#if you don'T love team rocket you're wrong

[woso-dreamzzz]

Youth Team II

Hardersson x Teen!Reader

Part of The Big Adventures Universe

Summary: Your first crush

You first meet her during a friendly.

Usually, Denmark goes to everyone else to play. Not many teams want to make the trek over especially when it was winter and the snow had settled.

But there are always a few dumb idiots who want to play against the Under-Seventeen Euro winners and are willing to leave the warmth of their own countries to come over.

Today, it's Spain.

You haven't really paid much attention to who is on the other team (it's not like you would really recognise any of them anyway) but you're always up for a challenge.

You clap your hands together as you warm up. It's not too cold for Denmark standards but you can spot the Spain girls shivering as they try to get warm.

"They shake like a newborn deer," One of your friends says with a little laugh," Do you think they are just as unsteady on their legs?"

You stifle your own laugh as you head out to your position on your goal line. "They're just used to Spain. It's hot there."

"Hopefully the snow throws them off."

There's a light dusting of snow on the ground that you've found is pretty typical of the Denmark winter but is usually enough to throw off foreigners when they come to visit.

A small smile tugs at the corner of your lips. "Maybe they'll slip over when they try to kick the ball."

You don't have much to do during the match. The coaches have put out a heavy offence and your midfield easily scoops up the loose balls.

Spain's keeper is nearly as good as you but lets three goals slip through her fingers (though one is ruled as offside). You're better though.

Morsa always says it's not arrogance if you can back it up.

You know you're better than her which is why you're a bit confused when the ball comes rocketing past your outstretched fingers. You've mistimed your dive and your glove misses the ball by mere millimetres as it slots itself into the left corner of your goal.

You roll out of your dive. You're used to the snow of Denmark but it doesn't mean that you want to be lying on it for longer than you have to be.

You catch a glimpse of the forward that got the better of you and...She's beautiful.

She's celebrating her goal, fist pumping up into the air.

You make eye contact.

She smiles.

You go red and look away, your heart going pitter-patter in your chest. You grab the ball out of your goal and throw it off to one of your midfielders.

The pretty girl is still celebrating and you make a vow to yourself to not let any more of her goals in. You wouldn't let her win.

You don't let her win at the end of the day with a scoreline of 2-1 to Denmark. You'd say that your performance was decent enough but knew it wasn't perfect because you didn't come out of it with a clean sheet.

"Hola."

You jump in shock when the girl from earlier appears in front of you.

"Hola."

She smiles at you. It's a pretty smile and it makes you feel all weird and mushy inside. You don't quite understand.

She offers her hand.

You shake it and introduce yourself to.

"I know," She says with a wink that makes a blush appear on your face out of nowhere," You play for Linköping."

You're a little bit flattered that such a pretty girl knows who you are and where you play. You wish you could say the same about her.

"I'm Natalia, by the way. I play for Barça B," She says," Straight through La Masia." She puffs out her chest and you're not too sure why she's telling you this. "We're staying over for the next two days. You know your way Denmark, don't you?"

You furrow your brow in confusion. "Er...yes..."

She's smiling again. "Can I have your number? I'd love to have a proper tour guide."

"Oh! Okay!" It makes sense why she was being so friendly now.

Spanish girls are touchy. You know this because Tia Tana is a bit touchy sometimes so you don't see anything wrong with the girl pressing a kiss on your cheek. She lingers there for a moment and her cheeks go a little red - though you put that down to the cold weather.

"I'll text you."

"Who was your new friend?" Morsa asks when you finally make your way over to her and Momma in the stands.

"Oh...er..." You look behind you to see Natalia smiling at you. You feel like your cheeks are permanently stained red. "She plays at Barça. I think she wants a tour guide."

Morsa narrows her eyes. "A tour guide," She says," Yeah, sure."

"Magda," Momma hisses in warning," That's lovely, princesse. Why don't you head back and get changed and then we can go to dinner?"

"Okay."

Pernille watches you go. "Don't."

"Don't what?!"

"It's nice that she's making friends."

"I think that girl has more than friendship on her mind!"

Pernille laughs. "Remind you for anyone?"

"Huh?"

"I had a little bit more than friendship on my mind when I invited you on that maths course."

Magda's face goes a little red before she turns away. "That's different. She's still a baby. She can't date."

"First of all," Pernille says as she slips a hand into Magda's," She hasn't been a baby for a very long time. Second of all, we've somehow managed to raise the most oblivious teenager of all time. She doesn't even realise that it's a date."

The tension in Magda's shoulders deflates. "Yeah...Well, at least it isn't a crush on Princesse's end."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

You're walking down the tunnel and feel a hand slip into your own.

It's Natalia again.

She smiles at you, swinging your joined hands.

You feel all mushy inside as you try to hold eye contact. She presses another kiss to your cheek.

"I look forward to seeing you soon," She says.

"Yeah, me too."

[sirhamburrger]

rev up! - rocket league with the bllk boys

ᯤ feat. rensuke kunigami, reo mikage, tabito karasu, sae itoshi  ᯤ tags/cw: all characters are aged up, they all hate the game to some degree except for reo he loves it ᯤ a/n: in case you don't know, rocket league is a game in which you play simplified soccer as a car. this is barely x reader anymore LOL i was just inspired watching my kid brother play and rage today || dividers by @cafekitsune part 1 [minecraft ver with the other main boys]

rensuke kunigami:

ᯤ expects it to be like a normal football game at first. that is, until you explain the rules of rocket league - that there are basically no proper rules at all ᯤ he’s actually kind of appalled that you have to play one to four aside instead of eleven, and each match is only three minutes long ᯤ “offside! did you see that? that was clearly offside!” ᯤ (you, trying to stifle your laughter) “ren… there is no offside…” ᯤ he keeps playing it just to make you laugh but quits after two weeks ᯤ preferred game mode: hoops (because at least it’s not soccer he’s defiling)

reo mikage:

ᯤ is pretty good with a controller - he is nagi’s best friend, after all ᯤ he takes out his anger on the game. ramming into the other players’ vehicles, demolishing them mid-skirmish, pushing his own (bad) teammates out of the way to score goals ᯤ gets really good after a while and even starts streaming with nagi ᯤ as mentioned earlier he hates when the teammates he gets matched up with are really bad (that’s when the profanities come pouring out 🤗) ᯤ but he’s so good that he gets at least a five-point lead in every single game anyway ᯤ preferred game mode: classic 3v3, occasionally snow day (with the ice hockey puck)

tabito karasu:

ᯤ he constantly gripes about every single thing that he thinks is wrong with the game. ᯤ “why do i always get matched up with opponents who play together on the same xbox?? they can communicate that’s not fair” ᯤ (after an opponent knocks him out of the way) “ref! ref, that was definitely a foul. don’t tell me ya don’t think that’s a foul.” (there is no ref) ᯤ once he got yukimiya and otoya to play with him against rin, shidou and nagi  ᯤ and they won because rin, as previously established, has the gaming skills of a centenarian. not even nagi could save his team from demise ᯤ but he’s always nice to you when you play with him :) ᯤ preferred game mode: heatseeker

sae itoshi: 

ᯤ loathes the game with all his heart. his gaming reflexes are pretty decent but he thinks the game is stupid and an insult to soccer. (“you're never going to be able to play soccer with cars.”) ᯤ regularly challenges rin to 1v1s. rin never refuses and seeing his brother lose so spectacularly fuels sae’s ego ᯤ he got twitter and insta and tiktok just so he can clown the game. his angry rants on car soccer rack up hundreds of thousands of views in mere hours. rocket league reaches out to him for a sponsorship deal. sae’s manager makes him say yes. ᯤ preferred game mode: he hates the game, didn’t you know? if he had to choose though it would probably be classic 3v3. b-but it’s not like he likes it or anything!!

bllk masterlist || general masterlist

© sirhamburrger 2024

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

I Love You When You Don't Love Yourself

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Self deprication??? People talking shit I dunno

Genre: fluff and maybe angst

Summary: Bucky let's the opinions of random people get in his head a little too much on a night out

***

You take one last look at your makeup in the mirror before deciding you're satisfied with the look.

"You almost ready to go doll?" Bucky asks, leaning against the doorframe.

"Perfect timing. Yeah, I just need to put my heels on." You say standing up and walking over to your shoes which you'd left by your closet. Bucky meets you by them and leans down to slip your heels onto your foot. Oh, how he treats you like a princess.

"You look amazing." He tells you as he stands back up, kissing your temple softly.

"Thank you, so do you." You say. Bucky's hand settles against your back as it always does when you're walking.

"Alright let's get on with this." Bucky says as you leave the tower.

"Do you think everyone's already there?"

"Steve definitely is, Nat probably isn't yet, Tony definitely isn't, Wanda and Vis I'd guess yes. Everyone else is up in the air but everyone's left here."

"Last to go-"

"We won't be the last to leave. Telling you now." He tells you.

"I know." You laugh. "Trust me I have no desire to stay the latest."

The Avengers team has been invited to a charity gala which normally nobody would even think about going to, but after the last several months, you definitely think the team could use the positive press so a number of you are going, to represent the team. It takes you and Bucky 20 minutes to get to the venue and Bucky groans when he sees the red carpet lined with photographers.

"No way there's a red carpet here." He rolls his eyes.

"Of course there is. These galas are a gold mine for PR brownie points." You say. "Just smile baby, if they ask us anything worth answering I can do the talking."

"Works for me." Bucky says leaning over the center console to kiss you quickly before getting out of the car. Bucky hands the keys to the valet as he walks around the front before opening your door. He holds out a hand to help you out and then shifts that hand to your lower back, leading you down the red carpet. You can hear a cluster of voices shouting both of your names behind the disorienting flashes but it's hard to make anything out specifically. That is until you catch one voice above the rest.

"Y/n! What's it like dating the Winter Soldier!?"

You can feel Bucky tense a bit beside you though he tries not to let it show on his face. You flash a bright smile at the sea of photographers and slip your hand behind you to quickly squeeze Bucky's.

"Oh well I wouldn't know, the Winter Soldier doesn't exist anymore." You say easily.

"Are you saying you don't think your boyfriend is dangerous!?" Another voice.

"Not any more than any other avenger. I honestly think that the most volatile of us is Tony! But- for some reason, nobody's worried about the guy who can fit rocket blasters into a briefcase- just the... guy who can punch really hard." You let out a half laugh to lighten the severity of your words but you know you've done what you were trying to do when Bucky pulls you closer subtly and the questions stop. "Ciao!" You add with a light wave. You and Bucky walk the remainder of the carpet, posing every so often until you make it inside.

"The guy who can punch really hard?" He quirks an eyebrow at you once you're inside.

"Well yeah. Don't get me wrong you're plenty dangerous- but we have a god that can summon lightening, a witch that can completely warp reality, a kid who has the strength to throw an entire airplane- and I mean Tony's just some guy comparatively however- that suit of his has military grade weapons and he could at one point carry in a briefcase, I feel like you are not the biggest threat to humanity even in this room."

"You make us all sound dangerous."

"You are. We are. Honestly, the world is just lucky Tony thinks that being a hero comes with more glory than being a villain, and the rest of us have decent moral compasses. The line between hero and villain is pretty thin and when you have abilities people don't understand you are always walking that line. They could turn us into fugitives tomorrow. That's why we do things like charity galas so that's less likely to happen."

"You know we are so lucky you're around because I don't think anyone else would care to protect us in this way." Bucky slings his arm across your shoulders, pulling you closer to him.

"True but I suppose that's the good thing about a team, everyone offers a different skill set." You shrug with a chuckle.

"You're so amazing." He says kissing your temple.

"Well I have to be, my boyfriend's pretty cool you know." You smile.

"Oh, is he?"

"Yeah, the coolest." You nod.

"He's a lucky man." Bucky chuckles. 

"Sure is. But I think I'm luckier."

I think he'd disagree."

"I'm sure. Let's go find our seats."

"I'll get us drinks first and find you at our table after." Bucky says removing his arm from your shoulder but kissing your hand before he lets you go.

"You sure?"

"I could track you down in a sea of thousands doll, go. I'll see you in a few." He says.

"Something fruity please." You tell him.

"I know what to do." He winks and walks off. You pivot towards the tables to search the name cards for your and Bucky's seats.

"Y/n, hi I'm Noah, I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan of yours." The man, Noah, appeared pretty much out of nowhere.

"Hi Noah, thank you. Just- trying to do what's right." You smile. You'll admit you've not had many adults come up to you and say they're fans?? It's usually kids so you're not sure what's the best approach here.

"Oh you don't have to be so modest! You're a hero! You've earned every right to brag."

"I'm not really the bragging type is all." You chuckle.

"That's so honorable." He nods. You hum in response.

"I'm gonna go find my seat, but it was nice to meet you!"

"Oh did you come alone? Is someone waiting for you?" He asks.

"What?" You blink at him.

"Well just that you're usually always with the one with the arm- the soldier."

"Bucky." You say.

"Right him. I'm just surprised to see you without him." Noah shrugs.

"Oh, he's here. He went to get us drinks."

"Interesting. I'm surprised."

"By what? Like you said we're always together." You shrug.

"Yeah, right, I know I guess I just thought by now you'd wake up."

"Excuse you?" You scoff.

"Oh come on darling, you and I both know you can do way better than that killer you're with now." He smirks placing a hand on your arm.

"If you want to keep that hand I suggest you keep it to yourself because if you touch me again you won't have to worry about 'that killer I'm with' I'll end you myself." You smile back at him.

"Fiesty."

"Yes, I tend to be when you insult my loved ones. Go figure. I'm going to go find my seat now before you dig yourself a hole too deep to climb out of, enjoy your evening." You say before walking away. Perhaps you should've mitigated that without threatening him, if it reflects badly on the team you could be undoing the very thing you came here for and that's usually Tony's area of expertise, oh there's your name but I mean that guy totally had it coming he was being an absolute jerk. How dare he say-

"Found ya." Bucky kisses your cheek as he sits beside you, cutting your train of thought.

"Hey." You smile giving him a peck on the lips. "What'd you get me?"

"I forget the name but it's a vodka cran with peach and lime basically, something from their specialty menu. I thought you'd like it." He shrugs.

"I'm sure it's lovely, thank you." You tell him taking a sip. It is pretty good. "What'd you get yourself?"

"Just a whiskey." He says. "Anything fun happen while I was away?"

"Nope, I ran into some guy before I found our seats but, that's an interaction barely worth mentioning." You roll your eyes.

"Uh oh, what'd he do?"

"Doesn't matter." You say with a kiss. "Have you seen anyone else yet? It looks like none of us are at the same tables." You point out.

"I saw Tony and Pepper's place cards but they're not sitting if they're already here."

"Oh, what table are they at?" You ask.

"It's over there, and don't worry I already told the bartender that Tony is only allowed one drink." Bucky says making you giggle.

"Well, that's a relief. Let's hope he didn't prepare for that restriction." You hum.

"I think Pepper keeps him on a pretty tight leash so it shouldn't be a problem. I just figured you'd rather be safe than sorry."

"When it comes to Tony's alcohol consumption absolutely." You nod.

"Oh my god is that the winter soldier?" You hear a voice whisper next to you.

"I can't believe they let him in here." Another hushed voice responds, making your jaw clench.

"Well I'm not about to sit next to him." Voice one scoffs.

"I'm sure we can get someone to switch with us it's fine. Come on." Voice two says and the two scuttle off.

"Fucking idiots." You roll your eyes. Bucky clears his throat and takes a sip of his whiskey.

"Oh look there's Vis." Bucky points out the red synthezoid at a table a few rows away from you.

"Okay so we're here, Pepper and Tony should be, Vision and Wanda are there, isn't Steve coming? I wonder where he'll be sitting." You hum.

"I bet he's already in his seat. Look for a bunch of giggling women hovering at a table and we'll probably find him at the center."

"I wonder why they sat us all apart."

"I imagine to promote mingling. All the Avengers at one table would be rather intimidating for the rest of the gala I think. No one would approach us." He shrugs.

"Oh maybe." You hum. You pick up the program sitting on the table to get an idea of how the evening is meant to play out. They'll start with an opening address, then serve dinner, then do the auction items, and the rest of the night will be dancing and mingling. You and Bucky entertain each other at the table until someone begins the night's todos with the opening address. The speech is about five minutes long, thanking guests and talking about the importance of the cause. Dinner orders from the preselected menu are taken quickly and food is brought out within 15 minutes.

"See I told you it was him." You hear a hushed conversation, not at your table but close. Bucky's hand hovers over the fork that he had been reaching for.

"My goodness you were right. That's scary."

"And to think he has a girlfriend walking around like that." That's the line. Bucky stands from your table abruptly and storms off. You hurriedly gather your purse to follow after him but you stop at the table you'd heard the voices coming from.

"If you guys are so bored with your lives that you have nothing better to do than gossip the least you could do is keep your pathetic opinions to yourself." You scoff before walking off to track down your boyfriend.

"Bucky wait." You call when you catch up to him just outside the venue.

"I want to leave." He says.

"It's barely been an hour-"

"And in that time there have been four separate instances of people talking about me like some zoo animal who can't fucking hear them."

"Four?"

"I heard that guy telling you that you can do so much better than the 'killer you're with now', so yeah. Four."

"We'll leave." You nod. Bucky hands his ticket to the valet and it takes almost no time at all for them to bring your car around to the front.

Your drive home is silent, though you rest a comforting hand on Bucky's thigh as he drives. Back in your room at the tower is where the quiet is finally broken.

"I'm sorry." Bucky frowns.

"What on earth for?" You shake your head at him

"I totally ruined the evening. I know this was- important to you that we go." He sighs.

"Don't be ridiculous. There are enough Avengers there to represent the whole team Bucky we didn't have to go, we didn't have to stay. Plus I never want you to be somewhere you don't feel comfortable. The gala is not nearly as important to me as your feelings." You tell him.

"Everything would be so much easier if it wasn't so-"

"Bucky don't. That's a dangerous path to start down. There is nothing wrong with you."

"Stop, y/n. Stop pretending that you don't hate it. If I could still have my normal arm I-"

"Well you don't." You snap, cutting him off.

"What?" He blinks at you.

"You don't have your 'normal arm' Buck, and I didn't even know you when you did. I fell in love with you with the metal one attached to your body, and it's the only you I've ever known. How could you possibly think I hate it?"

"You heard what people were saying tonight-"

"I'm not dating any of them or their opinions. And neither are you. Who gives a fuck what they have to say about it? Don't let them decide what parts of you are worth loving." You say grabbing his face.

"Don't you get tired?"

"No. I'd happily spend the rest of my life clapping back at people's ignorant comments if it meant always coming home to you. I've fought evils those peabrains couldn't even comprehend if they tried, their narrowminded drivel means nothing to me. They're like walking talking gossip rags. Who pays those any attention?" You roll your eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too. All of you. Even with your metal arm and your chaotic history. Don't you dare let random noise make you forget that." You poke his chest.

"Alright alright." He laughs pulling you against his chest into a hug.

***

[blackberreh-art]

Hey Berreh, I recently watched episode 101 of TMA. I have some mixed feelings about the ending. I'm not sure if you allowed spoilers on this blog. There might be a few people that still haven't seen the episode yet. I'll try to be vague as possible. (If you don't feel comfortable in replying on ask, you can message me. )

Originally when I started listening to TMA, I was invested in JonMichael and JonElias because of your fanart. I thought that Michael and Jon would have more interactions and Helen and Michael would be some silly distorted version of Team Rocket (since I saw some people drawing them together). I didn't expect what happened in this episode.

I know you're interested in JonMichael, but I'm curious. Do you think that despite the limited amount of time that Michael and Jon encountered each other, could it still be possible for them to hook up? I know it sounds dumb since there's always AUs and people can experiment with the ship, but I wish there's more interactions between those two.

Also, how did you start shipping Jon and Michael? Did it came from the canon? The fandom? Or was it both?

I don't think its silly at all ahah, you're not alone in wishing jon and michael interacted more at all! My shipping of them came from both ofc, I believe it stemmed from this animatic my friend showed me and it kind of snowballed from there. I've always been a sucker for monster/human relationships, its my favourite dynamic hands down, so it only felt natural to start shipping it ahah. I feel like I've never actually been in a properly established fandom where it can Actually Be A Thing!!

Michael suddenly become my Special Little Boy who could do No Wrong, Surely, and with Jon, er... well he's got that prey vibe going for him you know. Lol. (i love Jon a lot okay. A Lot A Lot. Jon/Michael/Elias are on constant rotation in my brain)

I miss Michael a lot, there was just something about his character that has a strangle hold on me. I can't really explain it, but he feels like something that is so deeply angry and hurt and betrayed and there is no vindication or relief because suddenly there is Helen, and Michael is No More. And don't get me wrong, i love Helen a lot!!!! Helen as the Distortion is NOT what Michael was at all, Helen is what the Distortion wished to be but could not. Helen is comfortable in her existence in a way that Michael Never Was, and that just makes me really sad lmao

Anyway, sorry for rambling. If it isn't clear I like Michael A Lot. I like michael with Jon ofc, and Elias and Gerry despite them having no canon interactions, but its all so vague that you never know!!! Maybe they did!!!!

I have like, two absolutely FAVOURITE michael/jon fics I would recommend. One I think you can read since that's where you're around in canon? The other I would wait til you've finished the series since it encompasses it all (and its LONG!!!!!)

Pay the Piper by NeverwinterThistle was the first to grip me, it was such a delight!!!!

And Eat it, Too by Trin had me on the edge of my seat and unable to put it down the entire time. Made me squeal a lot lmao. I blasted through it So Fast, I couldn't put it down. (but yeah you should probably wait to finish the series before you read it)

[andreabandrea]

I absolutely don't mean this in a bad way, but I think a lot about how Pokemon is a power fantasy for kids. And I know this is obvious because it's a game for children, but let me ramble.

Think about it: you can go wherever you want, knowing you're safe because your Pokemon will protect you. In the later games, you can dress however you want and express yourself freely. You can connect with nature and communities of friendly kids and adults around you. You can make a meaningful, positive impact on the world. You can stand toe-to-toe with adults who, in real life, would ignore or even belittle you because you're just a kid. (And, of course, you have superpowered pets that love you.)

I think about how in the original games, Brock and Misty are presented as kids/young teens and become friends with Ash. But, Lt. Surge presents a difficulty spike-- if you chose Bulbasaur, you can easily sweep the first two gyms with it, but now you don't have a supereffective match up unless you plan more. I think it's meaningful, then, that Lt. Surge is portrayed a big, scary adult man and military to boot. In the anime, he's presented as being condescending and intimidating toward Ash. But, you as the player are able to overcome this intimidating man through the power of your Pokemon. The same can be said for people like Team Rocket and Giovanni-- Giovanni's original sprite in Red & Blue makes it look like he's looming over you, sneering at you.

It can easily be forgotten by adult fans, but you're seeing this world through the perspective of a child. Giovanni looming over you represents how it feels to be a child, powerless, and face an adult who's cruel to you. But you defeat him at every match up.

Satoshi Tajiri would go on to say that Pokemon was inspired by his childhood, in which he'd go out and collect bugs. Miyamoto would say that the first Zelda game was inspired by his childhood in which he'd explore the local area and caves and so on.

It makes me sad to think that, as the world becomes more modern, more urbanized, and (as parents tend to see it, at least) more unsafe, this childhood that inspired these classic games become further out of reach for kids. When I was growing up, I lived in a suburb full of concrete. I couldn't walk anywhere, and even if I could, my mother was too anxious to let me just go around unsupervised.

This is why getting the bike is such a big moment in Pokemon-- you can go so much farther as a kid on a bike! But, I also could only ride my bike up and down my boring street before running into a major street full of cars going 50 MPH that would have murdered me instantly.

This isn't a doom post. I still believe that we can repair the damage that capitalism and cars have done to the world. But, I think that in times like this, it's more important than ever for kids to have access to these power fantasies, these escapes from a world that they have no ability to fix, but still suffer from regardless.

Ironically, I think that when I play Pokemon now, I play it to feel smaller rather than to feel bigger, the opposite of how I played it as a kid. Now, it's comforting to escape from work and stress into a world in which your only concerns are walking to the next town, catching a new Pokemon, and maybe fighting a gym leader. The same can be said of any piece of media that someone is nostalgic for, but I think Pokemon feeds into it well because its design is so baked in the experience of being a child.

When I'm playing Pokemon, especially when replaying an old game, I still remember things like only saving in Pokemon centers so that my character could sleep there in a nice building, or imagining them setting up camp if I had to save and quit on a route. If I had time, I would feed my Pokemon some Pokeblocks or etc. at my little 'camp' so they wouldn't be hungry (which is why I felt like the cooking and camping systems from SwSh were so real for me, haha).

I don't think that there's a 'wrong' way to play Pokemon-- I know people enjoy competitive Pokemon, and strict challenge runs, and stuff. And I can enjoy that, too! But, for me, Pokemon is about childhood, you know?

[smiley-positivity-potato]

for all the young and older autistic masculine and transmasc peers out there, get ready to be confused about the new addition of male social cues society EXPECTS you to learn on how to be a "proper" and respectable man.

be ready to be just as flabbergasted and baffled by the expectations of others, men AND women alike, for what is acceptable for a masculine person in a conversation to say and what is not for it is seen as "weak". don't be shocked when your anxiety starts to rise when others try to see how strongly you can shake their hand, or for when they see how you can hold yourself in an argument OR fight you KNOW shouldn't have happened but the aggression is there because, naturally, you're a man so you can "take it". be ready for your disabilities or ailments to be dismissed by others, for you're a "big, tough" man so you shouldn't need time to HEAL. "Just ignore it. Keep pushing forward. What kinda man are you if you can't?", they'll accuse.

be ready for them to all of a sudden make being a man feel like rocket science mixed with gymnastics. they will make you feel like you have to wear a double mask to be a man. one mask you'd wear for your autism and one you'd wear to hide your past womanhood taught traits. and you'll feel idiotic if you don't get these things when we barely got the "girl" social cues before we transitioned.

they will laugh if you can't lift the trash because it's too heavy and they may MOCK YOU, just like my first ex gf did. they will compare the way you can or can not hold in your emotions to other men (your meltdowns, stimming, sensory issues, and etc. are now no longer "cute and quirky". they are an inconvenience). they will stare you down and expect you to KNOW how to be the protector of EVERY situation- not as a team protecting one another, but as an individual knight protecting your loved ones. and if you can't do this and more, you socially aren't accepted by other women AND men, alike, as a "proper" man.

but the thing is, you may never learn EVERY social cue as an autistic masculine person. and even if you do, it won't make sense. so you may not see a reason to do it- for the pressure of others shouldn't define your manhood. you are autistic and that is okay. you do not need to find all these things important to your masculinity journey. and even if you choose to learn some of these society approved cues, it should be out of your own comfort. not because you want others to think you're a "better" man. standing your ground, as you walk further and further up this path, has already helped you start to become a better man- this version of you is already better because it's who you wished to be as a little girl.

and you will continue to grow and be that. so all because you don't get or know why every masculine social cue exists, like others expect, doesn't make you any less of a man than another cis man. you're just an autistic transmasc. an autistic, upstanding man. and there will NEVER EVER be anything wrong with that. i promise.

[leam1983]

2024 in Gaming

Helldivers 2: it's become a running joke with the polycule, and approval with Progressive opinions or talking points now gets at least one of the three of us to jokingly pull out their smartphone to "call their Democracy Officer to report a case of treasonous activity"...

Walt isn't any better, but he's unlocked a few rocket-propelled weapons and now feels better sitting behind myself and Sarah while pelting the enemies ahead with weaponized Freedom.

Balatro: Walt and I's new favourite casual game, wherein appearance of it being a cutesy little variant on Poker suites turns into virtual crack. I've woken up in the wee hours to Walt's face bathed in his phone's OLED screen. When I ask him what's wrong, he typically replies something to the tune of "I need four thousand Chips, babe."

Marvel Rivals: it does what Overwatch 2 don't. As in, it's fun. Me, Walt, Sarah and a few of the boys on an all-Rocket Raccon match? You betcha! Also, there's Jeff the Land Shark, and Jeff the Land Shark deserves the world. Nay, the universe.

Astro Bot: didn't finish it, but I loved what Team Asobi cooked up. It's the most genuine, heartfelt, cutesy and engaging piece of corporate PR and Engineering porn to ever exist. Every button pressed during an Astro Bot session twiddles Mark Cerny's fun bits remotely.

Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree: bought it because I approve of the design ethos behind this DLC's existence, never played it because I suuck at FromSoft games. I made sure to watch some related content so I could point and laugh awkwardly if friends of mine greet me with a random cry of "BAYYYYLE!"

Worshippers of Chtulhu: Anno with a Lovecraftian twist. It's very broken, still very much in Early Access, but the promise is definitely there.

Park Beyond: Meh. Got it for cheap, I guess we're still not getting a decent heirloom to Roller Coaster Tycoon, after the Micromanagement nightmare that Planet Coaster turned out to be for me.

1000xResist: basically a Yoko Taro game not written or directed by Yoko Taro, and it's one of the deeper game-based experiences I've had in a long while. Strongly recommended.

The Cabin Factory: Spot the Difference for easily-frightened streamers who haven't played Exit 8 yet. It has an interesting narrative format and is one of the more surprising implementations of Unity Engine I've seen to date. I could've sworn this was a UE5 project! Beyond that, it's nothing special, but it's priced accordingly.

Clickolding: if Cookie Clicker had an uncanny sense of atmosphere and managed to creep you out with nothing except a sparsely-animated antagonist and a rising click counter, you'd have a sense of what this feels like. It does a very effective job at making you want to be as compliant and possible.

Daemonologie: The Salem Witch Trials in game form, or Ace Attorney if Phoenix wore a Quaker hat and had a fixation on nakey women doing odd shit in the forest. Very tense and minimalist, and very, very worthwhile.

Cryptmaster: it's basically a spruced-up oldschool MUD, with 3D black-and-white graphics and four zombified D&D character archetypes you control simultaneously, by either using your Arrow keys to move the entire party at once, or typing in the words that correspond to abilities or attacks. Very, very, very British humour is on offer, along with a script-writer that managed to predict most stupidly filthy prompts you're likely to try at any given point. It's hilarious and kludgey in just the right way, especially if you remember the nineties' MindMaze on Encarta '95.

Liar's Bar: Russian Roulette for Furries with a decent voIP chat integration. It's shallow and stupid fun, and the subject matter makes people behave in increasingly crude ways as the session goes on. If you're like me, you'll swear you played a round or two against a guy who was actually stone-dead-drunk and who actually had nothing to lose...

Silent Hill 2 Remake: finally, Silent Hill's fog doesn't feel like a performance-saving measure and actually creeps me the fuck out. It makes me feel terrible and has me contemplate not playing it, but it does make sense. Kudos to Bloober Team for finally manage to ground this one heck of a weirdo title.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: take Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny, burn all copies, consign the masters to Disney's oubliette, thank Harrison Ford for his decades of diligent service and pass the fedora and bullwhip to Troy Baker, 'cause Machine Games and Bethesda have managed to find themselves yet another prime title to fuck Fascists up using fisticuffs or blunt weaponry. It's a great callback to Machine Games' own contribution to Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, seeing as every single level in the game has the granular detail of their version of Prague. Slap some John Williams on, add the authentic audio samples for whip cracks and punches, lifted straight out of the movies. I haven't had as much fun raiding tombs or poking through lovingly-reconstructed real places since Nolan North last lent his voice pipes to Nathan Drake.

Imagine my surprise, when the Sistine Chapel turned out to be about the size of our condo building's parking lot! That's tiny! The more you know, I guess!

Star Wars Outlaws: this is what happens when a studio really, really, really wants to give the IP due diligence, but its decades of re-iterated design docs ruin the experience. Kay Vess isn't a galactic scoundrel; she's basically every Far Cry protagonist ever, except in third-person!

The Forever Winter: all crunch, no fun. An incredibly engaging premise, but the mistaken notion that the average gamer has several three-to-four-blocks to devote to this each and every single day. Worth at least a YouTube ride-along, to see the incredible work the Art Design team's pulled together.

Disney's Epic Mickey - Rebrushed: Warren Spector's poorly-received baby and love letter to classic animation gets its just desserts on PC. It's not super complex with only two basic mechanics based off of two buttons on a controller, but it managed to use an extremely limited toolset to great effect, even throwing in what feels like a younger relative's first potential exposure to the Immersive Sim concept of looking for unmarked routes through a level. The in-between side-scrolling levels are oozing charm, and essentially feel like some part of Spector wanted to play in the same ballpark as American McGee's Alice.

If anything, it cements the idea that non-verbal instances of Mickey Mouse should never be left in the same room as a magical implement or toolset. Ever. Verbal Mickeys can push past their childlike glee and reason accordingly, but the oldschool button-eyed and non-verbal originator is not to be trusted.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl: Have fun losing half your health because the ARMA-esque mechanics decide that grazing damage means holy shit, you almost died! Especially, have fun getting knocked flat out on your ass by mutants - over and over and over...

To be played in subtitled Ukranian out of implicit support, and to have fun with the Slavic definition of an acting range. It's like watching the second season of Squid Game, except you get the sense that their scale goes from Nonchalant to Pants-Pissingly Terrified with very little grading in-between.

And now, for Games I didn't really get into until 2024...

Valfaris and Valfaris II: Mecha Therion: side-scrollers that do their damndest to look like they stepped straight out of the pages of Heavy Metal as of the mid-eighties. Gorgeously grotesque pixel art meets with a banging soundtrack made up of certified shredders. The lead headbangs and throws the horns when he finishes a stage!

Brütal Legend: an oldie but a goodie, previously constrained to the PS3 but now quite cozy on my Steam Deck. It's got a semi-cohesive grab-bag of mechanics, sure, but it's got even more heart, along with a pre-stroke Tim Curry voicing the villain with the gooiest of all countenances. Imagine Shere Khan, but Metal as fuck.

Katamari Damacy: Re-Roll: I barely touched the original when it came out. Having managed to grab the PC port for cheap and knowing how well it plays with a Steam Deck, the Prince of All Cosmos' ball-rolling sojourn across the surface of our planet has turned into a nightly staple for me.

Baldur's Gate 3: Yes, I know, I'm late, you've all banged Astarion sixteen times by now, but I've got time for a long-form WRPG right now. I might not have this much free time once January 10th rolls around.

The Night Cage: not a vidya, but a really nerve-wracking tabletop game that's made for quite a few fun Friday nights at La Casa de Gremlin.

On My Backlog, You'll Find...

Metaphor: Re-Fantazio: I know it's beloved by all, but it feels so "so far, so ATLUS" to me, and I still haven't gotten over P4, P3 and P5's excellent PC ports. I also have Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne to go through, so I really don't know if I have it in me to tackle something in that same vein quite so soon.

Arizona Sunshine 1 & 2: I just can't be bothered to set up my Oculus Rift 2's Link Cable. I have the games, I just don't know if and when I'll play them.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster: I'm waiting until my old cheese strats fade into the back of my mind before I tackle this one. Plus, I'm torn about Frank West not being voiced by TJ Rotolo. He doesn't just... feels like he's covered wars, y'know?

Frostpunk 2: bought it to support the devs, am just not jazzed about having to sort of network my way across several simultaneous points of origin until the depressing version of a Dieselpunk sprawl covers the map.

The Yakuza series on Amazon Prime: SEGA's trying to become the Disney of gaming, but something about Kazuma Kiryu's story (or stories) have always felt distinctly and uniquely Japanese to me. As in, it requires a specific mindset and might not be for everyone. I'm waiting for a sign, basically - maybe one to pop my collar and rent a karaoke machine so I can belt out maudlin soliloquies to lost childhood innocence while smoking half a pack of cigs between every third or fourth stanza...

The Sonic Movies: yeah, sure, I'm in my forties, but Jim Carrey's going through a career renaissance by acting out Albert Einstein on crack. Yeah, sure, it's not either of my Robotniks (the Jim Cummings or Long John Baldry versions - for the memes) - but it seems like it might still be a trilogy of adaptations worth pursuing.

Plus, hey, I gotta start catching up on that Stobotnik shit, huh?

[proxylynn]

Blorbo: Guzma (Pokémon Sun and Moon)

{Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form! It's your boy... Guzma!}

[Growing up with Pokémon since gen1, I never really got into the "evil organization"s that pop up in each gen. Mostly because they all follow some contrived stupid thing (minus Geovanni, he thought shit out and was legit) like I wanna flood the land, I wanna use Pokémon to free Pokémon, I want to use a death laser because fuck you, or I want to go unleash Pokémon Satan because reasons, etc. Then Sun/Moon came along and gave me Team Skull and it works... Because they aren't the evil team! (was that all it took for a decent team? to not make them the main villains?) And none of this would matter if the team leader wasn't interesting, which ya boi totally is.

"Guzma originally aspired to become a Trial Captain with Professor Kukui. He was even Hala's apprentice to train in battling. While he was a talented trainer in his own right, having won many trophies and awards, he also struggled in his efforts to be the best, never once having placed first in any tournaments. It is also implied that he suffered domestic abuse from his father and he ran away from home to escape it. He was also rejected as Trial Captain for unknown reasons. After failing to become a Trial Captain, Guzma formed Team Skull with other kids who failed the Trial vowing to destroy the very same traditions that shattered his dreams."

This is a great opening for a character, his motivation is relatable and not some grand over-the-top nonsense. He's a guy who feels he got shafted and when no one backed him up he said "screw you guys, I'm gonna show you you're wrong and make you suffer for doubting me". This alone would work to make me like him, but then they go and make him even more sympathetic. There's some hints of his dad being a possible abusive prick (I say possible because GameFreak likes to leave the fucked up stuff to the creatures more often than the people characters and I'm not 100% on this). He longs for approval and recognition, the man wants respect, so much so he is the henchman to Lusamine who is playing him like a fiddle by giving him the slightest bit of attention (fucking bitch!). Bro, I just want to jump into the game and tell him he's better than this. He's a bug trainer! This man made bug types cool to me! And his love for his bugs, especially his Golisopod, is so damn precious.

Game Freak knows he's awesome because they made Guzma too cool to join that shitshow crew Rainbow Rocket. Dude helps you take all those baddies down like the mother fucking boss he is. Not only this, but it was to Guzma of all people that Ash finally became a league champion and that battle was epic as fuck! Sadly, they would try to rehash this greatness and, frankly, it just isn't good (Team Yell and Star). Still, as much as I don't care for Pokémon as much as I used to, I still follow blogs on here that are about Guzma. Shout out to elbdot who has a long-running still going strong Pokémon Sun/Moon comic series with best boi Guzma being a key character, I love it so much!]

[anundyingfidelity]

I feel Adam would have some culture shock going from living in the ways of the Sovereign that his mother taught him and then joining the Gaurdians, could I request some headcanons on how he would adjust to his new life? (angst or fluff would be great!)

Absolutely anon, I liked this a lot! It's a little bit long, but here you go.

I also have to say this is based on GotG vol 3 Adam ^^

☕ if you like my writing, support me with a ko-fi !

Headcanons about Adam adjusting to his new life

The Sovereign are known to be arrogant people, so Adam would have this running on his veins. So please expect to get his feet on the ground, mostly by Rocket or you.

And this is very difficult because he has been created to be strong without any kind of measure, foolish, and a super powerful god-like being. Everything about him is (almost) perfect. That's where you come in, to show him the beauty of errors and human life, that not everything has to be black or white, you can have a mix of both sometimes.

To Adam, you look like a free soul. Someone who leads your own path in life and he is amazed by it and how carefree you are.

He surely will have a lot more of cultural shocks, like taking a lot of things quite literally, which will make him and Drax a dangerous but kinda funny duo.

At first, Adam might also get offended easily, so it will be your task to explain this topic to him. You will be repeating "don't take anything personally" often, until he is able to understand.

Adam had short time with his mother, but he knows what loyalty is about thanks to her. He becomes a very loyal guardian, specially with Rocket. Learning about Rocket's story was hard for him, he didn't completely understand why he was sent behind the raccoon, and now that he does he has nothing but respect and admiration for the captain.

His mother is another difficult topic for Adam. He still has strong feelings about her and wondered what could have been, so he leans a lot on you and Rocket for that. At first he avoids talking about his own personal short life, however he knows you will not judge what he has to tell and will listen to him even if that means you'll stay up the whole night.

When he also cries for the first time, you'll try to explain to him what is this feeling about and that it's not wrong. You become very close after that, Adam will trusts you many things about his life and his feelings, something he is trying very hard to understand.

So Blurp, his new little pet. He makes sure to give all his love to Blurp and to give everything, if not more. You know how much he loves this fluffy, F'saki creature, so if Adam has to leave for some long time and you're free, you would take care of Blurp as much as needed.

Nebula is kind of special towards Adam though, she is also getting used to the new addition to the team and a long journey had to start so she could get along with him eventually.

And Groot, well, he is Groot and if Rocket welcomed the golden boy to the family, so will he. When Adam and Groot are working to help the new children and animals they make an amazing team together.

I'd say Adam finds a whole new purpose of serving others with his strenght and with his powers. Besides being a Guardian, he is a good citizen and a good friend, thanks to you.

[prawns-are-cannibals]

Taskmaster Series 18

First thing I have to say is that it was mildly weird seeing Andy Zaltzman on TV, I'm so used to just hearing him on the radio. Jack Dee and Rosie Jones have definitely become one of my favourite teams from Taskmaster - there's such a contrast between how they portray themselves. It was an absolute delight to see Rosie break Jack, and to see the natural affection between them. Emma and Baba were both new to me, but they were such nice surprises. Andy leaving his hotdog until the last task was perfect, especially seeing as it was all or nothing.

Top 3 tasks

Make the strongest smell. You must seal your smell in this jar and the Taskmaster will open it in the studio.

I knew this was going to be a great task anyway, but the fact that they had to smell their smell first was such a good addition. It does make me sad how anticlimactic Rosies was. It seemed so psychotic, and by looking at it, it should smell foul if it hadn't been sealed in the container. I don't quite get why Andy grated a bit of his boot into it, like he was adding seasoning to it. But the reaction by even the other contestants to his smell rocketed this task to one of my favourites. It's the reaction Rosies should have got if things had gone her way. The fact that there had to be a warning before opening Jack's. To quote Greg - "It's like my nan has come back to life". I felt like I could almost taste the strength of the smell through the TV.

Create, handle and voice the most charismatic new children's television puppet sidekick for Alex.

Rosie shamelessly plugging her book was so in character. Why does it not surprise me that hers was disgusting? Good excuse to mess with Alex by getting the chocolate(?) on him, just anything to mess with him. Jack was taking this chance for a bit of a lie down. Extra points from me for trying to get Alex to say the C word (which lead to a kiss Greg). Of course Andys is completely unhinged. I would have loved to hear the song "you can't eat an ice cream when you're burning in hell". Pecking Alex on the head. Why did Emma's give 'Don't hug me I'm scared' vibes? It started so innocent and happy, but then he just...died! Why did Babas feel like a blue Peter infomercial gone wrong?

Present the goose

Baba went into this task absolutely raging. Which was why his low effort attempt was so great. Giving it his all with his acting in his speech to Greg. The goose costume Rosie got Alex in wad surprisingly brilliant. Getting him to many too eas the perfect 'humiliate Alex' task. Rosie saying "I am happy" whilst looking the least happy she has been the entire series was perfect. Andy going all Attenborough. Why was it angry, from shouting at the geese coincidentally flying over, to absolutely lobbing the ball-egg. And what's Taskmaster without a sex scene reenactment? Jack thinking outside of the box, and not going for a typical goose. Also nice to see his special glasses making another appearance. Going from the SFX flying to Jack plodding around the lawn was top notch Taskmaster. Emma and Alex acting as a Eastenders style mother and son was a good take on the task. I'd love to see a full length play of it. "It's not funny, but that's theatre"

Contestants

Rosie

Baba

Jack

Emma

Andy

(Absolutely no disrespect to any of them on that ranking, I love them all)

[basedkikuenjoyer]

25 years ago, very close to this day, a storm was brewing in my sleepy little town. A friend with a cool geeky older sister that introduced me to Sailor Moon had tuned me into a cool new Game Boy game last school term. One we played a lot over a Summer he was over at my place a lot. It didn't seem like much in the haze of N64 classics and I don't actually think I knew many people with a Game Boy around that time. When we started Third Grade though...Pokemania was in full bloom. I've been playing a bit lately and it made me nostalgic. Let's have fun with it, especially with the jittery OP schedule.

I love that I've gotten to be here for the full phenomenon. Like I said, the wave reached US shores when I was in 2nd grade but by the end of that year only a few of us knew about it and it seems like most kids discovered the show or the games over the Summer. The card game dropped around this point too, I remember it being around my September birthday. That shit was wild, but I understand why people thought it'd be a passing fad. Because I remember 2nd grade being really big on quickly passing toy fads. The games though. Yeah yeah, the early designs were iconic but the game was clearly unpolished compared to later releases...

That general wisdom is fair. But you know what I like about weird, pieced together with duct tape code of straight Red/Blue? The grit. Pokemon was still originally made in the 90s and it shows here, before it was a childhood mainstay attracting a lot of scrutiny. Because this was just some random Game Boy RPG at the time. So Kanto gets to have a little more edge to it. Not with world-shaking stakes, just because of standards. It never felt weird to have the gambling hall as a spotlight locale, genetic engineering gone wrong plots are one of those things that were big in the 90s but forgotten after. Team Rocket actually feels kinda like a gang, trainer types that don't fly today...also I still can never get over this one explicitly taking place in our world.

That last part is a big one to me. I'm not some old head who hates anything after Kanto. But there was a certain verisimilitude to it that was still there for Johto but just isn't there at all by now. One little thing Kanto does better than others is how there's usually a better logic to why the trainer types you see are on the routes they are. You can really see the Dragon Quest influence if you're a big fan of those like me, later gens primary influence is other Pokemon games. Is it simple today going back? Yeah. If you jumped on later just play the remakes. Fire Red/Leaf Green are great. But like any major series, there were certain elements here that did not continue with it. I'm always fascinated by those, and for Red/Blue to me it's that these games did not have quite the kiddy tone the franchise has a reputation for.

[bobbydeerfields]

So, Kelsey.

I’ve been trying to keep up with tumblr a bit more lately, but I’m still pretty sporadic with it. So correct me if I’m wrong, but am I to understand you’re rewriting the Love Letters books from scratch? And if so, I cannot contain my excitement. Details, please. 😆👏🏼

🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Tell me, please. Am I going to have to redownload Wattpad lol? 😂

I have missed Val and Jill TERRIBLY.

so, shells.

i totally understand. i think i ghosted tumblr, like 7 months of out of 12 of them last year. i'm really only back on it with regularity for the past week or two now that i've kinda gotten my spark back. i hope to see you here more often!

but i can also super easily clear up your question here and say yes! i really don't know why i'm doing this, considering i have another book to be working on and big plans for school, but here we are. 2025 is my year of writing for fun again after my very bad 2024. and, in this case, my writing for fun means melodramatic rpf that i take too close to heart. my other book is so heavy and close to my actual life anyway, so i'm letting that one cook in my head as i finish up some law school admissions stuff.

sooo details. essentially, yes, i'm starting from the beginning. while people will have read a version of this story already, i figured some people who weren't here in the beginning last time might have fun experiencing it from the top with me. also, like, i need time to catch up and write the other stuff. i'm working in advance as always and have 31.5/40 chapters of rocket queen re-written, so that should keep people entertained a while. i've said this a few other places, but the story is pretty identical to the original in most regards, except there's some pretty substantial growth given to characters/storylines, i've added a few scenes, taken away a few scenes (aka useless ones that got folded into others), and overall just approached it with the brain of a 22-year-old that's been through it instead of an 18-year-old who hasn't. i feel like the drama is even more heightened this time for some reason, except it's not exactly catty? and more just like cognizant of the fact that this book is just fucked up situation after fucked up situation. i'll probably jump off a bridge if people start taking sides or pull that #team[insert name] here again, but that's a bridge to cross when i get there. i've tried to put up some form of guardrails against petty inbox wars, etc, bc i do not want to put up with that! again.

later books, i should also say, will have a few more substantial differences, one comes to mind that i will not be saying, but in general, same schtick. valerie and axl in their own world, jill and izzy on and off every ten days, izzy and axl exerting psychological warfare on each other for hundreds of thousands of words, and general mischief, debauchery, and other behaviors likely listed in the dsm-5.

more details. i plan to start posting on the 22nd of january. it'll be once a week, every wednesday, as per usual. chapters may be a bit shorter than people remember, but i can assure you it is to the benefit of literally everybody. it means you're not reading the same point reiterated 10x. everything is cleaner, tighter, and better. i will happily be here every week to answer any questions, comments, or concerns (excited about this), and i'll be posting on both wattpad and ao3, so if you don't want to go through the hassle of redownloading wattpad (so real), you're more than welcome to read on ao3! i've found it's just a matter of reader preference. i've always been an ao3 girl, but wattpad is certainly a bit more interactive for people who like to comment, etc. also you get the fun perk of seeing the book cover.

but, anyway, yes, join me over here again!! i'm dragging everybody who will come with me down into this pit because that's apparently what we were all lacking from life: gnr fanfic 😌

[tinkertoysdamn]

Despite All Your Losing Addendum

Since there were questions about how the timeline might be altered

aka How Thor's "Happy Ending" led to a Happy Ending

slightly NSFW

The prayer stretched across the universe and performed a minor miracle. After Thanos used the Space Stone to send his fleet across the universe, the aftermath of Thano's battle with Thor and the Hulk caught up with him.

Thanos: There are more Stones to collect, I must be at my peak if others try to resist me. I shall rest.

So, he took a villain nap. That gave the Guardians time to get to Knowhere first.

Peter: Give us the Reality Stone now.

Collector: And why should I give it to you?

Gamora: Thanos is coming. He will kill you slowly while breaking your collection one by one in front of you until he gets what he wants.

Peter: We'll give it back once he's dead.

Collector: Paper or plastic?

Thor, Rocket and Groot forged the Stormbreaker and Thor got to be impressive and restart the forge and all that good stuff.

Thanos arrived at Knowhere, ignorant that he was too late.

Thanos: Where is the--

Collector: The Stone is gone, your daughter has it.

Thanos: That's....inconvenient. I don't know where she is so I can't use the Space Stone; I'll have to adjust my plans. If I obtain the Mind Stone then I can exert my will and force the other holders of the Infinity Stones to give them to me. Yes, this will do.

Collector: Plot outside of my museum or buy a ticket.

Meanwhile, Nebula tricked a guard and escaped to Titan.

Double meanwhile, on Titan Dr. Strange used the Time Stone to see into the future while Tony Stark and Peter Parker wait.

Tony: What did you see, Strange?

Dr. Strange: Hmmm, oh everything's fine. We just need to sit tight and wait for a ride.

PP: Really? Can it be that easy?

Dr. Strange: In this universe.

PP: Yes, the Parker luck has been defeated.

Triple Meanwhile, on Earth, Wakanda and Team Cap prepared for their last stand. Events played out like the movie, the Children of Thanos fell, and there were lots of "wow, my favorite hero has done a cool thing" moments. Then, Thanos himself arrived to claim his long awaited victory.

However, in this universe he possessed only two of the Infinity Stones. He still wiped the floor with the Avengers but Wanda, in an act of profound sacrifice and love, destroyed the Mind Stone and with it, Vision. Thanos, thwarted, reached out to crush the skull of the Witch who has destroyed his dream when the Mighty Thor, Stormbreaker in hand, attacked.

In this universe, he did not miss, and thus rendered the Mad Titan's head from his body. It was over.

Steve called Tony with the news: Thanos is dead, we've won.

Tony, having hooked up his communicator to the ship Nebula stole received the message.

Tony: Thank god.

Steve: We lost Vision.

Tony: Look, I can help fix him when I get back, we're currently in space but we're hitching a ride with Blue Meanie.

Nebula: Call me Blue Meanie again and I'm leaving you here.

Tony: Fair enough.

On Earth.

Thor: Captain, call me when we have a victory party, I've got some post battle energy to work off.

Steve: Okay....

Thor: Where's the Rabbit and Tree?

Thor grabbed Rocket and Groot and Bifrosted them all straight onto the Benatar.

Peter: AH! What the hell was that? You could have wrecked the ship, what is wrong with you?

Thor wasn't listening and he casually threw Peter over his shoulder.

Thor: Off to claim my prize, we'll be back in a few hours.

Gamora: Not without me you're not.

Thor: Wouldn't dream of it.

They all ran off to Peter's room, Peter cursing them out the entire time.

Rocket: What the flark was that?

Drax: A god like Thor must be full of hormones after a battle. He is off to have his way with Quill.

Rocket: I did not need to hear that!

Drax: Mantis, I know it must distress you that your brother and the Pirate Angel--

Rocket: Wait, brother?

Groot: I am Groot?

Mantis placed her hands on Rocket's and Groot's foreheads.

Mantis: Forget.

They forgot what they heard instantly. Then, for good measure, Mantis touched Drax's arm.

Mantis: Give me your Zarg nuts.

Drax handed her his package without a second thought.

Mantis sat by a window, looking out into the vast inky black of space while enjoying her Zarg nuts. The crunch helped block out the noise of her brother loudly enjoying himself.

[bigtittylawyer]

wouldn't it be like, wrong for a lawyer to help a criminal

...

actually, if you think about it, that's basically what you do in your job

You're making quite a few very bold assumptions here, but let's start with the most incorrect one.

Lawyers do not "only" help criminals, that is propaganda spread by the justice system to paint those in my profession in a bad light. Most of the clients I personally take on are the wrongfully accused who either don't have the money to hire anyone else or have such a "hopeless" case that most other lawyers won't touch it with a ten foot pole.

With that said! If you've actually committed the crime, that's fine too—I won't try to get you off scot-free, but I will make sure that your sentence isn't harsher than it should be (the courts love doing that) and that you aren't pinned for other related things that you didn't do.

Anyway. No. It wouldn't be "wrong" for a lawyer to help a criminal in a lawyerly capacity. But the "criminal" in question I've most recently been speaking with is rather obviously a kid playing at being a member of Team Rocket, and I see no shame in humoring him a little.

[xx-ingie-xx]

I'm so glad you're back! I was afraid something bad happened and I'm relieved to find out that it wasn't the case. A few months have passed since the release of TOTK, so the hype has went down and now I would like to read your opinion of the game. What are your favorite parts about it, what are the things you disliked and how would you rank this game with the rest of the 3D Zelda games?

Aw, thank you! Yeah, I'm sorry I post so infrequently. I'm hoping that will change once I start working on the Fortitude revision again. Finishing Forgotten has been such an uphill project for me. But I'll be so glad I didn't leave it unfinished.

My thoughts and opinions about TotK are below (emphasis on my opinions--I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and that's ok!).

Three things I enjoyed:

THE MUSIC. The soundtrack is amazing, especially the growing dynamics as you progress in certain areas. It has a psychological effect, and I found it really intense in the best way.

THE TEMPLES. I was very happy to see a return to more traditional Zelda dungeons. WAY more fun than the divine beasts, and I liked having the sages assist! Gave me TWW vibes.

Better NPCs and sidequests. Maybe it's just me, but it felt like the Zelda team put some extra love into creating the NPCs and all the quests that come with them. I've had more fun with them than I did in BotW - which had way too many simple fetch quests.

Three things that didn't do much for me:

The Zonai tech. It's fun to use, and I do appreciate how utterly amazing the development/coding is, especially considering the Switch's hardware limitations. However, I would be very tired of Ultrahand by now if not for the Autobuild ability, and even then my interest is mild at best. Also, it did not feel "Zelda-ish" to me. I don't think driving cars or shooting rockets belongs in a Zelda game. In fact I ignored the Zonai tech whenever possible. I would often walk instead of building a car, simply because it felt more "Zelda-ish" to do so.

Mediocre voice acting. I'm relieved to say Ganondorf was fairly good. The rest not so much. If Nintendo isn't willing to hire more expensive more esteemed VAs for a flagship franchise like Zelda, I'd rather they didn't do it at all.

Zelda's story. Don't get me wrong, I was very glad to see her play a stronger, amazingly brave and selfless character. The thing I'm not happy about is that she was once again separated from Link throughout the entire game. Is it really too much to ask that they work together side by side? *sigh*

Three things I strongly disliked: (warning: ranting ahead)

EMOTIONLESS LINK. I cannot express how much I hate this. Even if I put aside my love for Link as a character and my wish for him to express himself, I still think this blank-faced avatar approach is awful. It does not allow me to see myself as Link (which I believe was their intent) because I have feelings and he doesn't, seemingly. If anything, it had the opposite effect. I found It distracting and cringey and infuriating to watch Link react to everything with determination, confusion, or that stupid blank expression. There are some emotionally charged scenes in this game, and they fall very flat because of Link. At least, they did for me. UGH.

Non-linear storytelling. It's highly restrictive, disjointed, and the impact depends on the order in which players obtain certain cutscenes. Please, Nintendo, no more.

The Zonai. I'm not a fan of most furry character designs, and Rauru is particularly strange, so it was immediately off-putting to me. I also strongly dislike the idea of them founding Hyrule and being "like gods" to Hylians. It's all very vague, and I don't understand how any of it works with past Zelda lore, especially when Hylia is so important in BotW. It's like they scrapped everything sacred in Zelda lore (the golden goddesses, Hylia, etc.), and replaced it with the Zonai. Meh, I'll stick with the old lore, thanks.

Also, a furry being married to a Hylian is also very off-putting to me. I don't know how that works, I don't want to find out, and I have no interest in learning more about Rauru or Sonia. Their fates had zero emotional impact on me, so I didn't get much out of that part of the storyline.

I could go on, but I'll stop there.

As far as rankings, I would place TotK with BotW because they are very similar. Here's how I rank the 3D Zelda games:

OoT/MM

BotW/TotK

TWW

SS

TP

So yeah, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Like with BotW, I'm very frustrated by all the untapped potential. As an avid Zelinker, I see the entire arc of BotW and TotK as an epic story of love, loss, bravery, and sacrifice. Link and Zelda both mirror and complement each other in so many ways, and I love the creative potential in that.

I also love the limitless exploration in both games - it keeps me interested for hours. But when the next Zelda game is revealed, I'd like to see a new formula, preferably a more classic one.

[chloedoesart]

what got you simping so hard for the conductor in the first place.

This reads like you asking me if I am insane, so let me just clear one thing up before we begin: yes. I am.

cracks knuckles okay anon, you asked for it. You get the whole story. I'm not holding back.

It all started when a dear friend of mine began playing this little indie game called A Hat in Time—you may have heard of it—and posting a lot of content from it in our discord server. One of the characters stood out to me, and I quickly learned upon asking her who he was that this character checked all of my boxes.

And by that I mean boxes for kinning, not simping. That comes later.

Even before I knew of AHiT's existence, I was on my way to working in the film industry. One of my goals in my career is to create a western on par with the classic Sergio Leone films. I grew up riding horses and traveling in the wilderness, so westerns are naturally close to my heart.

On top of that, I have been associated with knives, fire, and my general chaotic nature for many years. Birds of prey have been my favourite animals since I was very young, and I grew up in love with trains of all types (Thomas, ridable miniature railways, the Polar Express, etc.). Someone even told me that they thought I was Scottish before they'd heard my voice.

My point is, Conductor was immediately on my blorbo list. Of course this grumpy Scottish bird movie director with a huge knife and a chaotic alignment was going to be my favourite character! How could he not?? I actually ended up buying AHiT for the DBS chapter just because I was so excited to have a film studio represented in a video game.

Well.

Little did I know I would fall for this guy in a different way barely a month later.

I've always had a big ego—cough cough like someone cough you get my point—so it's no surprise that I'd fall in love with one of my kins, aka someone that's just like me. However, what I wasn't expecting was for it to happen so fast and so much. I rarely simp for characters, and when I do, it usually takes me a while to get to that point.

I remember the very first time I got a lil flustered and had that terrible thought of "oh no, do I simp for this guy?" with Conductor. My friend and I had made a little kinnie AU with our sonas as the Hat characters we kinned, and she at one point drew my Conductor sona (which eventually evolved into my current bird sona) with canon Conductor doing a funny Team Rocket pose, for fun! Right?

Wrong. Because what she'd unintentionally done was drawn Conductor and I holding hands. And when I saw that, I thought about how I want to hold his hand and oh gods wait do I like him???

And it was all downhill from there.

It didn't take me long to accept my fate and start pondering all of the ways I liked his character in a new light. My friend's constant support only sped things along, really. What's funny about me is that I sort of grow attracted to a character's traits and personality first, and only months later find the actual physical attraction. I think that has a name, but I don't really like labeling my orientation or fitting myself into a box.

I hope that very long story helped kind of lay the foundation for what my simping has become today, AKA nearly two and a half years of self-insert nonsense and a nearly 433,800 word roleplay.

Maybe you're still wondering why I like him, to which I must respond, so many reasons. That's a whole separate post worth of material. I love his fearlessness, his passion, his tough yet deeply caring nature. I love his detail-oriented brain and his over-confidence in himself. I love how he tries so hard to win, every year, just to maintain his place on top. He values himself and his creations, and I admire that. I want to nerd out with him about movies and trains while we sharpen our knives and drink whiskey. I love how he's old fashioned, like me. And so much more.

If you're curious as to how I think our relationship would line up, I did do this shipping meme last year that is still fairly accurate and fills in a lot more of the details. Really, it all comes down to two nerdy chaotic people who have large knives and way too much confidence.