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oneefin · 5 months ago

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puzzle rojak solutions are out! i had a lot of great moments with these puzzles and i'll share some of them below. long post with spoilers incoming!

i'll lead by saying that at the time we finished the hunt 100%, we were one of the only teams to have forward solved everything - so we got a very full experience out of the hunt.

ups and downs

this was our first solve of the hunt, we figured out what was going on pretty quickly. shoutouts to DOINK, which isn't a snake or a ladder but we cherish nonetheless:

chemistry test

we thought the answer to this was pretty appropriate to how we (non-chemists) felt about it

pig-tac-toe

this is one of those ideas that's just like. awesome. one very neat, very simple idea with a novel extraction method that feels fresh despite being very puzzle-hunty.

for this one, niv fetched us a pig gif and we had fun conversations about rice

fast time

i had a powerful eureka moment here upon seeing "RED CAR" and shouting "IT'S RUSH HOUR". i didn't know any of these people or about the film called rush hour, so after i said this luny thought i had just popped off and made a movie trivia get for the first time in my life. sadly not

selective sounds detection

our team had the fastest solve on this one! we're all musicians so this was right up our alley

find waldo

we briefly added MIT Mystery Hunt 2024 to our team roster after seeing this, but we left our actual names in there so that other teams would know that it's not part of it. there was another team who actually erased all of their members and left Puzzle Potluck 4, which we figured could be ruled out - but i saw a couple other teams weren't so lucky

shoutouts to galactic trendsetters violet for making and sticking with this play:

jenga

oh boy, onto a real one.

so we knew this was going to be really sprawling. anything that requires you to track the state of something across a span of time usually ends up being pretty complex. i know other teams were notating for efficiency and clarity - but for us it was extremely important that our notation looked beautiful.

that's form over function for ya

we had to finagle with borders a lot when putting this together, but it was totally worth it. i also visualized the tower toppling at the end by screenshotting the final state and rotating it:

zebra puzzle

honestly, i've seen similar things before, but this was still pretty and cool. both halves of the solve were breezy and satisfying, and the extractions just made sense. a picture perfect hunt puzzle

i know my abcs!

i just really liked the numberlink :) also given the restriction placed on this puzzle by the later puzzle i know my patterns!, it's amazing to me that this construction was so potent.

even though it's not a big deal, i gotta say that i'm a bit let down by the aesthetic of the spreadsheets shown on the solution page for this puzzle. ours looks like this:

and theirs looks like this:

(i asked them about this and it's gonna get corrected so horray! ty rojak team)

game theory

this was another really sick idea - not quite as self-contained as pig-tac-toe was, but brilliant nonetheless.

measuring kurrent

loved the moment when we (by we i mean luny) realized what this puzzle was about. had an awesome time piecing together the mechanic at play here, and the google sheet they made for this puzzle is absolutely gorgeous.

six flags

we had no idea what to do with this originally - then we unlocked a few more from this round, realized what was going on, and came back. from there it came together smoothly.

our sheet doesn't contain a visualization of these flags, but it should. we should've done it.

i know my patterns!

i alluded to liking this puzzle earlier in the post, but like wow that was cool. going from matching swatches of dropquote to the abcs grid, noticing that the black squares are all R-Z, and then going "suddenly sudoku????" was amazing, and getting the cluephrase ITS A ME WHO was incredibly powerful, like that's a cluephrase if i've ever seen one

altius meta

this is the sort of meta where we knew that solving it with incomplete information would be very, very hard. so on only five of the six answers, we cranked it out. it was a process of collaborative bifurcation - we managed to eliminate all possibilities of completing the middle grid, meaning that the missing answer had to go there, and then we managed to find the only possible arrangement for the left grid, then the right grid. very fortunate that we managed to extract the right answer from _EAKC_O_O - otherwise it would have been very unsatisfying!

niv then got us the aha for the last puzzle we needed right after finishing :P

communiter meta

ok, one last one. this round was great and i thought this pure meta was a great way to send it home.

i made the realization about the answers to the paired puzzles also having a matching letter that got us to the end, which was super satisfying. maybe there's a world where luny could have anagrammed GILE_ to the right answer, but that would have been less fun

our team finished puzzle rojak 2! i had a great time. i found most of the puzzles to be pretty straightforward in their design - but not so straightforward as to feel stale. the good kind of straightforward :)

we were hovering at placements around the 50s basically the entire time

when the hunt is over i will post goodies from our chat + google sheets logs

#puzzle #puzzle hunt #puzzle rojak #breakdown #spreadsheets

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rumblelibrary · 3 years ago

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Can you do a zemo x reader where the reader is scared to marry or be in a relationship with zemo because they feel like they are replacing zemo's dead wife?

An Honest Proposal [Baron Helmut Zemo x Fem!Reader]

Word count: 2k

Warnings: mention of losing a loved one

Author’s note: This is a theme that I loved to analyse while writing, thank you so much for offering it to me to write!

You looked at him, you gulped down as he was proposing there, in that moment.

It wasn't like you weren't already on cloud nine when he brought you to Paris for a long weekend out, or when he told you that he booked the Palace of Versailles for the two of you to dine in the mirrored halls in your evening clothes.

Oh no.

He had to take your hand and give you a tour showing off his cultured self, how much he knew, all the trivia and the famous quotes and rules of the french court.

His charm was over pouring and you were feeling like a princess, like the world was made to unravel around you and develop from you.

Then he did it, he dropped onto his knee presenting you the finest piece of jewellery and craftsmanship that had ever been done on a ring.

“Would you give me the honour to become my wife?"

Those the words, and here you are now, staring at him, the lights of Versailles shining upon you, suddenly you couldn't hear any sound but the rhythmical beating of your heart.

"Yes, yes I do"

You said it or maybe you shouted it but then he took your hand and slipped that ring on your finger and you kissed him.

The world was perfect and you were the luckiest one in the world.

But then you couldn't sleep that night.

You kept rolling around in the sheets as your mind was a mess.

He promised you love forever, he swore to you time and time again you were his love, that he wanted to have a future with you, sometimes he even dropped a little hint of your future life together.

You usually smiled it off, you nodded and giggled or shut him up with a kiss.

But now the ring made it real, his honest smile making you feel guilty to the bone for the distrust you were giving in for him.

He did it all, he did it all perfectly, he was romantic, attentive, gentle, observant. He tried all his best to show you only the best side of himself and even when arguing he would be cold and try to detain the fiery nature of his character.

You sighed as you realised sleep was not coming to you, not even after the also amazing good night sex you had.

You slipped out of bed trying to be less noisy as possible, you had a luxurious suite to stay in Paris so you could let him rest. You wore your night gown and wrapped it safely around your body as you closed the door behind you going to the living room area turning on the tv to low volume as you sat on the comfortable couch.

Your eyes went down to your left hand, that ring so proportionate for your hand that it looked like made for it.

You inhaled deeply as you let out a soft sigh, tears started to surge from your eyes, a sense of loss taking over you.

A series of 'What if...?'s creeping into your mind like a snake into the little mouses's house.

You can't do it.

How could you?

It was not like he was divorced, he was a widower. He lost her, he lost his son.

Nothing you could ever do could replace her, nothing you could ever say. She was still alive for you, she was unbeatable like the art you saw tonight, she was perfect and idealised and you were human and flawed.

You almost didn't realise when tears were running down your cheeks freely, the sense of helplessness washing over you.

You didn't want to lose him, you loved him, but how could you ever leave a mark in his life when she was there?

"My love"

You jolted up as you felt Helmut's warm hands on your shoulders as he leaned above you standing from behind the couch.

"What happened?"

He asked as he moved around the couch to sit with you.

"No, it is nothing"

He stared at you titling his head on side "darling" he warned you, he hated lies.

"Helmut I.." you looked away to the screen like the people in there could tell you what to say "I don't know if I can marry you"

He opened his mouth, he looked like he didn't expect it, like he could face anything but that. He looked down at his own lap, for once speechless.

"Did I do anything that upset you?"

"No, of course not, the night was perfect"

"Is it because I want to get married in church? We can do the civil rite, we have time"

"No, no Helmut, it is not because of it"

"It is because of my past?"

"No"

You said but the sad twist into the corner of his mind meant that he captured the lie in that. You looked at him a bit upset, did he just pulled his military tricks on you?

"Look.."

"No" You interrupted him "It is not because of the terrorist attacks or the whole Avengers thing..."

He was really confused by now, his body wrapped into the night gown looked almost weak as you presented those doubts to him.

"It is you wife, Helmut"

You admitted it and as soon as you did you felt a new wave of tears rushing over you like a storm, you hiccupped as you tried to hide it and he frowned, lips pressing against each other tight.

“What about her?" You glared at him, you rarely did it but this time you had to.

You were mad he couldn’t understand your doubts and fears, he leaned his hand to touch yours and you slapped it away.

“Y/N” he begun taking a deep breath in “Heike is dead, she is not a threat toward you in any way. She lost her life cruelly and unrightfully, but that doesn’t make you different to my eyes”

You stared at him shaking your head

“She is perfect to your eyes Helmut” you said collecting the courage to speak up “She was the perfect mother to your perfect son, she was all kindness and being the exceptional baroness full of this and that…”

“Y/N”

“You destroyed the Avengers for her!”

You didn’t realised you shouted it in his face until you just did.

He looked at you, he could see what was going on now, he wondered what of all he did brought you to that point, and also, how could he not see it?

“It is true” he said “I destroyed them for her, they took away my family and I took away theirs. It was fair to me in some very cruel sense”

You opened your mouth and now he was the one blocking your words

“But” he looked at you taking a pause “she was not you and you are not her. She wasn’t perfect, she had her flaws like any human and my life was flawed in its own way. You’re not a second take, you’re not taking her place. I want you to be my wife. That’s it. Full stop. I want to be flawed with you, I want to make a life with you, maybe a family, if you’d like. But the truth is that I wouldn’t do it with anyone else but with you and in my eyes there’s nobody, and I repeat it, nobody that could compare with you”

His palm opened in front of you offering you to take his hand

“I just want the chance to make you happy, to call you mine officially in front of the world. I want you to have my name and my title, I want us to be a now but also a tomorrow, together”

He smiled at you, he looked so bare to your eyes, his heart almost visible to you through his words.

“I love you Y/N, I will love you no matter if you’d wear that ring”

You pushed his hand away and he looked at you afraid for a moment, his heart sinking down into his stomach, before you hugged him wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I love you too” you whispered.

He smiled wrapping his arms around you and he stayed like this, holding you, giving you a gentle squeeze as he buried his face against your neck.

Only the thought of losing you breaking his heart, if something ever happened to you the Avengers wouldn’t be able to detain him.

“My husband”you called his attention now “I am hungry”

He looked up at you as you said those words, the most genuine smile taking over his lips as he caressed your cheek pulling you closer into a kiss, sealing the end of your doubts with it.

Tagged @cazzyimagines @lieutenantn @handmaiden-of-mischief @thesunflowersutra @zemomybeloved @fictionlandslanddreams @charistory @greeneyedblondie44 @apparrio @hb8301 @whatawildone @rhymerhymerhyme@thehuiabird @lilith-blackrose @unbeatablecurlgirl @obsidianlaszlo

Let me know if you want to get tagged to my publications too <3

#helmut zemo fanfiction #helmut zemo x y/n #helmut zemo x bucky barnes #helmut zemo x you #helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo x y/n #baron zemo x you #baron zemo fanfiction #baron helmut zemo x you #baron helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo x reader #baron helmut zemo #baron zemo

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a-queenoffairys · 4 years ago

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Other Code Lyoko media and resources

It’s really great to see people getting into Code Lyoko again now that it’s on Netflix. I decided to make this post with some brief information about some of the other media/sequels people might not know about, plus a few resources I find particularly useful and will answer some of the most common questions people tend to have about the series.

Disclaimer: yes I’m the translator for the site I’m linking to, but I loved this site and its huge variety of resources years before I joined. The site design may be outdated, but its content is still quality.

Other media/sequel series

Comics https://en.codelyoko.fr/bd.cl There was an official French magazine that ran for 3 issues. Each one included 30 pages of comics that take place during the series, which you can find translated scans of here. The illustrator recently gave us the digital versions of these pages and the scans will eventually be replaced with those, but I’m not sure when that will be. The stories are short but sweet and the art is nice, so I think they’re definitely worth a look. You can also find complete scans of the magazines but they haven’t been translated into English.

Code Lyoko Chronicles (novel sequel series) https://en.codelyoko.fr/chronicles A four-book AU series that took place after the series finale. It attempts to explain some of the open-ended questions such as Carthage, Hopper’s backstory and how Lyoko really works, all within a more realistic and detailed setting. If you’re curious about all that stuff and interested in a somewhat darker take on Code Lyoko, I think it’s worth a look. (I call it an AU because they recount the events of the series and change them up a bit to suit the new setting, but in essence it’s the same story, just condensed into a smaller timeframe and with added detail.) It was never published in English but you can find a fan translation here in PDF and ePub format.

Code Lyoko Evolution (live action sequel series) https://www.youtube.com/c/CODELYOKOENGLISHOFFICIAL/videos A 26-episode sequel series that replaced the 2D animated segments with live action. It was filmed in French and dubbed in various languages not including English (they were planning to dub it in English but fans weren’t interested, so). It’s available on the official YouTube channel with adequate English subtitles. It takes place sometime after the original series and also goes into a little bit of Hopper’s backstory. It’s completely unrelated to the Chronicles.

Resources

Episode guide http://www.codelyoko-leguide.fr/en A guide with plot summaries, quotes, images and anecdotes/trivia on each episode. If you use the drop-down option you can also find guides to the series pilot Garage Kids and the comics. (Note: this was my first translation project so the English is kinda bad in places. For more accurate episode quotes, see the scripts/transcripts below.)

Image galleries https://en.codelyoko.fr/accueil_galeries.cl High quality screenshots from every episode. You can filter by episode, character or setting.

Renders https://en.codelyoko.fr/renders.cl A collection of official artwork (renders) with transparent backgrounds in the best available quality. Useful for graphic art.

Episode scripts (French) and transcripts (English) https://en.codelyoko.fr/conceptuels.cl The official French scripts for every episode of the cartoon and Evolution except 91, and fan-made English transcripts for the cartoon. Both of these have text descriptions of the action as well as the dialogue. As of writing this, the English transcripts for Evolution have been completed but aren’t uploaded yet. This page also has various other production documents like the graphic bible, character sheets, concept art and storyboards.

Analysis

LyokoStats https://en.codelyoko.fr/lyokostats/lyokostats.cl The site goes through every episode and uses a points system to analyse each character’s performance on Lyoko. Last I checked the individual episode breakdown was kinda broken, but you can still find the results summary ranking the heroes’ overall performance across all four seasons.

From Scripts to Episodes https://en.codelyoko.fr/scriptsvsepisodes There are always differences between an episode’s script and the final product, and this section lists those differences. You can sort of think of these as deleted scenes. The front page has a summary of the sorts of things you’ll find, plus a top 12 list of changes. The list covers every available script, so every episode of the cartoon except 91, plus Evolution.

French vs English https://en.codelyoko.fr/frenchvsenglish/frenchvsenglish.cl Comparing the original French audio to the English dub. A list of differences similar to From Scripts to Episodes. The front page also summarises what you’ll find and lists some of the most commonly-occurring differences. (To sum it up, there are a lot of small differences but the English dub is overall very accurate to the original and you’re not missing out on anything major by watching it and not the French.)

So yeah, I hope these will be useful. There’s loads of other interesting stuff on the site, so I’d definitely recommend taking a look if you haven’t already!

#code lyoko #code lyoko evolution #//I don't think this'll appear in search because of all the external links (thanks tumblr)#//but oh well

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prinxlyart · 4 years ago

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Oh thos warm moments of redemption hit me right in the feels >///<. (I'mma definitely gonna compile all your headcanons in one doc and you can't stop me!). Anyways, now getting back to lumity (prepare thyselve because I'm HUNGRY): How does the redeemed Odalia's relationship with Luz and Willow develop? And regarding our three girls in particular, how do they act right after their proposals, during the wedding and on their honeymoon?

(Lmao please, lord knows I’ll never put any of these into a doc)

Hmmm, that’s a really good question. Er, several questions. Imma go in order of how they were asked.

[tw: for mentions of severe depression /thoughts of suicide starting with bullet #4. I’ll be sure to add the warnings before and after the section as well. Please continue with caution.]

Blight Parents’ relationship with their daughters-in-law:

I think just due to how they got to where they are by this point, they both have a soft spot for Luz. She’s the one that reached out to them in the first place after all of their kids left the family. They feel a v specific gratitude towards her and Camila both because these humans work so hard to get shit done. It’s an admirable trait. One they’re glad the Nocedas aimed at them. It’s taken so much time and energy to get the Blights be, like. Tolerable people? And then even more to get them to actually act like parents.

I think at first, any time they’re unsure of how to act or react to a situation, they’ll go to Luz for guidance. They’ve gone their whole lives up until just a few years ago acting a certain way and just flipping all that? It can be difficult to break those habits. Any time they feel they should react in anger or irritation or disgust, they stop and think “no, wait. What would Luz/Camila do? Would they get mad...?” And they just give her a look of confusion and guilt before Luz mimes the sort of reaction that would be healthiest. Any time Amity catches them literally looking to Luz on how to act supportive she just rolls her eyes. They’re trying and that’s what matters.

I think at first they just don’t know how to interact with Willow. They apologized for how they treated her in the past at great length, but Willow just sort of nodded along quietly. They weren’t used to that sort of reaction (granted they’ve only just started doing this “apologizing” thing for a few months at this point in time. They’re still getting the hang of it). So they sit uncomfortably for a while until Willow sighs and sort of sits up straighter. She’d resolved to tell them about how their careless and cruel treatment of Amity was the first step in a chain reaction to Willow’s life becoming absolutely miserable for years to follow.

Not only was she forced to lose her best friend at that birthday party, but she had to do so in the cruelest way possible. Amity explained to her years back that she pretended to not like her because she couldn’t do magic to hide the fact that her parents threatened Willow. Because the Blights are supposed to be perfect. Amity has always been smart and she knew what would happen if she let it slip that they had threatened her. If Willow knew the truth, she’d tell her dads and her dads would try to confront them about it. It would end up turning into a scandal (although Amity admitted she wasn’t familiar with the word at the time; it was just one of those words she heard her mom use a lot for situations that were bad). So as a result of Amity doing her part to “protect” the Blight name, she shunned Willow from her life and broke both their hearts in the process.

[TW: discussion of severe depression and thoughts/intentions of suicide. If you’re in a vulnerable headspace right now, please scroll until you see the next notice signaling the end of the section. And please, if you’re struggling with depression and/or thoughts of suicide, please please please seek professional help.]

Willow recounts the years of endless bullying, not always by Amity’s new friends, but often by them. She tells them how Amity wouldn’t necessarily participate so much as observe with a carefully schooled expression. And then there were times when Amity did bully her, and that hurt so much more than everyone else combined. All so she wouldn’t be publicly shamed or get in trouble with her parents for associating with someone like Willow.

She tells them that it literally took Luz coming into their lives for any of that to change. Amity had turned 7 on the birthday she cut Willow out of her life, and they were 14 when Luz showed up. Half of Willow’s entire life up to that point had been friendless (or nearly friendless) and so severely bullied that she was actually debating growing a Graveleaf plant to brew tea with. She still has to take a daily healing potion prescribed by her doctor to keep her mind from falling back to that same state it used to be in. Yes, her life has greatly improved ever since Luz showed up and helped repair her friendship with Amity. Yes, it’s only gotten better since then. Yes, she loves her fiancées with everything she has. But that doesn’t mean all that pain has suddenly been erased and it doesn’t always stop her brain from sinking back into its depressed state.

Needless to say, the Blights are absolutely floored with all of this information. They’re both frozen in shock, they don’t know what to do or say to such an admission. Willow just continues though. She tells them that she’s so grateful to have Amity back in her life. That with therapy, her daily medicine, and time, she’s come a long way from where she once was. Her bad days aren’t nearly as bad as they were when she was a kid. She has both of her fiancées to support her and love her when she’s feeling down. She tells them that no, she can’t forgive them for what they’ve done. But she accepts their apology and appreciates them making the effort to make things right. Seeing Amity happy because her parents are actually trying to be better makes Willow happy.

I think......Alador would be the one to go to Willow and kneel before her and take her hand, apologizing with as much intent as he can muster. He’s a little more in touch with his emotions these days than Odalia is, and he’s lost a family member to suicide before. He knows how devastating it can be to everyone around them and he’s mortified at the fact that Willow had almost done the same. He understands how much she means to Amity and he comes to the realization mid-apology that he could have very well lost his own daughter in a similar fashion had Willow gone through with that. Odalia goes white as a sheet at hearing that, steadying herself in her chair and it makes Willow feel queasy, but she’s glad that he understands the severity of what they’d done. She does put a hand to Alador’s shoulder to comfort him as he reels from this realization and he stands properly again to wrap Willow in a hug as he cried, still muttering apologies through his tears. I think it takes a while for Odalia to be able to speak again, but Willow is able to see that that struggle means it’s rocked her to her core. Once Odalia is able to also stammer out her own apologies, Willow just gives her a small smile and nods.

[END OF SECTION. Now it’s all fluff from here on out. Have fun, kids.]

After that discussion, Alador and Odalia double down on the whole “being better” thing. During one of their weekly tea meetings, they ask Camila how they might start doing that in their daily lives too, not just for their children. Camila doesn’t know the first thing about their jobs or what they do or the people they work with, so she tells them to make a list of things they can think of that might’ve been considered hurtful to some degree. The tea definitely goes cold long before the list is done; Camila actually needs to leave before they finish it. The next meeting, there’s a comically large scroll of shit they’ve done sitting on the table and they are sitting with their heads cowed in shame. I think Camila pops an ibuprofen before her headache settles in.

They still don’t know how to do nice things without throwing money at it first. That takes a while for them to wrap their heads around. Luz and Willow aren’t ones for like. Big, extravagant, expensive things. They prefer the heartfelt stuff, like hand-made gifts or thoughtful acts of service. (Amity, however, insists they accept her parents ridiculously expensive weekend getaway trip to the Iliac Crest Hot Springs; the top of the left hip bone of the Titan. A well-known vacation spot for romantic getaways. Willow only accepts because she knows they’d never be able to afford that on their own and Luz accepts it as a wedding gift and an opportunity to go to a part of the Boiling Isles she’s never explored before.)

Alador is like every dad ever; he loves talking about random trivia shit to anyone who will listen. Luz is literally the only person that will listen because even though she’s lived in the Demon Realm for years now, she still doesn’t know all the “fun facts” that everyone else has grown up with. Sometimes she’ll bring up points about random trivia bits Alador is going on about and put in her own two snails about something she’s experienced regarding it, and she and Alador will go back and forth for a while like that, talking about the stuff they’ve experienced relating to that thing. Willow thinks it’s adorable and Amity is mostly just exasperated (but she also thinks it’s cute and she loves watching her dad bond with her fiancée like this).

Odalia will occasionally ask Amity about her abominations and they’ll sort of awkwardly talk for a while about the technicalities and ingredients and Odalia will mention adding an ingredient Amity’s never even considered before. When she inquires further, Odalia tells her that she’ll sometimes work with a friend in the Emperor’s coven that specialized in the plant track to experiment with creating abominations with different kinds of ingredients for different tasks. Amity is shocked and impressed to hear about her own mother mixing magic and teases her for breaking the rules right under the emperor’s nose. Odalia stammers at that (she’s still getting used to Belos no longer being in power and the stigma against mixing magic still runs strong in her mind), but eventually admits that yes, technically she’s mixed magic. Amity makes her promise to show her how with Willow and they make a whole day of it.

Spending the day making weird abominations with Odalia Blight was Not something Willow thought she’d ever say she’d done, but hey. She didn’t think King could beat Luz in that one eating contest either because where does he put all that food, but he ended up winning anyway. Willow and Amity are actually super excited to try mixing their knowledge of magic together; it almost feels intimate in a way. It’s something neither have tried before and are able to try for the first time together because it’s their specialties. Odalia guides them through the process of mixing different types of plants into the abomination mixture to make abominations specific for extra strength or abominations that help enhance healing magic just due to its properties. They all end up having a lot of fun that day, just making all sorts of varieties of abominations. By the time the day is done, they’re all covered in abomination goop because one of them accidentally exploded. Luz managed to get a picture of them all laughing together and covered in goop before they go to clean up. It’s one of her favorite pictures.

As time goes on, things get less and less tense between the Blight parents and Luz and Willow (especially with Willow). They grow more comfortable with being good parents, good people, and just kinder and more loving in general. There’s one day when the Blights come to visit and they greet each girl with a hug and kiss without really realizing it. They all go to settle down in the living room, but Amity’s still frozen at the doorway, covering her mouth and trying desperately to wipe away the tears that crept up at the display of affection. No one else had thought anything of it, but that was the first time her parents had shown the same and love and affection to both of her wives without any hesitation or fear of crossing boundaries. She cherishes the memory of that moment often.

Proposal Reactions:

I genuinely don’t know how these girls would propose to each other. There’s any number of possibilities; they’re all so creative. The part of me that wants to make funny cartoons would have them each scrambling to figure out the best way to propose to each other and getting into ridiculous hijinks when they try to get their friends’ help (Amity would ask Emira and Edric [and the detention gang by extension; Viney’s remained best friends with Jerbo and Barcus after all this time]. Willow I think would recruit Gus and oddly enough, Lilith [she sees Eda as too much of a mother to Luz to feel comfortable with asking her to help her propose to her daughter]. Luz would definitely ask Eda, King and Camila to help but regret it almost instantly). Of course everyone would end up tripping over one another and each proposal attempt would end in disaster but all three girls would see the resulting destruction (maybe several things on fire?) and just laugh their asses off. Because wow, this could’ve gone so much better, but hey, you guys wanna get married?

The sappy romantic in me tho. Would want them to discuss it thoroughly before hand; agree that yes they’d love to get married, they’re just not sure if it’s the right time. But Luz, being the person she is, would go and recruit everyone’s help in coming up with the best proposal ever. Willow and Amity are both busy with their respective jobs just enough to not notice all the scheming going on. And then one day when all 3 of them have the same day off, Luz takes them out for a fun day (whatever that entails; maybe a day at a carnival or just wandering around town or something). At the end of the day, she takes them somewhere significant (this could literally be anywhere, Grom Tree is a good place because of the view it has over the cliff’s edge, but yknow. Whatever suits their relationship as a trio) and everything is decked out in lights and decorations. And Amity and Willow are both stunned and enthralled by the display and they turn to see Luz down on one knee and holding two small boxes, holding one out to each of them and a super nervous smile on her face. Amity and Willow maybe accidentally tackle her to the ground when they tried to hug her.

During the wedding:

I think they’re all stressed during the wedding itself. They’re excited, of course, a whole ceremony dedicated to the three of them vowing to spend the rest of their lives together. They aren’t capable of imaging a life without each other at this point. But that doesn’t stop the nerves from settling in.

Eda’s constantly telling Luz to calm down before the ceremony actually begins; Luz is found pacing and coming up with doomsday scenarios out loud at light speed like she always does when she’s nervous. Camila and Eda are also nervous, but they’re doing their best to keep it together for Luz’s sanity. Camila’s making sure (with Emira, as Em is the Maid of Honor) that everything is going smoothly and according to plan. But she has similar nervous habits to Luz when she doesn’t have something to focus her attention on. She ends up fussing over Luz’s hair and getting rid of any imaginary wrinkles in her outfit, making sure her makeup is perfect until Eda tells her to quit treating Luz like a dress up doll. Eda’s really good at pep talks, even when she’s nervous, but she manages to calm both Nocedas down with her patented Soft Encouraging Voice.

Amity’s freaking out in her own way in a separate room with all of her girls (Emira, Skara, a fully and properly redeemed Boscha). She’s freaking out similarly to Luz in that she’s mumbling to herself all sorts of ridiculous what-ifs and wishing desperately that she could just be with Luz and Willow already because they bring her the most comfort. She’s not pacing like Luz though, she’s sitting while Emira and Skara do some intricate thing with her hair while Boscha’s doing her makeup but that doesn’t stop her from wringing her hands and bouncing her leg (something that Boscha has to tell her to stop doing every 30 seconds or she’ll mess up the makeup she’s doing). Emira’s giving her advice for every little “what-if” she can hear coming out of Amity, with some silly remarks from Boscha and Skara that actually puts Amity somewhat at ease. Having her girls acting calm and natural did help. She thanks them for doing as much at the reception.

Willow’s trying to get herself into game mode with a pep talk. No place for nerves, only well-thought action. She’s actually got Viney there with her (who had to kick Gus out because he was crying at just the sight of Willow in her wedding dress), as well as Bo and Kat (I think those are the names of the two healing track girls....someone tell me if I’m wrong, but I think Bo is the one in the Human Appreciation Society and I think Kat is the one with the glasses that played on Boscha’s team in the Grudgby match). Willow’s girls are all hyping her up like she’s about to enter a Grudgby match rather than a wedding ceremony, and the ridiculousness of it all is staving off her nerves. Viney’s also giving her own personal experience as advice; she may or may not have tripped during her own wedding and is making sure Willow knows how to avoid that at all costs.

I genuinely don’t know what the role of the Best Man is, but I know in one of my past headcanon posts I mentioned that both Edric and Gus are asked to fill that role (there’s no such thing as rules when you’ve got a human and two witches getting married on the boiling isles). I think while Emira and Camilia are helping their respective brides-to-be get ready, Edric and Gus are taking over making sure everything is running smoothly and all the guests know where to go. When they’re just sort of standing around and waiting for their next task, Gus starts tearing up again at the thought of Willow in her dress. Willow’s like the big sister he never had and now she’s getting married. Gus is constantly having to perform minor illusions on his face to make it look like he’s not about to cry or has already been crying. Edric hasn’t seen Amity yet, but he’s secretly doing the same thing whenever their minds aren’t preoccupied with whatever Event Tasks they need to focus on.

I think.....rather than a one-by-one thing, all three of our girls enter at the same time from different doors. Luz comes in from the left side door, Amity comes in from the right, and Willow comes in from the main entrance at the back. Luz is practically vibrating with nerves and excitement and the only reason she doesn’t run to the front to sweep her beautiful girls into excited, passionate kisses is solely due to her own mother’s iron grip on her arm as she walks her up. I actually don’t know if Alador has redeemed himself enough at this point for Amity to allow him to walk her up to the front, but I also think Edric would be too much of a mess to do so. I think a lifetime of keeping up a mask helps Alador maintain his composure long enough to get Amity up to the front and to take his seat before he lets the waterworks take over. I actually don’t know which of Willow’s dads would walk her up; we don’t know enough about either of them to make personality judegement calls. Whichever dad can hold it together for longer, probably.

Polyamory isn’t a new thing on the Boiling Isles; it may not be practiced as often among witches, but demons do it all the time, so the person officiating their wedding (it could be literally anyone, I have no idea. Maybe principal bump, just for funsies) knows exactly how this ceremony needs to go. They all planned beforehand exactly the order they’d kiss one another once they were proclaimed officially married: Luz would be too excited to wait and would kiss each of her girls first, Amity then Willow, and then Amity and Willow would share their own kiss once Luz had gotten that out of her system.

Honeymoon:

I don’t know enough about honeymoons to know if there’s a difference between a honeymoon and a normal vacation except Now You’re Married. Maybe they go on a grand expedition around the Boiling Isles? Maybe they honeymoon in the Human Realm? That’s exactly like the proposal situation; it could be literally anything. Far too many variables and ideas that could make it perfect for each of them. Hell, they could probably just say they’re going out and doing all sorts of stuff and actually just locking themselves in their house so they can just be together and relish in the relief of no longer needing to plan such a large and important event. They can just enjoy each other’s company as Wives now. I really don’t know.

Regardless of what they do, I think they’d be like any other person on their honeymoon: absolutely love struck and over the moon with how much they love each other. Sometimes they’ll catch one another staring and tease each other about it ( “awww you liiiikkkke meeee” “we literally just got married” “yeah I know but stiiiiiillllllllll”)

I actually don’t know what else you expect me to put here, so I guess I’ll just say they lived happily ever after, the end.

#prinxly inquiries #wam-hope #the owl house #willumity #luz noceda #willow park #amity blight #tw depression #tw mentions of suicide #only for a second tho the entire rest of this thing is so goddamn fluffy #this is another one of those hella long ones that took me all weekend to write lmao #y’all really know how to pull the super long headcanons outta me

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jksangelic · 5 years ago

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producer!yoongi (m)

rating: m

genre: fluff, domestic au, established relationship, smut, a little humor idk

pairing: producer/rapper!yoongi x reader

warnings/tags: extremely sweet and soft sexual intercourse, unprotected sex (be safe qt’s), last minute intentions of impregnation/impreg kink maybe, oral sex (male receiving), otherwise pretty self explanatory. yoongi is sleepy in this so that’s cute.

summary: trivia 轉: seesaw makes a great lovemaking song.

word count: 1750

note: this is a really old request. i mean, from last year old. so for that i apologize for taking so long to get to it. in other news, this greatly coincides with a dream i’ve personally had once or twice where yoongi’s song plays over a really serene and domestic smut scene 🥺 lucky me, right???

enjoy!

It comes as a surprise when you swing your leg amongst the sheets and thwap solid body, a groggy grunt retorting back.

You’re awake. Unfortunately so. Blame the open blinds and the orange that floods into the room, staining the wooden floors, majority of the bed and across your face. Mornings had been particularly brutal this time of year, and as you shift your sleep schedule according to the light, your beloved Yoongi sleeps until he decides his day starts.

You sit up and look down and there he is, awkwardly laid facing towards the ceiling and legs still hanging off the edge of the mattress. As if he sat, plopped down onto his back and passed out just like that.

It’s been often that he spends his night at his desk in the corner, creating, tinkering, erasing and over again. Happy and unsatisfied all the same even though what he did was, in your eyes, pure magic.

It takes a few minutes to really wake, careful not to hit your boyfriend once more as you stretch your limbs and wipe the crust from your eyes. You take a couple more in the bathroom to scrub your gums raw (you’d rather be single than ever have Yoongi experience your morning breath) and splash some water on your face.

“Pretty,” he would say. Part of him joking at the minimal effort and part of him more genuine than anything he would ever say in his entire life. He was always like that. A little indifferent in the way that he spoke but you have him all figured out, in the palm of your hand.

You think about turning on the TV, maybe flicking through whatever was new on Hulu. Until you catch his slideshow of screensavers idling on his desktop. One of you both at the beach, one at a concert, one of just you sipping from a cup in some cafe you found yourselves in. It makes your heart swell sweetly.

And then you feel a bit nosy, wanting to know what he’s been working so hard on. He’d shown you the basics of how to work his software, even an airhead like you knowing how to play the track without haphazardly throwing it all in the trash and setting it ablaze. If computers could animate that.

Lacking headphones, you listen to it’s intro as quietly as possible. It starts slow and simple, an initial “click” beginning and dropping into his beats. It takes awhile for you to realize he didn’t yet record his lyrics but the instrumental in itself is marvelous. It was calm unlike a handful of his other songs, encasing you in feelings of summer and nostalgia, if that was a thing.

“Snooping around so early in the morning already, huh?” Yoongi grunts, unprompted arms wrapping your shoulders from behind. You don’t startle and he finds that no fun, maybe from one too many surprises in your time.

“I like this,” you say, “What’s it going to be about?”

He nuzzles into your neck like it’s his safe haven. “How much I love you.”

You snort, letting the track continue and swiveling around in your chair so you can face him. “Liar. Did you mix this for someone?”

He travels a finger down the slope of your nose, pulling your bottom lip down with a thumb before letting his hand sink. “No, it’s mine.” A few beats.

“That’s it?”

“Heh. Remember our first year of dating and how bad it was?” You remember. The ups-and-downs, the arguing, breaking up several times thinking it was for the best. Your heart was unstable then, contrary to how solid it sits now.

“Yeah, that was rough,” you stand, inches away from his face.

“I’m calling it Seesaw, I think. I want it to be lighthearted, but for the rap to be somewhat convoluted. Like how I thought at the time of when we were a little rocky. Confused and maybe even a little dramatic.”

“So,” he interrupts you by kissing your nose, “you’re going to publicly throw me in the spotlight.”

“No, weirdo. I just like making songs that reflect on all parts of my life. Even the stupid ones. The instrumental has been a favorite of mine so far. Took me 6 hours to get it where it is now.” He kisses your top lip, chuckling into it and rubbing the lines in your forehead away with his.

“Your breath doesn’t stink.”

“You say that as if you’re disappointed. I washed up before I passed out. Maybe like—“ He checks his wristwatch, “An hour ago?”

“God, babe. How are you going to function today? Where am I going to get my attention from if you go back to sleep?”

He smirks, lifting you up with a bear hug unexpectedly and making the both of you fall, without grace, back onto the bed. “Oh, you’ll get my attention.”

“I can’t believe you just lifted me.”

“I’m scrawny, not weak. They don’t go hand-in-hand.”

You fake-ponder, squeezing your eyebrows together and staring into space, “I’m... I’m pretty sure they do.”

He attacks your neck, biting in retaliation and making you squeal above him, “Yoongi! Stop!”

Yoongi obeys, halting immediately and hugging you close. Close enough to near his lips to your ear and whisper a seductive, “Will you let me sleep in if I make you cum? How about it, kitten?”

You grow hot from his words, not bearing to look at his face and instead burying yours into his chest, whining simultaneously.

“Ohh... So embarrassed? How many times have we had sex now, surely you’ve grown used to this,” he taunts. His hands trail over your ass, a good squeeze gifted and playing with the frilled hem of your sleeping shorts. “I can sleep without it too.”

“No,” you muffle into his shirt, readjusting so you can breathe again and meeting his mischievous features, “I want to.”

“Hmm? You want me to what, kitten?” He croons, moving out from underneath and pulling you up the bed like you’re entranced by some siren song. All while nibbling on your sweet skin, digging his fingers into your bare ribs, convincing you with every beat of his heart.

You grab each side of his face, luring him onto your lips as you speak into your kiss, “I want you... I want you to make me cum.” He groans in response, flustered. As if he didn’t just command you to say so.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll do that.”

But he takes his everlasting time, palming himself in his pants until you offer to do it for him, eventually scooting down to meet his tightened sweats with your mouth, pressing subtle kisses to the bulge. Pulling the cloth down, his member flops comically to one side of his hip, still a little soft.

You test a lick, holding his base in your hand as you do so, “Do I not get you up as quickly as I used to?” You joke.

He props himself up on his elbows, his head lolled to its side and peering down at you with a scrunched nose. “I just woke up. Like, six minutes ago. This is sleepy dick. Wake it up.”

You laugh at “sleepy dick”, working it into your mouth delicately and swirling your tongue around it like candy. It’s always a weird feeling to have it, literally, inflate in your mouth. Graced in a certain size that seems to contradict his rather lean figure, not that you were complaining.

“Ahh, ah okay. Really sensitive this morning,” he moans, petting your face lovingly. “I wanna be able to last until I’m inside of you, please.”

So you both reposition, his love for missionary holding true as he fits between your spread legs and bracing his hands above your head. The song restarts which now comes to your attention, the “click” reminding you that you ceased to pause it.

Those nostalgic notes fill your head the same time Yoongi happens to fill you, saccharine and melodic. He loves to watch your face in pleasure, always immediate and sending pride right to his hips. He almost scoops upward into you, shallow enough to hit the nerves that make you cry out.

He thinks it sounds nice paired with his track, your high pitch mewls something he wish he could record, fine tune and embed into his audio mixer. The thought oddly turns him on, relocating his hands to the headboard and using the leverage to push into you rather harshly.

You squeak, pleading looks given to your boyfriend and receiving no mercy thereof. If he wouldn’t let up, then so be it. “Y-Yoongi, faster!”

“Ugh,” he pants, fiddling with your nipple between his gorgeous fingers, “H-Hey?”

Your hands reach towards his hips, egging him on with your touch, “Hm?”

“You wanna—fuck, you wanna make a kid?”

You’d laugh hysterically if you weren’t stuffed with cock, “Yoongi—“

“We’ve tried twice. How about another? Just in case.”

He slows for a second, kisses you briefly, then begins again at his hurried pace.

You close your eyes, humming, “Yes. Yes, cum inside.”

It’s only a minute before he finds where he was before, on the verge. As are you.

He exhales through hollowed cheeks, perspiration apparent and so godly handsome that that alone sends you over the edge, his full length and girth ramming into you as you arch.

“There you go, kitten. So sweet, so sweet for me. You’re like heaven, shit,” he stutters, not so far behind as he spills into you. He watches closely, like he can see how much he’s shooting into you, and even after long he doesn’t take himself out.

“Just making sure,” he nervously smiles.

You find yourself on top, again, seconds later. Still full and feeling a bit light. His song playing in the background, maybe for the ninth time.

“Should I turn it off?” he asks, reading your mind.

You watch the curtains pull in the slow wind, warmth shining on your bodies, not a cloud in sight. “No. I just want to stay like this for a bit.”

The rays particularly shine on the side of your belly, rotating yourself a bit so it can catch its luminescence. The feeling is a muted delight, then it’s sudden. The “click” sounds once more.

“I think—I think this is the one,” you say a little excitedly, hands floating above your navel.

But Yoongi sleeps soundly, breath measured. You suppose you’ll tell him when he wakes.

#bangtanarmynet #btsguild #yoongi #yoongi smut #yoongi imagine #yoongi scenario #producer!yoongi #kpop smut #kpop scenario #kpop imagine #yoongi fluff #yoongi drabble #suga #bts smut #bts drabble #bts fic #yoongi fic #drabbles #i threw in the impreg so randomly lmaoo im sorry if you dont like that anon!!!

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orangeoctopi7 · 5 years ago

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Champions

I know I already posted something for the last week of @stanuary but that was sort of a place-holder for this. I’ve been sick on-and-off for the last month or so, so I wasn’t sure if I’d finish this in time. I did get time to work on it the other day while I was at work.

This is a crossover with Atop the Fourth Wall’s Contest of Champions, but you don’t need any prior knowledge of AT4W to understand what’s happening. I’m just borrowing a concept, really. (Although I do want to do a second chapter where Stan interacts with those characters)

***

Stan was awoken in the middle of the night by one of Ford’s alarms going off. He groggily sat up as his brother jumped out of his own hammock and dashed to the controls, muttering curses under his breath the whole way.

“Wazzat?” Stan groaned.

“An extradimensional portal just opened up aboard the Stan'o'war! But my sensors aren’t picking up any foreign lifeforms. Whatever it was must also have access to time travel. It must have paused time, entered our dimension, done whatever it was trying to do, and then left before restoring the flow of time.”

“Y'sure your nerd gadgets aren’t just broken?” Stan asked, reaching sleepily for his glasses on the bedside cabinet. He felt around, but instead of the thin plastic frames, he felt a heavy sheet of parchment.

“Yes, I’m sure! Now keep a close eye out for anything out of place! Just because I don’t detect any lifeforms doesn’t mean they couldn’t have left a robot or a bug.”

“Uh, Ford? I think I found what they left.”

Stan finally put his glasses on and looked down at the parchment he’d found. It was the same size as a normal 8.5" by 11" printer paper, but the parchment felt much fancier, like something the Northwests would use for an invitation. Which was exactly what it was.

STANLEY PINES

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE 1049th INTERDIMENSIONAL

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS

SPEAK ALOUD YOUR ACCEPTANCE AND DETAILS WILL FOLLOW

CONGRATULATIONS, CHAMPION.

“What the…?” Stan muttered, turning the page over to look for more info, but it was blank. “Ford, are you tryin’ to pull some sorta prank? If so, I don’t get your humor at all.”

Ford silently read the invitation over his brother’s shoulder, before snatching it away. “This has to be counterfeit. I know you destroyed Bill, but that’s not… that doesn’t make you… does it?”

“Seriously, Ford, what is this?” Stan asked impatiently.

Ford took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, before answering. “To put it in your terms, Stan, the Contest of Champions is like an interdimensional boxing tournament, only instead of just boxing, the Champions can choose any kind of contest they want.”

“Champions?”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know, I bet this thing will do a much better job of explaining.” He held up the invitation like it was a phone and he was having a video-chat. “We’d like the Terms and Conditions, please.”

Nothing happened.

“Of course, I wasn’t invited.” Ford rolled his eyes and handed the paper back to Stan. “You have to ask it.”

Stan held the paper out like he’d seen Ford doing. “Uh… can you explain this whole thing to me?” He awkwardly addressed the invitation.

With nothing more than a bright flash of light, a figure in dark robes appeared. They looked like they might be human, but every part of them was covered, from their closed hood to their gloved hands.

“Sweet Moses!” Stan shouted in surprise, winding up to punch the intruder.

“Relax, it’s just a hologram recording.” Ford reassured him with a gentle hand on the shoulder.

“The interdimensional Contest of Champions is a tournament.” The hologram began, “Within every parallel reality, there are figures best suited to defend those realities. These individuals are referred to as Champions. The hosts for this contest, the Temlins, have elected to hold a tournament to judge their respective skills against one another. Participants are randomly selected across all realities and invitations are sent. You are under no obligation to join this great tournament, but should you enter, you will be granted the opportunity to test your abilities against other powerful individuals and make an attempt at a great prize. All battles are non-lethal and participation is voluntary. Should you remain victorious through all of your battles, you will be awarded this great prize. Defeat brings only as much dishonor as you allow yourself. If you have any further questions, you may ask now.”

“Wow, that’s quite the schpiel you got there.” Stan grunted. He turned to his brother. “So, let me get this straight. I can’t die, and I get to fight a buncha space dorks for some fancy prize? Sounds like a good time to me!”

“It’s a lot more complex than that.”

“What, you been in one of these things?”

“No, but I watched the coverage of one during my interdimensional travels. I should warn you, they take forever. Since it covers multiple dimensions and timelines, it can be really stretched out. I saw the beginning of the 1018th tournament while I was in the Bubble Dimension, by the time it finally finished, I was in the Flying Whale Dimension, six years later.”

“Well, do I haffta wait on their planet, or somethin’ or can I just go about life as normal?”

Ford shrugged.

“Between rounds, Champions are allowed to prepare as they see fit.” The hologram answered. “The Temlins are aware of the great temporal differences between participating dimensions. Champions are encouraged to continue their normal lives if at all possible while waiting for the next round.”

“Ok. And how do these battles work?”

“From what I remember, one of the contestants gets to choose the contest.”

“For each round, one of the two Champions is selected at random. They must set a battle that is fair to both parties, with a reasonable chance that either could win. The conditions of the battle must be agreed upon by both parties, and approved by the Temlins.”

“So, I just gotta bribe the right people, and make sure I get to pick the challenge. Dirty boxing, or, I dunno, a The Dutchess Approves trivia quiz.”

“Stanley, I’d advise against mentioning bribery in front of the recording device.” Ford scolded him. “And besides, the Temlins are all-powerful beings. I very much doubt you have anything that would interest them.”

“Well, what’ve I got to lose, right? I’ll give it a shot.”

“Stanley, wait, let’s think about this first! I don’t trust the Temlins. That much power, and they use it to host a tournament!? Why couldn’t they have done something about Bill, why couldn’t they use that power to stop injustice across the multiverse?”

Stan gasped in mock surprise. “What!? You don’t trust somebody? That’s never happened before! Whatever will I do with this new, vital information?”

“Stanley, I’m serious!”

“C'mon Ford, the man says it’s voluntary. If things get sketchy, I’ll quit! ‘Snot like I expect to win this thing. Think of it this way, I get to fight crazy space guys. You get to study whatever crazy space guys they send our way, and maybe if I get really lucky, I win some fancy sci-fi prize.”

Ford sighed. “I’ll admit, that does sound tempting.”

“Great, cuz I’m doin’ it!” Stan turned back to the hologram. “I, uh, speak aloud my acceptance, or however this works.”

“Welcome, Stanley Pines, to the Contest of Champions.”

“Great. So now what?”

“Preliminary round begins now.”

“Wait, what?”

“Your opponent is Ace Corgi, Attorney at Paw. Battlefield has been selected as Stanley Pines’”

“Ford, you said these things take forever!”

“Well I never saw anything about a preliminary round on the broadcast!”

Another brilliant flash filled the cabin. The hologram had disappeared, and in its place was a stout dog with pointy ears and a steel-gray coat. It looked just as surprised as they were. Ford’s alarms started again.

“Oh, are we starting now?” It asked in a deep voice that belied its small size.

“Aw, lookit the cute talking dog!” Stan cooed.

“That must be the Champion from the Corgi Dimension!”

“There’s a Corgi Dimension!?”

“Yes, but last I heard, the Champion of the Corgi Dimension was Atticus.”

“Oh, He retired just last year.” The small dog explained. “Now, which one of you humans is my opponent?”

Stan raised his hand.

“Thank you. Now have at thee!”

The dog lunged without warning, going straight for Stan’s knees.

“What the H!?” Stan shouted as he nearly toppled to the ground. His first instinct was to dropkick the animal, but he knew Mabel would never forgive him for doing such a thing to a cute dog, even if it was in self defense. Luckily, he knew a thing or two about dealing with rowdy dogs from his time pug trafficking. He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, doing his best to avoid the snapping jaws, and forced the dog onto its back.

“A little help here?” He yelled to Ford as he struggled to keep the wiggling dog still.

The old scientist held his hands up. “I’m not allowed to interfere.”

The dog took advantage of Stan’s split attention and squirmed out of his grasp.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Stan shouted as the corgi chased him up onto the deck.

“I’m not being a jerk, it’s the rules!” Ford called after him.

Stan at least had the presence of mind to grab his boots and his coat as he dashed for the stairs. Luckily, the steps slowed his stubby-legged pursuer down, and he was able to actually put them on.

“You cur! Your giant ledges won’t be enough to stop me!"

"What the heck, I thought we had to both agree on the battle first!?”

“That’s what I thought too, but it seems the Temlins get to decide the battle for the preliminary round. I suppose it saves time.” The dog replied as it hopped up the last step.

What the heck am I supposed to do!? Stan wondered to himself. I’m not gonna punch a little dog!

He ran around the deck a couple of times, trying to tire the little guy out, but the dog had boundless energy, and it’s fur coat was obviously better at keeping the cold out than Stan’s cotton one. Finally, his eyes caught sight of the net he and Ford used to catch specimens for his brother’s research. Perfect!

Out-maneuvering a herding dog was a challenge, but in the end he managed. After all, corgis were bred to herd large groups of sheep, not one cunning old man. Once Stan grabbed the net, he tossed it over his opponent, tangling up its little legs almost instantly. The dog continued to squirm, attempting to wiggle its way out once again. When this proved futile, it started to gnaw on the cables of the net.

“Yeah, good luck, Bucko.” Stan chuckled. “That net’s meant for things way bigger and more magical than you.”

“Preliminary round has ended. The victor is Stanley Pines.” The hologram appeared again in a flash of light. “You are both Champions worthy of being in this great tournament. Now you must await your summoning for the first true round. Information and dossiers about the other participants will be made available to you soon, relative to your own universe’s timescale. Welcome, once again, to the Contest of Champions.”

With that, the hologram disappeared again.

“Good show, human!” The dog barked happily. “Will you please let me out now?”

“Oh, right.” Stan pulled the net away. “Not that it’s any of my business, but if I can beat you, ya might not last many rounds in this tournament.”

“Oh, this dog still has a few tricks. I don’t want to show all my best moves before we’ve even begun!”

“Good point. Hey, before ya go, would it be too much to ask for a picture? My niece would really love you.”

“But of course!”

“Hey Ford, get up here!” Stan called down the stairs to the cabin.

“I told you, I can’t help during the match!”

“It’s already over, genius! We’re takin’ a commemorative photo! Bring up the camera!”

#Gravity Falls #Fanfiction #atop the fourth wall #Stanley Pines #Stanuary 2020 #Fight #my writing

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crystalninjaphoenix · 5 years ago

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Chaos Theory

Part Five

(Nobody’s gonna like this part. Something bad happens to one of the boys. Like, almost the worst thing. Look at those tags. Also the longest part so far.)

2:42am, and Jackie and JJ arrived at the address coded into the video. The place looked like it had been abandoned for a while. It was a long, low building that might’ve been a shop at one point, but wasn’t now, judging by the boarded-up windows and dirty walls.

There was a typed note taped to the front door. It read: It’s unlocked, should open easily enough. Jackieboy, you go in alone. If your friend comes in as well then you forfeit the game, and the others are gonna be gone.

Jackie was frozen solid, re-reading the note over and over again. He looked over at JJ, who looked back at him. You don’t have to do it this way, JJ signed slowly.

“No, I do.” Jackie shook his head. “I’m not taking a risk with their lives.”

We can find another way, JJ signed, his eyes wide and pleading.

“We don’t have time to figure anything out. Every second counts. And besides, I bet he can see everything around this building. Cameras and shit. He’d know.”

JJ didn’t look happy, but he took a step back. Please hurry.

“If I’m not back in...half an hour, then you can maybe come in after me.” After making sure JJ nodded in understanding, Jackie turned to the door. He swallowed nervously. “Wish me luck.”

Break a leg, JJ signed tensely.

Jackie didn’t answer. His stomach was jumping too much to even think about talking. He stepped forward, grabbed the doorknob, and was surprised when it turned and opened easily. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped inside.

The door swung shut behind him. Jackie turned around and tried to open it again, just out of curiosity, only to find the door now locked. “How did you...?” He shook his head. He had no idea how it would do that, but it did, so now he only had to go forward. Quite literally. The dark hallway extending before him had no doors. He reached to the side and found a light switch, flicking it on and watching as lamps with bare bulbs dangling from the ceiling illuminated the run-down walls. At the very end, the hall turned. With nowhere else to go, he started walking.

He reached the turn at the end, and found himself in a rectangular room. The door was on one of the long sides, near the corner where it meant a shorter one. The room was divided in two with a sheet of glass. And pressed against the opposite wall were—

“Oh my god! Chase! Henrik!” Jackie ran forward, pressing his hands against the glass. Chase and Schneep were each tied to a chair with its back against the wall, a vertical divide made of wooden planks between them, preventing them from seeing each other. They were both gagged, so they couldn’t answer when Jackie shouted their names, but they looked over. Chase cried out and immediately started struggling against the ropes. Schneep began jerking his head to the side, where Jackie could see a glass door set in the wall separating him from them. “Hold on, I-I’m coming!” He ran for the glass door.

There was a sudden burst of white noise. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Jackie suddenly stopped running, taking a moment to regain his balance. “Oh, and why not, Mr. I’ll-Hide-My-Face-Like-A-Goddamn-Coward?”

“You call it being a coward, I call it being safe. And this is why not.”

Jackie tensed as a clunking noise came from somewhere above him. Two panels in the ceiling opened up, on the other side of the glass. A strange device was lowered from each, a mess of mechanical parts. It took Jackie a moment to see the long length of metal, ending in a point, extending from each device. “H-hey! Don’t you—” He ran up to the glass and immediately slammed his fist against it. It rebounded, causing him to stagger backwards.

The gamemaster laughed. “It’s plexiglass, you idiot. Shatter-proof. You really think I’d take the chance of you messing up this next part of the game?”

Jackie shook his hand, a snake of fear curling around his heart. “What...next part?”

“It’s very simple. You should see a control panel in the middle of the floor there.” Jackie immediately saw it. His eyes had skipped over it before, obviously more concerned with his friends in peril. But now he took notice. It wasn’t really much of a control panel; there were only two buttons on the surface. “Those buttons have a very simple function. Pressing them will open the door in the plexiglass so you can get to your friend. But they’re also wired up to those spike launchers. I’m sure you know the drill here. Only one of these two will walk of the building with you. Make your choice carefully.”

Jackie’s heart stopped. “You...you mean I press the button and I’ll harpoon my friend?!”

“I mean, if you want to be so blunt about it—”

“No!” Jackie stepped back until he was pressed against the opposite wall. His eyes darted around the room. It was empty except for the chairs, the control panel, the plexiglass, and the spikes. “No, you can’t make me do that!”

The gamemaster laughed. “Oh I think I can! You see, the launchers are also remote-controlled from my location. If you don’t choose one, then they both die.”

Jackie screamed, suddenly running forward and punching the plexiglass hard enough for him to rebound backwards and fall flat on his back. He climbed back up, the gamemaster still laughing. On the other side of the glass, Chase had gone very still, before suddenly intensifying his struggles. Schneep’s eyes were very wide, but he wasn’t moving. “You can’t!” Jackie shouted. “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t do this! You said they’d be fine if I solved your stupid puzzles in the time limit!”

“Did I ever tell you that you’d get all of them back? Nope! I just said that if you took too long, or got help from anyone else, then they’d die. I never said they wouldn’t die anyway.”

“Liar! Liar!” Jackie could only pull his hair and shake his head. His eyes were threatening to spill over with tears. “I-I can’t do this. I-I can’t, don’t make me choose. Please don’t make me choose.”

“Well, you have to. That’s the only way to open the door.” The gamemaster sighed. “This is taking too long. You have five minutes to press a button, or else I’ll set both launchers off. Starting now. Tick, tock.”

“Shit!” Jackie gasped. His head whipped up, looking at the others on the other side of the plexiglass. Chase was still struggling, but now he was doing his best to gesture over to Schneep. Schneep meanwhile, caught Jackie’s eyes. His head jerked to the side, pointing at Chase.

In that moment, Jackie felt his heart crack a bit. God, why did both of them have to be like this? This wasn’t easy to begin with, but now he had to be reminded of how wonderful and loving both of them were, both willing to give up for the other.

He paced the floor, continuing to pull and play with his hair. A constant flow of mutterings escaped his mouth, everything along the lines of “Okay, okay, okay, this is happening, you have to, fuck, this is happening, okay, you have to, why, shit, fuck.” How could anyone make a decision like this?! This kind of sick twisted trick was only supposed to happen in movies and comic books. But here it was. He was holding the lives of his best friends in his hands.

He forced himself to calm down, and think through the swirl in his mind. From a logical perspective, Schneep was the better option. He was a doctor who could save many lives in the future, and if he was thinking short-term instead of long-term, Schneep was better at puzzles and trivia. But Jackie wasn’t purely logical. He thought about Chase’s kids, who were so dependent and loving. He thought about how if he chose Schneep, the last thoughts in Chase’s head would be how he wasn’t good enough to be saved.

Jackie stopped pacing and walked over to the control panel. One of the buttons had a picture of Chase, the other a picture of Schneep. Wait...if he pressed the one with their face did that mean it would save them or kill them? Oh fuck. Jackie pressed his hands to his eyes, taking deep breaths. The muffled cries the others were making sounded unnaturally loud in his ears. He couldn’t do this. He just couldn’t decide. But if he didn’t, then they’d both die.

“You have one minute left.”

Jackie jumped and looked up. Chase was panicking, shaking his head, and Jackie could see tears forming even from here. Schneep looked calmer, his eyes staring into nothing.

He couldn’t do it. But he had to.

Jackie squeezed his eyes shut, and with a half-strangled cry coming from deep in his throat, he slammed a hand down onto the control panel, pressing one of the buttons down. He cracked open an eye to see his hand had landed on the button with Schneep’s picture.

“Well I think you missed the point,” the gamemaster said in a bitter tone. “But it works. And hey, at least he’ll get the point.” Slightly manic laughter. “Get it?”

The launcher in front of Schneep whirled to life.

“No! No!” Jackie pressed his face to the plexiglass and pounded it with his fist. “Henrik! Henrik, I’m sorry!”

Schneep met Jackie’s eyes. He tilted his head to the side, then glanced downward before looking back up. Then his eyes closed.

The launcher fired. There was a splash of red. Jackie stumbled back, covering his mouth.

The door in the plexiglass beeped, then opened.

Jackie screamed into his hand. He tore his eyes away from the scene before him, stumbling towards the now open door. Everything was frozen. Everything was broken and bleached, and the only thing he could do was get to Chase. Get to Chase, get him out of here, and maybe the world will resume its normal course.

Chase had his eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking from their corners. He was still struggling against the ropes binding him to the chair, though the struggles were weaker now. Jackie stopped by the chair and practically fell to his knees. “Hey. Buddy. I’m here, you’re getting out of here, I got you.” Assurances were falling from his mouth automatically while his hands were pulling at the gag in Chase’s mouth. Until finally, it came loose.

“J-Jackie?” Chase’s voice sounded so small. “What happened? What—is Henrik...?”

“Don’t look over there,” Jackie said dully. He was now working on the ropes tying Chase’s arms to the arms of the chair. “Don’t look, it’s going to be fine.”

Chase didn’t listen. He opened his eyes and turned his head toward Schneep, but the wooden barrier blocked his view. Tears started falling in force. “He’s—h-he’s—he’s d—isn’t he?”

“Don’t look, it’s going to be okay.” Jackie wished he could offer something more. But he was working on autopilot. Not even that, it felt like someone else was piloting. Someone else was untying Chase’s legs and telling him it’s going to be okay. Someone else was pulling Chase to his feet and letting him lean on his shoulder. Someone else was walking back through the room, partially covering Chase’s eyes as he sobbed, and following the hall back to the front door that was now unlocked again.

Jameson was pacing the sidewalk in front of the building nervously, rubbing his arms against the cool autumn breeze. When the door opened and Jackie and Chase staggered out, he stopped and ran up to them. Is everything alright? he asked. He looked back and forth between Chase, crying, and Jackie, staring dully into space. What’s wrong? What happened?

Jackie looked at Jameson. “Henrik’s dead.”

Jameson stared. What?

“Henrik’s dead.” Saying the words made it real. Jackie’s eyes filled with tears, and then overflowed. “The guy—the sick fuck who set this up, h-he gave me a choice between—I d-didn’t even look, I couldn’t, I just pressed a button—I killed him. He’s dead.”

Jameson took a step backwards. He shook his head in disbelief, looking back and forth between Chase and Jackie like he was expecting them to tell him it was all just a joke. But when they didn’t, his expression broke. He turned and walked away, vanishing into the alley next to the building. and then there came the sound of trash cans clattering, falling against the ground, things being thrown against walls and slammed into bricks. When you couldn’t scream, you had to find other ways to make your pain clear.

Chase was still sobbing, leaning into Jackie’s shoulder like his legs couldn’t support him. Jackie eased him to the ground, now leaning against the wall of the building.

And then, from inside the building. “I suggest you don’t take too much time. You’re still on a deadline, you know.”

Jackie whirled around and shouted through the open door. “Shut the fuck up you bastard! One of my best friends is dead now! Our friend is dead! You can’t show a little bit of sympathy, you heartless sociopath?!”

“Trust me, it’s in your best interest to finish the next set of puzzles quickly,” the gamemaster said calmly. “I hate to put a time limit inside a time limit, but...well, actually I don’t. It makes the whole thing a lot more interesting.”

Jackie’s anger suddenly turned to ice. “What do you mean?”

“Check your email, Jackieboy,” the gamemaster said smugly. “And you’ll see why you need to hurry.”

Jackie paled to a ghost-like shade. He spun around. Shit, he didn’t lose the laptop, did he? No, the box was sitting on the sidewalk calmly. Jameson, now walking out of the alley, scooped it up. I heard that, he signed, tucking the box under his arm. You don’t think he’s saying...something will happen to Marvin if we’re not quick?

“I think that’s exactly what he’s saying,” Jackie said quietly.

Sitting on the sidewalk, Chase wiped his eyes with his arm and sniffed. “W-well... then we’d better hurry, shouldn’t we?”

Jackie nodded. Once, and then again very quickly. Compartmentalize. Deal with the urgent situation first, then...“Let’s get out of here.” He reached down and grabbed Chase by the hand, pulling him to his feet. “I’ve had enough of this place.”

The other two nodded in agreement. Then the three of them walked down the street, determinedly not looking back. The silence was heavy on their backs.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #jackieboy man #jameson jackson #chase brody #dr schneeplestein #major character death #well...sort of ;)#brigid writes fanfiction #chaostheoryfic

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yastaghr · 5 years ago

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Broken Things Shine Brighter 12

Chapter 12 of BTSB is up! You can find it at the link below, or read it here under the cut. Enjoy!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13431909/chapters/45890905

The sound of driving snow impacting against the glass windows was the only sound to break the still night of the house. Outside a blizzard raged on, but inside nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Well, something stirred. It was a skeleton.

Papyrus stared up at his empty ceiling. There were no stars, although there once had been. The ceiling still had the pale shadows of where they once were.

His mind was going a mile a minute. Places where someone had lied to him were standing out in his brain in the same way those empty patches stood out on the ceiling. The resulting shape was starting to build constellations in his mind. Who knew? Who knew that there was a way to reach the Surface?

Not Alphys. She killed humans in the same way they all did, destroying the soul so that the human had no chance of coming back.

Maybe Undyne. The way she took in everyone the Queen wanted dead...that spoke of a monster who had hope. Hope that things would change. Hope that people might live. Hope that there was a future for monsterkind to look forward to.

The monster behind the door definitely knew. That promise to look after the souls of the humans who came was a huge hint that there was a reason to keep them around. And the anticipation that filled his voice when he spoke of the Surface...he definitely knew. It was pointless to speculate about how and why until Papyrus could get his hands on a clue as to who that monster was.

The Queen had to know. All those speeches? All those lies? She wanted monsterkind to rot under the mountain. Not that surprising considering the gory nature of her tea parties, and the way she made food and water impossible to come by? She definitely wanted them dead.

The more he thought about it, the more people’s actions started to make sense. The Riverperson’s cryptic conversations at the shop? Gerson’s talk about the angel? Grillby’s messed up trivia about survival techniques on the Surface? So many monsters seemed to be in on the conspiracy. Gyftrot. Knight Knight. Pyrope. Ice Cap. So many.

Why hadn’t they done anything, though? Did that stupid rule of “don’t love and don’t be loved” really hold that much weight? Not only in itself, but in its ability to overrule self-interest? All they needed was seven human souls.

Once they had the human souls, how did they use them? Did you stick them in a jar and throw it at the Barrier? That seemed dangerous and wrong. Did you absorb them and walk through? How did you do it? Did anyone know? Scratch that, would anyone who knew willingly tell him? Probably not, except…

Papyrus squeaked his way upright from his old spring mattress, then slid his feet over the edge and into their shoes. He wiggled his toes until they were comfortable, wrapped them around his ankle, and tied them off. Then he stood up and started walking silently over to the sleeping skeleton that shared a room with him. Blue was fast asleep, curled up into a little ball around his ball of sheets. It was such a ridiculous way to sleep. Better to throw the blankets off entirely and sleep like a normal monster.

Once he was beside Blue’s bed, he reached out and shook him gently. Blue blinked his eyes slowly up at him and then smiled. It was an easy, happy smile that sent shivers down Papyrus’ spine. He made a note to try and get smiled at like that more often. It definitely felt good.

He was so completely wrapped up in looking at the smile that he completely forgot to ask his question. Luckily Blue was there to remind him.

“hey there, papyrus. why’d you wake me up? it’s, like, 3 am.”

Papyrus breathed in a big breath. “how do you use the souls to break the barrier? how do they affect it? why only human souls? what would it look like? would there be magical interference? would there be blowback? do you need to be a boss monster to use them? how-”

Blue held up his hands defensively, wincing a little at the movement. “whoa, whoa. whoa. slow down. i can only answer so fast. now, what do you want me to tell you?”

“how do you use the souls to break the barrier? Not in general, I need the specifics.”

Blue sighed. “i promised muffet i wouldn’t talk about it. sorry.”

“no you didn’t,” Papyrus said quickly, “you just said you ‘wouldn’t talk about it’, and, by context, you implied that you wouldn’t talk about the prinx, not the souls. muffet won’t hold it against you if you tell. she’s used to me weaseling my way around my words.”

Blue shivered, but nodded. “fine. just...promise me she won’t get mad? she seemed really mad.”

He didn’t even hesitate. He knew Muffet, and she wasn’t the type to blow up over something like that. It was just things relating to the former Prinx that were the problem. Everything else was fine.

“i promise. now, tell. the suspense is killing me.”

Blue worked himself up into a sitting position and explained, “well, first you need all seven souls in stable format, which means they’ve got to be in a living body or a magical vacuum chamber. human bodies do a good job of filtering out outside magic. Out in the open, a soul has no chance, hence the vacuum. i think ours were in a vacuum tube.”

“once you’ve got that, you need a way to channel it. um...i think i helped design a runic circle to do that? i can see it in my head, but i...yeah. i think you also need a chant, but i don’t remember that part. i think it’d be easy enough to figure out once we have the magic circle.”

“then you take all that raw soul power that’s coming out of the souls and throw it with a widdershins rotation of -90 degrees. i can actually remember doing the research for that. humans do most of their magic with a clockwise rotation, and the vectors need to cancel out. the original mages’ average vector of rotation was 90 degrees. ergo, the vector of rotation we needed was -90, or 180. The clockwise piece decided it.”

** “it should shatter like a piece of glass when the energy hits. the shards should dissolve, too. They need an energy supply, and the soul energy should destroy that. the other possibility is that the soul energy will eat away at the barrier like acid, but that’s only a 30% chance.”

“um,” Blue hesitated, “i think that’s it. do you have any other questions?”

Papyrus shook himself out of the shock and asked, “would there be magical interference? would there be blowback? do we need to be worried about a magical pulse?”

Blue said, slowly, “there might be a shockwave if it shatters, but not enough to knock out any devices. so, a low grade magical pulse would be possible. it might be enough to give people a headache, though.”

Papyrus jumped into the silence with more questions. “why only human souls? do you need to be a boss monster to use them?”

Blue answered, “human souls are insanely powerful. it would have taken every soul in my underground, which was more than two million, to equal the power of one human soul. they’re just that powerful. and anyone can do the spell. you’re not using your magic, just channeling energy.”

Papyrus nodded understandingly. He let out a big huff of air and asked, “if i brought you the materials, would you be willing to build the vacuum tubes? i can handle getting the human souls.”

“why?” Blue asked, stunned. “i thought everyone here looked after themselves. why do you want to break the barrier?”

“for sans,” Papyrus answered bluntly, “and muffet, too. and me. we used to have dogs, you know. five of them. they’d been thrown in the garbage to die. sans found them and brought them home. he took care of them, fed them, healed them, and loved them so much. he wanted to become the first monster vet. then they got out of the house one day and someone killed them. it was so hard, watching him bury their bodies. no other pups have fallen, but i can’t forget about his dream. i know there must be more dogs on the surface. even if he can’t become a vet, he needs more dogs.”

“and muffet? she hates it down here. the people, the rules, the gloom; all of it wears on her. she’s always wanted to see the sun, and i know there are more spiders up there she’d love to meet.”

“...and i’d like to study fish. not monster fish, just fish. i love everything about them; the scales, the slime, the barbels, everything! i love the water, and i’ve read every scrap of information i can find about them, but i’ve always dreamed of holding one in my hands. i want to see every species of fish i can. i want to learn about fishing, fly-fishing, and nets. i want to walk underwater and see fish all around. i just...i love them.”

“for those reasons, i want to break the barrier and see the sun. if it’s possible, then i want it. will you help me?”

Blue nodded. “i will. i’ve always wanted to see the stars. the real ones, i mean. i want to learn the names of every constellation and all the planets. i want to be an astrophysicist. I already have the science down. I just need to see the things behind it.”

Papyrus grinned. “it’s a deal, then. you help me break the barrier, and i’ll get the souls to do it.”

Blue smiled back. “deal.”

#broken things shine brighter #papyrus #sans #swapfell papyrus #swapfell #yastaghr

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allthefilmsiveseenforfree · 6 years ago

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I had a friend create a 10-category, 50-question Harry Potter trivia quiz for my 30th birthday. I have a Ravenclaw tattoo that takes up most of my right forearm. I’ve helped orchestrate an HP-themed baby shower. I’ve held multiple HP movie marathons. And when we were first dating and Wife told me she’d never read the books, I legitimately cried and then blocked it from my memory. When she told me for the second time, months later, I cried again.

One could say I’m a fan of the wizarding world.

So here we are, at the second entry in the second wizarding franchise, and the only question really worth answering is, is this a world that’s still worth visiting? Well...

Imagine someone you love - it could be anyone, but as an example I’ll use your best friend. Imagine your BEST friend, whom you’ve shared so much with, whom you’ve gone through ups and downs with. That one. Now imagine that every few months, your best friend’s mom sends you a text, or calls you, or puts up a billboard in your town that seems to be actively trying to get you to hate your best friend. Things like “She kicks puppies” or “One time, she made fun of a homeless man until he cried” or “She told me she wants to set fire to a hospital.” Like, real fucked up stuff. Would you maintain a relationship with that friend? With them both? Or would you cut ties completely and just hold onto the memories of the friendship you used to have?

I’m genuinely asking, because J.K. Rowling seems hellbent on shitting all over the things I love in some twisted effort to make me utterly baffled and repulsed by the world she has created. I never thought I’d say this, but Johnny Depp is the least of this movie’s problems, so welcome to Whose Crime Is It Anyway? where the timelines are made up and the plot points don't matter.

A spoilery summary! Our favorite Hufflepuff Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is asked by Hot Dumbledore (Jude Law) to go to Paris and find Credence (Ezra Miller). You remember Credence, the sweet emo boy from the first movie whose death functioned as the climax of the film? JK JK death is meaningless and impermanent here! It’s the roaring 20s, everyone’s drunk. Newt needs to find him because Grindelwald (Johnny Depp, doing his best impression of day-old potato salad) is also looking for him. Credence is the subject of a prophecy that everyone’s familiar with but the audience, you see, and he’s currently trapped in a Parisian street circus with a woman/snake named Nagini (Claudia Kim, and yes, THAT Nagini). Jacob and Queenie (Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol) also show up again, because they were in the first movie too so they have to be here for this. Jacob’s memory has been restored because...~handwavey reasons~ and Queenie decides to join The Mayonnaise Man’s cause as a wizard Nazi because...she wants to marry a Muggle. Somehow I think she didn’t read the whole orientation flyer. Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) is engaged to Newt’s brother, Theseus (Callum Turner) but is mostly hanging around to look sad and reveal that Credence couldn’t be her long-lost brother because she killed her long-lost brother by switching him with another baby on a ship right before it sank at sea. And she’s right, Credence isn’t her brother - he’s gone over to the dark side, where the vaguely human amalgamation of cauliflower rice tells him he’s the long-lost brother of Albus Dumbledore! Because why the fuck not, nothing else in this goddamn thing makes any sense anyway.

I would also like to point out I left out at least 40 more characters, many of whom seem to be important but are never named or introduced in any way.

SEVERAL thoughts:

Visually, this world is stunning. The set designers have done an incredible job showcasing new magical settings in rich, vivid detail. The Parisian street circus and the French Ministry of Magic building were particular favorites of mine.

Likewise, the 1927-era costumes are drop-dead gorgeous. This franchise should really be called Fantastic Coats and Where to Find Them.

50 galleons seems so steep. I wonder what the wizarding inflation rate is.

Snakes can fit through bars of cages...

Performances - Redmayne is sweet, but virtually shoved out of the way in his own franchise; Kravitz is cold and removed - is that acting choice secret pain or constipation? Hard to say; Fogler is underutilized, especially after being the emotional MVP of the first film; Sudol is fractured and manic, completely devoid of her earnest warmth from before; Miller barely gets 3 lines, and mostly looks like he’s about to cry; Law is fine as hell and kindly and wise and doesn’t give off weird “I’m going to use children as sacrificial lambs without telling them or anyone else about it” vibes, so that’s already a big step up from the Dumbledore we get in the books; and then there’s Johnny. Johnny “lightly braised tofu” Depp is giving one of his most understated performances in years, to the point that he’s almost...boring? Most genocidal fuckheads are at least compelling speakers, but this dehydrated turnip just sort of glides about, while his followers do dastardly things for him. He doesn’t even kill his own toddlers, he outsources it to his followers. Does nobody believe in honest, hard work anymore?

Basically all of the details - the set dressing, the costumes, the overall aesthetics and feel of the film - are beautifully realized. However, the foundation is made of smoke and sand and the distant sound of JKR’s maniacal laughter.

Cast and endorse an accused abuser who is teetering on the brink of public collapse? Check. Include outdated Orientalism cliches by casting an East Asian woman as mysterious, dangerous, and literally snake-like? Check. How about a white imperialist Imperius-ing Leta Lestrange's (black African) mother and literally forcing her into sex slavery with no follow-up or reflection on the part of the film or its characters? Check. It’s like some sort of perverse bingo game she’s playing to try to alienate everyone who might have seen themselves in the Harry Potter universe as belonging, because they understood what it was like to be an outsider, to be abused, to be shunned and made fun of and ostracized. Cause fuck all those people, amirite?

And that’s just the offensive choices from a purely political standpoint. How about the offensive choices regarding more trivial matters like linear time and space - like Dumbledore teaching Transfiguration, not DAtDA. Or like Professor MacGonagall being born in 1935, yet somehow teaching at Hogwarts in 1927. People apparating inside Hogwarts. Complete reversals of characters’ personalities and motivations. Characters being introduced and never seen again (where did Bunty go?? Did she die???) Characters NOT being introduced and never seen again (what up Jessica Williams, super psyched that you’re here, sure would be neat if I knew who the fuck you were playing or why that person was important!) If the references are meant for fans’ benefit, it fucking BACKFIRED, because most HP fans I know aren’t looking for a convoluted soap opera where babies are switched, people have secret brothers, everyone's amnesia gets reversed, and people come back from the dead.

Now that I think about it, the practice of confronting a boggart is super problematic. Like people have traumas. It's not all spiders and snakes, Dumbledore! God, Hogwarts pedagogy is shit.

I’m still not convinced that Jude Law’s tasty Daddy Dumbledore could possibly still be in love with this tuna salad sandwich from a vending machine at the DMV. That flashback in the Mirror of Erised is supposed to be full of longing but all I could think was, “is this how straight people think gay sex works?” Would have loved to hear that day in the writer’s room. “Maybe we could have them kiss?” “Too gay. What if they exchange blood vows and hold hands to form a magical amulet?” “Nailed it.” *everyone high fives and chugs a Red Bull*

There’s just...so much. So much that I wish were different. I don’t quite know how it’s possible for a film to explain both too much and not enough, but here we are. The Crimes of Grindlewald isn’t just a title, it’s a prophecy of what audiences are forced to endure here - it’s not just separating art from artist, it’s not just cultural exploitation and othering, it’s not just queer erasure, it’s not just overplotted and underwhelming narrative, it’s not just cheap shocks and winking references. The rap sheet just keeps getting longer and longer, and I have to wonder when, if ever, Rowling will atone for these crimes.

#118in2018 #the crimes of grindelwald #the crimes of grindelwald review #fb tcog #fantastic beasts #jk rowling #wizarding world #newt scamander #eddie redmayne #johnny depp #jude law #zoe kravitz #dan fogler #alison sudol #ezra miller #claudia kim #movie reviews #film reviews

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shy-violet-soul · 6 years ago

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Together Again

Summary: When Hannah visits Manda, serious discussions on the merits of Disney movies are interrupted when a hidden talent comes to light. Pairings: none. Hannah, Manda, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel, & Jack Warnings: none; fluffy garbage one shot Word count: 1300 ish A/N: I’ve been so tickled at the excitement of my friend @pinknerdpanda over the anticipated visit of her twinny @hannahindie. So, under the influence of pneumonia, I wrote this silly one shot just for them. I hope you’re both having a great time, HanPan!

“I just don’t understand the appeal. I mean, there’s literally dozens that are better.”

“It’s just a movie, Dean.”

Dean frowned at Sam as he stirred.

“Sometimes it’s like I don’t even know you. It’s never just a movie, Sam.”

Sam rolled his eyes as he placed forks and napkins down on the tray.

“I’m just saying that ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was a big deal. It helped to usher in the Disney Renaissance. Did you know it was only the second movie to use computer animation? They had transitioned from hand painting to xerox, and the best scene to showcase the CGI was the ballroom dance sequence. And, they actually reused some animation from ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Plus-”

“La la la la la, you’re ruining the magic with all your facts and trivia, Sam!” Dean burst out, fingers in his ears. “I’m just saying that ‘The Little Mermaid’ is clearly superior.”

“Right, like I didn’t catch you humming ‘Gaston’ when I came in here,” Sam scoffed, taking the bowl of guacamole Dean handed him.

Dean scowled as he pulled the baking sheet from the oven. “Shut up.” With a final dusting of salt, the food was done. “What do you think?”

Nodding appreciatively from the morsel he’d snitched, Sam gave him a thumbs up. “Another good batch, Dean.”

The elder Winchester grinned as he sidled the steaming nachos onto the tray. “What can I say? No one shreds cheese like Dean, or spreads beans like Dean.”

Sam rolled his eyes again, groaning as he followed his brother to the man cave. Cas and Jack stood just beyond the door, whispering to each other amid the chorus of dancing notes and girlish giggles.

“So, it’s a cartoon movie about a man turned into a large animal who falls in love with a girl?” Jack wanted to know.

“Yes. But an animal of that physiologic structure would be unable to walk upright on its hind legs for such extended periods of time,” Cas explained seriously. The nephilim nodded, peaking into the man cave carefully.

“And what is a ‘hanpan’? I’ve never heard that word before. Why do they call themselves that? Is it a club or league of some kind?”

“Not entirely. They’ve chosen to create a portmanteau using their names. Han for Hannah, and Pan for Panda.”

Jack frowned in confusion. “But Manda’s name is Manda, not Panda.”

“That is correct, but her Tumblr name is Panda. She likes it. So, when she and Hannah are together, they call themselves Hanpan.”

The younger man nodded pensively. “So, it’s like ‘Destiel’ or ‘Sabriel’? Are those also portmanteaus?” he queried as Dean and Sam paused behind them.

Both men and the angel of the Lord groaned, their heads dropping in pained exasperation. Dean glared at Sam as he moved to step forward.

“I blame you for showing him that hell site.” Waltzing into the dim interior of the man cave, Dean slapped a smile on his face. “Alright, ladies! I interrupt this monstrosity to bring you my own personal creation - Dean-errific Nachos Supreme. With homemade guacamole, I might add,” he declared, setting the tray down before them with a flourish.

“Dean! That’s awesome!” Manda scrambled to pause the movie, smiling up at him amid pixie-blue curls.

Hannah’s reaction was different. “Dean! Knock first, you dork!” she squealed, shoving the item in her hands down into the couch cushions.

“Knock? I live here,” Dean countered, flinching a bit from the glare the other girl shot him. “I’m even sharing my beer!” He gestured at the tray with a conciliatory motion.

Manda cackled as she forked some cheesy goodness onto a plate and handed it to her friend. “You just took her by surprise. She’s working on a present for you.”

“Manda!” she hissed, her eyes narrowing adorably. Dean perked up at the words.

“A present? I love presents! What is it?”

Hannah frowned, twirling a lock of honey-colored hair around her fingers. “It’s not porn or pie.”

Dean crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look offended. It was hard when Manda’s visiting friend was so cute.

“I do have other interests than just pie and porn.”

“Oh, yeah? Name one.”

Dean’s brain froze for a moment, but Manda beat him to the punch.

“Disney movie anthems. Baby. History on the Vikings, especially now that the show is on Hulu.”

Hannah grinned up at Dean as she picked up her plate.

“Disney movie anthems, huh? I bet you can belt out ‘You’re Welcome’ like it’s nobody’s business.”

Manda chortled around a mouthful of nacho.

“You should hear him own ‘Let it Go’. Gives Idina a run for her money.”

Tail feathers a bit stepped on, Dean poked an annoyed finger at Manda.

“That song revolutionized Disney. Elsa came into her own in that song.”

“Whatsa matter, Dean? You need a warm hug?”

The girls fell into stitches as the hunter scowled at both of them. Manda nudged her friend with her foot.

“Seriously, show him.”

“But it’s not finished!”

“He’ll love it. C’mon.” Manda smiled up at Dean. “She’s really, really good.”

Interest well and truly caught, Dean turned his most charming smile on the other girl.

“Just a peak? I’ll make my famous Snicker-snap cookies,” he wheedled. Hannah huffed and sighed before digging back into the cushions.

“Just remember, it’s not done, and my pattern isn’t the greatest, so I’m having to improvise my work in places.”

Dean carefully took the small wooden hoop in his hands, his eyes and mouth falling open as he perused the fabric.

“Guys! Get in here and look at this!”

On the fabric was cross stitched ‘Driver picks the music, Shotgun shuts his cake hole.’. Below the letters was painstakingly worked an image of the Impala. A second one had been started on the opposite side, the needle and black thread poked through to mark her place.

Jack looked at Hannah in wonder.

“You made this?”

Hannah squirmed a little under everyone’s gaze.

“Yeah.”

“Hannah, this is amazing! Can I...would you make one for me?” Sam asked hesitantly, one finger brushing the edge of the fabric.

“Uh - sure.”

“I enjoy the simple font and blocking of the letters. The use of tiny x’s to create images and patterns is very pleasing,” Cas intoned, studying the work intently.

“Hannah, can you teach me how to do that? Is it super hard?”

“Sure, Jack. I can get you started on something simple. There are some that have the pattern printed right on the fabric. I’m here for four more days, Manda and I will take you shopping. Sound good?”

The younger man’s smile was huge as he rushed out of the room, headed to his laptop to start Googling, they knew. Cas and Sam soon followed, both talking about the intricacies and hand-eye coordination needed for such talent. The girls stared up at Dean as he stared at the work.

Dean swallowed, then swallowed again. He had to clear his throat before he shot Hannah a huge smile.

“Awesome. This is - wow. You’re awesome,” he grinned, shooting Hannah a wink that melted her as he handed the hoop back to her. Then, he stood to his full height and pointed at both of them. “I’m making those Snicker-snaps, and when you’re done watching this trash, we’re watching ‘Frozen’.”

And with that, he hustled out of the room. Hannah turned to Manda, a bewildered smile on her face winking the dimples into place.

“Wow.”

Manda smiled at her friend, crunching her nachos happily.

“Yep. And we’re getting cookies. Let’s fire up the movie because he won’t let us finish it if he’s done first.”

Hannah revisited her pattern as she took up her stitching while Manda pressed play. Their giggles filled the room watching Cogsworth’s and Lumiere’s antics. They didn’t really care if they got cookies or not, or if Dean interrupted the ending to watch ‘Frozen’. They were just happy to finally be together.

#dean winchester #Sam Winchester #fluffy garbage #supernatural #pinknerdpanda #hannahindie #hanpan

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vsa-pieldepapel · 6 years ago

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TEEMO and TRISRTTTTT

Larvae spawn ask meme

Send me a ship and I’ll tell you their:

Name: -Striker

- Trinity

Teemo and Trist arent really that good at names huh

When Teemo and Trist are referring to both siblings at once, they use the terms The Squad and The Platoon.

Gender:

Striker is XY chromosome. Trinity is XX chromosome

General Appearance: why the fuck do i submit myself to this

Personality: Striker is a really loud, boisterous boy. Really reckless and if something is stupid and dangerous and a kid should not be doing it, he’s in. Quite energetic, always bouncing off the walls. Interested in the mechanisms of things, and how they work. Screams a lot and laughs like thunder. Loves jokes, pranks and play-fighting. Does not care about getting dirty, ripping holes in clothes… Very resilient, capable of bouncing back from any difficulty. Massive optimist. Sees the good in everything. Extremely extroverted and outward with emotional expression, you can read him like an open book

Trinity is a girl so quiet one might initially assume something is wrong speech-wise, but it isn’t. She just does not like to ‘waste words’. Highly intelligent and a really keen strategist and problem-solver. Her presentation is often too impeccable for a kid, her posture is perfect, and she’s an excellent student and trainee. Absolutely adores nature, strolling through the woods, botany; but also literature and music. Quite the cultured gal, however—absolutely TERRIFYING when in fighing mode. She and Striker play-fight so much one might assume from the outside they hate each other— no… thats just how they spend time. Since she is so poker-faced, the few explosions of pent-up rage can get quite violent

Special Talents: Striker has near-perfect aim. Great physical strength and great speed. Zero fear in the face of danger (this can be a two-edge weapon really). Unafraid of new experiences, trying things, seeing if they work. Though he doesn’t really pay too much attention when explained things he’s not interested in, he will be quite skilled on what does absorb him. Very optimistic and hard to emotionally crack. Loves the work ethics of his mom, and will grow up to be a Gunner, simply because the heroic stories thrill him so much. First weapon is airsoft guns that he is an absolute pro at handling. Fiercely loyal

Trinity has quite an impressive memory catalog, knows taxonomy of a wide array of plants by memory. Amazing survival skills. Knows not only how to do the poisons—but the antidotes, too. Amazing problem-solver/strategist, even under pressure. Though not as physically strong as her brother, she is incredible at speed, stealth, and doing diplomacy and negotiation. Would make quite the fucking mothership scout if it eventually interests her to go down that path. Very loyal, but is a bit more of a tough-love kind of loyal. Her weapon is a bow/arrows with toxins that she’s pretty good with, since she took it up as very young kid (with harmless arrows with foam tips, lol)

Who they like better: Striker is like the biggest mommy’s boy. He’s so jabby, loud, evergetic, and reckless that he has the same vibe as a mini-male-Tristana its hilarious. He’ll go to dad mostly if he needs some calm, thoughtful advice, cause Trist is an amazing supporter but really bad at wording advice. For casual hangouts he definitely likes banter with mama a lot more. Tristana also teaches him about gun mechanism stuff, which he enjoys a lot.

Trinity is Teemo’s babygirl. They trek a lot around different areas of the woods on what are basically trips to learn taxonomy. Might be very tedious for some, but it’s actually one of those things that Trinity gets a real goddamn thrill out of. The household is awfully quiet if Trist and Striker are gone, and though Trinity is used to the noise and the mess, she likes those times alone with dad. She will often go to Tristana if she needs advice on ass-beating, cause Trist is the best ruthless practice dummy to practice close-range fighting. Teemo was the one to teach her how to use the bow and provide targets.

Who they take after more: Striker is a LOT like Tristana… But though he and his sister are closely small copies of the opposite-sex parent, they will have moments/times where the other parent truly shines. He becomes a lot quieter and more thoughtful if the moment is too dire/stressful, and though he does reckless/stupid things very often, he has a bit more ability to clean up the mess afterwards than Tristana ever will, and deal with the consequences/punishment and learn from it too. He’s also more patient than his mom with many situations and people

Trinity could really pull off being a mini-Teemo, but though really calm, serious, collected, and poker-faced, Tristana shines in the fact that she doesn’t really stall violence as much as Teemo tries to do. Diplomacy will not last for more than a few minutes if the opponent is too stubborn to change their mind… She’ll just launch herself and switch to ass-beating mode. She also got Trist’s mad fits of rage… Doesn’t explode that often, but when it happens its messy

Personal Head canon: Teemo and Trist retire from the military just to spawn the platoon, but it’s such a part of their lives that a lot of the education of the kids is military-like, just softer. They are raised to be disciplined and respectful, and if they do chores/achieve things, they will often be rewarded with mock-badges and things like cash, a nice meal, etc. Because they’re children of soldiers (really good soldiers too) they get free, easy entrance to the military high school Teemo and Trist actually attended when younger.

Teemo and Trist will often (many times not even intentionally) refer to them as “cadets” “rookies” or “soldiers”, in return the kids will often go “sir”, “ma’am”, “captain”, “chief”…

Trinity and Striker bother each other a lot and mess with each other and scuffle but if any kid fucks with eather of them, the other will beat the fucker up mercilessly

They are good childhood friends with Lilith and they band up to protect her fiercely (both of them are older than her). She has given friendship bracelets to both

Striker is older than Trinity (by like 11 months…) but in every other aspect you would assume Trinity is the older one. She’s even the taller of the two

Face Claim: no

never make me make a reference sheet for siblings again

(teemo and trist are, OF ALL THE SHIPS I HAVE EVER HAD, the only ones to have more than one kid. fun trivia there)

#league of leyends #yordle #fanchildren #my art #mspaint #vsa art #vsa answers #long post #this took too fucking long

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level99games · 6 years ago

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Player Archetypes - Deques, Shur, Cardine, and Morrey

Many of us are familiar with the classic Johnny/Timmy/Spike archetypes shared by Mark Rosewater in his now-famous article for Wizards of the Coast. While these archetypes work great for Magic, every company is a bit different. One of the exciting truths about being game designers is that we get to choose who we serve and who we build our games to attract.

Most of Level 99 Games’ fans fall into one of these archetypes, or are split across two of them. Aside from the three main archetypes, there is one additional meta-archetype, for a total of four. To describe them, I’ve used familiar characters from Millennium Blades, who were designed with these motivations in mind. Unlike the Rosewater archetypes, our archetypes are less about what players engage with in the games, and instead focus on why they engage with the games in the first place. And of course, we have a bit more ground to cover, since we’re designing entire game experiences and not just cards and expansions.

Our three major archetypes are based around our three-part philosophy of Design, Development, and Discovery. The fourth archetype is based on Community, which ties all the others together.

All of our archetypes have a few things in common. They’re all creative gamers who don’t want to just have a game, but to really own it and make it a part of their lifestyles. A game isn’t complete for them until they engage with it ‘off the table’. We’ve tailored our games specifically to be what they’re looking for–games with replayability, variety, and deep lore.

Take a look, and see where you fall on the spectrum!

Deques - Designer

Deques plays a game to make something. He plays to win, but winning isn’t the end goal. Instead, building a deck, piloting a character, or executing a combo that expresses his personality is his main goal.

Deques channels his creativity to extend a game. Being able to build a scenario or a fighter to show friends is Deques’s favorite aspect of a game. He’s most at home in games where he can control the entire experience, and invite his friends to play in his “custom setup” or “homebrew mode.” These situations, where he can play the host and guide his friends through a ‘design’ of his own making stimulate his creativity and invite him to play the designer with a custom toolset. He may even create custom expansions or extra content for his favorite games and share them on the web for others to download and try for themselves.

To appeal to Deques, a game needs to have a wide variety of viable, playable options or setups. There need to be multiple ways to win, or at least, the possibility to go in heavily on some strategies and neglect others. Asymmetric sides, and especially modular parts to a game’s setup and rules, appeal to Deques’s aesthetics.

Within our line, Deques’s favorite games would be Millennium Blades and Argent. He’s the kind of player who might design his own BattleCON fighter or Argent scenario. He loves the extra modes in BattleCON (though not as much the core gameplay), and enjoys setting up the timeline in Temporal Odyssey, or building a cube in Pixel Tactics.

Shur - Developer

As a competitive player, Shur plays games to win, but winning isn’t her ultimate goal. For Shur, winning is the proof that she’s achieved her actual goal: Mastery. The developer player wants to dig into the systems and understand them completely in order to experience high-level competition. This competition isn’t a struggle for supremacy–it’s a testing of theory, understanding, and tactical skills.

Shur considers the game’s balance as a code to unravel, and she leverages her creativity to crack that code. She is the kind of player who prints her own reference cards for game content, writes long strategy articles, or analyzes matchups and card relationships. She may even create a database or spreadsheet to analyze cards statistically and study optimal plays. She isn’t afraid of sharing these things with others who seek mastery–she welcomes the challenge and hopes that more people will embrace the search.

To appeal to Shur, a game needs strong balance and a variety of viable play strategies. If mastery is achieved too easily, the game will bore her. If it is gated by random elements or other factors beyond her control, the game will lose her interest. A game needs simple systems that are easy to see and latch on to in order to pique her initial interest. It needs to keep revealing more depth under extended scrutiny to hold it. A game needs to continuously present content or challenges to test and expand her skills. Luckily in competitive games, the supply of challenges comes in the form of new rivals, which are effectively endless as long as the game boasts a strong community. However, Shur doesn’t really care if a game is competitive or cooperative as long as it challenges her to master and exploit its systems.

Within our line, Shur’s favorite games would be Exceed, BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Temporal Odyssey. In these games, players start with ‘fair’ fixed resources, and it is the choices they make, their skills, which determine the course of the game. It is possible to ‘get good’ at all of these games, and it requires her to acquire and improve her skills, not acquire more cards.

Cardine - Discoverer

Cardine is fascinated to discover the worlds within games and unravel the secret stories that are contained in these worlds. Winning or losing is less important to Cardine than the other two types, because she plays a game to experience the world. When two fighters clash, she wants to know what circumstances must have brought them together.

Cardine channels her creativity to dig deeper into the world. She speculates on lore, draws fan art, writes fiction, and delves into the scenarios and situations hinted at in the game’s lore. She wants to know about the world and its little details because the story draws her in and she wants to become even more immersed in that fantasy. That’s not to say that she isn’t interested in the games themselves–the gameplay is the original window to explore the world, and she keeps returning to it for inspiration.

To appeal to Cardine, a game needs to have a deep lore, but one that is not revealed too explicitly, and which includes room for interpretation and speculation. The game needs to give her the tools to play out that lore. It has to then support that journey with flavor text, art, and flexibility of choice and strategy. Ideally, playing through the game in this way should create for her a unique experience, and should reveal to her something new about the game’s world.

Being able to get into the character of the game when playing is important to Cardine. When she plays an aggressive faction in a game, she feels a need to play them aggressively–even when it’s not the smartest move. Conversely, she’ll be upset if the ‘right’ way to play a particular fighter, card, or faction is out of step with its expressed lore.

Cardine doesn’t have favorite games, but instead, favorite worlds. In our lineup, the World of Indines and its persistent story excites her. The expanding, whimsical world of Millennium Blades engages her. The prospect of a new, deep world in Seventh Cross fills her with anticipation.

Morrey - Organizer

Morrey is a little different than the other archetypes in the way he interacts with games. As someone who is an experienced hand at games he has–in a sense–completed his own journey. Now, he is more concerned with bringing people together and enjoying their company and patronage. He enjoys watching other players improve their skills, explore their creativity, and delve into the lore of games. His passion is to bring a community together and enable others.

Morrey’s creativity is expressed in how he brings friends together. He may be the host of a game night, the owner of a store, the organizer of an event, or the judge of a tournament. In any case, he likes to see players come together and play. He experiences their triumphs, growth, and discovery vicariously. He’s excited to provide special rewards to those who participate, and endeavors to make each experience unique and rewarding. He may undertake it as his own task to create reference sheets for players, custom box inserts, player dashboards, or game organizers to enable easier play and better presentation.

To appeal to Morrey, a game needs to have qualities that inspire his players. When he organizes an event, players need to get interested in the game that they’re going to play. For this reason, the game needs to be exciting in its box, and inviting when set up on the table. It needs to be ergonomic–with clear, teachable rules and a simple setup and breakdown. A special promo or a new expansion are useful insofar as they excite his guests, but he would rather have organizer trays and a great unboxing experience than more content. And of course, anything that’s custom-made by the game’s creators for his event is a big win.

Morrey’s favorite games in our line are Millennium Blades and Argent, because he can turn these into a real event for his home game night. I suspect that he’s going to really enjoy Empyreal: Spells & Steam and Seventh Cross as well.

From a business side, he appreciates Exceed, BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Temporal Odyssey because he can bring the competitive players in his circles together in his shop and get extra content from the organized play program. Exceed is especially nice, since he can give out free demo decks to invite new players directly into the event.

Missing Archetypes

There are plenty of ‘whys’ that aren’t expressed here. There are players that really play just to win. There are players that play to learn new skills or trivia. Some play just to meet people and engage in social activity. Some buy games more like art collectors than players. These motivations certainly exist–but they aren’t our targets.

Our focus is on making games and creating a welcoming experience for the creative gamer, as expressed in these four archetypes. There are a lot of game publishers out there serving other archetypes, and it’s not necessary for us to be all things to all players.

Likewise, many players outside of our four target archetypes will appreciate our games–when you design good games and good products, people will gravitate to them for a variety of reasons. This list just serves to give us a sense of direction when we need to make choices between two features or two products.

In Conclusion

In creating and sharing these personas, I hope to give our team better guidance to understand who they’re making games for, how to speak to these fans, and how to anticipate reactions to the decisions we make in design, development, content creation, and marketing. Hopefully they’ve also resonated with you to some degree. Who do you see yourself as when you sit down to the table?

#archetype #Deques #Cardine #Shur #Morrey #Millennium Blades #Game Design #Product Design

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amandajoyce118 · 6 years ago

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Cloak and Dagger Episodes 1-4 Easter Eggs and References

Okay, I promised Easter eggs and references for the episodes, so here they are. I pitched a few Cloak and Dagger related articles for Screen Rant, but the show hasn’t been garnering enough attention for the site to cover it. Moral of this story: if you want to see content about shows you like, and you want writers to get paid for covering shows you like, you have to actually read about the shows you like.

Easter eggs will go up after the new episodes on Thursdays nights. And, obviously, spoilers for the episodes follow.

Series Premiere “First Light” and “Suicide Sprints”

The Marvel Flip

The Marvel Flip that plays comic book art at the opening of every MCU project is pretty standard. Most of the same “whoosh,” “Fooom,” and outlines are used in all of them. But there’s usually a change depending on the project. The flip for Cloak and Dagger has Daggers light knives appear for a split second. I’m sure there’s something related to Cloak as well.

Ballet

Ballet was a big part of Tandy’s life as a little girl in the comics too. In fact, her original white leotard costume was inspired by ones worn during rehearsals. I love that it’s still so much a part of her that she wears ballet slippers as a teenager too.

Mom’s Back Problem

Mom’s drug use is not a result of the things that happen to her and Tandy after Dad dies. Her “back problem” is code for her taking lots of pain pills. Tandy’s mom was already in trouble long before they lost their money and security.

On The Bridge

Tandy’s dad on the phone discussing complete structural collapse and energy dispersion with someone we don’t know? That’s, uh, not so subtle foreshadowing of the “oil rig” that explodes moments later. I’d bet money that the structural issues aren’t a result of them drilling for oil though.

Tandy’s dad being the guy warning the higher-ups, and not being listened to, is also a nod to the levees breaking when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the BP rig in the gulf having structural issues that no one ever took care of. The show is shot in New Orleans, and there are a lot of nods to the history throughout the series.

Billy

In the comics, Billy isn’t Ty’s brother. Instead, he’s Ty’s best friend, whom he also witnesses get shot. The effect on Ty is pretty much the same. (He does have a sister in one of the series, but she’s never given a name or anything.)

Roxxon

It’s no coincidence that the truck that runs Tandy and her father off the road belongs to Roxxon. Or that the oil rig belongs to Roxxon, as we find out later. Both Tandy’s father and Ty’s mother work for the company. It’s also pretty evident that whatever was in the truck is what gave Tandy and Ty their abilities as that’s the first manifestation of their powers (right after the shockwave through the water). That’s not how they get them in the comics - instead they’re kidnapped and experimented on. This is better. It would be interesting to see if there’s anyone else in the area that also ended up with abilities. Just saying.

Number 11

Ty’s jersey is #11. That might be a coincidence, but I thought it was cute because, while they were introduced in Spider-Man books and got a four issue mini series after, their first “real” series only lasted 11 issues. After that, they and Doctor Strange were given short stories in a revival of Strange Tales.

St. Sebastian’s

Not a Marvel reference, but I like that the school is named for Saint Sebastian, who had to be killed multiple times because people kept saving him. He supposedly offers protections against plagues and he’s the patron saint of athletes, which fits for a school where basketball is hugely important.

Glowsticks

The club where Tandy finds her rich kid victims? It has glowsticks that look a lot like her light daggers.

Tandy using the knife as a screwdriver later also reminded me that she’s the one with “daggers.”

The Crick-Hits

This band appears on Tandy’s shirt when she goes to the party in the woods and meets Tyrone. They’re an obscure band in Marvel Comics that were meant to be a nod to the Beatles. (I’ll admit that I never would have spotted this if the showrunner hadn’t talked about it in an interview. Apparently, the band will have more nods on the show too.)

Tandy’s Name

There really was a computer named Tandy. In fact, there was a whole company of them. Tandy Corporation started out as a leather company in Texas before diversifying. They owned the now defunct RadioShack.

Tandy the Pickpocket

Her being good with her hands reminds me of the early Skye days on Agents of SHIELD. Skye distracting Mike Peterson with a three card monte of sugar packets while she swipes his ID, anyone?

But really, this moment plays to the role reversal in the show. Tandy picks Ty’s pocket at the party, but in the comics, after they’ve both already run away from home, it’s Ty who thinks about stealing Tandy’s purse when they first cross paths. Ultimately, he decides not to, someone else does, and he ends up getting her purse back for her. The show does a nice twist on their first meeting.

In the comics, Tandy runs away from her privileged life because her mom doesn’t have time for her (among other things) and ends up an addict. Ty runs away from home because the police think he robbed a store, when really, he saw his friend get shot. Ty doesn’t come from a wealthy background in the comics like he does in the show, and it’s a nice change.

The Black Sheet

Ty finds himself teleporting in only a black sheet. Looks kind of like a cloak, no? I mean, I figure this one’s obvious, but I thought it was a nice touch. (Sidenote for those wondering about his powers: in the comics, he actually accesses his power through the Dark Dimension, which is wear Darkforce comes from. We’ve already seen Darkforce AKA Zero Matter in action on Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. The latter, conveniently, was wear a subsidiary of Roxxon tried to experiment with it and opened a doorway to another dimension. Who’s sensing a connection?)

“I’m afraid even if you do everything perfectly, I’m going to lose you.”

Valid concern for a woman with a black teenage son in America. It had to be said.

Tandy And The Hoodie

In case it’s not clear, Tandy is more sentimental than she lets on. Her favorite hoodie is the one Ty took from his brother and rescued her in. She kept it just like she kept her old ballet bag. Aw.

Emma Lahana

In case anyone is wondering, that detective used to be a Power Ranger. She was the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder. You’re welcome.

The detective, who doesn’t get a lot of lines until the next couple episodes, is named Brigid O’Reilly. In the comics, she’s also a cop that initially goes after Cloak and Dagger, but she also becomes a vigilante herself. Her name is Mayhem.

The Tarp

I love that once he teleports with it, Tyrone decides to test to see if he can use it again. It really looks like a cloak when he wraps himself in it. I also like that he tries it again a few times with other black tarps/fabrics. He’s learning.

Father Delgado

The priest that Tyrone spends so much time with also gave Cloak and Dagger a hand in the comics. He gave them a place to stay when they had nowhere else to go. He also defended them when police came looking for him. Father Delgado traditionally has a church in Hell’s Kitchen in the comics and he’s also hosted the New Mutants and Spider-Man. As the story goes on though, he becomes convinced that Cloak s a demon and that he has to save Dagger from him. He also actually becomes possessed by a demon and tries to kill Dagger, soooo… he should be fun.

“The cumberbatch too.”

It’s okay that he didn’t know it was called a cummerbund. It’s funnier because Cumberbatch is the actor playing Doctor Strange. Whom Cloak and Dagger shared issues of Strange Tales with. It’s fitting. And purposeful. The showrunner confirmed it on twitter.

“We fail. You still profit. Ain’t that America?”

Social commentary at its finest. And true. Which is a little depressing.

Pill Bottles and Gravestones

The showrunner said that pill bottles and gravestones might include names that are Easter eggs, but I didn’t get a good look at any of them, so help a girl out if you did!

S1E03 “Stained Glass”

Tyrone Thinks He’s Cursed

In the comics, there were a lot of people who thought he was cursed. As it turned out, there was a demon in the Dark Dimension that he was connected to. It was that demon that actually “fed” on energy and light, and was part of the reason Tyrone loved being around Tandy when using their abilities.

Damballah Voodoo Tours

Voodoo Tours (and other tours involving historic sites) are a real thing in New Orleans. Damballah though is a being that appears in Marvel comics. Sometimes portrayed as a god, sometimes as a demon, Damballah looks like a snake. He’s appeared in a few obscure issues and was banished by Scarlet Witch.

For anyone who wants even more trivia, Gerry Conway is credited with creating Damballah. Conway also created Punisher, Vrellnexians (you know, the roaches in space on Agents of SHIELD), and made the decision to kill off Gwen Stacy.

The Dolls On The Mantle

During the show livetweet, it was mentioned that fans should pay attention to the detail in the dolls on the mantle. All I’ve got is that they all appear in pairs. Tyrone has been added to the mantle, but Tandy hasn’t yet.

“You have to try something else.”

Look, there is sooooo much symbolism going on in their visions, and I think you can dissect them a million different ways to interpret them the way you see fit. Some of my personal favorites though are Tyrone appearing with what looks like old school plantation wear and dining spread in the middle of the bayou in Tandy’s vision, only to repeatedly end up in modern street clothes when he’s targeted by the cops, while Tandy giving up her dagger for him and adding it to the table gives him a new path. I also love that Tyrone’s vision of Tandy shows that she knows that the more she struggles, the more she gets caught in metaphorical quicksand, and it’s not until he uses his own power on her that she attempts to try something else. Tyrone has the pressure of so many people investing in his future. Tandy has the guilt of bringing Liam into her life. Etc. Etc.

They balance each other out, which isn’t a coincidence, of course. But man, their visions are good.

S1E04 “Call/Response”

“He chased your cop away yesterday.”

I’m throwing this line in here because it shows how condensed the timeline for this series is so far. Episode four is the next day from episode three. (Apparently Tandy heals really quickly since the gash on her head is gone.) The first three hours take place relatively quickly as well. Only a few days have passed in the lives of Tandy and Tyrone and yet everything has changed for them.

Their Powers

Okay, so this episode gives you a better idea of what their actual abilities are.

Tandy is the literal embodiment of hope and light. Yeah, she can grab light daggers out of nothing, but her actual power in the comics is the manipulation of Lightforce (oh, hey, the opposite of Tyrone’s Darkforce, right?). With her ability in the comics, she can create daggers from light, but she also stores that energy inside of herself. It builds up over time, and if she doesn’t use it every so often, it discharges on its own and she has no control over it. Her daggers can be used to drain someone’s energy in the comics and also to manipulate their “life force” to a new direction, giving them a glimpse at what their life would be like if they made a different choice. Tandy being able to see people’s hopes when she touches them is the show’s take on that.

Tyrone’s ability to get into people’s nightmares is an example of him being the opposite of Tandy, of course. In the comics, he doesn’t have that ability, but I think it’s a nice touch for the show. Instead, he can channel Darkforce and absorb people’s energy with it. He can become intangible using it, and he can access the Dark Dimension to teleport, of course. Something we haven’t seen on the show yet is that he can also teleport other people through the Dark Dimension, but because it’s so dangerous, Tandy is usually the only one to accompany him. Her Lightforce offers her a measure of protection. Tyrone making the comment that his ability seems to bring him to Tandy is likely a nod to his Darkforce being drawn to her in the comics. The demon that controls the Dark Dimension likes to absorb her Lightforce.

“Character is what you do when no one else is watching.”

I can’t decide if Tandy’s dad was paraphrasing writer C.S. Lewis or UCLA basketball coach John Wooden here, who both said a variation of this. Probably the latter is what the show’s writers were going for since Tyrone plays basketball.

Stashing the Bike

On twitter, the showrunner mentioned that the debris where Tyrone tosses his bike holds some clues, but honestly, I didn’t notice anything that stood out. I figured I’d note it in case anyone else did.

Mardis Gras Indians

This group is the real deal. Essentially a secret society that’s not so secret in New Orleans, the group is made up of Black Americans who partake in the carnival. Their parade during Mardis Gras is one of the biggest. You want to learn more about the history of the group, this is a pretty good start.

“Shit goes boom.”

This made me laugh a little bit because Olivia Holt used to be on a Disney show called Kickin’ It where her character used the phrase “boom goes the dynamite” all the time. The girl likes a good use of the word “boom.”

Founded 1982

This phrase appears on one of the flags in the Red Hawk’s place. When did Cloak and Dagger make their comic book debut? You guessed it, 1982.

Cloak

While it’s sad (and also sweet) that Tyrone picks Billy’s cloak from the room of failures, I love that it looks like his comic book cloak come to life. Where the beadwork is references where most artists use different shading to show changes in light and it’s just perfect.

I also love his dad’s speech about the costumes giving them strength. That’s why superheroes wear what they do.

Tandy Likes Tyrone’s Eyes

I just think it’s cute that she already told him she liked the way his jacket hangs on his shoulders in an earlier episode and now she likes his eyes. She’s not shy. She’s honest. It’s nice. In fact, all of the women in this show are, and it’s a nice change from the usual idea of women on TV that have to be cryptic with the men around them.

Greg’s Death

We see Greg killed by the water delivery person, but the cards for the episode outline shared on twitter say that the “unseen assailant” was going to be his wife. I’m curious if his estranged wife will still play a part in the episodes ahead or not.

Check Your Privilege

Has another Marvel series ever been so timely? Tandy denied action because she’s a woman doing what she has to do to get by. Tyrone targeted by literally everyone because of the color of his skin. Both of them trying to atone for the things they think are their fault, but going about it in very different ways. So. Good.

#cloak and dagger #cloak and dagger easter eggs #cloak and dagger spoilers #cloak and dagger season 1 #mcu #i wrote a thing

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survivor-mesopotamia · 4 years ago

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Ep. #2 - “Shit ain’t over till the fat lady sings and I didn’t warm my pipes.” (Cameron)

Day 4: Well. I survived my first tribal council of the season, and even though it went exactly according to plan, while I slept my entire day away, I'm still really hesitant to tell myself that I'm doing well on my tribe. I'm really nervous that my tribe mates are playing me, and that I'm really boo boo tha fool here. I called Megan post-tribal, and I was finally able to get some closure on something that happened between us in our personal lives, which felt really good. After that, she asked me about the idol, to which I had responded "Wait, Julian didn't tell you?", which hopefully sows some seeds of doubt in Megan about Julian. Ideally, if the Enlil tribe has to go back to tribal council, the four of us can bear witness to a Megan vs. Julian war. Because unfortunately, the connections I have outside Enlil, are shared with either Julian or Megan. If Megan and Julian are going after each other pre-merge, or during a swap scenario, I don't have to share those connections anymore. After that, Megan and I just talked about the nudes we received during quarantine ~ I then promptly ran to Will to tell him about the potential crack I just formed between Julian and Megan, which was met with genuine excitement. I think I'm really gaining Will's trust, and I think we vibe so well together. Love that guy! Overall, it wasn't a very productive day because I woke up at 4:30p PST. Love that for me, thanks for shading me @ Tribal Bodhi.

going into this scavenger hunt as the tribe that went to tribal last is worrysome. It's a challenge that's fully dependent on our activity, so we are at a serious disadvantage against the other two tribes that get to choose someone less active to sit out. We don't have that luxury. The point/life system eases the blow, however, since we can get less active players 1 life while more active players can get 3. In case we lose, I'm trying to connect with everyone on the tribe. I really don't want to vote anyone out though. I have an alliance with Julian and JJ, and one with Will on the side. Chrissa wants to work with Julian, JJ and myself, and I think Megan and JJ have something on the side. I'm nervous for who would be the target in the vote, and any vote would hurt all of our games collectively. Hopefully we win because the next vote will not be easy AT ALL.

Done w typing this sheet

youtube

jj and zachary are so fucking annoying to this challenge and if i vote for you first at the swap, its probably because youre typing too much during this challenge sorry not sorry xoxo - sincerely johnny a month from now

let me be clear with andrew I was not calling his hosting unfair i was calling the fact that a majority green item giving him a point unfair not the hosting but lack of yellow, also i have a headache i don't feel that good. and I just don't think zach should have had a point for it nothing against hosting obviously i watch a movie trivia thing where literally they have a challenge to challenge any questions that are unfair, that doesn't mean they are calling the question writers or the answer writers unfair.

Zach just won the tribal challenge for us which is fantastic. We can maintain the illusion of a unified tribe longer, which keeps us together in a swap situation, and Zach has clearly painted a challenge target on himself over the last two challenges which will make him go before me if our Triforce ever becomes the minority. I'm really happy with my position in the game right now

youtube

me and monty trying to find the idol and decode this annoying ass video https://imgur.com/a/lu7sbMu

Forgive me father for I have sinned it's been approximately three days since my last confession so far can't complain really we be winning they hating we be riding pretty damn clean I've got a majoritu alliance I didn't start so odds of it falling around me and being the first voted out slim to none thank the sweet baby jesis and all that good shit. Oh well that's all for now

JULIAN’S HOST CHAT GUEST, ZEE:

I am filling in a confessional because you told me to. I am in front of my fan because it's hot. I'm thinking that it seems pretty stupid to ask me for a confessional. Julian's prod chat isn't very interesting because he's distracted.

youtube

also just threw out madison's name to johnny. if this shit backfires on me ill be ):

https://youtu.be/Pqck1gayfJU

https://youtu.be/FMay7NycsPw

yo yo yo homies!!! fuck the scavenger hunt and the mobile Skype app !! Lowkey scared but I think I’m close with everyone on the tribe except madi soooooooooo that’s probably who will go tonight. I’ve connected a lot with Monty and am hoping we can work together closely moving forward 💕not sure how useful my relationship with Zach is going to be come swap/merge bc it seems like he’s ALREADY making himself a target like the big doof he is. More later 💋

https://youtu.be/Qg47yupj1bQ

https://youtu.be/vUK8A1qWVoA

Hello tumblr survivor world! Sorry I didnt confess for episode 1, I was going to but i accidentally exited out of the page when i almost finished writing it. Anyways, it was just a cast assessment for my tribe so tl;dr everyone on my tribe is great and its really sad that we have to vote someone out now. So this whole weekend I was away so I was REALLY worried that I would be voted out since I sat out of the challenge. But after talking to Johnny and Isabelle, it seems like Madison will be voted out tonight. Which is so bad bc this her first game in a year, but hey it's our first vote and it's not me so it's not really the time to make a stand. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Okay I took a break from writing this confessional and there's moreeeeeeeee so part 2 I guess. So I had a call with Johnny and we came up with an alliance of me, him, Isabelle, and Benji. What an iconic alliance, right? But also while Johnny and I talked we got onto the topic of idols and why it is that there hasn't been an idol post yet. I brought up that wayyyyyy back when in Malaysia and some other games around that time, some of the idol hunts were less clear cut. We ended up looking at the blog and clicking the "idol system" tab and it brought us to some weird crab video with audio that sounds like a pokemon cry? Idk part of me thinks its just a joke but I also have to consider that it might be SOMETHING. It said remember to like and subscribe so I sent a screenshot of me liking and subscribing to see if that would do anything but nope. Johnny said he'd do some thinking about it and get back to me later if he figures something out. Also tribal seems super clear cut so I'm a bit less worried now but y'know how it is I can't not worry about tribal.

i just spent $8 on a spectogram and STILL cant find this fucking idol im gonna kms... monty im sorry im steam rolling ahead looking for this thing without telling you, but thank you for the first clue xoxo... if i get stumped in the future ill reach out for SURE (but idt you trust me that much so this seems kinda valid to me) ((FOUR HOURS LATER: i told monty lololol)) ALSO FOR FUCKS SAKE I think madison is gonna go, and truthfully, im fine with it because it's the easiest thing to do due to her poor performance in the past few challenges and just being the least AROUND the tribe, but i know that it'd probably be better for me long term to get rid of abby because i just dont see her as a long term ally for me. i think she's close to JJ and Megan on the other tribe, and she's becoming much more acclimated to the tumblr survivor community that i just BET that she maybe has an additional connection on the rookie tribe. If I can attempt to break that up before we get to a swap, I think that's what im going to have to do figure out if we lose another challenge before a swap... i dont really want to see ANYBODY else go besides abby if im thinking about a second boot. i bet it wont be easy to take her out tho also, if madison goes, this is like...... lowkey vindication for game changers???? last night i talked about this with monty and i was like hmmmm "is it ugly to bring up past game history?" and his response was "not if it's within the same series" .... so. vindication

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omg i just told madison how to find the idol system thing i hope she doesnt tell anyone i told her about it LMAO........ this almost seems too easy.i got added to two alliances today. why do i not feel safe? is it me going? WTF IS GOING ON

excited to be first boot because no one will TALK TO ME!

Things haven’t changed much since my last confessional! As far as I know the tribe hasn’t started into alliances and we’re all riding some excitement at having so far avoided tribal. I think the rest of the tribe and I are all feeling good and just focusing on making the tribe switch without losing any members.

from round 2 https://youtu.be/fk002uG2HoI

Hi sorry I forgot to do a confessional this round so this will be short imma just say a few things 1. I don’t trust julian one bit he can stop being shady to me 2. I can’t believe we aren’t going to tribal I’m so fkn happy i was able to pull out the win for our tribe because I didn’t want to lose anybody else 3. I love and adore will with all of my being and he’s my number 1 ally right now 4. I find it highly doubtful that there’s only one idol in this game and that you can’t find it until merge but that’s as far as I can get in the idol search for now so I guess there’s nothing I can do about it 5. I’m still having fun can’t wait to fuck up another flash game yay!!!

My Purple edit is amazing right now. But having played more games than most of these newbies, I have decided to take on the role of teacher and becoming more of a "role model" for these newbies. I feel like I have the closest bond with Zach, and I need to get a little closer with Collin. I have Grace from past games, and then there are the others who I do not really have any strong bonds with at the moment. I guess I need to start going to them more and show that I want to work with them.

https://youtu.be/yhwXzqrTcsA Confessional 2 for round 2

https://youtu.be/TVnpwqc8XLY

Madison voted out 6-1

#nomorethings

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