Charlie Brown being their manager.

6/22/65 — He sought HER out when he was upset.

7/31/65 — He agreed to be her assistant for her psychiatrist booth.

7/3/69 — After Lucy hurt herself roller-skating, Schroeder genuinely tried to talk to her about it (but Lucy thought he was making fun of her).

1/29/73 — He hangs out with the VP siblings at times.

1/31/73

5/17/73 — Hanging out with Charlie Brown & Lucy

11/12/76 — having a casual moment together 

7/23/80

12/18/81 — Schroeder shares his original composition with Lucy.

I don’t know about you, but if I completely disliked someone, I wouldn’t open up to them about feeling depressed or show them all the valentines I received. I wouldn’t ask them if they thought I needed a haircut, and I probably wouldn’t voluntarily ask for their opinion on something I had written. Although you can debate as to whether Schroeder returns Lucy’s romantic feelings, he seems to consider her a good friend.

Conclusion: As we can see, Schroeder and Lucy both have Quality Time as their love language, but due to different dialects, they often experience miscommunication. Even so, they both appear to enjoy their time together (regardless of Schroeder’s complaints).

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[mzannthropy]

Anne of the Island Book Club Chapter 25

Good to be back at Redmond again.

Anne contemplates going out vs staying in, but from the way they're described, both sound good.

Shall I spend it here where there is a cosy fire, a plateful of delicious russets, three purring and harmonious cats, and two impeccable china dogs with green noses? Or shall I go to the park, where there is the lure of gray woods and of gray water lapping on the harbor rocks?

LMM once again summarises life at Patty's Place in several paragraphs when I wish she gave us at least one scene of this. Slice of life was something she excelled at. I said what I thought of Jonas already, but it's good that he's a regular visitor at PP--and he clearly makes an effort in seeing Phil if he needs to get on a train. 'If he wanted to, he would' and clearly Jonas does. The geography here has always confused me, though. Where is this St Columbia, where is Bolingbroke and Prospect Point in relation to Kingsport? It's not that important for the book, but I like knowing where a story takes place (When I read something set in a real place, I always look it up on a map. I know many of these are fictional, but I'd like to have an idea.) I wonder, though, if there were many people who agreed with Aunt Jamesina about ministers laughing, and I wonder if this will have implications for his future employment.

Gilbert's conduct towards Anne has drastically changed, but it had to be that way. He shot his shot and it didn't go as he wanted, so he wants to move on--can't blame him. Funny that Anne is the one who believes that Phil is not just flirting with Jonas, but at the same time, hearing Phil and Gilbert chat and joke with each other makes her think she only imagined that look of pain in Gilbert eyes when she refused him. She knows Phil cares for Jonas only. (Actually--and this is purely theoretical, mind you--you could make an argument in favour of Phil x Gilbert. Sure, he is poor, but it's not like he doesn't have prospects, and with her connections she would be able to get him a good position once he qualifies as a medical doctor. They could be good for each other. But that would be a different story, not this one.)

If the real Prince Charming was never to come she would have none of a substitute.

This is actually valid. Don't settle, ladies. (I mean this as in your version of Prince Charming, whatever the characteristics may be. (I'm speaking to straight women here bc that's what I am, but it should go for everyone, I think.))

Okay but. I swear on the life of my cat I don't want to be heretical on purpose, I can't help being what I am, but that meet cute at the park is. Well. Cute.

I like parks. I go to one almost every day (I wfh and take a walk there on my lunch break). One of my favourite places in the whole world is a giant park (see my photography, in fact I went there just last Saturday and posted some pics here too). I also like pavilions (in fact I wrote an original story set in such a structure, where two characters get engaged). And he has a good entrance, though for us modern readers the meeting may seem a bit stereotypical. But he knows her name already from her reading a paper on Tennyson, and this is something that matters to her (I mean, she almost drowned RP-ing his poem). And then he sends her roses and a nice quote? I know he's not the one but I can't really see fault with anything here. And from what Phil says, Roy Gardner seems quite the catch. Maybe in a different story, not this one.

Poor Rusty got snubbed, though. Cats look at us like we're committing crimes against them when we don't pay attention to them for 5 minutes, so I imagine his "why you no love me no more?" must have been devastating.

Note, in Slovak translation he was always called 'Roy', I didn't know he was actually 'Royal' in the original. I will continue calling him Roy.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #31

Only 2 weeks into the semester and school is already beating my ass, but you know who always has my back? That's right baby. Paperinik. New. Adventures. Always there for me when nobody else is.

Anyways um today is PKNA #26: Time Flies which is a fun and normal adventure chapter with absolutely no existential commentary on the nature of art whatsoever.

GIANT ENEMY CRAB WHOOOO YEAH BABY THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT

umm ACTUALLY mysterious disembodied voice, Donald is a little bitch so write that down

Shoutout to Malva I think her design is really cool and we love a bald woman they slays. Shoutout to bald women actually, just like in general.

DUDE LOOK they're flying through time... just like the cover art

Shoutout to Malva AGAIN for this outfit. Yas bitch slay!!!

their faces are killing me

Since Malva and Vlad are already traveling everywhere with such little regard for the timestream they should go show a Victorian child an iPhone and see if he dies from shock

YEAHHHH BIG FUCKING ROBOT DRAGON FIGHT YEAAHHHH 🔥🔥🔥

No Vlad is right here, PK and Lyla are doing time travel all wrong. You're supposed to dress up in silly little outfits :/

The 4 of them are so fucking goofy I'm kind of living for this set of characters tbh

AW HELL NAW WE IN THE LAND BEFORE TIME

Enjoying this pair of random Evronian workers who seem to be about as rundown as the rest of us

Goofy asf panel they're just like D:

heh... well then, LET'S. GET. DANGEROU- no wait that's the other guy

LYLA WITH MESSY HAIR RRRAAAHHHHH I love her

WoOAoaoOAoahhh PLOT TWIST!!! Is that DUCKLAS STYVESANT??? Remember? Remember him from Portrait of the Young Hero-

THAT'S RIGHT, WHAT YOU JUST READ FOR THE LAST 60 PAGES WAS ACTUALLY A SERIES OF AI GENERATED SLOP FROM THE YEAR 2255!!! FUCK YOU

Oh.

OKAY SO. Obviously the biggest hit of this chapter comes at the very end, when it's revealed that the entire story we've been following wasn't actually real, and this whole time we've just been reading an episode of a TV show that was entirely computer-generated. Of course, this comic was still made by real artists, because the technology to AI generate photos didn't exist all the way back in 1999 (thank god).

Had I read this comic maybe 4, 5 years ago, I would've probably just been like "oh huh. that's neat." and moved on. But reading this story now, in the year 2025??? Holy shit dude. The accuracy with which they approach the topic of AI art in this story is lowkey terrifying. You're telling me that Ducklas fucking Styvesant can grasp the concept of why AI art would be wrong in the year 1999, and we somehow have people in MODERN DAY that can't grasp why people are against it? 😭

This is another one of those scenarios where you read sci-fi media from the past that's exploring some kind of existential threat, in this case the existence of entirely machine-generated "art", and it's explored as some kind of scary far off "what if" scenario, but yet again we're brought face to face with the fact that this is actually happening NOW. Like NOW now. This comic predicted that computer generated shows would be a newly emerging technology in 2255, that makes us almost 230 years ahead of schedule in the real world. AND I THINK THAT'S FUCKIN CRAZY!!!!

If we're gonna go the route of making all the sci-fi horrors of PKNA into real world things can we at least get an Uno first? I would much prefer him existing over the AI slop that's all over google images now, thanks xoxo.

Anyways to briefly wind down it's time for Lyla comic!!

Shoutout to Lyla for being in what I can only assume is robot therapy

BTW if my coworkers decided to invite themselves over to my house and expected ME to prepare a meal for them?? I'd literally kill everyone in that office.

I can't cook for shit and I even I knew that... also if Lyla wasn't a robot she would have severe burns all over her body right now so. Here's a quick PSA: don't microwave eggs, don't microwave water either, both will explode. Above all else, stay safe in the kitchen.

Anyways here are some shots of Lyla being cute because I think she looks great in this artstyle.

See you next week fellow book clubbers 🫡

[violetswritingg]

Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters, slight age gap (5 years))

Hey! I don't normally post my writing on here, I'm normally only on Wattpad but I decided to cross post and so here is the first of many fics to be moved over here and enjoyed as well! I hope you guys enjoy the story, I honestly have no idea who many chapters this is going to be lol.

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

1

April, 2005

Oklahoma

The sound of silverware on plates was all that could be heard, but that was normal for a Thornton-Harding-St. James family dinner. Nathan and Juliette had been tense all dinner barely saying a word to each other. All since Jo and Bill had arrived all smiles. The women's mother Michelle, and both Jo and Bill watching the parents as if they were an active bomb ready to go off at any moment. Nathan was at least trying. Smiling, as best he could, and making polite conversation when prompted, the father mainly focused on Riley who sat on his other side. Making sure she wasn't playing with her food.

At six she should know better, and he needed to teach her it was rude to waste the food someone had worked really hard to make for them. But now that the food had been eaten, there wasn't much distraction left to hide behind.

"Uh, so, Julie, how's Riley been doing in school?" Jo tried; she really did. But Juliette was mean on a good day and that day was not today. The empty wine glass next to her being her fourth, and once she got to drinking her temper just got worse.

"She's doing fine." Juliette sniffed as she sat up straighter, a forced smile on her face. Eyes narrowed as she settled into a defensive position. "Why?"

"No reason, just making conversation." Jo sighed, looking at Bill for a second before meeting Nathan's grimaced grin. Trying not to cause a scene in front of everybody was taking all his will power, wanting nothing more than to snap at Juliette and shake her. Hoping that would maybe change her entire personality, the one he hadn't seen until she was telling him she was pregnant and that it was his all those years ago.

"Right." Juliette scoffed, "You have no right to judge me, you don't even have a kid!" her jaw snapped shut, eyes blistering as she spat her words at her older sister. Jo tensed up and Riley had started to pay attention to the adults at the table instead of finishing her little slice of pie. Nathan wanted to crawl into a hole and die, take Riley with him far far away from Juliette. Riley loved Jo and Bill though and he couldn't just do that. Michelle was over the moon when she found out she was going to have a grandbaby, she's 75 now and doesn't have a lot of time left to spend with anyone, much less Riley, not with how her health had been declining recently. The stress of living in Tornado alley having taken its toll after her husband was taken in that fateful storm.

Riley was her whole world. Michelle watched her when Nathan, Bill, and Jo were out storm chasing. Juliette, even though she lived in the same house, the Harding family farm. Being rebuilt on the same land, Michelle couldn't bare to leave it behind after the original house was destroyed. Riley didn't mind it, even though she missed her dad, she loved getting to hang out with Grandma. They were like best friends. But Nathan had needed to start taking Riley with him and his team because of her health issues, and because he knew that Juliette would leave Riley to her own devices for however long he was gone, the almost 6 year old hanging out in the tech van usually a couple miles behind him and always a safe distance from the storm in pursuit.

"I am very much aware of that Juliette." Jo grit out, Bill reaching out an arm around her shoulders, the couple had hit their early 40's, still childless, still chasing. But had been entertaining the idea of settling down after one too many close calls. The topic of having kids was a sensitive one, they had been trying quietly for about a year now and no luck. Something Jo had shared with her sister and Nathan in confidence.

"The food was great Michelle-" Bill tried to move onto another topic, but got blocked.

"I'm not surprised though, I'm sure there's cobwebs up there at this point." Juliette cruelly laughed. "I'm sure Bill will move on to a younger model when he finally realizes you'll never be able to produce."

"Juliette May Thornton! You watch your-"

"What mom?" Juliette turned on Michelle next, the elderly woman sitting taller in her chair, white hair pulled back in a simple style, warm eyes worn and normally full of life. Now though, they only held disappointment in her youngest daughter. "There it is. There's the look. I'm not going to take this; I am not going to be attacked in my own goddamn house." Julliette huffed and pushed out her chair with a sharp scrape against the wood flooring and stomped upstairs.

Nathan let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, as Riley's little voice called out for her mom. Only to be ignored.

"Why don't you go turn on some cartoons okay baby? You got 30 minutes until bedtime, you get one show and then in the bath for you okay?" Nathan picked up his daughter and hauled her into his lap, booping her nose, causing light giggles to erupt.

Riley's dark blonde curls bouncing as she nodded quickly, Nathan setting her on her feet and the adults chuckled as she all but ran. Already hearing the Scooby-doo theme song playing over the air. The tension leaving his shoulders now that the cause of all his stress was no longer in the room.

"I'm sorry." He breathed, "She's been in a bad mood all day, picking fights just because."

"Hey, I grew up with her. If I'm not used to it at this point, then I need a thicker skin." Jo chuckled, despite the hurt still lingering in her eyes.

"Still, what crawled up her ass and died?" Bill scoffed, pulling Jo to his side and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Nathan watching, his sight going green for a second. That's what he wanted, it's what he didn't know he wanted until he saw it with them, until he had to spend his days attached to Juliette. Riley was the bright spot, the good thing to come out of a shitty situation. Nathan would deal with Juliette every day for the rest of his life as long as he got to see Riley.

"I have been asking myself that question for years Billy." Nathan sighed out, laughing to himself, resigned to dealing with it later.

~~*~~

"What you said at dinner was uncalled for." Nathan puffed out, pulling off pillows from their shared bed. He may as well be sleeping alone though.

"Are you gonna attack me now too Nathanial?" Juliette scoffed, rolling her eyes at him from the bathroom vanity mirror as she got ready for bed. The slight slur to her voice telling him the wine was starting to hit her full force now.

"I'm not attacking you, simply stating you went too far. And that maybe you owe Jo an apology?" He tried, but got nothing but a single, indignant laugh in response.

"You think she's better than me huh? Is that it?!" Nathan hung his head, abandoning the task of making up the bed. He pushed back the tears of frustration and looked back at the woman he was sure he had been in love with, or at the very least liked at one point.

"When have I ever said that?" He started, voice heavy with exhaustion.

"You don't have to say it, you've always liked her better than me. Just like everyone else! I thought you were different!"

"You are 36 years old Juliette! When are you going to let this go?" He never raised his voice when they argued, never wanting Riley to hear, but Juliette seemed to want to wake the whole house which included Jo and Bill who were spending the night before heading out in the morning. Thunder rolled in the distance.

"You aren't denying it! God! I am so stupid! I never should have stayed. Never should have-" She kept muttering under her breath every seeming regret she had as she stormed into the room, yanked open the closet, grabbing a duffle bag from inside and throwing her clothes in it haphazardly. "This place is suffocating! You are suffocating with your judgy eyes and every comment about how I raise Riley-"

"You don't! That's the issue! What are you doing?" Nathan sighed as she plopped the duffle bag on the still made up side of the bed, her side.

"What does it look like. I can't stay here. Not with you or them. All of you just hate on me all the time, look at me like I'm nothing but a disappointment. I'm sorry I'm not perfect! I'm sorry I'm not golden girl Jo!" Juliette finished, throwing an arm towards the door, chest heaving as she zipped up her duffle bag and yanked open the bedroom door. Slamming it shut behind her.

Nathan listened to her as she went down the stairs, taking a breath before he was going after her, repeating over and over she is the mother of your child in his head. When they first met, it was in the middle of storm season and Jo's kid sister decided she wanted to come with her chasing that year, she was just as wild back then. Less mean, less insecure. She was all bright eyes and wide smiles, soft skin and warm affection. Until she got pregnant. That's when everything changed.

"Jules! Jules!" Nathan whisper-shouted, as he tripped down the stairs.

"What's happening?" Bill questioned, opening the door to the guest room on the first floor, in a white t-shirt and his boxers, yawning and scratching his face. Jo's voice behind him asking the same thing, sleep slurring her words though.

"I don't know William, ask your wife." Juliette spit as she past him and Nathan was still trying to get to her.

"Just go back to bed, sorry for waking you-"

"Oh shut up Nathan!"

"Was I talking to you?!" He finally snapped and Bill's mouth dropped, Juliette looked like she had been slapped.

"Well, I never..." Juliette huffed, holding a hand to her chest. Crocodile tears in her eyes, Nathan had seen them enough to know she was just trying to make him feel guilty. It was at that moment that Jo decided to get out of bed and come to the door to see what was going on.

"Bill, Jo, please, go back to bed. We're fine-"

"No! We're not fine. You know this is all your fault? Right?! If I had never gotten pregnant, my life wouldn't be like it is now. Miserable. If I had never met you or had Riley I would be happy. I wish I had never met you! I wish I had gotten rid of the baby, keeping her was a mistake-"

"Hey!-" Nathan could only see red.

"Mommy?"

Everything stopped and it felt like a lead weight had been dropped into Nathan's stomach. He turned around and looked up at the bottom of the stairs, the dirty-blonde head of his daughter, her big blue eyes, his eyes, staring up at her mother with confusion.

It was clear Juliette didn't know what to say, and Nathan was ready to swing if she said anything negative to his kid. There was a tense silence, Riley pulled her blanket and stuffed rabbit closer to her, looking unsure.

"Do you want a hug? You look sad." Riley pattered slowly up to the woman, stopping at her feet and looking up at the much taller adult who had given birth to her. Tugging on her sweatpants gently, looking for a connection. It broke Nathan's heart, knowing Riley would never get that. At least not with Juliette.

"I'm not your mommy anymore." With that Juliette turned on her heel and left. Slamming the front door behind her.

"Daddy?" Riley, with tears in her eyes looked to the man who was instantly there. Picking her up and holding her to him, her tears dampening the shoulder of his t-shirt. "Where did mommy go?"

"I don't know baby. I don't know." With one last look over his shoulder to Bill and Jo, the couple grinning sadly at the father-daughter pair. Nathan doing his best to not shake in anger. Juliette was gone for now, he had to focus on Riley. Make sure she was okay. And so, he took his daughter back up to her room and three bedtime stories, a lullaby, and a forehead kiss later she was back down and snoring softly. Hair sprawled crazily behind her, her favorite dino pj's on, blanket and rabbit next to her.

Nathan's love-filled gaze was like honey, his fingers petting her hair back from her face. When Juliette told him she was pregnant he had been terrified, convinced she was lying. He didn't take it well. He was still in his PhD program, had just been offered a huge grant to keep working on his already existing research, he couldn't see himself able to have a kid without throwing everything he had been working towards his whole life away.

Which wasn't true, he had to defer the grant for a year, finished out that year at school and then dropped out of the PhD program, it killed him, but he couldn't go to school back home in Arkansas if Juliette refused to leave Oklahoma. He may not have wanted the kid in the first place but he was raised right and was going to step up however he had to.

He wanted to be there for Juliette as she carried the baby, support her. She was miserable, she lost close to twenty pounds due to morning sickness and had to be on bed rest for months. It wasn't fun and she was horrible every minute of it. Michelle and him had to walk on eggshells every second of every day, and even then they still would set her off someway somehow. They let it slide during the pregnancy because it was understandable, she was constantly uncomfortable, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't walk. But after Riley was born the behavior stayed, and only got worse as Riley struggled to breast feed and Juliette struggled to bond with her baby.

The connection with Nathan and Riley had been immediate though and that pissed Juliette off, it was just one more person who hadn't chosen her first. That, in her mind, didn't want her. Nathan suggested therapy but was met with a scoff and another argument about her being scared he was trying to take Riley away from her by claiming she was crazy, which was so not the case.

He could still remember when he first held Riley in the hospital, how perfect she was in every way, and still is. He hadn't ever felt the kind of love he did when he first laid eyes on his daughter, her little fingers wrapped around his pointer finger and his entire heart. She was an easy kid, at least with him. Juliette never seemed to figure out how to calm Riley down when she was fussy or upset, and would get frustrated with her quickly, yelling, berating. Nathan had walked in one time when Riley had gotten a fever and needed one of them up with her at all times, he could have sworn Juliette was about to shake the, then months old Riley, who had been wailing for what felt like hours that night.

He stopped trusting her to be alone with Riley at that moment in time. In the back of his mind he always knew Juliette wasn't going to stick around, she never did when things got hard. Fact of the matter was this had happened before, multiple times, Nathan just hoped that one day Riley wouldn't remember any of this. Or the hurtful words her mom said to her that night.

~~*~~

[king-lyrebird]

My backlit camera lens experience was my worst event experience in project sekai history and it exposed my biggest issue with this game.

Project sekai's gacha system is one of the biggest scams in all of gacha.

Absolutely ridiculous that there's no way to guarantee a card beyond knowing you can spark it. You shouldn't have to make 300 pulls to use the shop when you literally have a pity system. Except the pity system is literally meaningless. 100 pulls to get a 4 star guaranteed?? Bullshit. The 100 threshold should be the banner guarantee, and the 200 threshold should be a chosen card guarantee.

At least in a game like Star Rail, I know I'm guaranteed what I want at the end of the work. If I can make enough pulls and build my pity, I know I can get the one I want. But in project sekai I'll never know I can get the one I want, because of my second issue with the pity system. It doesn't carry over. So if you want your shit, it's 200 pulls minimum That Specific Banner to get it. You can't pity build across different permanent banners, and it's predatory behaviour for a game that appeals mostly to teens and young adults. Having every permanent banner carry over pity might simplify things a bit too much, so what if group events and mixed events had their own pity carry over, since most people only wish for the groups they like most anyway.

Implementing both would trivialise the game too much, whatever, I'm not saying both of these fixes need to be made. But one of them would life easier for free to play players. I've been free to play for years, after I spent almost 300 on a kaito card. And I finally dipped my hand into my pocket for cyberpunk rui, because I'm so desperate for the game to give me a single card I want. And I got a stupid fucking vocaloid who I Do Not Like or Want. I didn't even get Rin with my paid gems. My paid gems got me a 3 star. I want to drain my account to have the gems and get Rui, but knowing this disgusting predatory system, I'll spend another 300 like I did for Kaito just so I can buy him from the gacha shop. Fucking disgusting. Again, in other gacha games, I could pay less and guarantee the character I wanted. Far less.

Not to mention it's really funny for Sega to rerun a rui limited card right before a focus event. Almost like a punishment to his fans, you can only have one or the other if you spend enough gems. I spent 180 pulls between wedding rui and cyberpunk rui, and got neither. I got wedding Toya and cyberpunk Rin, and I've never felt more cheated. It's predatory. It's making me wish I never found this stupid game. I love Rui, but Sega hates him and his fans just the same.

On the other half of my worst event experience, I saved bonus energy since the end of A Sad Farwell At The Curtain Call in preparation for Ruis fourth focus event. I didn't even know what it would be at the time, since it wasn't out on JP yet. I waited for a year. My final ranking in Curtain Call was 580, a disappointing loss for top 500. I wanted to get top 500 this time and prepared for it. Thanks to being an adult, I ended up having no time or energy to play, and I've come 1895 place. Not even top 1000. It sounds stupid, but I cared about this so much, and it's a repeated punch to the skull that I couldn't have a single wish fulfilled for this event. Maybe I should lower my expectations, or maybe this game should pretend it cares about it playerbase and fix its awful fucking gacha system.

Whatever Rui 5 is, I'm not sure if I even care at this point. I feel gutted and soul crushed over all of this horseshit. Even reading the event story did nothing for me, it's just another event where the lead deals with 'I need to get better st this thing I'm exceptionally good at because I'll never achieve my dreams if I dont'. I can only hope his next focus is better, but is worth my time and mental health to give a shit anymore?

[lunabug2004]

**Warning: this post is not actually Byler or Stranger Things related (specifically)! Rather, it is a post about the blog, more specifically why I haven't been very active recently, but I do mention these things and I tagged them bc they are what my blog is about, therefore the ppl who know me probably do through these tags, so it felt right to do so. If anyone would like me to remove these tags, just say the words and I will!**

I'm writing this post because I want to apologize for being so inactive lately. Now, I know there's not anyone who sits and waits for me to post or celebrated every time I post or anything like that, but I still feel guilty. I've felt like such a part of the Byler (and ST) community here on Tumblr for the short amount of time that I've been on here, so idk, I just feel like I'm letting myself down ig, and possibly others for not contributing to this community I love so much.

I realize this is kinda sounding like a goodbye post, but it's absolutely not! It's actually kinda the opposite, because I'm here to say that I'm going to try to start posting regularly again! However... I still can't say that in full confidence just yet.

I'm now going to go into the reason(s) I've been so distant from this blog lately, and it may get a little personal, so feel free to scroll past if you don't wanna read anything more :) [also very slight trigger warning for bad mental states and terminal illness]

Okay, I'm aware I just said "reasons", as in plural, but there's really only one main reason that has kinda branched off into more (in a way). So what started it all: my uncle, who I've grown up quite close to, as all my family is very close (for example, growing up, we would have "family night"s every weekend where all ~10 of us would sit around and play games, laughing and talking for hours on end) was diagnosed with a very rapidly spreading terminal illness. Now, I'm not going to go into enough detail to say what it is, but I will say that his current life expectancy is 2-5 years, probably even less due to his severity. He also has a 13 year old daughter, who is now being faced with this awful situation, as well. This whole thing, as one would probably guess, has rocked my family to the core.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I am someone who does not get emotional. I rarely ever cry. I bring this up because one of the reasons I'm finding it hard to be active is because right now, I'm dealing with a lot of guilt and grief and part of the reason I'm feeling it so deeply is because I haven't cried over him yet. I feel like an awful human being, I feel like an awful niece. I just feel awful. His daughter, that I mentioned before, has always been closer to me than any of my other (younger) cousins have, so I feel even more awful for her and the fact that she is having to deal with all of this at such a young age. Anyways, to get to the point, these past few months I've been feeling like absolute garbage, and I've been so mad at the world it's honestly not even describable.

Okay, now, where does this blog come in? Well, at first I distanced myself just because I couldn't find the motivation to post, however I was still using ST and Byler to distract myself from it all. I couldn't think about really anything but my family, ST, and finals by the last week of this school semester. Then, finally, because of the break, I could sit down and find pure comfort in both Stranger Things (and my favorite Thai BLs) again. I thought about actively posting on the blog again. But then the wrapping happened. And it's like one of the only things that was bringing me comfort was also suddenly bringing me immense sadness at the same time. I knew it was coming, so I thought I would be ready, but it really overwhelmed me, and I lost all of my motivation yet again. After the comfort of spending Christmas with my family, including my uncle, I wouldn't say I feel better but I've at least more-so come to terms with everything. And I've also, still needing my #1 comfort show, already gone back to watching ST, so I finally feel like I'll be able to post again.

Now, there's other things that have been contributing to my stress, such as school in general, the thought that I might not want to be a math teacher after all (despite wanting that for as long as I can remember), my parents being stupid, and other stuff. But this is the main thing plaguing my life and my thoughts at the moment so... yeah.

I understand that this is probably stupid to some, talking about my blog and Stranger Things when this awful thing is happening in my life, and I also understand that most people probably won't even read this, but this blog and community is truly something that brings me joy, and I felt like all the the friends I've felt I've made on here deserved some type of explanation for my sudden disappearance.

If you've made it this far, congrats! I'm sorry I put you through reading this! I hope to see you when I make my next post, which will hopefully be very soon! <3

[aceofsnacks]

I did a tour of GO filming locations

It was around London, so I didn't get all of them, but the trip has been such a blast I just have to share the pics!

1. St James park: so many birds! And tourists. Which is good because the secret government agents wouldn't be able to feed so many ducks. I saw pelicans too—they were huge and pink and funny!!

2. Berkley Square (they actually didn't film anything here, but still): it's a giant construction site now. The only birds I spotted were parrots, so many of them, at least 5 nests, and loud too. No sane nightingale would ever come there, this much is true. But the song is referenced on one of the bench plaques <3

3. The Ritz / The Criterion: they both look nothing like the restaurant in the show (maybe the Criterion changed since 2019?) But both are fancy! When my rich uncle leaves me a giant inheritance and I find my 6000 year soulmate, I am so taking them out there, just you wait.

4. The Globe: this is my favourite theatre now!!!Macbeth was magnificent! And the standing tickets were so worth it: actors were down in the crowd and interacted with everyone! I got some of Macduff's blood on me! (Can't get this anywhere else :D) The Globe is closed in winter, so I'm already planning to buy tickets for next year.

5. The Bandstand and the-place-where-Gabriel-was-running: after marinating on Tumblr for so long I felt shocked seeing the word "bandstand" on a physical sign in the park. Like, put up a warning at least, my heart needs to be prepared?? The actual bandstand was at the same time smaller and bigger than I expected. Also those red bits—apparently they were there the whole time; I was imagining it black and white for some reason.

Also I met another crazy fan taking pictures of the bandstand in the rain, and I remember thinking, they have to be just as crazy as me xD

6. Tavistock square (where they switched bodies): the filming crew must have moved the benches around, because the square itself is so tiny and you can only match the scene background if you stand all the way back in the bushes. Surely there must have been a better way.

7. Crystal palace: just as I suspected, you can't see the dinosaurs from the bench because of all the trees in the way. The dinos are hilarious though, they look more like🗿and not like 🦖. In the show Warlock seems to have written a rude word on the teleosaurus info card, how dare he!

8. Tadfield (Hambleden, really): I thought, it's just two hours from London, easy day trip, in and out, what could go wrong. Cue to me stumbling over muddy fields in the dark surrounded by menacing sheep and regretting everything. The village is cute and English and has literally three streets and a post office and nothing else. And sheep.

9. Bonus round, my take on Aziraphale's bookshop xD "Seducing women? I think you've got the wrong shop!"

10. Bonus bonus round, food! (am I or am I not the ace of snacks after all?) An oyster recipe from Marcus Gavius Apicius' cookbook (Rome, 1c CE, stumbled upon it in the museum of Reading), and Eccles cakes (soooo sweet they don't calm people down but give them instant diabetes)

And that's it!! Thank you for reading all the way <3 Here is a secret snack 🍎

[retiredficwriter]

me? being tagged by @jetsteelyourheart ?? what an honor!

just like the top 5 favorite characters: Make a poll with 5 of your favorite rarepairs/crackships. See which one is everyone's favorite!

i became too invested in this. some of these ships i haven't thought in years, so it was nice to relive the times i was obsessed with them. i narrowed it to one ship per media/fandom and just like my tag-buddy, I'll provide my questionable reasons/propaganda.

REASONS/PROPAGANDA

Sydney Sage/Trey Juarez:

so when i was first reading bloodlines, i read online that sydney gets a human boyfriend in book 2. i had heard about brayden but never in the context of HIM being the boyfriend, so i thought he was the random dude in book 1 (wasn't he, unironically, called hayden??) who asked sydney out. i was theorizing who that boyfriend would be until my brain went: "omg.... IS IT TREY??" and got soo hyped. i loved their interaction in book 1 and thought exploring them in a romantic setting would be so interesting, especially with the implication of trey having a major role. they are so similar (growing up in a cult, daddy issues, both being smart) and yet, trey has some adrian-like traits?? charming, popular in the dating pool, laidback... and it would create some tension between sydrian??? imagine adrian watching trey and sydney date and feeling discouraged because she found a human "version" of him?? and with trey being a warrior, he would try to get sydney to have the alchemist side with them and push the "moroi are evil" narrative, creating more doubts for sydney to rebel! BUT THEN SYDNEY HELPS TREY REBEL AGAINST THE WARRIORS!!

i love their friendship as is, and know for a fact they wouldn't last that long but man... i would have eat up their failed romance.

bonus point for an adrian/sydney/trey polycule

Rachel Berry/Sam Evans:

ah yes. my first ever rarepair. since that one episode in season 2 where she and finn helped sam with his young siblings, i fell in love with them. if you were in the glee fandom, you know every single couple was problematic one way or the other (this is the writers' fault). yet somehow, every relationship sam was in, it was the healthiest the woman he was with ever had. and i wanted that for rachel! i ate all the crumbs this show gave me, which were... almost nonexistent. the big difference between this rarepair and the others on this poll is that, in the show's final season, THEY BECAME CANON. I WAS SO HAPPY. they were very unpopular because it came out of nowhere and the writers only put them together to give rachel a love interest for the final season (and give the storyline they planned for finn to someone else), which... fair. but he was so caring, encouraging her to follow her dreams and telling her the tough truth about things she didn't want to hear. it was so good to see rachel heal from finn and her failed broadway dreams while with sam. (also she was less insufferable with him).

but then, ha... they broke up on the third to last episode of the series. so she could be with jesse who showed up out of nowhere on that same episode, after he "left" 4-3 seasons ago. don't get me wrong - i love st. berry! jonathan groff and lea michelle have chemistry! love ambitious broadway wannabes being a power couple! but why not, i don't know, put the storyline she had with sam with jesse instead so it could be more organic and avoid crushing my dreams???

i'm fine. not bitter at all. I'M FINE. I'M F-

Clarisse La Rue/Silena Beauregard (PJO):

this isn't a rarepair compared to the previous two, but within the pjo fandom, it isn't as popular (surprisingly?? at least in ao3. i'm so out of the loop). first time reading pjo, little old only thought of clarisse and silena as best friends. but as i got older and read more fan analysis of the series, i realized the tragedy of these two. either 1) clarisse had an unrequited crush 2) they dated and didn't work out 3) it was a failed situationship. the daughter of ares, the girl people in camp-half blood are so scared of because she is mean to everyone and can (and will) beat the shit out of them, had a wholesome friendship with the daughter of aphrodite, and one of the nicest people in the camp?? and this friendship appeared because silena helped clarisse with her "boy problems"??? and then clarisse basically protected and comforted silena after what happened with charlie?? no spoilers for those who haven't read the books, but they parallel a famous greek mythology couple and their ending hurts. still love silena/charlie, but god... poor clarisse...

can't wait to keep rereading the books and suffer once i get to their part!

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin/Roxy Morton (Kingsman)

everyone prefers hartwin and merlin/eggsy, but i can't help but love mortwin. i watched the first movie and loved their small moments. loved how they bonded over being the underdogs in the competition and, instead of becoming sworn enemies, they recognized each other as worthy opponents. their small fun, friendly-rivarly banter was cute. part of me was relieved they stayed as friends in the end... but i couldn't help but be soo disappointed. the chemistry? it was there!! even taron egerton said there was potential to explore a romance if given the chance! plus, i'm a sucker for well-developed friends-to-lovers.

never watched the sequel but after reading what the writers did to roxy, i'm glad i didn't and never will. i can now create my own sequel in my head and read fanfics of the story they deserve 😌

Bella Swan/Leah Clearwater (Twilight):

i want to thank this one brazilian fanfic i found years ago (and never wrote down the name and lost it 😔) for presenting me with this ship. everyone talks about bella/alice, bella/rosalie, bella/carlisle... but what about bella/leah??? think new moon, when bella has just been abandoned by edward, meeting the werewolves through jacob and therefore leah, who is still dealing with the whole paul/emily thing. they can still start out with leah hating bella but they can bond over being abandoned by their boyfriends and heal from it, and in the end realize they don't need them anymore - they can have each other!

i also love if edward still comes back and bella is conflicted, and it's a edward/bella/leah love triangle (apparently people ship edward/leah and how i never heard of it?! imagine the drama!!) i will take anything where jacob isn't involved

tagging @morocorra @forcebookish @artianaiolanthe @sydneysageivashkov + anyone who wants to do this!

[muffinrecord]

Shitty Review of Uwasa Mikoto

I keep rewriting the big review post (the problem is that talking about Uwasa Mikoto means talking about Regular Mikoto and it's a headache) so let's do a little one with my thoughts that is less intimidating:

TLDR: Nice but not a must-have. If you don't have a good generalized attacker for things like Hundred Evils, you may want to invest.

I'd put this under a cut but you know what, I won't! I wrote all this, y'all are gonna have to read it or scroll by it cause fuck you

Uwasa Mikoto is a better version of Regular Mikoto.

Uwasa Mikoto is a Support/MP Support/Tank Support, just like Regular Mikoto, but now Uwasa Mikoto can actually deal out damage.

She gives the whole team Strengthened Counter which can hilariously kill enemies when they attack you. It's better (in some ways) than regular Mikoto, whose attack did fuck all when she would counter back.

Uwasa Mikoto can gain MP much more easily than Regular Mikoto through her SE which gives MP Gain Up and MP Up When Damaged, something that Regular Mikoto really ought to have had.

She also comes with a passive 40% MP Gauge on Start, and you can combine that with her shitty personal that gives 15% MP Gauge on Start (and Accele MP Gain Up). This makes it easy for her to hit Magia/Doppel on turn two just by taking a few hits from the enemy, something she can handle easily with her good stats.

VARIABLE makes her very interesting. She'll have it on herself for three turns and then can get it back for more turns on Doppel. Couple that with the Doppel's MP Restore and her penchant for gaining MP when getting hit, and you have a very tanky support who can whip out some damage fairly consistently.

She's more selfish a unit in some ways than Regular Mikoto. For example, she no longer gives the team 5 MP Regen for three turns and she no longer will give the following on Doppel: Reflect Debuffs/MP Up When Damaged/Strengthened Counter to the team either. Instead she gives herself Damage Increase, Reflect Debuffs, Variable, and MP Restore.

She DOES give MP Restore on Connect, which is always nice.

I was testing out Uwasa Mikoto and comparing her to Regular Mikoto for a while today. Both of my units only have two slots, which is kind of a problem for someone you want to tank, but I found that Uwasa Mikoto was still decent without her last two slots. I started off with a really silly but fun team comp for mirrors:

This actually proved pretty enlightening in some areas. For example, you obviously don't want to field two Mikotos, but also all these supports start to run into and interfere with each other-- not enough to keep me from winning, but enough that these girls who want to take hits just weren't getting them. But first off, some things I noticed, especially regarding both Mikotos:

First off, like mentioned above, all these girls but especially both Mikotos want to take hits and will end up stealing hits from each other. This is especially bad when Uwasa Mikoto has mp gain up when damaged and Regular Mikoto has Guardian, which kinda interferes with that.

Secondly, for Darkness Mitama at least, the whole Reflect Debuffs thing doesn't work when the enemy team is Skill Sealed, so it felt sort of like a waste.

After that, there was an unexpected issue that really should have been expected by me. Both Mikotos come with barrier-- Mikoto with a higher barrier for herself, and Uwasa Mikoto a smaller barrier for the whole team. Barrier will always choose the highest source, so it feels sort of like a waste to use both at the same time, especially since regular Mikoto will have Guardian and should take most of the hits.

This made me realize a small issue that Uwasa Mikoto will have on more established accounts (that prioritize good units)

All three of these gals can give the team barrier. Infinite Iroha will give 5k + 3% Regen HP on her SE Active, MadoIro will give it on Magia/Doppel (for 5k and 8k respectively), and Uwasa Mikoto will give it on her SE Active (5k + Str. Counter for 3 turns) and on her Magia/Doppel (8k and 10k respectively).

This isn't a bad thing and you can sort of play around it? But it does present a problem-- Barrier won't stack, so using all their doppels on the same turn feels like a bad idea, especially on punishing fights. But sometimes you really want to use all the doppels on the same turn, and you'll feel punished for that.

This isn't the worst thing in the world by any means, it just shows that Uwasa Mikoto has a lot of overlap with other units.

Additionally, as much as she can be compared to Regular Mikoto, I think you can also compare her to a lot of the recent fast mp magia units released. She'll gain mp quickly and can be firing off Magia/Doppels pretty easily, especially when she tanks like you want her to. That said, she does have a flaw-- she can't heal herself. The barrier is supposed to help with that (and her good stats), but eventually you'll want to use a healer... and some of the best healer choices come with-- you know-- barrier.

Then again, I suppose she'd pair well with units like Scene zero Madoka or... Kako if you're lacking in good heals.

Really, if I had to compare her to someone... Yeah Regular Mikoto comes up, but so does Uwasa Sana? Both are self sufficient Balance types with a lot of defense and potential attack power. Like don't get me wrong, this is NOT the best comparison, but both feel like "brawler" types-- they can stand on their own and take a lot of enemies down with them.

I also felt like her Strengthened Counter was far more useful here. I outright saw her kill a tank after getting hit twice, which was hilarious and also made sense-- According to the Fandom Wiki, Strengthened Counter "has a base power of 120%", which makes her counter-attack pretty weighty. Is this a good thing? The benefit of Regular Mikoto is that she's not dealing a lot of damage, which is strictly good for stuff like the old version of Ranked Mirrors, meaning that you can prolong fights. However, Uwasa Mikoto should be more helpful for regular PVE at least.

I actually think that she might be a decent choice for things like Hundred Evils, if you don't have a good attacker already. The variable gives her a good way to deal lots of damage right away, she can easily earn MP, and her ability to reflect Debuffs should prove hilarious.

She's not as much a team player imo than regular Mikoto, and I kind of wish that her kit was either more selfish, or more supportive. For example, it's great that she gives the whole team Strengthened Counter now, but since you actually want to use her discs, it feels less useful.

Oh I should have done this earlier, but this is how Uwasa Mikoto stacks up when compared to other units, and this is considering a team with full SE and AE:

Higher than Kimochi Rabi (which shocked me), but under Konoha. Fairly middle ground-- but again, factor in her Variable and you can see how she starts to become a real decent fighter.

Basically, I think she's a decent brawler-type character who is a much more damaging version of her original version. She still functions well as a Tank and really wants to take hits, but her support is more limited than her OG version. Strengthened Counter can outright kill people which is HILARIOUS to watch.

The only other thing I'll say is that if you're getting her to use her, you want ideally 3-4 slots. My two-slot version is fine, but she's getting heavy carries from the rest of the team. Tanks in general suffer from needing as many slots as possible to equip both passives and actives, giving them as many beefy stats as they can.

Lastly, you want to equip her with Damage Cut, especially in mirrors, so she doesn't prevent enemies from attacking her.

[edgelessvoid]

I'm late to this but who cares here's my thoughts on them

further explanations on a lot of the points below the cut (it's really long read at your own risk)

For starters english isn't my first language so if I mix up my terms or words I do apologize.

Also, a lot of my analysis comes from the RL manga mainly, as well as Rhine focus events and op materials such as module lore, voice lines, op rec and op files, if you haven’t read it I get it it’s a lot but I’d highly recommend you at least read the manga to get a better grasp of the context, however I will add the source of any and all screencaps I put here so it’s easier to double check.

Also also I will be skipping points that are unnecessary to explain or that are headcanons that are based purely on vibes, this thing is already long enough.

Age difference: 500+ and 30-40

TLDR Muelsyse is probably centuries old but is very vague about everything concerning her life and past, switching identities every so often to avoid getting herself killed due to her position in the world; Saria is at least 38 by the time Lone Trail happens.

For the longest time that Mumu was talked about (esp. in Dorothy’s Vision) as being old, like centuries old, however in her files it’s stated that she’s in her 30s, here’s my reasoning as to why both make sense at the same time.

(Dorothy’s Vision – DV-4 After)

(Muelsyse’s Operator Files – Archive File 1)

There are many instances of Muelsyse being portrayed as “different” from the rest of the world, and yes it can be directly tied to her being an elf, but I also choose to interpret such “uniqueness” as her having grown such perspectives over exceedingly long times and scarring experiences, when the timeframe is big enough, one’s opinions can differ wildly from the norm.

(Lone Trail – CW-5 Before)

(Lone Trail – CW-ST-4)

And yet for this “uniqueness”, Muelsyse’s file still talks about her life like any other, growing up in an orphanage, graduating college and working. But would it be a wise idea to carry the same identity lifetime after lifetime, for someone who is so susceptible to originium, and being as active in more populated and social areas? No, even keeping herself on the downlow wasn’t enough when Ho’olheyak caught her and very nearly killed her by stuffing originium down her throat.

(Dorothy’s Vision – DV-ST-1)

It would make sense that Muelsyse has to be more cautious with her own identity, as she has chosen to live in a world full of originium and people with less than good intentions, so if asked about her past, she can tell it like it is, only keeping unsaid the fact that these events may have happened multiple lifetimes ago.

(Lone Trail – CW-5 Before)

(Lone Trail – CW-5 Before)

Now for Saria: As far as I have searched there’s no real indicator of Saria’s current age but even a simple assumption that she studied any 4-year major and immediately after went to found RL with Kristen and Muelsyse, she’d be at the very least 38 by the time Lone Trail happens in 1099, as the majority of college graduates are aged around 22 to 24 depending on the major, and Rhine Lab was founded in 1083 by Saria, Kristen and Mueslyse, chances are she’s older if she studied any more than 4 years which isn’t unreasonable.

(Rhine Lab Research Report #1 – Terra Historicus (CN)/Lone Trail (Global release)

Vibe:

Saria, an unmovable mountain that stands tall, a mortal with a grand vision that has risen so much it might as well touch the sky itself. Muelsyse, the flowing ocean upending fleets and crashing violently against rock, all to follow the whims of the moons above, stretching its waves as tall as it can, it could never match the might of the mountain it surrounds, yet it will probably outlive it. And looking far away from them is Kristen, the shimmering sky, so promising, and at the same time unreachable.

Repressed/Open:

Saria is just a repressed calcium brick, both from how she was raised to ignore her feelings and her absorbing those teachings and fueling them into productivity. Mumu is more open in comparison to Saria but she's still reserved about it in general.

No libido/Terminally horny:

Just because Muelsyse is reserved about her sexuality doesn't mean she's not constantly horny for Saria, what else can I tell you other than she's down bad. Saria is initially neutral about the whole deal but becomes progressively hornier for Muelsyse, even more so than her on occasion.

Aggressively romantic/Allergic to PDA:

Muelsyse is a very emotional, affectionate and caring person, but she also understands that Saria is very unaccustomed to PDAs, so she tones it back to a level where both feel comfortable. Saria however is not an emotional person; she’s often perplexed by displays of affection of any kind but does warm up to them with time.

Mentally ill/stable:

Neither is mentally ill, they're just grieving, Saria is a lot more self-destructive about it than Muelsyse though, emotionally stunted calcium brick and all.

KMSing over being in love/Blushing giggling twirling hair:

When they first got together, Muelsyse was a bit more outwardly excited. Both were torn on their feelings for each other as they are still grieving, but Muelsyse has also been yearning for Saria for longer so that dampens the blow (it doesn’t).

Doomed/Blessed by narrative:

Both are doomed by the narrative but. Come on. Mumu is that comfort character that gets put thru every trauma in the universe, I add some extra trauma because she is a long lived and as will probably outlive Saria if the originium doesn’t kill her first. Behold some highlights of Mumu experiencing the horrors in real time:

(Muelsyse’s Operator Files – Archive File 3)

(Expeditioner’s Joklumarkar – Expeditioner Interviews Kin 01)

(Dorothy’s Vision – DV-4 After)

Big/Little spoon:

Saria is usually the big spoon, but Muelsyse also gets to be the big spoon if Saria’s tail allows it.

Weapon/Wielder:

Not so much weapon/wielder dynamic to me so much as it would be combat capabilities, in arts Muelsyse destroys Saria, but in hand-to-hand Saria does break Mumu like a twig.

(Lone Trail – CW-10 Before)

(Dorothy’s Vision – DV-4 After)

The pajamas:

Saria wears old people pajamas, they're comfy and no one uses them to show off so why bother with something flashier. Mumu isn't flashy either but she still retains her sense of fashion even when picking pajamas.

No game/Insane game:

Mumu has mad game but she turns it down very often. Saria has insane game but she's too dense to see it.

Functional/Soggy loser:

Mumu has her shit together, Saria on the other hand, while being a very capable person, is still a certified failwoman; far too stubborn and strict for her own good.

What brings them together?

It's hard to talk about Saria and Muelsyse without talking about Kristen. Saria promised to protect Kristen and her vision.

(Records of Originium: Rhine Lab Manga, ch7 p38/72)

Muelsyse went out of her way to meet Saria and Kristen

(Muelsyse’s Operator Files – Archive File 3)

Muelsyse went on to start Rhine Lab with both of them. Even when talking between the two, Kristen came up in many conversations.

(Lone Trail – CW-10 Before)

And now, Kristen is forever out of reach to the both of them, so what now? Do these memories they had mean nothing without her now? To me, their answers would be no, Saria has fully admitted to being willing to do it all over again; And Muelsyse has expressed how deeply she cares for both Kristen and Saria. They are brought together even more because they’re the only ones who understand just how devastating that loss is to the other. They also play off of each other's energy incredibly well, Mumu’s lighthearted yet slightly distant humor and Saria's deadpan and matter of fact mannerisms elevates their dynamic a lot.

(Records of Originium: Rhine Lab Manga, ch-s1 p2/8)

What kept them apart?

Opposing approaches to the same issue, talking about both Kristen and RL as a whole, Muelsyse tries to improve the situation from the inside for her own personal goals e.g. finding a new world rid of originium; Saria doesn't necessarily try to improve the conditions of RL so much as tries to shield and fix the mistakes that it has made and from the outside, following her own methods to try to make Kristen understand how far she’s strayed from their vision of RL.

(Records of Originium: Rhine Lab Manga, ch8 p88/92)

(Lone Trail – CW-10 Before)

They collaborate on occasion but it’s clear after the Diabolic Crisis that they no longer see eye to eye in a lot of issues and now act very separately.

(Dorothy’s Vision – DV-ST-1)

The meet-cute*:

This one comes with a gigantic asterisk because I'm taking it from the events we explicitly see, it's fair if you think it could've happened far earlier, and it's one of my own hcs, but this is just the one event I feel makes the most sense in canon.

It’s far from the first time they met, but the first time they talk on a deeper level than a coworker relationship, In Lone Trail it’s somewhat alluded to Muelsyse still being slightly outcast from the core in the early days, and as Rhine Lab grew, they all settled into their roles as directors and start to lose touch with one another, only reconnecting a little during Ifrit’s case and after Control has halted their investigation into the Haydn1 lab “accident”, Saria from continues to look into things, with Muelsyse wanting to help out.

(Records of Originium: Rhine Lab Manga, ch6 p42/72)

Skipping forward to ch 8 where the manga switches perspectives back to them, Saria feels dejected because she believes there’s not much else she can do to help Silence and Ifrit, even if she is aware of how much pain Ifrit is in, and how Silence is involving herself in constantly more dangerous territory.

(Records of Originium: Rhine Lab Manga, ch8 p10/92)

Muelsyse can only empathize so much with Saria’s situation, acknowledging that she is mostly looking out for herself, having other options than RL. After that, Saria reminds her that no she doesn’t, so Muelsyse jokingly says she’s only looking to survive.

(Records of Originium: Rhine Lab Manga, ch8 p12/92)

Yes, I do believe she’s joking here, why would she threaten to kill Muelsyse when she has even less evidence against her than Parvis, when Saria hasn’t really commented on doing something similar to him when he is in fact doing something far less funny pretty openly by now.

The reductive tropes

If the last 9 pages worth of word vomit on my end do not convince you that this ship is in fact very appealing, here’s the list of reductive ship dynamics and tropes you can tack on:

Gruff/Dainty, immaculate aesthetic.

Mortal/Long Lived, you can squeeze a lot of angst out of this dynamic.

Also the shit Muelsyse says in Lone Trail, cmon.

(Lone Trail CW-10 Before)

(Lone Trail CW-ST-3)

Fell first/Fell harder:

Mumu fell first, how did she fall for such a loser fr (affectionate). Mumu also fell harder, feeling something after a long ass while of feeling dead inside for centuries? Hard to top that.

Who confessed first?

Mumu is the only one with enough emotional intelligence to carry them through the first years of their relationship, it does get better tho.

The touch segment:

Take it for what you will, it's just the vibes they give me, I added in hair bc I feel like Muelsyse would like it if Saria played with or cared for her hair, Saria is neutral about her own.

Conglaturations you made it to the end :D

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb:

Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place. Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone—or something—new.

“Unsettling, raw, and absolutely terrifying. Gould tears open the tender, angry heart of teenage friendship and what happens when our loved ones fail us.” -Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She is a Haunting

Review:

Five teens, one experimental therapy program, and a forest filled with monsters... talk about facing your monsters. When Devin Green is taken in her bedroom by strangers and thrown into a van she realizes that her "parents" had planned it and that she is now being enrolled into a experimental therapy program in the wild where teens learn to change their self-destructive ways and survive a fifty day hike through the wilderness. Devin is determined to escape while the other teen who is taken from the same area as her, is determined to just see it through.... but unfortunately for the teens as their hike begins and they cross a barrier.... something darker... something beastly is out to get them... and will use their darkest fears against them to steal their bodies or rip them apart. The teens will have to find a way to escape the killer creatures and trust one another to find a way out of the wild. This was a mixture of teen coming of age and of horror/nature horror thriller. It's a unique story and read and one I think others will definitely enjoy. I do really like Courtney's writing style and the way she crafts stories. The book itself was a unique read, and while it wasn't my favorite from her it was still one I did like reading at least once.

Release Date: December 10,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[zahri-melitor]

DC Holiday Special 2017 #1 - wouldn't it be nice if DC got back to some sort of consistent naming pattern?

The Reminder - Constantine & Superman. Constantine gets thrown out of a bar for being drunk and dour. Clark doubts Superman can change anything while the barkeeper tells him all the great things Supes has done over the past day. Supes then invites Constantine home to see the family.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas - Batman. OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS A DENNY STORY!!! And wow is it ever a Denny story, we have ghosts and all (where's the Order of St Dumas, Denny, I know you wanted to shove them in too). Storywise, Bruce is tracking down (in a blizzard) a couple who've been kidnapped and held at gunpoint by a man haunted by his dead grandmother, after they both died/almost died in the snow due to the couple, years ago. Bruce stops this.

You Better Think Twice - Green Arrow & Black Canary. Ollie dresses up as Santa ever year for the orphans. Dinah is sceptical that this is helpful. The art direction pretends Sin exists in this story for a page and my heart melts even though that is 100% not Sin.

Not Sin. But Dinah is missing her.

Going Down Easy! - Sgt. Rock. Because what is a Christmas Special if I don't have to read Sgt. Rock stories for some reason.

Amazingly, this is the Hanukkah story for the year! Varying it up. An American Jewish soldier, after being shot, holds on and lives for 8 nights with the German soldier who shot him, until Sgt Rock and his troops arrive. (Then he dies). This is a miracle of faith.

Hope for the Holidays - Flash. Wally just wants to give Barry his Christmas present. Barry gets distracted fighting crime and then taking everyone at the snowed in airport to their destinations. But eventually, he finds time to make it to see Wally in Titans Tower.

A Wilson Family Christmas - Deathstroke.

Aw yeah Adeline's here. Shoot Slade, Adeline! (Tragically she does not even though she threatens to). So is Grant, because we're in a flashback. Anyway Slade is looking for a bomb in a pile of donated presents (and a Santa dies), the rest of the Wilsons come off the road in a carcrash in the snow, Adeline doesn't believe a word Slade says, it's all very them. Also somehow Grant, who was driving, DIDN'T wipe himself out at this point. Survived the teen car accident only to die stupidly fighting the Titans. Way to go kid.

Driver's Seat - Lois & Clark. For some reason this was skipped by the DCUI file. Lois' first car gets totalled in a car accident, which she's broken up about because she wasn't ready to say goodbye. Clark rescues the driver's seat and steering wheel for her, then takes her flying in the seat.

Silent Night - Atomic Knights. I...do not know the Atomic Knights. I vaguely remember something about them in Final Night. It appears to be an alternate timeline?

The community protected by the Knights is worried about the 'Trefoils', a set of walking trees who frankly look like Triffid ripoffs. The village wants to burn them down even though they used to be part of the community. But the Trefoils actually brought a Christmas Tree for everyone! The Spirit of Christmas lives.

Holiday Spirit - Teen Titans. The team fights Three Ghosts similar to those in A Christmas Carol, except the goals of the ghosts is to make everyone depressed by feasting on their memories of Christmas. But Kory doesn't have memories of Christmas (I squint at this and go 'sure, that sounds wrong, haven't you been on Earth for at least 5-6 years now? but I guess we're still untangling timelines')

Then the team make new Christmas memories together.

The Echo of the Abyss - Swamp Thing. Uh. In a future? The space station Archer has been on quarantine for 6 months, with a possible nuclear war on earth. One of the crew gets out some mistletoe to try and cheer people up, then loses it in the face of certain death and decides to kill everyone on the station. Swamp Thing comes out of the mistletoe (somehow using the Green) and ties him up with vines, replenishes their bio chamber gardens, and gives them a Christmas Tree for hope.

Solstice - Wonder Woman and Batman. Oh FUCK YEAH this is an echo story like they usually do for Bruce and Clark. I am INTO THIS. (Also Greg Rucka and Bilquis Evely team!!) Bruce and Diana reminisce on the importance of making a difference and fighting to help people. Then they come together and build a bonfire for the Solstice as Diana cannot of course go home to do it with the other Amazons, as we are in Rucka Rebirth era.

The Silent Night of the Batman - Batman. Reprint of Batman #219, this is great, if you haven't read it yet you should.

Total real Santas? None.

Total times I got irritated by plot points in these stories: you don't want to know.

Times my heart melted: fakeout Sin and the Bruce & Diana story.