#i know its kinda long but i do need all this data and i tried to cut it down as much as i could

[itslilacmoon]

now that I’ve got your attention, do you want to click some more buttons? I’m trying to collect data on TOH fandom/shipping culture, and it would really help me out if you completed my survey!

If you’ve ever wanted to share your experiences of what it’s like being in the TOH fandom, now’s your chance! It’s a bit long, but you’re helping me document important parts of fandom culture!

[senilthesynth]

RIP Cohost

Cohost is shutting down the end of the year. While I'm kinda sad because it was a good experiment to see if non-federated social media could be viable that doesn't rely on selling data or anything, I think Anti-Software Software Club just made too many assumptions that didn't or couldn't pan out. Including just... not understanding what they wanted in the end.

(Read more because this was originally a Bluesky post and got long)

Number 1 mostly being them being "blindsided" by Stripe clarifying their policy that, in the end, means ASSC couldn't use them as a way for users to tip each other or the Artists Alley section and such. That policy existed for years, well before Cohost ever existed. For context, ASSC originally wanted to build a Patreon competitor, not a social media site. They would have failed so hard if they stuck to a Patreon competitor on this alone.

And in my opinion, number 2 is their pay. They were paying themselves very well-off all things considered, and everyone was paid the exact same amount (~94k last I heard). That's… a lot of money going towards pay that could've gone to hosting costs. They're a startup. You pay yourselves what you can. I appreciate that they paid themselves well, but again. Startup. You pay what you can, and they were nowhere close to breaking even at any point.

I think their financial model didn't do themselves any favors - they started out with "we got a lot of loan money to do this and now we have to make it profitable" which, yeah, sometimes that's what it takes. But that's venture capitalism. Especially since Cohost's source code WAS the collateral! They acted as a leftist group trying to market themselves as a non-profit/not-for-profit (they're a LLC, they're legally not forced to do either), paying themselves well more than they realistically, and hoped they could get enough people to subscribe monthly to break even.

That… doesn't work.

Not to say this would've fixed things, but I think them registering as an LLC didn't help. That prevented them from bringing on anything resembling a volunteer, and since their whole thing was "everyone gets paid the same" it meant they had to operate with very few people. If I recall correctly, they had one moderator. Maybe two. Maybe. Two developers, an artist, and a moderator. Four people. MAYBE five, I forget the exact number.

This is entering hypothetical territory so everything is unknown and is me guessing a lot of things, but is based on what I do know.

Being a non-profit comes with its own set of problems, but if they could become and maintain a 501(c)3 non-profit, they could pay themselves what they could and have people willing to help volunteer moderate. They could never get code contributors, though, since their source code was their collateral it by nature had to be closed off. Also, donations (recurring or one-off) are tax-deductible for US-members, so while it's not a HUGE benefit it offers at least that small bonus.

I'm glad that they tried, and got as far as they did (even if it meant loan after loan to not die instantly). It showed that it could be possible - that there's hope in this idea. It's just a question of HOW to make it a sustainable reality. I don't think there's a clear answer there, though. Like my non-profit idea hinges heavily on maintaining 501(c)3 status (or similar) and being able to bring on volunteers as-needed. Using a public spec for the back-end (like ActivityPub or ATProto) so the focus can be on implementing it (even if federation is never a thing) instead of doing it raw - which avoids the back-end development time but then means having to work with an existing spec that may or may not change substantially over time.

IDK. I have no idea what would make a medium-form social media such as Cohost viable. Maybe it's the same idea but with lower pay so it's easier to bring new people on as-needed, with the expectation that this is a passion project 'til it gets off the ground. Maybe it takes the "use a public spec for back-end" approach and focuses on the implementation of it with their own additions and flair. ActivityPub is one spec, but you have Mastodon, Pixelfed, Misskey, Wafrn, etc. that all go in different directions. ATProto will likely be the same one day - Bluesky being the obvious "reference" implementation right now.

Maybe it's something else entirely that I could never ever think of. I don't know, but all I do know is that I'm glad they tried. Unfortunately, the writing has been on the wall for months now and honestly? If you didn't expect that, that's on you. People have been saying that Cohost wasn't sustainable for months.

[afreakingdork]

Crush Too Much - Part 13

RotTMNT Donatello x GN!Reader

Warnings: Longing, Angst, Fluff, Embarrassment, Overbearing Siblings, Aged-up Turtles

Synopsis:  So you met a customer three times at work and that made a pretty big impression on you? That’s nothing to necessarily get worked up over, but when you’re all prepared to ask for his number the next time you see him and his brother gets involved instead, you might be in for something more than you bargained for.

FIRST 💜 PREVIOUS

Heartbreak.

It was strange how an ailment he’d been suffering from for well over a month felt so new with a proper diagnosis. Donatello had grown tired of the constant recontextualizing and recategorization of his memories he had been forced to do as of late. The past week had softened the initial blow and he was left with a single clear frame of reference: he was done with preconceived notions. He patted himself on the back for being having had the wherewithal to admit it. Fiasco after fiasco caused by his failure to make judgments on subjects that were far out of his depth had humbled him. That, though, didn’t mean there wasn’t time for research.

Heart·break

/ˈhärtˌbrāk/

variable noun

Heartbreak is very great sadness and emotional suffering, especially after the end of a love affair or close relationship.

Though there was no trace, Donatello had casually lamented the state of his browsing history. The tricky thing about these types of subjects is there is a true testable physiological response, but there is also a myriad of baseless think pieces. Sifting through them was arduous at best and comical at worst. Outside of the digital world, his brothers had retained some shreds of his dignity. He’d found that they’d placed no bets on his realization timeline and they were mostly just glad to have him present. He wasn’t sure if he would have suffered an indignity if they had tried teased him about his denseness. He felt no humiliation. He akined it to ridiculing a child for not knowing how to read if they had never been taught. He simply had nothing to compare it to. He did, however, feel immense guilt over acting out on half-baked assumptions. He prided himself on being a better scientist than that. In that regard, he’d let himself down.

Which was why, he decided, he was no longer going to make anymore guesses. Unfortunately, that ruling also meant he was stuck with different unsolved question: what was the source of his heartbreak? It was undeniably you, but in what way? The online consciences agreed that heartbreak was felt on a spectrum and he could subscribe to that logic. Where his feelings for you landed on that spectrum was a mystery. He’d warped them through a lens of dismissive science to such a degree, he wasn’t sure what was real anymore. It was yet another reason why he fatigued of pouring over the memories. He needed fresh, untainted data if he were to start the study anew. Though he’d come a long way in acknowledging his ignorance, he knew for a fact that reaching out first would be extremely stupid after everything he had done.

Frowning, Donatello stared down a long stretching rack of garments. Several rows over, he spied Mikey stretching out a blazer and squinting over it.

“Explain to me again what we’re looking for?”

There was a loud metallic clank as Mikey forcefully shoved a hanger back into its spot. “Aw, come on, Donnie! Haven’t I explained it a million times already?”

“Yes, it must be me who is failing to understand.” Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Donatello settled on drooping his lids.

Instead of going around, Mikey simply threaded himself through several racks of clothes until he reached his brother. “I need a fabric for the torso that screams ‘shaaazaa!’ Then maybe a thick retro material that kinda had a ‘ba-boo-roo’ thing going for it and, finally, I need something with that oomph factor!”

Each descriptor had been paired with a matching full body gesture. Mikey’s consistency had impressed Donatello, but that didn’t mean they made any more sense to him. “Riiiiight...”

“Glad we cleared that up.” Mikey punctuated the statement with a confirming wink before a pair of pants caught his eye.

“Does ‘ba-boo-roo’ have a English language color name?” Donatello scrunched his nose up from having to use the descriptor.

“It’s more of a pattern.” Mikey hummed, testing the elasticity of the stitching.

“Exasperated sigh.” Donatello mumbled to himself as he stared at the same rack he’d been standing at their entire duration in the store.

Mikey looked past the bottoms and to his brother. Lowering the garment, he made a move as if to grab something from in front of him, but shifted direction at the last moment to elbow Donnie's plastron instead. “Hey.”

“What?”

“You’re helping.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not, having you here helps.”

Donatello turned to give his younger brother the full extent of his doubtful gaze.

“You are!” Mikey threw his arms up, pants trailing the move. “You got up early to come shopping with me right when these stores open.” Looking around them, only a few older women of poor eye sight were milling around. “I probably should have showed you my sketches so you had more of an idea what we’re looking for, but regardless; it’s emotional support!”

“My strong suit.” He could no longer withhold the eye roll.

“Suit…” Mikey rubbed his chin with the fabric. “Great idea! See, you are helping!”

“Michael, we really need to work on your elaboration.” Donatello raised his hand with the point but Mikey hung to pants hanger on the appendage instead.

“You go find three pin-striped suit jackets or…” Mikey squinted and looked to the upper right. “Any pattern that isn’t just blah in preferably a sack silhouette.” Bringing his gaze back, his eyes shimmered with the idea. “Let’s put 15 minutes on the clock, what’dya say?”

“I’d say that’s probably the most in depth instruction you’ve given me all day.” Donatello responded dryly, hanging the pants back up on a rack.

“Great, then let’s go!” The younger brother then disappeared by diving headfirst into a clothing stand.

Shaking his head at the action, Donatello set a timer on his cuff. He then looked up at the large signs that marked each section. Following them with an upturned gaze, he located suits. To accommodate the various lengths and paired items, this section's racks were twice the height of their companions. Turning down the row, he was met with an ocean of blacks and navys. Sighing audibly at the lack of selection, Donatello headed down the line and let an outstretched finger follow along the garments.

As if sifting files, he came to a halt when his digit caught a subtle brocade that barely stood out due to its similarly dark threading. Pulling the item out and lifting it up to eye level, Donatello activated his goggles. A detailed manifest popped up with notes about the cut. With the piece held high in his right hand, he both brought up his left to compare acquisition to time and deactivated his goggles. One suit in under 5 minutes wasn’t a great start, but he could only work with what the store provided. Prepared to continue to search, he lowered the hanger and like a curtain dropping, you were revealed on the other side.

His heart stuttered in his chest.

He stared openly, wondering if he should run. He watched as you compared the sleeve lengths of two jackets, seemingly not noticing his presence. Torn between choices, Donatello felt stuck. He watched your lip purse, unsure, before finally something seemed to spark in your eyes. He leaned his head back incrementally as you turned to him in slow motion.

“Oh, sorry! Am I in your wa-?” Your words dropped off as you let go to the jackets you were examining. “Donnie.”

It felt like his brain was lagging with a spotty internet connection. The page finally began to load. As the information filed in, his first thought was another summation of the chances. Dismissing the possibility of having run into you randomly in New York City on three separate occasions, Donatello swiveled and stretched his neck out to see over the rack. If his younger brother was the mastermind, he wasn’t watching his scheme unfold which was unlike him. Blinking, he realized he’d ignored you in favor of an errant thought. Donatello turned back to find you still waiting, though no longer colored with surprise. “Y/N.”

“Looking for some new clothes?” You gestured to the jacket in hand.

He watched as each little sign of your discomforting body language seemed to note itself as if his goggles were still active. He couldn’t process the information as he was still stuck on the part about how you ended up running into each other. “Absolutely not, the thought of wearing something that someone else wore even if it’s washed?” His lip curled up with distaste. “I’ll stick to regular stores.”

You stifled a snorted chuckle. “You know people try those clothes on too?”

“Trying on is quite different than schlepping off some garms to a thrift store.” He folded his arms and the suit jacket swung with the motion.

“Hm, maybe.” There was an airy quality to your voice that sounded pleasant to his ears.

“Most second hand shops don’t even wash the clothes! I’m just hoping they were deloused.” Noting the fact caused him to scoot away from the rack.

The laughter couldn’t be held back any longer. As you giggled, Donatello could swear the sound resonated with some unknown harmony. “So what are you here for then?”

“Mikey enlisted me into some project.” Though he had moved his feet, he was painfully aware that he couldn’t seem to keep himself from facing you.

“Mikey did?” You turned your head to glance around. “Is he here?”

“It’s a long story. Presumably, he’s around.” Part of him wanted to accuse you of being in league with his younger brother, but a secondary thought reminded him that he wasn’t going to make those kinds of guesses anymore. Plus, since his gaze was trained on you, he had yet to notice a mimed action. “What about you?”

“Oh.” You seemed to remember something. “I’m, uh, ‘filling out my office wardrobe.’”

He watched as your face shifted from sheepish to quoting and then finally to a bright proud smile. Reaching up, Donatello tucked a hand underneath his hoodie to touch his goggles. They were still clicked into their stationary position on top of his head. If that was the case, why did everything around you look so colorful? “Your internship…?” He trailed off trying to recall the sparse notes he’d gotten before you both parted.

Your gaze dipped as you shimmied side to side. When you returned it, you had a sly smile. “’Full time job’ would be a better way to describe it.”

Donatello also wondered why your eyes seemed to be magnified. “They hired you on.” The information was still lagging. “Wait, they hired you on!?”

“Yep!” You chirped.

He finally pinged the harmony as being similar to a birdsong. “Congratulations are in order then!” He clapped around the hanger in his hands. “It is well deserved though I do hope that the employment comes with a moderately higher salary to afford you more than….” He looked around the store to emphasize his point. “This.”

“It does.” You turned away and ran a hand down one of the suit jackets you had been examining earlier. “Starting out is tough though and, unlike you, I think a nice hot wash will clean these up just fine.”

“Unless they are dry clean only.” Donatello tried to clear his throat stealthily in an attempt to stifle the small dip he felt in his stomach from your movement.

“Those are ‘suggestion’ labels, right?” There was a wry tone to your voice that Donatello pegged as goading.

“I see your comedy remains unchanged.” As soon as the sentence left his mouth, his eyes widened. Something about giving voice to the separation felt like an instant taboo. Looking back to you fearfully, he found your shoulders raised slightly in a move which he read as apprehension.

“Is… this really a coincidence?” Your eyes were cast down.

Though the question pricked like a nettle, it was absolutely valid. “Do you remember how suspicious I was when you found me at the food truck park?”

He watched your gaze raise with recognition. “’A little over 9 million?’”

“I swear to you that as far as I know, this is naturally the third time this has happened.”

“That can’t be…” You shook your head slightly in confusion.

“I agree, for locations that we rarely frequent, the probability of it happening is not incalculable, but the numbers are hard for even me to comprehend.” He nodded, his eyes shutting as his mind unconsciously started to do the math.

“I guess it’s not a coincidence then.” There was a tone to your voice that Donatello didn’t recognize so he brought his lids up to find you smiling to yourself. “It must be fate.”

It was only spoken softly to yourself, but something about the sentence seemed to ring loudly in his mind. “I don’t believe in that. I create my own destiny.”

You snickered. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“And what does that mean?” He leaned forward suspiciously.

“Not a thing!” You clucked and used your other gathered garments to create a barrier between the two of you.

Donatello looked down at them, wondering why he hadn’t registered them earlier. Cataloging them in conjunction with the suit jacket you were browsing, he frowned. “You’re not getting that are you?”

“What?” You shifted, looking at your items.

“Give me a quick rundown of your position.” He nodded thoughtfully as you explained and then shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stand for this. The pieces you selected are both under and over dressed and it doesn’t seem like you’re even taking utility into account!”

“Now wai-”

He heard you begin, but the bandwidth was already being diverted elsewhere. Though Donatello himself hadn’t moved far from the original rack, he had been watching Mikey sift through pieces in rapid succession. From those earlier leavings, a few stood out. “Come with me!” He turned and started walking, trying to plot out the shortest course to said clothes without having to resort to Mikey-type short-cut method. “Here!” He grabbed a top and spun around, remembering something else. “And this.”

“Donnie, are you serious?” Your voice sounded a bit distant and when he looked up he found you a whole rack away.

“Yes, just look!” He held up the top he selected and he watched as your expression shifted from confounded to thinly veiled stubbornness with an undercurrent of intrigue. “Shall I continue?”

“Is that my size?” You looked close to stomping your foot.

Something about that made his chest feel tighter than it should in his hoodie.

“What do you take me for?” He threw his hands up, raising the other item he selected into view.

“Glossing over the fact that you know that, I want you to make a note that I’m not super ok with this!”

“I’m sensing a but…?” He drew out the word, just knowing that his prowess was about to be acknowledged.

“But…” You hesitated before slumping with defeat. “I do want to see what you pick.” The statement came out of the corner of your mouth.

Donnie would have jumped for joy had he not seen another piece out of the corner of his eye. “Allow me to curate the wardrobe of your dreams!” His feet began to move and his goggles dropped down to start a running tally. At one point his cuff had an alert, but from beneath the hangers that had moved onto his forearms for the extra real estate, it was silenced. Once he had grabbed what he deemed a suitable amount of clothing, he made one last glance over his shoulder to make sure you were still in tow. He wanted to verbally acknowledge how well you had kept up, but something held his tongue. Instead he steered both of you to the shoddily constructed changing rooms.

“Alright!” He waited until you got the message to take a readied position in front of him before rifling through the garments. “Here’s outfit one, but keep the pants on because they’re going to be a staple piece you can then pair with the next top.” He thrust the clothes into your unprepared arms and used the confusion to snatch away your previous selections.

You rolled your eyes and pulled back the curtain to the changing room. “Yes, sir, Mr. Fashionista!”

“We shall see how that tone fairs once you’ve seen my work!” He snapped back, preparing the next few choices.

After an appropriate amount of rustling, the curtain drew back and you stepped out. “How…?”

“Hm…” He leaned forward, his goggles noting information about cut and shape as you shifted side to side to get a look from all angles.

“Seriously, when did you take my measurements? These shouldn’t fit so well!” There were dueling notes of astonishment and annoyance in your voice.

“Details.” Donatello waved the question off. “There’s creasing along the back.” He watched as you tried to catch a glimpse and ended up spinning in a circle like a dog trying to catch its tail. He tried not to divide his attention from the task at hand, but a fond smile pulled at his lips.

“I don’t think it's a problem.” You stuck your hands out and waved them.

“How do you feel about getting the pieces tailored?”

“Maybe down the road, but not if I can help it right now.” You stopped shuffling around and came to a neutral stance.

“I see.” He added the entry to his data points and passed you the next items. “Swap the top, keep the bottoms.”

You gave him a mock salute with the clothes in hand, causing them to obscure your face as you headed back into the changing room. Donatello shook his head, the smile growing ever wider. It’s not that he hadn’t realized he’d missed the banter; he’d ruminated on it in slivers of time, but being faced with it actively enforced the point. As you emerged from the curtain again, the repartee resumed. It was as if you had never been apart. After passing off the next selection, the moments where you changed felt like a weight. It was within the fragments of silence that the existence of your separation made itself known. It held the enormity of all his failings and the apologies he wasn’t even sure he could truly recompense. In equal exchange, he watched as your apprehension melted away as his grew. After several more costume changes, he’d twisted inward and focused more on cycling through the digital closet inventory for maximum effectiveness.

“These fit right style wise…” Your voice drifted in, signaling you’d emerged once more. “…but the waist needs….” He looked past his display and watched your nose wrinkle with thought. “Like a belt?”

Lifting his goggles, he squinted as he returned to normal view. “It looks like there might have been a matching piece of fabric that should loop here.” He pointed to a small tailored slit in the side of slacks.   

“Someone probably lost it. I’m gonna go run and get a belt. Watch my stuff?” You tossed the question over your shoulder as you already started to walk away.

He nodded and returned to his catalog. He vaguely heard you return and disappear into the changing room as he put the final touches on his curation. Nodding to himself, he took a deep breath and shifted his goggles to rub his eyes. “With this you should be able to make 21 separate outfits! Did the belt work out?”

“Oh sure, but I think something else got lost in the shuffle?”

“Pardon?” He watched as you emerged from the curtain in full strut. His jaw laxed as he gazed upon the most garish combination he’d ever seen. You were donning a pair of what looked like shiny latex purple leggings that disappeared into slinky neon green leg warmers on one end and the hem of what could either be classified as a sequined mini dress or top depending on the height of the wearer on the other. On top of that, you’d slipped on an 80's blazer that had shoulder pads so high it was skimming the territory of your ears. He watched as you struck a vogue pose causing the oversized leopard print glasses that were taking up most of your face to jostle.

“I was also thinking hat, but I’m not sure if that would be too much?” From behind your back a large church crown appeared with several flowers and a fake bird sticking out of it. You brought it up over your head, but didn’t quite place it as you waited for his judgment.

Several seconds ticked by and your plastered on smile hadn’t faltered. Donatello bent forward slightly before a loud laugh tore from him. “When did you even-?” He wheezed.

“So, that’s a yes to the hat?” You put it on and made another pose eliciting more laughter from him.

Stumbling forward with amusement, he reached out for an anchor point. He found it in the pad on your shoulder and as soon as contact was made, it felt as if there was a sudden breach of contract. He didn’t feel you flinch underhand, but your gaze snapped to his with metered surprise. The sudden feedback painfully reminded him of the paradigm shift that had yet to be addressed in any way. Still high off the endorphins from the outburst, he retracted his hand carefully and brought it to his chest while clearing his throat.

“It’s…” You started, he popped one eye open from where they had closed to recompose himself. “…ok. I’m glad I was able to make you laugh. You were really getting lost in your head there for a moment.”

Giving you his full attention, he cursed himself for being so obvious. “I don’t know where we stand.”

“To be honest…” You hesitated, a vexed smile on your lips. You glanced up and removed the hat, lowering it in front if you. “I don’t either.” A small awkward laugh bubbled up in your throat. “But, what I do know is…” You trailed off again and looked straight into his eyes.

It was as if the fake flowers from the hat were sprouting all around you.

“I missed your snooty attitude.” Any contention on your lips switched to playful as you leaned forward and placed the hat on his head.

His lids dropped with feigned annoyance as you giggled at his appearance. It was a thinly held veneer because internally he was overjoyed that you had at least offered to crack the door to friendship back open. He reached up, feeling heat uncharacteristically pooling in his cheeks, and pulled the large brim down to mask whatever was passing over his face. “I missed you as well.”  

He didn’t have time to analyze the sound you made because another voice emerged.

“I finally found you!”

“Angelo.” Donatello murmured, the memory of his original mission rushing back to him.

“Hey, Mikey.” You shyly responded.

Donatello removed the hat to clear his view.

“Y-Y/N?” Mikey jolted with surprise before taking in your appearance. “Ok, whatever this is is wild, but I am here for it! Are you gonna get those glasses?”

Studying his brother closely, Donatello tried to pick up any traces of nefarious intent. He watched as you waved your hand turning down Mikey’s question before taking off the glasses to pass into his excited hands. If his younger sibling had set any of this up, he was operating on a level of lie that Donatello had never seen. Today really had been an absurd coincidence.

“For the record, your disappearance is forgiven and I’m all for trying new things, but that hat…” Mikey twirled his attention around, bringing a L-shaped hand of thought to his chin.

“Maybe if it were in black and we switched out the sparrow for a motherboard?” Donatello offered wryly as he placed the hat on his brother’s head.

“Crossing styles! Perfection!” Mikey clapped his hands jostling a handful of hangers he was toting.

“I did find one piece.” Donatello remembered the brocade jacket and removed it from the collection of your clothing.

“Woah, look at that design!” There were stars in Mikey’s eyes as he grabbed the piece.

You gave Donatello a small signaling wave and bobbed your head toward the dressing room. He nodded with understanding and you left to change. Gathering up the rest of your clothes, Donatello turned to find Mikey had thrown the suit jacket in with the rest of his picks. “It looks like you faired pretty well without me at least.”

“Can we hit one more store though? I’m looking for a showpiece kind of jacket.” Mikey's gaze was distant as he imagined the garment.

“Sure, but it’s going to start getting busier.”

“This time I know exactly what I’m looking for! Speaking of…” Mikey’s head lead the way as he curved his body closer to the dressing room curtain and raised his voice. “So the two of you are…?”

“Unlabeled.”

“Undiscussed.”

You threw back the curtain in your original clothes and split a smile of agreement with Donatello.

“I see…” Mikey trailed off, his voice thick with understanding.

This time you and Donatello shared a look of skepticism.  

“That means you can come to my fashion show!” Mikey bounced as Donatello handed off your clothing.

“Fashion show?” You wondered trying to heave the sudden load.

“I’ll take half.” Donatello corrected himself, separating the lot of hangers into equal parts before shooting a raised brow to his brother. “Practice elaboration, Mikey."

“Oh.” This time a real and more nervous look of comprehension passed over the younger sibling's face. “I was gonna tell the whole fam about it only after I was sure I was gonna get the pieces done in time…”

“Wait, you’re going to make your own clothes?” You lit up.

“Yeah! I’m usually not super into the concept because I’m more about letting your inner best shine, but I met this artist in my woodworking class that reframed the whole thing for me so I’m treating it like a canvas!”

“That sounds great! When is it?” You stepped forward and the group naturally begin to head towards checkout.

“Two weeks from now. Saturday night, I think…” Mikey tried to shift his clothes to one hand and fish out his phone with the other. One top started to fall from the hanger and he scrambled to fix it. “Actually, D will text you the details!”

Donatello lolled his head back before sweeping his gaze to you regretfully. “Is that alright? Don’t let him steamroll you.”

“It should be fine. I think it sounds fun.” You nodded, but he caught the slight note of reservation in your gaze.

“Now I’ll be forced to make the deadline!” Mikey spun around and in doing so took the first place in line at the cashier.

“You still weren’t sure?!” Donatello scolded.

Mikey stuck his tongue out in response and you giggled at the interaction with that same sweet melodic twitter.

NEXT

[afewbitsandpieces]

Deltarune Text Project Update #3

(View WIP Text Project Here)  

After far too long, here’s another update to the Deltarune Text Project - 99% Complete edition!

To Recap:

- There is actually several pieces of dialogue that I have tried to get, but otherwise cannot get anymore because I don’t know the conditions, or some sort of internal data prevents me from getting it again:    - Kris’s name on 1st save file: If I remember right, this has to do with getting completion data on Chapter 1, so since I’ve finished Chapter 1 several times by now, I can no longer get this.    - Green File Select screen in Chapter 1: Essentially the same as the above.    - The last Weird Route Save Point dialogue won’t show up again, presumably because it’s already been completed once before.

There is also several pieces of battle dialogue that I’m not sure can actually be gotten, or I otherwise don’t know how to trigger them in-game:

- Rudinn:    - Rudinn is alright with not fighting. [Spare conditions met]

- Hathy:    - Hathy's beat slows. [Tired]    - Hathy is skipping beats. [Spare conditions met]

- Jigsawry:    - Jigsawry looks happy about its life. [Spare conditions met]

- Ponman:    - Ponman is sleeping soundly. [Sleepy]

- K. Round:    - K.Round looks weak. [Tired]    - K.Round's shuffle becomes lethargic. [Low HP]

- Rabbick:    - You and Ralsei warned Rabbick about Susie. The enemy went on guard... [Warned]    - Rabbick is now nice and clean. [Spare conditions met]

- Clover:    - Clover seems to be getting along with herselves. [Spare conditions met]

- Lancer 2:    - Huh? What was that? [After Susie blocks Lancer's ears from "The Final Blow of Kindness"]

- Rudinn Ranger:    - Rudinn Ranger seems totally flattered. [Spare conditions met]

- Head Hathy:    - Head Hathy blocked the way! [Encounter]    - Head Hathy's beat slows. [Tired]    - Head Hathy is skipping beats. [Spare conditions met]

- Jevil:    - JEVIL got more TIRED! [Hypnosis, if JEVIL is not sufficiently tired]

- Werewire:    - Werewire swung in! [Encounter]    - Werewire and Maus swung down like stringed superheroes! [Unused encounter with Maus]

- Ambyu-Lance:    - Ambyu-Lance and its pet appeared! [Encounter with ?]

- Maus:    - Smells like wood shavings. [Neutral]    - Maus would like to go to its favorite bistro in this marvelous city. [Neutral]

- Spamton:    - $VAULES$ (rarely)

- Swatchling:    - Please enjoy this complimentary shockwave. [Red]    - What? The lasagna has some kind of explosive in it? [Blue, rare]

IN ADDITION: Like the Undertale Text Project, there's now an “X. Miscellaneous” folder of interesting things in the game:   - Chapter & Route Stat Changes (’Power’ Section)   - Character Spells (’Power’ Section)   - Character Titles (’Power’ Section)   - Configuration   - ‘Everyman’ Sightings & Mentions   - Game Over Screens   - ICE-E Sightings & Mentions   - Items     - 1. Equippable Items     - 2. Healing Items     - 3. Light World Weapons & Armor     - 4. Throwing Away Items     - 5. Miscellaneous Items     - 6. In-Battle Descriptions     - X. Key Items (& Lancer)     - X2. Too Many Items   - Missing An Attack   - Sans’s Number   - Save Point Messages   - Toriel Phone Calls

If any of you feel that there’s something else that deserves it’s own folder in the Miscellaneous section, feel free to let me know!

With all that said, if there are any suggestions to make such as missing screencaps to get (and how to get them), folder naming suggestions, etc., feel free to let me know.

(By the way, if you’re [rightfully] wondering why this took so long, it’s a couple of things: one is that both chapters put together are surprisingly long, two is that I don’t have useful tools like an in-game script, save file editing, and room/event numbers like for Undertale, three is that so far I’m going at this completely alone instead of having a group effort, and four is that at one point I kinda just got burnt out and needed a temporary break after so many replays lol)

(By the way #2: For SOME reason, updating the Chapter 2 folder is claiming there’s “upload problems” with 9 out of the total 10593 files and I have zero idea which files those are, so if someone manages to find a spot where some images are clearly missing, please let me know!)

[trainingdummyrabbit]

Tell us about The Guys what's their dynamic like

ok thats kind of on me for starting with the hardest character dynamic first

so. cocoa and luci. they're both characters that, narratively, are barely expected to be characters at all. let me explain. im entering unskippable cutscene mode. sorry <333

luci takes the role of the silly lil ai assistant... kinda. shes not supposed to be. shes Supposed to be just a basic guide/support mechanic, but she sure. Isn't. it was an accident. dont worry about it. nobody else did.

cocoa is cocoa. she wasn't always cocoa, but now she's all there is. easypeasy ^w^ she's like if an npc was a person, mostly. she just kinda stands or wanders around until shes needed, rarely speaks beyond basic preset responses, she just goes here :] shes just a silly lil thang, kinda confused but got the spirit, etc. And Also She Happens To Be The Highest Ranked Agent Here. dont worry about it. nobody else did.

they also happen to be, most likely, the two characters to change the most across the entire throughline. with like one exception, maybe. which is what makes this hard. im not going to waffle about too long, dont worry. probably. ill try.

so for a while it seems like...

...aka they dont seem to notice each other much at all. and it stays that way for pretty much the entire throughline! bbbecause everyones too busy running about to worry about The PA Voice and Their Shockingly Chill Coworker. unfortunately, The Problems.

see, they're both burying the lead. Hard.

because luci is The problem. Capital. as something that Super isnt supposed to be conscious (let alone alive,) she has a Lot of shit to figure out. and a Lot of issues. it takes a while for her to figure out her bearings (no thanks to everyone else, who was too busy squabbling about a "data compromise" and ""trying to find a new manager"". eyeroll.) but more or less, she's decided:

1) humans are fucking annoying. they worry about so much mess, care about all the wrong stuff, and insist on shoving it on other people. unfortunately, they're also deeply entertaining. theres 100% a superiority complex going on there. 2) she has Got to become something else. she wants something. deeply and desperately. its just... well, she's still figuring out what that is.

luci, as a character, is obsessed with Character and Relevancy. the deepest throes of passion and hatred, desire and purpose. to know for certain what your place is. (this doesnt say anything about her.) those that burn brightly like that never seem to die. not truly. (this says absolutely nothing about her.) to become a single, unshakable, irreplaceable star. (this means absolutely nothing about anything to her.)

and one of those things that grabbed her attention the most was that of abnormalities. irreplaceable, undying, bastions of Meaning. That was what it was. unfortunately, as Emotion isnt one of the things that she's inherently built with, it becomes a bit of an issue.

thus begs the question: how do you bring out that spark in something? and well, that's not a question she has the information to answer. however, if theres one thing shes good at, its Fucking Around And Finding Out ! and well, if there's some collateral damage or casualties about it, well. oops. not like they ever cared about death and the like here before. soooo whatever ^w^

and well, she has to practice her ominous dialogue with Someone who won't rat her out, soooo...

cocoa, on the other hand, is... well, she's different, for sure. that wasnt always her name, for one. or i guess, it always was. if i tried to explain her entire deal id be here another 10 paragraphs or so, but to make a long story short... living under the specific pressure that the city pushes onto its residents is taken better for some than others. cocoa is not one of these. the constant pressure of needing to provide and prove your worth to forces beyond your control put a ridiculous amount of strain on her, and even still, it could decide to snuff you out without a moments notice on a whim. and well, there's little you can do when you're someone like her.

its something she tried to bottle up for a long, long time. unfortunately, making it into Lcorp did not, in fact, help with this At All. and all of that dread and paranoia, the misguided self loathing, and the sheer inescapability of it all... well, of course she snapped. it wasn't anything loud, bombastic. just quiet. quietly, whoever it was that she used to be had vanished in an instant, snuffed by her own hand, before anything else could get the chance to do it first. and what remained was cocoa! a name to an absence. more Function than Person, she simply... became what was needed of her. and nothing more. and unfortunately, with how everything else was... this change slipped completely under the radar. for all except for one witness.

it doesnt mean anything to her. (it cant mean anything to her. not yet.)

all of that happens before the story even begins.

unfortunately, a superiority complex + the inability to process your own flaws + being allowed to be in control completely unchecked for an extended period of time allows luci to. spiral. to put it bluntly.

it becomes a horrible little race to figure out what exactly is going on before too many people end up dying in horrible ways. luci simply watches them run in circles like little mice. by the time they manage to scramble together enough to confront her, its a tiny group of maybe 4 against luci... and also cocoa. who, in trying to avoid thinking too hard about the meddling that luci was doing and the holes poked in her persona by the rest of the cast over time, has once again completely shut off in favor of simply doing whatever was asked of her. and well, luci was technically the one who had the authority to be dealing out directions, so... well. not gonna think about it too hard. shes had to suppress other agents before, so...

this, ultimately, becomes where cocoa's arc comes to a head. as stable as she seemed, turns out she was constantly teetering on a very dangerous edge. that edge between allowing outside influence, the bravery and will to push, to face uncertainty and risk... and erasing yourself entirely, forgoing the harms of failure and performance in favor of becoming something more akin to a tool, unable to perceive, but also unable to be hurt.

luci believes she knows cocoa. she's seen the depths of her-- she thinks-- has seen the dissatisfaction, the fear, the rage, the desire to reach and tear what she wants from anyone she can reach. for just a brief moment, she'd seen all of it, just before cocoa became... cocoa. and she sees herself in that. sympathy was not something that was afforded to her. it was not in her capability to feel that attachment. (it doesnt mean anything to her.) they were the same, werent they? held back by things out of their control. (it means absolutely nothing to her.) so it would be a kindness-- no, an act of pity, to grant this one the ability to truly Feel that, to Understand the self in its entirety. grant her that freedom. (it means absolutely nothing about anything to her.)

but to cocoa... this was just another will overriding her own. the reason something snapped-- she wanted to do good. to be good. but this world does not allow it. shes angry, yes. more than anything. but shes angry because of her own perceived uselessness. more than anything, she's exhausted. that buildup of anger and resentment-- it was something she desperately didn't want to inflict on others. so instead, she turned those teeth inward, and tore herself out for the crime of feeling. she doesnt want to act. she doesnt want to run. she doesnt want to be anything. she just wants to rest.

luci, insistent on her correctness but inherently oblivious, convinced she is giving a gift to someone she has done nothing but harm. and cocoa, afraid to let down the veneer of distance, to allow herself to want and hope-- afraid to take on the responsibility of being a Person again. but these two werent the only players in the game.

and well. cocoa makes her decision.

[rhodonessacaryophyllacea]

Spamton's New Leaf Au (ACNL x Deltarune)

So I saw the idea for this from a different post: Here; and as it is now living in my brain I offer up this very short fic/summary to all of you:

We begin with Spamton digging through the trash and finding an oddly large file; recently thrown away and in good condition. Possibly porn or possibly something he could sell.

He will take those chances.

So he slips inside, bypassing the normal opening sequence (doesn't want to set off any security this thing might have) and finds himself in... a train station. Goes outside and get ambushed- Greeted!- by fun-sized, [[Market-Able Plushies!]]-looking-animal-people.

This is the warmest welcome he's had in years. Also nerve wracking. It's too friendly, have they realized he's here to steal their data and decided to play the long con? WELL [[F1]] YOU TOO YOU [[Carebears]] HE CAN PLAY THIS [[Games half off!]] TOO!

This is the mindset behind most of his interactions early on.

Also he is the Mayor now??? WHAT! WHY? SURE! His anxiety is climbing as Spamton slowly becomes certain that these suckers have mistaken him for someone else but by [[G-O-D]] he is going to milk this for as much as its worth. Isabelle gives him his map, leads him to town hall (he's disappointed its not a mansion/palace), and introduces herself as his new secretary here to help him be the best mayor he can be etc...

Yeah okay. Goldilocks may look like a golden retriever but Spamton smells a rat. (Poor Isabelle notices his mistrust and doesn't know what she did wrong). Pushing her way through all that Isabelle gives him an overview of his job (calls him, SPAM- SPAMTON G. SPAMTON, a breath of fresh air. He can't decide if its flattery or really passive aggressive ). He then proceeds to have a the-jig-is-up moment as he needs housing to register (and needs registration to be mayor), but then Isabelle follows up with "We can build you a house!" and sends him on his way.

Spamton decidedly does not go to Nook's but does head to main-street in search for [[Luxury penthouse]] dumpsters. 'Build him a house'? HAHAHA, he's here to make money not [[invest in property]]. In no real hurry he can take his time to explore the file he's entered. There is a [whole sale] TOWN in here. Small, barely respectable by Cybercity standards but its... kinda beautiful. For just [[a second of your time!]] he thinks he's in the light world. But he's not. Its not quite the [[burning!!]] image he remembers, but so so close. The bright blue sky, fluffy clouds, green grass. Flowers, Sea shells, trees, etc.. He tries to play it off as a knock-off version that he's not impressed by but can't quite manage.

He ends up running into Nook on Main-street anyways and is told to pick a spot for construction to begin. He is not normally able to be talked over like this (not anymore) but everyone's genuine cheer at making his acquaintance is throwing him off his rhythm. While initially he doesn't want this, about halfway through his attitude becomes, '[[F]]-UCK IT. LETS GET A HOUSE!' When, when not if, shit hits the fan Spamton G. Spamton can run back to Cybercity. While he is doubtful of Isabelle, he Does Not trust Nook at all and in his mind he has two very good reasons.

1). Nook is a businessman/salesman. Spamton knows the type and they (even him) can never be trusted.

2). He does not give Spamton an estimate or bill for the house right away. Spamton is a Salesman[[Scam artist]] of the highest [[-rated 1997!]] caliber. He knows how this works.

The plot is marked, the tent is placed, and for the first time in however many years Spamton is sleeping inside his own place. Isabelle stops by to assure him that the tent is temporary. "BEATS A GODDAMNED GARBAGE CAN!!" Now Isabelle is worried about not doing her job correctly and her new Mayor Mr. Spamton, who seems to have... faced issues in their last residency. But now Isabelle is here and she's gonna do her best to make this town wonderful for everyone! Nothing will go wrong! (This is what folks in the literature business call foreshadowing.)

Spamton is given an ID and loses it just as quickly.

She also gives him a lantern so his tent won't be so dark at night. It's surprisingly thoughtful for some someone who probably wants his [fraudulent] job. [[OF C0URS3 SHE DOES! WHAT KINDA [SLIME] IS [Content Warning!] WITH HER [$4.99 Life] WHEN SHE COULD BE A BIG SHOT!]] Spamton is very aware that he is flying by the seat of his pants in a position Isabelle has, seemingly, shadowed for years.

When he eventually realizes that Isabelle has little ambition beyond being the best assistant she can be, he's going to think she's the biggest sucker he's ever met.

When he eventually realizes that Isabelle's kindness is genuine, he's going to think that she's the best goddamn employee he could ever have.

Now we are going with an unopened 3DS ROM of Animal Crossing: New Leaf and whoever firsts opens that game becomes Mayor. Which is Spamton. Isabelle and the others have never seen a lightner, and they'd use an in-game avatar anyways. A man-shaped being suddenly appears in game; what else can he be but the Mayor? So suddenly Mayor Spamton is introduced to the town, given a job, and given a house all in the span of day.

It is... a lot. He spends the next day scurrying around picking up everything he can fit in his pockets and then some, and tries to scam the Nook brothers by selling them shells he found on the shore. Which is just How the Economy Works so it goes through without a hitch. Hallelujah. Then there are the other villagers. Now unlike the Nook brothers they aren't going to give him [[DELICIS KROMER]] which at first puts Spamton off. His is not a bartering system. Until he realizes that he can give them shells and fruit for Clothes and Furniture so maybe they're OK. Also whenever they ask him if he'd like a nickname, he replies [BIG SHOT!!!], and then they actually call him Big Shot. Maybe not with the exuberance he'd prefer but never mockingly and that's more than [ALL WE DO IS ADVERTISE!!] ever did.

Other fun hijinks and tidbits include:

Using the memo board to post actual spam emails and scams.

Due to skipping the intro train ride Spamton never meets Rover nor names the town. What was it's name? Only Isabelle knows.

Meets Pete the mail man- What a loser! Who wants to be the E-mail guy? (Spamton tries to convince them to do something else with their life; they can't really be happy? Pete is, and of that self assurance Spamton is jealous. They have a complicated relationship).

Once he learns you can get KROMER and [free] furniture from trees he will shake everyone everyday. Wasps? Who minds those little pinches compared to getting free stuff?! (The villagers are concerned and bring him medicine (initially he just sells that also, but later on as he gets more secure he starts to actually use it)).

The villagers also keep giving him living advice- thanks? "Catch bugs with a net!" "[BUgS? WHAT BUGS I D0N"T HAVE BUGS]"

Goes to town hall for "work" bright and early. Just stands there. not knowing what to do. Until Isabelle tells him to sit down in his chair. He really likes the chair. Really disappointed when he learns there is no need for cars or building a [[community-driven]] BIG SHOT AUTOS!!

Goes to Nookling Junction to spy in the sales-man competition. Spamton does not care Timmy and Tommy are kids. Kids are cruel. (They grow on him eventually)

Ignores re-Tail at first, not realizing they are a shop due to the outwards decor. By the time he does notice it he isn't too bothered by a pawn shop. Uses it (trying) to sell random furniture at exorbitant prices.

The villagers just give him gifts sometimes?? Without being a bribe?? Mostly clothing- which while somewhat insulting, is kind of nice to have. He sleeps in a gifted sweater otherwise never changes outfit.

Avoids going back to Nook's to disclose house payments for as long as he can; eventually a villager pushes him back to Nooks. Its 10,000 bells to no longer live in a tent. He has been hoarding bells and can... Actually afford it. Huh. He greatly underestimated the value of bells. He has a house, Isabelle gives him wall paper to decorate and stops by to congratulate him.

Never expands his house again.

Never donates anything to the museum, doesn't even visit until people explain fossils to him and then its just to get them examined so he can sell them for a higher price. Blathers is losing his mind.

Spamton does a public works project and REFUSES to let the villagers get by with their paltry donation. Everyday during the fundraiser every villagers gets mail written by Mayor Spamton telling them to donate to this [AMAZING OPPORTUNITY OR ELSE!!!]. Sometimes they get multiple copies of the letter throughout the day and no one knows how. (Its Minitons)

I may put out a part 2 with Potential Plot and ANGST

[autogynocrat]

Autism anon from earlier, here are the supposed tells/abnormalities I have:

- eating food one at a time, rather than sampling a bit of everything. Say I have a plate with e.g. steak, rice, and carrots on it. I will eat ALL the rice, then ALL the carrots, then ALL the steak. I always figured this was normal, but apparently it’s a tell in kids

- I like making feelings “even” on both side. Like, let’s say I’m walking through a door and I brush my right hand on the doorframe. I’ll immediately touch my left hand to the doorway, or I won’t quite feel right.

- lists. Fucking lists. Excel spreadsheets. I make so many lists and spreadsheets and charts and I don’t even know what I’m doing with all this data. Collating things. Like I made this playlist once of just covers of this old song, and the playlist is eight hours and twenty eight minutes long, and I individually organized the songs by year. I didn’t do it all at once of course, it was a little at a time

- tendency to overexplain if I’m telling a story, even if I know the other person knows the info I’m telling. My sister pointed this out to me, that I do this. Let’s say I were to tell a story about work, I might lead into it with “so we get paychecks, right? Because that’s why we have jobs. Every couple weeks, we get these checks that have a momentary amount, as compensation for the work we did. If you work more hours, you get more money…” etc.

- tendency towards repetitive, compulsive behaviors. I once went a year only listening to one (1) album. While I like movies, I rarely watch new ones, I just rewatch the same few movies over and over again. Some movies, I nearly have memorized as a consequence. I once frequented a specific sushi restaurant so many times that I decided to stop going because I felt self-conscious, but I went back after a week and the lady behind the counter went “you wanted more sushi!” as soon as she saw me walk in. I’m very into ritual, like I’ll eat the same thing every day for a while. Or like, I’ve tried getting into anime, but I just rewatch the same anime instead of watching new ones. Regarding compulsive behaviors, there will be things where I’m like “I need to stop doing this because it’s bad/wastes time/is evil/whatever” and will still feel compelled to do it like some phantom hand is guiding me on a chessboard

- I cannot fucking talk to people. I have no idea how to fucking socialize. I cannot understand fucking social cues. I have sat in awkward silence with so many people so many fucking times, I’ve said the wrong thing so many fucking times

- I unintentionally verbalize my thoughts and talk to myself. It’s very fucking hard to just shut my mouth and keep it shut. Usually it’s a light whisper, if I’m alone I just talk. Or I’ll mouth words, like if I’m thinking or typing. I’m mouthing this right now

- I memorize a lot of trivial facts and will regurgitate them onto people. I guess that’s kinda infodumping? I don’t know, I wouldn’t call them hyperfixations though. I just read wikipedia a lot

You mentioned doing weird repetitive things with my hands, what kind of things? I do repetitive things with my hands too. I can describe it as like, I’ll press down each finger individually one after another with my thumb, then I make a fist with my thumb inside and squeeze and it cracks my fingers, then I do it with the other hand. I click my ankles too, over and over

I don’t know, you be the judge. Surely this isn’t normal at least. I’d say most of these I thought were normal, or at least were acceptable social quirks and not signs of anything greater

when i eat the sausage egg mcgriddle at mcdonalds i take it apart and eat each piece individually with a fork and knife. i dont do this with every food but some foods are too much things at one if you dont take them apart. for curry i dont eat the rice and curry seperate i need an equal amount if curry and rice on the fork with every bite otherwise its wrong. if i have an uneven amount of sauce and other food when i finish any food it really annoy me. the iced Machiato at mcdonalds i dont like it when they stir it ib prefer to drink the caramel milk layer and the espresso layer as separate layers.

making things even i relate to this i like to arrange all the square groceries in the comveyer belt so they're perfectly packed it is literally so fun when they're aligned perfectly edge to edge

im too disorganized to makelists but i love looking at them. also wikis. wikis are my favorite media format sometimes. spreadsheets can be so beautiful but i think well indented code looks cuter and more beautiful especially in an ide with colors

i dont think i over explain things unless its something im really into

i only listen to the same music over and over and over again until i get tired of it which is usually never. i already like my music why do i need more? mili is my favorite artist btw i like them bc they make cute songs and happy songs and sad songs and the themes in the songs are cool and i like momocashews voice. i repeat certain phrases alot for no real reason other than it feels good like i say "oh no how could this happen to me" alot in a silly voice i just like how it feels in my throat. i dont feel like im guided or controlled i wish i was controlled it would be easier for me. i do however feel like an npc in a bad videogame or simulation or something. ive kinda accepted that my job is a simulation tough and i pretend im an npc with no agency i just say my pre programmed lines and focus on being a good and efficient npc its like a videogame to me and it makes the day go by easier.

i cant talk to people either they have to talk to me first most of the time or i feel like i dont have permission to enter their social circle. also i usually dont know what to say an im afraid of people thinking im weirrd

i verbalize or post almost all my thoughts i usually talk to myself more when people arent around but i still do it when people are around too. if you ever see me making lots of small text posts im probably stream of consciousness posting im basically doing the digital version of vwrbakizing every thought that goes thru my head

i dont know if anything i said makes sense sorry for the long post

[crystalelemental]

After another playthrough, decided to update an FF5 jobs tier list because my wife's on the Switch now, and I don't want to go back to playing Pokemon White.

A few notes for housekeeping. First and foremost, classes are organized primarily on combat proficiency, but can sneak up higher based on some factors. Mostly this is going to be my own discretion of "this can't go higher because it's kinda reliant on finding specific things" or "This can't be any lower because its skills are just so universally beneficial." Additionally, I will consider stat modifiers they provide to Freelancer or Mime. On that note: I've also removed the Mime and Freelancer, because they kinda skew the data. They copy the highest stat modifiers of all mastered classes, inherit the passives of all mastered classes, and have free reign over what skills they take. They're objectively the best classes, if you know how they work. They're also boring to talk about, so I'm just taking them out.

S-TIER

White Mage - It feels slightly cheap to consider White Mage the best, but also...it's the only class you cannot do without. Healing is essential, and even if you're not running the mage itself, you're running its skill. Red Mage is the only thing that gives any kind of competition, and only for the early game. White Mage is just decisively the most necessary class.

Mystic Knight - And then we have Mystic Knight. I stand by this one firmly. Mystic Knight's ability to infuse spell elements to its weapons and then just swing for the rest of the match is tremendous. It's not even just about hitting elemental weaknesses; early game gets status like Sleep or Poison, mid-game gets sustain tanking with Drain, and late-game gets Holy and Flare, where each swing hits with the same force as the spell They have the same heavy armor options are Knight, too, making them excellent tanks. Mystic Knight feels like the missing link from other damage dealers. Like sure, okay, Ninja has two weapons and can hit about twice as hard as most other physical classes. But have you tried hitting three times as hard per swing with Flare infusion? Or using elemental swords to bypass Reflect so you can Thundaga Omega to death without repercussion? Mystic Knight rules. Nothing else feels like it augments damage quite like this class.

Time Mage - Time Mage is one of my favorite classes, and thankfully this game lets it be excellent. Early game is a bit rough, although having Gravity answer Liquid Flame is frankly enough utility for me. By midgame, you have access to Hastega, which dramatically improves its utility. What sends it flying over the edge is Quick, which gives two additional actions right away for 77MP (38 with Golden Hairpin). This allows it to spam utility moves, such as Hastega + Mighty Guard for perfect rounded support. Then, it also gets Meteor, which has some variable damage, but tends to average a bit stronger than Holy and Flare. Time Mage is excellent utility and offense, only hindered by high MP costs. Golden Hairpins are a lifesaver.

A-TIER

Dancer - Dancer is a class I overlooked for a long time as being too inconsistent to be valuable. But it turns out, what it needs is know-how. Specifically, steal a Lamia Tiara from the Lamia enemies in the flying fortress with the Earth Crystal, and Sword Dance is now a coin flip. Get Barehanded off of Monk, and watch as your dancer now swings for 8k damage. This is not an exaggeration. Mid-game damage was around 7-8k per Sword Dance. It's insane. If you know about Phoenix Tower enemies, you can steal Rainbow Dress and shift to that for Sword Dance probability, and now you have Ribbon to negate all status, free of charge. Slap on Hermes Sandals, also attained at Phoenix Tower via drop, and you move a mile a minute in addition to all else. Dancer has proven itself to be hysterically competent. Barring statistically improbable rolls, it is devastatingly powerful. But it relies so heavily on knowing about Lamia's Tiara, or the stealable Rainbow Dress, or you're stuck waiting until well into the Void to see it do anything.

Bard - Bard is a hard carry class for like 90% of the game. Bard needs to find its skills, but it only needs two: Requiem from the Werewolf village, and Romeo's Ballad from Istory, an optional village in world 1. Requiem cleans house in dungeons that are mostly undead. Undersea Trench is completely blasted by Bard. Romeo's Ballad, however, is what carries. It inflicts Stop, which just negates random encounters. And with Hermes Sandals, you move fast enough to even stun lock foes with resistance but no immunity, like Bahamut and Omega. Its problem really comes from fights, mostly bosses, where they're not undead and not weak to Stop. In that situation, Bard is like the lat class you want in the party.

Monk - Monk is about the closest to an essential class there is. Aside from being the best physical damage class at the start, conferring Barehanded makes it basically essential for every character to use at least a little bit. Barehanded saves a ton of money on equipment, and turns casters into Muscle Wizards that cast magic when needed, and punch at all other times for respectable damage. If going for Freelancer or Mime, it also confers the highest HP and Strength modifiers, which are excellent stats to consider. I really like the Monk class. It falls off a bit later on, but what it offers is just too strong throughout the game to be considered anything less.

Ninja - Okay, I'm gonna keep this short. Ninja is excellent because of Dual Wield, a skill that effectively just doubles damage because you have a second weapon. This is a great skill to take for damage dealing classes, and a free passive for Freelancer and Mime. On that note: I don't respect Ninja either. Look, I realize it is a good class. I will not shit on Dual Wield. It is too good to go below A. But that's all that carries it, because Barehanded also exists, and for the majority of the game, your fists deal comparable damage at no actual monetary cost for weapons. I see NInja purely as a utility class for others, where it is excellent. I'd rather Dual Wield on someone else. Like Mystic Knight.

B-TIER

Thief - I do not respect thieves. I do not like this class. However, I cannot deny its utility. Steal (Mug too, kinda, but that gets into risky territory) has stupid utility, getting you the Genji armor set, tons of extra items, and the Lamia's Tiara for Dancer Gaming. It enables a lot. It's also the highest agility modifier for Freelancer and Mime, making it an excellent pick. However, it is pure utility, and once the steal is complete, I tend to find Thief being dead weight. At least you don't need to go beyond level 4 mastery; Steal is about all you really need.

Summoner - What if Black Mage, but bad at early game? I think Summoner in this game is funny, because it really is a good alternative to Black Mage. MP costs on summons aren't bad for guaranteed AoE damage. However. Summoner relies a lot on the search. Shiva, Ramuh, Golem, Catoblepas, Syldra, Odin, and Phoenix are all missable. Technically, so is Bahamut. While there are hints for many, some are a complete mystery, with options like Syldra and Odin feeling borderline impossible to know about. As a result, performance can be variable, but it's easy enough to get essentials that this feels fair. It ranks above Black Mage solely because it confers the highest MP and Magic stats to Freelancer and Mime.

Black Mage - Consistent damage dealer throughout the game. It shows up, it does its job. I have no complaints, I have no particular thrill. Middle of B-tier is just and proper.

Samurai - "But Zeninage-" is the only thing it can do, and costs money to cast. If you have a ton of money, then sure, go for it. You can cheese a lot of fights with sufficient funds. But I feel like the cost is pretty severe if you're playing through the game quickly, and there are quite a few fights where Zeninage does nothing, rendering a cheat button obsolete. It's a get out of problems free card, but it's one I didn't really respect using until the final area after Necrophobe, where you can blitz encounters for massive ABP gain, including the weird ball dudes whose names I forgot that shell out 199 ABP and 150,000 money dollars to fuel Zeninage forever.

Geomancer - I didn't feel like Gaia was all that useful a skill. It has a lot of single-target effects and very little AoE, and the single-target can be weak or strong, so it's a lot more variable. What it does have is incredibly strong utility for certain dungeons, thanks to negation of floor effects and revealing pitfalls. Some zones are an absolute pain in the ass with the pits and the persistent floor damage. Geomancer's skills offset them entirely. I feel like Geomancer is a fairly essential one to slot into at times.

Blue Mage - Not to be nasty, but Blue Mage is a lot of work for little reward. Getting to learn spells is a pain, needing to run Blue Mage itself or have someone dedicate their skill slot to Learn, which is functionally useless. They have to be specifically targeted to Learn skills too, which relies heavily on Beastmaster's Control ability, and for many skills, Reflect being applied so it bounces off of them and onto you. But once you've learned them? Most don't feel that enticing. Level skills rely too heavily on the opponent, and many bosses have prime number levels so they're functionally useless. Percentage-based skills like Missile just flop. The only one I found myself drawn to was Mighty Guard...which I never used because I had other means of dealing with Omega and Shinryu. I dunno. I feel like to some degree I'm not giving Blue Mage a fair shake. Thousand Needles is solid damage at a time when things aren't dealing that much damage generally, and I never really tried things like Aqua Breath or Flamethrower, which should have decent damage output. It just...felt like a lot of work for something that I can also do with other elements normally with Black Mage.

C-TIER

Red Mage - Red Mage has an excellent early game, combining the benefits of both Black and White magic into good offense or good support as needed. And then you get T4 spells and you wish you'd put the ABP into White or Black Mage instead. Red Mage has just one real use, and that is the Dualcast ability, which...is great on Mime! I say it's only great on Mime because, as it turns out, the Quick Spell from time mage replicates the effect of Dualcast. Albeit at a steep MP cost, but you're not really using Dualcast all that often outside of major boss fights anyway, and Golden Hairpin will offset a lot of MP anyway, so...is it really worth farming 999 ABP for this?

Beastmaster - They're cute, but I'll be honest, I never really used their main gimmick. I feel like needing to constantly capture monsters and release them to experiment with effects in hopes that you get a good one is not at all the way I want to play. However, Beastmaster offers one critical skill for another class: Control. Using Control is the only way to learn some of the best Blue Magic in the game, including Mighty Guard, which is extremely valuable. But on its own merits, its kinda whatever. I think if Fire Whip always cast Firaga, we'd be having a slightly different conversation, but lack of good equipment and pretty poor DPS makes for an underwhelming class.

Ranger - Ranger has one good trait: Rapid Fire. Four hits at half power. This is...about the same as Dual Wield, for comparison, but with four hits instead of two, you deal with more counterattacks. The reason it's good though? Freelancer. If you have Dual Wield as a natural passive, now you get eight shots. With elemental enchantment, you can dish out ridiculous damage. However, Ranger itself kinda sucks. Bows can't be enchanted and have pretty bad accuracy as far as I can tell. Aim doesn't deal better damage, it just ignores accuracy, but so does Sword Dance and spellcasting. It just offers so little. I'm so sad. I love archers.

Chemist - Has some shenanigans you can do to deteriorate defensive stats of enemies like Omega, and that's about all I can remember of it. Truthfully, I feel like Chemist has a lot of potential, but you have to have a lot of knowledge of the game's inner workings to do it. I do not have that. I do not know what I'm doing. Chemist means nothing to me. But at least I understand its merits, I just don't know how to use them.

D-TIER

Berserker - It has the highest Vitality modifier. Also, sometimes you just want to turn a girl loose in her kitty suit with a battle axe and see what happens, you know?

Knight - Does Knight do anything? I'm actually asking. I feel like the instant you get the Walse Crystal and access to Mystic Knight, there's just no reason to look back. You get the same heavy armor considerations, but you have access to magic enchantments that are great throughout the entire game. Knight, comparatively, can...I guess shield characters? Which I think is only if they're low on HP, so high-risk high-reward. And they have Two-Handed, which is an option for doubling damage output of weapons, but comes at the cost of a shield. And I'll be honest. Barehanded. Barehanded deals great damage and strikes twice. I feel like that's a much better consideration that also cuts down on costs. I just don't think Knight offers anything.

Dragoon - Poor Dragoon. I like Dragoon a lot, I think it's a cool class, but it offers nothing of any particular value. Lances are fine, but Jump really doesn't provide much damage output. Add in that its skills aren't particularly great, and it struggles to stand out. Maybe one day I'll actually try Lance on a mage, see if that actually does do something, but absorb effects are extremely risky given the amount of Undead in the game.

[lonewolflink]

How do you decide when to end a chapter? Do you aim for an approx word count or is the division of chapters solely based on content? Really enjoying hockey AU!

hi anon! glad you're enjoying hockey au :)

i'd say it's sort of both approx word count and content? sort of a vibes based approach that incorporates both? it's mostly content/serving the story properly, but the content so far has tracked a pretty consistent pattern.

like most of my chapters have been around 5k words plus or minus 1k. i haven't been AIMING for 5k, but the content of the story has tended to divide pretty nicely into 5k chunks like that. i anticipate most chapters will be around that length, just because that seems to be where i like to end a chapter instinctively.

however!!! i already know that there will be some bigger chapters (i have them labeled "monster chapter" in my organization document). those are gonna be significantly longer, and i want them together in one chapter because it i don't want to disrupt the flow of the action by breaking it up into two chunks. i think it would do a disservice to the story. so in those cases, content very clearly trumps any consideration of length, and i even know that in advance.

i can say more about my thought process specifically for this last chapter, but i'll put that under the cut.

in the case of ch. 4 (just posted) and ch. 5 (upcoming chapter), i basically realized i wanted to add a bunch of scenes before training camp to flesh out the world, keep characterization consistent, and do a better job setting up some of the dynamics in training camp itself.

like it didn't make sense to me that jihyo, who i'm characterizing as a great leader, wouldn't reach out to ryujin even once before training camp even though she put in all this effort to give the freshmen mentors, welcome packets, etc. obviously she's not gonna baby ryujin in that same way, since she's a junior, but there's no way she doesn't put in some effort. so that's why i wrote the first part of ch. 4.

the middle/last part of ch. 4, lia's social guide to jypu hockey, was something i realized i needed to make for a couple of reasons. first, it makes sense for the characters; ryujin has gotten a lay of the land hockey-wise, at least on paper, but she's still kind of a social outsider.

at this point in the story, ryujin is very much in like...a data gathering phase, so that she can figure out what she needs to do to find success at jypu (both on and off the ice). we've seen that she's not too prideful to ask for help/info from chaer, so i think there's no way she wouldn't ask one of her two new friends about the personalities of her teammates at some point before training camp. and she had just started becoming friendly with lia, so i kind of tried to kill two birds with one stone there; get ryujin the information she wanted/needed (esp. re: lily, sana, and dahyun), but also solidify her friendship with lia like i did her friendship with chaer in ch. 3.

plus, the set up of the party scene allowed me to put in some easter eggs, a little bit of foreshadowing (some of which people have caught, some of which people absolutely missed), and even give a taste of lia's dynamic with chaeryeong (feeding my own need for this to be an OT5 fic lol). in general, i want the ensemble cast to be at least somewhat fleshed out before the season starts in earnest with yeji in ch. 6, so ch. 4 and 5 are both doing that in different ways.

initially, the content of ch. 4 was just gonna be kind of the introductory section of ch. 5, but then those scenes hit 5k and i was like "oh this is actually kind of an independent set up chapter, and the fact that i just hit the 5k mark is a clear indicator of that. i want the training camp chapter to really be its own thing, but if i leave these together as a monster chapter it's kinda too long and the flow is weird".

so, i ended up deciding to split them up, which i still think was the right call because ch. 5 as it currently stands is already past 7k and i still have another long-ish (...ryeji!) scene left to write.

anyway that's my long ramble, hope my thought process isn't too hard to follow lol

it makes sense in my head i swear!!

[sadnsxft]

Hello! I know it’s been a while but you are literally the only person I talk to about this character and I have another Keegan x my OC Isaac idea.

Idk if you remember but I sent a snippet a while ago talking about how Isaac and Hesh bonded over being big brothers who lost their younger brothers, and then afterwards Keegan and Isaac kinda make up and admit that they care about each other. Keegan tells Isaac that he sees him as a member of their little ragtag family and Isaac comes clean about his past

So after the events of the Ghosts campaign and my little snippet, everyone goes into “Find Logan Mode”. Isaac being a data analyst/encryption whatever the heck guy spend a lot of time doing digital work to find Logan. He hacks into Fed data systems, tracks suspicious finances and shipping routes that could have ANY possible connection to Logan or Rourke. But he also accompanied the team on missions still too, especially if it’s to facilities that he thinks have valuable intel.

However he starts to spiral and take on too much of a work load. Isaac always starts his day early at the gym they have on base, so it’s no surprise for the Ghosts to see him there in the morning and then at his computer for the rest of the day if there are no missions. The others start to wonder though when he starts skipping meal times of something is up with him. Keegan visits Isaac at his desk sometimes to check on him and always see wrappers for protein bars and empty water bottles and such.

It gets bad enough that Merrick AND Hesh both ask Keegan if he knows what is wrong with Isaac two separate times. Isaac keeps brushing everyone off saying he is fine, even when Keegan asks.

Keegan decides one evening to confront Isaac about it, waiting up until he hears Isaac come back from his desk to the barracks for the night. He waits one hour, then two, then three, next thing Keegan knows is he’s jolting awake only too lol at the clock that reads 5 am and Isaac still hadn’t returned, but suspiciously, his gym bag is gone.

Keegan goes to check the offices to find Isaacs desk empty. With a sour twist of his gut, Keegan goes to to check the gym.

Once he enters, Keegan can hear the sound of sneakers hitting rubber amd the whirring him of a treadmill. What concerns him though is the labored breathing that doesn’t come from a warm up run, but from utter exhaustion. Keegan zeroes in on Isaac just as the other man looses balance and falls forward, launching backwards as the treadmill sends him tumbling off.

Keegan rushes over and starts fussing over Isaac. He tries to help him up but Isaac is disoriented and can’t seem to stand up, barely registering that Keegan is there. Keegan worries that Isaac has a concussion but he didn’t see him hit his head on the fall. He tries to get Isaac to tell him what’s wrong but all that comes out are mumbled words that Keegan can’t make out.

Keegan decided he’s done waiting around and watching as Isaac deteriorates. He scoops Isaac up bridal style, concerningly without any protest or snide remarks from the other, and carries him down to medical.

Keegan WILL get answers from Isaac eventually, but right now he just wants him to be okay

(Kinda losing steam but let me know your thoughts if you have any lol)

OMG hey!! its good to hear from you again :) maybe i shouldnt be answering this when the ashwagandha i took is kickin me into sleepy time mode but i got excited after reading this LMAO

anyways, i love a good "please, just let me take care of you" scenario but like im so concerned for isaac becoming all consumed into his work :(

KEEGAN GET THAT BOY PATCHED UP AND INTO A BED HE NEEDS MIMIS AND A HOT MEAL

i just know when he gets that rest he needs theres gonna be a long conversation

"i know youre frustrated, we all are. but we need you alive. i-" hard emphasis on i "need you alive". typa deal

also that part when keegs jolts awake, i just imagine like the old man ass wake up. mid snore, and jolts like the world is ending for a split second LMAOOO

sorry i have like no actual thoughts to contribute but thanks for sharing your thoughts with me again! this is so fun :)

[lovecanbesostrange]

This right here is one of my absolute most favorite scenes from the whole show. I'm feral for exactly this. Like eating my whole pillow after screaming into it for an hour feral.

We start with B'Elanna as the patient. Who - once again - did something she shouldn't have. She and Janeway are on the Most Wanted list of the Doctor. Both terribly reckless, ignoring medical advice and landing their ass in sickbay anyway all the time. So naturally we are off to a good start.

Of course this time the usual sarcasm the Doctor displays is a bit different, because he is tempering with his own program. This is the time he tries to incorporate personality traits from famous people from (mostly earth OF COURSE) history. Like Lord Byron. Clearly known for his very good bedside manner. *ahem*

Yes, I know, this is crossing a line with the sexual undertones. Which is kinda the point of this whole scene. Talking to Lord Byron can be a charming experience, but during a physical it's a big nope. And so B'Elanna learns about what the Doctor is doing and --

THE FABULOUS THING HAPPENS!! THE ROLE-REVERSAL!! ☆･゜ﾟ･(^O^)/･゜ﾟ･☆

This is the dynamic I wanted so much more off. The Doctor is the Medical Officer who has to look after all these meatbags, keep them healthy etc. B'Elanna is the Chief Engineer and keeping the ship with all its programs running is her job. While she is no Dr Zimmerman specializing in holograms, this particular holo is very, very important and she has to look after him, thus becoming an expert in that field.

Why wasn't there an episode with them crash-landing or whatever and she is badly injured, while his mobile emitter is on the fritz. Both needing the other to survive, while pushing themselves and being faced with mortality. GIVE IT TO ME! (It's also fun, because these two can be very prickly.)

This is why I enjoy when in Flesh & Blood the Doctor wants to help the other holos he sorta gets B'Elanna kidnapped (after also sorta being responsible for her injury, but good they take her then, because there wasn't a doctor on board Voyager... this sentence makes sense if you know the ep). As an engineer she can see them as programs, yet knowing him and helping him expand for so long, she is capable to see beyond the data.

Or The Isomorph, love that episode (Leland Orser as a murderous hologram is a treat by itself). The two of them in a shuttle bickering about Tom and her relationship with him. Fantastic. As characters alone they can play off of each other in hilarious ways. But the layer of being Doctor and Engineer, Program and Patient - WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MORE. Like in that tiny scene played mostly for laughs and setting up the problem for the episode. They need each other in a way neither wants to actually rely on somebody else. *chef's kiss*

Also now I'm thinking back to Real Life, when the Doctor programmed his perfect little holodeck family and B'Elanna was all "no wait, this is giving me diabetes, let me fix this for you". And she didn't actually choose the personalities, but let some random algorithms do it (of course there is something about his son having terrible Klingon friends). Kinda wish we had gotten one last conversations about families between them instead of the Doctor and Tom. I think B'Elanna going from looking as the EMH as another program to keep online to treating him like a person, becoming an actual friend along the way... underused and underappreciated dynamic.

(Plus big overlookded bonuspoint: the two of them together would have been the perfect caretaker duo of Seven. She is an organic with lots of tech in her life.)

[superbowlsunday]

long ass PLOT SUMMARY no one asked for 👇

Star Trek The Next Generation - A XXX Parody (2011?) runtime 1 hr 20 mins or so

Captain's log, we found a strange signal on a planet near the romulan neutral zone. Data leads an away team to investigate. There's a cryo sleep chamber buried in the ground. it's Tasha yar 😱!!!

Tasha's now in sick bay, Riker and Troi have a holodeck date. They fuck.

Tasha sits down with troi and picard, she can only remember escaping with her daughter Sela. She apparently traveled thru a wormhole so she is from the alternate universe from Yesterday's Enterprise (??). "but wait, Sela said you were executed". Tasha meets the rest of the bridge crew/main cast & they are all happy to have her back. they discuss this mystery.

Geordi is in the holodeck to run tests and needs hologram lea brahams help. they fuck.

data goes to visit tasha in her quarters. they talk about her past & Sela.

ro laren and worf are sparring in the martial arts room, data and tasha join and tasha's like "worf let me fight you", worf wins and he's like "everyones soooo glad to have you back but youre not the real tasha 😡" tasha is mad and she and data leave. worf and ro laren fuck.

Tasha and data are back in her quarters and she is upset about what happened, datas like "hey its ok im ur friend 🙂" tasha wants to know their relationship before, hes like "yeah we fucked but then you told me not to mention it." tasha is like "i wont do that this time". they fuck.

geordi says the romulans were on the planet like a week ago. theres a lot of jargon about tachyon emissions

now theyre being attacked by romulans. Tasha starts fighting the crew. Sela comes on screen like "we are taking the enterprise prisoner". Tasha wakes up like "how did i get here??". the Romulans were controlling her. she helps the enterprise fight the romulans, "Welcome back lieutenant Yar, you saved the Enterprise!"

Then tasha falls to the ground, "at least now.. my death has purpose....." she dies in Data's arms.

dr crusher comes to picards office like "hey. are u ok bud?" they fuck.

THE END. TLDR; normal day on the enterprise.

LOOKS PRETTY GOOD IMO, tried their best to stick to canon, it’s a funny concept but they play it completely straight. kinda impressive! who gives a fuck about the stupid sex

letterboxd entry: i was really impressed by this movie all things considered

[whoree321]

yo can i get some tech x chaotic gender neutral reader headcanons?

(fuck yeah bestie you understood the assignment. also i kinda went on my own interpretation of chaotic so if you had something a little different in mind lmk and i can make adjustments!)

tech x chaotic!gn!reader headcanons

ok so here’s the thing about tech

he is literally surrounded by/related to some of the most chaotic individuals in the entire galaxy

like wrecker? crosshair? talk about a hot mess express

and let’s not act like he doesn’t have his own little chaotic streak festering beneath that rigid hairline

so long story short, when you come along in all your chaotic glory, it really isn’t a big adjustment for him

he might be a little surprised after he first meets you (how could someone so alluring and attractive also have that personality??) but overall your presence is simply an addition to the pre-existing insanity of the bad batch

he notices right away how well you fit in with his brothers (matching wrecker’s rambunctiousness or crosshair’s quiet nefariousness or both in your own special way) and tbh he’s a little jelly

and by a little jelly i mean he’s 100% super jealous

he watches how you joke around with them and plan pranks with wrecker and make dark commentary with crosshair and how your antics get a laugh out of echo and sometimes even hunter and how well your energy matches theirs and part of him absolutely hates it

(the other part, of course, is too busy being enamoured by the music of your laugh and the mischievous twinkle in your eye and the electric brush of your shoulder against his armor when you move past him in the cockpit of the marauder to really form an opinion on your relationship with his brothers)

despite his envy, tech is not the type to allow his emotions to derail positive outcomes (on missions or in personal matters)

he’s not gonna spoil y’alls fun or even let you know he’s upset about it. if there’s one thing tech thinks he can do it’s keep his emotions in check

when chaos ensues, he regards you with the same familiar condescension and snark he uses with wrecker (although you realize quickly there’s an amusement in his gaze when he mocks you that’s absent when he speaks to the others)

as much as he loathes the current situation, he ultimately also recognizes that it’s no ones problem but his that you are more compatible for individuals with personality types more like wrecker or crosshair

(little does he know you’ve had your eye on him and only him pretty much the whole time)

before your relationship, tech is the unsuspecting victim of a lot of your tomfoolery

you tend to mess with him the most (totally not bc you have a crush on him or anything nononono)

hiding a tool or his data pad when he’s not looking? a classic

“tech i have no idea where your wrench is i don’t even know what it looks like” “y/n you play this practical joke approximately 3.7 times a standard week I know you are lying”

stating completely made up facts about different things or places with full confidence and arguing with him when he corrects you? tried and true

“fun fact: loth cats actually have a secret fifth leg tucked up underneath them and it only comes out in extreme emergency circumstances” “that could not be more untrue” “ok well have you ever checked” “…no, but..” “see tech there’s just some things you can’t know from book learning” “*deep sigh*”

the best is when you flirt with him tho

it is bold and brash

“I need something sharp to cut through this” “just use your jawline ;)”

“the system we are traveling to is known for its extreme heat and rough terrain” “hot and rough? sounds like you in the bedroom ;)”

he chokes and blushes everytime

despite the constant torment and how much he acts like it’s a nuisance, he secretly loves all the attention you give him (even if it’s at his expense)

knowing our sweet boy he is wayyy too socially awkward to make the first move in this situation (or to even recognize there is a situation tbh)

tech is pretty confident you view him as strictly a friend and an easy target for your shenanigans

like even if you basically admit to liking him, he’s gonna think it’s another joke. plotting and scheming with the other boys to make him step up (a classic “i’m gonna pretend to make a move on them to force your hand” for example) will not work

you have to very directly confess to him and it has to be very very genuine and away from the rest of the boys in order to get it into his exceptional mind that you seriously have feelings for him

once he gets that you mean it tho, he’s over the moon

and once youre in a relationship? the rest of the batch should be WORRIED

now your focus is no longer on messing with tech, and you have a super genius on your side

he may have enjoyed being a casual observer and constant victim before, but now that you’ve allowed him on your team it’s a totally different ballgame

he’s still happy to take a backseat and let you do your thing, but he also loves to be a background player in all your hooplah

you wanna play a prank? tech is scheming and building shit and looking at diagrams to figure out the best way to execute it

hunter gets mad at something you did? tech has already figured out a way to pull focus off of you and onto one of the other boys

OR EVEN BETTER a non-batcher (a reg, a superior, a random streetgoer) takes an isssue with you? tech is launching into a full rant with them about something completely unrelated and giving you time to scamper away before they can even begin to reprimand you

tech is the kind of boyfriend that isn’t gonna overtly match your energy, but can keep up and will balance you out

you still mess with him, but now he has the confidence to mess with you right back

this also creates a really spicy sexual dynamic (I won’t go too into that but def a lot of teasing, brat taming kinda stuff)

overall i actually think tech would be really good with someone more chaotic and wild bc he can seem so rigid but isn’t actually like i think that type of relationship would really suit him

you bring out his playful side and he keeps you grounded, out of trouble, AND acts as a top notch audience/partner in crime

rip hunter tho now he’s got tech to worry about on top of all the rest of you (except echo he’s a perfect angel who could never cause trouble for anyone <3)

[britishassistant]

I wonder what the supervillains (the dorm leaders) would do if they get switched with their other self in Twisted Wonderland.

They'll meet a younger Yuu calls them senpai and probably get shivers when they hear someone shout Prefect but then realize its Yuu's role in that world.

Bonus would be if Yuuken's there too, sharing the dorm with Yuu.

Thank you for the ask, dear anon!

I decided to take a little inspo from my Villainous Paranoiac series for this one! Not a whole lot, but the idea of Twisted Wonderland Yuu being put in the infirmary after the events of Chapter Five!

(Also consider it non-canon, since it kinda involves everyone’s identities being exposed!)

Basically imagine that the supervillains find themselves in what looks like a private school infirmary, late at night. The air is buzzing with a strange energy, almost like the powers back in their home world, but...different, somehow.

The room nearly empty, save for one occupant in a cot close to the door.

Poison Queen and King immediately begin bickering over whose fault this mess is, while Royal Flush tries to get them to keep their voices down or else they’ll be detected. Charon is half a minute from going to curl up in a corner, clutching his freeze ray like a lifeline, while Octo Dealer and Snake Charmer are busy inspecting their surroundings for anything of value or that can be requisitioned into a weapon on short notice.

Tsunotaro has wandered over to inspect the sole other living being in the room with them.

He is pleasantly surprised to see what looks like a younger version of the reporter he’s so fond of, fast asleep in the infirmary cot. Their cheeks still retain the last bit of baby fat from childhood, and there’s some acne left that will fade with age. He may give one cheek a gentle poke, just to satisfy his curiosity. The sleepy mumble they let out is a little more high pitched than normal, but that’s the reporter’s voice alright.

He is less pleased to see dark circles under their eyes, or the bandages around their throat that stink of medicinal salves. If this truly is a younger version of his child of man, then why do they look so worried, even in sleep? Why are they injured and sleeping in this place of healing in the first place? They’re a mere child, barely old enough to operate a vehicle or live alone. Their only worries should be trivial things, not whatever is causing this furrow in their brow and hunch in their shoulders.

The other supervillains have begun to migrate over to where Tsunotaro is crouching in silent contemplation. King flips his eyepatch up to get a better look, whistling lowly. Octo Dealer busies himself with refilling their water glass, sneaking glances at them as he places it within easy reach. Snake Charmer pulls their pillow more under their head from where it’s almost slipped off. Poison Queen straightens the arrangement of the very tasteful bouquet on the bedside table, so the flowers’ best angle is shown to the bed’s occupant. Royal Flush carefully tucks their covers in over them.

Charon takes a picture with his tablet.

He forgot to turn off his flash.

Yuu cracks their eyes open...

To see seven adults looming over their bed in masks that resemble the ink from the overblots that haunt the Prefect’s nightmares.

Cue terrified screaming.

Snake Charmer lunges forward instinctively to cover Yuu’s mouth—

It’s only thanks to Poison Queen yanking him back that he doesn’t end up with an arrow in the shoulder.

Several more follow the first one through the window above the prefect’s cot, cold iron sharp and perfectly aimed to seriously maim if the supervillains don’t immediately get away from the screaming teenager. Rook was lax in protecting the Trickster after VDC ended, assuming there was no more danger after Roi du Poison’s overblot was saved. He will not make that mistake again.

The infirmary doors burst open, a younger Yuuken in a sleep-rumpled uniform barging in from where he decided to sleep outside because Ramshackle felt too empty and quiet to bear, but was forbidden from staying in the infirmary himself. He only has a pillow, but he brandishes it at the strange adults, fully willing to defend his dorm mate in whatever way he can.

The vanguard appears in a flurry of bats though, too many to fight off, small and vicious and furious. Their commander materializes in the center if the swarm, hovering over the head of Yuu’s cot, pink eyes brimming with a cold rage that makes his small and cute form look like it’s bursting at the seams holding something much older and angrier back. He opens his mouth, fangs long and glistening—

Only to stop short at the sight of one of the supervillains. “Malleus? Malleus Draconia?”

Tsunotaro nods warily.

“Wh-What in Twisted Wonderland are you wearing??”

Tsunotaro ducks his head like a chastened child. “I could say the same thing.” He mutters sullenly.

From there the lights get turned on, and the seven supervillains are made to explain themselves to the sleep-deprived students and staff who trickle in to see what’s going on. All six dorm leaders and one vice dorm leader vanished from their beds, setting everyone on high alert until news of these...alternate versions spread.

It is very weird for the supervillains to see all their minions as teenagers (again in some cases). It is only surpassed by how weird it is for everyone else to see their dorm heads and vice head all grown up and adult, even if they are dressed weird.

Ortho still wants to shoot them with a beam until they bring back his nii-san. Luckily Charon is able to convince him that Idia should be fine if he’s in Charon’s lair—he’s got plenty of the latest games, manga and tech for him to play with, so that should keep him occupied for a while.

Sebek is in a state of Malleus awe. He has shut down and will not restart. Silver has taken to pinching himself just to make sure this isn’t a Lilia’s cooking induced fever dream, while Lilia himself scolds Tsunotaro that he raised him better than to go around watching people sleep like that! Tsunotaro tries to use the “but I’m a supervillain” excuse, only for Lilia to shoot back “and I’m a war criminal in some nations, what’s your point?”

King is enjoying watching the overgrown lizard get scolded. Now if only the tiny Ruggie would stop asking him what injury the eyepatch is for, and making remarks about how embarrassing it would be if it were totally pointless—King does not pay his adult self so much to put up with this shit. The baby Jack also needs to stop demanding to know if his adult minion self can pull a sled faster than a moose or something...

Jade and Floyd are attempting to wind up the adult Octo Dealer, trying to see how much they can get away with compared with the normal Azul. Octo Dealer is legitimately at a loss as to how this world’s Azul doesn’t keep them in line without letting them turn to a crime or two. Then he learns about Azul’s contract business and feels a pang of commiseration and understanding.

Poison Queen, Royal Flush, and Snake Charmer are unpleasantly shocked when their dorms address them by their respective secret identities in front of their fellow supervillains out of the blue.

Poison Queen has to put up with King’s uncontrolled laughter as he finally understands the full extent of the incident with White Neige so long ago, while Tsunotaro tries to tell him he liked Schoenheit in his role as the evil dragon prince in the GaoGao dramatization. Royal Flush is about two seconds away from throttling Octo Dealer if the bastard doesn’t stop trying to make a deal to guarantee his mother doesn’t learn about her son’s private activities. Snake Charmer’s just glad his civilian identity flies under the radar enough that Charon has to try and look him up to understand who he is (and fails because he’s not on school wifi and his cellular data is bust).

Poison Queen is also getting a headache from Rook rhapsodizing about how his villain form is another, enhanced mode of beauty he is fortunate to lay eyes upon, as if he hadn’t been willing to skewer Poison Queen along with the rest of the supervillains five minutes ago. He’s at least able to amuse himself by letting Epel run away with his speculations about how he’s the buff hyper-masculine muscle for Poison Queen.

Kalim is crying that Jamil had to resort to becoming a villain in his home world! He must be so sad if he has to do that! He’s mildly cheered up when Snake Charmer tells him they work together on schemes, and that Snake Charmer is actually reasonably happy with his chosen vocation—and then he begins panicking that Jamil will like that world so much, he won’t want to come back.

Royal Flush is glad his counterpart at least has good people around to look after him, even if it is odd to have young versions of Trey and Cater trying to mother hen him despite the fact that he’s the older one now. At least Ace and Deuce acting up seems more fitting now considering their age than it ever did on their adult selves.

Ace huffs a sigh and leans on Yuu’s shoulder. “This is a mess, huh Prefect?”

“You said it.” Yuu replies. “I just wanna sleep forever.”

The supervillains go still.

“I’m sorry,” Snake Charmer says carefully. “But isn’t Enma-san the Prefect?”

“No?” Yuuken replies, confused. “Yuu’s the prefect of Ramshackle Dorm. I’m their vice— or would be, if we had any other students apart from them, me, and Grim.”

Octo Dealer laughs, sounding slightly strained. “Ah, apologies, but you see, that isn’t possible. It can’t be. Yuu isn’t—”

“But I am the prefect, Azul-senpai.” Yuu the Prefect says. “I’ve–I’ve always been the prefect.”

There’s a stunned silence.

Royal Flush places his head in his hands. “What the fuck.”

Back in the Supervillain AU universe, Yuu the Reporter sneezes sharply while trying to wrangle five frightened teenagers, one frightened-but-playing-tough twenty year old, and one confused however-old-he-is-but-younger-than-Tsunotaro fae.

They wonder what the chill down their spine is.

[megaman-r]

I am definitely going engine-first, generally speaking; a lot of those assets are UI bits and pieces. I'd say the majority even. I do have a fair amount of other sprites/tiles at least roughed out, but that's because I'm a visual artist so that's the fun part for me, and it all needs to happen at some point anyway, so I haven't tried to stop myself from working on the parts that sound fun at the moment. Especially since getting a cohesive 'look' across the whole game is a massive task, and having a really long time to think it over and refine things is only going to be of benefit.

A whole lot of what you've listed is just not possible to implement easily, if at all, in the engine I'm using. Total playtime per file, items used, enemies killed, the basics that make the game work at all (Robot Masters defeated and the like)—sure, that's all doable and largely done even, but lifelong stats across multiple files aren't supported in any reasonable way because save files simply don't interact with each other. If I load one to reference a variable, I have nowhere to store said variable to add it to another from a different save, because referencing that save will lose the first variable entirely no matter what I do with it or where I put it. Cumulative totals simply cannot be a thing with this engine, essentially, which isn't the end of the world. After all I'm basically doing an NES-like with a few modern bells and whistles, so being somewhat less detailed in save data than other modern games isn't going to make or break it.

I have no idea what is actually in each save file as far as data. They're all in JSON and they're not particularly human-readable, because everything is obfuscated. If this were actually something I was coding from scratch in a real language, yeah, I could worry about individual bits and bytes, but I picked an oddball engine off the strength of its being easy to learn (...and having already been in my Steam library from a sale...)—I know exactly zero programming languages, unless you count Pixel Game Maker MV's visual scripting system. So that hampers a lot of things; it's state-based, not object-oriented, and things like menus and UI absolutely suffer for it. The degree of tedium it takes to set up a basic foundation is...yeeegh. I do understand the concepts better, and I will probably switch to Godot or something with a lot more fine control if I do another project, but as it stands... the bit/byte count is all very interesting but I have no access to the save file structure beyond, "Keep these switches and variables, allow these others to reset to default." (Also I don't know how to do math in hex much beyond being able to generally count from 0 to 15, which is all I need to use Famitracker effectively, lol.)

I kinda just started on a whim to see if I could do it, so the order of operations has been whatever I'm confident will actually allow me to keep making progress. Things like doing the music first happened because I didn't want to get years deep into making a game only to discover that I have no ability to compose, so I completed a fair amount of it first to make sure it happened at all. (It turns out I'm okay at it, fortunately.)

But yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of nontraditional stuff happening, because I have no idea what a traditional workflow even would be. I'm emphatically not a programmer, even if I do seem to be programming. My entire background is making dumb things in RPG Maker 2000 back in high school. The fact that I've organized myself enough to get this far is a testament to the combined power of ADHD medication and sheer stubbornness.

But believe me when I say that I am painfully aware the save system should be X, Y, and Z things. It just is what it is, though, and what it is is extremely limited and very, very prone to producing errors if things aren't laid out just so. Even trying to save two files too quickly will cause at least one of them, if not both, to simply not output at all. So for even just this basic functionality I feel pretty accomplished and while I do want to add some more miscellaneous stats plus some way to view them, which is a whole other UI setup that I'll need to do, there is no way to add much beyond that.

But again, I think that won't horribly impact anyone's enjoyment, in the end. People still have plenty of fun with much less. I almost didn't even include saves, but my dev Discord voted down a classic NES style password grid system. Would have been relatively very easy to implement, but alas. The people have spoken.

I should add that there is one way that would technically work for multiple save files with lifetime play stats and you could support any sort of cumulative save data you could imagine with it, but I'm not doing it, because it would involve emulating multiple save files within one save file...meaning that for every single time a saved variable or switch is changed, I would need a bunch of branching logic to disambiguate exactly which "save file" I'm changing, and I would rather eat my own teeth than deal with the bugs that would invariably produce if anything at all in the entire game was set up even slightly wrong.

@megaman-r, @afniel

I should probably clarify what I meant.

When I say "backward", I mean that when work actually begins on a game, there's typically kind of an… order… to how things should logically go: make the game engine and all the conceptualized bits and bobs, test to satisfaction, and then make all the assets. A lot of people do it the other way, though. I used to, back when I dabbled. Realistically, though, making the entire engine first with all it entails just makes more sense to me, these days.

As for the save system? Here's what I expect from a Mega Man save:

Save Game Slot

Stages beaten and/or weapons collected (2 to 4 bits?*)

Lives, Tanks, collectable inventory (1 byte** each)

Permanent inventory (Energy Balancer, et cetera) (1 bit)

Score, if enabled (4 bytes)

Game difficulty, if enabled (1 byte)

Character, if applicable (1 byte)

New game or replay, if applicable (1 byte) - These three can probably be combined into one bit

Time played in hh:mm:ss format (3 or 4 bytes)

Deaths, if applicable (1 byte)

Other stats (E-Tanks chugged, enemies destroyed, and so on) (1 byte each)

Overall Save Stats

Games played, beaten, et cetera (1 byte each)

Features unlocked (1 or 2 bits, number of unlocks depending)

Overall time played in dd:hh:mm:ss format (1 and 4 bytes?)

(* Bits in "hex format" 8 possible "hard values" per bit: $01, $02, $04, $08, $10, $20, $40, $80 Use bit math for combinations.

Examples: - Stage 1 and Stage 3 beaten = $05 - Stages 2, 5, and 8 beaten = $92 - Stages 1 through 8 beaten = $FF

** Bytes are just standard hex bytes: $00 - $FF 10 = $0A, 99 = $63, et cetera. Multi-byte values stored in reverse order.) —

... I've put a lot of thought into this. (,:

[norasalina]

Assassins Creed/Marvel Crossover

So I’m just thinking Desmond is standing there, hand on the Eye, burning from the inside out, and then the energy just kind of... snags on something in his brain. And then there’s just like, this collective,

Oh.

And then like very ancestor of his that had Isu blood and touched a Piece of Eden just like, gets data-dumped into his mind, kinda like Altair and Ezio and Connor, but... like, more of them.

And cause I liked this idea so much I went and like, hunted through each of the assassins family lines and managed to put a family tree together that gets... most of them on there, as being Desmonds ancestors, cause it just worked out nicely and I wanted it, so. Yeah.

Spent a whole evening after work on just that, working out dates and locations to see what works out. And since it’s cannon which side of the family some of the characters came from, I just put them in and filled the blanks with Assassins that fit the time frame/ethnicity. Turned out... really well timed and convenient, actually, so I’ll be posting that family tree too at some point cause I’m proud of it.

Anyway. Another weird thing, doing research for this idea led me to discover that a lot of Assassins that had contact with the Pieces of Eden were like, 25/26. Or a bit younger. Which I thought was kinda interesting but also worked out great for my idea cause it boils down to:

When someone with Isu DNA has contact with any Piece of Eden, it like, copies/downloads them from the moment they are first touched. Kinda like how Minerva and them are all super old, but look the same each time. So yeah, they like get an avatar made for them in the Isu database thing, but cause Desmonds been getting his head messed with so much the last few months, he get each Assassin that was ‘downloaded’ but with all their memories, not just the ones up til they touched the Piece or had a kid.

So basically there are a bunch of fully fledged-out people in their early-to-mid twenties ‘bodies’ crowding his brain, getting his memories too, and then the Eye- which had been there so long it became semi-sentient- just kinda goes Oops and tried to shove them back out of Desmonds head, cause it needs that space to do its job, but all the energy it’s producing and the glitching from the Flare and Desmonds Brain and 70,000 year old systems all just kinda... spaz out, so that instead of shoving the consciousnesses into, like, a server, they get shoved into the real world, the massive amounts of energy being sucked up causing Science Magic to happen and then there’s another glitch at the same time and the ‘get them out’ command just kinda goes into ‘Well, Okay Then’ mode, and Out becomes Out If This Dimension, cause you can’t tell me the Isu can calculate the future that exactly and not have found alternate universes after the Flare while trying to find a way to stop the next one.

So yeah, Desmond wakes up in the Temple, arm like, smoking and with glowing lines but not damaged, and looks around to find... uh, Many Assassins, oh no, why are they here, am I dead? Let me be dead, I don’t have to deal with this if I’m dead. But he’s not, and there’s a lot of Historic Figures stumbling to their feet, but they got his memories too so at least trying to explain all this isn’t necessary and them knowing how the Modern World works without needing a PowerPoint presentation is definitely a plus but still what is he supposed to do with them?

Nothing, Desmond thinks, nothing at all, I can just tell the others and let them handle it while I go and pass out until the next apocalypse. Only no one is there, and the Temple looks a lot more... busted up than before, and having several professional free climbers to poke around confirm that yeah, I don’t think this is the same place, or if it is a lot of time has passed since we got here. So Desmond gets them all to Stay Put, Please! and goes out to find the nearest town, discovers that the date is December 13th, 2012, and Iron Man helped save a hospital from being crushed by a giant tarantula. Which... okay. Yeah, that might be a Problem.

So they find out that they’re in a different dimension, with no records or supplies, and research shows that the Assassins and Templars never existed outside of the Crusades. But a bunch of other groups have sprung up to try their hand at World Domination in their place. So what’s a bunch of histories best Assassins to do? Well, rebuild and fight back, of course! And who better to lead them than the man who knows the most of their strange new world?

And that is how Desmond Miles eventually found himself having to stop his family members from killing Hawkeye.