#i'll get 2/3 of the way through a post and then a side point
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aphel1on · 6 months ago
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no one should let me write meta. apparently what happens when i join a fandom early enough that not every conceivable post has already been written is i go a little deranged with it. half written blorbo essays everywhere. my blog drafts are a fucking warzone right now
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ludwigplayingthetrombone · 6 months ago
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Post war/coma comic about Gai struggling with his recovery
Since tumblr hates long form comics, I have to split this into 2 bc its 36 images. This is the first part, part 2 i'll either do as a reblog or a separate post right after this, stay tuned! Links to support me in pinned post <3
tw: s*icidal thoughts, injury, a little blood
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Bisuke: Gai's Back!
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Gai: GRAAH!
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Kks: Im home Gai: Welcome back Kks: [wheels rolling] Hey,
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Kks: Ga-!? Gai: Im fine. The tile is cool on my face. Kks: Wanna go lay down in bed? Gai: I am so /sick/ of lying down. Kks: Ok. What do you want for supper?
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Gai: You're not going to comment? Kks: I already know what happened. You overdid it again. I should be able to keep up with chores, kakashi. Kks: You can. Just don' bull through it all in one go. Do you want to end up in the hospital again? Gai: Please don't. Kks: I know sitting still is hard for you, and "too much" is in your DNA, but you have to take this slow so you don't exacerbate your injuries, Gai. You went from hyper-aware to pretending your body limits dont exist. Gai: Like you haven't done the same.
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Gai: You've proved your point. Kks: It's not about that. And you've dragged me to bed and out of bed repeatedly when I needed it. You were burning alive from the inside. Tsunade told you your immune system is out of whack. You need to take it easy. /I/ know you're capable, but are you trying to prove to /yourself/ you are? Gai: You want me to admit my embarrassment? Kks: If something serioud happens, You'll be even more embarrassed then
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Gai: How could you possibly know how I FEEL?! How could you EVER KNOW HOW I FEEL?! Kks: I DON'T! But I've /been/ the one ouking and sobbing on your bathroom floor because I couldn't take living anymore! And I don't want that for YOU!
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Kks: I'm sorry, Gai. Gai: I'm sorry
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Kks: I can't stand knowing you're in pain, and I can't get you help. If there was a way, I'd do anything. Gai: You do so much to help me already.... And I yelled at you Kks: I've screamed at you so much, that was pretty tame. I wish I was like you with things like this. Not great with what to say...... But I can listen.
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Gai: I hate feeling so weak. I'm tired all the time, in constant pain, I can't even walk-..... I can tell tenten and the boys worry despite my efforts to appear positive. Kks: They're just not sure how to react. They know you hate being babied, but don't want to push you into hurting yourself. You hate being told you can't do something. They love you. You get stronger everyday, everyone is cheering you on.
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Gai: I know it's irrational, but... I feel like you gave up the Hokage position to take care of me. Kks: Haa!? I'm grateful if anything. I'd be retired too if I could. That'd be amazing. I'm dreading just helping Tsunade but as long as you're by my side, I'll be fine. We're still equals, rivals, friends, partners
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Gai: Even if I can't- Kks: /Always/ wil be, dickhead. Gai: You worry about me hurting myself? Kks: I know you think about it
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Kks: We're the same in that regard Gai: I would never act on this, please believe me, these thoughts are rare........... Kks: It's ok, Gai. Gai: Sometimes I think i should have just died. I feel so out of place on the streets I used to feel so at home at. I never asked to live. I didn't plan to. I just don't know how to-...
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Kks: I understand that. Though, dying didn't feel any better. Gai: I know I didn't fully pass like you did. I didn't see papa. Just for a moment, I wish I could have seen him.
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Kks: As much as I'm sure he wants to see you again, It's too soon. Dai'd slap the shit out of you for wanting to waste your youth just to see him. Gai: [chuckle] probably. Kks: I have those thoughts less and less now, but they're still there. "why am I the one who survives?" "Burden" "Gai will come to his senses eventually"
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Gai: FALSE!! None of my grief is with you! I love living here with you! My love for you only burns hotter each day! You're so lovely inside and out! Kks: Maa What did I do to deserve such praise from teh mouth of the hottest man in Konoha?? Gai: YOU STILL THINK I'M HOT?! Kks: YOU-! [CACKLE]
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Kks: Your bad taste is the only reason I had a chance before someone snatched you up. Gai: The worst. Kks: Thought we'd irritate eachother, but it's been pretty smooth. Even though you still get played by the dogs. Gai: You really wanna throw those stones?
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Gai: They play you just as easily. don't lie. Kks: My point is, whatever you need from me, you have it. No questions asked. Even if you yell and scream, i can take it. You held me together when I was unraveling, and I'll never forget it. Didn't trust anyone else to see me like that. Broken
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Gai: I never saw you as that. Kks: I'll never see you as that
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sarah-yyy · 6 months ago
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Jie jie, what is The Double about?
hahahahahaha i was waiting for someone to ask!! mr r has bailed on me at work again and bossman has the man flu so it's just. me at the office today. working my ass off for partners who are trying to Kill Me™.
what: period cdrama // completed // 40 eps, roughly 45 mins each where: youku (standard disclaimer that i don’t watch with subs so i don’t speak to the quality of eng subs) // i think viki is picking this up?
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this is xue fangfei. daughter of a small town magistrate. married a poor scholar for love against the wishes of her dad. this turns out to be a bad, bad, bad decision because he ends up burying her alive in the mountains sometime post-marriage. :)
this all happens in like ep 1, we're just getting started.
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xff ends up being rescued by jiang li, who is the prime minister's kinda-sorta-exiled daughter. jl has been stuck in a kinda-sorta-nunnery in the mountains for the past 10 years because of her evil stepmother.
i'll skip past all the other bits because there is a bit of a backstory about what happened to jl, but long story short!! jl dies (kinda-sorta-because of xff). xff decides to get justice for both herself and jl. her plan is:
1. become jiang li 2. go back to the capital 3. ?????? 4. profit make everyone pay
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this is xiao heng a.k.a. su-guogong (the translation is duke su but it sounds weird to me so i'm going to stick with su-guogong). he chances upon xff while he's trying to catch a criminal.
xff, who is in the process of executing her Escape Plan, decides eh, any way to escape will do and lets s-gg arrest her to take her back to the capital for interrogation.
(yes, this is wang xingyue who played zhang zhe in kunning palace. yes he looks a++++++ in this show. i am obsessed.)
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side bar, counsels, for a bit of very important information -
su-guogong recognises xue fangfei!! he knows 100% that she is not jiang li and that she is going to cause some chaos. he is Committed™ to watching this drama play out.
ANYWAY. this is the loose premise of the show. it's been fun to watch, and i'm enjoying this a lot!! why should you watch the show?
wang xingyue looks so good in this!! the fans? the capes?? i am obsessed!! everyone in the costumes department deserves a raise.
the story moves quickly and doesn't really drag on. so far, it's been nothing complicated and interesting to watch - i wouldn't say this is a plot-heavy show, just a v good 宅斗 for now, but i'm only like 10 eps in.
the torture my ex-husband who murdered me by showing up in front of him and saying all the right things to remind him of me and the fact that he killed me is so good - normally when this happens, the person looks nothing like their former self, but!! xff's looks haven't changed!! so she's just out here going - hi i am jiang li now and oh btw do you know how cold it is in the mountains where you killed me :)
look i'm......intrigued by this whole shen yurong (ex-husband) and the zhang-gongzhu storyline. i want to see how this whole thing plays out!!
eta: quick post-watch thoughts (may contain spoilers)
a v enjoyable drama!! this is a 爽剧 for reals, like all the plot points get wrapped up and we get a few cute snippets into their happily ever after!! i'm a bit :/ about the way the last few scenes were done in ep 40 (the side character deaths??? extremely unnecessary 🙄🤬 actually the whole war scene was unnecessary but i'm not complaining too much because it gave us That Scene), tbh the whole thing looked more OE leaning BE than HE to me, so the 番外 was quite important to me!! glad we got that!!
shen yurong and zhang-gongzhu both turned out to be so much more interesting than i thought!! a+++ villains, v well-written, and both actors played them beautifully 👏🏼
still an 8.5/10 rec tbh, started strong and held my interest the entire way through
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dwaekkicidal · 6 months ago
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Thoughts on daddy Jeongin?
wait why have i never thought about this…
warnings: gn!reader, exhibitionism, mean dom + brat taming on the last few paragraphs
posting this because the Changbin worship is taking me a little longer than I thought..
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so im a firm believer that jeongin is STILL a menace to this day. like we all know he was a little shithead growing up, but i think the way skz spoils him just made that side of him come back out. especially with the video of him literally choking seungmin and nobody batting an eye (also him stopping the SECOND he saw the camera pointed at them??? yeah keep trying to put up that 'innocent' mask. i see through ur lies mfer), I genuinely don't think he's as innocent as they make him out to be lol
anywhooooo back to Daddy Jeongin..
I think in general Daddy Jeongin is sickly sweet with you even in public. He doesn’t hesitate to buy you items he sees you looking at for longer than a few seconds at a store or just random things he thinks you would like. He takes you out on dates when you least expect it and always has a little gift prepared for you for these dates. I also think he would LOVE to dress you up/pick out your outfits every day if you'd let him, and even more so for dates so you two can match.
"Today we're going to [insert restaurant]! I bought you a new outfit for it and everything~"
I think he's one to keep PDA to a minimum (besides hand holding). UNLESS you ask nicely or there is a person who is very obviously interested in you and is 'unaware' of your relationship. Then, Daddy Jeongin is going a liiiiittle unhinged. They want to play dumb? He'll play absolutely brainless. I'm talking straight up shoving a hand into your pants or up your shirt, grabbing a handful and making you squirm as the person watches. Will not hesitate to walk up to you and interrupt your conversation with that person just to shove his tongue down your throat <3
"I don't give a fuck if it made them uncomfortable. You're mine."
I think in bed Daddy Jeongin would be super inexperienced at first if you're his first lover. Shaky hands hesitantly trailing along your body along your body and soft but hungry hip thrusts for the first few times. But!!!! I'm a firm believer in Fast Learner!Skz so it won't take him long to learn your body and what you do or don't like. So much so that once he proves himself right time and time again, he starts to be a cocky little shit about it.
"I know it 's good. Daddy just knows you too well, baby. And I know *this* feels good too, right? Haha"
Daddy Jeongin definitely invites one (or more hehe) of his hyungs to fuck you open >< Allowing them to fuck any and all of your holes all while he controls the scene, the pace, and where they cum. I think the ego this would give him would be nuts… It would hover in the air around him for weeks, ESPECIALLY if it’s one of the guys that he respects/looks up to the most (I’m thinking Chris, Min, and maybe Seungmin).
"You're doing so good for us baby, you're taking Min so well. He's gonna keep fucking you nice and roughly and if you keep it up and maybe you'll get both of us."
I think he loves a brat (obviously at the right times) so he has an excuse to prove why he's the dominant one. I think he'd have 2 very similar ways of dealing with brats, I won't make a separate post about it like I did with Chris but I'll still explain some of it. The default way Daddy Jeongin deals with one is by being a huge brat back and matching your energy. You push his buttons, he pushes your buttons. You test his boundaries, he’ll test yours. Has a whole stubborn ass "anything you can do, I can do better" attitude and won't stop until you give up and submit first. Not afraid to edge both of your for hours if that's what it takes for you to fold.
"You ready to say sorry? Mmm that's too bad. I was looking forward to letting you cum tonight."
2nd way Daddy Jeongin deals with a brat is full Mean dom. You push the right wrong buttons at the right wrong times and he won't show any mercy. How can he when he learned how to be a mean dom from the best! (Seungmin) So when you talk back, have too much attitude, and/or any other way you manage to piss him off; you are getting a big hand wrapped tightly around your neck or long fingers shoved down your throat to shut you up. Edges both of you here too but will end up cumming inside you before you get to finish and threatens to leave you like that if you don't say sorry. OR will overstimulate you until you're actually sobbing and squirming so much that he threatens to tie you down.
"Maybe if you didn't act like a bitch I would be more willing to give you a break. Now shut up and take it." >.<
Daddy Jeongin who isn’t afraid to punish or discipline you in front of his hyungs. If you piss him off at practice he WILL make you kneel right then and there, in front of all the members and any staff, and will make you apologize. Tangles a hand in your hair, maybe even shoving a few fingers down your throat, and makes you grovel. Also I think if you catch him at the wrong time, he'll threaten to fuck you right then and there (and will actually go through with it depending on who is there and if he's actually mad enough).
“Aw.. you’re embarrassed they’re watching? Good, maybe you’ll learn your fucking lesson this time. Now apologize or I'll edge you on my dick for the next week.”
Continuing a little on that last paragraph, I think he would enjoy bringing in Seungmin (AND) or Minho to 'help' him tame you when you're a brat. It's definitely something that would have to be talked about with all parties, but if everyone agrees to it then you're in for some insane sessions. If you piss him off in the practice room and the people in there just so happen to be Seungmin and Minho, just know you're fucked <3
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luvfy0dor · 6 months ago
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“Your Handprint's on my Soul ♡⁠˖” BSD men x GN!Reader ੈ✩‧₊˚
╰┈➤ Osamu Dazai, Chuuya Nakahara, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol
warnings; established relationship (Fyodor only), first interactions, kisses, Dazais can be platonic or romantic
description; aus/tropes with BSD characters, inspired loosley by my old post about book types/tropes
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A/n; CHAT IM SPEEDRUNNING THIS AS I WRITE THE A/N IM ONLY 2/3 OF THE WAY DONE W NIKOLAIS AND NO ONE ELSE IS DONE EXCWPT DAZAIS BULLET POINT AND ITS 2 HRS TILL POST TIME GOTTA LOCK IN ALSO TYSM FOR 700 💖💖💖
⑅ Osamu Dazai ⑅
• There was only one bed when Dazai appeared on your doorstep one evening. You don't know where he came from and he wouldn't tell you, but he would certainly tell you he wasn't letting you sleep anywhere but the bed, even if you wouldnt allow him to either.
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'Knock knock knock' was the first thing you heard when you woke from your slumber in the middle of the night. You felt a little unsettled, but still tiptoed out of bed to the door, peering through the peephole only to see the big head of your coworker and friend on the other side of the door. You huffed and unlocked the deadbolt and opened up. "What are you doing here this late at night?" You asked, rubbing your right eye with the palm of your hand and yawning. "Oh, nothing much, just here for a stroll! It's been quite the long time no see, no?" He says, letting himself in and taking off his shoes at the door. "I saw you..." You peered over at the digital clock on your nightstand table down the hallway. "Like, 7 hours ago. And you texted me 3." You sigh and pull up your pajama pants. "Can I sleepover?" Your brows furrowed at his question.
"Can you sleepover- Osamu, we have work in the morning and- ugh, you know what, yeah, you're already here and it's raining, isn't it? How are you completely dry? I...I have so many questions that I'm not gonna ask right now. You can sleep in my bed, just don't touch anything else in my room, especially nothing in or on my nightstand, got it?" He shook his head and steered you towards your room with his hands on your shoulders. "Oh no, that'd be rude of me to take your bed! I'll take the couch." You shook your head and yanked him gently by the wrist. "No, you're taking the bed-" "why don't we both take the bed?" You were silent for a moment. "Yeah, sure, I don't want to keep going back and forth with this." You say with a sleepy shrug. He walked in front of you to your bedroom like he lived here on the regular and tossed his coat aside. You crawled back into the bed, pulling the covers up to your nose and feeling the bed dip beside you when Dazai crawled in too. He also took his fair share of the blankets, but you soon realized that Dazai was a blanket hog. "Oh my gosh, I'm gonna kick you if y'dont stop stealin' all the blanket!" You groan, yanking the soft material back towards you. "I am not stealing all the blanket, you're very dramatic." He says, rolling over and scooching closer so that he can still be completely covered by the blanket without yanking it back. Each time you moved, you bunched up more of the blanket and pulled it closer to yourself, leaving Dazai uncovered from his right foot to his knee. "And you call me a blanket hog." He starts to steal some of the comforter back, but you toss it over him and roll over to press your front against his, cuddling him. "You come to my house unannounced and steal my blankets..you can just be another source of heat if you wanna act like this." You sleepily say, eyes still closed as you slur out your words. His face was one of surprise for a moment before it melted into a smile. He put a hand on your head and pulled you closer. "And you know what? That's fine with me."
⑅ Chuuya Nakahara ⑅
• Chuuya reminds me of that one soulmate au where whenever you get marks on your skin, they appear on your soulmates too. Small scars, ink scribbles, and bruises would often appear on Chuuyas, but never because of his own doing.
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Earlier in the morning, Chuuya had noticed a new doodle on his forearm, this time it was one of a cat. Usually it was partially colored-in hearts or imperfect stars, but he always found other drawings of yours to be more amusing. He was currently relaxing on his couch after a long day of work, shoes kicked off and pajamas put on. He'd gotten bored of whatever nonsense he was watching on the TV and decided to examine the kitty on his arm a little more before picking up a pen and deciding to draw one next to it with a little heart in between them. He rolled his eyes at himself, Chuuya Nakahara, the best martial artist in Yokohama and port mafia executive was doodling kitty cats and hearts on his own arm to appease some soulmate he didnt even know. He sighed and leaned back again. It didn't take long for you to notice and quickly scribble a reply that read "Wow, finally. [poorly drawn eye roll emoji] took you long enough to actually interact w/ me! Started to think I didn't have a soulmate." You felt giddy over the whole thing. Yeah, it was stupid, but he drew a cat in love with the cat that you drew! This was the interaction that you had been waiting for since middle school when all the other kids were writing back and forth with their soulmates so much that they'd make frequent trips to the bathroom to wash off old pen ink since they had no phones to text with yet. Teachers hated it, but everyone was already willing to put their education on the back burner for these, essentially, randos. Not Chuuya, though. Chuuya never liked writing on his skin, the way the ballpoint dragged across his pale flesh made him shiver, and so he never replied to you. His focus on other goals also contributed to that ignorance.
After many years though, he finally decided to entertain the whole idea. Chuuya didn't care about who his soulmate was, if he found someone that wasn't them and he loved them, then that was that. He didn't think the universe should decide the only person he could truly be with, so he dated on his own accord. He checked his arm for your reply as if he was checking a watch and he watched the ink appear on his arm, letter by letter and stroke by stroke. He smiled a little and grabbed his pen again. "I never really cared to, no offense." You scoffed when you read that, crossing out the no. "Full offense taken. Anyways, where you from?" He thought on whether or not he really wanted to tell you, so he decided to play it safe. "I'm not telling you that immediately, what are ya, crazy? How old are you?" The number 21 quickly appeared. "And your name?" You started writing out letters, but the ink quickly faded. Chuuya raised an eyebrow and went to write out a couple stray question marks, but the writing came back in a different color. The ink was blue this time. "Y/n." "Okay, y/n, not that you couldn't be lying, I live in Yokohama, Japan. Can I get your number to make this easier?" You smiled and fist pumped. "Yeah, it's ---/---/----." You received a message about four minutes later. "This is better, I have work in the morning and I don't want to have to scrub off any more ink than this tomorrow." You laid in bed, perpendicular to the mattress with your arms hanging off the edge of the bed as you typed out a reply. Your conversation went on for another hour getting to know eachother before he told you that it'd be best for him to go to bed. You wished him a goodnight and he did the same. You knew it'd take a while to build a strong friendship and maybe even relationship, but the thought made you excited nonetheless.
⑅ Fyodor Dostoevsky ⑅
• When I think of my own highschool academic greatness (I'm failing algebra2/trig) I think of Fyodors geniusness and how much highschool/college aus remind me of him. I don't know if he'd try to juggle a relationship and school, but if he did he'd help you be the best student possible while securing that valedictorian title for himself.
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Fyodors slim hand gripped his pencil loosely and moved it acrossed the paper he was given for a written assignment. His hair was pulled back in a super small pony tail and his eyes flickered over to the clock every now and again, waiting for the bell to ring with each passing second. He promised to meet you in the library during lunch to study for your AP Bio test you had coming up at the end of the week. He never minded helping you study, it'd help him retain the knowledge anyways. Finally, the familiar 'ding' sounded throughout the school and he packed up his stuff and left. He walked through the hallways and down the stairs to the library where you were already waiting for him. You smiled and waved him over, opening your school-loaned laptop. "Hey Fedya. I know we always spend lunches together but like, thank you for helping me, I'd be screwed otherwise." You say with a small laugh. He smiles and sits down next to you. "No problem, I don't mind, I did really well in that class anyways." He said while watching you type in your password and pull up an assignment. "Yeah, it's just about- oh! You kept the ponytail in?" You asked him with a smile. You had put his hair up that morning while waiting for the first bell. "Ofcourse I did. It keeps my neck cool." He tells you, tracing shapes on the small of your back with his thumb as he read over the assignment. "This is easy, Myshka, what's the trouble?" "I can't grasp ecology." You say, feeling yourself start to nod off. He raises an eyebrow and hums. "Well, do you sleep during your class like this?" He grins a little. You hum in denial and open your eyes again, glancing at him out of the corner of your eye. "No, I just stayed up late last night cramming and stuff..." You say, resting your head against your fist. "Well that's probably why you're having trouble, you work when you should be sleeping."
You knew he was right, you had other classes that you were doing work for and you had put AP Bio on the back burner because you, a) didn't want to do it, b) didn't think you could do it, and c) saw that you'd feel more successful seeing all those 0's in other classes turn into grades. "I know, I know." You groaned. "But maybe we can just get this one done quick since my laptop is already open." You reaffirm and lean your head on his shoulder. He nods and re-reads the question before asking you what answer you'd pick first and why. You told him and he told you if you were right or wrong, briefly explaining why you were incorrect if that was the case. You were only 5 questions in before Fyodor realized you weren't answering him. He looked to his side and realized you had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He smiled and closed your laptop for you and let you sleep against him for a little while, knowing he'd finish it with you later, very determined to help you get all of your work finally done so you could relax. You clearly needed it.
⑅ Nikolai Gogol ⑅
• Nikolai would be a great, flirty barista, which is why I think coffee shop au would be perfect for him. His ability would be of great use winning over a couple cents in tips as well as your heart.
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When you walked into your favorite, local coffee shop, the first thing you noticed was an unfamiliar face behind the counter. A tall man with long, braided white hair stood with a shaker in hand, clearly working hard to perfect s customers drink order. His eyes literally up when he saw you walking towards the counter, quickly pouring the liquid into a scribbled-on cup and capping it. "I'll be with you on one minute!" He says with a toothy grin, handing the drink to the lady waiting on the far side of the shop. He quickly returns to the cash register to take your order. "Hey! How can I help you?" He asks you and straightens out his apron. "Hi, uhm, can I have a (favorite drink), please?" He punched some stuff into the cash register and the visible screen in front of you showed you your total. "Anything else?" His eyes stared back into your own, making your heart race in your chest when you noticed just how beautiful he was. His differently pigmented eyes and sharp jawline along with the way his pointed teeth flashed when he smiled had your cheeks heating up pretty quickly. Not to mention his hair and physique.
As he was about to point out your staring with a cheeky expression, you muttered a 'yes.' He nodded. "Okay, your total is $4.20." You pulled out the first bill that wasn't a $1 from your wallet and handed it to him, Nikolais eyebrows raising when you put a $20 in his hands, but he stuck it in the register and counted up your change. "Okay, $15.80 is your change, can I get a name?" He asked you while giving you your change before grabbing a cup and sharpie. "Y/n." You quickly said, dropping all of the $15.20 in the top jar. "Ohhhh, wow! Y/n might as well take me on a date with a tip that big~!." He giggles and turns to make your drink for you while you wait with a warm face and stomach full of butterflies. "I don't think I'd mind taking you out on one." You say with a sense of confidence. "Hm, I might have to take you up on that." It's not long before he has your drink made, using a glowy portal to grab the sharpie on the counter relatively far away and scribbling something in your cup again. "Alright, here ya go! Have a good one!" He hands the drink to you, smiling a little bit when he feels your hand brush against as you take it from him. "Thank you, you too." You call back, turning around and walking away. Once you're out of the café, you rotate the cup 360° to figure out what he wrote on it, only to find ten digits acrossed the plastic. You smiled and your heartbeat picks up ten fold. You make sure to take a picture of it in a good lighting to ensure the visibility of all of the numbers, you might just have to arrange a date with him now.
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A/n; AHHHHHHHHHHHH next time event post <3
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sendothetaurus · 7 months ago
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How to write good dialogue
Almost every story needs dialogue - obvious right? Well, this post is about the not-so-obvious sides of conversations. I've struggled a LOT with snappy and realistic speech, so I've made it my mission to collect some handy directives. Here is what I found:
Contents
Information Dumps
Setup And Payoff
Characterization Through Dialogue
Three Simple Questions
Four-Sides Model
Depth
About Answers
Sources And Credits
⮮ Let's go! (^▽^) ⮯
Information Dumps
Everybody knows them, everybody hates reading them. But how do we avoid them? Something really clicked for me when I understood context. If your character talks about something that happened in the past, they don't need to explain what happened. They were there. Here's an example:
"It would be nice if we at least got a B for that paper. Since I will go to college next year, I feel that this is important to me."
The speaker and the listener should be aware of the exposition (regarding their last year at high school). During dialogue, these conditions go without saying.
Setup And Payoff
Instead of dumping everything at once, let the reader guess what's happening. This is done by mentioning something that is not answered right away. Also dropping hints can increase tension.
Scene 1 "Why do you always carry that with you?" she asked and pointed at the box cutter. Her friend eyed her with suspicion. "For cutting." "Yeah, but why?" "Might come in handy sometime." Scene 2 An ice cold shiver ran down her spine as her fingers felt around the bag, searching for the familiar shape. There was nothing. The other tossed the thing onto the floor between them. "Care to elaborate?" She couldn't have known. "How could you!"
Someone definitely has a secret here that they don't want uncovered. It makes the reader speculate: Does she carry the knife to defend herself or does she plan on hurting someone with it?
Characterization Through Dialogue
The general rule of thumb is: Show not tell. If a character is shy, self-absorbed or chaotic, make them act like it. Also, readers take part in the characterization of your protagonists. Make them guess why a character acts a certain way.
"C- can I have your pen?" She twirled her thumbs and looked at the ground. "What the hell, no!" Disgusted, he brushed off his hands on the front of his jeans. "I'mma better disinfect that."
Notice how the girl is stuttering and the boy has a loose tongue. Mannerisms help identifying traits in a character. Everyone has a distinct way to speak (e.g. relaxed, polite, malignly) which makes it easier to tell them apart. Sometimes there is a difference between speech and behavior. This can be quite useful to highlight conflict inside a character.
Three Simple Questions
Who wants what from who?
Why now?
What happens if they don't get it?
These questions ensure plot consistency. For question 3 the only other outcome is conflict. Conversations thrive off of conflict and it is of benefit to have a supplicant and potential provider for a solution. It's basically intention versus obstacle.
1. She wants to be his wife. He doesn't want a marriage. 2. She is pregnant. 3. She needs to provide for a baby all on her own.
Tadaa, a conflict ensues.
Four-Sides Model
The four-sides model is a theory on communication. It assumes that a message has four distinct ways of being conveyed:
Facts -> data, facts, truth and relevance
Self-Disclosure -> explicit and implicit information about the own mindset; likes, dislikes, opinions
Relationship -> information about whether the person is liked or detested; approval and disapproval; "I assume you have [this] opinion of me"; body language
Want -> a direct attempt to influence the behavior of another person; advice, desire or instruction
Since this is highly technical stuff, I'll provide you with an example:
Customer: "I always drink my coffee black." 1. Fact: The coffee I drink is black. 2. Self-Disclosure: I like black coffee. 3. Relationship (POV of the waiter): Did I do something wrong? OR It's their fault! They ordered the wrong thing! 4. Want: Bring me black coffee.
Controlling the message through sender and receiver gives a new level of influence to an author. The relationship-level is the bottleneck in a conversation that holds the most potential for misunderstandings. I'm trying to be aware of it when I write subtext (see below).
Depth
On the nose dialogue is what we want to avoid at all costs. For this reason subtext is created in stories. Read this:
Scene 1 A: "I like you." B: "Nah, I don't like you back. You're so annoying." A: "Ouch, that hurts. I'm not sure if I heard that right." B: "We were never friends. Go away."
This is not how conversations work. Thankfully, dialogue like this is not entirely useless. It conveys what the characters really want to say. The challenge is to think of a way to not say the thing but keep a similar meaning.
The true meaning behind the dialogue is called subtext (scene 1). If I don't know how to continue after a certain line, I write down the subtext first before I decide on how to paraphrase it.
Finally, I add a fitting description of expression and body language if needed. I try to keep it short and simple.
Check this out:
Scene 2 She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I need a ride home later. Are you free?" -> I like you. "Sorry, all seats' re taken," he said without looking at her. -> Nah, I don't like you back. You're so annoying. "Uhm, okay. But I'm small. You could fit me in the footwell, honestly." -> Ouch, that hurts. I'm not sure if I heard that right. He leaned forward as if he had the urge to stand. "Ha, funny. But no, I'm not planning on doing something illegal tonight." -> We were never friends. Go away.
A character's action depends on their own intention and the other's response. I feel it is easier to keep track of what's happening behind the curtains when it's written alongside the dialogue.
Simultaneously, you can keep habits and traits in check. Does the the character apply all criticism to themselves? Are they disregarding or constantly marginalizing others? Do they worry only for themselves or solely for others? Subtext truly is the most powerful tool in conversation-writing.
About Answers
Did you know that you don't have to answer every single question? In fact, there are two other ways to show an emotion without telling it.
The first one is called sidestepping. The character ignores the posed question and carries on with an entirely different topic.
A: "Do you still love me?" B: "We should get going."
It's very obvious, right? By sidestepping the question, we can assume that the character is uncomfortable or angry with the other person.
The other way to answer is actually a bit paradoxical. Through silence, a great variety of emotions can be displayed. It is recommended to refrain from actually describing silence with words like "he remained silent", "he refused to say anything", "he never responded".
- The laptop hummed. - The birds chirped in the trees. - She felt her legs going numb from sitting in an uncomfortable position. - His eyes wandered around, searching the parking lot for a familiar face.
It feels more natural to explain the things that grab our attention when we sit in silence.
This is it, folks. That's all I could find on the topic - for now. If there's anything missing, I'd love to hear it.
‧͙⁺˚*・༓☾ Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope this helped ☽༓・*˚⁺‧͙
My sources are this and this video as well as this article.
Also a big thank you to @zoropookie for helping me with the colors ⸜(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
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iamnot-crazy · 4 months ago
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Pushing the line
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A Law x GN!Reader.
Summary: Your mission to retrieve a pirate captains heart took a nasty turn when a new devil fruit user was brought into play. You and Law get separated from the rest of the crew. Together you fix each other up and find a way to reunite with your crew. While alone you both share some intimate moments revealing that there might be more to your relationship than just being a Captain and head of tactics crewmate.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
A/N: I had a bit to much fun with this and wrote a second chapter with plans for a third chapter for this. I'll post the second chapter tomorrow which is my current favorite. Both chapter can technically stand alone but this one sets the tone and the start to your relationship with law.
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You and your fellow Heart Pirates were in a clash with another rival crew after your captain Law had successfully stolen the heart of their captain. The fight took a nasty turn when it turned out the captain had just acquired a Devil Fruit. As the clash drove the attention away from the vice-captain he shoved the fruit down his throat.
The ground began to tremble violently as the pirate grappled with the fruits power. Law muttered as he analyzed the fruit and the list of powers it may possess. Cracks snaked in the ground splitting the fight in half with a crater.
“Captain! We should get going!” You shout at him from across the cracks. Law looked up before nodded giving you permission to take point. You turn to the half of the crew that was on your side of the fight. “Alright Guys let’s get a move on!” You ordered. The crew nodded and finished their fight with a pushing blow to their opponent before they took off towards the beach where the Polar Tang was docked. You look on the other side of the crater to see the other half of the crew doing the same with your captain following behind them with his sword drawn pushing off anyone blocking his or his crew’s way.
Instinctively, you gravitated towards Law behind the rest of the crew, your eyes flitting between him and the enraged pirates thundering at your heels. "Got the heart?" you gasped, lungs burning. Law met your gaze showing you the pirate captain's pulsing heart trapped in the cool blue cube he clutched. A curt nod of acknowledgment was all you could manage before a frantic yell from Law ripped your attention back. He skidded to a halt; his face etched with horror. The ground beneath your feet dissolved with a sickening crumble. Your stomach lurched; a silent scream trapped in your throat as you plummeted into the abyss.
Before you let out a scream you were transported to the ground next to Law. “Holy shit!” You gasped, clutching at your chest as the world righted itself. A glance down revealed a gaping chasm where the ground had been moments ago, its jagged edges a chilling reminder of your near demise. Law grips your shoulder pulling you to your feet as you glance across the chasm, the crew’s faces were etched with concern. But your reprieve was short-lived as the enraged pirate crew closing in led by the vice-captain. Law whirled around, his sword singing a deadly hum as he spun it around with blue sphere materialized in his outstretched hand, crackling with ominous energy.
“Trafalgar Law!” The captain clapped walking through his crew to the front, “I am honored you came after my heart, but I would like it back now.” As the captain distracted your own you noticed a sliver of movement in the alleyway caught your eye – a glint of metal from a rifle held by a civilian. He had remained unnoticed amidst the chaos but now he had a rifle trained on your captain.
“Captain!” you screamed, the urgency ripping through your throat. Instinctively, you lunged for Law, shoving him with all your might as the deafening crack of a gunshot shattered the air. You felt the bullet graze your shoulder causing you to lose your footing and change you shoving direction into the chasm sending you and Law plummeting into the abyss.
Agony ripped through you as your back slammed against the unforgiving rock wall of the chasm. The impact forced a scream from your throat, choked off as another jolt of pain lanced through your shoulder wound. Law's desperate yell reached you faintly, a mixture of his name and a strangled curse as his hand shot out, fingertips brushing yours before the cruel distance swallowed him whole.
Panic clawed at your throat. Below, darkness crept in as the chasm walls seemed to converge, the sun's light fading into a memory. A frantic glance upwards confirmed your worst fear. The edge, once a gaping maw against the sky, was already narrowing. The pirate was closing it, sealing your fate.
Law's voice, raspy with exertion, echoed through the deepening gloom. "Room!" he roared; the word laced with a desperation. But even his devil fruit ability seemed to struggle against the relentless closing of the chasm.
The sickening descent mercifully slowed just before your body met the unforgiving ground. Law, with a final, desperate exertion, had managed to activate his Room for a fleeting moment, breaking your fall just enough to prevent further catastrophic damage. A groan escaped your lips as you rolled onto your side, spitting a metallic tang of blood onto the dusty cavern floor.
Through the gloom, you made out the faint outline of Law several meters away, slumped against a rock wall. Ignoring the throbbing pain in your shoulder and the dull ache spreading through your body, you dragged yourself towards him.
"Captain?" you rasped, “Are you alright?"
A low groan rumbled through the darkness, followed by the rustle of fabric as Law pushed himself to sit up. He winced, clutching his head with one hand. "Fine," he muttered. "You?" Law asked, his voice barely a whisper in the gloom.
He couldn't see you, not clearly at least. The only light was a faint sliver filtering down from the now-sealed chasm above, barely enough to cast long, grotesque shadows on the cavern walls. He knew you were somewhere nearby, the ragged sound of your breathing a beacon in the suffocating darkness.
Law extended his arm, groping blindly through the air. It wasn't just concern driving him – he needed a reference point, something solid in this inky void. His fingers brushed against your shoulder, the contact sending a jolt of pain shooting through you. You hissed, flinching away.
Law recoiled, his fingers slick with something warm and wet. He couldn't see it, but the metallic tang on his tongue confirmed his fears. "Shit, you got hit," he muttered, his voice laced with a frustration that echoed in the vast emptiness. "This was supposed to be an easy grab," he groaned, burying his face in his hand.
"Hey, hey," you soothed, reaching out in the darkness. Your hand brushed against his, cool and damp. "I'm fine. Barely grazed." You squeezed his hand gently, pulling it away from his face.
The touch seemed to ground him, "We got the heart," you continued, voice firm despite the tremor in your breath. "And the crew made it. We are just a little banged up, but alive. And the one who fired at us wasn't even a pirate, some scared civilian. You did everything right, Captain. We just got a little unlucky."
A smile tugged at your lips, "Now we just need to figure out how to get out of this damn hole," you thought out loud, your gaze sweeping across the impenetrable darkness. You shuffled around, brushing your hand against the rough wall.
Suddenly, your fingers brushed something unexpected - a thick, gnarled root protruding from the rock. An idea sparked in your mind. With a grunt, you tugged at the root, dislodging it from the wall. You ripped a strip of fabric from your sleeve, careful not to jostle your injured shoulder, and wrapped it tightly around the root's end.
Turning towards Law, a plan forming in your mind, you held out the makeshift torch. "Mind giving me a little spark, Captain?"
Law let out a low chuckle, A faint blue glow emanated from his outstretched hand, his Room crackling into existence for a brief moment.  The discharge arced towards your makeshift torch, igniting the fabric with a satisfying whoosh.  The darkness receded, replaced by a flickering orange glow that illuminated the cavern walls, revealing a cramped but navigable space.
The flickering torchlight illuminated your face, revealing your soft smile to Law. You cast your gaze around the cavern, searching for any sign of an escape route. As your eyes met Law's again, you couldn't help but notice the way his breath danced on your nose, the nearness of him both exhilarating and a little unnerving.
Law's gaze held yours, a storm of emotions swirling within its depths. He watched, seemingly transfixed, as you gently reached up. Your touch, surprisingly light, brushed his hair back, pushing his hat aside to get a better look at the wound on his forehead.
"It's a small cut," you murmured, your voice warm despite the chill seeping from the cavern walls. "Might need stitches if it keeps bleeding, but for now…"  Your voice trailed off as you scanned the wound with a practiced eye.
A blush crept up your cheeks as you became acutely aware of the intimacy of the moment. With a swift movement, you tore the remaining sleeve from your boiler suit. You pressed the makeshift bandage against the cut, securing it with a practiced twist. Finally, you replaced his hat, tucking a strand of hair back behind his ear with a tenderness that surprised you both.
You hastily pulled away from him, the heat of the moment flushing your cheeks. You held the makeshift torch high, casting its flickering light across the cavern walls. You noted a tunnel snaking towards the east when the polar tank was docked.
Turning, you saw Law pushing himself off the wall, a renewed determination etched on his face. Before you could move towards the tunnel, a firm hand clamped onto your uninjured arm. Law stood in front of you, his gaze dropping to your other arm – the one with the gunshot wound.
His touch was surprisingly gentle as he brushed the torn fabric of your suit away from the injury. Your breath hitched when he gently poked the area around the wound which had already begun clotting, a scab forming to staunch the blood flow, but the surrounding skin remained red and inflamed. You flinched as his fingers brushed the sensitive area, but before you could protest, Law grabbed your injured arm just above the wound, pulling it closer to him. With a swift motion, he tore off his own sleeve.
"Looks like we both need new outfits," he quipped, a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he carefully wrapped the makeshift bandage around your shoulder. The unexpected tenderness of his actions sent a warmth through you. He turned towards the tunnel and began his hike.
You jogged to catch up with Law, the flickering light of the torch painting the cavern walls in an eerie dance of shadows. Curiosity battled with the pressing situation. "How'd that pirate do something like this so soon after eating his fruit?” you asked.
Law shrugged, his expression unreadable in the dim light. "Devil Fruit powers hinge on the user's knowledge," he explained, his voice a low rumble. "For instance, the Ope Ope no Mi, my fruit, requires medical expertise to unlock its full potential I'm still learning its full capabilities.”
"So, your saying that guy knew about cavern and tunnel making?" you laughed at the oddity.
"Or construction,” Law replied curtly. "Either way, it seems fortune favored him more than skill in this instance."
"Speaking of devil fruits," you said, a playful lilt in your voice. "How did you acquire yours?"
Law's steps faltered for a moment, a flicker of pain crossing his features, barely visible in the flickering light. "That's a long story," he muttered, his voice strained.
You chuckled, oblivious to the shift in his mood. "Well, we've got all the time in the world down here, wouldn't you say, Captain?"
A heavy sigh of defeat escaped Law's lips. "I was just a kid," he began, his voice low. "Thirteen and dying from a disease doctors wouldn’t even touch. Then, someone… someone took pity on me, I guess. He forced the fruit down my throat." He spoke quickly in a clear effort to downplay the weight of the story.
"Was it Corazon?" you pressed gently, a hint of curiosity in your voice.
Law's entire body seemed to freeze. His eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, the only sound was the steady drip of water somewhere deeper in the tunnel. "How do you—" he began, his voice barely a whisper.
You couldn't help but laugh, a sound that echoed oddly in the confined space. "You have his name stitched on the back of your favorite jacket, Captain," you explained, a playful smile on your face. "It's a bit hard to miss."
Law's cheeks flushed a faint red, he clicked his tongue, a small sound of annoyance. "Yeah, it was…" he trailed off for a moment, finally meeting your gaze. "He saved me. I was a terrible kid back then, ungrateful and angry. But he… he was kind.” His voice dropped to a low murmur, filled with a quiet sorrow.
"I wouldn't be here without him, but I just wish I knew why," Law admitted, his voice a low rumble. "Why did he love me?"
The weight of his question hung heavy in the air. You reached out and gently placed your hand on his arm. "Maybe," you began softly, "he saw the person you would become. The strong, capable captain who leads with his mind and protects his crew." A grateful smile tugged at your lips. "I'm glad he loved you and saved you, Captain. Because then who would have saved me?"
Law met your gaze, a flicker of something warm passing through his stoic facade. He didn't reply, but a rare smile tugged at the corner of his mouth – a silent acknowledgement of your words.
As you delved deeper into the tunnel, a soft glow began to illuminate your path. Your heart pounded with anticipation as the light grew brighter, finally bursting into a blinding white as you emerged from the subterranean passage. Shielding your eyes, you looked up to see a small opening several yards above.
"Can your room ability reach that far?" you asked Law, who was already examining the hole.
He assessed the distance, his gaze focused. "With my current stamina, perhaps halfway," he replied.
Your mind raced. "Do you think you could create two smaller rooms, each reaching about halfway up?"
Law's eyes lit up with understanding. "I believe so," he confirmed.
You gripped your sword, readying yourself. As Law cast the first room, its blue sphere extended halfway up the hole. With a swift motion, you launched a rock high into the air. In a blur of motion, Law shambled you into the rock's place, your body soaring upwards. Desperately, you plunged your sword into the soft dirt wall, anchoring yourself. Looking down, you retrieved a small rock embedded in the wall.
Law's hand replaced the rock in your grasp as he was lifted into the air. With practiced ease, he created another room, its sphere reaching the top of the hole. Another rock was tossed skyward, and Law exchanged places with it, falling towards the opening. With a Herculean effort, he grabbed the edge and pulled himself to safety.
Reaching down, he plucked a few blades of grass. Once again, Law used shambles, and you found yourself plummeting towards him, landing with a soft thud on top of him.
Your faces were mere inches apart. The scent of pine and salt mingled in the air as your breath caught in your throat. A surge of adrenaline mingled with an unfamiliar emotion, leaving you breathless. Your lips grazed his, a feather-light touch that sent a shiver down your spine. In that moment, the world seemed to slow, and your heart pounded a frantic rhythm against your ribs.
But just as quickly as the moment had arrived, it vanished. You rolled off of him, your cheeks burning. Your mind raced, trying to comprehend the whirlwind of emotions that had consumed you. You took a moment in silence as you catch your breath.
Once you calmed yourself your face began to blush as you quickly sat up. "Ah well! That was crazy! But we're out now!" You laugh nervously.
Law sat up slowly, his eyes filled with a curious intensity and amusement. He reached out, his fingers gently tracing your jawline. Your heart hammered against your ribs as he leaned in, his breath was warm hovering just in front of your lips.
Impatiently you pressed your lips against his forcing him to the ground with you above him. Law Snickered through the kiss still cupping your cheek with one hand and pulling your waist closer with the other. His lips began to open biting your bottom lip requesting you do the same. You opened your lips holding his top lip between yours smiling as your kiss deepned.
"Captain!" a voice called out.
You broke away from Law, your heart pounding in your ears. You scrambled to your feet, your mind racing. Law groaned as you pushed him onto the ground, his eyes filled with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
"Captain!" the voice called again, closer this time.
Law sighed, his expression shifting to one of resigned acceptance. "Over here!" he shouted.
A stampede of worried crewmates burst through the trees, led by the exuberant Bepo. The sight of you both alive and well caused an eruption of relief and joy.
"Captain! Y/N!" The furry First Mate squealed. The polar bear mink lifted you both into a powerful hug twisting you around. "We were so worried!" He cried, "We watched you both fall into that chasm but before we could come after you it sealed and the pirate crew chased us away."
"It ok Bepo." Law assured in a low and pained voice.
"Bepo can you please put us down?" You gasped as he squeezed the air out of you.
Worried the bear placed you both on the ground and you held your chest as it filled with air. Bepo quickly analyzed the two of you noting your dirty and injured conditions. "We need to get both of you to the infirmary!" He cried lifting you both up again and began running to the tang while you both tried to kick your way out of his hold.
You looked over to see Law trying to force a pout but you could tell he was happy to be reunited with his crew. You began to laugh at the situation with a smile.
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the-nosy-neighbor · 3 months ago
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I was going through text and sound today, looking for mentions of a thing (I'll talk about it later) being repeated, and I pulled up all the audio from the secret videos:
youtube
Because at this point, I've rabbitholed far, far away from where I meant to be. I had also gotten a bit distracted about "the numbers are so hard to read." I don't think I've ever read any theorizing including numbers.
And as I was watching these videos, I saw Wally reach out and tap his cup 3 times. So, I started over, noting the numbers that are said or visuals that you can count:
Poppy/Howdy: Can see 4 balls of yarn
Poppy/Sally: Wally taps 3 times, 2 geese because they are that puzzle kind
Sally/Howdy: There are 2 fruit loops right in our field of vision
Frank/Barnaby: 10 figures (an extra on each side you can see as the video slightly pans.) 3 tomatoes can be seen, with 1 squashed
Barnaby/Eddie: this one doesn't seem to have one? There are 2 or 3 letters on the screen, it's hard to tell
Julie/Frank: 6 figures, 2 tomatoes
Julie/Eddie: 4 crayons
Frank/Eddie: A ton of paper chains. I noticed during this scene that Eddie calls Frank "Frank" and then changes to Mr. Frankly, so it got me to wondering if the lack of number is because a plot point is in the segment. (I know, way out there)
Frank/Poppy: 6 apples on the board, 1 doily
Sally/Jules: 3 images on the script board, Julie makes 3 decrees, she demands 2, 20, 30 in hopscotch,
Julie/Barnaby: 3, 2, 1 (Remember to come back to look at Barnaby talking about being small) Also, here, Julie says "I have a joke that will knock your head off." That's not a typical way to say that. Usually, it's "knock your socks off" so I think we can assume that this is more headless Barnaby motif.
Barnaby/Howdy: 1 ice cream, 1 berry, 2 straws, 1 spoon
Howdy/Eddie: 5 apples, they say 1 and 2
Barnaby/Home: 3, 1, 2 , 4, 4, 2
I may be way off base here, but we've been told about the numbers for a while now. I also want to post another thing about numbers later.
I really don't think it would be accidental, but I don't really know how often numbers are used in a video/script/conversation naturally. Also, I would just be assuming that they wanted us to count things in front of us. That is kind of a crazy idea.
But on the other other hand, the videos are in a particular order (they are named with numbers). The going theory on that is that they progress through the day during the videos, first video being the morning and last video being the evening. But what if the videos are also numbered so that we can put numbers in the right order?
We also had this mechanic in the hidden sound clip naming, which allowed us to hear Wally's message in order. Numbers being ordered that way isn't too far fetched when considering the precedent.
In short, I don't know, but here are some numbers. I think there is something missing from this theory, in that we haven't been provided with a key to tell us what numbers count. Then we'd have to find some kind of way to translate those numbers into something usable.
Comments and ideas welcome. I will even accept and encourage telling me I've been staring at Welcome Home for too long..
I'm going to go find a random video and see how many times you get numbers or a repeated word.
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riding-the-sunset-bird · 9 months ago
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Time for another dive into the code! This time we're doing Warm, Moderate, and Cold Cove again, but for the transition between Step 2 to 3 instead of 1 to 2.
As a refresher to those who might not remember the original post talking about how it works from Step 1 to 2:
When making certain decisions in how you interact with Cove, the game will give you either warm points or cold points. These points are calculated at the end of the step to determine whether your Cove in the following Step will be warm, moderate, or cold. If you have more cold than warm points, the game will only use the cold ones, and same for having more warm than cold points. The points not used are essentially "thrown away."
A "warm" Cove is friendlier to others and cracks more jokes, a "moderate" Cove is closest to his Step 1 self, and a "cold" Cove is quieter and more blunt. They all interact with the MC similarly, except a warm Cove is more likely to tease the MC and not be as dependent while a cold Cove is more likely to side with/cling to them. His relationships with others will still be similar regardless of whether he's "warm," "moderate," or "cold," but how he expresses himself in those relationships may be different.
The warm-to-cold variation is a spectrum that goes from Warm, Warm-Moderate, Moderate, Cold-Moderate, and Cold. There is no Warm Cove who will do Cold Cove things and vice versa. With Warm-Moderate and Cold-Moderate, the idea is that you have a mostly Warm/Cold Cove respectively but with some mild variation.
There is a variable for "moderate" points in the game's code, but it goes unused in the game itself, meaning that a moderate Cove is more of a "default." If you were to go from the start of Step 1 and immediately to the end without doing any moments, that would be the best way of getting a "moderate" Cove. Engaging in moments is more likely to make your Cove warm/cold, so if you've played the game a lot and always go through a lot of moments without using the Cove Creator to change his personality, you could get a Moderate Cove for a potentially different experience.
In terms of the rules on how to get a warm/cold Cove, it varies. If the MC calls Cove out, teases him, includes/talks about other people, and encourages Cove to be more outgoing or do new things, he's more likely to be warm. Taking Cove's side, being protective of him, speaking up for him rather than letting him do it himself, and keeping things between him and the MC is more likely to make him cold. It's not a one-size-fits-all situation though, as a shy MC could make Cove warm because he's being encouraged to defend you whereas leaving Cove all by himself could make him cold.
Regardless of whether he's Warm, Moderate, or Cold, Cove will remain a sentimental introvert who gets flustered over romance.
Cove's appearance has nothing to do with whether he's warm/moderate/cold barring the rare cases where a choice might happen to overlap with it.
In terms of new information from Step 2 to 3 specifically, I'll say right away that whether your Step 2 Cove is already warm, moderate, or cold doesn't matter nor factor into how your Step 3 Cove turns out. All that matters is how you treat him in Step 2.
In addition, the point calculation works differently. In Step 1, having no more than 11 points in either Cold or Warm will give a Moderate Cove, having 12-19 points in either Cold or Warm will give a Cold-Moderate/Warm-Moderate Cove (depending on which you have more points in), and having 20 or more points will give a fully Cold/Warm Cove.
Also, if your points are tied, the game would "flip a coin" to decide whether it will opt for the cold or warm points.
However, Step 3 has more variation (well, not technically, but we'll talk about that later), first by making it even harder to get a Moderate Cove.
You only need 5 or more points in either warm/cold points to be locked out of a fully Moderate Cove (as a fully Moderate Cove would be 0-4 points). 5-9 will get you a slightly warm/cold Cove (we'll call this Moderate-Warm and Moderate-Cold for convenience), 10-14 or 15-19 (the game does two checks for this for some reason) will get you a Warm-Moderate or Cold-Moderate Cove, and having 20 or more will get you a fully Warm/Cold Cove as before.
In the case of a tie in points, the game will not do a "coin flip" anymore and will instead default to cold points.
One odd thing I will note (this wasn't relevant in the original post where I talked about Step 1->2) is that the Cove Creator actually sets some default cold/warm points as you pick the various buttons for Cove's personality.
The button on Warm gives 20 warm points and 10 cold points (again, these cold points are "thrown away" because the game only cares about what you have more of), the button between Warm and Moderate gives 12 warm points and 6 cold points, the button on Moderate gives 6 warm points and 6 cold points, the button between Moderate and Cold gives 6 warm points and 12 cold points, and the button on Cold gives 10 warm points and 20 cold points. These are the same points applied in any step where you can use the Cove Creator to change Cove's personality.
Now, did you catch something there?
Due to how Step 3 changed how few points are needed to lock you out of Moderate Cove (only 5 or more), it's actually impossible to get a fully Moderate Cove using the Cove Creator to change his personality. It will give you 6 warm points and 6 cold points, which will default to the 6 cold points due to the "coin flip" removal, thus giving you a Moderate-Cold Cove.
You can actually test this yourself if you have a save at the Step 3 Cove Creator. Set Cove's personality to "Moderate" and skim through the intro narration until it starts talking about Cove's family, right here:
Cove's relationships with his family improved over the years. Kyra visited several times after that summer, and things became easier between the two.
He was also closer with his dad than ever before. You knew they talked more, and that helped prevent a lot of friction before it could start.
If you had a fully Moderate Cove, you would get one of two follow-up narrations depending on if your Step 2 Cove was warm/warm-moderate/cold-moderate/cold or fully moderate.
if Warm/Warm-Moderate/Cold-Moderate/Cold in Step 2:
Cove's personality, however, drifted back to how it was in the past. He was pretty blunt and not overly social, but he had plenty to say when he felt like it.
if Moderate in Step 2:
Cove's personality, however, was recognizable from the past. He was pretty blunt and not overly social, but he had plenty to say when he felt like it.
You won't get this narration if you chose Moderate from the Cove Creator. Instead, you would get one of these:
if Warm/Warm-Moderate/Moderate in Step 2:
However, Cove grew into someone no one would call 'social'. He kept to himself, usually. He cared for the few connections he did have, but didn't reach outside them.
if Cold-Moderate/Cold in Step 2:
However, Cove still wasn't what anyone could call 'social'. He kept to himself, usually. He cared for the few connections he did have, but didn't reach outside them.
I actually checked just to make absolutely certain that I was on the latest version of Our Life (1.7.1) and I am. It seems that in the process of trying to give more variation to Cove's personality (or just making Moderate more unlikely), the Cove Creator was left out of the equation. I'd be curious to know if this happens on older versions.
Further puzzling is that I was going to list multiple examples to show the difference between Warm/Warm-Moderate/Moderate-Warm and Moderate-Cold/Cold-Moderate/Cold (similar to what I did in the last post for Step 2 Cove), but the thing is that I could not find any.
I searched and scanned through the code in an attempt to call upon any instance where it would check for a Warm-Moderate/Moderate-Warm or Moderate-Cold/Cold-Moderate Cove specifically, and in every case the game considered them to be fully Warm and fully Cold respectively.
In other words, whereas in Step 2 you had Warm, Warm-Moderate, Moderate, Cold-Moderate, and Cold Cove, Step 3 seems to stick to a strict Warm/Moderate/Cold Cove with no in-betweens. If anyone has any evidence to the contrary then by all means, message/toss me an ask, but I couldn't find anything to suggest otherwise.
This also makes Moderate Cove the hardest to get since you would need to actually achieve it in-game by avoiding warm/cold points as much as possible. Even just going through the Step 2 intro and ending only, I don't even think you could avoid being locked out of Moderate Cove if you're playing on Fond/Crush.
Getting back to the topic of choices though, here are the options themselves that'll give you warm/cold points throughout Step 2:
Step 2 Intro
After Cove comes by to deliver the fruit bouquet (Fond/Crush only):
"Thank you!" [warm +1]
"Thanks." [warm +1]
"You are too cute sometimes." [cold +1]
When Jeremy is complaining about his parents:
You kept quiet. [cold +1]
"You shouldn't talk about your parents like that." [warm +1]
"Sorry. It must suck being forced to do something you don't want." [warm +1]
"We just said hello. You don't have to keep complaining at us." [cold +1]
"Calm down. You don't have to yell so much." [cold +1]
"Who peed in your cereal this morning?" [warm +1]
When Jeremy mocks Cove's eyebrows:
"What?" [no change]
"No! Cove's wavy eyebrows are so cool!" [warm +1]
"How can you say that when you've got a bowl cut?" [warm +1]
"Don't listen to him. They're really unique and special." [cold +1]
"Well, they are kind of silly." [warm +1]
"Apologize to Cove right now. You can't treat people like that." [cold +1]
(immediately following above choice):
You just rolled your eyes. [warm +1]
You crossed your arms over your chest. [cold +1]
You shook your head. [warm +1]
You patted Cove on the shoulder. [cold +1]
You lunged towards Jeremy! [no change]
You grinned at all of this. [warm +1]
When Derek points out the fruit bouquet once Jeremy is gone:
"I need to save it." [cold +1]
"Why not? Let's eat." [warm +1] {note that the skewers will change Step 3 Cove's left wristwear: pineapple or strawberry will take it off, grape will give him the black wristband, and melon will give him the chain bracelet and beaded wrap bracelet with the jewel}
When Elizabeth shows up to confront the MC over the fruit bouquet (if the MC chose to eat it with Derek and Cove):
"Sorry, Elizabeth..." [warm +1]
"Get over it." [warm +1]
"Well, the morning's been kind of a disaster!" [cold +1]
"We were hungry?" [cold +1]
"It wasn't us. A seagull came down and ate it all while we weren't looking!" [warm +1]
When Derek and Cove try to make an escape from Elizabeth:
You ran! [cold +1]
You stayed. [warm +1]
After Cove sneaks into the MC's room (Fond/Crush only):
"What are you doing?" [warm +1]
"What's up, Romeo?" [warm +1]
"This sure is a surprise, but you're always welcome here." [cold +1]
"Is everything okay? What happened?" [cold +1]
"You're lucky I didn't start screaming." [cold +1]
"Amazing. My dreams have come true." [warm +1]
(following above scene) When Cove vents about being upset over his situation with his parents:
"There's nothing wrong with feeling bad. That is hard to deal with." [cold +1]
"We can deal with this." [warm +1]
"I'm sorry, Cove. You know I'm here for you." [warm +1]
"Yeah, that's... a lot." [cold +1]
You didn't know what to say. [warm +1]
(following above scene) After Cove asks if he can stay longer in MC's room:
"You can stay tonight, but we shouldn't make a habit of this." [warm +1]
"I've got a flashlight and some cards. Are you in?" [warm +1]
"Of course. You can always stay here, Cove." [cold +1]
(following above scene) When the MC realizes that Cove has stayed the night in their room:
"Cove!" [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
○ You laughed quietly. [warm +1]
○ You laughed loudly. [cold +1]
○ "Are you okay?" [warm +1]
○ You helped him up. [cold +1]
○ "Shhh! My moms are gonna hear us." [warm +1]
You laughed out loud. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
○ You laughed even more. [cold +1]
○ "Are you okay?" [warm +1]
○ You helped him up. [cold +1]
○ "Shhh! My moms are gonna hear us." [warm +1]
You jumped out of bed. {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
○ You whispered in his ear. [cold +1]
○ You shook his shoulder. [warm +1]
○ You poked him in the face.
○ You tugged at his hair.
○ You threw a pillow at him.
You froze. {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
○ You whispered in his ear. [cold +1]
○ You shook his shoulder. [warm +1]
○ You poked him in the face. [no change]
○ You tugged at his hair. [no change]
○ You threw a pillow at him. [no change]
(following above scene) After Cove realizes that he'd fallen asleep and tries (fails) to calm down:
"It's going to be alright." [warm +1]
"We're going to be in so much trouble!" [cold +1]
"Just calm down." [warm +1]
"Settle down, before moms hear you." [cold +1]
You didn't say anything. [warm +1]
(following above scene) As Cove is trying to sneak out back to his house:
You wished him luck. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You rallied him to keep going. [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
You suggested he sneak out the door instead. {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You urged him to hurry up. {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
When Kyra asks the MC if they have any restaurant recommendations:
You shrugged. [cold +1] {note that this will give Step 3 Cove the spiky hair}
"Not really." [warm +1] {note that this will give Step 3 Cove the middle-parted hair}
"Sure, I have a couple of favorites." [no change]
You nodded. [no change]
When Cove is sulking near the end of the outing with Kyra:
You made a silly face at him. [warm +1]
You smiled at him. [cold +1]
You gave him a sympathetic look. [cold +1]
You flicked his straw wrapper at him. [warm +1]
You left him alone. [cold +1]
Wave
Fond/Crush routes only
When Cove asks the MC if they want to come down to the beach:
"Sure! I'll meet you there when we're done." [cold +1]
"Oh- yeah, I could do that..." [cold +1]
"Alright." [warm +1]
"I can't this time." [warm +1]
After MC meets with Cove on the beach:
"I wouldn't have missed it." [cold +1]
"Sorry you had to wait." [warm +1]
"And stay inside all day? I don't think so." [warm +1]
If the MC brought a board with them to the beach:
"Cove, I'm not that good at surfing." [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"I borrowed this board, but I don't know how to surf..." (if the MC is inexperienced at surfing) [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
"I'm ready to get in there." [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"Wanna have a competition?" (if the MC is experienced at surfing) [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"Will you give me some tips?" [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
If the MC didn't bring a board with them to the beach:
{note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"What am I supposed to do while you surf?" [cold +1]
"I'll stay here and watch you surf." [warm +1]
"I'm going to find something to do while you surf." [cold +1]
After Cove jokes about clothespins if the MC went surfing with him (not for competition) and got into a splash fight with him:
"That was terrible on any scale." [warm +1]
"Please don't." [warm +1]
"You're adorable." [cold +1]
"I'm not sure that even counts as a pun." [cold +1]
"I love it." [warm +1]
If the MC chose to stay on shore and watch Cove surf:
You continued to watch quietly. [warm +1]
You started cheering him on after a really cool wave. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
You shouted at him to remember to pace himself. [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You did an impression of a sports announcer. {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
You made a silly face when he looked back at you. [cold +1]
(following above choice) After Cove checks on the MC:
"I've found ways to entertain myself." [cold +1]
"It's been fun." [warm +1]
"Eh, I'm just a little bored." [cold +1]
"This was totally radical, dude." [warm +1]
"I couldn't take my eyes off of you." (if Crush) [cold +1]
(following above choice) When Cove tells the MC that he likes them being there:
You teased him. [warm +1]
You smiled. [cold +1]
You looked away. [cold +1]
When Cove imitates Jeremy (if the MC chose to go with him to the park):
"Ha ha." [warm +1]
"Don't scare me like that! One Jeremy is enough." [cold +1]
"That's not really nice. Funny, but not nice." [warm +1]
"You don't have to tease him." [warm +1]
"Ugh, parents don't know anything." [cold +1]
(following above) After the conversation with Cove starts winding down:
"We better get home." [warm +1]
"I wish days were longer." [cold +1]
You chose not to say anything. [warm +1]
Growing
When the MC greets Cove when he arrives at their house (Fond/Crush only):
With a wave. [cold +1]
With a low five. [warm +1]
With a nudge to the shoulder. [cold +1]
With a noogie. [warm +1]
With a hug. [cold +1]
After Cove explains why he's come over (Fond/Crush only):
You thought that was really sweet. [warm +1]
"How'd you know I was doing nothing? Maybe I had plans." [warm +1]
You nodded. That made sense to you. [cold +1]
"I was thinking the exact same thing." [warm +1]
When Cove admits that he hasn't eaten: (Fond/Crush only):
"Yeah, I get like that sometimes too." [no change]
"You should really eat properly." [no change]
"You didn't eat at all? Then you gotta have something now!" [cold +1]
"Great! We can eat lunch together." [warm +1]
During the second pause of tic-tac-toe or hangman when Cove complains about feeling stuck to the floor:
"I'll have to charge you rent then." [warm +1]
"You can be my new roomie if you want." [cold +1]
"Looks like we'll both be stuck here forever then. I'm sticky too." [warm +1]
"No way. I'll peel you off if I have to." [cold +1]
You just smiled at his whining. [cold +1]
During the third pause of tic-tac-toe or hangman when Cove wonders where the game's name came from:
"Maybe they named it that because people played it with tics and tacks."/'"Maybe it's what they had instead of real court trials back then." [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"I've always wondered about that..." [warm +1]
"I'll have to look it up later." [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
"It's a really old game. No one's sure where the name came from." [cold +1]
After the MC played tic-tac-toe with Cove (Indifferent/Fond):
You laughed along with Cove. [warm +1]
"Well, you should've taken the challenge more seriously." [warm +1]
"You're the one who wanted to play in the first place." [cold +1]
"I'm still the winner and you're the loser!" (if the MC won) [warm +1]
"I let you win, actually." (if Cove won) [cold +1]
You shook your head at him. [cold +1]
After the MC's initial reaction to Cove's hangman phrase (Crush only):
You didn't say anything. [cold +1]
"No, you're cute!" [cold +1]
"...Thank you." [cold +1]
"I can't believe you!" [warm +1]
"Damn, Cove." [warm +1]
You just let out a small squeak. [warm +1]
(following above choice):
"I really think you're cute. Seriously." [warm +1]
"Did you mean it? Do you really think I'm cute?" [cold +1]
You didn't say anything. [warm +1]
After Cove talks about how he thinks their talk about romance has been good (Fond/Crush only):
"I think so too." [cold +1]
You shrugged. [cold +1]
"It was awkward." [cold +1]
"The conversation had a mind of its own." [warm +1]
You just nodded quietly. [warm +1]
After Cove comments that he loves it out on the poppy hill (Fond/Crush only):
"I do too." [no change]
"You do? That's surprising," you said jokingly. [warm +1]
"Your opinion sure has changed since you were first on this hill." [warm +1]
You quietly enjoyed the moment. [cold +1]
After Cove says that he's glad to have met the MC (Fond/Crush only):
You blushed at the statement. [warm +1]
"I feel the same." [warm +1]
"That's so nice of you to say." [warm +1]
You smiled silently. [cold +1]
"You're being too sweet!" [cold +1]
"You're special to me, Cove." [cold +1]
Family
After Cove comes into the home and notes the awkwardness (if the MC stayed with their moms):
You laughed. [warm +1]
You wiped your eyes. [warm +1]
You smiled at him. [cold +1]
You shook your head in answer. [cold +1]
When the MC can talk to Cove about what happened, if the MC stayed with their moms (Fond/Crush only):
"There's a lot going on right now." [warm +1]
"It's nothing..." [cold +1]
You didn't speak to him. [cold +1]
"I needed to talk to you." (if the MC visited Cove) [warm +1]
"Thank you for coming... I'm glad you're here." (if the MC went to their room or outside) [cold +1]
"My parents are dead!" (if the MC asked about their adoption story) [warm +1]
(following after above choice)
"You don't have to do this." [cold +1]
"I'm okay..." [warm +1]
You closed the distance and hugged him." (only if Cove did not hug the MC; this happens if the MC doesn't have enough "touch points") [no change]
You started to cry. [warm +1]
You took a step back from him. [cold +1]
If the MC is participating in Lee's idea and Cove comments on it (Fond/Crush only):
"Thanks." [warm +1]
"I was pretty good, huh?" [warm +1]
You blushed and said nothing. [cold +1]
"Luckily we had a crowd who's easily impressed." [cold +1]
Dinner
When Cove asks the MC the first time if they want to come over for dinner:
"Yeah, I'll go." [cold +1]
"I can't." [no change]
You kept listening. [warm +1]
When Cove asks the MC the second time if they want to come over for dinner:
"Yeah, I can come." [warm +1]
"I'll have to ask my moms and get back to you." [cold +1]
"No, I can't make it."
○ "Sorry." [no change]
○ "Alright, I'll go." [cold +1]
"Why am I the only one invited? Or did you mean the whole family?"
○ "I can't. Sorry." [warm +1]
○ "Alright, I'll go." [warm +1]
After the MC looks around Cove's room (only if they haven't been in Cove's room before):
"Are you trying to make your own beach with all this sand?" [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"It's nice." [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
"Thanks for letting me come over." [warm +1]
You weren't sure what to do. [cold +1]
When the MC chooses where to sit/not to sit and Cove raises his eyebrows at them (Crush only):
You were nervous about that. [warm +1]
You smiled comfortingly at him. [cold +1]
You chuckled over it. [warm +1]
You felt very charmed by his reaction. [cold +1]
(following immediately after above choice):
You only shrugged back. [warm +1]
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." [cold +1]
"You're like an open book, you know that?" [cold +1]
"You're such a sweet guy, Cove." [warm +1]
"You're adorable!" [cold +1]
When Cove asks if the MC wants to name a fish (Fond/Crush only):
"Yeah, I do!" [warm +1]
"Can I?" [cold +1]
"No thanks." {note that this will give Cove the thin rectangular blue glasses}
When the MC has the opportunity to ask if they can name a fish (Indifferent only):
"Can I name a fish?" [warm +1]
You kept quiet. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove the thin rectangular blue glasses}
When Cove comments on how it seems unfair that the MC can't have pets at their house:
"Right? My moms can be strict over the weirdest things sometimes!" [warm +1]
"I don't mind it too much." [no change]
"I get it." [cold +1]
After Cove talks about how humiliating the deal was for him (if MC told Cove about the deal in Step 1):
"I'm really sorry about what happened, Cove." [cold +1]
"Then I'm sorry, since I'm gonna bring it up forever." [cold +1]
"Yeah, I get why that'd be embarrassing." [warm +1]
You laughed. [warm +1]
You stayed quiet. [no change]
if the MC has either told Cove about the deal in Sandcastle or did not bring up the deal now in Dinner
When the MC is given the opportunity to question Cove on why they're there:
"Is there a reason they wanted me to come over tonight?" [warm +1]
You kept quiet. [no change]
After Mr. Holden thanks the MC for coming:
You thanked Cove's parents back for inviting you. [no change]
You didn't say anything to that. [no change]
You just felt awkward about the situation. [cold +1]
When there's a lull in conversation during dinner:
You brought up your own topic of conversation. [cold +1]
You left coming up with a conversation topic to them. [warm +1]
After Cove is denied having an immediate sleepover with the MC (Fond/Crush only):
You gave him some words of encouragement. [cold +1]
You patted him on the back. [cold +1]
"Pst, I'll sneak the phone into my room tonight." [warm +1]
"Hey, you could always sneak into my room again." [warm +1]
You pouted about it too. [cold +1]
if the MC chose to tell Cove about the deal here in Dinner instead of anything else
After Cove storms out of the room:
You immediately followed after Cove. [cold +1]
You just stood there. [warm +1]
After Cove and the MC head to the MC's living room:
"Are you okay?" [warm +1]
"What do you want to do now?" [warm +1]
"I'm really sorry Cove." [cold +1]
"You did the right thing by leaving." [cold +1]
"Do you want to be doing this?" [cold +1]
You said nothing. [warm +1]
After the MC listens to Cove vent about his dad's behavior:
You continued to listen quietly. [warm +1]
"I'm sorry you have to deal with all that." [warm +1]
"You're right, that's terrible." [cold +1]
"It could be worse." [cold +1]
"Even if it didn't go well, your dad's only trying to make you happy." [cold +1]
When Cove laments the idea that he might not've been friends with the MC due to his dad (Fond/Crush only):
You stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder. [cold +1]
You hugged him. [warm +1]
You smiled reassuringly. [warm +1]
You wiped his tears. [cold +1]
(following immediately after above choice):
"I'm really glad we got to be friends." [warm +1]
"Please don't cry." [warm +1]
"Hey, don't worry about it. Alright?" [warm +1]
You didn't need to say anything. [cold +1]
"I wouldn't have let anything your dad -or anyone else- did mess things up." [cold +1]
After Cove insults his dad's inability to make people happy:
"I'm really sorry." [cold +1]
"You don't actually mean what you're saying." [cold +1]
"Do you hate your dad?" [warm +1]
"I'm here for you." (Fond/Crush only) [cold +1]
You felt bad that things were so hard for Cove and his dad. [warm +1]
You didn't say anything. [cold +1]
(following after above choice):
"What about your fish?" [cold +1]
"I remember that day, when it happened." [warm +1]
(following after above choice):
"Your dad still needs to stop being so forceful, though." [cold +1]
"You might feel better than you do if you tried to make up with your dad." [warm +1]
"You guys really need to learn how to communicate." [warm +1]
"I'll be on your side no matter what you do about your dad." (Fond/Crush only) [cold +1]
You stayed quiet. [no change]
When the MC is deciding what they can do for Cove to help him:
"Do you want me to turn the TV on?" [cold +1]
"Do you want something to eat? Or drink?" [cold +1]
You listened to whatever he wanted to say. [warm +1]
You stayed with him silently. [warm +1]
Road Trip
After Elizabeth teases Cove and the MC about getting married:
You told her to cut it out already. [cold +1]
"Cove has a point. It wasn't a great comment." [warm +1]
"I'll marry you, Cove." [warm +1]
You ignored Elizabeth. [cold +1]
You were embarrassed. [warm +1]
"I'll marry Cove on the same day Shiloh's mom marries Cove's dad." (if the MC joked about Cove's dad marrying Shiloh's mom in Long Day) [cold +1]
When the MC takes a good look at Cove wearing a jacket (Crush only):
You averted your gaze from him entirely. [warm +1]
"Yeah, don't worry about it." [no change]
"You look good - in the jacket. That's all..." (if Nervous) [cold +1]
"That looks nice on you." (if Relaxed) [warm +1]
"You just look so good right now." (if Direct) [warm +1]
"Yeah. Everything is really good." [no change]
You nodded while saying nothing. [no change]
After Cove panics and says "Nothing!" if the MC asks what he likes seeing others wear (Fond/Crush only):
That was funny. [warm +1]
You paid it no mind. [no change]
(following above choice):
It was a topic that made him uncomfortable, so you let it go. [cold +1]
You had a little fun and that was enough. You changed the subject. [no change]
"You're not very good at these conversations, are you?" [no change]
"I swear I won't make fun of you." [warm +1]
"I just thought it would be fun to talk about..." [cold +1]
(following above choice) After Cove admits he likes seeing people wear ankle bracelets:
"Thanks for answering." [warm +1]
"I like them too." [no change]
"Huh, out of everything in the world, you picked that." [no change]
"So you think they're sexy?" [cold +1]
When the MC is in the loft and sees that Cove is still awake (Fond/Crush only):
You grinned back at him. [cold +1]
You made a silly face. [no change]
You waved at him. [warm +1]
When Cove laments his actions sleeping over if Sleepover happened and if the MC invited him up to the loft (Fond/Crush only):
You encouraged him. [warm +1]
You comforted him. [cold +1]
You teased him. [no change]
When Cove starts getting nervous after the MC has invited him up to the loft (Crush only):
You were feeling the nervousness too. [warm +1]
You felt comfortable being so close to him. [no change]
His reaction made you happy. [cold +1]
(following above choice):
You laid there silently. [no change]
You tried to ease things with conversation. [no change]
You nudged closer to him. [warm +1]
You touched his free arm lightly. [cold +1]
(following above choice, only if the MC chose to try and kiss Cove):
You laughed. [warm +1]
You just tried to check on him. [cold +1]
Mall
When the MC notices Cove and Derek in conversation:
You decided to keep listening. [no change]
You decided to join in with the conversation. [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You couldn't resist teasing the boys." (if Relaxed/Direct) [cold +1]
When Kyra gives Cove the passenger seat:
You decided to stick up for Cove. [cold +1]
You decided to jokingly complain at the special treatment. [warm +1]
You were fine with that. [warm +1]
You kept quiet. [cold +1]
After Kyra leaves, leaving the MC and their group alone:
You were happy about it. Talk about an amazing opportunity! [warm +1]
You felt unsure about the situation. Was this really ok? [warm +1]
You felt okay about the situation. [cold +1]
You were unhappy about it. This was not what you'd had in mind. [cold +1]
If the MC hasn't brought money to the mall (meaning the others will offer to pay):
You accepted their offers readily. [cold +1]
You'd let them know if you really needed it. [warm +1]
You rejected the offer right up front. [warm +1]
If the MC asks Cove for a sip of his smoothie (Fond only):
You pushed a little more. [no change]
You jokingly begged him. [cold +1]
You waited for him to decide on his own. [warm +1]
If the MC asks Cove for a sip of his smoothie (Crush only):
You decided to let it go. [cold +1]
You teased him. [warm +1]
You reassured him. [no change]
After Derek races off to check out the ride-on machines:
You thought his idea was childish. [cold +1]
You wanted to ride too. [no change]
You didn't care one way or another. [no change]
You stayed quiet about it. [warm +1]
Once the MC gives Cove the windchime (if they chose to get one for him):
You talked about how he seemed to want it. [warm +1]
You suggested that the chime simply made you think of him. [cold +1]
You explained that since his family did kind things for yours, you wanted to return the favor. / You explained that Cove had given you gifts and you wanted to get him something in return. [cold +1]
You didn't know what to say. / You didn't know what to say now. [warm +1]
Birthday
While the MC waits for activities to start:
You tried to chat with the people around. [warm +1]
You just talked with Cove. [cold +1]
You found a quiet spot to sit. [warm +1]
You just stood around where you were. [cold +1]
When the activities begin and Cove wonders what's going to happen:
You shrugged. [cold +1]
You scanned the area to make a guess. [cold +1]
You made a joke about something that wasn't going to happen. [warm +1]
If the MC wins pin the tail on the donkey:
You were humble about it. [cold +1]
You felt bashful over winning. [warm +1]
You reveled in the win. [warm +1]
(following above choice):
You offered to share the candy with Cove. [cold +1]
You kept the prize for yourself. [warm +1]
If Cove wins pin the tail on the donkey:
{note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You congratulated Cove. [cold +1]
You were disappointed you didn't win. [warm +1]
You were really impressed with his win. [warm +1]
You shrugged the game off. [cold +1]
You teased Cove. [warm +1]
"You looked cute." [warm +1]
(following after above choice):
You asked if he'd be willing to share the prize. [warm +1]
You didn't ask. [cold +1]
If neither the MC nor Cove won pin the tail on the donkey:
You were also disappointed. [cold +1]
"It was a good game." [warm +1]
You shrugged it off. [cold +1]
You teased him. [warm +1]
If the MC chooses to wear a crown/headband:
"I'm a party animal now." [warm +1]
"It does look very good on me, thanks." [no change]
"I don't know why I'm doing this." [cold +1]
When Cove asks the MC if he looks weird wearing the party hat (if the MC encouraged Cove to wear one):
"You look great, Cove." [warm +1]
"It's completely perfect." [cold +1]
"It looks silly." [warm +1]
You just giggled. [cold +1]
You shrugged. [cold +1]
You shook your head no. [warm +1]
After Cove does a taste test of one of the gummy bears (if the MC agreed to partner up with him):
"You should've waited." [warm +1]
You tried one for yourself. [cold +1]
"What did it taste like?" [no change]
(following above scene) If the MC failed to catch the gummy bear due to casually trying to catch it while also not having any athletic points:
You felt bummed at losing. [warm +1]
You jokingly blamed Cove for blowing it. [warm +1]
You just laughed. [cold +1]
You shrugged it off. [no change]
You bent down to eat the candy anyways. [cold +1]
If the MC makes it to the final round of the gummy bear toss, noticing Cove's determination:
You were charmed by his attitude. [warm +1]
You equally wanted to win. [no change]
You didn't want to let him down. [cold +1]
You thought this was kinda funny. [cold +1]
You felt nervous under the pressure. [warm +1]
If the MC wins the gummy bear toss with Cove (by either Cove being any level of sporty - points accumulated during Step 2 itself don't count - or the MC having accrued enough athletic points during Step 2):
You high-fived Cove. [warm +1]
You put an arm around Cove. [cold +1]
You jumped into a hug. [warm +1]
You ruffled Cove's hair. [cold +1]
You nudged him in a friendly way. [cold +1]
You smiled at him. [warm +1]
(following above choice):
"Nice catch!" [cold +1]
"Woo!" [warm +1]
"We demolished the competition." [no change]
When Miranda offers to launch someone in the bounce house (Cove will ask to be launched if the MC turns her down):
"Ok, launch me." [cold +1]
"Not me!" [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"I'd rather just watch." [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
You remained silent. [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
After Cove starts making sounds with the noise maker:
You asked Cove to stop. [warm +1]
You started blowing on your own noise maker. [cold +1]
You blew your noise maker back at Cove. [cold +1]
You were amused by Cove's antics.
○ You blew your noise maker back at Cove. [cold +1]
○ You told him to cut it out. [warm +1]
○ You jokingly tried to get away. [warm +1]
After Jeremy bullies either Cove, the MC, or both of them:
You poured your drink on Jeremy. [cold +1]
You pushed Jeremy. [cold +1]
You punched Jeremy in the face. [cold +1]
You drowned out his words with your noise maker. [warm +1]
You stood still, shocked. [warm +1]
You teared up. [warm +1]
(immediately following above choice):
"You're a dick!" [warm +1]
"You're ruining someone's birthday." [warm +1]
"I'm gonna find your parents and tell them what's going on." [warm +1]
"Don't say anything like that ever again!" [cold +1]
You laughed at his reaction. [cold +1]
You said nothing. [cold +1]
If the MC chose to retaliate (pour their drink on, push, punch, or swear) at Jeremy:
You shrugged. [no change]
"He deserved it." [cold +1]
You felt a little bad about it... [warm +1]
You were still mad at what happened. [warm +1]
"Do you think it was too much?" [cold +1]
If the MC did anything else in response to Jeremy:
You agreed Jeremy is totally nuts. [cold +1]
You wished that you had done something more. [warm +1]
You hoped that you would never see him again. [cold +1]
You weren't sure how to feel. [no change]
You were just happy Jeremy was gone. [cold +1]
You felt sad that he was so mean. [warm +1]
If the MC did not eat both the ice cream and cake, leading to Cove offering to take whatever's left (Fond/Crush only):
You slid your plate over. [cold +1]
You shook your head and kept your plate. [no change]
When Cove starts mashing his cake into his ice cream:
You raised your eyebrow. [cold +1]
You told him you do the same thing. [cold +1]
You thought it looked gross. [cold +1]
"I've never done that, but I want to now." [warm +1]
You didn't react. [warm +1]
After Cove and the MC reminisce on the ice cream cups (if Barbecue happened; Fond/Crush only):
You offered him a bite of your dessert." (if the MC is having dessert at all and did not slide their plate to Cove if they were only having one of the desserts) [warm +1]
You held up your fork and offered a bite of your dessert to him." (if the MC is having dessert at all and did slide their plate to Cove) [cold +1]
You asked him if you could have a bite of his dessert. [warm +1]
You smiled about the memory to yourself. [no change]
(following above choice) If MC asked/offered dessert and told Cove they were serious about it (Crush only):
"It's fine, Cove. I get it." [warm +1]
"Don't want to get my cooties, huh?" [warm +1]
"Different how? In what way?" (if the MC shared their ice cream with Cove in Barbecue) [cold +1]
You were a little down at his refusal. [cold +1]
After Cove confirms with Miranda that she didn't know what happened with Jeremy:
You got up and started bouncing again. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
You laid back and closed your eyes to rest. [warm +1]
You changed the subject. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You told her about the ordeal. [warm +1]
Summerwork
After Cove thanks the MC for listening to him:
"Anytime." [cold +1]
"It's cool." [warm +1]
"You are welcome." [no change]
"Don't make a habit of it." [no change]
When Cove offers to check his own bag for the MC's homework (Fond/Crush only):
"Good idea." [cold +1]
"I don't want to." [warm +1]
"Alright..." [warm +1]
"It's not gonna be there." [cold +1]
Escapade
As the MC sees Cove spit out a watermelon seed into a bush (Fond/Crush only):
You shook your head in disapproval. [warm +1]
"Ew!" [cold +1]
You did the same and spat a seed into the bushes. [cold +1]
"I bet I can spit a seed farther than you." [warm +1]
(following above choice) When Cove asks if it's bad to have another slice):
You bumped him with your shoulder. [warm +1]
Unable to resist, you knocked the mostly finished slice out of his hand. [cold +1]
You smiled at him. [warm +1]
"No, it's alright." [cold +1]
"It's definitely bad." [warm +1]
You sighed affectionately. [cold +1]
After Cove leaves to go inside after the sunshower (Indifferent only):
You stayed outside to dry off. [warm +1]
You went inside. [cold +1]
When Cove offers to let the MC come inside his house to dry off (Fond/Crush only):
"Thanks, let's do that." [cold +1]
"You're the sweetest guy I know." [warm +1]
"I don't wanna cause trouble." [warm +1]
"I'm fine." [cold +1]
After Kyra opens the windows and turns up the radio:
You laughed and enjoyed the event. [warm +1]
You jokingly complained about the situation. [cold +1]
You were not a fan of this stunt. [cold +1]
You danced in your seat to the music. [warm +1]
As Cove panics over the papers flying out the window:
Amused, you helped. [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You helped frantically. [cold +1]
You watched him struggle, entertained. [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
When Cove complains about feeling tricked by Kyra:
You sided with Cove. [cold +1]
You sided with Kyra. [warm +1]
You stayed quiet. [warm +1]
After Kyra talks about catching a movie and Cove points out that he doesn't have any shoes:
"You should always bring shoes when you're going out." [cold +1] {note that this will give Step 3 Cove the blue swimming trunks}
"I'm not wearing any either." [warm +1] {note that this will give Step 3 Cove the blue swimming trunks if you follow up with "I don't know" or the pink swimming trunks with "We can't"/"It doesn't matter"}
"It doesn't matter." [warm +1] {note that this will give Step 3 Cove the pink swimming trunks}
As Cove shifts awkwardly while waiting for Kyra to buy tickets:
You offered him your shoes." (if the MC is wearing shoes) [warm +1]
Still, you consoled him. [cold +1]
You teased him over it. [warm +1]
You complained with him. [cold +1]
You kept quiet. [no change]
If the MC chose to leave the theater early with Cove:
"Thanks for leaving, Cove." [warm +1]
"I'm sorry we had to go." [warm +1]
"You're a really good friend." (if Fond/Crush) [cold +1]
"You're a good guy." (if Indifferent) [cold +1]
You hugged him." (if Fond/Crush) [cold +1]
You just wanted to stay quiet. [warm +1]
After Cove explains to the MC why he thinks Kyra took he and the MC out for their escapade:
"Are you having a good time with your mom around?" [warm +1]
"Okay. I get it." [cold +1]
"She shouldn't have made me be a part of it." [warm +1]
You nodded in understanding. [warm +1]
"She's giving you a taste of your own medicine." [cold +1]
You said nothing. [no change]
When the MC recalls how Cove ran away when they were kids (if Runaway happened):
You kept that thought to yourself. [no change]
You whispered about it to Cove. [warm +1]
○ You decided to inform Kyra. [cold +1]
○ You nodded and kept the secret. [no change]
You said it out loud. [cold +1]
(following above choice if the MC told Kyra about Cove running away):
You laughed. [cold +1]
You felt extremely embarrassed." (if "You said it out loud" was chosen from above) [warm +1]
You apologized to Cove. [warm +1]
You didn't feel like this was a big deal. [cold +1]
When Cove offers to talk to the MC's moms over Kyra keeping MC later than expected (Fond/Crush only):
"Thank you." [cold +1]
"Thanks, I might need it." [warm +1]
"I'm just glad we're heading back now." [warm +1]
"This was worth it even if they get mad." [cold +1]
You nodded. [warm +1]
(following above scene if the MC borrowed Cove's shirt) After Cove tells the MC to keep his shirt:
"Thanks." [warm +1]
"You're the best." [cold +1]
Secretly, you had hoped to not have to give it back. [warm +1]
"Good. You weren't gonna get it back no matter what." [cold +1]
You were at a loss over this. [warm +1]
Soiree
(obviously, all Soiree points require that the MC ask Cove to the soiree)
After Cove nods in response to the MC asking him out on a real date (Crush only):
"Yay!" [warm +1]
"Really?" [cold +1]
You exhaled deeply. [warm +1]
"Thank you!" [cold +1]
"You're welcome." [no change]
(following above choice) after Pamela teases Cove about treating the MC well:
"You're making him uncomfortable!" [cold +1]
"Stop embarrassing me." [warm +1]
"You don't have to worry." [warm +1]
"You don't have to worry. Cove's definitely going to be good to me." [cold +1]
"Come on Cove, what kind of answer was that?" [warm +1]
When the moms ask the MC when Cove is going to arrive:
"He's getting here at seven." [warm +1]
"Soon. Probably." [warm +1]
"I'm not sure." [warm +1]
"I'm picking him up from his place." [cold +1]
"I'll go get him!" [cold +1]
When Kyra asks the MC if they want her to call Cove for them (if the MC went to pick up Cove for the soiree):
"That would be great, thanks." [warm +1]
"It's alright. I can wait." [cold +1]
"Can I go check?" [no change]
You went over to Cove's room to check yourself. (Fond/Crush only) [no change]
After Cove compliments the MC's look:
"You're looking good, too." [warm +1]
"I wish I could say the same to you." [warm +1]
"What is that you're wearing?" [cold +1]
"You look wonderful." [cold +1]
After the MC's initial response to Cove giving them a flower (Fond/Crush only):
"You didn't need to do this, Cove." [warm +1]
"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything." [cold +1]
"Thank you, Cove." [no change]
"I still like this one 'cause it's from you." (if the MC told Cove that they didn't like the flower) [warm +1]
You left the conversation there. [no change]
"You're so wonderful." [cold +1]
After Cove asks if it's fine to eat if the MC chose to go have food with him:
"Yeah. I only like these parties because of the free food." [warm +1]
"I knew you'd come just for the free food." [cold +1]
"Yep. I wonder what they'll have this time?" [no change]
"No one will mind. Really." [cold +1]
You simply nodded. [warm +1]
When the MC chooses to ask Cove for a dance:
{note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"So... would you like to dance, maybe?" [warm +1]
"Hey, Cove. Let's dance." [cold +1]
"Cove, can I have the pleasure of your company on the dance floor?" [warm +1]
"C'mon, it's time to dance." [no change]
"I'd like to dance. With you. If that's okay?" [cold +1]
When Cove comments on his obligation to dance if the MC asks him to dance and asked him earlier to be their practice date (Fond only):
"That's right." [warm +1]
"You don't have to." [cold +1]
"I guess?" [cold +1]
"Only if you want to." [warm +1]
"Thanks." [no change]
After Cove steps out of sync with the music if the MC asked him to dance (Fond/Crush only):
"We should have stuck to the Hokey Pokey." [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
"It's okay." [cold +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
"Dancing is harder than I thought." [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
"I'm signing you up for dancing lessons." [warm +1] {note that this will give Cove sporty +1}
You quietly took a break. [warm +1]
Once Cove walks off to sit at a table (Indifferent only):
"Uh, Cove? Are you alright?" [cold +1]
"What's wrong?" [warm +1]
"Are you gonna get up soon?" [no change]
You didn't say anything. [no change]
(following above scene if MC chose to stay with Cove):
"What's wrong?" [warm +1]
"Feeling tired?" [cold +1]
"Are you sick?" [cold +1]
"What's up?" [no change]
"For what?" [warm +1]
After Cove walks away from the soiree (Fond/Crush only):
"Are you alright? And why are we here?" [cold +1]
"What's wrong?" [warm +1]
"Why'd you drag us out here?" [no change]
"Look at us, breaking the rules." [no change]
You didn't say anything. [no change]
(following above choice after the MC stays with Cove and he explains that he feels ready to go home):
"To your home planet?" [warm +1]
"Don't try running that far." [cold +1]
You kept quiet. [no change]
"I'm sorry you're not having fun anymore." [warm +1]
"Should I get my moms?" [cold +1]
Step 2 - Ending
If the MC wants to wear anklets for Cove (Fond/Crush only):
You put one ankle bracelet on. [cold +1]
You decided to wear several anklets." (if the MC owns multiple anklets) [warm +1]
You didn't wear one. [no change]
While the MC is waiting for Cove to arrive (Fond/Crush only):
It would only be polite to get the door for Cove. You went downstairs to wait. [cold +1]
You couldn't wait to see Cove, so you went downstairs to meet him when he arrived. [cold +1]
Cove knew your house well enough. You could lounge in your room to wait for him. [warm +1]
As Cove is talking about how he can't believe his mother is already leaving (Fond/Crush only):
"Yeah." [no change]
You nodded. [no change]
"She'll be back." [warm +1]
"Time's going by so fast." [cold +1]
After Cove notices the MC if they chose to wear an anklet/multiple anklets (Fond only):
"What do you mean?" [cold +1]
"Sorry." [cold +1]
"It's not about you." [warm +1]
You kept your mouth shut. [warm +1]
After Cove notices the MC if they chose to wear an anklet/multiple anklets (Crush only):
"Does it look good?" [warm +1]
You stayed quiet yourself. [warm +1]
"Sorry..." [cold +1]
"What's the problem, Cove?" [cold +1]
(following above choice):
"Yes." [cold +1]
"No." [warm +1]
"Maybe." [warm +1]
"I don't know what you're talking about?" [cold +1]
You shrugged. [no change]
If the MC chooses to confess to Cove with words (Crush only):
"I know you're crushing on me and I feel the same about you." [warm +1]
"I like you Cove. I really, really like you!" [cold +1]
"I... I have a crush on you." [warm +1]
"You're pretty and wonderful and the best person I know! I like you so much." [cold +1]
It was just too difficult to get the words out, no matter how much you wanted to. [no change]
(following above choice if MC didn't back out of confessing):
"I don't know, either." [warm +1]
"You don't have to do anything." [cold +1]
"You could tell me how you feel." [cold +1]
"Calm down." [warm +1]
You laughed. [no change]
You shrugged. [no change]
If the MC confesses to Cove by kissing without caution (Crush only):
"Was that alright?" [warm +1]
"Um, are you okay?" [cold +1]
"Surprise!" [warm +1]
"I really like you Cove." [cold +1]
"I'm sorry." [cold +1]
You couldn't say anything. [warm +1]
If the MC confesses to Cove by kissing cautiously and Cove apologizes (Crush only):
"It's okay." [cold +1]
You laughed. [warm +1]
You began to cry. [warm +1]
You were annoyed. [cold +1]
"I'll survive. Probably." [warm +1]
If the MC confesses to Cove by asking for a kiss (Crush only):
"Because I want to right now." [warm +1]
"I don't know." [warm +1]
"I don't wanna wait any longer." [cold +1]
"Why not?" [cold +1]
You couldn't answer. [cold +1]
If the MC tried to kiss Cove in Road Trip, leading to Cove bringing it up himself in their room (Crush only):
"How about a do-over?" [cold +1]
"Do you want to try again?" [warm +1]
You silently returned his gaze. [cold +1]
You smiled reassuringly. [warm +1]
When Cove points out how them getting into a relationship would make things different (Crush only):
"Things don't have to be different." [cold +1]
"I pretty much imagined you'd react like this." (if the MC didn't try to kiss Cove in Road Trip) [warm +1]
"This is hard for me." [warm +1]
"Should we find a crystal ball for answers?" [cold +1]
After Cove starts freaking out after sharing a kiss with the MC (Crush only):
You were full of nerves. [warm +1]
His reaction was really cute. [warm +1]
You thought his fluster was funny. [cold +1]
It worried you that he was so frantic. [cold +1]
(following above choice) After Cove calms down (provided the MC didn't verbally confess):
You smiled at him. [cold +1]
You hugged him. [warm +1]
"I like you, too." [cold +1]
You breathed a sigh of relief. [warm +1]
"I like you even more!" [cold +1]
After Cove points out that he and the MC's parents will probably take issue with their romantic relationship (Crush only):
"It's not fair." [warm +1]
"I wish we were older." [cold +1]
"It's okay." [cold +1]
"It doesn't matter, though. We like each other and that's what's important." [warm +1]
You didn't know what to say. [cold +1]
After Cove hesitates before crossing the street, anxious about his mom leaving (Fond/Crush only):
You smiled at him reassuringly. [cold +1]
You gave his back a pat. [cold +1]
You rested your hand on his arm. [warm +1]
"This isn't the last time you'll ever see her." [warm +1]
When Derek starts fantasizing about doing a show on the shopping street:
You thought it was a great idea and wanted to be a part of it. [warm +1]
You felt he could try this idea on his own. [cold +1]
You thought Derek needed to abandon that bad idea, stat. [warm +1]
You gave a look to the other two. [cold +1]
After Cove, Derek, and Elizabeth start speculating about the misprinted globe:
You wanted to side with Cove. {note that this will give Cove studious +1}
You backed up Derek. [no change]
You agreed with your sister. [no change]
"No, it's Australia." [warm +1]
You stayed out of it. [cold +1]
When the MC, Derek, and Cove spot Jeremy:
You stood there, shocked. [warm +1]
You glared at Jeremy. [cold +1]
You waved at Jeremy. [cold +1]
You decided to smile at Jeremy. [warm +1]
You looked away. [warm +1]
If the MC mentioned the realization that they probably won't see Jeremy again once summer ends:
"Good riddance." [cold +1]
"I think I might wanna see him again, sometime." [cold +1]
"Maybe he'll become nicer in the future." [warm +1]
"I'm happy it's over." [warm +1]
You stayed quiet. [warm +1]
If the MC chose to chase after Jeremy (if Birthday happened):
"Good riddance." [cold +1]
You tried to apologize for how you acted last time." (if the MC retaliated against Jeremy in Birthday) [warm +1]
"I just thought it'd be nice to say bye." [warm +1]
"Don't come back." [warm +1]
"I wish we could've really gotten to know each other." [cold +1]
You didn't say anything. [cold +1]
If the MC admitted to the families that they confessed to/kissed Cove (Crush only):
You were also feeling extremely, extremely embarrassed. [warm +1]
You felt bad for putting him in this situation. [cold +1]
You felt good for telling your friends and family something so important. [warm +1]
You didn't know how to feel anymore. [warm +1]
You were annoyed at the others for making Cove more nervous. [cold +1]
After the families tease Cove for not having manners like Derek:
"Manners-smanners." [cold +1]
"Who cares? I don't think it's that big of a deal." [warm +1]
You teased Cove for his bad habit. [warm +1]
You complimented Derek on his politeness. [cold +1]
You joked that Derek was basically an adult. [warm +1]
You kept quiet and took a bite of food. [warm +1]
If the MC chose to go outside after Cove to the poppy hill:
"You really should go to sleep." [warm +1]
"I know how you feel." [cold +1]
"I feel good." [warm +1]
"I hope you feel better." [cold +1]
You shrugged back. [warm +1]
You nodded. [cold +1]
(following above if Cove does an action that he claims is doing what the MC does):
"You do that all the time too." [warm +1]
"So do you, Cove!" [cold +1]
You were stunned he noticed enough to take note of it. [cold +1]
"I don't do it that much." [warm +1]
Not being able to argue with his assessment, you accepted it. [warm +1]
You felt bashful about his joke. [cold +1]
After Cove climbs up to the MC's window in his wetsuit to ask if they want to go to the beach with him (Fond/Crush only):
"Always." [cold +1]
"Here we go again..." [warm +1]
"It's way too early, Cove." [warm +1]
"You're crazy." [cold +1]
"Cove. You're so cute." [warm +1]
You gave a decisive nod. [cold +1]
Hope that helps, or at least is interesting in some form~
This one was a real doozy, not just because of having more chances than in Step 1 to give Cove warm/cold points but I really thought I was going crazy with the whole Moderate situation.
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jasminewalkerauthor · 1 month ago
Text
So you've wrote a book, what's next?
So I recently started uni and naturally immediately joined my universities writing and book societies, last week I was sat editing my book when a couple of people approached me. Apparently through some light instagram stalking they had found out I published books and was wondering how on earth do you even do it.
Upon being on tumblr this week it turns out that this is a question that a lot of people are interested in, this being probably my most requested post ever?
ANYWAY. You've wrote a book, either you're two drafts in or fifty drafts in it doesn't entirely matter. I am going to give you the bad news that the work has only just begun.
The first choice you really need to make is whether or not you want to pursue traditional publishing or self/indie publishing. I believe the common misconception of the difference between the two is that one is 'Easier' than the other. Both are hard, just in different ways.
Traditional publishing is hard to break into, you need to convince enough of people that your book is worth selling which can be incredibly difficult and results in a lot of heartbreaking emails. However once you have that publishing deal you have those people in your corner to help with editing, cover design, and distribution among other things.
Self publishing, much like the name suggests, means that you have to do everything yourself, edit (or source an editor), design (or source a designer), marketing, the works. However the plus side of self publishing which I like is that you have a lot more creative control and freedom.
Now to be fully transparent, I am an indie author, naturally I am going to know a lot more about a process I have actually gone through rather than one I havent. However I do believe I can provide at least a rough guideline of the process so that people can get an idea of what going into it.
So starting with traditional publishing, assuming that you have a full draft that you've at least done some self editing on, your first step is finding an agent. You'll need a couple of things for this. First is make a document of the first 30 pages of your manuscript (a 'sample' if you will), and a query letter which is almost like a cover letter for your book, this is what potential agents will look at to judge whether they want to represent your manuscript.
I dont think I need to say it but your query letter is VITAL, please take time with it, some agents may not even look at your sample if your query letter is bad.
Now, searching for agents is relatively easy, there are a lot of databases online that will give you a list of agents and whether or not they are accepting submissions. Most agents will also have a kind of 'wishlist' of manuscripts they're looking to represent (e.g. sci-fi, philosophy, high fantasy), look for agents with a wishlist that includes your kind of book.
Once you have an agent they will be able to go to different publishing houses with your manuscript, hopefully leading to a book deal at some point. From there the publishers will help with editing, design, and distribution.
With self publishing the process is a bit more complicated. First is the editing process. Either you can edit your own manuscript if you feel up to it or you can source an editor. There are three different editors you can hire: Developmental editor, Line editor, and Proof reader. Almost every editor charges per word of your manuscript.
I would also recommend looking for Beta readers, these are readers who will read through an early copy of your manuscript for feedback (These are NOT editors, more reviewers). There are also ARC readers who you send an early copy to about 2-3 months before release to build interest in your book.
When it comes to the actual publishing itself, there are two main publishing platforms: kdp and ingram spark. Both of these are three besides the fact that you will need to buy an ISPN for your book to use ingram spark.
I think i'll leave it there because this is LONG, but i may turn this into a series, what do y'all want to know about?
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intimacyequalsdeath · 1 year ago
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Bubz's Slasher Fictober: Day 3 Poly Ghostface Part 1 (Billy and Stu) (Apple Cider)
Day 4! If it isn't obvious by now I wrote like most of these in September so I could post them way easier when October is here so shout out to past me for planning ahead.
Part 2 to this fic here
Notes: Minors DNI, Suggestive themes, Gender neutral reader, no specific pronouns. This is a poly relationship fic so if you aren't into it then this is not the fic for you.
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"Stu that's insane" You said as he leaned against the locker next to yours, He laughed.
"Oh come on babe, Billy doesn't have to know anything"
"And you'd really think we'd be able to get away with it?" You asked incredulously, To try and do something behind Billy's back was a risk.
"Yeah babe totally. Me and you, in and out, and good ole Billy would be none the wiser" You closed your locker and leaned against it looking at him.
"Fine, If you really think we'll get away with this, But I swear Stu if Billy finds out-" Stu grabbed your shoulders.
"He won't babe, Stu's got you"
Before third period Stu had approached you with an idea, Billy had some things to take care of and wouldn't be able to do the boys usual Ghostface schtick that him and Stu usually manned. So Stu had come to you, their precious significant other, to help stalk out the next victim.
Billy had always been very much so against you EVER joining them on their excursions ever since they had come clean that they were the Ghostface. Stu had always agreed to keep Billy quiet but he had teased and propositioned you in what you thought was a joking way before until this time around.
The two of you knew that if Billy found out Stu had even so much as thought to invite you to join him while Billy was off doing other things that there would be hell to pay. But it was just a stake out to choose the next victim they wanted to go after, Stu figured it wouldn't be that bad.
"I'll do it then, If you promise Billy won't find out then fine let's do it" You told him, A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Oh babe! I knew you'd say yes!" Stu brought you into a hug and kissed the side of your head "I'll pick you up later tonight and you can even pick who it is!". If Stu Macher was anything, it was enthusiastic.
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Later that night Stu arrived at your house as promised. You left your house through your window as usual and got in the passenger seat of Stu's parents car.
"It's time baby! You're gonna love it I promise" Stu said as you opened the door to get in.
"Sure Stu, I'm more so just interested to see what my boys do when I'm not around" Which was the truth, You'd always wanted to see just how the Ghostface attacks went down and how they singled out who they went after.
"One day maybe it'll be me, you and Billy, Like one big happy family, You pick the victims, me and Billy go after them. It'll be great!" Stu said as he pulled away from your house and heading towards the destination to stake out.
"You know that would take a lot of convincing on Billy's part though"
"That's why we start here, and one day we tell Billy about this and show him how good you did! Then he won't be able to deny how much of a natural you are"
"Stu it's just a stakeout I thought? Like all we're doing is picking one of these sorry pieces of shit to go after" Stu nodded.
"It is, but this is a gateway into your life of the Ghostface, and here we are!"
You looked at the window and noticed you and Stu were pulled off into a shadowy part of the backroad down the road from a house you recognized from a few parties you had went to with the boys.
It was about ten at night at this point and you knew the black car would be almost impossible to see behind the trees you were covered by so you and Stu would be impossible to see.
"Now I do have to warn you this is the boring part, We need to make sure we know when their gonna be home and when they aren't so we know when to strike" Stu told you.
You and Stu then sat in silence for about an hour just watching the house and the people who lives there coming home for the night. You were startled out of the silence by your cellphone ringing.
"It's Billy" You told Stu starting to get nervous, Stu sighed
"Just tell him your sick at home doing homework or something" Stu told you, you shakily answered.
"Hello?" You answered the phone softly.
"Hey baby" Billy's voice poured down the phone like honey.
"What's up?" You asked him "Did you get your shit done?"
"Yeah baby I did, What are you up too?" You froze then remembered what Stu told you to say.
"Oh I'm just laying down and all, I didn't feel so hot after school"
"Really?" Billy asked
"Yeah my stomach started feeling upset" You heard Billy sigh then pause for a second through the phone.
"Well see baby that actually funny, you know why?" Shit.
"Why Billy?" You asked, still hoping to play innocent.
"Well it's funny cause I'm standing in your room right now and you aren't fucking here" You turned your head and frantically tapped Stu on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Billy" You said at a loss for what else to say.
"Don't give me that shit, where the fuck are you?" Billy was angry, You could almost feel the anger through the phone.
Stu now obviously listening in to the call started the car and then grabbed the phone from you.
"Hey Billy man why don't you meet us at my house, We'll see you then, bye!" and then he hung up.
"STU! why would you hang up !?" You knew that would've pushed Billy passed the point of being furious.
"Relax babe just let Stu handle this"
A few minutes late the two of you had pulled into Stu's driveway, his parents way on another trip to some other country. Stu brought you to his room to sit on his bed and wait for Billy to arrive.
A little while later after many hushed words trying to calm you down from Stu, The two of you heard the front door slam open then shut once again, and angry hurried footsteps run up the stairs.
As soon as Stu's bedroom door opened Billy started yelling.
'What in the fuck do you two think your doing?"
"Billy It's not-" Billy didn't stop.
"No, you're gonna wait a second, I fucking told the two of you I didn't want you to be involved in mine and Stu's shit"
"Billy it wasn't all that, It was just a stakeout" Stu piped up. Billy's head snapped to look at Stu.
"Billy c'mon, don't be mad, like Stu said it wasn't all that. I was never in any danger or anything. We kept it from you cause we knew you were gonna be mad" You explained trying to diffuse any confrontation between your two boys before it started.
'That's not the point and you know it, the three of us agreed that you would never be involved at all. The two of you went behind my fucking back and violated something I only put in place to fucking protect you" Billy's anger wasn't dissipating but at least he wasn't yelling anymore.
Billy exhaled and sat next to you on the bed, you wrapped your arm around his shoulders in an attempt to start calming him down.
"Billy we're sorry, we knew you were gonna be mad and still did it, but do you really think Stu would've let me go along if I was actually going to be in any real danger"
Stu appeared on the opposite side of you as you spoke.
"Yeah man, you know I love Y/n as much as you do, If I thought things were gonna get hairy I wouldn't of even thought about the two of us going, especially not without you"
Billy sighed once again but you felt some of the tension leaving his body. You rubbed his shoulder willing him to speak what was on his mind.
"It's not just about dangerous shit like that though, It's also about if for some fucking reason we ever get caught. I want you to have no ties to it at all. You aren't apart of it and you don't know anything"
You nodded in understanding, that anger wasn't cause Billy was actually mad he was just scared. Billy continued.
"When I got to your house and went through your window expecting you to be there only to see that you weren't, I got I don't know, I got really fucking scared. Even though my brain knew you were probably with Stu knowing what we do and what danger you could really be in scared the shit out of me."
Stu scooted closer and wrapped his arm around your shoulders as you brought Billy closer to lean against you as you leaned back into Stu.
"We're sorry we scared you Honey, we honestly just thought it would be a help for me to fill in since you had shit to do tonight and couldn't. Sure we thought you were gonna be mad if you found out but we didn't mean to scare you"
"Yeah man, the last thing we wanted to do was that. I wasn't thinking shit through and thought it would be fun if maybe one day it was the three of us together instead of just me and you"
"I guess it would be nice but I still stand by what I said, for now at least please, I don't want you apart of it" Bill said looking at you, you smiled and nodded before leaning over and placing your lips on his frown.
You felt Stu's hands run up your sides, and tug at your shirt, You playfully rolled your eyes before letting him take your shirt off. Billy let out a laugh before connecting your lips once more.
Stu's lips attached themselves to your neck and Billy's hands made their way down to your pants to unbutton them and move them down your legs. Billy tossed your pants to the floor as you got up onto your knees on the bed in front of him.
Stu wrapped his arms around your middle and placed his chin on your shoulder with a smirk.
"Maybe if I dressed like this you'd let me come with you guys?" You teased.
"Certainly babe" Stu said, Billy shook his head.
"You two spend too much time around each other" he said, placing his hands underneath Stu's on your hips.
"Maybe you should spend some time with us and show us what we're missing" You smirked at him.
"Maybe I will"
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millytherat · 10 months ago
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Reading through @badaziraphaletakes inspired me to make a post about reasons:
Why people tend to choose Crowley of Aziraphale, and, consequently, think Aziraphale is bad
This might be a long post, i'll cover some topics and i might get all over the place at some point! But please be patient! Can i get into it?
Inversion of values
When first watching Good Omens, you might expect a strong inversion of values, that Heaven is bad and Hell is good, angels are the oppresors and demons the victims
It is mostly religiously (religious trauma) motivated, aka "christianity is a fucking bullshit" motivated, to expect seeing the ones who calls themselfs good (Heaven, who we interpret as Christian religious figures) be actually bad (wich, in real life, they tend to be) and, the ones they cast out as evil and sinful (Hell, wich we interpret in this case as anyone the church calls sinful, like the queer comunity) to be good and innocent and just different, it makes us feel emphatic for them, even seeing that they are, indeed, bad
I believe some people just dont want to accept it, they want to believe the angels are inherently bad and the demons just questioned their bad ways
But they arent, if anything ALL angels and demons are naturally good and innocent, "oh but Gabriel!" He was naturally good, we saw it, the same with Michael and Uriel too, they're all just tainted by the strong grip Heaven demands for them to have; in episode 1 season 2, we see both Crowley (as starmaker) and Aziraphale being totally innocent and adorable, they're good by nature, no one in the story is actually evil
When this inversion of values we wish for isnt fulfilled, it might cause an annoyance, i know a lot of people who dont accept it, and just make it up because... well is expected!
Queerness
This was originally taken from a post of "Bad Aziraphale Takes"
Crowley is "more queer" than Aziraphale, at least thats how people see it as, in fics too, how many times Crowley gender is explored, with pronouns and labels and identities? While the more i saw for Aziraphale was a vulva or they/them pronouns, and never in a human au! Aziraphale is depicted and seem as a cisgender male
I have seem even people saying Aziraphale have internalized homophobia! I- how??
Found them! @theelastword made an ask on the "bad Aziraphale takes" blog that inspired this bit <3 thank you love
Need for a villain and favorites
As we saw, people that hate Aziraphale choose to see Heaven as evil, as the villain, and that is also followed by many people who dont hate Aziraphale! Well, might i say that... we dont have a real villain in Good Omens? The angels arent evil for wishing to follow what they believe to be God's plan, nor for deminishing humanity- but i'm getting ahead of myself here!
The need to see Heaven as inhetently bad, the big bad villain, makes people see Aziraphale, going back there "freely", hurting Crowley's feelings, saying Hell/demons are the bad guys (wich they ARE?? There is not an inversion of values!) As him being evil, as him going to the side of the villain instesd of choosing Crowley, going back to CROWLEY'S abusers, not his, not theirs, Crowley
I do believe humans have a natural need to have favorites, when you're a kid is always "wich caracther of this cartoon am i?" and later is always "wich do i relate to more? Wich do i like more?", and people choose Crowley for all those reasons above and probally some personal ones too
So! As a small conclusion:
People choose to prefer Crowley, they choose to see Crowley as better because he's a "good demon", he's the victim that fell from Heaven and hates Hell, he's the queer caracther, he's kind and genuine and helps Aziraphale and have a car he loves
Because of the idea that Aziraphale is: A) opposite to Crowley; B) an Angel! (The abusers! The bad guys! The evil!); C) a BAD angel for that matter, he's selfish and mundane and comes across as rude to Crowley (because he acts so fucking autistic too!); people tend to DISLIKE Aziraphale, small simple minded people, but people nonetheless
I know the whole post is a bit over the place, it might sound confusing here and there, but i really wanted to put all this together to try and understand why people hate Aziraphale
I though maybe this can give a small input on why people think like that, it sures helps me to understand how they think that and what they mean by their terrible takes! I guess is mostly them being naive
Oh! You know how in the 2000's the media was demonizing femininity by having blond, pink, feminine villains in their high school romances? How we, to this day, tend to see feminine girls as fake, vulgar, naive, etc? How most teen girls go through a "not like other girls phase" because of that?
Same principle! Is the same reason for why they see Heaven and Aziraphale as evil
I hope someone can appreciate this lil silly thoughs put together <3
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yersina · 1 year ago
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a linguist* plays chants of sennaar (pt 1)
*i studied linguistics for four years and concurrently did three years of sociolinguistics research, but i'm not currently employed in a linguistics-related field.
[pt 2] [pt 3] [pt 4] [pt 5]
thought i'd have some fun breaking down the languages in cos and stretch my rarely used linguistics muscles in the process! disclaimer: can't promise that i'll have any insights that a layperson wouldn't have, this is kinda just me thinking through the grammar of the language out loud haha.
this post covers the first language and will contain spoilers! it also assumes that you know what each of the symbols means already.
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so the three glyphs from the devotee's language that you get introduced to right off the bat already tells me a lot: it's a pictographic logography (real life example: chinese characters), which is probably a good place to start for people who are new to language deciphering (also, none of these languages are spoken so an alphabet would be pointless lol). a logography is a writing system that represents whole words/concepts with a single character, as opposed to representing the sounds that the words make (like alphabets or syllabaries). i haven't completely finished the game yet (most of the way through the fourth language), but i'm p sure 1) all of the languages are logographies and 2) the devotee's language is the most true-to-life with its pictograms.
with these three words we can also begin to establish a pattern--verbs most likely have a line on the bottom, which holds true for the rest of the characters. i think the only exception to this rule is the character for "greeting", which is also used as the verb "salute" later in the game (an interesting choice (considering etymologies for greetings in irl languages), but it makes sense when your language is only 40 words lol). other patterns include the curved line for tools, the semi-open box for structures/locations, and the half-circle with the line for things relating to sight (which amusingly is also the overall game symbol for examining something). (not gonna include things like "man" and "music" and "plant" in this list cause they're defined in game.) i do think it's kind of fun that they introduced "i/me" and "you" before they introduced "man"—it validates that you'll find patterns haha.
(while writing the prev paragraph, it finally hit me that the symbol for "key" is open-tool. isn't that cool!)
i did notice at one point in the game that there was a devotee word that was cut off in one of the stone carvings that looked like it might have been the equivalent for "fortress"--it was the room radical with the two opposing arrows from the word for "warrior". although it's not validated by the game's automatic translation function, it does seem to be evidence that the language elements are fairly flexible and recombinable!
this language is SVO (subject verb object), like english, which again is a choice that makes sense in terms of easing people in. it uses reduplication with nouns to indicate plurality, which as far as i can tell is unique amongst the languages in this game. there's no tense markers, which is common to all the languages in this game (again, as far as i can tell without having encountered the last language yet). given how simple the languages in the game need to be, i'm not surprised that there aren't really auxiliary verbs or indications of infinitives either.
questions that still remain unanswered: - "dead/death", "seek", and "find" all have dots that don't show up in the other characters. not sure why that's the case. could be a representation of something metaphysical? - the character for "go/pass" has a "room" radical on the right side and something else on the left side. wonder if that was intentional
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mavcancees · 1 year ago
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drawing realism is pretty funny because you start hyperanalizing your subjects' traits and find out fun details about them that you don't perceive at first (or originally thought of them differently)
anyways here a list of dnf anatomy details that i've collected through intense studying:
1. dream does not have a large jawline actually. his top one is just completely straight, and his bottom one has no side downward curve. usually human skulls will have the top jaw sit at about a 30° angle, but his is just flat. it makes his bottom jaw look a lot more out. this carries all the way up to his forehead too. his bottom jaw is also almost completely straight from the mandibular angle to the chin.
2. george has THE HIGHEST CHEEKBONES. he just has an equally wide mandibular angle (meaning, his jaw doesn't taper in as much), so it doesn't look like it until you compare his cheeks to his side brow bones
3. george also has very long lips horizontally, and a very angular chin, which gives him this constant almost pouty look, so when he smiles he just has a beautiful lip shape
4. dream has a very consistent beard. no splotchiness whatsoever.
5. he also has a mole immediately below his jawline on his right side (or the side of the ear that is not pierced)
6. one of george's eyebrows is significantly taller than the other one on the arch. the start of his eyebrows are also fairly thin and sit pretty low. (he is not escaping the eyebrow plucking/threading allegations imo, they are so incredibly clean)
7. dream's nose looks almost cartoonish from the side from how soft the curve is. from the front, the tip sits pretty low compared to his nostrils
8. george's is a little more hooked AT THE END (he does not have full hooked nose, his bridge is very inwards on the top half), and from the front the tip and nostrils sit at the same height. it makes it look kind of like a tiny wide triangle
9. they both have very long cupid's bows, george a bit more than dream (see late point 8)
10. "dream is puppy coded" and it's because his eyelids are diagonal in the same way puppies have diagonal eye curves ! he very literally has dog eyes
11. dream's middle lashes are very long, and they get darker as you go out. george's are long all around and VERY full. they both have pretty crazy bottom lashes
12. i am once again highlight george's bottom lip. what a beautiful man
13. cameras need to stop hatecriming dream's freckles. set them free. (they mostly sit directly under his eyes next to his nose. he also has some on his chin, it's very charming)
14. gnf comes from the miranda cosgrove school of fake wasians. having deepset eyes, extremely hooded eyes and consistent, very deep aegyo sal will do that to you. (i say this as an asian with much love). don't be scared to draw his eyes properly, he's not beating the wasian allegations, you're allowed to post your "concerningly asian looking" gnf fanart (whoever says this to you send them to me i will beat them up). that's just how he looks. just make sure his nose is right and you're good 👍
15. dream is a LOT larger than what you think in the horizontal axis. door width. huge forearms. his waist is just "small" (average male waist size). don't let it deceive you
that's all for now i'll reblog with more as i find them have fun arting
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candycandy00 · 6 months ago
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Roses in the Sky - An Original Alien x Reader Story Part 9
In a future where humanity huddles in decaying domed cities controlled by alien invaders, you and your best friend Anna work as make-shift nurses in a tiny clinic run by the young doctor Terrian. The city is ruled by the aliens' violent, half-breed offspring who serve as brutal overseers. You and Anna have always tried to avoid these overseers at all cost, but your life is changed when one of those same terrifying offspring is brought into the clinic, injured and unconscious.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
This is an original Alien (well half alien) x Fem Reader story! I hope everyone who enjoys my fanfiction will give this a shot! I’m posting the first chapter just to check for interest. Any feedback whatsoever would be loved! I’ve already written this story so it’s not going to delay my fanfics. Just thought I might post chapters of this between fanfics if anyone is interested.
Slow burn, as this is a novel-length story, but there will be smut in later chapters! Also: violence, blood, rape attempts, death of side characters, etc.
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Work at Terrian's house the next day was awkward and slow. Anna was obviously still upset over Nariah, and Terrian flitted around nervously, making pathetic and desperate attempts to get Anna to talk to him.
"Look, girls! I'm breaking out the steak reserves for lunch today!" he called at one point, holding up two large slabs of frozen meat.
Steak was Anna's favorite. She had looked up then, apparently tempted to say something, but she held her tongue and continued dusting.
You waited until Terrian stepped out of the room, then turned to Anna. "How long are you going to keep this up? He already apologized."
Anna looked down. "I know. I'm not really angry at him anymore. I just don't know what to say to him. Yesterday I admitted for the first time that I'm in love with him. Now I feel insecure around him."
"Well you're not making any progress like this. Just act like you did before. He's worried sick right now."
"Are you making progress with Vartan?" Anna asked suddenly.
You were caught off guard by the question. You stumbled over your words for a moment before nearly choking out a quiet, "Sort of."
Anna grinned. "Oh really? Are you sleeping with him already?"
"Of course not! I made him a bologna sandwich, okay?"
"Whatever you say," Anna laughed, nudging you with her elbow.
Terrian's doorbell rang loudly through the hall. You laid down your dusting rag and stood up, straightening the too-short skirt of your maid uniform and making your way to the door. You sighed as you pulled it open. "Yes, can I help-“
You were immediately silenced when you realized the person standing on Terrian's doorstep was a male half-breed with silver chin-length hair that framed his pale face. His narrow eyes were ice-blue and a strange shade of violet that you had never seen before, not even on a half-breed.
"A doctor lives here, correct?" His voice was lighter than Vartan's.
You weren’t sure how to answer. What if Terrian had gotten into trouble somehow? Perhaps confirming his location wasn't a good idea. "Um... I..."
The half-breed leaned in close. "This is important. Tell the doctor to come and examine my..." He stopped there, as if he had no idea how to finish the statement. He glanced back, and you noticed the thin young woman standing behind him. She was very clearly human, and her face, while pretty, was darkened by visible sadness.
"Is she sick?" you asked.
The half-breed took the woman's hand and gently, too gently for a half-breed, pulled her closer to the door. "She needs medical attention, yes."
You stepped aside. "Come on in. I'll get the doctor." You led them through the hall and to the living room, shrugging at a very shocked Anna on the way. The couple sat down on the couch as you ran to fetch Terrian.
You and Anna followed Terrian back into the living room and stood on either side of him. The woman introduced herself as Sophie. 
"I'm pregnant," she said, quietly but bluntly.
You stifled a gasp. Terrian's face lit up. "You are? That's amazing! Pregnancies are so rare. You must be immune to the chemicals in the water."
Sophie did not share his enthusiasm. "I didn't believe it at first. I missed a couple of periods and then a friend gave me an old pregnancy test to try. After that, I still didn't believe. Then Keon gave me a Pagoda test, and it came back positive. He says there's no way it can be wrong."
You noticed that Sophie seemed so sad. Her voice sounded as if it was threatening to break at any moment.
"So, do you want me to monitor the pregnancy then?" Terrian asked.
"No," the half-breed spoke up, "we want you to terminate it."
The smile Terrian had been wearing dissolved. "What?"
"You are capable of terminating the pregnancy, are you not?" the half-breed asked.
Terrian looked directly at Sophie. "Is this what you want to do?"
The half-breed opened his mouth, but Sophie put a hand on his arm. "Please, Keon," she said weakly, "let me talk to him. I'll explain."
The half-breed, Keon, looked at her with a flash of anger in his eyes.
Sophie didn't move her hand. "Please," she repeated, and Keon stood up. He walked out of the living room and closed the door behind him. You had never seen a half-breed do as a human asked before. Well, not besides Vartan.
"Keon is the father, as you've probably guessed," Sophie began, her voice still shaky. "We met three years ago. He showed up at my door one day out of the blue, with a proposition.”
“A proposition?” Anna asked. 
Sophie nodded. “Apparently some half breeds make arrangements with specific humans. They offer protection from the other half breeds, and in exchange the humans satisfy their needs. It’s a mutual arrangement, or at least ours is. I don’t know what would have happened if I’d refused. But I agreed to the terms, and I’ve been able to walk through the city without fear. They call it ‘claiming’. I’ve been claimed by Keon, so no other half breed will touch me.”
Your heart was beating fast as the words sank into your brain. Half-breeds could choose specific humans? Other half-breeds would stay away? Was that what Vartan had done to you?
"It's not so bad," Sophie continued. "Keon has always been relatively gentle with me. But now..." Her voice trailed off as she looked down at her own stomach.
"So he doesn't want his pet to have a baby?" Anna asked with a tinge of venom in her voice.
Sophie chuckled bitterly. "He was so furious and disgusted that I thought he would kill me."
Anna's face was turning red, her hatred for the half-breeds boiling beneath her skin.
"But he didn't kill me," Sophie went on, "Instead he started frantically asking around for a human doctor. One of the other half-breeds apparently told him about a clinic they had shut down, and that they had heard the doctor survived. That's when he told me I have to have an abortion."
"But why?" you asked.
Sophie met your eyes, and you could almost see the agony and rage festering there, held back by her quiet sorrow. "The half-breeds are forbidden to breed, at all. If the Pagoda were to find out I'm pregnant, they would execute Keon and myself immediately. The baby would die anyway. If we somehow managed to hide the pregnancy until the child was born, the Pagoda would give it a gruesome death if they ever found it. We would have to live in constant fear. Keon said that we should end it now, before..." Her voice finally broke, and tears streamed down her face. "Before we... grow to care for the child," she finished.
Terrian stood up. "Alright, I understand. I can examine you in one of the guest rooms and make preparations."
Sophie nodded. "Thank you, doctor. Please just give me a moment."
"Of course," Terrian told her. "My nurses will help you when you're ready."
He left the room. You and Anna began to follow him out, eager to give the woman privacy while she regained her composure. "It's not fair, is it?" she asked, and you stopped to look back at her. Sophie’s eyes were red from crying and her hands were shaking. "It's a miracle, that I'm immune to the chemicals, that I can give birth. It's my miracle but... I have to kill it." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Keon, who had been waiting patiently in the hall, walked into the living room and sat down beside Sophie. He stared at her wordlessly, and you saw a faint hint of pain in his face. He looked as if he wanted to reach out to the trembling woman beside him, to comfort her, but his hands remained stiffly by his sides. You found it sad that he had been sleeping with the woman for three years, yet he had no idea how to hold her.
Terrian examined Sophie several minutes later, and afterward told her to come back in two days for the procedure to end the pregnancy. He had to gather up the tools and medicines needed to ensure her safety. The couple thanked him and left, leaving the rest of the day clear for you and Anna to finish your cleaning duties.
Two hours of mopping and dusting later, Anna disappeared. You searched the kitchen, hall, and three rooms before hearing voices coming from behind one of the bedroom doors on the second floor. You pressed your ear against the door and listened.
"I'm not angry with you," you heard Anna say. "It's not your fault that Terrian kept you a secret."
"But my presence bothers you," Nariah's lovely voice responded.
"Well, I'm still getting used to... your kind."
"Don't worry," Nariah said, "you're certainly not the first human to regard me with fear and unease." Anna said nothing in response, and after a brief pause, Nariah spoke again. "Did you know that half-breeds are not allowed to meet their human parents?"
Anna must have shaken her head, because Nariah went on. "Most often, the human parents are executed shortly after the birth of the half-breed. But sometimes, very rarely, the human is kept alive if the offspring is viewed as exceptional by the Pagoda, for further breeding. I do not understand what their standards are, or how they determine such things, but I was considered one of these 'exceptional offspring'. My human mother was kept alive for three years after she gave birth to me."
You could hear Anna's breath hitch as she gave a small gasp. "You met her, didn't you?"
"Yes," Nariah said softly, "I did. One of the other half-breeds told me where to find her, probably more out of malice than of kindness. I searched the Tower, my curiosity overpowering my sense of obedience to the Pagoda. We half-breeds were forbidden from visiting the breeding and containment rooms, you see. But I found her, huddled in a metal contraption that looked like a cage. She looked so much like me, I knew in an instant that she was indeed my mother."
There was another pause, then Anna finally asked, "What happened?"
"I approached the cage, my heart pounding, and looked her in the eyes. At that moment, I called her 'mother'. I don't know why. We were never taught to use such sentimental terms, and I had only heard the word on the lips of the humans in the city. Maybe it was some buried human instinct. Regardless, she had heard me, and she screamed in terror. She recoiled from me until her back hit the other side of the cage. I was... repulsive to her."
Tears formed in your eyes as you listened outside the door. Anna remained silent.
When Nariah continued, her beautiful voice was slightly darker. "My mother began shrieking, 'Get it away from me! Get that monster away!' and she wouldn't stop until a Pagoda, my father, appeared behind her with a blade in his hand. He reached in between the metal bars and slit her throat, silencing her. She died in the cage, still looking at me with horror in her eyes."
For several minutes, the room was quiet and you heard nothing. Then footsteps abruptly headed toward the door and it slid open. Anna walked out of the room, her face red and puffy. She had been crying. "Oh, hey," she said when she noticed the hall wasn't empty.
"Sorry, I listened in," you told her, wiping your own eyes.
"It's alright. How much did you hear?"
"The story about her mom. That was awful. How could someone be afraid of their own child? And Nariah was only three at the time, right? How could she be scary?"
"Oh, so you didn't hear about the age thing," Anna said.
"What age thing?"
Anna smiled, the redness in her face dissipating. "Nariah is only fourteen years old."
"No way!" you said, a little too loud. Nariah looked at least twenty.
"I'm serious. She said half-breeds age a lot quicker than humans until they reach maturity. Then the process slows down to a crawl. So when she was three, she might have looked ten."
"Whoa, that's crazy. I guess we were wrong about her relationship with Terrian then.”
Anna's smile grew broader. "Yeah, she didn't know how to describe it, because she doesn't have anything to compare it to, but I think he treats her like a sister from everything she told me."
You smiled too. "That's great, Anna!"
They finished the chores, both in a slightly better mood. Anna was on speaking terms with Terrian again, waving and saying goodbye as she left. He was so happy he nearly cried, and you laughed as you headed out the door.
When you reached the door of your apartment, you wondered whether Vartan would still be there. You kept reminding yourself that he could leave at any moment without warning. With more than a little apprehension, you stepped inside.
Clearly visible from the door, Vartan was lying across the couch, fast asleep. You took a blanket from a nearby chair and spread it over his body. You turned out the lamp on the table next to him and leaned down.
"Goodnight," you whispered, then smiled as you walked to your own room and went to bed.
Tag List:
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kafus · 1 year ago
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how to transfer your old pokemon to pokemon home before it's too late!!!
the wi-fi services for the nintendo 3DS and WiiU are shutting down in early april 2024, and while it specifically lists pokemon bank and poke transporter as being available post-shutdown, there is no guarantee of how long that may be for. there will likely come a time when these services shut down, and it could be in the relatively near future.
it is also pretty much impossible now to transfer pokemon to the switch's Home service with alternative methods such as PKHeX (popular pokemon save editor for the uninformed) due to the implementation of server-side Home IDs tracking pokemon at all times - the details of that aren't super important for this post, but point is, whenever bank shuts down, unless nintendo makes an offline way to transfer to home, it will be impossible to move pokemon from the old gens to the new, even with alternative/hack-y methods.
i write this guide with the intention of making this process easier for people since transferring pokemon has changed so much over the past two decades that it's a bit of a mess, and in a timely manner to give people time to finish the process. i'll be organizing by generation so feel free to skip to any part of the guide you need. (keep in mind that transferring is permanent, your pokemon cannot go back afterwards!!)
(by the way it would mean a lot to me if you weren't overwhelmingly negative of pokemon in the tags/reblogs. i get that pokemon transferring being an online service sucks but reading that stuff in my notifications constantly is really tiring </3 make ur own post to talk about that)
to walk you through, i'll be transferring this random shiny spinda i hatched in emerald version all the way up to pokemon home. her name is Moss :]
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below the cut since this is long as fuck sorry LOL
GEN 1/2 -> 3 (aka RBY/GSC -> RSE/FRLG)
this is impossible! as for the Virtual Console releases of the gen 1/2 games on 3DS, more on that later in the gen 5 -> 6/7 section.
GEN 3 -> 4 (aka RSE/FRLG -> DPPT/HGSS)
what you need:
a copy of RSE or FRLG
a copy of DPPT or HGSS in the same language as the RSE/FRLG copy that has beaten the champion and has access to post-game areas, preferably HGSS because it lets you transfer unlimited times as opposed to DPPT's once-per-24-hours limit (unless you happen to have korean DPPT/HGSS, which is not language locked in terms of transferring)
either an original DS or a DS lite, the old ones with the GBA slot at the bottom
the steps:
#1. you can only transfer 6 pokemon at a time, so get whatever 6 pokemon you want to transfer up together in gen 3. if you're intending to transfer less than 6 pokemon, you'll need to catch some extras since you have to transfer the full 6 every time (i usually just catch a bunch of extra mons on the first route, which is what i've done here with the poochyenas/wurmples)
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#2. put the gen 3 game into the GBA slot of the DS, and the gen 4 game into the DS slot. both games should appear on the home menu after turning on the DS.
#3. load the DS game and spam A past the title screen. before loading your save, scroll down. you should see a "MIGRATE FROM (GAME NAME HERE)" option. if you don't, either the GBA game isn't reading properly, or you have not visited Pal Park in your gen 4 game of choice. in HGSS, the Pal Park is located in Fuchsia City, and in DPPT, the Pal Park is located at the end of Route 221 below Sandgem Town.
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#4. select the aforementioned migration option and pick the pokemon you want to transfer.
#5. navigate to the Pal Park and complete the Catching Show, where you re-catch your transferred pokemon in the wild. this does not overwrite what pokeballs they were originally caught in! you will need to bring a pokemon with Surf if you have any Pokemon that spawn in the water areas. you can check what location the pokemon you transferred will be in on bulbapedia.
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#6. say yes to storing the caught pokemon in your PC boxes and they'll be there!
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important things to note:
pokemon with HM moves will be blocked from transfer, so make sure to use the Move Deleter to remove HM moves from any pokemon you're transferring in gen 3 before trying to transfer. in RSE, the Move Deleter is in Lilycove City, and in FRLG they are in Fuchsia City.
gen 3 -> 4 is the only step in the transfer process where held items transfer up as well, meaning that if you attach a valuable item such as a rare candy, master ball, or TM to a transferred pokemon, you can take it off that pokemon and put it in your bag in the gen 4 game.
an aside about colosseum/XD gale of darkness on gamecube:
you can transfer pokemon from colo/XD as well! unfortunately you'll need to have beaten colo/XD, and then you will also need to beat the gen 3 game... in FRLG, you even have to complete the postgame ruby/sapphire quest on the sevii islands to unlock trading with the gamecube games. once you do all that though, you can navigate to the pokemon center basement in Phenac City to trade with your gen 3 GBA title. to do this, you'll need a gamecube or wii with gamecube compatibility, a GBA (or GBA SP), and a GCN -> GBA link cable to connect the two consoles.
GEN 4 -> 5 (aka DPPT/HGSS -> BW/BW2)
what you need:
a copy of DPPT/HGSS
a copy of BW or BW2 in the same language as DPPT/HGSS copy that has beaten the champion (or N in the original BW) and has access to post-game areas.
two DS consoles of any kind (3DS is also fine!)
the steps:
#1. get the pokemon you want to transfer together in your gen 4 game's PC boxes. you can only transfer 6 pokemon at a time. if you have less than 6, catch some extra pokemon, since you need to transfer the full 6 every time. save it and turn off the DS with the gen 4 game.
#2. turn on your gen 5 game and navigate to the Poke Transfer Lab. personally i just fly to Black City/White Forest and head west.
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#3. talk to the NPC in the lab to start the transfer process. you will be prompted to turn on your other DS again and open DS Download Play with your gen 4 game inserted. do that and download the Poke Transfer app that comes up.
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#4. select the 6 Pokemon you want to transfer when prompted.
#5. play the transfer minigame! just drag the... bow? (lol) on the bottom screen to aim your pokeballs. there's technically a time limit, but it's very generous, and your final score doesn't matter.
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#6. say yes to transferring the pokemon once you're done and they'll be placed in your PC boxes!
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important things to note:
pokemon with HM moves will be blocked from transfer, so make sure to use the Move Deleter to remove HM moves from any pokemon you're transferring in gen 4 before trying to transfer. in DPPT they're in Canalave City, and in HGSS they're in Blackthorn City.
the level the pokemon was obtained at and the date it was obtained is changed upon transfer to gen 5 - it will have the met date of your DS clock and the met level of the level it was at the time of transfer. if you'd like to preserve a pokemon's met date, make sure to change the DS clock to the proper date.
GEN 5 -> 6/7 (aka BW/BW2 -> 3DS TITLES/BANK)
what you need:
a copy of BW/BW2
a copy of any 3DS pokemon game (XY/ORAS/SUMO/USUM)
a 3DS (or 2DS, i'll just be referring to them all as 3DSes here) with the poke transporter and pokemon bank apps installed. these were free apps that were once downloadable from the 3DS eShop, but the 3DS eShop is no longer available, so if you don't already have them installed you will need to explore alternate methods, AKA hacking your 3DS and injecting them in. that's outside the scope of this guide but you can find more information here on 3ds.hacks.guide. (do not attempt to follow any 3DS hacking guide not on this website, they could be outdated and harm your 3DS!)
a nintendo network ID that your 3DS is logged into (also outside the scope of this guide but if you don't already have one, it will prompt you during the process to make one)
internet connection
the steps:
#1. poke transporter defaults to trying to transfer every pokemon located in Box 1 of your PC, so go into your gen 5 game and put every pokemon you want to transfer into Box 1, and take anything you don't want to transfer out. if you want to transfer more pokemon than you can fit in one box, you'll have to transfer multiple times.
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#2. open poke transporter with your gen 5 game inserted into the 3DS' cartridge slot. after pressing A through some menus and selecting the gen 5 game when prompted, it should ask if you want to transfer the pokemon in Box 1, with a preview of the pokemon inside. confirm and let it do its thing. after poke transporter is finished, the pokemon you transferred will be in the special Transport Box in bank.
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#3. make sure you either have a 3DS pokemon title downloaded onto your 3DS, or swap out your gen 5 cart for one, it doesn't matter which.
#4. close out of poke transporter and navigate to pokemon bank. at the time of writing this guide, bank is still online and is free for everyone without a subscription - the main menu has an infinite "free trial" period number.
#5. select "use pokemon bank" and pick a 3DS game to connect with when prompted. it doesn't matter which one, but if you're looking to see your pokemon in a gen 6/7 game right now, pick the one you want to move it into. viewing a pokemon in a gen 6/7 game isn't required to move to home later, though!
#6. the Transport Box is located one box to the left of Box 1 - navigate to it and drag your pokemon out into a normal bank box. now you can move them to any gen 6/7 pokemon game you want, or home later!
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important things to note:
even though bank connects with both gen 6 and gen 7 games, once you place a pokemon into a gen 7 game (SUMO/USUM), you cannot transfer that pokemon back to a gen 6 game (XY/ORAS), so be careful!
an aside about the VC releases of RBY/GSC:
poke transporter can also be used to transfer pokemon out of the VC releases of RBY/GSC. these pokemon are changed pretty heavily, converting all their old gen data into pokemon's modern data structure. you can find more information about all the changes/conversions made on bulbapedia. these pokemon are considered gen 7 pokemon afterwards, and cannot be moved into XY/ORAS. pokemon with held items also cannot be transferred from VC titles and will fail to transfer.
if you want to transfer pokemon from cartridge RBY/GSC and have a save dumping device, it is possible to inject the cartridge's save file into the VC versions with Checkpoint on a hacked 3DS and then transfer that way. for GSC specifically, you'll need to edit your save slightly to make it compatible with VC GSC's save format. i personally made a converter for that here that you're free to use in-browser.
GEN 6/7 -> GEN 8+ (aka BANK -> HOME)
what you need:
a 3DS (or 2DS, i'll just be referring to them all as 3DSes here) with the pokemon bank app installed. this was a free app that was once downloadable from the 3DS eShop, but the 3DS eShop is no longer available, so if you don't already have it installed you will need to explore alternate methods, AKA hacking your 3DS and injecting it in. that's outside the scope of this guide but you can find more information here on 3ds.hacks.guide. (do not attempt to follow any 3DS hacking guide not on this website, they could be outdated and harm your 3DS!)
a nintendo network ID that your 3DS is logged into (also outside the scope of this guide but if you don't already have one, it will prompt you during the process to make one)
a switch with Pokemon Home installed, which can be downloaded for free from the switch's eShop. a nintendo switch online subscription is not required.
unfortunately, you WILL need a subscription to home's premium plan to do bank -> home transfers.
internet connection
the steps:
#1. open pokemon bank and make sure all the pokemon you want to transfer are in their own boxes, and any you don't want to transfer are not in the same boxes as the to-be-transferred pokemon.
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#2. go back to the bank home menu and select the "move pokemon to pokemon home" option. when you get the notice about the transfer being one-way, you'll need to scroll down to hit "Begin".
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#3. you will be prompted to select what boxes of pokemon you'd like to transfer, so pick all the applicable ones.
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#4. you will then be prompted to put in the moving key from home, so turn on your switch, open pokemon home, and select the icon that looks like a 3DS on the main menu. when prompted, choose "Ready!" to get the moving key.
#5. input the moving key on the 3DS, submit it, and wait for both apps to do their thing. once bank goes back to its title screen, you can turn off the 3DS.
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#6. home will go back to its title screen as well, and depending on how many pokemon you moved, you may have to wait a few minutes to get back into the app. once it's done, the next time you open home, it'll prompt you to choose how to organize your transferred pokemon into home. pick whatever you see fit.
#7. congratulations, your pokemon are safe in home!!
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important things to note:
unlike all pokemon games before the switch, pokemon can actually go backwards in generation on switch, so don't worry about transferring a pokemon into scarlet/violet locking you out of moving it to sword/shield, for example. (the exception to this is LGPE - nothing can be moved into LGPE and once a pokemon is moved out of LGPE, it can't go back.)
pokemon home actually has decent hack checks, so be careful when transferring hacked/glitched/otherwise illegitimate pokemon around.
pokemon from a gen 3/4 game will have their met location set to "Poke Shifter" - this is an alternative translation of the japanese name for the Poke Transporter.
pokemon on switch can only transfer into games that contain that pokemon in its dex, so not everything transferred can go into scarlet/violet, for example.
and that's it!!
there's a lot of other quirks to the pokemon transferring process at pretty much all steps, so if you run into an unusual issue or have specific questions about how pokemon data is changed in minute ways across the franchise, i would encourage you to do your own research, all of this stuff is pretty heavily documented by the fanbase. this is just meant to be a guide for casual users, and a quick reference.
this guide of course does not cover options for transferring in alternative ways, but it's worth mentioning that if you have a hacked 3DS and the ability to back up save files at any point from gens 3 -> 5, you can use PKHeX to transfer pokemon into the 3DS titles, then move them to bank and transfer to home normally from there. that's outside the scope of this guide and i'd also encourage you to do your own research for that.
happy transferring!
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