#i never expected a game to be so good it'd get me to draw and color and ink?? i dont do colors and inks as you can probably tell but

[ship-garbage-pile]

"If you stayed with me. you'd find out how disgusting my true nature is..sometimes. I think it would have been better if we had never met.."

[pomefioredove]

So people use Kalim, right? Like pretend to be his friend because he has money-

What if Kalim's crush is just like "Yeah I grew up poor....anyways! I bought you this gold bracelet! Probably not real gold, but I thought it'd fit your style." And is just always pulling up with gifts and little trinkets and just refuses to let Kalim spend any money 😭 I also imagine if Kalim gave them a gift, they'd just start bawling because they don't know how to accept gifts-

:3c I love a little kalim posting

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ the mystery of the magi

type of post: short fic characters: kalim additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, realizing now that I went a liytle off-prompt, sorry u-u

You gave Kalim one rule.

One rule. You had no expectations, no requirements, no shopping list.

Just one rule... that happened to be impossible for him to follow.

"No money?" Jamil asks, watching Kalim pace the room. "You can't spend any money? So no clothes, no jewelry, no games?"

It's far past curfew, but even Jamil had long forgotten about that. That's how strange this whole thing is.

Kalim has never looked so worried. "Not a thaumark. They said so!"

"Did they...?"

Of course. Jamil has thought you were weird from the day Kalim started coming home with plastic toys and friendship bracelets, "gifts" of yours. But this is just absurd.

The heir to one of the richest families in the world has days to find you the perfect birthday gift, and he can't spend any money.

Kalim's eyes are wide with thought, which is a strange look on him. "They say that my presence is enough..."

"But it's not," Jamil finishes the thought for him. Kalim had always given gifts as love- handing out gold and jewels like they were candy- which made him a treat for... well, most of NRC. But not you.

"Well... there's plenty you can do without spending," Jamil says. "You could... cook something, or plan a nice date..."

Kalim pouts. "It's not enough! Everything they get me is so... perfect... I want to do the same!"

Perfect, meaning the cheap toys from claw machines, drawings, handmade jewelry, half-edible cookies... Kalim keeps everything you give him. Everything. His room is beginning to look like the prize shelf at an arcade.

"This is quite the conundrum, isn't it..." Jamil mutters. "Are you sure I can't-"

"No! I need to come up with it on my own! They're just... so good at gift-giving. I wonder how they do it..." Kalim sighs. Jamil rolls his eyes.

"Then... perhaps I can offer some advice. The sort of gift you're looking to give doesn't come from here," Jamil says, pointing to his head. He trails his finger down to his chest.

"...It comes from here."

Though that was complete nonsense, Kalim lights up. "I-I think I understand! Thanks, Jamil!"

And then he's gone.

.

Trapped in a circle of friends and Scarabia students, you awkwardly smile at their birthday wishes.

Grim's greedy little paws dig into the homemade cake before the candles are out, getting icing all over himself. You chuckle, a warm, loving sound that makes Kalim beam. Good so far.

"Time for gifts. We do have a curfew to mind," Jamil says, and Grim laughs maniacally, reaching out for the first box.

"Actually," Kalim says, smiling as if it were his own birthday. "I was hoping I'd get to give my gift first!"

You chuckle. "I don't see why not,"

Kalim returns the gesture, and he stands on the table, drawing everyone's attention to him. Jamil raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not seeing a box!" Grim shouts, and you shush him. Kalim clears his throat.

"I'm usually not so bad at this, but I had a lot of trouble thinking of the perfect present for you... until Jamil said I was thinking too much here... and not here," he says, pointing first to his head, and then lower, to his throat.

You give Jamil a confused look, but he looks just as lost.

"So... that's what I'm going to do. Happy birthday!"

Everyone watches in some mix of amusement and horror as Kalim begins to sing... in your honor.

Without any accompanying music, he performs, in front of everyone you know, a song about everything he loves about you. Even Jamil looks horrified.

When it's over, the room is quiet. Everyone is staring at Kalim as if his head had fallen off.

Then, slowly, you stand. And you clap.

You're beaming. "That was amazing! Again! Again!"

Kalim grins, unphased by the weird looks everyone is giving you two, and he hops off the table to pull you into a hug.

"I'm so glad you liked it!"

"Liked it!? That was..." you laugh, hugging him back. "That was perfect."

"I can sing it as much as you want! Every night, if it makes you happy!"

"Sevens help me..." Jamil sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Trey gives him a sympathetic pat on the back.

[donelywell]

August 21- 31 2023

This is just how I'd draw Silver, Tails, and Blaze (with a cameo of Amy and Cream)

I've been contemplating Silver's design for a good while, I wanted to draw him with freckles, but since he has fur instead of skin, that wouldn't make a lot of sense (I realize now that animals can have spots on them, so you can expect more freckled designs >:D). Then it hit me, he has Chaos Energy! Just have the freckles be a marking of his Chaos Abilities!

I made him the Guardian of the Time Stones, since it makes obvious sense. You have a time traveller, and a means of time travel, so why are the two not used together??

He's wearing pants because (head canon time >:)) back when Humans and Mobians first interacted, some Mobians mixed their culture in with Humans. That includes wearing entire outfits, living in houses, and having human sounding first and last names. Over the 200 years and since this is a post apocalypse wasteland, it's safer to wear clothes than to not. Though some Mobians still don't wear shirts because it is extremely uncomfortable for them because of extra fur and quills/ spikes.

(+Bonus image of Silver eating a burger because he probably never got to have good food in his 'bad future')

Tails! As Tails grows to a teen, he gets more brown patterns on his fur, the one drawn here is when he's 8. I love the idea of Tails having 2 different colored tails and having them create an effect when he flies with them.

I swapped his oversized gloves with fitting ones, but he has a section of it blue as a reminder of the blue wrist straps Sonic gave him to help make the oversized ones fit him. He also wears socks that matches Sonic fur color (because brothers)

His Miles Electric also goes through a lot of changes. The Miles Electric goes through upgrades depending on what console you can play the game on. In lore reason: it's because he's constantly upgrading the machine. So when he first starts making the Miles Electric (although it is very basic compared to what it is today, only being used as a Chaos Emerald Tracker), it looked like a Game Gear, and in Frontiers: it looks like a Nintendo Switch for example. :)

Blaze was always going to be fun to draw. I made her outfit more fit to be active in (since it's gotta be uncomfortable running in heels and a coat). I like the idea of when she's extremely focused or using strong emotions, her ponytail and tail tip will catch on fire. I replaced the fuzzy material at the end of her gloves with gold bracelets and more jewelry (I'm sorry).

I made the gem on her forehead also a pattern on her arms because I think it'd be a nice touch, and a way to add red-ish pink to more of her character instead of pretty much just on her face.

(+ Amy and Cream :D)

[catinflight]

Got any fully charged headcanons? :>

Not any particularly interesting ones,

But I do like to think daini has a MAJOR sweet tooth

I also like to think that because of said sweet tooth, daini picks up baking / cooking as a hobby but considers it a little embarrassing to admit,

(Although everyone knows, because he has definitely baked the odd pastry for aki and suna at least a few times)

He may or may not be taking cooking classes with gutsman

(Because who else is gonna teach him)

Other headcanons I didn't really feel like drawing include (WARNING THEY ARE KIND OF STUPID AND YAPPER YAPPINGTON CORE SO YEAH⚠️⚠️👹👹)

It'd be pretty interesting if Daini had a damaged core (like protoman, but not as severe of course) this could have been a result of dangerous training or an extreme accident he never fully recovered from, either way I'd imagine it really stunts his energy output, so he's most likely very sleepy to compensate.

Aki has made a habit of gifting people the most random things, a really cool smooth rock? It's for you! Shiny marbled on the floor that are slightly scratched up? He thinks you'll like it! An extra edition of his favorite comic serious? He wants to be able to enjoy it with you! He's sweet like that, but it can sometimes get a little much.

Suna has probably grown to be a very good engineer / mechanic. She often helps Dr. Light with his inventions or fixes up Aki / Daini after rough battles (mini appreciates the help) of course she also uses her skills to upgrade her own armor, and often handles the tougher fights that Aki or Daini might struggle on, after all, nobody is expecting to be sliced into ribbons when facing two gun wielding children.

Once Daini starts something, he often has trouble stopping, so much so that if he often forgets to recharge and take a break, homework? Doesn't stop until it's all finished and the answers are correct (he will make sure), chores? The house will never look less than clean on his watch (his own room does not apply). You ask him to get something from the kitchen? He does it immediately, no questions asked.

Aki, on the other hand, is very forgetful about his responsibilities. He often puts them off until the very last moment and regrets it dearly. He doesn't do this on purpose, of course, but tell me, if you had to choose between playing your favorite video game VS doing homework, would you choose the homework? I don't think so. Because of this, Aki and Daini often bump heads about tidying up.

Suna CANNOT catch a break, she constantly has to be the head of reason whenever Daini and Aki bicker when eachother, she also might catch a few strayed herself if it's heated enough, but she has the verbal artillery to be able to snap back pretty quickly, so for the most part they don't test her. Sometimes she waits things out, othertimes she has to stop them from Lord of The Flies-ing each other off of a cliff (no pig head on a stick required) but like most sibling squabbles, everyone makes up and gets over it (unless it's over food, food thieves are never forgiven /j)

And that's all I think,

If I come up with more I might come bsck

But this is getting really long so, maybe not

[tethys-the-aquatic-sea-godness]

Perhaps Viconia and Sarevok are changelings 🥲

I'd take any explanation that fixes the shitshow that are these two quests, major quests mind you, not side quests you can ignore. It'd be funny if they were changelings, because they'd be pretty lousy ones. Or rather a lousy one, and one who doesn't have to do much work (warning: I started ranting)

I mean, for reminder, this is viconia:

And this is... a drow:

Skintone: wrong

Age: they were drunk or they didn't try, possibly both. Viconia is a drow, a full elf, meaning +700 years of life expectancy, and they made her look as old as Jaheira, a half-elf. A 100 years should be nothing to her, she should look basically the same.

Distinctive marks: her beauty mark above her lip on the left side of her face isn't there. It's like Jaheira's braids or Minsc's tatoo, it sets her apart. Without it, it's not her.

As for Sarevok, well, with his armour and his helmet, you see like 1/4 of his face, you could put anyone in there, and slap face paint on. So not too much work for a changeling.

But if it makes you feel any better, you can actually get in game clues that hint neither of those characters are who they claim to be. These hints are never remarked upon or pointed out by any characters, you have to find them and take the time to read them.

This, for example, is the description of the drow's dress (also BG 3 has a problem with treating its clerics like anime healers. This is DnD, clerics wear mail or plate, unless they multiclass with wizard, but I digress):

Dulls senses, thoughts, feelings... sounds like a good dress for brainwashing, not having an efficient cleric. It's not hard to imagine Shar being salty enough that Viconia left her cult that she picked another of her drow cleric to take Viconia's identity. Keep her 'working' for her in spirit as payback. One of Shar's whole thing is about forgetting all, including yourself. Switching her followers' identity to suit her whims wouldn't be out of place. I could see a 'Shadowheart' mother superior in the future, with little in common with her template beside being a half-elf. Shar is the type to hold grudges. Ask Selûne.

Now Sarevok comes with a failsafe too. Let's ignore's Jaheira's delirious episode where she spouts absolute nonsense that has no basis in either BG 1 or 2. She's not that young anymore, she's spent time in the shadowlands and she has kids to look after, she's under a lot of stress. We'll call it a breakdown.

If you dig around for loot, you can come across this book: Disorders of the Nerves and Mind: A Treatise

Here you read about how a totally random guy started calling himself 'Sarevok' and talking about 'raising the father', after finding (and reading?) a strange book.

If you remember the previous games, you may recall a dream sequence in SoA:

Bhaal is perfectly capable of using Sarevok's appearance for his avatar. If you add to that the fact that before he was killed by Cyric, he was already too weak to have his own form and only existed through possessing the bodies of murderers, well, it's not hard to imagine Bhaal using a random murderer's body and passing it off as Sarevok. He's the first Bhaalspawn who rebelled and tried to usurp him, you can't tell me Bhaal isn't salty about that.

Now obviously, this is me drawing conclusions from scraps found within the game. I don't think it's a 'fix-it', or that it makes Sarevok and Viconia's butchered characterization alright. Especially since these scraps don't mean anything in the narration. I've said it before, but they read like room for deniability, they feel too specific not to be. Like someone knew it was trash and they tried to patchwork an exit. But like I said, without relevance to the narrative, it's meaningless.

Regardless of any explanation, as far as I'm concerned, neither of the people we encounter are the real Sarevok, or the real Viconia.

[amageish]

So, I have more Illyana thoughts... I apologize for rambling again, but this is apparently how my brain works now...

The next episode of X-Men '97 is Motendo / Lifedeath Part 1, an episode I have been eagerly anticipating since the reveal of this key art related to it.

There she is! There's Magik! It's my girl!

Now, it is possible she's just in the art because Morph transformed into her in Episode 3. The fact Storm is in her original '92 design and not her punk attire makes me think this art is not literally reflective of the episode's contents... but if Magik is in it, I am curious what role she may take in it... Let's baselessly speculate! Spoilers for the two comic book storylines we know this episode is drawing from after the cut.

So this episode will be adapting parts of Lifedeath, the iconic Forge/Storm romance arc, and the Abscissa arc with Jubilee. This makes me think this episode is likely to be a three-pronged exploration of what mutants do to gain social status in a world that hates and fears them.

Storm and Forge's arc is about Forge reconsidering his job working with the American government and realizing how has literally created the tools used to oppress his fellow mutants. Storm, meanwhile, has chosen to embrace counter-culturalism openly through her new punk identity, not really caring what the white male flatscan majority thinks about her anymore; Forge's perspective is challenged by her as they begin their romance.

Jubilee's arc is about her encountering a future version of herself who is a slave to Mojo in the Mojoverse and taking actions to ensure that future never comes to pass.

Sunspot's arc in '97 has been about him hiding his mutant gifts, afraid that his parents will not accept him as a mutant. He also self-identified as "one of the good ones" in the first episode. Lot of model minority stuff going on here, as well as some allegorical queer closeted stuff going on here. I am guessing this is the episode where he decides to join the X-Men and come out properly.

With all that in mind... What is Illyana going to be up to, if she is indeed in this episode?

My guess is she would be a foil to Sunspot, as someone who has made it through the emotional journey he is in the middle of. She not only has a mutant gift she is scared about, but she has a literal demonic side. If she has learned to accept herself for who she is and to embrace her demonic powers as a way of protecting herself and those she loves, then maybe Sunspot can do the same with his powers.

This would be casually implying all of Magik's character growth happened off-screen, but this show has a lot of protagonists already and I don't know if they'd have time to delve into the lore of Limbo - and it also may be difficult to do that in a show that is still, nominally at least, for kids...

If they wanted to be really bold, Illyana could also be in a queer relationship that is a foil to the Jubilee/Sunspot relationship - making the "We're hiding this from my parents as I don't want them to know I am a mutant" queer allegory a little more obvious by showing Illyana in a loving queer relationship of which her brother approves. With the episode inspired by the Pryde of the X-Men arcade game, I think it'd be a good place for Pryde to appear if they wanted to make Katyana canon... but Illyana/Dani or Illyana/Xuan also feel possible to me... or, hell, they've said non-mutant characters will cameo like they did in the original cartoon, so maybe they could do Illyana/Nico Minoru or Illyana/Leah. I'd like Illyana/Pryde the most, but honestly I will take anything that makes Sapphik Magik canon.

ANYWAY. That's my unsolicited Magik thoughts for the day. I am trying to keep my expectations low - I think it's very possible that Morph appearance is all we get - but I do think there's ways to get some really good Magik content in only a few minutes of screentime given what appears to be the theme of the next episode...

[lavend-ler]

oooh what are your Normaler headcanons

anon, I mean this in the nicest way possible but,, u gotta be a little more specific 😅 I have soooo so many headcanons. most of them I share via my fics! if u wanna hear some abt a specific topic/time/anything else I will gladly give them to u! here are some of my general ones I remembered for a good start:

they remind me of sunny golden spring afternoons when the weather is just right to spend time outside. I imagine them going around the Valley in the early summer sun, holding hands, picking Truffula fruit, being happy and in love. Norma's draw and long curls sway on the wind, while Once-ler with one hand holds hers and with other he hangs onto his hat

their most "usual" date is having a picnic in the Valley! Once-ler brings the snacks and Norma brings all the equipment. Once shares his songs and Norma plays with animals

they love to spend time simply talking with each other. Once tells stories of success and hope, while Norma shares stories of her everyday life

actually, that's the point, they're opposites, perfectly working together. Once-ler is a dreamer, head in the clouds, wishing of the brightest future. Norma is down to Earth, collected but with that wild spark within her. he values dreams, she values stability. that's what enamoured them abt each other - with Once, Norma gets away from her everyday life so that silly lanky guy would make her fantasies come true. with Norma, Once steadies down, becomes more perceptive and values the little things in life more

Norma is an extravert and Once-ler is an introvert. sometimes, when Once feels too drained, Norma simply holds him down, not expecting he'd say anything to her. and Once loves being wrapped around her, face buried in her curls. yes, he's a chatterbox but sometimes Norma's presence and the sound of her breathing means everything to him.

Once picked up reading bc of Norma (he likes romances, fantasy novels and memoirs), while Norma branched out with her music more bc of Once (before she liked solely heavy music like SOAD or Death Grips but now she listens to variety of things Once recommends like classic rock, jazz and even some classical!)

sometimes Norma talks all the way, venting her day out. Once never stops her, in fact, he loves listening to her talk, no matter the topic and supports her however he can

Norma fell first. Once fell harder

Norma is great at games of all kinds! she's just very slow at getting her point. Once often gets impatient ESP since no matter what, she always wins. their Mario Kart nights are the worst

when Once-ler found out Norma loves gardening, he started buying her various flowers to the point she had to say "listen, I love these but u're flooding my apartment"

Once is a total lightweight so whenever they go out partying it mostly ends with Norma draggings those overgrown limbs home

if life ended up differently, they would love to have more than 1 child

I don't thin they ever considered each other a "fling". in my hc Once-ler is demisexual so it took him time to realize his feelings and Yeah, he knew she was Important. so did Norma actually, she started liking Once so much, she knew no matter what, she simply wanted him in her life

if I had to describe them in 1 song it'd be either A Dustland Fairytale by The Killers or their cover of Romeo and Juliet or Whistle For The Choir by The Fratellis (the line "so if u're crazy, I don't care u amaze me" is SO them)

[cha-melodius]

hi! ⭐️ for love is a losing game pretty please?

HELLO I didn't mean to leave this for an entire day lol, but I've barely had a moment to breathe today and I wanted to be able to sit and think about this one.

Ok, Love is a Losing Game! So as I mention in the fic notes, I decided to write this fic after @eavos posted something in the tmfu discord server about The Queen's Gambit and how it'd make a good setting for a napollya AU. At first I didn't really think that much of it, but then I WATCHED The Queen's Gambit and the idea took hold of me like woah. Before this fic I'd written one long-form AU, and I certainly didn't expect this to become my longest ever fic, nor how MUCH I'd end up putting into it.

I've never done more research for a fic than I did for this fic. I planned it out using actual chess tournaments in the 1960s (whereupon I quickly learned just how fictional The Queen's Gambit was lol), getting into the nitty gritty of how many players and from what countries actually played them. Most of the chess games in the fic are real—I read an absurd number of tournament recaps in old archived issues of Chess Life magazine. I also got some information about grandmasters' lives and careers from various articles in there, as well as other stories online.

Illya's career wasn't really patterned off of any one player, but Napoleon's is roughly based on that of Bobby Fischer (this is one of the big reasons why, every time I think about 'filing off the serial numbers' of this fic, I reject the idea—I fear it would be written off as 'what if Bobby Fischer was gay', even when there's nothing of Fischer's personality in this). And don't get me started on the research/planning I did for the World Chess Championship at the end; I had spreadsheets to figure out the points and how to make it work out like I wanted it to.

Since this was the early days of me planning fics, I didn't have a great sense of chapters, nor did I have a very detailed outline. I'll post it here, in fact (behind a cut for spoilers, just in case).

Before I drop the rest, if anyone who's not a TMFU fan ends up reading this far, here's my tiny plea: If you love my fics, give this one a chance. You don't need to know anything about the fandom, I promise; consider it an original novel lol. But I still think this is among my best works, and it deserves to be read more than it is.

Ok, the outline. This was it—the championship, the date, very brief note about what was happening, and who won the tournament (tournaments in parentheses happened offscreen). I do not now recall what the asterisks mean lmao.

(US National Championship & Zonal, New York 1965 – Napoleon)

Hastings International Chess Congress 1966 (Jan) – Meet for the first time (Illya, Ch)*

Mar del Plata, Argentina 1966 (March) – Begin off-book games (draw, Co)

(World Chess Championship, Moscow 1966 – Illya)

Piatigorsky Cup, Santa Monica 1966 (July) – Affair begins (1–1, Illya Ch)*

Chess Olympiad, Havana 1966 (Oct) – Discovery (Soviets)

Palma de Mallorca, Spain 1966 (Nov) – Napoleon absent (Illya loses)

US Championship, New York 1966 (Dec) – Illya shows up looking for Napoleon*

Monte Carlo Tournament, Monaco 1967 (March) – Napoleon returns (Napoleon, Co)

Canadian Centennial Grand Masters Chess Tournament, Winnipeg 1967 (Oct) – Illya misses (Napoleon)*

Sousse Interzonal, Tunisia 1967 (Nov) – Napoleon wins

(Hoogovens 1968; Monte Carlo 1968; Chess Olympiad, Lugano 1968; Palma 1968)

World Chess Championship, Reykjavík 1969 (June) – Illya v. Napoleon (Napoleon)*

San Juan International Tournament, Puerto Rico 1969 (Oct) – Defection

Some of the early ones really ballooned, like Mar del Plata and the Piatigorsky Cup, because I really needed to give their relationship space to develop. And I'm so glad I did, I love all those moments and conversations they have. Sometimes I feel like I'm rushing through fics more these days, and this one was one I just allowed to grow, which is part of what makes it so delightful.

Anyway if you ever have questions about this fic please feel free to ask, I will never not want to talk about it. I love it so so much. Thank you for asking!!

[dianight]

1 month (long, TMI as they say)

So I was planning on making a list of changes, sort of, stuff I've noticed but when I try to put it into words it gets quite difficult. Anyway. In no particular order and with the caveat that it might be placebo or simply something that I've never paid attention to or some other unrelated factor:

My hair looks nicer? It used to get tangled pretty often, now I simply get the drill hair curls unless I comb it a bit. Do I notice less hair falling overall? Maybe(?), I still get some loose ones on my hair ties or in the shower. But I feel like (<- feel like) it's less now. Not quite how I'd like it yet but better (<- even if not a thing still feels nicer).

I was genuinely looking forward to having an easier time crying, no luck yet. What emotional changes I've gotten are "villainess behaviors" instead which if I were to elaborate is an incredibly difficult time containing myself when someone antagonizes me in any way. As an example I had a celebration (not mine) recently and some relative said something passive agressive to me, I wanted to just ignore instead I found myself laughing in their face and telling them to mind their business (<- less nice than that). Other minor "I should not let this matter to me" stuff feeding the urge to be cruel. I'm fine but it's funny in a way since it's harder to be nice when people are assholes.

Shaving is much much worse and a bit better now. It used to be something that if I ignored/forgot about for a while it'd not matter, now I had a moment where I couldn't sleep and had to go shave at 2am due to how bad it was making me feel. It does feel nicer now, but only for a while.

Less smell? It's summer, it's hot, I'm not particularly sweaty and yet. It's too big of a change to be something I'm imagining. Weird, in a really nice way.

[I lost track so I check the table for reference to see what else.]

Oh yeah. Big changes happening (<- exaggeration). My nipples randomly get sore, one of them is sore all the time! No noticeable size changes though. Way more sensitive to the point of almost being painful (<- in a good way). Actually concerning. I could talk more about it but perhaps not right now.

Body hair is all the same(?), no differences on skin softness/oiliness. My skin condition remains the same.

Body fat redistribution and pelvis changes seems to not be happening yet. My hips are massive anyway and the dimples in my lower back have always been there (<- bragging).

Decreased muscle and strength. Yeah, not from E I can tell you. It's more the disability and the injuries.

This one is kinda funny. "Changes in mood, emotionality, and behavior". It could be. It could also be the sheer relief of getting something I've been trying to get for 8(9?) years, while being able to focus on other stuff that was simply asking too much of me. I'm biased obviously but apart from the slightly stronger urges it's mostly the same.

Sex drive and all that stuff. Let's just say expected changes. Shooting blanks now, which is amusing. No morning wood. You know the drill. I know there can be atrophy if you don't use it and I'll gladly let that thing rot, but. Let's think about how it might be necessary later on. Bear with it for now.

Another interesting one that comes with those emotional changes is how little I care now about certain things, sexually speaking. And how some others will instantly fill a metaphorical bar until it says !!! MADNESS !!! out of nowhere. Case in point, that drawing about the two girls playing the rhythm game(?) while one holds the other's leash. Yeah funny mental image. Somehow it got stuck in my brain for a couple days. Wait what. I'm also much more picky about what types of works I read. It all just seems so boring now. Seen that setup before, that one's got very bad art, that one is too misogynistic, that one is just uninspired.

Anyway I could type more about how it feels different now but words fail me a bit and I think that's enough for now.

[motherfuckermorgan]

sonic superstars thoughts

well twitter might've made the final bozo move that'll effectively kill it so i guess instead of even bothering to update my video games thread i'll just start posting thoughts here, if i've got interesting things to say. ended up having more to say than i thought so this one'll be under a read more

sonic superstars is a weird game where i think it kind of doomed itself in the public's eyes by both being a followup to sonic mania and being a $60 video game. i don't really take into account prices of video games when giving my thoughts on this kind of thing usually, because if you're patient enough you can usually snag them for a good price or you know, sail the seven seas. but i do think it's hard to ignore the jump from a 20 buck game to a 60 buck game. sonic superstars most certainly has more budget behind it, but other than that i'd say right off the bat that this is VERY strongly a "Wait for a sale" type game unless you're an insane sonic head like me.

so like. the thing with this game vs sonic mania. this game is not better than mania. if you're expecting that you're gonna be disappointed. i do still think it's a good classic game! but mania is a tough standard to beat, especially from a team like arzest that admittedly hasn't had the best track record in the world. they don't seem like an untalented studio, but it does seem like they're rarely given the budget or time to squeeze out their full potential. sonic superstars is easily their best effort by far, and it's not even close. the fact that they made a good platformer and not a mediocre one is a damn miracle.

the control and physics are pretty much straight up ripped from mania, which was the right thing to do. there was concerns that this was gonna be a Sonic 4 situation where it feels miserable to control, but nah, you move like you'd expect to in a classic sonic game. this is a HUGE boon to the game because it feels so much better and more authentic than a lot of other 2d sonic games. it's one of the couple of reasons i'd put this over the dimps games, even! not that i have no love in my heart for advance or rush, but mania controlled like a dream and this does too.

the level design is alright, though it definitely feels more safe? there's some fun gimmicks here and there but they don't feel like anything especially crazy. thank fucking god this doesn't have the dimps problem of bottomless pits all over the place, so even if you're playing a bit risky with the drop dash you're more likely to bash your head into spikes than an instakill obstacle.

i will say that the level THEMES are a step above mania, 100%. i love mania but it really is held back by having familiar level themes, reminding you that Green Hill and Chemical Plant exist, and you will never truly be free of them. i think superstars is the first sonic game in years to not reuse level themes (aside from the battle mode, apparently) which, god. even frontiers couldn't resist putting in familiar zone. it's honestly a really cool aspect of this game! i got to play a sonic game where i'd go into a level and it'd be something new! obviously they still follow archetypes like "Grass" "Snow" "Water" etc etc but it's nice to see some sort of attempt at original theming. it's something i respect the team a lot for, given sonic's constant need to draw from the past.

a sour point of the levels is easily the bosses. i think your mileage will vary on these. i didn't think they were That Bad, but other people find them to be complete slogs. you do a good amount of waiting around for the weak point to be exposed, and by the end of the game, some bosses are taking up nearly as much time as the levels themselves, with the final boss being WAY longer. at least i could entertain myself by drop dashing around the arena, but i'd imagine i'd have more fun getting in a constant stream of hits.

the music in this game is also... fine? there's some good tracks in there but there's also a bunch of tracks that are a bit slop. it's mostly the genesis sounding tracks. whenever this game wants to sound like a genesis game it sounds bad. the boss theme being probably the worst song in the game which, given that most people already dont like the bosses, is damning.

i do like the art direction of this game a lot, i think sonic and company look great! i definitely enjoy this look for classic sonic over how he looks in generations/forces. there's a lot of really cute animations for each character as well. there are some pretty cheap looking animations, which i noticed on the game's big flickies the most. i remember hearing a lot of people say the backgrounds felt empty, but i guess i didn't notice it that much? probably easier to get that vibe when you're not zooming across the level.

ive enjoyed my time with this game and im sure i'll continue to enjoy it as i continue to replay it. it's not classic sonic's best, but it's a game that does a lot right, and shows a great improvement for a studio who's track record is typically considered subpar. i will say, after mania, it's hard Not to think superstar's 60 dollar price tag is steep. but i'm sure you'll find your favorite method to not pay that much for this game. well, good luck out there

[paleparearchive]

Their Daily Life

Bazille's 2nd initial 3★ story (1/2) ( 1 - 2 )

Location: atelier 3 ; entertainment room (morning) | Characters: Bazille, Renoir, Money, Sisley

Renoir: Aaah, when we all get together and do sketches, it kind of reminds me of the old days.

Sisley: It's such a blessing to be able to spend time like this again. I have to thank the director…

Monet: But dontcha get tired of always bein' in the same place all the time? All we draw are similar plaster figures or fruits!

Bazille: That's what drawing is all about. That's how you acquire drawing skills.

Monet: But that's my pooint!

Renoir: Sure, it would be nice to paint in a different place once in a while. Wouldn't it be nice to at least move around within the museum?

Monet: I'm with Renoir! Well then, why don't we go to the entertainment room and do some sketches? As I recall, it's free today!

Bazille: … Wait. If we go to the entertainment room, you guys would play and not sketch.

Monet: That's not true! Hey Sisley, you're okay with that too, right?

Sisley: I don't mind, but…

Monet: I guess that means Sisley agrees! You too Bazille, let's go!

Bazille: … Sigh.

(It would be futile to say no at this point. Then I guess I'd better give up…)

Alright. But I'm telling you, we're going to do some sketches.

Monet: Okaaaay!

Bazille: … Jeez, that's a childish reply. Come on, let's get going.

Monet: Entertainment room, entertainment rooooom~♪

*runs*

Bazille: Hey, Monet! You forgot your pencil! What are you going to do?

Monet: Ah, my bad, my baaad!

*runs*

Bazille: God… Are we really going to draw sketches? I'm worried about what's to come.

Renoir: Even if you say so, it's kind of you to still give in.

Bazille: If I don't give in, you'll always be spoiled. … Before he starts playing, we should go as well.

Sisley: Fufu… Right.

—

Monet: Oh, it's empty, it's empty. Oh, won't that billiard be good for sketchin'?

Sisley: Spheres, cubes... There are a lot of different elements, so it would be good practice.

Bazille: Then let's use this as a model. … Hold on, Monet. What are you trying to play billiards for?

Monet: Hm? I just thought it'd be better to have a better arrangement in that case. Look, this is way cooler, don't you think?

Renoir: No, I think the light is better this way. It would be a lighter shade, don't you think?

Bazille: It's a drawing, you don't need to be so meticulous about it.

Renoir: I think this kind of thing is important. You see, it's also a good way to study composition.

Sisley: I mean… that's right?

—

Bazille: … I guess we'll never be able to sketch, huh?

Monet: Hooray! I got one in!

Sisley: Monet… It looks like you're not just messing around with the placement, you're playing a game…

Bazille: Hey… Why are you playing…

Monet: If ya touch it, you'll just wanna do that! C'mon, let's take a break.

Renoir: Fine for me. It's been a while since we all played billiards together. Bazille and Sisley are both pretty good at it. I remember me and Monet had a hard time winning.

Monet: Whenever it's a decidin' moment and I try to take a rosk, I always end up failin'. But I think I can win today! Hey hey, let's do it!

Sisley: It sounds like they've already decided what they're going to do.

Bazille: … Good grief. I guess it was a mistake to come to the entertainment room after all.

Monet: We'll do some proper sketches afterwards! C'mon, just one game! Okay?

Bazille: (Once he starts playing, he'll be playing forever... But then again, Monet wouldn't back down from something like this...)

(... I got an idea.)

… Alright. Let's play.

Monet: Just as expected from ya, Bazille! Ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Bazille: However, I've got one condition.

Monet: A condition…?

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 6: Into Rimecleft

Fairly simple episode this time. Feels like it's been a while (been awhile) since the last show. So let's get right to it.

The Good.

Ah, Critical Role and dreams. Is there a better combo out there? Campaign 2 says: NEIN!

We get a nice little action scene to start things off. And we're really starting to build off the groundwork from the last episode, where Craven Edge, frustrated at the Fire Plane creatures' lack of blood, lurched in Pike's direction.

The implication was clear then. Here it's no longer a mere implication.

Getting to hear Ralph Ineson as Kevdak here for the first time is...Mm! A voice like rusted hinges, years of tobacco, and something dangerous awaiting the opportunity to strike. So good. The CRew really lucked out with their guest actors.

Speaking of which, Tony Plana acting as the second Sphinx is a wholly unique but equally joyful addition. While he's just as slow to warm to Vox Machina as Osysa, he brings a different energy that keeps things from getting repetitive. While she was lofty and dismissive, Kammie was more playful. Even when he doesn't see much in the group, his barbs don't cut as deep even before his moment with Scanlan.

I am a little sad we didn't see the whole thinking with portals puzzle from the original stream (which could've looked incredible in a visual medium) however...

Sam Riegel can strike the perfect balance between absolutely head-in-your-hands ridiculous and sincerely, heartbreakingly heartfelt. And it's a skill I have no shortage of envy for. You keep listening to Scanlan's song and expecting it to be too stupid to make you feel for the Sphinxes....but it never is. And that's just amazing. Still waiting for Seasons 2's OST to drop.

I do like the idea of a spell taking a significant amount of time to cast. It uses spells we've seen a million times to make for one hell of a nail-biter. And it's true to the game in some ways. While Plane Shift wasn't one of them, in-game, some spells take minutes, even hours. Or longer. And that can make things tense if you need every second to cast before something gets close enough to eat your face. 

The Grog Umbrasyl fight was hype. We got first blood drawn on a dragon, and as Marisha says in the watch-along, it'd been a hot minute since Grog got to flex. But you can also see really fast why this is a problem. Not only do the rest of Grog's squishier teammates have to get out, but you could also easily see him killing himself fighting Umbrasyl alone to feed Craven Edge.

And then....well, we'll talk about it next episode. 

I liked some of the little things here too. Percy giving Vex his coat, blushing up a storm, and Keyleth's reaction in the background. Likewise, Keyleth suggesting Vax could ask the Matron for help is a nice bit of setup for later things. Even if it is a little funny in hindsight; stream-Keyleth was almost a flat-earth atheist.

It's interesting to see what the cast has done to change up their characters from the stream.

The Bad. (Or at least not great.)

This is another episode that suffers from some poor pacing. After Grog's dream, little happens until they reach the Sphinx's lair. This is frustrating for me.

Remember how I said in the last episode that the time VM is traveling would be a good place for banter? Not just because it makes sense for them to do because they've got nothing else to occupy themselves while they walk, but because it would also help with character and world-building? All that is just as true here as in the last episode. But it'd also help with pacing.

There's a little bit here, but it's mainly bouncing from one two-to-three-sentence conversation to another. We could do more with the time.

Something that could help draw up suspense, for example, is having the crew talk with each other about how hard things have been so far; what's meeting the second Sphinx going to be like? Do they think they can convince them the way they did Osysa? Do they think they have a chance to get the other Vestiges? Do they believe those weapons will be enough to defeat the dragons?

That kind of thing makes for a good through-line for the Chroma Conclave plot that keeps things interesting even when the characters are just traveling and not doing much. The way things are now, it's like the writing team is just killing time until the action starts. And the banter was one of the best parts of the original stream.

I have...mixed feelings about the Sphinx's death. The Kaiju fight helps establish Umbrasyl as the boss of the season. It was also just really cool to watch...

But I can't help but worry this will be the writing CRew's go-to when they need to portray something as a threat or when they want to surprise stream watchers: just kill a character that survived in the original. And...yeah, nah. I'm not into that. I'll admit to being sentimental, and usually, I'll gravitate more toward happy endings than tragic ones, but I can enjoy the latter if it's earned and set up well. This death doesn't bother me as much as Archie's, but it does bother me a little. 

Nitpicks:

This line is...kind of awkward:

Vex'ahlia: Hard to believe we're gonna find a Sphinx in this forsaken place. (shivers) I'm as cold as a corpse, and I'd rather not repeat that experience.

Maybe something like this?

Vex'ahlia: Hard to believe we're gonna find a Sphinx in this forsaken place. (shivers) Wouldn't it be hilarious if I died and was brought back, only to freeze to death out here before we found the damn thing?

And this:

Keyleth: The entire range is eternally cold. Well, except for Pyrah. There's a myth about it, actually. A thousand...

Scanlan: Uh, m-maybe we just save the myth? My balls are ice cubes.

Me (tearing my hair out): AH! Maybe a myth will help take your mind off your balls for once, Scanlan!? Give me my damn lore.

And this line is just...I know it's Scanlan, but what does one have to do with the other??

Mostly a set up episode for what's to come. Overall not bad, could be better. But I think things really start to ramp up in the next batch.

[just-a-carrot]

hi carrot!! have you ever thought of creating a patreon account, where you gonna post like some inclusive stuff or early posts? i would gladly spend ALL my money to it, i love your game soooo much and i want to support your work as much as i can!!!! also, i’m curious about your goals, do you wish for “our wonderland” to become much popular and famous than it is, and get a lot of attention, or do you prefer it to be left as it is, specifically in your circle? Also, do you take art commissions?🥹

Too much questions, srry, waiting for more content from you, take care!!!!!!!!!!!

Omg so many questions fhfhdhd this is so lovely though!! Thank you for all the fun questions! 🥰

Re: Patreon: Patreons do look fun, but I don't think I'd ever have time to actually do things for them and it'd likely end up just super stressing me out??? fjfjf I already struggle coming up with things to post on Twitter and Tumblr, I can't even imagine if I also had to draw additional special things that ppl expect to be good because they paid money DHDJDF So no, I will probably never do one,,, I think I'd just feel stressed and pressured from it when game dev is just supposed to be something fun for me.

Re: Goals: This is an interesting one and also weird as I feel like I was just talking about something similar with someone a little while ago. Tbh I don't think I could handle the stress and pressure and just sheer perception of the game being that much more well known than it already is??? Especially with how personal the story and chars are, I sometimes actually get quite overwhelmed when I see or read stuff sometimes 🤣💦 Also I feel personally responsible for anything ppl say or in regards to the game. I feel like if suddenly a lot more ppl were playing and talking about it I'd probably start to feel pretty anxious tbh ffghfhgh so I'm not sure I'd want that to ever happen LOL I'm already constantly one step away from a breakdown most of the time as it is,,, 💦 LOL

Re: Commissions: Not at the moment no. I'm already at basically max capacity for art with just working on the game and doing Twitter art, so I don't really have any time to take on extra projects. Maybe it would be something I'd consider in the future tho.

Thank you again for sending in questions!! Hope you'll have a lovely new year's!! 🥺💕

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

SEPTEMBER 20TH

I managed to finish another art piece today. I feel so happy now that it's finally done. But at the same time, I also feel like there's not much else for me to do at the moment... But then again, there are those new character designs I need to finish. I hope I can get back to those without any trouble.

During this time, I feel like I can do so much without anything to distract me. I also feel a little happier too.

In Pokémon Violet, I went to finish my assignment. But not without a few stops along the way.

It's funny how the tables have turned.

Of all the Pokémon in the world, Golem was the one I'd least expect to get salt from.

When it comes to treasure, this place is a gold mine! Also, I managed to unlock the ability to use this area as a new stage in Ogre Oustin'. I should play that game again someday for a higher score.

Eventually, I managed to meet up with Kieran. (Who STILL showed up last.)

I still didn't get a badge for this.

After that, I headed back to the community center to get some rest. That doesn't mean I didn't run into anything interesting along the way.

I should fight this Annihilape someday with a Pokémon whose Attack needs some work.

What? AGAIN? More fun for me, I guess.

Before I healed my Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, I thought it'd be funny to talk to Nurse Joy from behind to see if I could still heal them. To my surprise, she had some dialogue for anyone trying to do so.

It managed to get a chuckle out of me.

SEPTEMBER 21TH

I had to go somewhere with my stepfamily to do something important. I thought I could just sit around and play Pokémon or draw while waiting. But that didn't happen. No matter where we went, the entire building smelled like cigarettes. I had to cover my nose the entire time we were there. We never even got our appointment because the staff were acting like idiots. So there goes an entire afternoon...

It wasn't all bad, though. My stepmom actually had the empathy to take us all to a town where we got to eat burgers while also getting treated to the town's fresh air. (Which is good because the car was ANOTHER rental that smelled like tobacco. Yes, it was unbearable. And, YES, I had to cover my nose whenever I had to sit in it. At least this one didn't have a lighter on the floor.)

The only good thing about today was that it's all over.

SEPTEMBER 22ND

In Pokémon Violet, I finally managed to find the item I needed to evolve Applin into Dipplin.

I feel bad for small shops like these. There are probably some dumb kids out there who might steal all the fruit from this stand without paying.

SEPTEMBER 23RD

Due to some recent developments at my school, I had to travel to the campus to sign up for additional tutoring services. (In the rain without an umbrella because I forgot mine at home.) I thought it would only take me half an hour. But I actually had to wait until noon. (I nearly got hungry by then.) It wasn't until then that I learned tutoring services were offered digitally on weekends. I still managed to get some information on tutoring hours for certain classes.

After I ate dinner, I managed to complete that new art piece I've had lying around for weeks. You can see it for yourself on this page. I based it on a frame from an episode of the Pokémon anime I found on another website. Now that I'm finished with it, I can get back to designing new characters before getting started on a future project.

In Pokémon Violet, I tried completing the Kitakami Pokédex.

I guess other non-water Pokémon can swim too. I tried catching this Poliwhirl using Umbre's Toxic. I nearly weakened it when I came to a shocking realization...

Wild Terastalized Pokémon only lose their Terastalization state after getting weakened by damaging moves. Status effects are useless for catching them.

But that was alright because I managed to find another Poliwhirl nearby. I also learned that there's 200 Pokémon in the Kitakami Pokédex. And I'm almost close to completing it. Before I met with Carmine, I visited Perrin since I already caught the amount of Pokémon she asked me to catch.

It's not that big a deal... Besides, I still need to study the stats of Pokémon like Ogerpon and Bloodmoon Ursaluna.

She soon challenged me to a battle to see if I was strong enough to stand a chance against the Pokémon she was looking for.

So did I...

Apparently, the Pokémon Perrin is looking for IS Bloodmoon Ursaluna.

She also comes from Sinnoh. (Which makes sense considering how familiar she looks.) I wanted to follow her to the Timeless Woods. But I felt like I could save Ursaluna for last.

After I met with Carmine in Moussi Town, she told me we needed some Crystal Clusters from the Crystal Pool. After a steady climb, I finally made it. Before we could gather some clusters, we were ambushed by a Milotic.

I managed to beat her in a single turn.

Eventually, Briar showed up to investigate the crystals at the bottom of the lake. She also says that Terastalization exists in other countries outside of Paldea.

(Exactly WHERE in those countries is beyond my guess.)

I was going to take the road back to town. But I fell down a cave and decided to explore it for its riches. While doing so, I hit a booby trap in the form of a Ogre Clan member.

If I had known about her Pokémon sooner, I would've beaten her with just Miraidon.

[spacefuneral]

ok im gonna talk about some act 3 stuff under this read more

astarion makes a point a few times to say when he met the protag that he didn't care for them very much / he seduces the protag as a way to keep himself safe, and as someone who romanticizes the idea of love at first sight, i keep going awh shut the fuck up - but then i remember i literally posted about how much he annoyed me despite how i enjoyed his company in my party and also i just posted that newton saw him as a fuck buddy until he got jealous newt kissed wyll. so i guess it'd be silly to expect astarion to have always liked newton. i do vividly remember doing something once that i knew would piss astarion off and zooming in on his pretty lil face and saying fffffffffffffffffuck youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. also, idk if this changes according to how fast you get with him, but newton and astarion started fucking pretty early on and astarion was like "you were shockingly easy to seduce--WAY too easy to seduce" and i think that's so funny. yeah! yeah, he was! almost like the first time you two flirted, newton came onto you so strongly that YOU got flustered and ran off. he knows what he wants, and it's sex with sexy men and women, and he was already smashing parts with lae'zel by that time. all she had to do was say his BO smelled good. anyway.

i love newton/astarion and i kind of want to draw them together

also.

i was going to say this on the last post i made, but newton did have to break things off with wyll to be with astarion and wyll is. so fucking sweet. he is so fucking kind and good and i love him. and also. he was the meanest i'd ever seen him when he found out newton fucked mizora. he was essentially like "we'll never see our happily-ever-after, but i'm glad to be your ally" but he said it.................. SO harshly. i was like oh fuck. uh. i'm sorry ): didn't reload because newton would never say no to fucking a demon. astarion didn't care. that's my gorl.

anyway.

im very fond of this game

[joaquinwhorres]

gazes (joaquín torres x reader)

SUMMARY ››››› It's become increasingly apparent to Sam and Bucky that you and Joaquin cannot take your eyes off each other. Unfortunately for them, you two have decided to be Professionals and that means keeping your eyes, hands, and lips to yourselves. No matter how difficult it is.

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,716

WARNINGS ››››› sexy times implied

A/N ››››› Ok so these headcanons y'all have been sending me are incredible. I read these two back to back and I just had to write something connecting them.

The kid had no tact.

Sam wasn't exactly sure why he expected more from the guy who'd led into his theory that Steve was on the moon by referencing vague internet rumors, but even despite that, he'd assumed Joaquin possessed some sense of subtlety.

Instead he was over at the leg press trying and failing not to stare at Y/N as she bent over at the middle to help Bucky push deeper into the stretch.

"You know she could hit you with a harassment claim for staring at her like that."

Joaquin jumped, the weights dropping suddenly with a loud clang. Across the gym, Bucky laughed as Y/N whipped around to face the two men. "Everything ok?" Her voice sounded genuinely concerned, and Sam couldn't help but smirk as Joaquin turned towards her, giving a little wave.

"Foot slipped," he answered, and she nodded, turning back to Bucky quickly.

"Foot slipped," Sam mocked.

"Dude, you scared the shit out of me."

"If you paid half the amount of attention you give to Y/N to your surroundings, you'd have known I'd been standing here for three minutes."

Joaquin gave a defensive scoff. "I wasn't staring at her--I was just--" he stopped, searching for an excuse, and Sam raised his eyebrows.

When it was clear Joaquin couldn't find a convincing enough lie to end the sentence, Sam shook his head. "You know, if you talk to her, she might actually let you take her out."

"I talk to her," Joaquin protested.

Sam shook his head, uncrossing his arms. "No, I mean talk to her. Chat her up. You've gotta have some game, right?"

"I've got game..." His sentence trailed off as he turned to look in her direction, finding her standing over Bucky's feet with her hands on her hips. "But like, we're co-workers, you know? I don't want to make things awkward around the gym or the compound or anything."

"Joaquin," Sam said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You're already making things awkward."

"He's staring at your ass again."

"And you're trying to get out of stretching again," you quipped, moving Bucky's leg closer to his chest. The super soldier tilted his head as if to acknowledge the legitimacy of your accusation.

"Doesn't change the fact that I think you're about to give him a heart attack."

"I highly doubt he's worried in the slightest about my ass. He's probably zoned out."

"He's definitely focused in...on--"

"On my ass," you finished, shaking your head. You might have given Bucky's claim a little more credence if it weren't for the fact that Joaquin Torres had been anything but the consummate professional towards you. He was friendly and upbeat and welcoming, and one of the few genuinely good guys you'd ever had the pleasure of working with.

You'd never caught him staring once, and it's not like the boy was exactly known for subtlety. Last time Bucky had asked him to cover for him so you couldn't come down and teach him the right way to train his body, he'd told you that Bucky had left the compound to get you a thank you gift for all of your hard work. All while staring at the gym door.

The heavy sound of weights falling against each other echoed throughout the gym, and you spun around to face the sound. Sam hovered over Joaquin's shoulder, the latter no longer working the leg press but instead looking as if he'd just received the scare of his life.

Bucky broke into laughter, and you smacked at his leg.

"Everything ok?" you called out, and Joaquin smiled, giving a sheepish little wave at you. "Foot slipped."

"It's a good thing he wasn't at the bench press. You might have killed him."

Your head snapped back to Bucky who was giving you a shit eating grin.

"You're an asshole."

"I'm right."

"Do you think if I ask nicely Wakanda will take you back?"

"So you know I'm right."

You chanced a glance back at Joaquin who was still talking to Sam before turning back around and placing your hands on your hips. "I'm calling Ayo."

You were running early.

Not to any event in particular, but just for the general course of your day. It was rare for you to wake up to your first alarm so completely refreshed, and with a fully awake brain, you found it much easier to navigate the morning. You were able to get dressed without crawling back in bed for a few more minutes, and didn't have to battle with sleepy indecision when choosing what you wanted to eat for breakfast.

One thing after another just continued to roll your way, leading you to the gym much earlier than usual.

And that's where the luck stopped.

Or maybe it didn't stop. But it definitely took a turn. Because while you fully expected someone else to be in the gym already, you hadn't expected just one person to be in the gym. And even if you had, you wouldn't have guessed that that one person would be Joaquin. And if, for some reason, you'd had the foresight to sense that, you definitely never would have pictured him to be running on the treadmill shirtless.

You stopped in your tracks, eyes falling to the bouncing dog tags on his chest and then lower to the well defined abs you'd somehow never seen before.

It felt like you'd seen just about every man in this compound shirtless. At some point, they all seemed to strip in the gym or during one of your group training classes you ran for those who weren't field agents. Bucky was shirtless half the time you worked together. It was so normal, you hardly even blinked an eye anymore. Seeing Sam without a shirt was more rare and quite the sight, but it'd never caught your breath quite like seeing Joaquin. Joaquin, who had never so much as worn a tank top in the gym, Joaquin.

And now here he was, chest bare and heaving, feet pounding rhythmically against the treadmill, hair still messy from his pillow and sweat. Your brain couldn't seem to function correctly, offering you images of the sight before you, only closer. Much closer. Hovering inches over your stretched out body as the headboard behind you rammed into the wall with the force of each thrust--

"Hey," Joaquin greeted, noticing you standing off to the side. You blinked, heat rushing to your face as he turned the treadmill down to a more leisurely pace. "Something wrong with my form?"

It was tempting to lie and offer to "help him fix it." Or to be completely honest and tell him you'd never seen a human form as perfect as his.

But neither of those responses were professional or even appropriate, and you needed this job.

You swallowed, shaking your head. "No, I was just wondering why you were wearing those," you said, gesturing to his dog tags, and allowing your eyes to fall to his chest once more. You followed a bead of sweat as it rolled down his body, heading to the waistband of his shorts. Joaquin reached to touch his tags, causing them to jingle together once more and pull your attention up to him.

"It's hard to let them go," he smiled, ruefully, hitting the button so the belt slowed even more. "I'd say it's a habit, putting them on, but at this point they're just like a part of me."

You nodded, wishing you'd taken this conversation anywhere but to the idea of dog tags and what they stood for. It wasn't so much a mood killer but a guilt inducer because instead of you feeling embarrassed and somber, all you wanted to do was grab them and pull him closer to you.

He must have read the conflict on your face because he gave a crooked smile. "Yeah, sorry, it's kinda morbid."

"No," you shook your head, clearing it of the daydream induced fog. "I probably shouldn't have asked."

"No, nah, it's cool," his smile grew into grin, as the belt came to a stop. He leaned his forearms against the console, staring at you as if waiting for you to continue the conversation. Which you were not equipped to do with a smiling and shirtless and sweaty Joaquin Torres right before you.

"Well, thanks for being cool about it," you said with a nod.

My God, something was wrong with you. They were just abs. And sure, maybe the abs belonged to the man who not only found the time to moonlight as a superhero but star in your increasingly dirty dreams of late, but it was just a body party that you'd seen a million times.

But never on Joaquin.

You blamed everything your brain was doing to you on Bucky and all of his stupid comments about Joaquin's supposed fixation on your ass. You wondered what he would say if he could see you now. "And I thought I was half machine. I could practically see your brain short circuiting." or "If that's what you're like when you see him half-naked, how are you ever going to--"

"Yeah, of course," Joaquin said, still smiling, his eyes lifting up over your shoulder as the other door to the gym opened and Sam came in. "Hey," he greeted with a jerk of his chin.

"Hey," Sam said, drawing closer, his eyes on you. You forced a smile on to your own face, and lifted a hand, not trusting anything that was coming out of your mouth.

"You're here early," the other man said, stepping onto the treadmill next to Joaquin's, and putting his water bottle down next to the machine.

Both of them were looking at you now, and it's not like you could handle staying in this gym any longer. "I came down looking for my water bottle. I think I left it here yesterday."

Sam raised his eyebrows glancing around the gym, and Joaquin stepped down off of the machine. "Do you want help looking for it?" he asked, and your whole body seemed to tense up at the idea, your brain transporting you to a future scenario where the two of you wandered around the room, Joaquin next to you or behind you, so close you could feel the heat radiating off of him, all the while searching for a water bottle that was sitting on your dresser.

"No." Your voice came out too high, but you tried to play it off, shaking your head. "I've already interrupted your workout enough. It's either by the weights or not in here."

"Alright," he nodded. "If you need any help looking around the compound though, let me know."

"Thanks," you said. And then you gave another stupid wave and beelined it for the weight racks because you had to get out of here.

You made a show of looking next to each section of weights, even bending over to check underneath of them as if it could have been knocked under somewhere. After you felt an appropriate amount of time had passed to be convincing, you straightened up, empty handed. You turned back to Joaquin and Sam, both watching you rather than continuing their workouts as you might have hoped.

"Not here," you called back with a shrug and then left the gym and headed straight up to your shower.

He was nothing if not predictable.

The minute Y/N bent over to check behind the weight rack, his eyes were glued to her. Or perhaps more accurately, the bright teal spandex shorts she wore. As she pulled herself back up from searching for her water bottle and turned to them, Joaquin quickly looked to Sam as if the two had been talking the whole time and then "casually" returned to her.

"Not here!" she said, shrugging and then walking out of the gym, her footsteps quick and purposeful as she left through the door Sam had just entered by.

"So, what'd I interrupt?"

Joaquin looked up at Sam as if remembering he was there. "What?"

"You know, when the two of you were sitting by this machine making eyes at each other? Did you actually say anything to her or….?"

Joaquin shook his head. "No, she just came in and, uh, we chatted for a second, and then…" he trailed off, as if not fully remembering any of the past ten, twenty, however many minutes.

"You just chatted," Sam repeated, the disbelief on his face edging into his voice.

"Yeah," Joaquin nodded.

"Anywhere in this chat you finally ask her out?"

"Nah, it didn't feel right."

"It didn't--she was practically taking off the other half of your clothes with her eyes," Sam sputtered, gesturing to Joaquin's shorts.

The kid laughed and shook his head as if Sam didn't know what he was talking about. Joaquin moved to exit the gym as well. "I'll see you later, man," he said, leaving a very exasperated Sam behind.

Bucky Barnes was a motherfucking liar.

"Let's grab a drink on Friday," he said.

"Consider it me making it up to you for being such a pain in your ass," he said.

"I'll buy," he said.

Mothefucker.

This wasn't just you and your favorite co-worker getting a drink. This was a goddamn set up. Because one hour and three mojitos into the night, Sam and Joaquin walked in the front door.

"I fucking hate you," you said, glaring up at his stupid smug face.

"Well, what a surprise, he grinned, as you shook a finger up at him.

"I told you in confidence I'm a flirty drunk."

He snorted, giving you a look out the side of his eyes. "You told me you were a flirty drunk after you sent me several highly inappropriate drunk text messages about what you wanted to do to a certain Lieutenant, who," the self-satisfied smile was back on Bucky's face. "Is making his way over to us right now."

"When I get home, I swear to God, I'm buying you a ticket to Wakanda."

Bucky quirked an eyebrow. "You're not going to do it now?"

"I didn't bring my credit card because you said you were paying," you huffed.

Before Bucky could respond, Sam and Joaquin were next to the two of you, greeting Bucky with hand slaps and one armed hugs. Sam came around and wrapped an arm around you first before sliding into the seat next to Bucky, and Joaquin came forward, giving you a quick hug.

Which was a first.

More than the feeling of his back underneath your palm, or the way he seemed to emanate warmth, you were done in by how absolutely incredible he smelled. But before you could fully identify whether it was his shampoo, a cologne, or just him, he pulled away and took the only other available seat near the group--the one next to you.

"I see you started without us," Sam said, raising his eyebrows at the assortment of glasses that sat before you. Most of them were Bucky's as he downed beers faster than should have been humanly possible.

"Hard drinker, huh Y/N," Joaquin teased, shooting you a smile.

"Pfft," you dismissed. "Only three are mine."

"Three?" Sam asked, leaning forward to better look at you. "How long have you been here?"

"An hour," you said, completely unnecessarily leaning forward too.

Bucky shrugged. "I got the time wrong."

"Guess we better catch up then," Joaquin said, and you sank back into your chair, narrowing your eyes at him in challenge.

"If you can."

They did.

You were outpaced fairly quickly against the two soldiers and one super soldier. The rum-induced fuzziness around the edges of your brain was compounded by having Joaquin so close to you. At some point he'd pulled his chair a bit closer to yours so that he could better hear the conversation, and you don't remember when it happened, but his arm had also slid around the back of your chair. To your relief neither Bucky nor Sam seemed to acknowledge this. In fact, Bucky was positively quiet and normal all things considered. Everything was going better than you could have expected.

Until the music kicked up.

Sam was the first to be dragged onto the dance floor. He was Captain America. Of course he'd been targeted by the stunning girl in the red dress who'd only had to come up and ask "Does Captain America dance?" to succeed in pulling him off to the dance floor.

Bucky was next. Although he wasn't tugged onto the dance floor by his hand the way Sam was. It was the sight of the person in the tight black number that did him in, luring him away to the dance as if drawn by a magnet.

And then it was you and Joaquin, sitting at the bar. Alone. Together.

You looked up from your drink, pushing the straw down into the ice to stir up the clinking sounds, and he took a swig of his beer before putting the bottle back down on the bar.

"Alright, let's dance," he said, nodding with his head towards the crowd, and you let out a disbelieving snort.

"I don't know how to dance. I mean, I can dance," you attempted to clarify, although you had a feeling words were failing you at the moment. "But that's real dancing, and I can't do that."

"I guess you're lucky you have a really good teacher asking you to dance then," Joaquin grinned, holding out a hand. You looked down at his open palm, hesitating only for a second before you slid your hand into his and jumped down from your chair.

He led you out through the moving bodies expertly, dodging couples who were clearly more into the dancing than each other and couples where the complete opposite was true. The small bit of space he found you was closer to the center of the dance floor than you'd usually feel comfortable with, but when he turned towards you with that look on his face, any of your residual anxiety had vanished.

"Ok, come close," he said, and you took a small step closer to him, causing him to laugh. "Closer." He gestured, and you moved forward some more, Joaquin's hands finding their way to your hips and pulling you even closer. His hands rose, one finding its way to your mid-back, pushing your elbow up to rest on his, as the other took your hand and placed it over shoulder.

"This ok?" he asked, eyebrows raised, and you nodded, trying to keep your attention on him, his instructions and his words, and not the way that you could feel just about every part of him from the way he was angled against you. His right side was flush against your left, and his knee pushed between yours.

"Just follow me," he said, his head bent close to yours. Before you could even respond, he started to move, pulling you along with him through the dance. It was smooth and rolling and you'd never seen a guy able to roll his hips like Joaquin. He seemed to know exactly how to guide you, moving his body to push and pull yours along whenever you hesitated or felt lost, coaxing waves and movements out of you that you didn't know you could do. Each success was met with a small word of praise and a brilliant smile, as his hands shifted to hold you closer, and you wrapped your own hand around his neck to better feel and predict his movements.

It felt as if a fog had rolled in over the dancefloor, obstructing all else from view so it was just you and Joaquin, eyes locked to each other as you moved together, occupying the same space.

The song faded into the next one, and Joaquin stopped. You went to move backwards, to give him space and have him move on as many other of the more skilled dancing couples seemed to do, switching partners amongst each other. But he kept you close to him, hand sliding down to your waist.

"Now you can really dance," he teased, his eyes shining as they stared into yours.

"Only with you." It was supposed to be a self-deprecating joke, but it came out too quiet and earnest. Joaquin licked his lips, and your eyes followed the gesture, flickering between his mouth and his eyes.

You don't remember making the decision. You only remember, moving even further into his arms, and pushing yourself up to reach his lips with your own. He bent down to meet you, pulling you even closer and pressing his hard body into yours. His lips moved as slowly and sensually as his hips had, drawing you in and guiding you through a careful rhythm that promised much, much more.

Sam sat with Bucky at the bar. Joaquin and Y/N had disappeared somewhere amongst the dance floor, hidden amongst the crowd.

"You think it worked?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam.

"If it didn't we're screwed," Sam shook his head, taking a swig from his drink.

As if on cue, the two emerged from the swaying bodies, hand in hand, sweaty and much happier than they had been when Sam had left them at the bar.

"We're gonna head back to the compound," Joaquin said with practiced casualness.

"Yeah?" Bucky asked, and Sam swore there was mischief literally glinting in his eyes.

"Yeah," Joaquin nodded too fast and too many times. "Yeah, Y/N forgot about something there…"

"What'd you forget?" Bucky asked, turning to Y/N with a wolfish smile.

"Nothing. We're going to have sex," Y/N said, flatly, causing Sam to nearly spit out his drink. "And if you say one more word, I know a pilot who will fly you to Wakanda himself. No ticket needed."

Bucky mimicked zippering his lips into a smug look, and she rolled her eyes before tugging Joaquin out of the bar by his hand. And he followed. Eyes glued to her ass.