#i think i can get the general vibes of which is which. but who knows what the fuck i was thinking then lol

[dragonagepolls]

Some propaganda for the underdogs

Unnamed tavern (Redcliffe):

Via @potatoesandsunshine: #i'm in the unnamed redcliffe tavern the night after the HoF dealt with the undead and it's CRAZY in here #loghain spies on my left. militia deserters on my right. and in the middle of it all is teagan's future wife #but he's not here right now so i'm twirling my hair and falling in love with her

Via @vir-adahlen: #*slaps hoods of unnamed tavern (redcliffe) you can fit so much drunk alistair trauma dumping in here

The Gnawed Noble Tavern:

Via @ourinquisitorialness: #i know the Hanged Man is the obvious choice but i have fond memories of the Gnawed Noble Tavern and the mercs who hang out there# ''WATCH WHERE UR LOOKIN OR I'LL RIP UR DAMN EYES OUT AND PISS IN UR SKULL!!!''

Via @taashclimber: #gnawed noble taven #can you imagine the drama you’d eavesdrop on in denerim

Tapster's Tavern:

Via @trevelyawn: #absolutely tapster's #i would love to get shitfaced with a bunch of dwarves #they'd be the most fun

Via @housecantori: #anyway i always loved the layout and vibe of Tapster's

Via @queenbol-of-baldurs-gate: #im sorry but it's tapsters #the SELECTION they got??? #live music stage?? #perfect vibes

Via @gaychocolatehomicide: #i bet tapsters has fantastic pub food #and while im maybe not excited about how oghren describes the alcohol from down there #i appreciate that in later games we learned that dwarves can make good booze its just oghren that was weird

Via @librarydilf: #shout out to tapster's though. one of the only places underground i have ever liked! a warm refuge from the horrors [dwarven politics]

The Crown and Lion:

Via @heniareth: #the crown and the lion in amaranthine #fereldan food may be shit but the beer makes up for it #and they are a trading force so you know there'll be foreign brews too #who needs fancy schmancy minrarhous stuff am i right?

Via @elfmagesurana: #the crown and lion #cos everyone is so chill they let the local drunks prank the hero of ferelden which i rhink is very funny

Via @vigilskept: #you’re ALL wrong it’s literally the crown and lion #1 grey warden staying upstairs another one getting cheated on in the next room #AND a smugglers pass into the attic! what more could u ask for?

The Gull and Lantern:

Via @barkingbarghest: #Going Gull and Lantern because I've been thinking a lot about Redcliffe lately #And it felt comfortable but not like somewhere I had to dress up (the Diamond) #Also the Diamond is a casino and I generally don't like casinos. #You could argue Ferelden is not a good place to get a drink on account of being a backwater #To which I would riposte with: I like dogs and hate Tevinter.

The Cobbled Swan:

Via @crysdrawsthings: adorable sign, live music, delightful ambiance, probably serves khachapuri. Located in the Minrathous' Dock Town as it's own warning. Still, consider the khachapuri. Solid 7/10, everyone goes to the Cobbled Swam

Via @crowlore: #anyway the cobbled swan as a lounge singer sometimes so i want more of that atmosphere

Via @warden-lisme: #cobbled swan is a lowkey dockside tavern with canonically incredible live music #maybe its the chicagoan in me but im not afraid of a bar run by organized crime #i bet the appetizers are fucking incredible

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

updated and improved "all the fears want arthur lester carnally" list

just a general tally of influence/Marks arthur would have received if you were playing by TMA rules. enhanced with further contemplation and with some peer review from @luci-z-wont-shut-up thankyouuu

the eye

VERY dedicated private investigator. consistently more invested in Solving The Mystery than, like, Remaining Alive

was magic-stalked by the KIY and his cult throughout season 1

also kayne was watching his whole life and taking notes to roast him about his trauma later. apparently

something something metanarrative implications of an audience gathering around just to watch you suffer

the spiral

possessed by a god of madness (twice) (three times?) (possibly more depending on how you count?)

was held hostage in a fake dream-realm mental institution with fucked up architecture so one of the aforementioned madness gods could pry information out of him (which also gets cryptically described as "Here, there, everywhere, nowhere. Anywhere." which is sooo the spiral-coded)

relies on someone else to be his eyes so there's always the lingering background awareness that he may be missing or outright misrepresenting information & consequently he can't trust what he sees

the end

he's died.

multiple times.

there's also the omnipresent threats on his life but mostly just that. like. he's been The Ended. doesn't get much more direct than that

the stranger

i still think "losing parts of your body to another consciousness while they are still attached to you" is VERY the stranger type activities

the king in S1 turning any weak-willed bystanders against him so any stranger could turn into a threat without warning

also, the king and scratch posing as normal people, even people he knows sometimes!

orbited by a cast of nonhuman Entities remaking their identities into something closer to humanity for one reason or another (john, yellow, scratch, kayne) and frequently not quite hitting the mark (ty luci)

the lonely

general sense of alienation from his peers that started young and—just vibe checking here, just taking a general temperature—doesn't seem to have gotten much better over time

"I want him safe." / "You want him back." / "...Yes." <- guy who can totally handle being alone

john left and he went fully off the deep end in the span of like, a day

it's just one of those things that i think he hates and is terrified of but also is constantly haunted by

the desolation

the whole vibe of the death/destruction specifically of things that could have brought meaning to the world, or people who had a lot to live for and could have touched other lives and had an effect on others, is... um. (gestures vaguely at the. all of them)

will do LITERALLY ANYTHING to avoid losing anyone else.

also pain. i feel like pain takes a thematic backseat but it is still a part of the desolation and good lord is this man in so much pain basically all the time

one time he did an arson at an in-progress building site and left a guy bleeding out in the ruins!! desolation come get your juice

also independently invented molotovs so he could use them to kill a different thing which was perhaps divine inspiration straight from the lightless flame itself??

the slaughter

start with parker's death and just work your way down from there tbh

the butcher confrontation "Whose life did you take without provocation, without threat? Who did you kill that was innocent?" vs the slaughter's "random, senseless, unmotivated violence"

also knowing that pain and death are coming but not where or when or how. Yup 👍

just. in general. he has been wading through his own and other people's blood in equal measure since the start of the damn show

had to hide in a pit full of rotting corpses that one time

the vast

timelines! go confront how meaningless your entire life is in the face of the uncaring multiverse! have a quick crisis about it! fuck meaning!

i still don't have a whole lot for this one tbh

he can't stop falling off things obviously but i don't think he's particularly scared of that. i think he's resigned to it. balance is a fickle beast and he has accepted that it does not return his affections.

one time a kraken almost drowned him?

the buried

known claustrophobe!

almost got pinned in a cave, unable to move, on multiple different occasions!

this man and caves in general have a very very bad relationship. they keep making him be underground and then terrible things happen to him down there.

drowning goes here also :)

the dark

"Funny. Before all of this, I used to fear the dark. Not in any crippling way, but – but now it’s… well, now it’s no different."

used to be unnerved by the dark and now he is blind. checks out

also, the dark world. it's in the name, baby. that's more john's fear but i think it has to rub off on him at least a little bit

the corruption

eeeeverything that happened with the witch. she tried to use him to breed maggots. now that's what i call Corrupt™

horig, also

obsessive, almost self-destructive levels of devotion to an entity that killed his friend and wrecked his life. listen i'm supportive i think they're perfect for each other in an ESH way i'm just saying this probably also falls into the corruption's purview (ty luci)

ESPECIALLY considering john lives in his body like a parasite. not trying to be derogatory here but like, on an objective level. he is stealing his body parts. and arthur loves him. again, incredibly on-brand for the corruption

the web

he Doesn't Like Being Told What To Do >:[

ongoing vendetta against cult shit for this exact reason

the idea of not having fully free will seems to be very actively and deeply concerning for him

"I am the captain of my soul" and so on and so forth

got literally brainwormed by The Creature back in addison (twice!)

the flesh

Michael Fucking Faust

also, had to bite his own finger off before that. in case you needed or wanted some bonus points

the hunt

HOO BOY has he ever been Hunted. so many times by so many different things. take your fucking pick

also: "You are hunting." / "Predators need to be hunted." <- basically an active prayer to the hunt

this man is prey animal rage incarnate honestly. go!! lose yourself in the bloodlust!! kill them before they can kill you!!!!

john would really appreciate it if he was a little Less cozy with the hunt tbh :(

the extinction

i'm actually not counting this one bc it doesn't take avatars and also doesn't rrrreally exist yet

he's lived through a world war and a pandemic. how's that. i think that's as good as it gets.

CONCLUSION: i still think arthur should go shake hands with the vast and get carried off by a bird and hope that gets the rest of these assholes to fuck off. i think it's his best bet atp.

[athletearrhythmia]

Needles coming up again

First wanted to reference back my thoughts on this from awhile ago:

but I also wanted to say some of the comments I'm seeing around aren't oriented to harm reduction, they're just tearing down people who engage in needle play and post it. Which is not going to save anyone. It's going to galvanize and sequester folks which will cascade into riskier behavior.

I guess what gets my goat about it especially is why I've pulled back from a good number of folks, which is engaging in dark cardio play as a means or extension of self harm. People know this stuff is dangerous and stupid, you don't need to remind them. That's not going to "wake them up". Some people by comparison just... like doing it. Neither case will respond to this approach.

I don't offer a definitive solution, i just don't vibe with yelling at people. I appreciate things like folks declaring that they'll disengage from the content: that I think does something.

So here's my additional thoughts to tack on to my last post:

If your perception of reckless behavior is that it doesn't matter because your life is so bad or meaningless that the consequences can't make it worse, you're depressed and you need help. Getting help isn't easy. But you need it.

If you feel a strong desire or need to do this for sexual gratification, you need to find healthier outlets. I struggle with this immensely myself. I'm open about liking and engaging with this content and some of its creators. The best I can do for myself is dark roleplay or using already existing content, and playing with generally safer dark play (which will always carry its own risk). The ideal would be to not find it gratifying. I don't know how to.

You should never engage with someone whose relationship to you is conditional on risking your health-- people you actually talk to or "fans" of your content. Anyone pressuring you to play with needles, especially when you're on the fence or have expressed you don't want to, doesn't have your best interests in mind. If you walk back wanting to do it, regardless of if you ever have done it, avoid the people who don't support your decision.

I'm never not going to end a public discussion of needle play without reemphasizing its danger. The possible bad outcomes are catastrophic and there's almost no way to mitigate the risk.

I'll add as well that the community has an obligation (IMO) to make sure newer or younger participants know how dangerous this kind of play is. Don't allow people to stay naive.

[sillygoofyqueer]

Why is the Ithaca Saga wangxian coded and how you could write an Epic fic about it?

I'm so glad you asked Anonymous Asker on Tumblr Dot Com!

Okay so let's start with The Challenge - At the start of this song, Penelope talks about how she has been waiting for Odysseus and unravelling the tapestry she has been weaving for him for TWENTY YEARS! This is similar (to me, anyway) to how Lan Wangji plays Enquiry for Wei Wuxian every night for thirteen (or sixteen, for all those Untamed fans) years, both of them desperately waiting and hoping for any sign of their beloveds returning in their own ways - either getting home before Penelope finishes her tapestry or just replying when Lan Wangji calls for him in the night.

Then Penelope is like "yo wait...the storm....MY HUSBAND COULD BE BACK!!" and then she obviously tells all the suitors that anyone who can blah blah blah blah BLAAH (I'd write it but I'm minorly tipsy right now my bad), wanting to prove that her husband is back. To meee, this is like Lan Wangji listening to Lan Sizhui talking about Mo Xuanyu and being like "hmmm...sounds familiar. Babygirl??" I can't explain that very much but YOU KNOW?? THE VIBES!!!

Then we go onto Hold Them Down - Okay, so this one is so much more loose because I'm a moron but I do think that I can make this wangxian coded!!! Because, right, with the different suitors trying to string Odysseus' bow, it can be like the different sects vying for power - power that an alliance with the Lan Sect could bring (through MARRIAGE to WANGJI), which is why they're all trying to 'string the bow' or......court him, if that makes sense.

Then we move onto the suitors plotting to kill Telemachus so they can gain power (and what I say next is literally JUST what I think would happen) similar to how I think that if the other sects (like the Jin sect) found out about Lan Sizhui being Wen Yuan, they'd probably try and kill him too because BOOO HIIISSSS BOOOO A WENNNN!!!! (I think that'd be a cool plotline......)

Obviously then we move to the suitors being slimy bastards about Penelope, which could be like certain sects being slimy bastards about Lan Wangji!!! Like, we know it could happen because Jin Guangshan gets away with being a slimy bastard all the TIME, and as long as they're not doing it around the Lan Sect, the sects could say whatever the fuck they want!!! Man, can you tell I'm slowly going insane???

THEN!!! Odysseus. HahHAHAHAHHA. Come on pals, let me whip out the lyrics because this one was just like "WOAH HOLY SHIT!!" Alright so basically we literally start with Odysseus talking about how he's dealt with so much SHIT through the twenty years he's been gone, just to come back and hear the suitors being disgusting about his family - which can be linked in such an awesome way to Wei Wuxian because imagine that guy being like "I've been through all of this fucking SHIT (the destruction of Lotus Pier, the Burial Mounds, the Sunshot Campaign, everything with the Wens, accidentally killing his sister's fiancé, Nightless City, being ripped apart by ghosts and corpses???) and I come back to you planning to kill my SON (a Wen) and defile my HUSBAND FRIEND??" and the sects being like "oh SHIT, it's the Yiling Patriarch!!"

And then we have the suitors running and trying to escape Odysseus as he goes about and kicks their asses - and there was one quote that really got to me! So, we know that one of the suitors is like "we have the advantage!" and another one is like "No, you don't understand it, this man plans for every fight", which truly and utterly reminds me of how everyone seems to forget that Wei Wuxian was once the head disciple of Lotus Pier and literally one of the strongest cultivators of his generation due to him instead being portrayed as a villainous monster because of his demonic cultivation. The suitor dies after saying this, so I'm not sure what kind of cultivator would say such a thing!

And we can think about Odysseus being like "you think I don't know my own palace? I built it" with the second siege of the Burial Mounds, in such a cool way!! It could be like the sects running around the Burial Mounds and trying to kill Wei Wuxian but he's like "I spent so many torturous months here, you think I don't know this place like the back of my hand?" And he's just killing them off while they try to run and hide, not letting anything stop him. More killing more murder, then the suitors try and grab Telemachus to kill him - just like they'd try and grab Lan Sizhui to murder him because he's a WEN!!!

Both Odysseus and Wei Wuxian would react in the same way - I mean, did you hear the arrows fucking FLYING AT THE END OF THE SONG??? IT'S LITERALLY SO FUCKING SICK!!!!! I heard that and just thought "holy shit, Wei Wuxian with his ghostly cultivation, absolutely kicking the ASSES of everyone who dared to hurt/threaten his family???" And how both Odysseus and Wei Wuxian started their lives/journeys with peace and mercy in their hearts but everything around them piled up until they couldn't take it anymore and finally, finally fought back.

ALRIGHT I HAVE TWO MORE SONGS TO GO THROUGH BUT I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE ARE VERY INTERESTED????

[shorthaltsjester]

the mighty nein - critical role

this is a place where i don't feel alone. this is a place where i feel at home.

[fisherrprince]

anon had a much different message I’ll try to get back to But it spiraled off in my brain and I think like, a character note about the twins especially in the beginning is that they’re very uncomfortable with (if not with most loud emotions) crying. exactly like my brother and I tbr alisaie is not comfortable with it even if it sometimes happens to her without her consent, so she stuffs it behind being snappy so it’ll stop. as the story goes on she doesn’t necessarily get more comfortable with it, she just gets around people who make her feel more okay about it. alphy just seemed unused to it in general - nothing in his life has ever caused emotion like that to overwhelm either reason or ego or logic, and so it just never happened, and even when he was upset he always always distanced how he felt about things from what his role was in the real world. like as a ten year old they were doing this. after hw it kind of starts happening to him wether he wills it or no, mostly around bittersweet or moments of stress release. which rly leads me to believe in the space between arr and hw was a lot more unmentioned (or obliquely mentioned, they kinda leave it to you) awful attempts at feeling really harsh emotions by someone who’s just genuinely never done it before than we hear about directly. he’s just never cried since he was tiny, and it probably sucked. anyways alisaie understands the emotional weight of events instantly and gets to react to them even if she dislikes it later and becomes determined to fix, while alphy still retains the habit of quickly separating himself from an event until it’s like, done with and either fixed or nothing we can do, and then falls apart. they both kinda try to hide it anyways

[themyscirah]

Amanda... I miss her.

But I don't trust a single person to write her other than Ostrander/Yale. Like I don't trust them to do it right. Because like it's easy to write her being shady and manipulative and involved in secret government conspiracies. That's what she does. But it feels so hollow once you've seen her character in the way Ostrander describes it. Like she is a woman who is desperate and trying to do what she thinks is right. She has found a place of power (as a fat Black woman in the 1980s) and is doing anything she can to fight and hold onto it as powerful and ambitious men try and steal it from her. So she doubles down. She doubles down on the shady deals and the broken promises and the violence and she destroys her enemies, and loses a part of her soul in the process. And then some other ambitious politician rises up and the process repeats itself over and over and over again as each time she loses more of her morality and more of her soul and more of the respect her colleagues had for her. In place of that she gains more power, she gains fear, and an even more badass reputation. Until by the end of the book the villains begin to understand/sympathize with her more than the heroes ever will. Like THAT is who Amanda Waller is. It may happen subtly, it may happen over a longer period of time but that descent is a critical part of her character! She is a tragic character! And I feel like every perception of Suicide Squad I've seen outside of the original has her as this static villainous snapshot which is just untrue to her core imo. Like she is not a hero. But she is also not JUST a villain. She is a highly flawed character who is always descending farther and farther into villainy as she is led there by what she believes is right.

[blocksruinedme]

My hallmark Christmas Smalletho + smallidarity au. it was supposed to be a quick summary of an idea, surely less than 1k.

It's not done and it's over 5k. It's almost Christmas so I'm posting what I have, there will be more. If you want to watch it happen in real time, dm me here or on discord to join my server. You must be 1) 18+ 2) not morality cop. (kill the cop inside yourself who says to police other people. acab.)

Alright so. Joel is a big city boy who is burning out hard cause he's such a toxic sweat. he's in a long term healthy and happy relationship with jimmy. Joel spends december in to rural canada (not as rural as Joel claims) to take care of his great aunt trudy, who is packing up her house to move to assisted living near her daughter. He plans to spend christmas there because jimmy’s going to visit family, and he’s never been very into christmas.

Joel can work remotely and that's why he's the family member who got sent up to canada. He always liked her when he was a kid, but he was a kid and hasn’t seen her in ages. He went in expecting to find a frail old woman who needed to be rescued, out in the misery of rural...ality? but instead he finds someone feisty, who knows far more than he does about life, and is ready to knock him on his ass if needed. She's not being forced into anything. She used to be very physically active, mountain climbing and shit, but now she wants to live somewhere warmer and be able to call an uber. It's not assisted living, it's like the place my grandma lives, it's just age restricted and has like community center stuff. It’s even queer. Joel realizes in retrospect she was very lesbian coded but he was a kid, and then a sullen early 20 something. 

Every day Jimmy texts Joel to tell him to "touch grass" and Joel grumbles and finds different grass to send him a picture of. One day, bored, he wanders far afield while searching for slightly different grass.... 

Etho finds Joel down on his knees staring at grass. Etho looms over Joel and startles him. Joel yelps and stumbles, and Etho laughs at him and Joel growls like an angry tiny dog. Etho tries to soothe him but Joel rants at him and insults him while Etho tries to hide his amusement. Eventually Joel shouts and storms off and it's the most interesting thing to happen in Etho in years. Who is this guy?

(Note: Getting a bit of a pride and prejudice vibe, but with Etho being less of a bitch than Darcy. Go watch “Fire Island” for gay asian-american pride and prejudice it’s so good. Bowen Yang is Jane. Here, Joel (Elizabeth Bennet)  is convinced Etho (Darcy) is this big imperious asshole who thinks he's better than everyone, but Gem and his great aunt know he's a goober.) 

This is a really small town and Etho... ETHO IS FIXING TO GREAT AUNT TRUDY 'S HOUSE. Which Joel didn't know for a few days cause Trudy didn’t want to have work going the first few days Joel was there. Monday, Joel comes downstairs in his pjs and Etho and Trudy are having coffee together. Joel is in cutesy snail pjs got him for Christmas.

Joel is so angry, enraged, how dare big stupid Etho be helping someone he cares about. Joel storms upstairs (he knows he’s not subtle but it is HARD) and calls Jimmy to rant. After a few minutes, Trudy texts him and says Etho is outside. 

Joel comes back down, fully dressed, and Trudy lets him complain. Yes, she remembers him complaining about the nameless asshole the other day, and now it's the fucking guy fixing up the house so they can sell??? And he lives so close??? How dare he! 

Joel he can’t focus on work, no big deadlines because it’s the end of the year, and he doesn’t even have any meetings. They have a generous vacation policy and things mostly shut down in December. Joel sighs dramatically and shuts his laptop and sulks and paces and Trudy laughs. After an hour of Joel being absurdly grumpy, Etho comes in and says “hey sorry there's a thing I need to do but it's physically impossible without someone else, even for a big strong guy like me”.

Trudy and Etho laugh like there's an inside joke Joel's not part of and he seethes. He hates being excluded, especially if it’s because of *Etho.  And Etho says he'll look for other things he can do while he waits to get someone to help tomorrow. But Joel can't get home until the house is done, and that’s his excuse when he announces he's doing it. And Joel feels like Etho is being patronizing but he isn't. They do the task well, work together easily, and Joel also hates that. He hates everything about Etho, especially the way he stays out and helps Etho with other things even after that one is done. Clearly Etho needs… supervision. Can’t trust that big asshole.

Etho's over every single day for a week. Trudy is constantly finding excuses to send Joel out to offer Etho snacks, or to offer help carrying things. Joel fumes but never actually tries to not go. Trudy feigns "oh I'm too old to go offer him coffee" and it's bullshit and they both know, Trudy doesn’t even keep a straight face.  Etho is terribly amused to see he's being "set up with" Trudy's cranky great nephew from the city. Which is clearly a funny joke, Etho knows that he's a non-serious flirt, and that Trudy knows that, and Joel’s only here a couple weeks. Nothing could possibly happen. So Etho thinks clearly Trudy thinks Joel would enjoy flirting... and Etho quickly finds it really enjoyable to flirt with Joel.  Etho isn't analyzing that right now! Flirting is fun and this is a normal amount of flirting! Flirting is just fun! A game, a game where half the time he just lets himself be super awkward and jokey!  

Now it's Saturday afternoon and Joel hasn't seen Etho since Friday afternoon, and that's FINE that's GREAT actually! Because Etho is so annoying, and he stomps, and the construction work is loud sometimes and wakes Joel up - though of course by the end of the week Joel's out there most of the afternoon, and there hasn't been loud work in the morning. (Joel is too stupid to realize Etho did that on purpose, stopping the loudness in the morning. Such a silly boy.) 

So Joel is restless with no Etho to argue with and be annoyed by. (Note: Etho doesn't think they are arguing and Joel doesn't seem to be really annoyed, now does he?)

Joel goes out shopping and, like Joel was warned, the gps is really spotty out here. So he's pulled over the street and angrily trying to figure out how to get to the store before it closes. He's not going to go back to ask for help and it's just that there's no street signs most of the time, he's going through offline maps, he's absolutely so close to figuring it out when there's a knocking on his car and he SCREAMS. So loud Etho hears him outside Trudy's pickup truck. Joel turns and looks at him with a mix of confusion and rage and Etho steps back, waving. Joel rolls down the window and Etho explains he was waving but Joel wasn't looking up, and Etho instantly realizes Joel's lost and Joel is SO MAD. 

Etho says don’t worry, oh follow me to the store, I need to go to the store anyway. (note: Etho does not need to, he gets some stuff but he wasn't out of anything.) Joel is enraged when they get there because it's like two turns away! Etho could have told him! What, did he think Joel would get lost??? Etho doesn't engage with it, just chuckles and acts like Joel isn't Being Like That. He realized on Wednesday he could just ignore it and it would be fine. 

They finish shopping and Etho really doesn't want to say goodbye, though he tells himself he's just being nice to the traveler. He invites Joel out to go bowling, Etho genuinely is meeting people there. Why would Joel do that! When Etho is so annoying, he could go home and call Jimmy and maybe jerk off together, maybe just complain about Etho, but somehow it seems he said yes, why did he say yes, what the bloody hell now he's renting *bowling shoes*. 

Joel realizes Etho's asking him what he wants on his pizza (they sell it there) and etho knows Joel is vegetarian and isn't being weird about it, which Joel assumed everyone out here would be so he tries to hide it. He said he just wants cheese, then asks for pineapple to see if Etho is mean about it. Etho is not mean about it. By the time Joel has his shoes on, Etho is back and quickly describing people they are meeting and Joel is shocked Etho has friends. He knows that's rude and stupid but he just imagined Etho as a friendless introvert. But he's happy and comfortable with his friends - though it's true he only has a couple friends. 

And GOD DAMN IT but Etho is GOOD at BOWLING. Joel goes to the bathroom and frantically reads about how to get good at bowling real fast. Etho does not comment how it's obvious Joel is suddenly Trying Techniques. They eat pizza, they drink beer (joel doesn't really like beer, he's all into mixology but he drinks anyway after some complaints). Everyone can see they are flirting and generally think it's adorable. 

Joel finds himself genuinely comfortable - he blames the beer for dulling his senses. In truth, the beer is helping him calm down and drop some of his overactive brain that tries to protect him from pain by protecting him from everything. 

They finish a set, or a whatever a round of bowling is. People are taking a break, they go off for more pizza and giant pretzels and deep fried mac and cheese balls and the bathroom and stuff. Etho comes back with beers for himself and Joel. They wind up alone for a few minutes, as Etho teases Joel about his fancy cocktails, asks about them and mentally takes note of his favorites so he can go get the ingredients and... he's not sure what. The alone time stretches on a bit cause Etho’s friends are deliberately staying back and watching. 

Then Gem walks in.

Gem walks in the front door and finds the group trying to look innocent. They all walk back with her cause it would be insanely awkward to have Gem go over alone to Etho who is flirting with Trudy’s nephew who she’s never met. 

Etho isn’t sitting next to Joel, that would be too much to deny, which means once everyone is back they aren't sitting next to each other. Gem sits next to Joel and cheerily says she heard about the new guy, and Joel splutters and says he's temporary, and she's friendly and chatty but god Joel wishes he was still talking to *Etho*. He's so upset that it's true. 

Joel starts texting Jimmy just to have something to focus on, and goes to take his first turn, and comes back to his seat and... Etho and Gem are flirting, They are clearly flirting, and seeing it he realizes several things at once

A) Joel and Etho have absolutely been flirting

B) Etho is flirting with Gem like Joel isn't even there

C) It feels bad D) Joel hates that it feels bad

However bad it feels (a lot), Joel tells himself he can't leave because it would be obvious why, everyone would know he minded Gem and Etho flirting. Then maybe Etho would *say something* or even worse *apologize* and he'd die on the spot. Or maybe Etho wouldn’t say anything, wouldn’t care, wouldn’t offer to walk him to his car, and that’s terrible too. (And more terrible that he wants that)

Joel tries four times to explain the situation to Jimmy, and then just asks if he can do a call later, asking when is Jimmy going to bed.

[cut to: Jimmy looking at his phone with his brow furrowing, ready to stay up as late as Joel needs.]

Two people leave after that set/round, and Gem says Joel has drunk too much to leave, she can drive him home later cause she's not drinking tonight. Joel feels like he’d be sober fairly soon, but Gem’s not *asking*, she's informing Joel that therefore he should drink the beer she's handing him right now, and she's so nice and honestly so pretty and Joel's drinking the beer, and whoever he was splitting the pitcher with says they are done and Joel should finish it.

Why? Because tonight is unique and strange, and Gem has seen *something* and she's not going to let Joel go off and... sulk? She feels like this is a one time opportunity, if she lets Joel get away that'll be it, something will be gone, and for the worse. She can't put words to whatever is going on but she's going to be in control of tonight. 

Meanwhile Joel doesn't even think about the fact that he has a car here that will need to get back, he's so used to just taking cabs/lyfts around it just feels like an alternative to that. 

Etho does not comment, sipping his own beer... and getting another, because he also wants an excuse to not drive. Part of his mind is making a *fuss* about this behavior, making a fuss about the way he keeps looking at Joel, but he's ignoring it.

Eventually bowling is boring. Joel isn't as good as Etho, but he isn't always last, even while drinking. (Maybe everyone except Gem is drunk, but he’s not paying attention to anyone besides Gem and Etho). Joel is texting grumpily and Etho teases him about being grumpy, he says he's explaining to Jimmy that he's drunk on *beer* and it's appalling how far his standards have fallen, he gets over dramatic and silly

Due to miscommunication between multiple people, Etho has wildly misunderstood things and thinks Jimmy is Joel's long time housemate. He knows people in the city do that because everything is so expensive. They’ve lived together across multiple apartments, which sounds nice, to have a friend like that, a partnership of some kind.  Etho thinks they are both queer, which seems normal and also nice.

Gem laughs and asks what Joel normally likes to drink, and Etho starts teasing about Joel's fancy drinks, and Gem moves so she's as far away as she can be (it's a small space). 

[Gem is the woman doing math meme]

Joel winds up at Gem's place, which is walking distance away. He thinks it's because that's how he gets back home - to Trudy's, that is. He’s feeling so complicated and he hates it and there’s no way he can process it tonight. Therefore, Joel is giving himself permission to do whatever because he's very loud about how he's drunk on beer and it's too much liquid to put in one person and he's back to cocktails and shots after this. 

Etho teases him about being small and touches him and it's the first time they've touched. Joel is so ANGRY because he wants Etho to touch him more, touch him in other ways, and either Etho just flirts with people or maybe Gem's his *girlfriend* and Etho's probably *straight* this isn't the city why would he be....

They’re almost to Gem’s and  Etho bumps Joel's side with his own, teases him about thinking too much. Joel gets grumpy back and suddenly they're at Gem's, and it's five people and maybe Etho’s going to leave and it feels like if he does it’s forever, he’ll never see him again, but the other two disappear so fast and it's the three of them. Etho says he can't drive yet but he doesn't *seem* drunk - but then Gem is offering them cocktails, and Joel had sworn off more drinking but it's *civilized* here and Etho laughs so loudly and Joel should really just leave.

He doesn't.

In honor of the season, a prompt:

You have been tapped to write/direct the next Hallmark Christmas special. Which blorbos do you cast as your romantic leads and what's the summary of your feel-good holiday tale?

[daylighteclipsed]

I doubt the devs meant for cloud strife to be so autistic-coded, but holy hell does he come across autistic

[orykorioart]

Not a vessel for your good intents.

Hey. Remember that Drawfee speed draw from like last year (the one that was also tecnhically a tumblr challenge or wtvr)? Hey.

Here’s an old sketchy sketch (May2022) of some ladies I did for that song challenge, except I only added the two (2) bands I was regular listening to at the time, which was The Crane Wives and The Oh Hellos, lol.

IIRC songs are: Tongue and Teeth (TCW), The Garden (TCW), and This Will End (TOH).

+ Extra best boy Eugene sketch (Jun2022) from Aggie streams w my friend. As a treat.

[blujayonthewing]

at the oral surgeon and barely spent any time in the waiting room, where I could have been fooling around in my sketchbook and Vibing. I have, however, spent a LOT of time sitting here waiting in the exam room after watching their friendly informed consent video about how all procedures involving sedation include a risk of death

[butmemostly]

there is not enough 92sies sprace. i know what you all are doing. 92sies fans did not get on their knees and pick up crumbs to ship spot and race for the rest of us to run off with it and apply it to livesies where not only do they not even directly interact, but fanon prefers because they find the actors more attractive, and then proceed to boil their characters down to 1-2 traits each and ship them in a weird almost f/tishy "dumb feminine man x angry masculine man" way. guys this is a class war not the yaoi war.

[heavenknowsffs]

Sorry for another vent post but here goes

[theloveinc]

i'm glad i'm not the only one who sees miguel's character hard to capture . i find his character so interesting, interesting enough to watch a hour long analysis vid on yt abt it since his motive for catching miles slowly dissolved into jealously and anger. by for the love of god if u pointed a god to my head and asked me to write abt him i'll say shoot me.

LITERALLY‼️‼️‼️ I love him and his story BEYOND WORDS and yet… we never actually see him in a situation where he’s not motivated by something very titular to his storyline (vs. his character). And ofc it’s a movie so like, we can’t know every single moment of his life (and in fact, we do get very important reactions)… but at the same we ALSO know he’s actually quite humorous and snarky and a lil goofy, too, and CAN BE SO SWEET LIKE WE LITERALLY SEE WITH GABI…

But how does one capture that without making it OOC given the ENTIRE STORYLINE???????????? Just, two coexisting things that don’t really fit without so much thought and detail, and while I love that aspect, it’s also ARGHAHSH when it comes to writing him in non-battle / ATSV circumstances :(((

Cuz he’s so complicated and multi-dimensional LOL (and we have yet to see every facet) that writing about him fucking and cuddling and really ANYTHING could just be about any ol’ fictional man……..

IT MAKES ME SO RAWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR can’t believe u watched an hr long YouTube video tho LMFAO I hope it was on 2x speed

[designernishiki]

saw some folks on twt sayin kiryu’s whole Look and his slightly zesty body language is all a bit fruity in that clip and i aint gonna lie i dont disagree

[xcziel]

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