#i honestly can't wait for it to come out so that the trilogy's done and over with and we can all move on... until skybound is like

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

now that I've had some time to think about Book Three's cover/description, here are some bullet-point thoughts

The art style has vastly improved from Book One. It feels like Tillie's finally comfortable with style, and the characters here don't have same face syndrome here. Also the color palette here is my favorite of the three covers. From everything that I've read from Tillie, the way she works with color is a strong point of her work... which again, makes me wish the entire comic was in color but nooooo...

It looks like Ricca has her own cane now, which makes sense given a bit point of her character through the series is her worsening vision like... even with her glasses, she's practically blind.

Clementine has a new hat. Y'know... because her iconic hat got left with AJ... y'all still remember AJ, right? The comics don't.

Dr. Barnwell the cat made it onto the cover.... you know I'm in too deep with these damn comics when I see some random person be like "Clementine's getting a new cat" and I say, out loud, "That's Dr. Barnwell, you dingus, he's been around since the end of Book One." AS IF ANYONE ELSE CARES!

I know too much about this series, y'all

In my defense, I'm a little snappy about stuff like that after Book Two came out and people were just making shit up about what happens, going as far as to fake screenshots, and tell people it's "just like fifty shades of grey" when uh NO? it's not? People were deliberately trying to deceive others over certain elements and it still makes me mad whenever I think about it.... ANYWAY

We also see Fen and Olivia featured here, too. Fen's one of the more interesting side characters we've gotten, and I'm glad she survived Book Two, and Olivia.... I notice the way she's drawn with the front of her body hidden. I know that's probably to not show spoilers for Book Two since that reveal's a big deal, but still.

"Clementine finally has it all–a safe place to live, a girlfriend, and even a cat…but nothing lasts forever. And when Clementine suffers a loss unlike anything she’s ever faced, a new mentor called The Gardener offers her a new family, and a new way of living… but at what cost?" This is the description we were given.

First of all, Clementine had it all at Ericson, and it didn't make her happy. In fact, it made her so miserable that she left... I kinda hope this book does something with that by giving her everything she wants [as in, the safe home, a romantic partner, friends, a cat, etc] and she's STILL unhappy...? And it ends with her leaving again? But something tells me it won't.

Clementine's going to suffer a loss "unlike anything she's ever faced"? Ehhhh, press X to doubt. I played the games, I lived through all of her losses. I don't think anything will ever top seeing her parents as walkers and then losing Lee right after.

I mentioned before that the obvious direction here would be for Olivia to lose her baby, or for Olivia to die after giving birth, but uh... Clementine's been through both of those things with Christa and Rebecca... but we have to keep in mind that we're so far removed from the games at this point that it's never going to bring those up, y'know?

Real talk though? I'm very intrigued by the idea of a new mentor character called The Gardener who is apparently offering her a new family and a new way of life... but at a cost. What cost? What new way of life? What new family? Are we joining a cult now?

Listen, we missed out on the opportunity for a cannibalism plot in Book One, and Miss Morro left a lot to be desired in Book Two, so like... go extra dark this time. C'mon, Tillie, do it.

Also, Amos is definitely coming back as a twist villain, I feel it in my bones. We didn't see a body at the end of Book One okay!

I'm mostly joking but also NOT JOKING AT ALL!

My offer still stands, if Amos comes back, the book is an automatic 5/5 stars, no questions asked.

Anyway, I'll keep y'all updated on this, and when it releases next year, I'll write my in-depth review... "I read it so you don't have to" and all that.

Just as a final reminder, and allow me to make it extra big so that everyone can see it:

Leave Tillie Walden alone. I don't care if you hate the comics or think they're an insult to the game or whatever else. You want to express that, then do it on your blog. Don't send it to Tillie. We have enough pricks harassing her as is, and you're the bigger asshole here if you think it's okay to send her shit like that, so don't.

Seriously, it's the last book and then Tillie's done with the series, and I doubt they're gonna sign her on to make more. The games still exist, you can still go play them, these comics aren't taking that away from you... and if you feel like they are, then don't engage with them, period. It's not hard.

I cover the comics in-depth for people who don't want to read them but are curious about what happens. They don't bother me in that "they ruined the games" way that they used to, so I can handle it. If you can't, then do yourself a favor and just don't. Just don't!

[lumi-nescentt]

And When I Break It's In A Million Pieces

Pairing: Oscar Piastri x Reader

Warnings: kinda angsty, reader overworking herself, arguing and someone fainting

Words: 3.8k

Summary: Oscar can understand how important exams are to his girlfriend but he can't stand to see her overworking herself and this close to breaking down without trying to comfort her.

A/N: it was supposed to be a cute oscar one shot but I guess midterms kicked my ass so I had to make Oscar do what I would have loved someone to do for me.

Now that I'm done writing this I'll start on the requests :)

Oscar had been away on the last triple header of the season and as much as he loved racing and how good the car felt lately, he missed his girlfriend and couldn't wait to see her again.

She usually came with him as often as she could, but she had been drowning in homework lately so she had chosen to stay home and work a little extra to make sure she stayed up to date. Oscar didn’t mind, or at least he tried not to show it because he knew how bad she already felt for missing some of his best results in F1. 

The Australian knew how hard the girl was on herself and how she tended to forget to take care of herself when she got engrossed in her studies so he thought coming back as early as possible from the British Grand Prix was the best thing he could do. 

Flying from London to Melbourne felt like one of the longest trips Oscar ever had to endure and it was only worse because he was all alone. Usually he either had Lando, Logan or his girlfriend to entertain him during layovers and on the flight itself, but now as he sat on the first plane taking him from London to Qatar, Oscar felt bored to death.

He had chosen the earliest flight possible on Monday and that had been one that took off at 3pm so he wasn’t even tired enough to sleep. He had already watched a movie while waiting in front of the gate so he was honestly starting to run out of ideas on how to entertain himself. 

He considered paying for wifi access to try and chat with his girlfriend for a second but then realised that he had decided to plan his comeback in secret so she had no idea he was coming back. In the end, Oscar still paid for it just so he could play 8 ball with Logan and joke around with Lando. 

His two friends entertained him for a few hours, but when he landed in Qatar, they both had stuff to do so he was left all alone again. He had nothing to do during the layover in Dubai, so walking around the entire terminal at the slowest pace possible seemed like a good enough idea for the 2 hours he had to wait before boarding again. 

To say the 13 hours flight to Melbourne had been long was an understatement. It had only been made worse since he couldn’t sleep, so Oscar had watched the entirety of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and still had found time to be bored once he was done. By the time he finally arrived in front of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, it was almost 1am and he hadn’t slept in 30 hours now. 

All he wanted to do was crash on his bed and cuddle against her but when he opened the door as quietly as he could, the first thing he saw was his girlfriend sitting on a barstool, hunched over her laptop on the counter. She had her headphones on and the volume was so loud Oscar could hear the song playing very clearly from where he was standing in the doorway.

After taking off his shoes and dropping his suitcase in a corner, he slowly made his way over, trying his best not to startle the girl. She was so engrossed in whatever she was reading that even with Oscar standing right next to her, her focus was still on her computer. She only flinched and snapped back to reality when Oscar delicately removed her headphones and put them next to her now empty coffee cup.

-“ Oscar ? What– How ? You were supposed to stay in Europe until the break.” she stuttered, too tired to understand how her boyfriend was standing in front of her

-“ Surprise !” Oscar smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “ I missed you too much to wait an entire month so I decided to come spend the week here.” 

-“ I don't know what to say, wow.” 

-“ Oh God, was it a bad idea ? I don’t want to intrude if you had plans, baby. I can ask my parents if I can stay at theirs instead if you want me out of your hair while you study.” 

-“ No no, it’s a good surprise, I just didn’t expect it, that’s all. It’s our flat so of course I want you to stay with me.” she quickly clarified, burying her head in the crook of his neck and tightening her arms around him

-“ Ok good, I got scared I was bothering you for a second.” he answered, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head

-“ Don’t say that Osc, you could never bother me. I’m always happy to see your pretty face in real life.” 

-“ So you think I’m pretty ?” the Australian asked with a proud grin

-“ Of course I do, pretty boy. Now as much as I’d love to keep this lovely flirting going, you must be exhausted so why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll join you in a bit ?” 

-“ That sounds great, I’ll go shower and then we can cuddle because I can definitely feel the drop of temperature between here and the UK.” 

-“ It’s not even that cold but I won’t say no to that.” she smiled before turning back to her homework.

Oscar didn’t really know how long he stayed under the warm spray of the shower but judging by the amount of steam that was now filling the bathroom, he assumed he stayed for a little while. Since he took his time, he fully expected to find his girlfriend dozing off under the covers but when he reached the bedroom, the bed was still untouched. 

Gathering the remaining energy he had, Oscar dragged himself to the kitchen where she was still in the position he left her in. Her headphones were back on at a lower volume and she was now frowning and holding her head between her hands, seemingly trying to make sense of what she was reading. 

-“ Are you coming to bed soon ?” Oscar asked seeing the time on her laptop 

-“ Yeah, of course. Just give me a minute, I’ll meet you there.” she answered without looking at him

-“ Baby, it’s almost 3am. You need to sleep as much as I do.” 

-“ I know, I’m coming. Don’t wait up, you must be knackered.” she tried, squeezing the hand he had put on her shoulder to reassure him

-“ I want to sleep next to you. I’ll wait for you to finish what you’re doing. How long is this going to take you ?” 

-“ I don’t know, you shouldn’t stay awake for me. I promise I’ll cuddle you as soon as I’m in bed, you won’t even realise I’m not here at first.” 

-“ That’s not true, I always notice so will you come ? Please ?” 

-“ You’re lucky you’re cute and that I love you because I really need to finish this paper.” she finally caved in with a sigh, closing her laptop to face her boyfriend who was sleepily smiling at her

-“ I love you too, now come. I can tell you’re exhausted too.” 

Oscar linked their hands together and walked towards their bedroom, handing her one of his shirts as he stripped down to his boxer before hurriedly getting under the covers. At the sight of her cold boyfriend all cosy under the blankets, the girl couldn’t help but chuckle before she joined him and let him wrap his arms around her, resting her head against his chest and falling asleep to the comforting sound of his steady heartbeat. 

When Oscar woke up at 7am a few hours later, he brought his arm closer to the rest of his body, hoping to steal some of his girlfriend’s body warmth but his arm closed on nothing. With his eyes still closed, he patted her side of the bed, simply thinking she had rolled away from him but all he touched were the empty bed sheets. He would have assumed she had just gone to the bathroom if it wasn’t from how cold her side was. 

As hard as he wanted to tell her to come back to bed, Oscar wasn’t fully awake and he didn’t really think there was something he could do so he let himself fall back asleep for a few hours. When he opened his eyes again, finally feeling rested enough to figure out where she had gone, he was still alone in their empty bed. 

He made his way to the living room, secretly hoping she’d be all curled up on the sofa and had only moved there because he was snoring too loud but it was just as empty as their bed. Not liking where he thought this was going, Oscar went to the kitchen where his girlfriend was exactly in the same position he had found her hours earlier. 

Without saying a word, Oscar wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled his face in her neck like he knew she liked. When the only acknowledgement he got was a low hum without even a smile or a look towards him, he decided to try something else. He slowly turned his head and started kissing her neck tenderly, which always got her attention usually because she was never one to pass on getting some physical affection from him. He was so sure it was going to work that when she finally breathed in before talking, Oscar couldn’t stop the smile creeping on his face.

-“ Not now baby, please.” she brushed him off softly, without even looking at him

-“ Oh, okay. Sorry.” Oscar muttered, feeling his face flush from a wave of embarrassment he couldn’t stop

He quickly escaped to the opposite corner of the kitchen, getting busy with making breakfast to forget about the uneasy feeling coursing through his veins. It took him 15 minutes of meddling around before everything was ready and before he was ready to try to get her attention again.

This time, Oscar planted himself next to his girlfriend and put a coffee cup and a full plate with eggs and toast right next to her laptop before poking her shoulder with his finger to get her full attention.

-“ Hello there, I made you breakfast.” he half smiled

-“ Hi baby, that’s really sweet of you. Thank you.” she returned the smile, cupping his face with her hands before planting a soft kiss on his lips and turning back towards her homework

-“ I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast together in the living room, maybe ?”

-“ I’m sorry Osc. I really need to study but don’t let me stop you, I know you love to eat there.” 

-“ Yeah, sure.” he started out loud before mumbling to himself as he exited the room “I don’t know what I was expecting.”

After his very lonely breakfast in front of a TV show he didn’t even want to watch, Oscar popped his head into the kitchen to see if she was done working. When he saw that she was still very focused on what she was doing, he decided to do something to occupy himself until she was finally free. He got dressed and yelled that he was going for a run before finally going outside. 

When he came back a little less than an hour later, Oscar was determined to spend some time with her so he hurriedly went to the bathroom to shower before eventually stealing her away from her homework. 

Once he was finally done, it was time for lunch and he was feeling like ordering so, while still looking at his phone, he went towards the kitchen and called her.

-“ I’m gonna order food, what do you feel like eating ?”

He waited a little bit for an answer but nothing came back so he walked a little closer and tried again.

-“ Baby ? Are you not hungry ?” 

Getting worried from the clear silence he was met with, Oscar walked in the kitchen but, to his surprise, he couldn’t see her.

-“ y/n ? If this is a joke, it’s not that funny. Where are you ?” he asked, feeling his heart beat a little faster

He knew she hadn’t gone out because both her keys and her car were still there so he went around the counter to go look into the laundry room when his eyes fell on something on the floor. Seeing his girlfriend laying down on the floor made his blood rush fast in his veins and he immediately kneeled down next to her and wrapped her hand in his.

-“ y/n, baby can you hear me ?” he tried again “ I’m going to put your feet on my lap, okay ? I’m not letting go of your hand, if you hear me just squeeze it.” Oscar explained, praying that he’d feel her grip tighten around his fingers

He felt the faintest squeeze but he wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not so he tried again.

-“ Can you squeeze my hand again, please ?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper from how scared he was until he felt a clear squeeze “ Atta girl, you’re doing great.” 

Oscar felt his breathing slowly go back to normal as his girlfriend slowly gained back consciousness. He was still a bit shaken up but seeing her eyes fluttering open and feeling the constant squeezes of her hand on his was reassuring him. He waited a little more before asking her questions, not wanting to overwhelm her.

-“ Do you remember what happened ?” 

-“ I don’t know, I was just standing up to get another coffee and then I started feeling dizzy so I tried to call you but I don’t know if anything came out.” 

-“ Ok well at least you remember, you scared me to death there sweetheart.” 

-“ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” she apologised, mortified that he had seen her like this

-“ Hey, none of that. Don’t apologise, I’m glad I came back in time to find you. I would’ve hated for you to be all alone here when you fainted.” he reassured her, bringing her closer to him

-“ What do you mean came back ? When did you go out ?” 

-“ I told you I was going for a run but I guess you were so focused on what you were doing you didn’t hear me. Next time I’ll make sure that you hear me.” 

-“ It’s fine, you don’t have to.” 

-“ I know but I want to. Now let’s get you something to eat, you didn’t even eat breakfast so you must be starving.” he stated, pointing at the plate he had made her a few hours earlier, still untouched on the counter

-“ I’m not really hungry actually.” she whispered, looking at her feet

- “ You have to eat something baby. I’ll just order something from your favourite restaurant and you can just eat however much you can, does that sound good ?”

-“ Yeah sure, thank you Osc.”

Oscar didn’t answer and instead just placed a kiss on the side of her head before standing up and picking his phone that he had left on the counter to get the food. While they waited for it to arrive, Oscar sent her to shower so she could relax a little before eating. Before leaving her be, he convinced her to let the door slightly open so she could yell if she felt dizzy again so he could also relax.

He always stayed within earshots of the bathroom as he got busy around the flat until the delivery guy arrived. Oscar wanted it to be quick but the guy recognised him and wanted to take a picture with him. Oscar wouldn’t have minded the picture if the guy also didn’t seem to want to become his friend and didn’t talk for what felt like ages. Oscar didn’t know how to make him stop without sounding rude so he just waited until he was finally done before hurrying back to his girlfriend. 

He expected her to either still be in the shower or to be waiting for him in the living room, resting like they had talked about after she fainted but she was the most stubborn person Oscar knew. That’s why he wasn’t exactly surprised when he found her back to her studying spot with her headphones only wearing one of his mclaren hoodies. 

-“ I thought we said no more studying for today ?” Oscar scolded her gently

-“ I know but I can’t just stop like that. I need to finish this part and then I can rest for a few hours.”

-“ Baby you fainted, that means your body is exhausted and you shouldn’t put yourself through this.” 

-“ I don’t have a choice, Oscar. The exam is coming up and I need to finish this paper too. I can’t just decide to take the day off because my stupid body decided to betray me.” she spat in one breath, feeling her heartbeat quicken just thinking of the ton of stuff she still had to do 

-“ Alright, just breathe please. You can definitely afford to rest for today. I know you and I know you’re capable of doing what you have left before the due date. Just come lie down with me for a bit while we eat.” 

-“ You don’t know that for sure. I can’t afford to take such a risk.” 

-“ Baby, please.” he pleaded, feeling how she was getting more worked up by the second

-“ I said no, Oscar !” she said through gritted teeth, trying not to raise her voice 

-“ Why can’t you just slow down for a second ? What’s the worst that can happen if you let go a little.”

-“ Slow down ? That’s rich coming from you mister always running around the entire globe to drive at 300kph.” she cringed at how high pitched her voice was getting

-“ You know that’s not what I meant, y/n.” 

-“ Then what did you mean because I clearly don’t get why you’re getting in my way here.” 

-“ I only meant that you’re going to tire yourself out over some homework and that it can’t be healthy.”

-“  I’m sorry ? Some homework ?!” she scoffed loudly “ This is the last class I need to have my diploma, if I fail it, I can say goodbye to my dream job. Don’t belittle what I do because you don’t understand it.” 

-“ That’s not how I meant it, y/n. I’m just worried about you.”

-“ I didn’t ask you to be, in fact I didn’t even ask you to be here. You were supposed to be away doing your stupid job while I was here studying on my own but no you just had to come back and tempt me with ideas of relaxing and hanging out with you when you know I can’t. I can’t just decide to go away and take a break because I miss my partner. Some of us have real jobs and they can’t run away whenever they want to, Oscar.”  she finally lost it, her eyes filling with tears as she realised what she had said

-“ Wow, hum alright. I think I’m just going to go outside for a bit.” Oscar muttered, grabbing his car keys and turning around as quickly as he could

As soon as she heard the door close, y/n broke down crying in the middle of the room. She hadn’t meant to snap at him, she knew he just cared about her and most of all, she didn’t think anything she said was true.

She knew how hard Oscar had worked to get to where he was now and she was so proud of how far he had come. She loved that he was able to do something he loved as his job and how he always made time in his busy schedule to either fly her to where he was staying or fly back home to see her. 

In all honesty, she had been missing him so much lately and all she wanted to was take a break and seek comfort in his arms but she couldn’t help the anxiety and the guilt that kicked in whenever she stopped studying even for a second. She had been staying up late and waking up at the crack of dawn for a week now, studying as much as she could before she had to attend classes. She barely had time to eat and she couldn’t remember the last time she had a decent meal. 

The mere thought of having hurt Oscar was filling her with guilt and she wished there was something she could do to take it back. She was so tired of feeling like this and right now it felt like she had pushed away the only person she wanted to comfort her. 

When Oscar opened the door half an hour later, he didn’t expect his girlfriend to come running to the door and then stop in her tracks the moment her eyes met his. She tried to open her mouth but tears started falling again and she was struggling to take a full breath. The sight tore Oscar’s hurt and he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her head against his chest. 

-“ It’s okay, baby. Just let go, I’m here.” he whispered, tracing circles on her back

-“ I’m sorry, Oscar. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean what I said. I–”

-“ I know, it’s okay. It’s already forgotten.”  

-“ It’s not okay. You didn’t deserve to hear that.” she sniffled, looking at him in the eyes “ I love what you do and I’m really happy you’re here. I’m sorry if I made you feel like it wasn’t the case. It’s no excuse but I’m frankly exhausted and you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

-“ Thank you for apologising. It’s forgiven and I promise you I’m not mad or anything.”

-“ You’re sure ?” 

-“ Yes, I wasn’t mad earlier. I was a bit hurt and I knew you needed time to calm down before we could have a discussion so I just went to the store to buy brownies and ice cream.” 

-“ That’s so sweet, Oscar, stop.” she said, feeling her voice shake slightly

-“ I was thinking we could take a proper break and eat in front of a movie. Then if you still want to work, I could help you study and after that we could take a bath ? How does that sound ?” 

-“ I love you so much.”

-“ Is that a yes ?” Oscar teased, smiling as he heard her laugh

-“ Yes it is.” she said, as he grabbed her hand and guided her towards the living room where the food was still waiting for them

-“ y/n ?” 

-“ yes ?” 

-“ I love you too.” 

-“ I know, now come here.” she smiled again, wrapping her arms behind his neck before pulling him down to kiss him properly 

Oscar hadn’t been sure of it at first but coming back home was the best choice he ever made for the both of them. They missed each other too much to wait a whole month to be together when they needed the other’s presence that badly.

[ffviidirtyconfessions]

Rebirth has thoroughly drained my enjoyment of the remake trilogy. I no longer feel obligated to try and play the games anymore. I don't even want to play ever crisis. And honestly that's the one I was looking forward to the most, because that was supposed to have a game version of Advent children. But it doesn't seem like it's going to happen because of how shitty and terrible rebirth has been. I waited years for that game, just this whole remake in general, and now I just feel so drained. I, myself, only got 20 hours into the game. Just 20, and I pre-ordered the game. It is safe to say that I will no longer be playing a final fantasy game unless I see play through that I like of it.

I really, truly feel your pain here. After all's said and done, I honestly feel like the best thing Rebirth gave me was the chance to see Advent Children on the big screen. This is coming from a person who's been putting off buying a PS5 until I see a game that's worth it on it. This wasn't worth it. So I can't even imagine what it's like actually having bought it.

Even in those first 20 hours, I'm sure you already experienced so much of what I find weird, offensive at worst, and just off-putting about this game. It extends everything to such a strange point, the opening Nibel Mountain sequence being the first offender of all. Everything takes so much time to do and yet gains so little depth, oftentimes less than the original game, which had limited space. It's an insanely huge game that turns out to feel mostly empty. There's constant "upgradable collectables" around every corner, even serious story relevant corners, a required card game, chocobo racing everywhere I guess, and don't even get me started on the Chadley world intel thing that was literally for some reason just ripped out of Zelda Breath of the Wild (????). It wants to be 500 different other popular games and stops being a Final Fantasy game.

The story, too, is just as distracted. It has what I might call "interrupting cow" syndrome. Nothing is allowed to just sit. You have to see the next flashiest thing right away, even if it feels emotionally dissonant from whatever just happened. Oh yeah, let us not forget the random DEAD MOBILE GAME PULL that takes up SO MUCH TIME????? WHO THE FUCK IS GLENN LODBROK ACTUALLY OR AM I JUST A BAD FF7 FAN BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I AM- ahem. This general problem worries me most in the places that matter most to me- specifically in that they seem to want to erase Cloud's mental illness. His memory problems are suddenly credited to "degeneration" instead of what it is, which is trauma, what they always implied it to be in the first place. This escalates as the half-baked Zack alternate timeline whatever thing continues. I genuinely think they are really hurting the story by downplaying (if not removing) the emotional cores of loss and trauma in favor of... fighting fate?? The multiverse??? Something?????

All around it feels like it needed way more time in development. It feels rushed while being completely bloated with "content". It doesn't even look very good 90% of the time. I feel like they barely got used to the PS4's tools only to be stage-hooked by Sony over to the PS5.

The ending in particular (don't know whether or not you figured out what they did with it so I'll avoid spoilers) leaves me wholly unenthusiastic for the next installment. And yet I feel I can't completely look away from it. Something about train wrecks makes me need to look at them, but I completely respect your decision to step away, especially when it comes to your own hard earned money and time. If it's any consolation, you're not alone in disliking this.

Apologies for the length of this post. Unfortunately, I am an English major.

[beholdthemem]

MEM have you done SalAsh with the ship meme before? 👀

!! I have NOT, so thank you @oreozfox for the opportunity to rectify this heinous crime!

(The ship meme in question for those who would also like a chance to post about their own beloved idiots-to-lovers)

Who...

-Said "I love you" first?

Sal is the first to say it aloud. Ash is incredibly demonstrative, super into romantic gestures, makes no secret of the fact she's crazy about him, but when it comes to actually talking about her feelings, that's... hard. Being vulnerable is hard. It honestly bothers her more that she can't seem to tell Sal in words that she loves him than it does Sal himself. 

An Ash Campbell 'I love you' is her remembering the candy you mentioned liking once, and keeping some on hand forever after to sneak into your locker whenever you have a bad day. An Ash Campbell 'I love you' is her willingly dealing with bitch-and-a-half traffic to make it to Nockfell in time to surprise you on your birthday and then facing even WORSE traffic to get back in time for her shift tomorrow morning because she would rather die than miss celebrating with you. An Ash Campbell 'I love you' is her letting you rant about a book trilogy she has not read without once telling you to shut up, and then a few days later showing you a sketch of one of the characters based purely off of your descriptions. It's playing with your hair as you fall asleep on her shoulder, it's the contented sigh she makes every time you pull her into your arms, it's the kisses she gives your hands and the way she leans into your touch.

At no point in their relationship has Sal ever doubted Ash loves him. He KNOWS.

It doesn't matter to him if she ever says it out loud but it matters very much to her, and the first time she manages it he celebrates her victory by kissing her absolutely stupid.

-Would have the other's picture as their phone background?

ASH. She's a photographer, and capturing every shade of Sal possible is of vital importance. She changes her background to a different photo of him every week because she can never settle on one she likes best.

-Leave notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror?

Initially Ash, later Sal as well! Whenever one of them has to leave early in the morning, they leave a note behind in the post shower mirror fog.

-Buys the other cheesy gifts?

They both do it to make each other laugh!

-Initiated the first kiss?

Ash. The furthest Sal would go before then is probably having more and more moments sans prosthetic around her to sort of like... put the possibility out there. Like, the opportunity for a kiss is there, there's no physical barriers stopping it from happening, but he can never get the nerve up to capitalize on that. He just tells himself he's waiting for the right moment, one where he'll know This Is It, but his Universe, Send Me A Sign thing is really just him putting off what he wants to do cuz he's scared he'll fuck it up somehow.

This is not to say Ash doesn't have similar worries, she's just a lot more impulsive than he is. Her whole deal is do-first-internally-scream-WHY-THE-FUCK-DID-YOU-DO-THAT-later. She just sees a moment when they're hanging out together watching a movie, goes for it, and then freezes up right after pulling away because oh. Oh man. Ohhh, God.

The first thing she manages to say when she finally remembers how to do words again is "Sorry," which is promptly forgotten when Sal immediately pulls her into kisses two, three and four.

-Kisses the other awake in the morning?

Sal. He just randomly kisses Ash throughout the day whenever they're home together, and the day always starts with a 'Hey, wake up, I miss you' kiss. At some point Ash asks about it, and he says he's making up for every time he wanted to kiss her and didn't when they were younger.

-Starts tickle fights?

Ash. She usually wins, too!

-Asks the other if they can join them in the shower?

Ash is the one who straight up asks, Sal usually just kind of hints at it to see if she's up for that. He's like a vampire. If Ash wants him to join her in the shower she has to say, in words, that she wants him there and INVITE HIM.

-Surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch?

Both! Particularly when one or the other forgot to have breakfast that morning.

-Was nervous and shy on the first date?

BOTH, DEFINITELY BOTH, it just looks different on each of them, so they were both under the impression that the other person was being Totally Smooth And Normal About This, as if either has ever had an ounce of chill in their life.

-Kills/takes out the spiders?

Sal has a cold war policy with spiders where as long as they don't come anywhere near him but still stay within eyeshot, they can live. Ash claims this is allowing the spiders to force the two of them to live in fear, and gives all arachnids the choice of removal or death.

-Loudly proclaims their love when they're drunk?

Sal doesn't drink. Ash doesn't drink a ton, but when she does, their friends are all like 'Oh, Jesus, here we fuckin go...' because the only person who loves Sal Fisher more than Ashley Campbell is Drunk Ashley Campbell, and you WILL sit through her hour long speech about everything that makes him wonderful. She's grabbing your shirt. You cannot leave. You're both going to be here until Sal shows up to drag her away, or somebody walks by with steak fries they could be pestered into sharing.

[generaltrashshecox]

Wip List 2024

So I'm bored and just feeling bleh still so I decided to talk about all my wips that I'm working on currently! Inspired by my friend @punk-gremlin!!

Can You Make Me Believe in Tiring: I usually don't have titles for fics before I'm done but this one just works I feel it was perfect! (I also just had the song stuck in my head...) It's the fic I've been talking about where Anthony uses Damien as a way to cope with not having Ian while Damien is having his first crush on a man with him so it's all fucked up and confusing. I can't wait to finish it, honestly.

And If There's a God Then I'm Letting Him Go: another fic title after the same song but it's also the sequel to Temptation Touched My Tongue (Spread the Wings of Desire). Demon!Anthony wagers angel!Damien whose powers are stronger by using a human and seeing what sticks to him: light or dark. And they choose a man of the cloth for "Damien's advantage" but Anthony just wants to corrupt him. And who do they choose other than priest Ian!

Shian cheating fic: I've talked about this one before: Shayne and Ian are hanging out at the office working on a few things and Ian's stressed. His (secret) relationship with Anthony is rocky and Defy isn't making it any better and he's tired and overworked and hasn't had sex in weeks- Shayne tries to comfort him and one thing leads to another and then he's fucking him in the bean bag chair. Afterwards Ian feels guilty and runs away. Good stuff!

A Paradise Full of Lies: how could I forget my first posted shian fic? It's going through a bit of a rewrite (not changing the plot just making it read and feel a bit smoother and canon) so it's taking a while and I apologize but I'm hoping when it's done it'll be what you all are waiting for! It's gonna hurt I'm just gonna say that it hurts me 😭

Someone sees something they shouldn't fic: another one I talked about where someone sees Anthony and Damien being intimate without their knowledge. They're sweet and touchy feely and then when it gets a little too much the person leaves.

A fic where Damien and Anthony "accidentally" hang out alone together: aka the fic where their friends set up a hang out and then bail so Damien finally mans up. It's a bit awkward but they find they have a lot in common and it slowly becomes more comfortable for them. Fluff fluff fluff truly.

Pre-Smosh fic: a fic where Anthony and Damien meet before he works at Smosh and hits it off and one thing leads to another and they hook up. Idk just cute leather worker Damien and stressed about to leave due to defy Anthony I just find interesting!

Non-Smosh

So I got into a little show called Psych and fell in love (again...) So I had a few ideas I don't know if they'll ever come to fruition but I feel like writing them down (and if you've seen this on a different account... That's my side account 🫣🫣)

Gus Walks Into the Bank au: an au where it's not some random guy that gets caught up in the mess but an actual terrifying bank robbery and Shawn is scared shitless. He does everything to get inside and takes matters into his own hands (take like... Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark, the Yin/Yang trilogy, and Santabarbratown as how serious it is) and by the end of it he finally confesses to Gus.

Gus is Shawn's Babygirl Canon: not the name but a truth lol. Shawn calls Gus babygirl and he likes it a little too much... Embarrassingly so. And what does Shawn love if not to tease?

[contentcompendiumrw]

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) Thoughts

Five Nights at Fredrick Fazbear Bensons' was a film, in many ways carried by my immense, nine year long obsession with the franchise. I do think a lack of knowledge from the get go will hinder one's experience but, it's got such a different but same take on the story that mixes and matches so much, it comes out enjoyable in spite of its game and book counterparts.

The acting was really nice, I truly did feel bad for Mike throughout, and his relationship with Abby was, while strained, really cute. The decision to implement Vanessa who is, signifigantly different from the main games, helped in letting a story that, truly spans generations, flow together a bit more cohesively than it would have otherwise.

The practical effects were great, honestly. While the animatronics weren't, scary because, PG movie, I felt just the sights, sounds and feeling of the pizzaria and how visually great it was, made it worth the, very elongated wait (If you know you know)

I think my one main issue may, be the sound design of the film. It's not bad or anything, and all perfectly acceptable however, the FNAF games are so, audibly, overstimulating in a perfectly anxiety-enducing way. It's hard to describe, but most of the film was, pretty quiet, and the rest was, boo ahh loud noise. (Fuck Balloon Boy in particular. He felt like a joke that was accidentally left in)

As a stand alone movie there are some, holes in the story and progression. I think even just trying to make it five literal nights at Freddy's perhaps was more of a strain on the script writing than one would think but it had to be done, but, just as the games as stand alone titles feel incomplete, I have full faith that with the blessing of a full trilogy as planned it'll all come together and there are no, impossible questions, just enough for a cohesive trilogy narrative.

So yeah I kinda loved it. It wasn't scary but that's literally the last thing I, even expected (The animnatronics are cute as fuck and if you can't handle that you're not brave) I suppose if I had any advice for the sequels it would be to let, the genuinely tense bits breath a bit more, that may be why the audio feels so lacking to me, it felt very fast pacing-wise.

Well worth the watch as a long time fan and honestly my friend who knows very little still really enjoyed it so trust them, not me, if you're on the fence.

7/10

[planeoftheeclectic]

Oh, do tell more about "Columbo: Turnabout's Fair Play".

oh geez ok I don't know how much I can say because I have been trying so hard not to spoil the mystery but let's go.

There are a few people who know how it will end/what the twist is, most of whom don't care much about Ace Attorney and were unlikely to ever read it in the first place and one of whom cares negatively about spoilers. This is because I was very anxious that the twist leading to the break in the case was too contrived and I wanted an outside opinion.

This was because I began writing TFP before I finished playing Bridge to the Turnabout. All subsequent worries about "realism" and "physics" and "the laws of science" have since been summarily dismissed.

I am currently working on some things that are very close to what will go in the epilogue and I really can't say more than that or I'm worried you'll figure it out immediately. Suffice to say: I like mirroring.

In the past 24 hours I have discovered two musical themes from AA4 that I will absolutely be using as writing ambiance because they are exactly what I've been looking for. One is Phoenix's theme, one is ostensibly the Gramarye's theme but honestly might as well work for Phoenix, both are embedded below for your convenience.

Honestly, the name of that second one is perfect for Phoenix. Man I can't wait until we get there.

Hmmm...I think the only reason I can get away with writing this fic is because I am very good at mimicking other people's vocal patterns - to the point where I have come home from Shakespeare plays speaking in iambic pentameter. (In fairness, that's less hard than it sounds - English is made for that kind of thing.) But Peter Falk is so integral to the concept of Columbo that if you can't nail his patter, your work is just going to be missing something, imo.

Hmm, what else...I think you in particular will be delighted by the ending, which is why I had to stop talking about it with you the moment I realized what it was going to be lol. Which is infuriating because I love our talks and value your contributions so much but I can't and it's driving me insane ahhhhhhhh!! That said! I relish the look on your face when you finally get there, and that expression (multiplied by the other people who read it, which is way more than I expected when I first posted it tbh) is what keeps me going. It's going to be so good. I can't wait. Why isn't it done yet. What do you mean I have to write it first.

I'm still desperately tempted to write the alternative setup I initially proposed, aka "Maya Fey hires her friend the retired detective to get those idiots together it's been like 20 years guys, geez." I probably will write it as totally separate from TFP but man can you imagine.

If I ever write the jokingly hypothetical Klapollo sequel it will be after we've finished at least aa4 and possibly the whole sequel trilogy. Which is probably for the best, given I have palutena trap to work on. That said, I've grown exceptionally fond of Klavier. Possibly because I keep murdering his brother and making horrible things happen to him. ...Sorry about that, buddy.

I somewhat doubt that Phoenix has an official breakdown sprite (excluding the head-on-desk and nervous sweating varieties) but I need to start picturing it, because that scene is coming up sooner than I can imagine. And also farther away. But at least there's only one more Edgeworth chapter forecast. That should help contain their combined loquacious verbosity to a manageable length.

I may have said this before, but I am trying very hard to write everything from the narrative point of view of the TV camera. That's defining chapter breaks, POV's. information delivered, and general tone. It's very fun, and an excellent writing exercise. I get whiplash whenever I go back to palutena trap, which has a much more standard 3rd person limited view (the character's). I would definitely recommend this sort of thing if you want to experiment with your writing style!

Hmm, now for a fun fact to end it on...well, this isn't TFP specific, but I'd like to imagine that Gumshoe is on vacation at a beach somewhere and brought one of his metal detectors and finds a buried treasure chest that is for once not connected to a murder and so he strikes it rich and can finally retire to live a life of luxury eating slightly fancier instant ramen and that's why we never see him after the 7-year gap.

[linkspooky]

*comes crashing down from your celling*

I heard you like Spider-man, hehehe…

*pulls out whiteboard with all the spider-movies*

Got any opinions on the original trilogy? My fav from that trilogy is the third one due to how bat-shit insane it got. It’s always such a fun time to watch a burning train wreck, hehe.

What about the Amazing Spider-man movies? Opinions on the Tom Holland trilogy? I think the third one sort of dropped the ball character development wise but that’s probably just me.

Oh! What’s your opinion on “Into the Spider-verse”?! Personally that’s my favorite one out of all of them. Albeit, I am bias since I do have a soft spot for animated films.

*pulls microphone out of nowhere and points it at you*

Well?

The original spiderman movies are what got me into comics in the first place. I would probably be a normal human being if I never saw them.

Opinions on the original trilogy: These are going to be bullet points since I have a lot of them but no cohesive thoughts.

Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson is really good? People don't tend to like her, and I don't get why besides "she gets kidnapped." Well, sorry she's not a black belt in Kung Fu. Mary Jane is just the best comic book love interest of all time and the reason why is that she's her own person outside of Peter. Her life does not revolve around him. She is the girl next door, she is outgoing, she is confident, she's Peter's friend, but she doesn't just wait around for him. Mary Jane in these movies embody that because she is Peter's next door neighbor but has an entire life outside of him, her father is terrible and she wants to get out of the house, she wants to be an actor but she's bad at it, when Peter doesn't want to commit she dates other men. The upside down kiss is one of the most romantic scenes of all time you can't see this movie does a bad job of making their relationship work.

I think they should have cast someone else besides James Franco for Harry, but they also got the character right with how poorly his father treats him and how obviously Norman favors Peter.

Willem De Foe's Norman Osborne is perfect, the Green Goblin personality slowly taking over makes him such a compelling character but Norman wasn't even that great of a person to begin with he makes weapons for the military and yet he's super sympathetic as he loses his mind.

Otto Octavius is just the best. I honestly like the movie's take on Otto Octavius more than the comics one, and you can tell it had an impact because Insomniac's Spiderman game he's way more like movie Otto.

The Sam Raimi films are like the only marvel movie that actually feels like a comic book movie. Spiderman saves people! I don't understand why that's so hard to get right.

Venom sucks. I genuinely do not get why people like venom so much. If they had just let Raimi do the storyline with Sandman (the only compelling villain character) and Harry returning as Goblin we would have had a good movie. I also don't think the third movie is that bad, because the non-venom parts are good.

Tobey Macguire is the best spiderman. Spiderman is supposed to be unattractive and uncharismatic. I like Andrew Garfield too, but I'm like "This is not a kid who gets bullied in High School." They kept trying to make him younger and more hip.

Amazing Spiderman

This isn't the Spiderman I grew up on so I have less thoughts about it.

Andrew Garfield's spiderman is good no complaint there, but the whole trying to make a conspiracy theory about why Peter's parents died was just dumb. There's no conspiracy there the whole point of Peter Parker is he's just some guy.

Spiderman 2 suffers from the same problem as Spiderman 3. You just can't shove too many villains in the same movie, it loses all focus.

The villains aren't good. I think Jamie Foxx does a good performance though, I'm just not really into Electro.

Gwen Stacy, one of my other favorite comic book love interests (Gwen is a really good character she just dies) is done well in this one, and her chemistry with Peter is off the charts. There are people who think she should not have died, I think it was just rushed. If they wanted to make Electro the villain of the second movie they should have let their take on Green Goblin have his own movie. There's just so much rushed decisions in these movies they kind of feel like they were made so Sony could keep the license.

Spiderman Disney / Marvel Movies

The first two are just bad. Connecting Peter Parker to Tony Stark just doesn't work and ruins the character. He's the FRIENDLY NEIGHBHORHOOD SPIDERMAN what is this boy doing hanging out with the avengers? That being sad...

Zendaya's MJ is amazing. Proof you don't need a 1:1 adaptation of the character. She's just got charisma and she calls Peter out on his shit, and once again what makes MJ a good character is she is entirely her own person outside of Peter.

Ned is a really good friend to Peter too.

No Way Home is the only one in this trilogy I like, and surprise surprise it's a fanservice movie with fans of the previous movies and returning actors. However, this is the only one that feels like a Spiderman movie because it's all about the fact that Spiderman saves people. The whole conflict of the movie revolves around the fact if there is a chance to save his villains, Peter will take it. Also OTTO AND NORMAN OSBORNE. The ending scene of the movie where Peter chooses helping a sick man over taking personal vengeance against him is the only Marvel movie that actually feels like a superhero movie. Becuase one more time SUPERHEROES SAVE PEOPLE. I don't get why that's hard.

INTO THE SPIDERVERSE

I actually think these are the best too, but once again I didn't grow up on them, and Miles isn't my area of expertise (I stopped reading spiderman comics before he became a thing but I'm planning on picking them up soon).

Spidergwen x MIles Morales is my ship. There's so many iconic scenes in this movie, the leap of faith, the part where his father tells him about the spark (that literally had me crying).

I know spidergwen is a thing in the comics but this Gwen just goes to show that Gwen Stacy is a good character on her own. It's not even the superpowers, she's just spunky, has a lot of personality, self confident likes to tease miles but is still a teenager dealing with a lot of grief and loss (part of original gwen's character too).

SHE'S A SUNFLOWER, I THINK HER LOVE WILL BE TOO MUCH.

The nuance of Miles Morales as a character, he's literally just a mixed race kid in a special private school who doesn't really want to be there because it's a high pressure environment. He's a super complex character and that's where the emotional stakes of his character come from. THe fact he has super powers is kind of secondary.

Peter B Parker, Miles, and Spider-Gwen are all amazing characters. Though part of me wishes they wouldn't try to shove every single alternate universe spiderman ever in these movies, because I'm eternally worried the sequel is going to suffer from trying to keep too many balls in the air juggling. (Spiderham, spidernoir, and penny are already kind of pointless in the first movie).

KINGPIN!!! no comment there I just like him.

[casspurrjoybell-24]

The Alpha's Beta - Chapter 11 - Part 1

BOOK ONE: The Alpha's Trilogy

*Warning Adult Content*

Julianna Grace Rose-Phoenix - Part 1

Beta Darren Phoenix

Darren sat down in his normal spots as I stood behind Quinton.

He pressed a few buttons on his computer screen before it lights up into a picture of my front door.

He hits another button and the picture appeared on the near by projection screen.   

Elis sat beside Simon, who had his eyes clued on he's cell-phone up until the picture showed up on the screen.   

The numbers at the bottom of the screen said it was 11:45pm on April 24th.

The house looked black and white with only the yellow shine of a near by street lamp.

The seconds on the screen slowly started to tick by, when Quinton pressed play.   

We all watched as the front door of my house opened and a dark figure with a hood over there face stepped out.

'How cliché' I thought as I watched the person turn to walk down the stairs and then kneel down onto the ground and shifted into a medium sized dog.   

Not a wolf, a dog, a brown coated greyhound to be exact.

It turned around and grabbed it's clothes into its mouth before trotting off down the road.   

The camera angle shifts, as it walked along the sidewalk and then into the woods.

"Well?" I asked after I waited a few minutes for the camera to shift into the woods but didn't.   

"The camera's from the woods keep being shut off," Quinton says, as he turns his computer on sleep, making the room turn dark before the lights are switched on.  

"So, are we dealing with shifters?" Ellis asks, crossing his arms over his chest.  

"I've seen that dog before," Darren says, typing on he's computer.

"The day you were 'kidnapped' it was walking down the road, then yesterday afternoon, I was leaving the house to go into town, it was sitting outside my house."

He pulls up a picture of the dog, shown from a surveillance camera, walk in sector two .  

"So, we're dealing with shifters that like to mimic stay dogs, wear hoods and have no scent and have hacking skills? I seriously feel like a camera crew is going to pop out and scream' punk'd' at us."

I groan putting my face in my hands.

Honestly of all the crap to happen to one pack, it had to be ours.

"Hey Silas?" Simon pipes in quietly looking at me nervously as he figures with he's fingers.

I nod for him to continue and he takes a deep breath.

"When 'they' died, didn't 'he' say there was no trace of smell coming from the woods. Like no forum of scents? Could... could these be the same people again?"   

I freeze and notice everyone else 'besides Darren' in the room tense as well.

Simon has a point.

What kind of pack would just attack us once and be done with us.

Kill twenty people and not come back for more.

It makes sense for them to come back now, one Alpha was already drove mad by them, why not another.   

I stand up from the chair I was sitting in and pace the room.

"We have to be ready. They were able to plant bombs in our woods without us knowing once before. Ellis, I want your hunters and guards to be in the woods at all time. Have a group go out sometime today and check the grounds. Also I'll need someone to call Tyler and have her and some trackers go to my house and see if anythings missing. I'll of course help them out. Oh... for fuck sake."

I hit myself in the head when I remember the note on the nightstand.

I pull it out of my pocket and set it on the table beside me.

Which just so happens to be the one next to Darren.

"I found this when I woke up. I can't believe I forgot about it."

I pick it up again and unfold it.   

Round 3   

"Round Three," I read out loud, so everyone can hear.

I furrow my brows in confusion.

Round 3

What does that even mean?

Darren snatches the note from my hand and looks it over before handing it to Darcy.

"Analyze the hand writing. Then send it Victors lab and have Ryan look at it. As of this moment we can expect an ambush at any minute. We need to get every body ready for this."

"But what's round three? Who was round one if it wasn't Samantha and Raylin?" Elis asks, making Symon and I flinch at our mother and sisters names.   

"My mother," Darren says as he stands up.

Before anyone can say anything he walks out of the room and I can only assume he's going upstairs.   

"Darcy," I say, after a few shocked seconds of silence.

"Get me everything you can on Julianna Phoenix's death, now please," I demand more then ask.  

She nods as she starts typing into her computer after about a minute she clears her throat and everyone looks towards her.

"Julianna Grace Rose-Phoenix died at the age of one hundred and forty-six years old, she told her mate, Jeremy. That she was going for a walk in the woods and she would be back by dinner so they could eat as a family and bathe there then three year old Darren. When Julianna hadn't arrived home by the time Darren was put to bed, Jeremy had then Alpha Rodrick watch Darren as he went to look for her."

"She was found uncurious by Summer Set Lake at 10:25 that night, she was pronounced dead at 11:30pm. Toxicologist's results show no drugs in her system besides prescribed anti-depressants that she had been on for a good while. Her and Jeremy had a series of miscarriage's over the past 100 or so years and they took a toll on her and after she gave birth she experienced postpartum depression. Her death was ruled accidental by Dr. Naomi West."   

I nod along to her voice taking in all the information. I could see where Darren was coming from but there was no viable proof that his mother was the first one to be killed by, well who ever this was.   

I dismiss this meeting, asking Quinton and Darcy to keep looking into everything they find.

Ellis goes off to get Tyler while Simon heads home.

While they all go on there way I make my way to Jeremy's house for the second time today and cross my fingers, hoping that he's home this time. 

[misteria247]

I'm gonna be honest here:

The Mario movie actually looks really nice. Despite Illumination being known for the somewhat cheap animation it's got (which isn't necessarily bad mind you) you can tell that the studio actually put a lot of effort into the movie just from the trailer alone. You can see the difference in their budget and the passion that the animators have in just the two minutes alone like I was shocked.

The VAing is surprisingly good! Jack Black as Bowser threw me for a loop because I didn't even recognize him! It was only after he'd did the little chuckle and said:

"I do not."

That I caught his voice and realized that it was him. He's done an incredible job with the character and I can't wait to see him in the movie!!!

Chris Pratt on the other hand......

Look I don't know the actor very well other than he's in the Marvel and Jurassic World trilogy but as soon as I heard him talk and say:

"What is this place?"

I couldn't help but feel like he just.....didn't care about his role. It felt like it wasn't Mario at all. Even my mom who's not a fan of video games and only knows the basics of them due to me and my siblings talking to her about, had said that he just wasn't Mario and the voice didn't fit the character. (She also said the same thing when the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer was released and she saw his first design before it was fixed. She literally took one look and said "That's not Sonic.")

Like that says a lot.

Personally I think if Chris Pratt wants to make this work he'd actually have to put a little bit of effort into his role. Or else it just won't really work. That or the studio and Nintendo get a new VA who's more excited to voice Mario.

But other than the voice for our favorite red Italian plumber I gotta say that everything else looks and sounds really good!!! The scenery is phenomenal and stunning and colorful just like the video games and the character's designs look so good and well done!! Honestly kinda excited to see what the movies like when it comes out next year!!! (They better not massacre my boys because like Sonic they deserve some respect as well).

Anyways those are my personal thoughts.

[bemtevis]

So I saw a bunch of Matthew asks and I have some thoughts. One of the things that annoys me the most about Matthew is what he could have been. Matthew could have been a complex character with an interesting arc showing him recovering from his alcoholism growing from his past, forgiving Alastair and also apologizing for the things that he did at the academy, and ending the series in a way better place than he starts. However instead CC just said 'ah yes another Jace/Will clone in a love triangle, and give him basically no development between coi and cot. He doesn't change at all, unless you count being 12 times worse in coi, and I'm betting that cot will end with matthew somehow magically being cured of Alcoholism and Matthew being basically the same character. Honestly if CC did give him more of an arc (I know that cot isn't out yet and that she might still give him a satisfying ending, but I'm 99% sure that cot won't be satisfying and that Matthews character will be handled badly) and showed him changing and becoming a better person than I wouldn't mind how Matthew acts at the academy and during chog, and coi, like he can be a shitty guy at first if he changed and grew as a character across tlh, however that does not seem to be happening. It honestly makes me upset the amount of wasted potential with Matthew, and basically the other queer characters in tlh. Like at this point CC is basically just using the queer characters to get representation brownie points. None of the queer characters have a role in the plot, unless you count a few pages of fight scenes or them helping the main characters for a few pages, before disappearing again, because appearly you can't have more than 5 pages of queer people a book. Also none of them really seem to have much thought put into them. It seems like well writing tlh CC was thinking 'ah yes i will put a shit ton of queer rep in this series,' and then just took five seconds each to come up with actually characters. Like, Matthew = Alcoholic Jace. Thomas = Nice Guy. Anna = Heartbreaker Lesbian who wears suits. Like it honestly hurts to think of what tlh could have been and what all the characters could have been. Sorry for how ridiculously long this is.

Ok, I'm breaking this into two points first. Thank you for the ask and don't worry about it being long, I loved answering it :3

What Matthew could have been:

I know right! I don't think I would ever like him even if his arc was well done, he just doesn't seem like the character I could love. Buuuut that wouldn't have stopped me from admiring his character development or from being happy he's healed. It was never gonna happen tho 😔

He's gradually getting worst with each book, it's confirmed he's gonna make a move on Cordelia in Paris. Can't wait to find out whatever bullshit he has prepared for us /s

CC will probably pull the ‘Love cures mental illness’ trope on Matthew, and I shouldn't have to clarify on how ableist that is *sigh* did we expect more?

I spoke a bit about his supposed arc in CHOT here :D

Wasted potential of the queer characters:

I know right!! She and her stans brag about the amount of queer characters in TLH, which isn't even that high. It doesn't have to be, just stop congratulating yourself for the bare minimum!

None of them have any weight on the plot, they're just there as a supportive cast and they barely do that! Do you ever just stop and think about the unimportance of Thomas' trial? About what even was Matthew's role in CHOI? About how most of the main cast has never even talked to Kamala? They mean less than nothing to the story.

Oh, speaking of annoying tropes, you forgot!

Alastair: CC's misinterpretation of what a mean gay is.

Kamala: Heartbreaker Lesbian's side bitch.

Matthew's potential novella:

Tbh I'd rather him having a novella than having to read about him in the trilogy. I can just not read it, you know? And it makes sense for CC to write it, but JFC, if that happens, I am gonna attempt putting an entire spoon inside my own ear. I feel like that'd be better for my health, therapeutic even /j

[fuzzy-melonlord]

28-40 for honeydew and gemma 👀 - asher

Okay so some of these when we get to Gemma made me a bit sad T^T. i love these two so much tho, omg. also tagging you to make it easier for you to spot lol @ofthecosmos

aaaaahhhh let's gooo. imma start with Honeydew.

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? - No, Honeydew is a reporter and thus strives to hear the truth from everyone. PLUS they may or may not have had a lying ex.

29. Do they usually live up to their own ideals? - Yeah, they're pretty confident in their ability to hold up their ideals. Even when they don't live up to them they tend to try and act like it doesn't bother them.

30. Who do they most regret meeting? - Their ex before Xavier. She was a scumbag.

31. Who are they most glad to have met? - They love being cheesy so they consider it to be Xavier. He is one of their best friends now, on top of being their boyfriend and he's just...made them so happy.

32. Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? - not really? they're a big listener so they have a tendency to ask other people about their stories rather than tell their own.

33. Could they be considered lazy? - absolutely not. they are always on the move or doing some project. 24/7 the grind is on. To the extent of overworking theirself.

34. How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? - Not too hard. Mostly because if they realize they've done something that they need to feel guilty for then they make sure to talk about it with the wronged party and try to figure out some way to make it up to them.

35. How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? - They try to be? They'll let their friend talk about whatever thing has them excited and they try to give inputs into the conversation as well. They're pretty good at pretending they know what they're talking about even if they don't know the subject matter (reporter quirk)

36. Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? - They wait. Honeydew feels that if romance is supposed to happen to them, then it will. and it did. They felt feelings for Xavier and they told him and boom, romance.

37. Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc?) - you know those little note pads you see noir detectives using, yeah they have one of those. and they write down SO MANY THINGS. They don't have a terrible memory but the things they write down are to guarantee they'll remember them. They usually shorten words by taking out the vowels in their notes so sometimes they're the only one who can understand it.

38. What memory do they revisit the most often? - It's a memory from their childhood. Their mom and dads took them to go see the og spider-man trilogy in theatres. They became obsessed with the movies and the spider-man series in general. So whenever they get stumped with their writing or if they think about giving up reporting they think about their hero. J. Jonah Jamison, the dude who inspired them in the first place. Because while is is fucking extreme, he did just want the truth and when it mattered he showed he had a good heart. and that's how Honeydew wants to be.

39. How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? - Not all that easy but easy at the same time. They see them, oh 100% they see them, it is literally their job to observe people and they notice little things. but they don't say anything about them because if it's not bothering them or hurting them then it doesn't matter to them.

40. How sensitive are they to their own flaws? - depends on the day honestly. Most days they're fine with their flaws, they embrace them. But on days where they're having trouble writing an article or they just can't find the information they need, it becomes harder and harder and they kind of spiral when that happens.

Now we go to Gemma!

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? - That's hard to say, because Gemma feels like they would be a hypocrite if they say they hate lies because...well she lies when she's embarrassed. She doesn't mean to but it just happens. But she would prefer an unpleasant truth.

29. Do they usually live up to their own ideals? - nooooo, Gemma is a perfectionist and is extremely hard on herself. So she feels she's always coming up short even when she's trying her hardest.

30. Who do they most regret meeting? - In middle school, she had this friend who she found out had just been her friend so that they could make fun of her with others. Which is a part of the reason why she is so slow to trust. That person is who she regrets meeting the most.

31. Who are they most glad to have me? - Xavier. He's her best friend and he's stuck by her through soooo much and he's never treated her like she was a burden or a problem. He just cares, and Gemma (platonically) loves him for that. A close second is Huxley.

32. Do they have a go-to story in conversation? or a joke? - Not really, Gemma doesn't really do social interactions all that well. But if she ever does and a situation came up, she would absolutely tell the story about how Xavier tried to jump over her fence back when they were in grade school and how he not only ripped his pants on the top of the fence but somehow fell into the pool in her backyard.

33. Could they be considered lazy? - kind of? She'll have days on end where she doesn't get out of bed and before she and Hux started dating, Xavier would have to come over just to make sure she got up to eat and shower. but that's less lazy and more overwhelmed.

34. How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? - Impossibly so. if she's guilty about something it's gonna be months maybe even years until she feels less guilty about it. It's really hard for her to let things go. The first time she met Lasko she scared him on accident and she still feels terrible about it.

35. How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? - Just like Honeydew, she tries to be. she likes seeing the way her (very few) friends eyes light up when they're excited about something. Which is probably why she's gone on so many hikes with Huxley despite not really enjoying the hobby herself. but he just gets so happy when she goes, she'll never say no if it makes one of her friends happy.

36. Do they activly seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? - Oh boy they wait. soooo long. They honestly never expected to be in a romantic relationship. They're in their fourth year at D.A.M.N before they get with Hux and even then they weren't looking for that. it just happened.

37. Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? - Oh yes, so with things and orders she has a label maker and she labels everything with it's name and a number so she know what order it needs to go in. When she can't label something she will just...repeat the thing in her head for as long as she can so that she can try and remember it. it doesn't always work but she tries.

38. What memory do they revisit the most often? - So, she hates it but anytime she gets anxious she will remember that old friend of her the one who was only pretending to be her friend. it's not a good thing to remember and it usually sends her into a spiral of negative thoughts, thinking that the people closest to her are just going to do the same thing.

39. How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? - Not so easy, especially if the flaw is something like compulsive lying. she keeps an eye out on those flaws as a way to protect herself from getting hurt. but it's also the biggest reason why she struggles to make friends.

40. How sensitive are they to their own flaws? - oh boi pretty damn sensitive. it is...not good in the mental health department here. She knows her flaws and she wishes she could get rid of them, thinking that if she didn't have them then she wouldn't be as lonely.

[marinerainbow]

I'm so happy and relieved you love these!!! I've been wanting to chat about these gals for so long XD I'd be happy to tell you more about how I imagine that night going down with Poppy too! It might be better if I actually wrote it out like a drabble, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to get it done in a reasonable amount of time 😅

Omg omg ok here's my reply to your imagine- and a few more to offer you!

For that Shiny, Lottie, and Rena one? Yes. Shiny would see that bitch walk into her joint and not like the way she looks. Granted, they don't even know she's Lottie's mom, but if Rena tried to take control of Shiny's club like you suggested that one time? Shiny would hate her guts already. But then this floozy waltzes right up to her neice and claims she's her mother?? And that they need to talk??? Seriously!? Now she wants to talk? Shiny doesn't share Poppy's hope that Rena genuinely couldn't take care of Lottie like the letter said, and she can smell that wench's selfish intentions from a mile away.

As much as she'd want to, Shiny would stand back and wait to see what Lottie would do. Let the girl be a badass like you said- but would be ready to jump in if Lottie got nervous facing her mother. If Rena still persisted though, Shiny would be right there to back Lottie up, "Are you deaf and stupid, you damn whore?? She told you to leave!" And after Rena left (whether she left on her own or the girls drove her out), Shiny would encourage Lottie to forget her and not to let Rena ruin her night.

Ohhhhh hoho. If Rena showed up while Lottie was little??? Regardless if this was before or after Lottie decided she didn't care for her mother, Shiny would not hesitate. She's grabbing the frying pan. I'm probably still in the Firefly Trilogy mindset, but I'm just imagining Rena is trying to scare Shiny, and she's replying with Otis' Mark Twain line.

Since we brought Shiny in this, I offer Poppy's reactions too; if Poppy saw Rena when Lottie as an adult... Yes, a tiny tiny part of her is hoping that Rena is a good person and was just trying to look out for her daughter. But at the same time, over the years, Poppy has been coming to terms with the fact that Rena probably just didn't care. No attempts on her part to reach out despite knowing where Lottie could be. No calls. Nothing. What kind of mother does that?? So when Rena walks right up, this nasty looking woman claiming to be Lottie's mother, Poppy is already on guard- but let's Lottie make the choice. Ultimately, it's her choice if she wants to talk to her mother. If not, then Poppy will support her and try to shoo Rena away herself (she doesn't want Lottie to be hurt with an encounter with her mum), "She doesn't want to see you. You need to respect her wishes."

If Rena still persisted, then Poppy would be getting much more defensive, cold and angry like if Psycho's parents came back. Even though she knows Lottie is tough, she'd still get in front of her and try to fight this battle for her neice. Granted, against Rena, Poppy would absolutely lose if it became physical- and Rena is meaner than shit, too XD but I think we all know by now that if you touch Poppy, you gotta face the rest of the family. And yes, Poppy would be hugging Lottie and asking multiple times if she was ok after the encounter. Reminding her that it's ok to talk this out, etc. Honestly, it sounds like Poppy is the one who's more scared here then Lottie. She just wants her neice to be ok.

If Poppy was babysitting kid!Lottie when Rena showed up? I can... Kinda see her being slightly being more receptive to the woman, despite the hairs on her neck standing up. It looks like Lottie's mother is finally able to reach out...? We should encourage?? Though it wouldn't be long before Poppy caught onto Rena's ugly nature and her lack of love for Lottie, and Poppy jumps straight to the defensive for the little one.

(Goooodddd we need to talk about Poppy, Rena, and Shiny interacting sometime. I want Rena to bully Poppy XD)

Omg omg omg!!! Poppy would feel so happy and honored that Lottie really thinks she's that cool! She really doesn't see how she can be cool, despite everyone else telling her otherwise, ("I'm just a quiet seamstress. There's nothing special about me." *a sound of running footfalls heading towards Poppy's way getting louder and louder at an alarming rate*). She just- she just hugs Lottie and tells her how sweet she is and how proud Poppy is in her ^^

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Shiny and Lottie have absolutely fine-tuned a silent language between them by now. Consisting of eyebrow wiggles, nose twitches, and eye expressions. Like- like this video right here, is what I'm imagining Lottie and Shiny communicating with while Greasy is watching his movie, completely unaware that a full-blown conversation is happening right behind him XDDD

Oh... oh my god. My heart. If I had the energy tonight, I would have written a mini-excerpt on what Poppy does. But basically, she'd be at a total loss of what to do. She wants to give the baby hope that her mother does want her, but what if that's false? What if Smartass' tuition is true?? And- LOTTIE THINKS SHE IS HER MOTHER???? Aa much as Poppy knows Psycho would love for her to believe that, Poppy knows she's gotta tell the truth. And one thing is for certain; Smartass isn't getting outta this one easily, "Will you excuse daddy and I for a moment, sweetie?" "Whatcha me-" *grabs him by the arm and drags him to the hallway* "JESUS WOMAN!-"

Poppy and Smartassare having a very rushed, very whispered conversation on what to tell Lottie XD because he needs to be involved in this!!! Poppy can't answer this on her own. And she will gather the momma strength to grab Smartass' arm and keep him in place if he tries to walk off. Then, when they both are ready (or Lottie gets suspicious and just goes looking for them), Poppy will guide Smarty back in the kitchen and they both can answer Lottie's question. I'm certain they both can agree despite their differing views on Rena that they don't want Lottie to be hurting over this ^^

Ok ok this is taking me way too long to answer. Let me get onto my other imagines Stat!

Poppy absolutely makes Lottie clothes. Especially as a baby (I imagine that her birthday gift to Lottie on her first birthday was a mini set of homemade onesies, all specially made ^^ Shiny would have gotten her a lion picture book for her love of the Cowardly Lion in Oz). Though she'll still surprise Lottie with a new scarf or a pair of gloves as an adult ^^ she always sticks to Lottie's tastes, too. So Lottie won't have to worry about getting like some cutesy sweater Poppy would like for her to wear or something.

Imagine these women helping Lottie prepare for womanhood! They both educate the boys on this stuff, too, so Lottie will be able to get the support she needs from her father and unkles as well. But like, shopping for her first bra or talking about the finer points of the monthly cycle? I'm certain the weasels wouldn't be wusses about this and help her out as much as possible, but sometimes it's just nice to have another woman or two to share your strife with XD ^^

What if Lottie sometimes hung out at their workplaces? Like if Smarty and the gang are out doing work around town by the time Lottie gets out of school, or on the weekend. Granted, Lottie shouldn't be going inside Shiny's club until she's grown (though Shiny would let her stay in her dressing room if she showed up. Get her something from the kitchen and let her coworkers know what's up so they know to leave Lottie alone- though some of Shiny's coworkers might want to go see the little baby themselves XD), so Poppy's workplace is where Lottie would go to the most. Poppy sees her and just smiles, "Oh, hello dear. Your father and uncles are out, then?" And let the little weasel hang around the store. She knows Lottie won't cause a mess, and it's actually quite nice having her around, too ^^ as long as her body doesn't catch her paying less attention to her work.

Kind of an angsty one, but; what if an enemy of Smartass' knew about Lottie?? Like a rival gang member? Whether as a kid or an adult, and was planning on trying to use or hurt her to get to him? Poppy would insist on Lottie staying with her while the TP handles things (it'd be too risky at Shiny's place with her relationship with the weasels being more public). Shiny comes over as well, just in case the guy or one of his goons shows up. Poppy and Shinh try their best to keep Lottie distracted, putting on movies and cooking up her favorite dinner, but the air is heavy with the fact that things are serious tonight.

And those are my other thoughts!! We have much to discuss, I see XDD

Technically this isn't Toon Patrol-centric, however since we've explored Poppy's and Shiny's relationship with Lottie in other AU's, I think it's high time we talked about the gals in OG universe (if you want to of course ^^)

Of course, Lottie is your OC, so whether these are canon on her/your end is all up to you. But here are my thoughts if you'd like;

I think how the girls found out about Charlotte depends on their relationship with the weasels by the time she was left on their doorstep. I got three possible scenarios depending on how tight knit they are with the group.

If Shiny and Poppy didn't know the TP at all... Well they wouldn't know about Lottie until after they gained the boys' trust. Simple as that XD

If the weasels were just starting to come around to the gals, then it probably took a week or two for them to tell Poppy and Shiny. Both because they are still getting used to these two women in their lives, and also because Smartass became a father in one night. They all need a bit of time to adjust XD

If the girls are actually dating Psycho and Greasy, then oh hell yeah, they know right away. I can picture Greasy actually going to call Shiny's work place just before going back to bed and telling her that something pretty big happened, and he'll explain more in the morning like the gossiping bitch he is XD. Poppy also gets the same call in the morning- possibly by Smartass asking her about his list in case he's missinv something... though, ngl I've had an imagine in my head that I've wanted to write where Poppy was actually in Psycho's bed the night Lottie was brought into the house, and she's basically there for the entire thing (Waking up with a shriek when Smartass fires out his front door, following Psycho downstairs despite how very concerned she is about seeing a body, seeing a baby on the porch instead, etc). Though I don't want to impede on your fanfiction and world of course ^^

You and I both know that Poppy is offering her services as much as possible. For one, she loves kids! She'd be happy to help out ^^ and two, she uh... She loves her friends and boyfriend. She really does! But uh... She is also aware of the fact that they may not be the best prepared for a baby XD oh, and just like Stu, Smarty's, and Wheezy's mums, Poppy calls just to check up on Lottie. Psycho gets to know how his boss and comrades feel XD she might come off a bit smothering with how much she tries to help, and I wouldn't be surprised if Smartass actually wound up snapping at her at one point, but she dies truly mean well.

Shiny... Well, this isn't like a deal breaker thing between her and Grease. But she is pretty shocked about all this. After she gets her laugh out (*looks at baby Lottie* *looks at each individual weasel before landing on Smartass* "So, who's the mama~?" "Why'd you ask me first!?"). She's gotta hand it to Smartass for not shipping the kid off to a foster house, that's for certain. But it is going to take her some time to used to the fact that there is a b a b y in the house now. She may not even hold Lottie at first because holy shit, that is a tiny, brand-new-to-the-world weasel. In this house. I can kind of see her being hesitant to hold Lottie similar to how Robin was to hold Lilly and Marshall's baby in HIMYM. Though eventually, she got to hold Lottie for the first time... And she didn't give her back for almost two hours XD

As much as Poppy loves Lottie... She also doesn't approve of Psycho just claiming her as his/their own XD she'd be helping Smartass try to reign Psycho in as much as possible.

Of course, since Smartass is the father, he's supposed to be the one taking care of all the paperwork related to the baby (like getting Lottie into school), I can't help but think about them going to Poppy a lot for this stuff since she is the legal friend XD she doesn't like- pretend to be Lottie's real parent at PTA meetings, but Smartass has asked her on what would be the legal course of action to deal with annoying PTA mums before. Just- how to act the part of a civilian father XD

Shiny hanging out with Lottie when she's 'arrested' by the Toon Patrol!! She's gotta stay inside their house for a certain amount of time before she's 'bailed out' and can rejoin society, so why not?? She and the little rugrat will get into loads of trouble with Lottie's plotting mind and Shiny's experience and willingness to cover for her neice. Greasy and Smartass won't know peace XD

If Poppy and Roger are related, oh you know she's the bridge between the weasels and the Rabbits. Next to Lottie and Ritchie, of course XD she's trying to get Greasy to leave Jessica a l o n e ("She is a married woman, Greasy!! The mother of your neices' best friend!!"), and she will tackle-hug Psycho when he's chasing her cousin around at family outings. Meanwhile, Shiny is just kicking back with the kids and enjoying the crazy show, ("Man, you're guys' families are insane, huh? Wanna go get ice cream before people realize you're related to them?")

When Lottie joined the navy, Poppy was absolutely crying proud, we'll-miss-you-so-much tears on the dock. And telling Lottie to take care of herself and take it as easy as she can (despite... You know, going into the navy XD). Shiny was also proud and sentimental, but she didn't cry or fret. She just gave Lottie one final hug and told her to kick ass on that ship ^^ and that when she got home, they all were definitely having a fun girls night to help her relax the military driven mindset she'll develop.

That's all I can think if at the moment unfortunately. But I hope you like these and that I didn't overstep ^^ feel free to ignore of course ^^

You are absolutely not overstepping, I loved waking up to this! :D :D :D

First of all, I love the idea of Poppy being there with Psycho the night Lottie was dropped off!! I would love to hear more about that if you have thoughts!!! 💛💥💕💛💥💕!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Omg- Shiny finally holding Lottie and then not letting her go for hours? XD Ahhh, that is so so so cute!! XDD And MAN- Poppy's and Shiny's responses to Lottie joining the navy are so so sweet and my heart is so so warm !!

!!! I want to add stuff, I hope thats okay!! ^^ Here are some imagines/thoughts I've had with Lottie, Poppy and Shiny.

Imagine one day Rena turns up to see Adult!Lottie, and Smartass isn't around. And Poppy isn't around. And Stupid isn't around. And Wheezy's not around- no one is there, except Shiny. If Poppy had been there then Lottie might have allowed Rena to come closer and talk to her (Though lord knows, Rena would have nothing good to say. Rena's the kinda mother to only come find her daughter if she needs a transplant or something.), but since she's at Shiny's bar with her Lottie feels absolutely no qualms in telling Rena to leave. Lottie's kind but she is her fathers daughter and she's tough as nails and, yes, she has a hateful side- and Rena is on it. And since its Shiny she's with, who she knows will encourage that if thats what she wants (No questions asked), she feels perfectly comfortable showing it. And Shiny doesn't pester her afterwards over whether she's okay or not, either. I just like the idea of Shiny allowing Lottie to be her tough, hard-ass self.

Imagine if Rena came when Lottie was little and Shiny was babysitting her. I need to know what you think Shiny would do/how she would react XD

Imagine Adult!Post-Navy!Lottie telling Poppy how cool she thinks she is and how much respect she has for her!! Cuz like- Lottie truly does think Poppy is an amazing amazing person and she has just as much respect for as she does for Smartass and thats saying something. She thinks much higher of her then any of her uncles, thats for sure. "Poppy you're literally the coolest, don't underestimate yourself." "I'm a quiet seamstress sweetie. I'm not tough like Shiny, or Smartass, or Greasy, or you- " "Hey. You're kinder then any of us and that is infinitely better then anything the rest of us have, trust me. Case closed." Lottie's voice is gentle but not to be argued with. Cuz my goodness, she has so much awe and respect for Poppy!! So so much!! She genuinely thinks Poppy is the coolest person XD Lottie has her priorities straight!

Imagine Teenage!Lottie sneaking out of her house to go on a date and Shiny and Greasy are supposed to be 'babysitting' her while the others are all out. Shiny catches sight of Lottie slipping past them in the dark while Greasy's engrossed in the movie in front of them and Lottie's eyes go wide. She points to the back of Greasy's head and holds a finger up to her mouth. Like stay. quiet. He will rat her out to her dad in a heartbeat. What happens next? XD

And a simple, fun (for us XD Not so much for Poppy 😅) one- Imagine Child!Lottie asking Poppy and Smartass together why she doesn't have a mummy. Imagine Child!Lottie asking Poppy if she's her mother. What does Poppy do when Smartass is just like... 'not it' and looks pointedly down at a newspaper? XD

[savrenim]

hi hi hi. so I just got into the Hamilton fandom, I swear I am four years late where did everybody go, and, well. I am apparently a hamburr shipper. bcs that is my life now. anyway I saw your fic ifmlam and I swear it is my favourite of all the fics I've ever read (and trust me I've read literally thousands). I love it so so much, how do you write fics like that??? I cried about four times during the whole thing, I stayed up till 4am reading it even when I had to wake up at 7 because it is just. that. good. I could not stop thinking about it for days afterwards and ifmlam has just ruined me. I can't think of listen to Hamilton without thinking of ifmlam anymore.

on to my qursttion: is it abandoned? of course it's perfectly FINE if it is. don't let anyone tell u differently, your fic is YOURS and u are amazing.

but pls I really need closure from ur fic, it has been haunting me if its abandoned or ongoing and I've read ur other fics and they are just chefskiss and thank you so much for writing them all. thank you thank you thank you, I will never be able to thank you enough for writing this fic and for everything it's done for me. I am probably thousands of miles away but I am sending you virtual jugs through a co.puter screen right now.

(don't feel pressured to reply to this or update it flam, I know how overwhelming it can get with so many messages and after a while u get desensitized to it. u can literally reply "thx. itfmlam is abandoned" and I would still be amazingly star struck. anyway has gotten way too long and I need to sleep and I'm sorry u probably won't see this so I'm just talking to myself right now but bye!!)

and thank you so so much for writing itfmlam.

aaaah hello anon!

thank you so so much???? I am so??? honored??? that ifmlam rates so highly to you, and also that you've read my other fics??????

the answer to the "is ifmlam abandoned" question is probably the worst possible one, which is pretty much "I do want to finish it, both for the folks that still want closure as well as it bothers to me have abandoned projects that are in the public eye/ already partially published, but also, it is last on my current writing projects list"

my current actually active writing projects list, kind of in order of priority, is

I'm literally three chapters away from being Actually Fully Done with the not-quite-first-not-quite-second let's call it 1.5th draft of an actual?? full?? original?? novel?? Opus which of course then goes out to beta readers and then gets who-knows-how-much edited and then maybe beta readers again if a lot does change and then a copyeditor my mom, my copyeditor is my mom, and maybe my little brother he's one of the betas but is very good at catching typos and then I!!! get to publish it!!!! which is the single thing I am most excited for!!!!!!!!! this should be closed up in the next week or two, and then take a while for people to actually read the draft and get back to me.

I really desperately want to finish my open-but-like-90%-written fic, which means we raise it up, the final chapter of to the bottom of the river bc I realized that it was kind of incomplete, and the second chapter of a buried and a burning flame because any more work there will need to wait until the author publishes the next book in the series. this should be closed up in the next month or two.

Speedwrite the draft of the second book of the Opus series so that hopefully by the time book 1 edits are happening, I have an almost complete draft of the second book. this is mostly me side-eyeing myself about taking nearly four years to write the first book, but that is solidly in part because I had so many other open projects which point 2 is about clearing that docket. this should be done in the next year.

And then just have my major projects be, at least until books 1-5 are written and published, books 1-5 of that because that is arguably the first major 'plot arc' of the series, so if I'm looking for a pause point on writing, that's probably where to stop.

There are two or three other short side projects (a weird fun second person short story tentatively titled witch-queen, a collection of four short stories Memoirs about a not-so-evil necromancer and the shenanigans he gets up to trying to rule a kingdom, working title Perfectly Normal Recipe Blog which is a collaborative project about a perfectly normal recipe blog that definitely doesn't include anything out of the normal) that will happen when they happen

There are other projects that are on the backburner -- The Numanok Files, a series of probably 12-15 short novellas about a mercenary/ bounty hunter esque person in space whose specialty is dealing with hauntings, but, like, 80% of their jobs is actually "you are effectively a space home inspector pointing out faulty wiring reacting to solar flares/ there's a weird alien fungus/ it's carbon monoxide okay change your atmosphere filters" and 20% of it is punching ghosts; there's a post-post apocalypse novel that I want to write that I know characters and general pacing and half the setting but need to work out the other half and figure out how much aesthetic I want to commit to; there's Strangeside7 aka spacerace book that is my reaction to how much I love how Redline the anime movie commits itself to "no we are about a race, like 60% of the screentime is just fully going to be an utterly ridiculous sci fi space race"; there's even a ridiculous YA trilogy that I would have to completely transplant the setting but might end up writing because the interplay between angel-physics and physics-physics was one of my favorite things in the world. and I guess the weird ridiculous technically a sequel series to ifmlam that was going to be published as original books that was basically me having fun with 'okay I fucking love star wars prequels old rotting space bureaucracy galactic republic style' except with seers and that also still might happen because it does have some of the coolest sci fi concepts and honestly I thiiiink that's all?

but the tl;dr of that timeline is I'm trying to finish a punch of projects Right Now, so that I can write books 2-5 of Opus, and then when I'm done that (which honestly, my average fiction-writing output is close to 100k a year. if I'm concentrating purely on one project, and writing books that are about 100k, we are talking four years. although my job situation is super up in the air in that period and writing might get put solidly on the backburner as I try to make it in academia, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) I will re-evaluate which projects go next, and that's when ifmlam is likely to come up for review.

I do not have any expectations that I will make it as an original author. I'm planning on posting all of my stuff online for free, but, like. it is incredibly difficult to convince people to try out even a piece of free and easily accessibly original work even if one has a huge following, I am a very small fanfiction author, and from what I can tell the majority of the people who are interested in my work are mostly interested in me finishing ifmlam. writing is a hobby for me, and while I'm writing mostly for me--and hence the for me bit at least for the next five years is pretty solidly going to be this series that I am deeply excited about and have sunk my heart and soul into every single aspect of--I'm human, and I don't really like shouting into the void, and I expect if I spend five years publishing to absolutely no response I will either stop writing for a while and do other things gods know my life is busy enough, return to fandom in general to write some other fanfic about whatever I get deeply into, or return to a work that I actually get response to. so ifmlam will probably start getting worked on a bit at that point one way or another. unless, of course, we are in the incredibly rare timeline in which I do make it as an original author, there are people who are deeply hyped for my original works and an actual demand for them, in which case as you may have noticed there are enough ideas there to keep me busy for a decade or two, and they will just get my full attention instead of fanfiction*. in this timeline, I will do what I was considering doing a few years ago, which is officially declare ifmlam otherwise abandoned and make one more giant chapter update which is a full and cleaned up outline of what I was going to write, interspersed with the scenes already written, and have ifmlam be given at least that closure.

*I want to make it clear that I very much love fanfiction and am proud to have been a fanfiction author and in my heart of hearts would keep writing it forever, I just also have a lot of ideas for characters and settings and magic systems and Aesthetics and I have been biting at the bit to write something that is //mine// and all mine and only mine for a while, I don't see original work as superior so much as there are a dozen fandoms that I am currently in and bursting to make content about except oops these fandoms currently only exist in my head, and I want to correct that

of course given how much as writing is my vent activity and I write what I'm in the mood for, there's a chance I'll feel ifmlam cravings before then, just... expect it to take a couple of years for an update, but also for there to be an update one way of another in a couple of years? but as for right now, I'm turning to original writing, because that is what brings me joy.

but I am really deeply honored that it brought you so much joy!!! and while I will never publish spoilers in a public place, if you message me off anon I am perfectly happy to give a run-down of my current plans for the ending, bc I know "wait a couple years and see" is not the most satisfactory of answers! and hey maybe you'll be like me and once you've given Opus a try you'll decide you like it better too, it does have Seers although they are deeply different Seers than in ifmlam but imo it's very gay and fun and at least politics on one side

[mistwraiths]

5 stars

Wings of Shadow is the last book in the Crown of Feathers trilogy. This trilogy is easily one of my favorites and with a still relatively new author, it's a beautiful series that shows promise and creativity and I can't wait to see what Nicki writes next. My greatest love in fantasy is dragon riders but I loved the idea of Phoenix riders. With a beautifully imagined world, interesting magic, a richly detailed history, and great characters, I cannot recommend this enough.

My non-spoiler review of it is: I LOVED IT!!! IT WAS SO GOOD. I LOVE A CHARACTER WHO COMES INTO THEIR OWN. I LOVE A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS BUILT ON TRUST AND COMMUNICATION. It's so good

So without further ado, I will be discussing Wings of Shadow so if you don't want to be spoiled, please scroll on.

I deeply loved both CoF and HoF, so stepping into this world was like coming home in the best way. The book picks up not too long after the end of Heart of Flames. Tristan is being held hostage, Sev is being a spy for the Phoenix riders, and Veronyka is finally out to the others as an Ashfire. And our vengeful antagonist, Avalkyra, is plotting to take everything and everyone down.

This book has quite a bit of politics in it but not so much that it bogs anything down. In the grand scheme of things, I'm honestly surprised more didn't happen in this book. This book is full of lots of planning and internal moments, and small movements. And yet it always feels like things are moving or you're enraptured by the character's pov.

Because the characters do really shine. Veronyka's growth has been the best in the series and it's so good to finally see her accept herself, her power, her role in a way that befits her. It's so nice to have a main character who isn't bratty or whiny, or snarky. Veronyka is kind. Brave. Good. It's refreshing. And I really liked that she would take the throne gladly for peace. And that when the time really came and she could have done something to "save" people, she didn't do the selfless thing. She said no because it was the best thing in the long run.

Tristan and Veronyka finally get properly together, and it's so nice. They love and respect and TRUST each other. I love a good relationship. And there's absolutely no "I must protect you" or even the slightest bit of jealousy of Tristan being less powerful or second to Veronyka. LOVE IT.

Despite all that Avalkyra has done, reading her chapters is still fun because she's so vicious and vengeful and powerful. She doesn't give up and her hatred and love warring against each other is interesting to read. I still don't hate her even though I hate what she's done and there's absolutely no way she could ever be redeemable.

The ending was really good and while I do dislike a long ass battle, it was engaging. Several times I choked up. Everything ended as well as I wanted it and I'm very pleased with it. I liked what happened after too.

Now, of course, I do have my gripes. Who am I without my slight complaining?

My first and biggest complaint honestly is that Veronyka still wanted to save Avalkyra, and didn't want to kill her. I do like the distinction that Veronyka said it wasn't that she could not, she was would not. However, that's still stupid to me. Some villains deserve to die. If things ended differently, Avalkyra would have burned everything and everyone to the ground. She shot to kill Veronyka. What she has done, did, and planned to do should have been enough to kill her. I hate that good guy doesn't kill trope. It's literally so stupid and the worst.

I really liked what happened because of what Veronyka did. The loss. I thought it was really unique and made the ending really impactful. And then it's practically reversed within pages and like... what was the point? It could have truly been a complete end of the Ashfire legacy. I get that ~technically a new legacy has started but I felt it was a little too cheap and made it too happy of an ending. Also like, Tristan's sad POV felt kind of unnecessary since we done knew Veronyka would be back!

So, I really loved Sev in CoF and HoF so imagine my surprise when his whining of not being good/useful and slight jealous made his chapters and himself as a character annoying!!!! Like come on, you've done so much! Get over yourself and your dumb insecurities (lol @ me take this advice). I am really happy with the end of his story though!

My last little complaint is I kind of dislike seeing the aftermath of a happy finished end. We get to see progress being made and the world changing. It's absolutely nice but like... i don't care? I can imagine them implementing changes to the world. I really don't need to read them. The book should have ended after the battle, but that's just my opinion.

All in all, this was an amazing sequel to an amazing trilogy!!

[evening-blossoms]

So um. I'm a total idiot and forgot an entire day of my own challenge. I was gonna keep it that way since nobody had noticed but... that day was something I'd wanted to talk about for a while so...

Welcome to the very late and out-of-schedule day 10 of my SGE Challenge

Characters I would rewrite

Buckle down cause oooooh boy do I have shit to say - and because of this I'll be deviating from what I usually do and write a rant post instead! Given I don't want to make a way too long post, I'll simply go over a brief explanation of why they're in the list and what I'd change.

Kei of Foxwood (tw: drugging mention)

So this fucking asshole here apparently will get a redemption arc uh. I Actually already talked about this in this post I submitted but I will go over it again because it was kinda poorly worded imo (especially because it was written by sleep-deprived me at 3am)

Which is poorly driven given it starts with "Oh No! My beloved Rhian is dead, what shall be of me without my dear?". No. A good redemption arc should start with "Fuck I did something terrible and genuinly regret this and want to work on becoming a better person and fixing the mess I've made." Also, seems like Kei's form of redemption will be death and no, he should live with the consequences of what he's done.

Speaking of which - his redemption will also feel like an insult to the readers because seriously? He's way past redemption point for me now. He already was from QFG when he drugged Dot (which was something quite unecessary and Soman used an Extremely complicated and sensitive topic for the sake of shock value - but that's a whole new rabbit hole I'm not jumping into right now). And in ACOT he follows Rhian's orders which include attacking practically defenseless teenagers

So with that in mind, I'd either have Kei die the piece of shit he is or rewrite his arc from QFG in order to make a good redemption. First, erase that part with Dot and find another way to get to the keys. Again, it was an act that can be considered violence against women written down just for shock value. Given we do not have other scenes with Kei (except for the dungeons one), I'll leave it that for QFG.

In ACOT, start on his very first actual scene - the dinner scene. Have him hesitant on following Rhian's orders there, and perhaps hint it goes a bit deeper than hesitance. Then escalate it to him openly challenging Rhian's orders during that moment before the Blessing. The attack on SGE would be the first moment we see a greater act from him - maybe somehow going behind Rhian's back to stop that attack??? His last scene in the book is during the carriage ride with Sophie - when Kei tells her he's been going behind Rhian's back to stop the attacks he was able to, and knew he had to fix he'd made when he locked Tedros in the dungeons back in QFG. He agrees to help her somehow - but it goes terribly wrong when Japeth survives.

I myself still need to see a bit more how that could be well executed but that's the basic idea - have Kei's actions start from much earlier and have doing the right thing as motivation, not his love for Rhian - if anything, that should be a source of struggle.

Hort of Bloodbrook

This is can be either a rewrite of his own arc or a rewrite of the light he's written in.

He is a Nice Guy tm. Lets not try to pretend he isn't because he is.

He spends the entire first trilogy obssessing over Sophie, and acting entitled to her because he's a guy who's "genuine and truthful" or what so ever. Sure, Sophie might not be a perfect innocent girl and she did treat people who cared for her like shit at times, but that doesn't change the fact she never liked him. And even though she was wrong in parading him around like a "suitor" when trying to win Tedros' attention, she never again makes mention to liking Hort, or wanting to date him, or what so ever, and honestly, good for her! You should never date someone just because they have feelings for you.

Liking someone doesn't make you entitled to having them, and it doesn't make them obligated to like you back. And this what Hort can't understand. And not to mention he acts pretty sexist during the School Years:

"Every time he was free of rivals for Sophie’s attention, they always returned, more meddling than ever. Why couldn’t these toads mind their own business? Or die like Rafal did? True, he’d had Sophie to himself these past six months, but most of that was spent waiting out her I’m-an-Independent-Woman phase..." Quests for Glory, chapter 9: "Who Would Want a Hort?"

And also later during ACOT, in which he treats Nicola pretty badly

“Not bad enough, whatever it is,” Hort’s voice said, hijacking the demon. “He got us into this mess by fawning over Rhian like a lovedrunk girl.”

“Oh, so being a ‘girl’ is an insult now?” Nicola’s voice ripped, the demon suddenly looking animated in agreement. (A Crystal Of Time, chapter 5: Sophie's Choice)

There are other examples but I don't want to digress so this is how Hort is. I'd like to rewrite him into a person who had a immature crush on a girl and bent over backwards to get her attention - all of this a product of his own insecurity - but that grows out of it and in the process, also into a mature person who's confident in himself.

Also, in case someone doesn't understand: the problem isn't a crush. Having crushes is totally normal and ok, and so is not having them! The problem is when your crush over someone becomes nearly obssessive because of your immaturity and inner problems.

And as I was gonna talk about the light Hort's written in: all of this bullshit, and he's written as the nice underdog who we are supposed to root for. Soman keeps romanticizing him and that kind of behavior and that's terrible. So I'd either change Hort's behavior or write him in the light of what it truly is.

Rhian of Foxwood

Honestly? I liked him as a villain. I have no problem with him believing he was doing Good - in fact, I liked it! It's a good contrast to the previous villains, who knew they were Evil, wanted to be this way and took pride in it.

What I would change are just two things: one is that last kiss scene with Sophie during chapter 25 of ACOT, since it was absolute bullshit after all the shit he did to her which I don't feel the need to list - we all know it.

Second thing, I'd have made him a seer! Soman missed a huge potential when he made Rhian a Sader without giving him the seer abilities. That whole "Third Mysterious Pen" deal was unecessary, and it could be replaced by Rhian's visions.

And guys, come on - EVIL SEER IS A DOPE CONCEPT.

Nicola of Woods Beyond

Don't get me wrong, I love Nicola - and this is kind of why she's in this list, actually.

She's an amazing character - bookworm represent! She's also one of the few poc representation this book has, so I like it went to someone as amazing and smart as Nic. 

So for that I think Nicola should have been explored more. She's usually put as background character and only brought up when it's convenient - she's basically plot device. Which sucks because again, she's awesome. I'd have explored her ability to apply what she learns in stories to real-life issues a bit more, and paired her up with Agatha more times! Both are brilliant girls and I feel Agatha was at times dumbed down so Nicola could solve the problems, and honestly, I hate it when a character is dimmed so the other can shine.

So I'd have put them together - Agatha, experienced and quick-thinker, and Nicola, an extremely smart girl who doesn't really have half the experience Agatha has in the Woods. They both learn from each other - it's a deal of teacher (Agatha) learning from the student (Nicola). 

And allow me to push the Nicphie agenda here - I'd totally expand her relation with Sophie - explored their feelings going from mutual hatred to mutual respect to liking each other to very lesbian love. The Best enemies to lovers.

Also, SOMAN WHAT WAS THAT OF CAVING IN THE SCHOOL FOR EVIL AND SADER TELLING THE DEANS TO ACCEPT HER I DEMAND EXPLANATIONS

And lastly I'd remove the Hicola part super unecessary lmao

So that's it! I actually have some more to talk about but I didn't know how to word it properly and I don't want to make a super long post lmao. I might make a part two of this, but separate for the challenge!

I apologize for the disruption in schedule, I legit forgot day 10 lmao. I'll be doing Day 13 tomorrow so hopefully everything will go back to normal!