#i just think he's neat! (i'm unwell about him)

[deansbeer]

★ in his arms, the world fades // clark kent.

synopsis. feeling unwell and overwhelmed, you seek comfort in clark's arms. his warmth, soothing touch, and sweet words make the ache in your stomach—and your heart—feel bearable.

warning(s). fluff | comfort | f!reader | s1!clark | reader feels unwell stomach aches | nausea | difficulty eating | mild angst | distressing moments | academic stress | brief mentions of exams | studying | cuddling | kisses | superman references.

kari yaps. last night, i had horrible stomach pains and wrote this <333 + a lil disclaimer! i'm on ep 5 of smallville (the ads on hulu r mad annoying) so i only know a little about clark. but don't worry i will get to know all ab pookie soon !!! trust <33

it starts with the ache. sharp and twisting, like someone's wringing your stomach out like a wet rag. it's been days now—days of barely keeping food down, of your appetite wavering between nothing and everything, only for nausea to win every time. eating has become a battle, and losing feels inevitable. but you haven't told anyone, not really. maybe it's pride. maybe it's not wanting to worry anyone. maybe you're just hoping it'll go away on its own.

still, it lingers, and today's no different. you pull up to the kent farm, the gravel crunching under your tires, the sight of the red barn and yellow farmhouse somehow grounding you. you're supposed to be here to study. algebra—not exactly something you're excited about, but clark's always been good at making the hard stuff easier. it's one of the many things you love about him: his patience, his steadiness, the way he seems to know when you need a little extra reassurance. and maybe you need that today more than ever.

"hey, pretty girl," clark greets you at the door, his smile soft and familiar, like it's meant just for you. "you okay? you look…" he trails off, squinting at you in that way he does when he's trying to figure you out. "…tired."

you force a smile, shrugging it off. "just didn't sleep much last night."

it's not a lie, exactly. the ache had kept you up most of the night, twisting and turning beneath the covers, unable to find a position that didn't make it worse. but clark doesn't need to know that. not right now.

he nods, stepping aside to let you in. "i made us some lemonade," he says as you follow him up the stairs to his room. "my mom said it's good for focus or something. i don't know, but it tastes good."

you hum in response, though the thought of drinking anything right now makes your stomach churn. you'll figure out a way to avoid it later.

when you get to his room, it's the same as always—neat but lived-in, the bed made but the desk cluttered with papers and books, a small stack of cds next to his stereo. it smells faintly of pine and something distinctly clark, like sun-warmed hay and fresh laundry. it's comforting in a way you didn't realize you needed.

you settle on the floor with him, textbooks and notebooks spread out between you. he's already flipping through his algebra book, pen tapping idly against his knee as he scans the pages.

"okay," he says, glancing at you with a smile. "where should we start? graphing inequalities or quadratic equations?"

you groan, letting your head fall back against the bed. "do we have to start?"

he chuckles. "the exam's next week. i don't think mr. phillips is gonna let us wing it."

"worth a shot," you mutter, but you sit up anyway, flipping open your notebook to a blank page. you try to focus, really, but the ache is still there, dull and persistent, and it's hard to think about numbers and graphs when all you want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep.

half an hour in, you're staring at your notebook, pen tapping against the paper. clark's voice is distant as he explains something about parabolas, the words blurring together in your head. you're not even sure when you stopped listening. all you know is that your chest feels tight, your stomach twists again, and suddenly, you just can't anymore.

"hey," clark says, his voice soft with concern. "what's wrong?"

you don't answer, don't even look at him. instead, you set your notebook aside, shifting closer to him until you're wrapping your arms around his neck and burying your face in the crook of it. his skin is warm against your cheek, the faint scent of his cologne lingering there. you don't say anything, and neither does he, not at first. he just sits there, still and quiet, letting you hold on like he's been expecting this all along.

then, slowly, he moves. his arms come around you, strong and steady, and he shifts your things aside before effortlessly pulling you up with him onto the bed. his back hits the mattress, and you're lying on top of him, your head resting against his chest. his hands find your back, warm and soothing as they rub up and down in slow, gentle strokes.

you close your eyes, letting out a shaky breath. his touch is enough to warm you, enough to quiet the ache in your stomach, at least for now. you don't know how he does it—how he makes everything feel a little less heavy just by being there.

your hands move to rest on his collarbone, fingers brushing against the fabric of his t-shirt. the side of your head presses against his chest, and you can feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath your ear. it's grounding in a way you didn't know you needed.

he doesn't say anything at first, just keeps rubbing your back, his touch slow and deliberate, like he knows exactly how to calm you down. but then he starts murmuring soft, sweet things in your ear, his voice low and soothing.

"you're okay," he says, his lips brushing against the top of your head. "whatever it is, you're okay. i've got you."

his hand moves to rest on the side of your head, his thumb tracing gentle circles against your hair. he presses another kiss to your temple, then another, each one softer than the last.

"you don't have to say anything," he whispers. "just let me hold you."

and you do. you let yourself relax against him, let yourself melt into his warmth. his chest rises and falls beneath you, steady and strong, and you match your breathing to his without even realizing it. the ache in your stomach is still there, but it feels distant now, muted by the way his hands move against your back, by the way his voice wraps around you like a blanket.

"you know," he starts after a while, his voice still soft, "i'm not great at algebra either. but i'm pretty sure lying here with you is a way better use of my time."

you let out a quiet laugh, your breath fanning against his chest. "you're supposed to be the responsible one."

"yeah, well," he murmurs, his fingers threading through your hair, "even superheroes need a break sometimes."

you tilt your head to look up at him, catching the small smile playing on his lips. "superhero, huh?"

"what? you didn't know?" his grin widens, teasing. "i'm kind of a big deal."

you roll your eyes, but there's no real bite to it. "you're ridiculous."

"maybe," he says, pressing another kiss to your forehead. "but i made you laugh, didn't i?"

you hum in response, letting your head fall back against his chest. the silence that follows is comfortable, the kind that wraps around you like a warm blanket. his hand moves back to your back, tracing slow, lazy patterns against your spine.

"i mean it, though," he says after a while, his voice quieter now. "whatever's going on, you don't have to go through it alone. you can tell me."

"i know," you whisper, your fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. "i just… i don't know. i've been feeling off lately. stomach stuff. it's probably nothing."

he frowns, his hand pausing mid-stroke. "how long?"

"a few days," you admit. "it's not a big deal. it'll pass."

"you don't know that," he says gently. "have you eaten today?"

you hesitate, and that's enough of an answer for him. he sighs, his hand resuming its slow movements against your back.

"you're stubborn, you know that?" he murmurs, but there's no heat behind it. just concern, soft and steady, like everything else about him.

"takes one to know one," you shoot back, your voice muffled against his chest.

he chuckles, the sound rumbling beneath you. "fair enough. but promise me you'll let me know if it gets worse, okay?"

"okay," you say, and you mean it. because if anyone can make you feel like everything's going to be okay, it's clark.

you stay like that for a while longer, wrapped up in each other, the rest of the world fading away. the algebra books are forgotten, but neither of you seems to care. right now, this is enough. he's enough.

and for the first time in days, the ache in your stomach feels bearable.

⎯⎯ SPECIAL TAGS. @titsout4jackles @floralscented @aileenunfiltered @st4rfckerz @jasvtsc . . . ୨୧

[oddthesungod]

Savior Blade 💚🍃

[radio-fmm]

One piece men react to your new haircut

ft. Law, Zoro and Sanji

fluff + gn reader with long hair

Masterlist

LAW

“Y/n-ya” Laws muffled voice ringed in your ears from outside your dorm, a tad softer tone coloring his words than he would usually use, a tone that always accompanied your name after it

He was met with silence

You had skipped breakfast, first red flag, and when you didn’t showed up for the monthly meeting at his office he knew something was up, he just didn’t know exactly what could be

“Go away” the doctors eyebrows curled in confusion, you sounded upset 

“Can you open the door please?”

“No”

Laws mind ran wild trying to think of a reason for your behavior changing one day to another, hiding away in your dorm

“Shambles”

The tall man appears in front of your door as he finds you underneath your bedsheets curled in a ball. Obviously what his mind zeroed in to immediately was that you may be feeling unwell, but as the tiniest softest sob left your mouth he realized it was a different kind of unwell he had not anticipated 

Feeling extremely unprepared, he sits at the end of your bed, immediately making you squirm and hide further in your bed

“Don’t look at me, I'm horrendous!” The captain cannot stop the snickers that scapes his mouth at your statement 

“Don’t be ridiculous” In a swift move Law removes the sheets, revealing your face hiding behind your hands

He noticed right away what you were referring to as apparently ‘horrendous’. Your locks were cut short too way above your shoulders, at the height of the frame of your face. He admires the new style, a smile tugging at his lips before he removes your hands from your regretful face, your eyes scan his expression in total terror

“I thought I could do it myself” a whisper could be heard louder than the words leaving you as you melt at Laws sweet touch “I look so bad”

Law runs his finger through your soft short strands before stroking your cheek “You look just fine y/n-ya… it quite suits you” 

Your face turns from his grasp but your Captain is quick to catch you “You’re gorgeous any day, any time, with long or short hair” Doe eyes met his as if you were relieved at his praise

“Promise?”

“Promise”

Your short hair was quick to become Laws favorite look on you

ZORO

“Don’t move” Zoro's tongue peeks at the side of his lips as he finds the perfect angle to cut your soft long strands of hair

“If you cut me in half…”

“Quit complaining I haven’t even started” He watches as your hands show him what length to cut for the third time, the swordsman takes a deep breath. A swift move from his strong arms followed by the sound of a cut near your ears is the last thing that fills your senses before a weight is lifted from your shoulders. Your eyes peek at the floor, a sea of your now old hair beneath you

“Perfect” you hear Zoro mutter, you run your hand through your hair, a grimace appearing on your face

"It's not straight” you sigh, defeated 

“What are you talking about?” Zoro appears in your field of vision and scans the way your hair sits at the sides of your frame, before you can even complain about it, another cut is heard disrupting the peace of The Sunny. 

Instantly you run to the bathroom mirror, it’s not perfect per se´, but he got the exact length you wanted to. You were a short hair kind of a person your whole life, but when you had started to sail through the sea, embarking alongside the future king of the pirates, it was hard to keep up a neat cut like the one you liked, so you resorted to a more easy way out. Another sigh escapes you, a different one this time, this one is a content one. You smile as you pose before the mirror, which reflects another figure outside the bathroom watching you intently

“Thank you Zoro” you offer him the softest and most thankful smile through your reflection, the swordsman shrugs, trying not to make a big deal out of it, truth was he was more than glad to help you, in anything you may need, it made him feel important. His eyes take on the new view of your appearance once more, his heart thrumbing in his ears and a blush sitting on his cheeks, he didn't know how you managed to look even more breathtaking 

“No problem” 

You wink at him at you may have broke him, the swordsman stays frozen in place as you run to show Nami and Robin your new look 

SANJI

The cook stays in a trance as he watches you braid your long beautiful locks in a fish braid before bed, as you tie it you watch your reflection for a while, a hesitant look appearing making your nose scrunch, the antic making his heart jump in his chest. Sanji bites his tongue, wanting to comment on this action, curious as to what could possibly be bothering you, because last time he checked, your reflection was nothing to frown about. 

"What's wrong, my love?" He asks ever so gently, you stay silent before walking to your shared bed, sighing as you lay beside him

“I want to cut my hair, it’s really hard work keeping it off my face, and it takes ages to wash and style” another frown sits on your lips as your eyes advert from his face

The reality was that you were planning on cutting your hair for a while now, but the thought of Sanji disliking your new look haunted you, but you were not gonna admit that to him

One of his delicate hands reach for your braid, then travel upwards to cup your face, he smiles in pure adoration pulling at your heart strings in the most intimate melody

“I know whatever you do to your hair is gonna look smashing” a dark red creeps from your neck and warms up your face at the blonde’s touch

After Sanji’s sweet reassurance, you missed no time and that morning reached for the scissors in your drawer and just went for it. As half your braid fell to the floor you felt the biggest weight being lift from your shoulders, your locks dancing free with the ocean’s breeze

The cook walked outside the kitchen in the middle of his breakfast prep for a smoke, but his cigarette hit the floor the instant he spotted you leaning on the railing of The Sunny, he was left stunted, heart eyes following your beautiful silhouette as he rushed your way

“Stunning” his hands immediately landing on your strands, brushing them slowly and lovingly

“You were right” you smiled at him content written all over your face

“Of course I was darling, I know an angel when I see one”

Luffy’s whines of annoyance could be heard all over the ship when he found his plate empty in the kitchen and Sanji nowhere to be found, he just had to stay to admire you all morning, it was a must 

[enderwoah]

im so unwell about q!pac no its not even funny anymore i need to put him in a terrarium up on a shelf and keep him safe up there. he doesn't deserve any bad thing, ever. i don't even care about "having a good story" or "giving your character a conflict" anymore, nah, no, if ONE (1) MORE BAD THING HAPPENS TO HIM IM GONNA LOSE IT!! IM GONNA START BREAKING THINGS!!!

he's so. sad. hes such a sad character. his insecurities about being useless to everyone are so real and so painful because he's not, all of us know that he's not, but we also completely understand why he feels that way because he's had everyone he loves ripped away from him and he hasn't been able to lift a finger to stop any of it. he's just left to sit in the ruins without any help. he's collateral to all the tragedy surrounding him and the favela 5 in general and he's. tired. not in the way that cellbit is tired (though that works, too). he's exhausted of feeling sad all the time. of crying all the time. of feeling that loneliness that gnaws holes into his bones and settles in the marrow and never leaves, not when richas' bed is empty, not when mike's bedroom has started to collect dust, not when he can't see a real, tangible presence in forever's dilated eyes. the only person he has is cellbit, and he could never ask cellbit to give up what he still has when pac has nothing to lose (and god, how selfless, how kind is that?), so when he figures the only way to get an antidote to the drug is to have the drug itself, why wouldn't he offer himself up? and if that wasn't the only reason he tried to get his hands on it, who could blame him?

maybe he took it first to just feel the effects and understand the angle it took in affecting his mind. maybe he just took it for research. do you think he had slipped by the second time? do you think he took it once and, for a short thirty minutes, found that he could forget about all the sorrow lining his lungs and breathe? do you think reality crashed back onto him after that first try? do you think he was scrambling to take it again, to go back to that...maybe it wasn't blissful ignorance, per se, but willful disregard? do you think he couldn't wait to be submerged so deep that he couldn't think one more time? do you think he was hesitant? do you think he kept promising himself, one more, one more, one more...

god he is so. so sad. i was watching phil's pov, so everything was like a neat little movie for me, and just. cellbit and forever arguing while pac was just sobbing in the background was AWFUL. just. awful. it hurt. (cc!pac was damn good at acting, too, and that DID NOT HELP.) the moment he stepped on the trap i felt like i was hit with a brick. like no, of COURSE we should NOT be putting PAC in a CONFINED JAIL CELL. ALONE. and i know it was for his own good but i still felt so so so sick. the way he immediately curled up in the corner. the way he was crying to himself. the way he instantly answered richas' birthday the moment bad asked for it. the way he got visibly more upset and terrified when cellbit started shouting at forever. what the hell. no seriously what the HELL.

and, like, oh my god, making him the one to solve the antidote? proving that even though he may have fallen to the drug (the drug which was basically created by GODS, by the way, lets be real, the federation is nawt normal), he's still so useful. he's still such an asset. he's smart and he's kind and he's charismatic and he's trusting and he's so so selfless and so so brave and so strong. tubbo put it perfectly. the fact that he's gone through all the horrible awful stuff he's gone through and he's still standing just proves how capable he is. how tough he is. cellbit calling him "my dear." pointing out the fact that he sacrificed himself without knowing he was going to come back. "i'm only afraid of being sad again." "you will be sad again. but you won't be alone." he's so. he's just. he's. im frothing at the mouth. he gave himself up to save the rest of the island from this plague that took one of his best friends and might've taken the entire island if he didn't do anything. under that stress. experiencing that level of loss.

pac is one of the toughest goddamn people on the island and if anyone on that server even dares try to imply otherwise i will do heinous heinous things, mark my WORDS.

[demon-of-the-ancient-world]

Other Dune thoughts thrown into one post

So it only really hit me recently that Paul is literally from a planet that is mostly water/very lush and rainy. And ends up in, you know, the desert for much of the story. ik that's pretty crucial but I just never clocked it, ya know?

Also: first time we see him interacting w/sand is in the scene right before they leave Caladan, and he picks up some of the sand that's underwater on the beach. He probably can't even picture sand without the context of being near water. There's something there.

The colours of House Atreides are green and black right? Isn't there a detail where in Paul's vision of the holy war he sees the fighters with his family's banner, but then when we actually see that for real in part 2 the banner is a different colour? The *actual* colours shown on the banner in part 2 are white and red. So you know, the exact opposite from what the Atreides banner is. I am Unwell.

Part 1: Reverend Mother walks into the Atreides home like she owns the place and holds a poisoned needle to Paul's neck. Part 2: Paul waltzes into the imperial ship like he owns the place and stabs the baron in the neck. Enough said.

Only noticed this upon watching a gif recently but when Paul grabs Feyd's knife, he doesn't actually try to push it away from himself, just redirects it so he gets stabbed in the shoulder instead of in the neck, and at the same using it as a distraction so he can stab Feyd.

Which is possibly - possibly - a concentrated reference to like. his relationship with fate/his visions in general? He saw terrible things happening if he did nothing, and terrible things happening if he did something. So he did Something, knowing it would lead to terrible things, but I have this idea that part of that is him wanting to at least have some control over what bad things happen - if tragedy and disaster is gonna happen anyway, he'd rather take responsibility for it if it means he can have some measure of control over it. Ergo, redirecting the inevitable into something that still has a bad outcome, but at least it's within his control. That knife is Going Into Him, might as well push it in a direction he can control even if it means still being hurt in the process. Idk. Maybe I'm looking too deeply into this.

The sign language. In part 1, every time it's used, it's either used only by Jessica, or the conversation is initiated by her. Until the scene where her and Paul meet the Fremen for the first time, where he initiates it. And then again in part 2, the first time it's shown he once again is the one who starts it. Shows he's beginning to "take the lead" in their situation.

It's subtle, but you can actually see Paul getting slightly more tan as the second movie goes on. sun, ya know.

Also, I like that his eye colour changes gradually instead of all at once, again it's subtle but you can see it happening in stages

Despite the Fremen being super careful about never wasting their water (i.e. never crying Ever - see Stilgar with Jessica), Paul cries a couple times in front of Chani and she never tells him to be careful about it despite it being so foreign to her. Not sure *exactly* what we're drawing from that yet, but you can definitely get *something* out of it.

Edit: more stuff vvv

Paul leaves Caladan at sunset (or at least they depict *a* sunset on Caladan, appears to be one of the last things he sees of his home planet) and then his final duel also takes place during a sunset - albeit one on Arrakis

I just think it's neat that in the final scene, when Chani remains standing and then turns to leave, Paul doesn't even try to stop her. There's a real look of understanding he's got on his face, like he knows that what he's done is unforgivable (and also possibly that it doesn't matter because she'll come back to him eventually)

[jazzmckay]

davg day 2:

im queer and suffering. i just barely held myself off from flirting with lace because im saving myself for neve okay but then bellara upgraded from "cool and cute" to "yeah i need to romance her" and then i recruited lucanis. need i even say more. hes the kind of Complicated i always go nuts for. i think i can restrain myself with him though because it would be fun to romance him with a mage perhaps. another time. its fine. i can do this. (let me be poly bioware)

backing up a bit now that i have that out of my system :p

dragon!ghilly lets gooooo. that section was fucked up (affectionate). i was also a bit fucked up. left the mayor to his fate and basically instantly felt bad for it lmfao but i do think that's what my rook would do and that guy just got under my skin i guess! as bellara said, it was hard to feel sympathy after everything we saw in the village. wonder if this decision will come back to haunt me later, we'll see

morrigan is heading deeper into true MILF territory and i'm here for it. she looks really good. it feels like she's growing well into herself in general, and mellowing out. (possibly she was already like this in dai but i never saw because i was only ever able to play the default world state where she didnt have kieran. speaking of which, i really thought id have to pick more choices at the beginning. does davg morrigan have kieran? did she take the well of sorrows? my lavellan took it but that wasnt something i could input so!! im curious if thatll come up). i loved the comment she made about pissing solas off with trying to explain elven history to him hehe

so i DID expect lace to get magic but i did NOT expect it to happen in such a spectacular valta-esque fashion, damn. that was a "holy shiiittt" moment for me. varrics cryptic statement about it being bad is concerning but im gonna keep living in blissful ignorance right now and enjoy how excited lace is to feel connected and explore her new abilities

before that bit, there was that super sweet moment between rook, lace, and neve that really stood out to me ;w; i chose the dialogue option "we shouldnt be at each others throats" which lead to lace reassuring neve she wasn't blaming her for how things happened, and neve responded with pointing out lace shouldnt be blaming herself either, then i picked "we have to support each other" which was so lovely.... what a heartfelt conversation, a feel-good moment that bolsters the team dynamic. i looove it. i'll always take more companion/companion connection like that <3

i feel like i'm slower to pick up new game mechanics than i used to be as i get older because i'm definitely still getting used to both the combat and all the gear and such, but i think i like how it's set up in this game. i haven't levelled up a merchant yet but the whole reputation thing is neat and adds more weight to a trading system that is often forgettable / not really integrated into the story in most games. working towards upgrading both the shops and the items is interesting. it also takes the stress of inv management off my shoulders lol amazing, getting to loot without the hassle of sorting through it all and constantly running out of space? im here for it

solarric solarricing again

im unwell

then i headed off to antiva and took a screenshot of every cat i saw and/or pet. it's cool to learn more about the crows. naturally, i was excited to be in a city again and it did not disappoint. theyre sooo well crafted, absolutely beautiful and designed to make them feel genuinely alive.

the prison was also gorgeous. the environments in this game kick ass. ive stopped so many times just to take in the view. stunning. that giant skeleton on the sea floor caught my eye too.

the fact that "oof" is a dialogue option is SO FUNNY....

the scene of bellara trying to fix the archive spirit crystal and reading her packing note is what sealed the deal for me. i picked the purple option after watching her hit the thing in frustration, the "can i try too?" one and it was so cute. failed to resist flirting and that was also cute af

that said, im already thinking about bellara/merrill bc how can i not... idk if merrill will come up later in some other fashion so this might not make sense, but i can imagine merrill relating to the veil jumpers and being in contact, able to help them with artifacts. if bellara knows about merrill and what she accomplished before the breach and magic getting wonky, she probably looks up to her a bit. and i think bellara would remind merrill of herself as she was before everything terrible happened for her 😭it would be nice for her to have someone who can both meet her on the same level re: technical/magical knowledge and in such a chipper, enthusiastic way

i think i'm still gonna romance neve though, i just feel like she and my current rook Work. i loved the detail that they never met before despite both being associated with the shadow dragons and neve saying because she's more of an informant, rook mightve acted on her info before. i also chose her to help me during solas' ritual so she got hurt, which added more emotional connection ;w;

back to minrathous soon which im excited about. but im gonna do lace's side mission about her magic first :>

[dutifullyshamelessearthquake]

AAAH Mountain Road is SO PRECIOUS??? oh my heart poor poor nari was going through it! I swear I could feel his frustration!! He wanted to fuss and mother hen but he just…he had no choice but to let his body do whatever it needed 🥺 also I swear he was this close to throwing up on Cyno in that moment omg. Migraines are the WORST and it says so much about him that he’s able to push through it, while still knowing his limits. Honestly I love that about his character both in how you write him and in canon, he is very good at knowing when to push himself and when to ask for help. BUT that doesn’t mean he always likes it when he has to ask for help. He will still have that anxiety or frustration, but he also knows that it won’t get better if he tries to ignore it (something Cyno needs to learn)

also I ADORE cyno and how protective he is!! His guilt over the energy drink tho 😭 also I love how like…safe he seems to make Tighnari feel?? And even when he’s sick (and I’ll get to that) he’s just like..no.. you have a MIGRAINE like he fully understands how bad those are for Nari and would do anything to make sure he’s resting properly. I truly don’t even think he would have minded had he ended up being sick alone cuz in his mind Nari comes first.

I love how low key Cyno is quick to pass out when he’s vomiting?? Or even not feeling well! Like he’s so sturdy normally and maybe it’s cuz he doesn’t vomit easily and when he does it’s such a violent act that he just runs out of air or his blood pressure goes wonky. Idk it’s neat that it’s come up a few times now!! But also very very concerning that he didn’t fight lying down. Granted I know that it’s his go too when unwell but still it really seemed like he was gonna faint for real. And Tighnari clocked that instantly. UHG. They are so in sync I love them

There is something so sweet about them constantly checking in on each other!! Honeslty both characters being sick at once sometimes makes me weirdly anxious? Idk why lol 😂 cuz I still read them anyways and almost always love them! And I LOVED this one!! Them lying in the floor together at the end, nari getting at least a fraction of relief…Cyno… well I’m sure he’ll be fine..eventually lmao. Tighnari i feel like needs to sleep a good 12 hours and Cyno just…idk he had a bad time so I have no idea what he needs 🤣

AHH I'M HAPPY YOU ENJOYED IT!!

Nari deserved all the hugs this fic, I think being stuck on the road is up there with some of the worst places to be stuck in when you're in that much pain. And yes!! He's so strong and determined, and I love that about him. He knows how far he can rationally push his limits and he will do it if that's what the situation calls for. Also yes, he was definitely very close to throwing up all over Cyno 😭

We love protective Cyno. Tighnari definitely feels so safe with him, and Cyno would do absolutely anything for him. I imagine it broke him a little inside that he wasn't up to fussing over and comforting Tighnari ahhh, as you said, he knows how bad they get and he knows just how much pain Nari must be in. He 100% would have settled for being left alone in the bathroom in favour of Tighnari getting some proper rest 😭

YES!! This is one of the examples where things just slowly develop by themselves and I love it, it's definitely become a thing that Cyno gets light-headed easily when he's sick. Adding on to that, I wonder if he has actually blacked out in the past? Because another detail that's come up repeatedly, I think ever since my first Cynari sickfic, is that Cyno has a tendency to just kind of. stand. Like he usually stays standing upright if he's going to throw up, and almost every time without fail, the first thing Tighnari does is gently tug him down until he's kneeling. He knows how dizzy Cyno gets when he throws up.

Also absolutely, I think Cyno was on the verge of fainting and barely held it together here. The stress of them both being sick, this being the second violent vomiting spell in a short time, his body was just ready to nope out of that completely if he didn't lie down.

Ahh I get that! If it helps, I will be sure to include it in the warnings when we're going to be dealing with both characters in a fic being sick!

BUT YES, I love the scene of them both just lying there,,, in my head I kind of imagine that they slept there on the floor together for a while. Like maybe an hour or later one of them would stir and find they're both curled up together on the floor. And the next day they'd spend all day in the comfort of the bed, huddled up together and sleeping off their symptoms. Tighnari definitely needs a good marathon sleep. Cyno,,, I think once he's managed to throw up most of what's making him sick, he also needs a good long rest and plenty of hydration 🥺

[miiilowo]

hey, same anon from earlier here. Idk if you’ve thought of it but, do you have any thoughts about a fnafsb ruin rewrite? I like hearing your rewrite thoughts btw :] I think your ideas are very neat

i dont have any thoughts about a ruin rewrite exactly, but i do have ones for just the base game! so ill. share that here ^_^ sorry if youve alr seen me ramble about this specifically but its more simplified and straight to the point than my previous posts ab it anyways

my copycat killer vanny au is less of an AU and more of a "what if steel wool . didnt. do that: a collection of ideas" and so SB being different is a big big portion of it

First off, lore wise, I'd completely remove william. as much as i love him, im tired of his corpse being dragged around much like everyone else. This means no glitchtrap. Fnaf VR would be non-canon, and purely just be a compilation of games and have ZERO story implications. so it'd go straight from ucn+ffps -> security breach. the pizzaplex would exist because of the fazbear ent franchise package (the same one michael got in FFPS)

Vanny would be a true-crime obsessed freak failwoman who gets a little bit too invested in the missing childrens incident and mr afton as a result. she is homocidal. and unwell. after months (possibly years or more) of being obsessed with william and the murders, she sees that the pizzaplex is hiring, and takes her chance!

In one of the SB endings you can see that theres multiple already missing children listed in a newspaper. I'm sure you can see where im going with this

So. Security breach. My first course of action would be to solve the glamrock issue-If theres no glitchtrap, theres no reason to be aggressive. my solution to this is making it so they have a night mode where they try and find any patrons still in the building after closing time and alert the security guard ((think of all the vloggers posting WE STAYED OVERNIGHT IN THE PIZZAPLEX!?!?!?! (WE ALMOST GOT CAUGHT) videos)). this is bad because the security guard is vanessa

I think for the beginning of the game, we have gregory being caught by her straightaway. he would be upset, but not have a reason to really fear her; afterall, shes just some nightguard. she can take care of him and make sure hes safe, right? lure him into a false sense of security. i want her to bring him to a room (perhaps the vanny hideout in sb), say she has to leave and that she'll be right back. from here, the lights will go out (she shut them off + put on her little murder getup + disabled the security cameras). Now, going back to the missing kids, i like to imagine shes a bit of a freak and hasnt stuffed any of the bodies into the suits yet because she wants to wait until she has enough victims and then do it all at once. Gregory will either see blood or smell a corpse in the vanny hideout, and manage to escape through a vent. from here, the game will take place in the dark. vanny will peek around corners and from railings, always watching you but never quite catching up except for some chase sequences because she likes toying with her prey [which will eventually be her downfall]. You try to avoid her and the animatronics.

Glamrock freddy is a problem. I dont want the glamrocks to be as sentient as they currently are, so i think making them be a sort of shitty chatgpt AI would work wonderfully. It means that glamfred could be very, very, very unhelpful at times, and would leave room for uncanny interactions as well as funny ones, which fnaf is sort of known for. the funnies. the sillies. the jokes. the "dont poop on the floor"s. He would be programmed to protect children above all else, however, so he isn't in night mode like the others are.

In security breach, theres a really fucking good cut plotline about glamrock freddy. After getting all of his upgrades, when vanny disassembles him, he turns against gregory, and becomes an antagonist. i cannot stress enough that this USED TO BE IN THE GAME. we have lines of gregory crying and shit. i would 100% keep this in the SB rewrite. its at this point he would shift into night mode instead of just succumbing to the mind control stuff like before. thatd happen either about 2/3rds of the way through or halfway, with a few stretches of time where freddy either isnt cooperating or is unavailable like in the OG game beforehand

outside of that, i would make the pizzaplex smaller, grimier, and dingier. not the same levels as fnaf 1 of course, but the only super clean areas would be like. the atrium and dining areas. fazbear ent is neglectful and unsafe, the vents and rooms patrons dont go into typically arent gonna be super clean. the kitchens probably only get cleaned when they know a health inspector is coming. lets be real

id also love a heavier focus on liminal space sort of enviornments in the pizzaplex. its an empty 80s themed mall! its the perfect setting for it! they kinda sorta did it in the daycare, but didnt fully commit, and id LOOOVE more areas like that, because in the dark theyd be 100000x more unsettling. the only lighting would be very dim neon lighting for ambience and a flashlight i imagine, maybe one on gregorys fazwatch

i dont have a lot of plot points rounded out overall, just some concepts id throw in there, and i especially dont have an ending planned out. ive never been too big on the sci-fi elements fnaf took on around SL and the release of the books (been a fan the whole 9 years!), so trying to figure out an ending that would lean into ruin and making ruin....not like that . would be a whole. Task. a fun task, but a task nonetheless. i do like ruin quite a bit unlike SB, but it wouldnt mesh well with everything else i have going on here and would be bit out of left field i thinks

[soulchronicity]

Soul can I hear about the funky HMS designs you just posted. Especially the blue soul(?) I just think they’re so neat lookin

It's Coil fronting right now but yeah I can tell you about them! This is basically our second [third? fourth?] time looking at the concept of Soul 2 and going "I can do something with that" And so I made the 2s. I inverted regular HMSW's colours and their personalities [but they still keep their namesakes. Heart's still emotion so on so forth]. Only exception being I made Whole pink instead of the blue colour that an inverted orange should be Very basic summaries of their personalities, and also nicknames: Heart 2 / Hydra: energetic and uncaring [uncaring in a very specific way I can't find the words for] Mind 2 / Nix: insecure pushover who fakes empathy Soul 2 / Dysnomia: hates, hates everything and everyone. Needs to take charge and be in control Whole 2 / Theia: admittedly I'm still working on him. My notes so far are "just a guy but weird?" "mentally unwell [not depression]" and "twitch streamer" Oh a fun fact, their designs have inverted themes of our usual HMS designs. Heart bird = Heart 2 reptile [snake specifically]. Mind machine = Mind 2 rot/flesh. And Soul vaguely demonic = Soul 2 vaguely angelic. Whole and Whole 2 are both just regular people, though Whole 2 [currently, could change] lacks the one or two off trats we give to Whole Also while our Soul design usually is seen holding its trident so that the prongs/tines are upwards, Dysnomia holds its trident with the prongs/tines on the ground. He is going to stab himself in the foot one day Uhh halo placements could have symbolism if you think hard enough Dysnomia may or may not be at the fault for making an interdimensional chatroom [or at least asking telling Nix to make it] That's all I can think so say right now

[pbandjesse]

I really thought I wasn't going to be exhausted today. I was like I'm going to get home at 11 and the ln I'll just go to sleep normal and have a nice day off at home and get lots done. But I was a fool to think that!!

I did get home at 11. The event wrapped up pretty quickly and it was lovely working with everyone. There was a live auction and one of the prizes was a bunch of lottery tickets they stuck in a pumpkin. But the woman who won that was flying and so she didn't want the actual pumpkin so I got to keep it! Excellent. It was honestly larger then I should have been picking up but it's fine. I didn't drop it.

I got home and took a shower and was scrolling on my phone entirely to long. Just winding down. Hugging James. And eventually I was able to sleep.

It was honestly better sleep then I have had the last week. I woke up a few times but not as many and I think it's because I wasn't waking up to pee and then immediately drinking a ton of water every time because I was thirsty. But I did sleep a little better.

I woke up at 9. I don't even remember James leaving for work which made me a little sad. I was moving really slow this morning. But pretty quickly I was shocked awake because I got up and was like. Gotta plug in my phone. And immediately knocked over the new humidifier and spilled water all over my phone. Incredible way to start the day. I moved quick enough to rip my case off and dried it all off and it was fine just Jesus.

I took an excellent shower. I washed my hair and felt a lot more normal. I was sure I was full of energy and would have an excellent and productive day. But it didn't exactly work out like that.

I made the bed and wore cozy clothes. I went and had the breakfast sandwich James made me. I brought it upstairs and sat at my desk. It was a nice morning.

I would go downstairs to work on the sewing machine for a little bit. I got another color set of frog legs sewn. But I was not feeling sitting there so I gather one of my knit projects that needed sewing and brought it upstairs to work.

I did stop and checked on Crabcake. He has needed me to come and move him into the food bowl for him to eat. I think he's a little sleepy/bored as the house gets cooler. I will have to get him to walk around the room outside of his tank. Don't want him to be bored.

I would sit on the floor in our bedroom working on this floor mat project for a while. But after an hour I was just. So tired. I didn't really do much so I don't even understand why I became so overwhelmingly exhausted but it was wild. I was able to sew two rows closed and together. 3 more to go and I really wanted to finish that today but there was no way I was going to be able to keep going at that point.

I would lay down to watch a video. I was feeling very unwell and off. I was just not having a very good time. I would eventually fall asleep but it wasn't a very restful sleep. I woke up thirsty and tired and feeling weird.

I tried to shake it off. I drank water and moved downstairs and had a snack. I just wanted James to come home.

They were running late because of the event tonight. I was feeling a little better after my snack. I had the backdoor open and was working on .u temperature blanket. I have all the panels through the end of August put together now. I plan on getting all the yarn cut this week for September so I can work on that during our drive to Gabe's wedding weekend next week. Maybe I'll get October cut out too even though the total month won't be done. That's alright.

James would get home and I was not feeling great again. They came and cuddled me and it helped a little. They would make dinner. And we talked about baby. It's the 18th and the start of the 18th week. And I know I was feeling bad yesterday about everything but looking at the belly pictures I have been taking every Friday I am rounding out in the middle. So that's neat. I just really hope they are okay in there.

After dinner James would come and lay with me on the couch while they worked on editing their podcast. I was just scrolling on my phone. Eventually I would go lay upstairs because I needed different pillows. James would come up here eventually but they would go and hang a shelf on the stairwell (it didn't exactly fit so they had to cut it down a bit. Pictured above). But it should be good for displaying some of the Legos and other small sculptural things!

I would take a bath. And I put peppermint Dr Bronners in the water and so then I was so chilly after. But now I'm bundled in bed. Trying to be comfortable. I am just so tired.

Tomorrow I have a workshop at awah. I am a little confused about the layout but I'll figure it out when I get there. It should be a nice couple hours. And hopefully I am not to exhausted anymore.

I hope you all have a good night. Sleep well and be safe! Until tomorrow!

[dootznbootz]

YOOOO I LOVE THE HEADCANONS SO MUCH. Especially the one where the type of the water affectes the appearance, that's so so neat

Also,, what do you think happens to a naiad (or someone of naiad descent) when they stay out of water for too long? Do they get sick? Do they eventually die? Would only water heal them or could something else (eg. eating fish) at least "stabilize" them?

And how would rain affect them? Would they be able to spend more time out of water when it's raining? Or could they maybe even bend the rain to their will? Of course rain comes from the clouds/sky which is not in their domain,, but if the raindrops are low enough, could it work? :0

Sorry if this was too long, i just really liked the headcanons and they made me think hahahaha

sdlkfj Thank you!!! Don't ever be sorry, Niko! I'm happy you like them so much!!! And always feel free to chatter away with me!! :D I think a LOT about the Naiad dynamics as they're really fun!!!! And as someone who grew up with a lot of river stuff, it's really nice and fun!

It's part of the reason why Penelope's smaller and has straight black hair :D As she was born a month early, it caught Periboea by surprise and she just went into the nearest creak :D (probably was mostly alone too)

It was calm at first before suddenly the current got fast and Penelope was swept away. Obviously terrifying. To say the least, some ducks brought her back :P (I really love the duck myth. It's neat and to have Penelope be associated with ducks while Helen is kind of associated with swans itches my brain just right >:D (Swans are bigger than ducks as well. like how I think of Helen and Penelope!) I like the thought of Odysseus "always thanking the ducks" whenever he sees them even while away. He gives them peas to eat and just gets happy when they fly overhead :'D

Penelope is a bit self-conscious about being born from a creek while her mom and most of her other siblings are from the river. (she's also the youngest and smaller.) Penelope was actually really worried about this and even kind of tried to not say that her water broke and was just like "hey, let's go here! No reason! :'D " because she wanted to get to the "better source of water" to give birth to Telemachus.

Odysseus: I can't believe you did that! >:( Penelope: HEy! Me and our son are fine!! The contractions didn't even start yet and we still made it to the river!!! And he'll be so strong, Odysseus! :D

Honestly they'd kind of "dry" out and just... really uncomfortable. I can imagine they kind of shed scales and just feel sick and unwell. Probably if you gave them a glass of water they'd rather dump it over their head :P Would eventually die if they don't get enough :'D If you marry a naiad-born person and don't have what they need, then you're a shit spouse. It is basically common knowledge, even for non-naiad born. Leda, for example, with Tyndarius, makes sure he has his "dips" in the water if she notices it's been a while or that he starts itching his skin. (Odysseus makes damn well sure she has enough water. Not only did he carve her a "nest" as a wedding bed, but he also has a pool with a canal that could go to the caves if she needed that's basically right outside their chamber :D Where she and Telemachus go a lot (especially during the suitors). He thought of EVERYTHING. It's seeing the bed and the pool where she realizes that this man truly loves her and that she loves him as well. She knew before that "she would be happy with him" and did love him but this is where she was hit with "omfg this is like the tales poets sing about. holy shit." )

Oh boy the RAIN >:)

Yes they can do SOOO much with it. It's actually a very joyous and playful time for most naiads and basically, everyone leaves their spots of water to just run around and play and dance. (and Helen and Pollux :P but uh...they do make it "sparky" so they only run around where there's no big body of water.) And it's actually another thing that naiads have over nereids as rain has no salt :P

It also helps with yeah, Helen and Pollux, as when these two get pretty emotional the clouds start to form. Helen likes to mess with people by giving them a "static shock" as it's funny and "minor". And she loves doing it to Penelope as she likes her reactions. When it rains or they're near water, Penelope kind of gets her revenge >:D (They love each other, they're just cousins)

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 3 Tatarigoroshi pt. 10

Before we get into the real meat of it, I would like to talk briefly about a technical aspect of the GOG release of Higurashi (probably Steam as well). If you are playing the game (reading the visual novel) on two computers and using cloud saves, but don't have the same mods installed across both computers, this can actually bork your saves up.

In Tatarigoroshi part 9 I mentioned briefly how at the start of chapter ten it just has Keiichi mention point blank that he murdered the hell out of Teppei Houjou. I initially thought this was a remarkably quick change of pace from how the rest of the VN had presented facts. It turns out, playing the VN on my desktop computer (my Strong Lad) and not on my laptop as I usually do caused the save to somehow skip over chapter ten entirely. I read roughly an hour or so of chapter nine on my laptop earlier and it deals almost exclusively with how Keiichi executing his plot to kill Teppei Houjou. So I got curious just how much they'd written to extend this part for the console release (the console port got new art, so maybe they wrote a small extra part just for console). When it got to one of the mid-chapter stopping points I decided to see how much was left in the chapter and skipped towards the end. After verifying the chapter was over, I went about my day and eventually decided to check it on my desktop. "I'll read it for a while to see where they decide to converge the paths," I thought and so I read for a while, until I started thinking that something seemed off. This chapter ten seemed awfully different to what I'd just read. So I decided again, to use the skip dialogue until it got to the end of the chapter, where it gave me different TIPS than the ones the one on my laptop gave me. That being said, let's continue.

As you can see, he's becoming slightly more unhinged, considering he now thinks he'll be able to just move on from killing a man.

Bearer, seek seek lest.

I think it's an interesting idea, this notion that he's decided to become a gun for Oyashiro.

In the console remake art is flips very quickly through a handful of the environmental scenes while showing the words that the remake version has there. It's a neat effect, and I curse Nvidia for my recording software not working at this point.

I know that it's just a product of his deeply unwell mind, but I don't really understand why he's decided to project this almost heavenly aura on to the bat Satoshi left behind. Keiichi is treating it like it's a divine holy instrument, and the embodiment of Satoshi's will, when up until twelve hours in-game ago he thought Satoshi was a bum who just cut and run when the going got tough. He's acting like he's inherited the divine sword of justice in an RPG, and not the bat of Kevin the bed wetter who was mid at baseball. Like I said, I know this is a symptom of an unwell mind, but it's just wild to see him completely flip and change opinions on a guy that when you get down to it he knows nothing about.

I think you're gonna have a bad time. Oh yeah, also Keiichi dug the hole he's going to plant a seed of Houjou to see what flowers out of it later.

And so the trap has been sufficiently baited, and Teppei walks unknowingly into his doom.

Bad news Tep, you lost your living perms.

And so begins the murder of one Teppei Houjou by the Coward Keiichi Maebara.

I'm not saying I wanted to see it, but given how the visual novel up to the point has shied away from depictions of murder I'm surprised at how graphic this scene is. You basically get to read all about how Keiichi just splatters this man apart. Whereas in Onikakushi it was just "Mion and Rena got beaten to death with a bat," and left it at that.

"I felt muscular and compact, like corned beef."

And so it ends. Keiichi Maebara beat the life out of Teppei all for the sake of a relationship that a little over a week ago seemed more perfunctory than anything. Also I do find it interesting how he's taken this view that you're allowed a single murder on the night of Watanagashi. It's like a little Purge, a little murder, as a treat.

Sure. Keep telling yourself that buddy.

It's all fun and games until you have to clean up afterwards.

Realistically that's probably how that would play out though. He goes to all the trouble to plot and scheme the murder only to slip fall and drown to death in a swamp. So Keiichi drives the motorcycle the late Tenpenny Houjou had into the swamp, and then begins to have a heart to heart with what he feels is the now at peace spirit of Satoshi.

I know it's not what will happen, but it would be funny if Keiichi goes to all this effort and thinks he's done well for the spirit of Satoshi and Satoko, and he just shows up cause he's back from wherever he ran off to. And it turns out the entire time he was just having off-screen adventures and didn't actually murder anyone. Anyway, shortly after axe-throwing the baseball bat into the swamp Keiichi realizes the problem with committing a night-based murder and finds he doesn't know where he is, or where he left the hole he was going to dump the body in. Which is a pretty amateur mistake to make given all of his plotting and scheming about where, when, and how to do the deed that he forgot the simple truth that it gets dark at night.

[dwarfsized]

10 characters/10 fandoms/10 tags

the always amazing @aevallare tagged me <3 sooooo:

Astarion Ancunin (Baldur's Gate 3) - getting the obvious one out of the way early. you put a character in front of me who gets mad at you for being good and kind because no one has ever been that to him, who is a bitch and that's a feature not a bug, and im not supposed to become deeply obsessed with that? he is everything. to me.

Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb) - tamsyn muir WHEN will my wife come back from the war? Devotion even when you hate it. Being a weapon in more ways than even you are aware of. Love when you don't know what love is, really, getting it wrong and right at the same time. Gideon @ Harrow is just "its rotten work. especially to me especially if its you. i'll fucking do it but christ alive."

Murderbot (The Murderbot Diaries) - i think i am one of the only people who thinks that Murderbot is on the fem-presenting side of androgynous but i do think that and i'm right. I haven't read the latest book yet. Being forced to interrogate an in-between space, Murderbot's "dont look at me" in combination with vulnerability, the desire to cut and run and figure yourself out and then, like. not actually figuring yourself out much. did the running help? did escaping do anything? or should you have stayed?

Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death) - Cringefail fuck-up pirate my beloved, i hate watching him do things it's like looking in a mirror. Theater kid playing dress up, steeped in self-doubt and trying to get everyone to talk about their feelings. In season one he looks at his own life and says "is anyone going to ruin this?" and doesn't wait for an answer. I want to kiss him in the moonlight. Every time I think about him I want to throw up. <3

Keyleth (Critical Role) - The weight of the world on her shoulders because she's been raised to lead her people, and all that simmering rage she tries to keep under wraps, and then she only gets a tiny bit of time with the person she loves before she has to live for years and years and years and watch everyone she cares about leave her. Archdruids with timeless body are an existential nightmare.

Alex Louis Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist) - okay listen. when i rewatched fmab in college, I was fully ready to fall in love with Riza. I was very surprised when I realized that it was not the badass with the gun I was fixated on, but the. big muscle-y guy who cries a lot and gets used for comic relief 60% of the time. but. im here. i love him. the ishval flashbacks got to me.

Blue (This is How You Lose the Time War) - Loving someone enough you're willing to let them close enough to kill you. The inherent rot beneath blooming things. Taking the slow path. Not leaving well enough alone. Love, but with teeth. I'm so normal about her (lying)

Cora Sabino (Noumena Series) - I wish I could tell everyone to read Axiom's End because I loved it, but I cant because the sequel fucked me up so bad. Its good! but god the atmosphere is so oppressive and Cora's struggle with depression is extremely real for an alternate history story that asks the question "what if we found out aliens were real during the bush administration?" I was legitimately unwell.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars) - I just think he's the funniest guy with a laser sword. so repressed. had one of the most grey-jedi masters to ever do the damn thing. bitchy. the chosen one is his padawan. honestly he had to know anakin was sneaking out to canoodle with padme and just decided it wasn't his problem. calls himself fucking ben on the hell sand planet. why was he like that.

Spock (Star Trek) - this is the most "i just think he's neat" of all of them. i inherited this blorbo. this blorbo was handed down to me from my mom. he was hers first, im just picking up the torch. "guy who acts like he has no emotions but every seven years enters a fuck or die frenzy" im sorry but that's. that's too good. i have no choice but to rotate him in my mind.

I cannot tag 10 people but i will tag @asterordinary and @werewolfnobody and if anyone else wants to do it go for it! tag me so i can read your response!

[charmwasjess]

for the ao3 wrapped: 3, 17 and 30 <3

FUN!!!!! Thank you, @bosquedemel! ❤️You're a gem!

3. the work I'm the most proud of

Easily Sitting in the Dark. It felt so daunting... I had this idea that I couldn't even write a multi-chapter piece when I started, that I was bad at plot-plot, and I was coming back to Dooku and Qui-Gon at this horrifying moment in their lives and trying to relearn how to write them as an adult...

On a personal note, the month I started writing it, I'd just lost my dear friend/writing mentor in a violent and unexpected way, and I wasn't doing well. There's so many pieces of that grief woven into the story because I couldn't help but be processing it. It might sound silly, but it gave me such a safe, anonymous outlet when I needed to pour out a lot of feelings. That chapter where Qui-Gon thinks Dooku's dead, and that sense of not being upset that you couldn't say goodbye to someone you lost, but that you didn't get to say thank you.

Not to get all real on a fun ask game, but that fic was/is really important to me for that reason, and even more so the people who came along with me for it and didn't even know how much support they were providing to a really sad little person behind the AO3 account.

17. my favorite character to write this year ...yyyyeah, I think we ALL came with me on my VERY LOUD Sifo-Dyas journey this year, including the multiple fics about other stuff that he just took over. Listen, I just think he's neat. In this essay, I will---

Dooku is still my ride-or-die to write as a POV though. He's mentally unwell in such a specifically fun way to write.

30. biggest writing surprise this year

I wrote a little bit about just the shock of coming back to the fic community in my other answer, but another writing surprise from this year...

OH! I absolutely wasn't trying or expecting to ship Dooku and Sifo-Dyas. It happened very organically. Sweet summer child that I was, I wrote my first Sifo-Dyas scene, the big long duel in the last chapter of Sitting in the Dark. Dooku's still really hurt but NEEDS to spar or he's going to go insane, so Sifo proceeds to just kick his ass so so very gently and tenderly?

Anyway, I don't know what happened to me as I was writing that. I can't explain it. Sifo's goofing off, Dooku's like >:{ "you're a fool!!!" and Sy goes "yeah, a fool's fool" :') and I felt a small "piff!" sound in my skull as my brain chemistry altered permanently, pathways rerouting and reconnecting. Oh no, he loves him.

[eldragon-x-moved]

🔺💭🌲

🔺 - whats your favorite weirdmageddon part?

Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls EASILY. The finale is my favourite episode of the show in general because there's so much to enjoy and it brings the show to such a satisfying and sweet conclusion. And Journal 3 only makes it better for me since it fills in on the period between the end of Weirdmageddon and the epilouge.

Stan and Ford are pretty much the heart for most of this episode after the previous one dealt with Dipper, Mabel and their reconciliation from the aftermath of damvtf. And the stan twins strongly contrast each other here with Stan being avoidant and Ford being self-sacrifical. And just, the way things are resolved through them seeing eye to eye again because they both care for the younger twins and see them overcoming their struggles and how Ford accepts Stan's help after spending thirty years trying to solve a massive, seemingly impossible problem alone and Stan being ready to sacrifice himself after hiding away the whole time and in the end they mend their relationship and it's just so!!!

Also the whole ending scene where Dipper and Mabel leave the town is just so so well done with it's emotional beats and it not just being a goodbye to the town and other characters for them but a goodbye to the show as well is just. augh.

okay cheesy talk aside the fight between the shacktron and the henchmaniacs is hype and also this episode has the best bill scene in the entire show and bill's nightmare form is so cool and the final confrontation between him and stan is amazingly satisfying and climactic especially considering these two have never even interacted directly up until this point theres just so much in this episode but I'll stop myself here

💭 - what are some other headcanons you have?

Mabel taught Ford how to knit sweaters seeing how frequently he wears them and they'll just hang out and do arts and crafts together at times while Ford tells Mabel about different dimensions he's been to and I still wish we got more Ford and Mabel bonding in canon.

🌲 - whos your favorite from the pines family?

Honestly it just metronomes between Ford and Mabel. Mabel was my favourite character in this whole show when I was a kid and I related a lot to her and I still think she's a neat character who drives a lot of the emotional beats towards the end of the show and has been unfairly trashed plus I'm unwell about her parallels with Bill while Ford is just such a good and intriguing character with a compelling arc which is amazing considering he's only around for half a season. Obviously Journal 3 helps that but even disregarding it, he's great.

[clay-cuttlefish]

Rebirth time, all the way to Event Leviathan. Already bracing myself for some of these, but there's some decent stuff in here too, just gotta pick through the sludge.

Renee spends 2016-2018 bouncing around various Bat comics with a handful of lines an issue like she did pre-character-development, but she mostly works with Kate, which is a bit of a silver lining.

Batwoman #17-18

Kate and Renee get back together and it's cute enough I'm willing to stop being annoyed while I read it.

Almost all their previous romantic moments are immediately followed by divorce so it's nice to see them just being goofy and adorable.

Is this trying too hard? Maybe. Am I charmed anyways? Yes.

Action Comics #1005

Vic's back! Running around Metropolis and not explaining anything!

Genuinely this is such a fun way to reintroduce him, it feels fitting that it's unceremonious. You get no context for who he is, no explanation for why he's here, he's just Doing Things.

Doomsday Clock #9

I feel like I have to mention: Geoff Johns was the one that suggested Renee become the Question. He's also specifically credited with a couple good moments in 52, so clearly he's capable of understanding Vic, he's just chosen not to here for the sake of putting more Watchmen references in his Watchmen crossover.

God Doomsday Clock is so stupid.

Vic does get to save Ted for a panel so that's nice I guess.

Batman #66

The idea that Bruce is so unbelievably bad at processing his emotions that he had to dream up Vic as the fucking Divorce Understander is hysterical.

They haven't been in a comic together in nearly 20 years, Vic just lives rent free in his head that much.

Terrible comic but remembering it makes me laugh.

Action Comics #1009

Back in Metropolis, Vic's chilling out investigating Leviathan.

I'm not a big fan of this look, it's a little too Rorschach for me, but hey it's nice that he's here.

Also not super into his dialogue but it works alright as deadpan snark.

Lois Lane #1

WE ARE SO BACK

You would think a character who's been around for this long would have multiple good writers but nope Rucka is singlehandedly carrying her.

Critically: it's about journalism! That's pretty much the ideal way to smack some characterization back into Renee. So much of O'Neil's Question is about that rift between Vic the reporter and Question the vigilante, and about the ways in which those roles can do good, so drawing on those themes grounds this progression even as it's a sharp course correction.

I'm not a big Superman guy, he's neat but doesn't grab me, but the bits of Clark from Lois' perspective do more to sell me on him than any event I've read. They remind me of my parents and that's 100% a good thing. It's adorable.

#2

The snippets of other news stories about how heroes impact the political landscape do more to create a world that feels alive than, like, 90% of comics I've ever read.

Lois Lane, dyslexic icon.

It's got everything. Intrigue. Drama. Worldbuilding through trashy TV. Renee breaking and entering. Lesbian flirting. Compelling mysteries. DC's best het couple. Comic books are good, actually.

#3

The only thing better than one Question? TWO OF THEM.

Looking at them hugging is not enough I need to eat the panel.

The long silent sequence into the action scene into them hugging is perfectly paced.

Somehow, despite how unwell Vic and Renee make me, Clark and Lois are nearly as good here.

#4

"You were my best friend, you saved my life. And then you died." "I know who you are. You're my friend, you're Renee Montoya, and you're my legacy." They are everything.

It's so good that them catching up is a strange, quiet moment. Yeah, the cause of this is cosmic weirdness, but the effects are so personal.

I can't help but read Lois' "Sage. You're off your beat." to Vic as exasperated. Respectable. He's exasperating.

#5

Vic and Renee both crushing on Lois is cute.

I love how self-assured Renee is here. She's the Question, and she knows exactly how cool that is... but "being the Question with fresh eyes" means having to relearn the limits on violence. Beating people up is one thing, interrogation is another.

Event Leviathan

I've put this all in one chunk instead of trying to interlace it with Lois Lane, since it ends right before issue 6 and there aren't any great ways to spread it out more.

The event so pointless Jimmy Olsen spoiled the reveal.

None of the plot is interesting to me, but Vic's fun, I always like Lois Lane, it could be worse.

I like this characterization for Vic. He's chilled out since he's came back from the dead, and he's got less of a personal stake than most of the others so he's decent at staying on track, but he's also quick to play into whatever dumb banter's going on.