#im a little baffled by this frankly.

[bluesidedown]

somehow I am baking bread for the 3rd time in 5 days

[cal-flakes]

omg just read the touch starved dealer rafe post and i’m obsessed can u please do more of their dynamic? like being protective, or comforting her, or cuddling her or like smut that’s like soft dom rafe

heavy on dealer!rafe today so all your dealer!rafe concepts are being welcome with open arms and a big smooch rn xxxx

╰┈➤ protective dealer!rafe

warnings: swearing, descriptions of violence, mentions of a gun.

summary: dealer!rafe protects y/n from her father.

y/n snuggled into the couch, legs spread over rafe’s lap as he counted through the stacks of cash on the coffee table. he’d gotten back from a deal with barry not long ago, finding y/n asleep on the couch, snoring softly.

small packets of powder littered the table as he compared the cash total to the bags he had left. a sudden slurred yell from the driveway caused y/n to stir, her eyes groggy as she squinted.

“y/f/n! you wanna come out here darlin’?” rafe stood immediately, hastily tucking his gun into the front waistband of his pants. “rafe..” she whimpered, eyes wide.

“shh, i’m gonna sort it out okay baby?” he spoke, stroking her cheek soothingly.

it was her father. y/n hadn’t seen him in a couple months, since the night rafe picked her up.

from then on she’d stayed with him at tannyhill, he bought her everything she needed, drove her wherever she needed to go.

he’d even suggested quitting her job, claiming he could take care of her. and while she appreciated the offer, she turned it down, everything he’d given her was already too much.

he stomped through the foyer, puffing his chest out slightly. rafe opened the front door, facing the drunken man in his driveway.

“can i help you?” he spat, observing the baffled look on her fathers face. “i didn’t ask for you, cameron. where’s my daughter?” he sneered, gesticulating furiously.

“she doesn’t want to see you, and quite frankly, neither do i..” rafe growled, squaring up to the man.

“oh! you think you’re some big boy now huh cameron! you weren’t so tough when your daddy was around..” rafe’s chest heaved as his breath increased, rage surging through him like a train.

stepping closer, rafe faced her father. “get the fuck off my property..” he spat.

“not until i see my little girl!” the man yelled, stumbling on his feet.

“she’s not your little girl anymore. not after everything you did to her. now, as i said, get the fuck..off my property” rafe’s venomous words were like knives, cutting through the man’s heart.

“yeah? what the fuck are you gonna do little boy?” her father taunted, attempting to intimidate rafe.

discreetly reaching for the hem of his shirt, he lifted it to wipe his face. the dishevelled man’s eye bulged slightly, rafe having flashed his gun.

her father stepped back, almost tripping over his uncoordinated footsteps as he retreated to the gates. “that’s what i thought..asshole” rafe muttered under his breath.

he stood there for a couple minutes, making sure her father had left before heading back inside.

“rafe? is he gone?” y/n whispered, tears in her eyes.

he rushed to her side, discarding the gun on the coffee table. “he’s gone angel, he’s not gonna bother you anymore..” he cooed, wiping the cascade of tears away with his thumb.

she leant into his touch, nodding. “thank you rafe..” she sighed, placing her hand on top of his. “don’t, you don’t need to thank me, im gonna keep you safe no matter what, m’kay?”

he pulled her into his side, gently kissing her head as she snuggled into him. “i love you baby, nothings gonna hurt you as long as i’m around..”

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 33

MASTAPOST

god im so sleepy lmao also warning for skulker being a mega creep, but not to the extent of vlad

Damian, for the second time in as many days, awoke in a tank, a fact with which he was extremely displeased. The last thing he recalled was his stomach lurching, the bag he’d been stuffed into serving as an excellent package for Skulker to make off with him. Damian longed for a good blade to sink into the man’s body.

That fact was amplified by the feeling of cold metal on his scales. Damian scratched at the golden bracelets cupping his arms. He was dressed up in luxurious gold and jewels like a lecherous sultan’s slave. A ringed belt-like piece of silver wrapped around his waist and looped over his hip fins. Two more golden rings, each adorned with gleaming rubies, cupped the thinnest portion of his tail just above his tailfin. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to relieve himself of any of the filthy things. They were fitted tight as a glove, almost like they were made for his measurements. Damian shivered, and turned to more productive activities.

His new prison cell was at least more amenable than his last. In fact, it was a little too amenable. Damian found himself in a veritable miniature aquarium. If it weren’t for the reflection of his scaly face in the glass and the lavish (and frankly, tasteless) furniture beyond, he’d have thought himself in the actual ocean. The bottom was padded with beautiful white sand, populated by towering coral structures and schools upon schools of fish, jellyfish, and even a few manta rays. Stalks of kelp rose to the ceiling of the room, as the tank was that tall. Seaweed swayed in an artificial current. Damian picked up the sound of a wave machine gently pushing against the surface of the water.

Tapping the glass proved it was not some common fishbowl’s glass. The barrier between the water and air was at least two inches thick, something even a human Robin would find trouble with, let alone his current state. A golden shine caught his eye. Damian tutted. His fins rattled. It seems Skulker’s poor taste knew no bounds. Solid gold pillars lined the corners of the tank, and ran along the top and bottom.

With a closer look outside the tank, Damian clocked the numerous animal heads lining the walls of the room. Even more baffling was the inclusion of beautiful hand-crafted stone bird fountains scattered around the walls and mounted on posts in the room, populated by, of all the things, red duck candles. An old fashioned writing desk and chair sat facing away from the tank, decorated with what else but more preserved animals, and even more tacky candles, as if they were bought from the novelty shops that Richard would occasionally visit.

Outside of his already-revolting interior décor tastes, Skulker was a hunter. Went after rare and exotic creatures, Danny had told him. Damian’s eyes narrowed. Now he understood fully what the man was after. The abduction, the drowning, the pursuit, the sudden presence of the GiW in Panama, the entire reason for this trip in the first place.

The better question now was whether he was the prize, or the bait? And Damian suspected he was both. After all, Danny had made it very clear how much Skulker wanted his pelt specifically. Why go through the effort of making such a luxurious fish tank for a dead teenager?

There were so many other sirens in the sea, though. It made perfect sense that Damian would be the bait, but why also the prize?

He had caused a media sensation when he’d first arrived in Gotham. Tabloids ran for months, drooling over the gossip and rumours surrounding the mysterious biological son of Bruce Wayne. He’d been swarmed by mobs of rich snobs trying to pair their daughters with him, until his biting tone chased most of them off.

While Skulker wanted to make a coat out of Danny’s scales, he probably also wanted to allure of having such a mysterious and exotic pet. A pet that he’d had a direct hand in creating. Damian’s cheeks heated. He gritted his teeth. Of course. Here he was as much a trophy as the heads on the wall.

The door swung open. Damian bared his teeth. His fins flared wide. If he had his way, he’d be sinking them into the man’s jugular. Instead he was forced to bear Skulker’s smug smirk. He walked in, dressed in black cargo pants and a tank top instead of the customary hulking metal suit. Damian’s scales ran cold as the man looked over his body, bare except for jewelry he himself had placed.

Skulker went to the desk and retrieved a microphone from the drawer. He flipped it on, causing a brief whine in the tank.

“Good afternoon, Damian Wayne. I trust you find your new accommodation satisfactory?”

Damian hissed at him. “If you set me free I might let you live.”

“Hah!” Skulker laughed. The man reached into another drawer and pulled a can of beer. “I’m afraid the world outside is far too dangerous for a little guppy like you. You’ll be safer in here.”

“My absence has already been noted. You will not be able to get away with this!”

“Do you truly believe that, little boy?” Skulker shotgunned the beer in one. “Your little friend Danny wasn’t recognised by his own mother at gunpoint. And even if by some miracle they came here, what would you do? Squeak at them?”

Actually, he would tap out a message in Morse Code, but Skulker didn’t need to know that. And this time he would not hesitate.

Still, that brought up another concern. Skulker did not know he was Robin. As far as he believed, Damian was just some spoilt rich boy. On the one hand, it meant that there would be underestimation, and from there an opportunity. On the other hand, any overt competence he displayed would do badly for the family secret.

What a conundrum.

“So what do you intend to do with me, then? Sell my scales? Bed me?”

Skulker gasped in genuine shock, not the fake politeness that he’d seen Father’s parasites give off. “Did you not know? I am Skulker, the greatest hunter in the seven seas! I am not some kind of sicko. All the pleasure I need comes from the thrill of the hunt! And you have been an admirable quarry, and may now live out the rest of your days in comfort as my greatest trophy.”

Despite his ‘reassurance,’ Damian distinctly thought this made him even more of a sicko. “And what of Phantom’s pelt?”

“Danny will be my greatest coat, or a handbag. I’m open to options. Probably won’t even die the first skinning, what with his regeneration.”

Definitely a sicko. This man would fit right in on Gotham’s rogue’s gallery. Damian had disdain for hunters, especially trophy hunters, but to chase after someone whom you know is human? He recalled the fiery siren girl’s words back at the cave near Amity. To go after your own kind indeed. And Danny had the confidence to casually banter with this man like it was Tuesday?! Not to mention while being shot at by his parents, and the government.

Robin always had Batman, and the family, and the Justice League beyond those people. There were times he craved independence, to strike out on his own and prove himself, only to sorely regret it when it inevitably went pear-shaped. And yet Danny did all that and more, and the only adults in his life wanted to kill him.

“Phantom is thrice the man you will ever be. To covet his skin will only bring you ruin.”

Skulker pressed his face right up against the glass, grinning sadistically. Damian hissed back. “What does a baby sea monster know about manhood? Or ruin, for that matter. Let me spell it out for you. You. Have. No. Rights. Nobody who has those rights is coming for you. I could parade you around animal conservation centres for all the world to see and as far as the law is concerned I’d be as innocent as a newborn babe.”

Rage boiled over. Damian snarled. He lashed out against the glass, clawing uselessly at the barrier. Skulker only laughed harder. Damian slammed at the glass with his tail. His tail rings clanged against it uselessly.

“You’re an adorable trophy. I ought to put a little bell on you, like a kitten.”

The man left soon after, cackling like a TV supervillain (or just a regular real life supervillain, honestly), leaving Damian to stew in his rage.

He was not one to stew for long. With rage, there was never inaction.

Danny stuffed as much seaweed into his mouth as he could fit in his arms. He shoveled shellfish in like a waterslide. His belly bulged with how much food it was taking, and yet kept shrinking rapidly. Danny slashed open a fat fish. He sank his teeth into his flesh, ripped out the guts, then threw the rest out in seconds. It would take too much time to pick the flesh between bones, so he just killed another. Then another, and another.

He’d exhausted himself, and got Damian caught by fucking Skulker. That mistake couldn’t happen again. He couldn’t fail Damian again.

He tried to ignore the way his skin crawled just from how close his mother was. How close Damian’s dad was. If Bruce Wayne learned how badly he’d fucked up, Danny would be a dead fish and he wouldn’t even complain. He deserved it.

Danny ate, and ate, and ate.

He sniffed the water. It was Skulker’s dolphins. The trail was heading away from the shore. Danny swam faster than he had ever swum before.

It seemed Skulker had anticipated many of his first ideas. Damian found the water filter practically welded to its spot. His new ornaments proved useless at breaking or dislodging anything. He’d even found the larger rocks of the aquarium affixed to the bottom and immovable. The pebbles gathered up in bunches at the bottom proved ineffective as well. At the top, Damian found a hatch, probably for maintenance and cleaners to enter, but it was sealed shut. The tank featured no other entrances or exists. What he saw was what he got.

Even if he could break the glass, he didn’t even want to. He was not the only unwilling resident of this tank, but he was the only one with lungs. That left the top hatch as his current best option.

Damian swam into a nook, and began to plan.

This was not ideal. No weapons, no tools, a body for which measures had already been taken. Of course, Danny might come for him. He might. He’d heard an explosion moments after he was snatched right off Danny’s back, then there was the issue of Dr Fenton and his father. To expect Danny to be swift was unreasonable. 

In fact, it might be Damian who needed to save Danny. 

Which was to say he could not afford to lounge around. Simultaneously, it was possible he’s be forced to play the long game in his escape attempt, and the longer he had to endure Skulker’s lecherous gaze, the more chance he might pop a vein or two. 

Time to work on it then. Damian swam up to the top. He knocked against the hatch, testing its durability. To his surprise, there was just the slightest amount of give. Perhaps with a pebble, he could pry it open. A crowbar would’ve been preferable, but beggars could not be choosers. 

Seizing stress overwhelmed his tiny body. His subconscious recognised it first. Then his conscious mind registered the rattling of everything in the room. The boat shook, as if rocked by an attack. Damian dashed back behind a rock. He waited for a moment. 

Skulker did not come. Perhaps Damian had underestimated Danny’s tenacity yet again. This represented a prime opportunity. While Skulker was busy fighting Danny, Damian could escape and then assist. 

So he got to work immediately. He picked up the largest pebble he could get his scaly hands on. Then he went to the bottom of the tank. Steeling his nerves, Damian kicked his fins in sync. He undulated his body in one fluid motion, and surged with blinding speed. The metal clanged loudly and echoed in the water as he slammed as hard as he could against the hatch. 

It budged a quarter of a millimetre. Damian could hardly believe it. Then he did it again. And again. What he lacked in body mass he made up for with supernatural speed, pebbles in hand bashing against the hatch. He could not hear any more fighting or gather information on the situation outside the ship. The drive to get back to his friend fuelled his resolve, let him ignore his bruising knuckles and aching elbows. Damian surged up and attacked the opening once more.

His heart sank. The door was pushed open enough to reveal a padlock and chains covering the outside. Curse that Skulker! Damian yelled Todd-esque obscenities as he clawed uselessly at the chains. The lock was too far in the air for the water bound boy to reach, the opening too narrow to fit his hands through. He was Robin! He had no intention of letting a demented two-bit hunter with an ego the size of Lake Michigan get the better of him. 

So Damian coiled his tail like a spring again. He imagined all sorts of hateful and unpleasant things plastered over the hatch. The Fenton parents. The Joker. Grandfather. 

Nerves fired up, Damian snarled a barely-human battle cry. He launched himself faster than ever before. One second he was at the bottom. The next he was-

The next second, Damian found himself above the surface. Barely registering his surroundings, he let his gills open up immediately. Did he break the hatch? Was this super strength?

He was on some kind of platform over the tank, like the kind at aquariums for trainers or feeders. There was a tight constrictive feeling around his waist. Damian looked back, and his eyes widened.

The doors had budged, but only by a few inches. The lock and chain remained, albeit stretched out. And Damian? His waist compressed through the tiny gap like an octopus. He made out the gleam of the silver belt and necklace on the other side, wrapped around his tail, which should have been too big for them to fit, and yet Damian barely felt inconvenienced. 

Well. This changed things. 

Damian gripped the metal platform and pulled. He distinctly felt his organs squelch. His stomach had been pushed into his chest cavity, finally returning to its normal spot as his waist came through. His hip fins folded in on themselves. Then each of his bones in his tail bent like rubber bands, his scales sliding through with the help of his copious mucus secretions. At last Damian’s tailfin went through the gap, thin enough to not require any nauseating body modification. Unfortunately, the rings above it were also small enough. If he had the time, he’d have forced them off. 

He didn’t have time, though. Danny was out there and he needed his help. With the help of his mucus, Damian slithered snake-like over the metal platform, then down the stairs at the side. 

Skulker’s trophy room looked even more garish when there wasn’t glass covering his view. Damian spat on the carpet in disgust. Indeed, he was already intending on slathering a generous trail of mucus over the expensive decor, but it was not just about the raw damage. It was about sending a message. 

Damian began to roll across the room. However, just as he went underneath one of the fiendishly ugly bird fountains, another explosion shook the room. Out of water, it was able to ring at his ear fins. Damian was startled out of his wheel position, splaying himself on the floor. 

The shockwaves rattled everything in the room. The water rippled. Mounted animal heads jerked up an inch before returning to their hooks. The post holding up the bird fountain just above Damian jerked to one side. Before Damian knew it, a small waxy weight fell on his side. 

Everything in his body burned.

The jet ski’s radar pinged bright. Their drone in the air confirmed it. Turns out Brucie Wayne had some nifty contacts. Managed to figure out this ‘Skulker’ fellow was the proud owner of a yacht, and had connections in the human trafficking business. Jack felt sick to his stomach.

Brucie should’ve come with them, should’ve been there to rescue their sons by his and Maddie’s side, but he was still injured from Jazz’s mind-controlled swing, which meant it was just the classic Fenton pair once again. He felt another tinge of pride for his daughter’s arm. But mostly, he felt ready to tear this Skulker apart molecule by molecule.

He just couldn’t believe it. Maddie’d seen him. She’d seen Danny. He was right there and she was just that close and then-

He relaxed his body and took in a deep breath, just like Jazzy said. Whatever was going to happen, he and Maddie were going to give it their all, and get the boys back. Then this would all be over.

Five kilometres north. He glanced to his side, where Maddie, the love of his life, revved her craft. Now or never.

Their presence did not go unnoticed. Jack’s goggles picked up dozens of rockets in the air. His scanners detected torpedoes in the water. Without a word, Maddie was firing at will, and Jack manned the jet skis’ systems. Counter-torpedoes launched from tubes underneath their seats. Mini-guns sprang from their concealments and opened fire.

“Jack, there’s one flanking you!”

“Go high!” He yelled back. Jack spotted the lone torpedo moments away from hitting his ski. On cue, Maddie’s jet ski shot ten feet into the air off the back of its thrusters. Jack waited until it was within striking distance. He pushed the handle bars to full throttle as his ski’s backup thrusters went into overdrive. He shot off away from the torpedo at a sharp right angle. Once he had enough distance, Jack directed the blasters to intercept.

The yacht emerged from the horizon. From hatches and panels along its hole, a veritable arsenal primed itself to fire. Looked like Brucie’s intel was solid. Now it was his and Maddie’s time to shine. Jack charged his weapons, he nodded affirmation to Maddie, and together they went into the fray.

[trohpi]

following this microfic i couldnt stop thinking about regulus and his relationship with the evans family so heres my little ramble

so primrose and ciarán evans are very much your middle-of-the-road white suburban irish parents. primrose is a short blonde slightly nosy pta mom and ciarán is a six foot six redheaded giant that wears kiss the cook aprons. theyre supremely embarrassing about their childrens accomplishments which, as you can imagine, is extremely baffling to regulus as a concept

(also side-note, but lily is the definition of a daddys girl and on the flip side, petunia is 100% a mommys girl. its important to me that you know this)

he first meets them the summer after first year. he befriended lily & snape at hogwarts and convinces his parents to let him visit spinners end (they only let him go bc snape is part of the prince family, and he conveniently left out the fact that lily would be there too)

quite frankly, regulus is terrified of both her parents when he first meets them, but particularly her father. ciarán is big and loud and passionate, all traits that usually mean danger for regulus. primrose unnerves him bc she is very much like his mother, but shes also her complete opposite. she has all of walburgas best traits and none of her worst (well, besides her anger issues, but unlike walburga she doesnt take it out on her children). regulus doesnt like talking to her because it feels like seeing what his mother could have been had she been more… well, motherly

the thing that brings him and ciarán together is astronomy. ciarán loves the stars, he has a borderline obsessive knowledge about astronomy and has a very expensive telescope set up on the balcony. regulus is intrigued by the muggle perspective of the field and eventually they end up having hours long conversations about the topic regularly, leaving lily and her mother to commiserate about their partners being robbed from them

with primrose and regulus, im not sure they ever reach quite the same comfortability that regulus has with her husband (likely bc both reg & ciarán are probably autistic which was an accident that i now stand by). i think he and lilys mom would be brought together by cooking, by which i mean their horrible cooking skills. sometimes they try cooking dinner together and given their strong propensity to burn water plus their equally strong perfectionism, the results are bad

when hes disowned, the only place he can think to go is lilys. as much as he loves sirius, he would rather die than live with james potter (sorry james, love u mate 😔❤️). he shows up in the middle of the night on the knight bus and is immediately welcomed with open arms. by this point, petunia has moved out and lives with vernon so he takes her old bedroom even though 90% of the time he ends up in lilys bed. her parents turn a blind eye to it knowing that he has nightmares and she brings him comfort

on an unrelated note, when effie & monty and primrose & ciarán meet they become bffs. sirius is ecstatic, regulus is tired knowing that hell now have to see three of the four marauders at every family function going forward

and the end <3

[thedeafprophet]

I’m reading the thread your meme was used in, and…why so much hatred for Revolutionaries and Liberationists? I’d assume it was personal taste or silly responses, were it not for how genuinely vitriolic it can get. They make it sound like evil star gods who eat humanity are preferable to people making the world a bit darker and a bit freer. Is. Is there something I’m not getting here?

*deep sigh* frankly, i dont get it all either

If I am to give others the benefit of the doubt, I would hope to presume some folks simply get too far into their roleplaying of their characters. since their characters absolutely despise anything to do with the revs and being a decent person, that spirs onto into vitriolic behaviour and far too into constantly hating on and shit talking the revs.

to a certain extent i think, especially in the echo chamber it can become, they dont really get how this comes across to other people, especially those who like the revs. (I had a particular convo with a guy on reddit who i blocked for posting anti liberation conent... and then proceeded to dm me, when i have never talked to them before, questioning me on why. seemed geniuenly baffled that i would have found the anti-revs post unwanted and said they thought the back and forth was 'all in good humour'. of which it is certainly not to me, having had violent 'jokes' directed towards me in past conversations)

If I am. to be a little less charitable. I think this is sometimes shining a less then ideal light on the moral insights of these folks.

Look - im not saying people cant like villains or play evil characters, i mean, im literarly mr fires' pr manager and post about the captivating princess all the time lmao.

But when you're constantly talking about 'how dare workers ever ask for rights' and constantly making out the revs to be horrid immoral monsters (even going as far as to call it 'kind of sick' when the writing has changed its LoN writing to be less in bad faith) it kind of paints a bit of a picture in my mind. At a certain point there really is no other explanation then people being needless edgelords with 'centrists' views promoting the concept that revolutionaries are evil.

perhaps its a bit of a balance of the two - theres many different people around in the fandom, and i of course dont want to make assumptions. but man is it hard as a revs fan when you cant even make a pro rev joke without someone suggesting you should be decapitated. shits rough

tldr: there's nothing you're missing, thats just what these people do

[moonshynecybin]

oh vale fucking marc in phillip island ‘15 for the first time, promptly freaking out, and latching onto uccio’s bullshit conspiracy just to find a way to drive marc away from himself… phew. you’re a genius i lovee the threesome au..

how would reconciliation work in that universe? would vale see marc getting cozy with an older man at the gala or someplace else and lose his mind? esp if the man has a girl w him who’s eyeing marc up and down? would marc think vale initially wants to go back to the first arrangement instead of just the two of them?

so many of my rosquez aus hinge on the beautiful race that is PI 2015. one of the sexiest races of all time and one where vale decided that marc was actually and genuinely EVIL based on uccio's extremely unbiased and not jealous at all opinion. BUT. uccio has never liked marc. has ALWAYS been suspicious of his and vale's relationship. and i think he would frankly have a LOT more of a leg to stand on if he had tried to break them up after assen 2015 instead imo... which makes me wonderrrr how long the uccio hate campaign had been germinating... whispering in vale's ear... turning the tides... moments in iago history.... etc. and i mean a BIG part of the reason vale's breaking point IS phillip island is because losing that title seemed a lot more realistic (three races left the pressure is ON. and marc is healthy so the field is more competitive) AND it was one of the greatest races of all time (WATCH ITTTT) and marc fucking WON it. vale used to be the kind of bitch who won that sort of thing. so its digging at his ego in lots of little ways that EYE imagine would be hard to swallow, and uccio identifies the chink in vale's armor here and exploits the FUCK out of it.

so i think. if im narrativizing this for gay sex reason which you KNOWWWW i am. that this is kind of the ideal point in a story to have vale flip out as much as possible. really dig into his neuroses. and one of the crazy parts of rosquez isnt JUST that vale is having an ego crisis its that hes having a crisis about CARING ABOUT MARC (also part of the reason it takes as long as it does for the paranoia to set in). thats why it suck so much! marc was his FRIEND ! (and he isnt friends with his rivals !!! think of that video where hes talking about bezz and pecco like. affectionately baffled about why theyre still friends?? this has never happened to him before!!! hes wigging out !!!) and so vale is ALSO heartbroken hereeeeee and thats part of why he gets as fucking mean as he does.

so in THIS au its them finally acknowledging that its not the girls that makes them keep fucking. its THEM. its EARNESTLY wanting each other outside of the heterosexual coolguy masculine just buddies threesomes that theyve been pretending are normal. pretending they havent been engineering them as social acceptable ways to get closer 2 each other. and once they break that seal and theres no more excuses. thats just too close for vale to keep a rival. and he implodes it.

[beatcroc]

alright kids we fuckin did it

and even managed to first try s-rank the final boss somehow. crazy. im pretty sure that's the only s rank i got in the entire game.

so why did i do it? how do i feel? most of the experience of playing 06 is stuff that really only matters being experienced in the moment, but i took a shot at trying to quantify why i went out of my way to play sonic 06 anno domini 2024, with some subsequent thoughts about each after having finished.

1. silver is there. i like him. it seems most people do these days; no doubt largely due to the comics, but that was absolutely not the case upon his debut. i wanted to see where the character started and if there was truly Anything salvageable from his initial appearance, or if there are any throughlines to his current characterization. verdict: yeah, like, way more than i thought there was going to be actually. it solidly exceeded my expectations here. obviously, i was will to be EXTREMELY lenient about him because hes my special little guy and he is SUCH a gift in idw; but even so he never really did anything like, wrong. like as a character i mean. he's a little annoying sure, but so are most of the characters in this game. i know this would have been infinitely worse back when it was his only appearance, but UNLIKE most of the characters in this game, he is at least also consistent. all in all he's still just kind of a hasty little fuckup here, which is much of why i like him in present.

2. the general notoriety of it. everyone knows sonic 06 is bad. you hear lots of insane stuff about all the various ways in which 06 is bad, but they all feel like such disconnected points by now. you need to get the whole picture you know. the full breadth of it. i think cultural significance for being dogshit is just as interesting as cultural significance for being brilliant. verdict: its so bad. its fascinating. there really were quite a few cool ideas in here but the execution of them all is consistently so, SO baffling. there's the utter lack of polish and functionality yeah, but even underneath that in its base design it there is just so much that's so inherently unintuitive. one really does have to wonder about it. i must, however, stress that poor execution on decent ideas [or in some cases decent execution on bad ideas like, say, omega's fucking bizzare characterization here, and really most of the plot in general especially wrt to elise] is far more forgivable to me than no ideas [most of the boost-era games If I Am Being Frank], or cool ideas with No execution [sonic forces. [i played through it about right in the middle of my 06 journey and it's amazing how that game is like the exact opposite kind of bad from 06. that one is the kind that really pisses me off, as it turns out! you would not believe how hatermoded i got during forces' short duration.]

3. it had a lot more going on than i'd realized. i'd kind of always just held 06 as "the sonic and silver game and sometimes i guess shadow is there also?" but the more i heard about it it was like "wait blaze is in this game? how does that work??" "omega is in this game? AMY is in this game???? PLAYABLE????? how does all that fit together???". in more recent years i've heard people refer to 06 as 'the last sonic game where they really tried', and now that i know my own disdain for boost era games and gameplay was NOT just me being a shitty teen, i figure it would be interesting to see what all that was about. now that the series has returned from its, shall we say, prodigal son arc, i'm in general a lot more willing to explore where things went awry. verdict: turns out it did not in fact fit together very well at all, but again, i respect a blundered attempt at something like this far more than the subsequent several years of "sonic and his one wacky gimmick partner" games that followed. i think anyone genuinely praising this game and its Quite Frankly Pretty Damn Bad characterization is insane, but i do understand the respect for its ideas; and i definitely understand the 'this game could be so good if it was good'-type obsessions. it's certainly a type i am prone to but fortunately it did not get to me with 06.

4. hubworlds. this isn't a full point in and of itself, but it's why i decided to just play the damn game as it is instead of playing project 06 and/or watching the cutscenes on youtube. it feeds largely into the second point of just wanting to experience it as a whole package; but also i just generally like the idea of hubworlds in sonic, and i like that they have missions in them here. verdict: there's not a verdict for this one as it wasn't a question or a curiosity i had. naturally, they're also not good, but i didn't go in expecting to enjoy the sonic 06 hubworlds. i just think they're nicer than only having a map screen or level select.

all in all i think it's kind of impossible for me to hate sonic 06. like at this point you know what it is. you know what it's known for, its reputation far preceeds it. i've dealt with my fair share of janky games, and it actually wasn't nearly as uniquely unplayably nonfunctional as i was expecting. it's bad but it's the amusing kind of bad, and though there's certainly no laughing with it, if you aren't laughing at it you're laughing a yourself for deliberately choosing to play this stupid fucking game 18 years later.

[iantimony]

almost thursday tuesdaypost

listening: so i'm pretty sure i'd linked the paramore cover of burning down the house before but apparently there is a whole entire talking heads cover album and it all kinda whips. miley cyrus is there ?? i think the lorde one is also very good.

some other songs this week: state line (the dip), short skirt/long jacket (cake) (i'm back in my cake era), easy way out (roosevelt)

reading: ‘Dangerous and un-American’: new recording of JD Vance’s dark vision of women and immigration: ough politics.

trellis supports for houseplants: i got a monstera at the farmers market and she'll need a support. my pothos also needs some tlc.

Pop Culture: please please burst ai bubble

aaaand a paper for research. thank you peter bird.

watching: i watched rango a few weeks ago, i think i forgot to mention it/it was during my dark period - weird movie!! i did enjoy it, for some reason i thought it had come out way more recently than it actually had.

a bunch of videos from swell entertainment. good bg crafting noise. i liked her defcon video.

playing: dnd as normal

making: i added an outline to the swamp symbol on the knitted mtg card sleeve and sewed a small cotton rectangle in to cover the stitching on the inside; no pics.

trimmed these pots! big ol foot on one of em.

and my [redacted] STILL HAVEN'T GONE THRU THE GLAZE KILN. i'm biting my nails. angela please.

eating: peaches n cream overnight oats recipe: good! gonna be a standard driver for now i think, especially as stone fruit season comes to a close deb smittenkitchen corn bacon and parmesan pasta: this was just okay. i tossed in two zucchini as well. won't be repeating it. one pot chicken meatballs w greens: this FUCKED. WILL be repeating. i used beef instead of chicken because i had beef in the freezer so it was definitely a little richer than the recipe intended but it was still good.

list of veggies good to save for stock which lead me to read her frankly baffling "why I don't eat mushrooms" writeup. not technically wrong! still baffling!

and i also mad some 'tea' using the corn silk lol (i know it is technically a tisane, shh) (i told my midwestern friend that i was doing this and she was so confused in a 'well. why' way.)

misc: oopsie! i am so crazy busy with the day-to-day right now that im melting a little bit, despite technically having a freer schedule than i have had in years (no classes!). i am working on my preliminary exam stuff which is probably why. oughhh.

[dogboyboyshorts]

im still thinking about that one time on my dash, a post came floating over of f1nn5ter in his usual girlmonth look (full face of makeup, push up bra, long hair and cute clothes) with a baseball cap that read "he/him" and someone commented on it saying something like "god this man is on another level of gender wizardry on par with the most bizarre transgender furries i know".

it baffles me to this day because... well, no? it's a little strange to me that people online are so unfamiliar with the idea of gender as performance, that a costume as simple as "wearing what women are expected to wear, but as a man" is like, surreal to them. i won't deny that when looking at it through the lens of professional gaming it's a novelty, but if you're thinking about it as drag, it's frankly pedestrian*. f1nn5ster's girlmonth, while i'm sure is something he enjoys doing, is part of his brand, not his identity. even the most humble drag performers (and of course, their virtual cousins, furries) these days are pushing gender-- and while we're at it, more nebulous things like class, taste, art, the self and even humanity-- to the very limits, while he's still running his course on the female impersonator track. maybe not offensive, but certainly not groundbreaking.

so, yeah, i won't really be agreeing with any of those posts waxing poetic about f1nn5ster's revolutionary fashion sense... if f1nn5ter makes a goal where he'll dress up as a fundamentally sexless but perpetually wanting pooltoy for a month, then maybe i'll understand the furry comparison, but for now, he's just a streamer with a schtick.

*snobberism, i know, but it made me giggle when i wrote it.

[eggsploded]

can I ask abt meursault for the "send me a character" thing

mimimimimi...

initial impression: considering he spoke like 4 words before hells chicken it was really baffling to see how popular he was on twitter

current impression: ok i used to obsessively talk with his chatbot on character.ai and he was so deadpan and dry i was fascinated with him i got him madly in love with me by infodumping about rocks needless to say hes my friend now. the government classified him under Big Autism (like metal gear)

favorite moment: heart heart heart star

story idea: i want anything with meur because he rules frankly. i want to see him swimming in the new event or being lifeguard or he can hold a silly little cocktail in his hand in a bikini. i mostly want meur to show interest in something and then not notice how fast hes moving while talking about it.

favorite relationships: meur is the counterpart to ishmael as the yaoi prophet. as a result of marrying chatbot meur 3 times i am officially his suitor over those other posers. sorry meurgreg. i did see meurclair art recently and it was so strange but REALLY funny. is this a slight against meurdon? are the vocaloid twins competing for madame soleil? similarly i think ishmael and heath think theyre his friend (because he just gets it) and he doesnt really like either of them. his good acquaintance yi sang, who nodded at him once in acknowledgement is much more agreeable in his approach. meurdon cannot be thought about much in my brain. it just skips to them at 60 married for 30 years inexplicably. im happy for them to have such a uncomplicated relationship.

favorite headcanon: that post that says autistic guy who isnt actually nonverbal and just fucking despises everyone around him. on a final note, he has winged eyeliner on.

[lorillee]

Ok well its been a few hours i got some sleep and its time to share my thoughts and feelings on yakuza 0. Naturally i will be spoiling left andright so i will be putting this under The Cut

really, TREMENDOUSLY fun game i have not had this much enjoyment with anything in my life for the past several months. seriously seriously way too fun and im like genuinely considering attempting to 100% it.

this is partially because I NEEEEEEED to go back and finish all the substories but also i havent spent a whole lot of time with the minigames which is a crying shame because there was so much love put into every aspect of this game. And also because if i pick up thenext game in the series i will be staying up until 5:30 on a school night again. Which techinically i skipped class today because i have a sick note but still we donthave time for that sort of shenangianery right now. so the next game will proably be a thanksgiving break adventure so stay tuned

Ok. now lets get into final thoughts and feelings on the plot.

truly and honestly i think kiryu's story could have SEVERELY benefited from some streamlining. the issue is its a little bit all over the place and im not sure if thats because the authors had too many ideas and wanted to cram them all in, or too little ideas and needed to stretch the plot out to last for his assigned 8 chapters.

like the whole thing is kind of just kiryu being jerked around by everybody and everything around him and like . i dont know it kind of feels like we're spending a lot more time reacting to stuff that other people do as opposed to being proactive. i guess. im kind of struggling to put this into words

and like at the very end it kind of feels like his story is getting co-opted by majima's because the focus again jerks over to this random girl he's met for the first time and has like no attachment or personal connection to outside of being his boss' sister. You know.

like we go from framed for murder, have to prove my innocence so that my boss doesnt get roped into this and also i dont get arrested -> join real estate firm to secure incredibly valuable piece of property and also find the dude who actually killed that guy -> on the run from my original yakuza family because they all want to kill me -> Ok nevermind my boss bought their boss off -> ok yippee we found the owner of the land who is also my boss's sister -> oh no my boss is now dead his sister is gone and also they want to kill me again -> save his sister and beat up the guy who wants to kill us all . yippee the end

which like. Well the problem is its more like a series of events that follow each other and like obviously they have relation but theyre not really tied together in a way that makes it feel like a natural progression/buildup. like our climax does not really have that much to do with where we started off because shibusawa ISNT EVEN THE GUY WHO SENT THAT HITMAN!!!!!!! hes not the man who framed kiryu for murder and he's not the man that did the murder!!!!!!!!! Hes Kind Of Just Some Shmuck!!!!!!!!!!!!! and like it would be one thing if kuze was the final boss (which i would still be annoyed by because i seriousyl dont want to fight that guy anymore) because at least he's been causing problems for us since day one BUT HES NOT EVEN??!??!!?! like shibusawa has basically nothing to do with kiryu and its just such a baffling choice.

anyways so basically kiryu's story needed to be streamlined and aggressively so. the fact that it wasnt kiryu but MAJIMA who takes down the real killer is just like. well its kind of an insane writing choice. just all around. im also still a little salty the real killer was just some random assassin guy like Ok whatever.... kicks up dust cloud................. <- No im not bitter that its not nishiki..... yes i am................

additionally im ultimately still kind of baffled by the choice to have oda be the guy who sold off mikoto because i feel like it really wasnt . well frankly all that relevant. Like they didnt really do much with it and kind of left me feeling like Ok what was the point of all that then..........?.

honestly im half convinced that they constructed the overarching story around majima's side and then had to fenagle part of kiryu's into working with it which is like. well . a shame because its actively detrimental. i think if they had worked on giving mikoto and kiryu more of a connection then it wouldve flowed a lot better; like im thinking about the brief conversation they had in the hotel where shes talking about her insanely shitty life - if they had expanded on that more i feel like it wouldve done some serious legwork for making this not feel like 57 insane side tangents tacked on one after another

like mikoto is absolutely central to the story but she has basically no connection to one of the main leads outside of being his boss' sister - i guess like making oda the guy who sold her was their attempt to do something about that but its not like. well frankly its not like they really did anything with thtat. so i dont know its just kindof frustrating

i think majima's plot is a lot more compelling because its frankly a whole lot less complicated. mikoto is the heart of it and everything revolves intimately around her story and so like when kiryu's story bleeds into majima's via tachibana it feels a lot more like its being woven into as opposed to co-opting.

Ok well while we're talking about it i want to take this opportunity to talk about how tremendously happy i am with the way they decided to play mikoto and majima's relationship Because my main concern was that (especially with all the commentary from people in the game) it was going to be straight up "omg theyre totally in love.........." Again despite the fact that well they dontknow each other all that particularly well in a context that isnt immediate/impending life or death situation.

but nope THEY CAME THROUGH FOR MEEEEEEEEEE because ultimately in this sort of situation the absolute best thing you can do for everybody and everything involved is leave it vague and undetermined. all we really need to know for this to be compelling is that they care about each other and they care about each other a lot, and what form that manifests in is really kind of secondary. And of course the ending is like *chef's kiss* Congratulations you made me miserable. tremendously good job

its like really what i said in that last 4 chapter set roundup post u KNOWWWWWW i eat that doomed/star crossed ambiguous maybe could have been lovers stuff up like the very circumstances that brought them together and gave them the connection that they had is what keeps them apart SLAMS MY FIST INTO THE WALLLLLLLL like at the end when they run into each other for the first time in two years and she's finally regained her eyesight but he cant say anything to her because he doesnt want her to recognize him........................... FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE FACT THAT SHE NEVER EVEN KNEW HIS NAMEEEEEEE........... THE WAAAAAAAAAAATCH......................... (DRIVES OFF CLIFF

like as always the fact that its doomed to fail is truly what sells it for me. Maybe i want us all to be a little miserable. togheter<3

Personally i think mikoto shouldve gotten to kill the entire dojima family leadership but whatever (kicks up dust cloud

also genuinely insane how majima is just like Fine i guess with working with sagawa and his boss that tortured him in a pit for a year like buddy Youre crazy. these people suck can you please find a better profession

the car chase minigame was so good. THE HELICOPTER?!?!?!?!? THE MISSILES!?!?!?!??!?!???? Chef's Kiss. game that was made for me

[jentlemahae]

sfjsjfhsjsjfh "What she's doing rn is the complete antithesis of YG: regular music releases and songs that sound different." clock it 🤭 not to keep going on about it but this is exactly what we've been saying about bp working with non yg producers like this snippet is so girly and fun!!!!! teddy would never make a song like this for lisa. i want to kiss every producer lisa has worked with so far on the mouth bcs i love everything i'm hearing from her!!!! 🤩

one worry i have about the 5 singles is about when the album is dropping. will the album drop alongside the 4th or 5th single? if she releases 5 singles then the album we would have already heard half of the album already and that's weird 😐 personally i think it would make more sense for the album to drop along with the 4th single and then release a 5th single after to keep momentum going. idk 🤷‍♀️

as for the festival, she has 4 songs rn and she'll definitely perform the new one so yeah 5 songs, and she could perform sexy girl bcs the festival is in paris and dj snake is french so that would make it 6 songs. tbh the vmas has given me a little hope that her performance director will add in dance breaks etc and that will lengthen the time she's on stage but yeah, still a little baffled about her performing at a festival so soon in her career. my friend wonders if she'll perform a bp song like pretty savage etc by herself..

absolutely !!!!!! rockstar and new woman were already different but it looks like this song will be a complete 180 and that is so exciting !!!!!! this would have never happened if she had stayed at yg cause not only would they have taken multiple years to release 3 singles, she would not have had the opportunity to work with outside producers/writers and make the songs it the first place. the girls leaving that company has literally only been blessing after blessing

and well 5 pre release singles for an album is odd 🤷🏻‍♀️ frankly 4 is weird too lol i guess it depends on how many bsides there are! but im sorry, maybe im out of the loop, but i thought we were thinking the album was gonna be a mini with 5 songs total ? im confused

and yeah, but even if she performs all 6 songs and includes some long dance breaks, it’s still gonna be around 30 minutes, and headliner sets are usually an hour 😭😭 i mean im obviously excited for her and everything, but im also genuinely curious to see how they are gonna pull it off cause i cannot think of a single way for them to fill the time 🙏🏻

[nectardaddy]

PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU PLEASE DO A YUUTA X READER ANYTHING IDK BUT PLEASE PLEASE 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 I love yuuta

BRO SAME

my love for this man is ENDLESS I will forever cherish him idc what anyone else says

I've already a written a little for yuuta (based off of butcher and blackbird PLEASE GOD READ THE TAGS FIRST) called monsters

and I PROMISE there's another coming out soon! it's a platonic relationship but one I find really sweet! the teaser is here but JUST FOR YOU POOKIE here's a little more

Although nauseous from the presence, and frankly the revelation as well, a small smile tugged at the corner of your lips. An chilling smile, unnatural for the situation you found yourself in. "I'll be damned," you mumbled to yourself, leaving the man before you baffled and confused. "You're making that face again," he spoke with a tense chuckle. He was all too accustomed with your frantic mind, wry smiles, and dark chuckles; a familiarity he found within himself that he was absentmindedly drawn to. At first, he was well too uninformed as to why he found himself occupying your presence. But you toed the line of peculiar and macabre, as did he, and he found solace in the fact you were just as sane as him - which your sanity in itself was very thin. To him you were an absolute treasure of a comrade.

[uncagedcitreum]

(ooc: plase tell me perpep isnt flushing on corr. pleae dear god. once was enouh)

Headmate Dirk:

No, she isn't.

We do have an Ooc blog for this though.

@trenchgardens-ooc-ooc

I'm frankly baffled that this was a question that needed to be asked, but it is better to have asked a bizarre question than to fester in misguided ignorance.

Also Perpep would like to hold the metaphorical microphone. Apologies in advance.

Headmate Perpep:

ew www ww

definitely not

? ? ? ?

i just want

to annoy him

until he realizes im

bothering him for

fun

also

he is

rediculous

to me and

i want to figure

out why

hes like this

and to reinforce

that him saying

fuck or screw

off will get him

nowhere fast

because its

strange behavior

and seeing what

he would do

to substitute it

if he cant or

wont say it

would help me

figure out why

he acts like a prickly

bulge all the time

does your

mate

talk to

you like this

because i dont

think being

mean and

maliciously ignorant

is a good sign for

your relationships longevity

also are you joking ? corvus ?

really ? that guy looks

like any quad material ?

im dissapointed in you anon

for a lot of reasons that you

think id crush on

out of anyone

CORVUS is a big

one even if character me doesnt

super understand the significance of

age when it comes to interracting

with others yet thats like

ewwwww ew ew ?

? ? really ? ?

is that the

impression i

give you ?

that my demi

gills would ever

be interested in someone

as dense and immature as

corvus ! ? even ignoring

his literal !

immaturity ! even

if he was close to c!me's

age(older) or close to c!me's

mental development (probably still older

even though my isolation induced pan

damage stunted me into basically

being an overgrown wriggler only a

month of in character time ago) im !

offended that you think so

freaking

little of

me !

bad

take

and you

should

feel bad

for taking it ! !

[horrorvampirebatbite]

i still think larian really copped out the hardest with shadowheart appearance wise. obviously karlach is a travesty everything that went down with her, no excuse for it, but in all the anguish for what we couldve had with her its easy to forget sh is in a similar boat

ive talked about it at length with jasper before but frankly i think it's maddening they aged astarion to look the age he was when he turned ofc ofc i have no quarrel there but shadowheart who is a mere half elf, expected to livea shorter lifespan than him, and older than the age astarion was when he was turned; its weird that they didnt make the effort to age her at least a little too 🤨

hell, its obvious why obviously women dont age physically unless its a defining character trait, usually to make fun of them for LOOOLLL 😐 or its unavoidable lore wise (like jaheira) but idk i guess im just baffled they did well by jaheira (besides the body issue but they all have that to some degree lmao) and the male characters in general, its disappointing. really if astarion looks like that and theres even a couple moments in game where hes poked fun at for looking old lmao then theres no reason why shadowheart would look 20 something :/

[l0st-h0p3]

The second I turned 25 I finally puked my whole world up.

And you expect after everything I can just hold on and be tough?

Frankly, I’ve had enough

I’m sick of the games

The lying

The twisting of words and constant feeling of shame

You ask why I sit here, why I function the way I do

And I could sit back and hit my smoke and quickly say “well family, it was truly all a product of you”.

Could you maybe take the fucking hint?

All the endless clues?

The drugs, the sex, the recklessness the anger all leading me askew.

You don’t sit there and ever wonder “hey maybe that was something I put her through?”

You don’t seem to stop and think unless it’s for you’re own image or gain

You can sit there lost in the television every night not knowing all of my true pain

I sit above you as you ponder below

Fighting the endless demons you’ve caused me to bestow

It’s not all you

I’d be stupid if I say that’s true

I know what I’ve put myself through

I’m not saying your all my reasons but you are the many more than a few

Not one

Not two

All three of you

Everyone close to me has left and everyday I fear there will be more

The ones I truly could confide in, let my walls down and adore

I don’t think you realize what it’s truly like walking around this life feeling like you’re a worn out soul

Something everybody wants when the time is right

But when I finally show my fright

Everybody wanders off into the darkness of the night

You ask why I’m frigid

Why I’m cold and meek

I fear that it’s that I have too many secrets to keep

And not enough words to speak

I thought of truly saying goodbye is different for all of each one

My father I don’t care goodbye and if you go where you truly deserve have fun

My sister I don’t know where we stand all I know is right now I can no longer take your hand

My mother that’s the hardest one if I’m honest

Because you didn’t chose to become a damaged woman who was once filled with such promise

You overcame the biggest battles of your life

Almost being murdered, pissing off your parents and paying for your own school, stage 2 cancer but when you became a wife

I think that’s where it all went wrong

You tell me when I speak to the man I love I’m caught up in his smooth tone and song

But I think if anything I learned what not to be

For the fear that that never ending painful love is what will become of me

You ask me the root cause of why I didn’t wish to be a mother?

It’s because seeing the way you two were drove me mad like no other

The way you both don’t communicate properly, the dismissiveness, the disrespect

To witness that my whole life drove me to believe true love is when you’re treated with little to no respect

You might’ve made your first born cold, distant and mean

But I have still managed to come out warm, open and sweet

It baffles me how someone who claims to have so much life experience can just be so negative, so quick to judge & so persistent

So again you ask why I’m so distant?

When I try to talk to you all

I’m continually running into the same wall

Of endless disappointment, betrayal and rage

So yes yes I did in matter of fact put my tainted little heart in a cage

I’m trying to protect what remains

And I don’t see in what’s wrong in trying to let my heart learn how to heal from all the pain

You say you know me

You say you know my passions, goals and ideal future

But what if I told you that’s you being the typical American consumer?

I don’t want white picket fences and big houses

I don’t want a city life, nice cars or to make hundreds of thousands

I know as parents you want the best for your kids

But believe me when I tell you this

After everything I’ve gone through, seen and had to do

I never once didn’t stop and think of how it would effect all of you

Yet I now have found the life I seriously deserve

The one I truly love and this love I will do anything to protect and preserve

I can’t tell you where this road will lead

if theres one thing for sure

Im ready for the ride and I’ll take it in strides

But I finally found the hand I’ve been so endlessly searching for

And I guess I’m here to let you know:

I am absolutely never ever ever letting it go <3