#im so sick of this game. im so sick of every decision they make. its almost like they hate people who play the game

[stingrayloveblog]

Nintendo thinks theyre soooo funny haha "what if we gave 9 gold scales if they hit 900 mil (almost a billion !!) golden eggs. Just 9. For all that work. Isnt that so hilarious and funny and awesome and cool. Theyll only get 7 if they only hit the given quota. So funny. So awesome. So hilarious. Not even 300 bronze scales to go with it. So amazing. So incredible. We're so hilarious" yeah uh huh sure whatever

[smoshyourheadin]

Maybe u could do a Spencer besties to lovers? Like they've known each other a long time yk

Thankssss no pressure if ur busy ofc <3

It’s Always Been You

cw: reader has a boyf who she breaks up w bc he’s an alchaholic!! don’t read if you aren’t comfortable, i’ll catch you another time ml ����

a/n: EEK IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT ANON 🫶🫶💛💛 also im taking this as smosh spence not cm spence so feel free to re-request if you’d like <33 ps, ive written that he listens to pink floyd here so thats who syd barrett is if you don’t know :))

requests r open!!

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pairing: spencer agnew x fem!reader

florida, 2002

you and spencer were scurrying around in the freshly mown grass of his backyard, playing tag.

“you didn’t get me, you cheated!” you exclaim, ducking as he reaches out to get you again, tumbling to the floor.

“did too!” spencer retorts, his grazed knees dropping to the floor so he can lean over you. he meets your eyes, pulls a tongue, and hoists himself back up to run to his tyre swing.

all 11 years you’d known, you’d known them with spencer. your moms had been great friends since way before you were born, being in the same book club. or was it an art night? you didn’t exactly know, but you did know that because your moms were best friends, so were you and spencer.

as you sprung back up to your feet, your moms watched your antics through the kitchen window.

“whoever can swing the other the highest gets to have the last red popsicle!” he yelled as you ran over

“oh you’re so on!”

your hands gripped the tyre and you pushed like your life depended on it.

“y’know,” your mom said “one day, they’re going to end up together.”

his mom looked over at yours and smiled,

“i’d be surprised if they didnt honestly.”

los angeles, 2024

you walk through the door of your apartment, and you kick the door closed behind you. your bag slides off your shoulder, and you throw your keys onto the dresser next to the door. you only manage a long groan before flopping onto the couch.

“heya, charlie!” you scrunch your face up as you feel your dog’s cold, wet nose press against your cheek, as he gently wags his tail

“i missed you too boy, work was so tiring today.” you work at smosh with spencer, and have done for the past seven years after you left your job at another channel to join him. it was basically the best decision you’d ever made, every day filled with laughs; practically just a 24/7 hangout. you work with spencer on smosh games, but rarely ever go on camera, even if spencer’s there. you enjoy it anyway though.

you sit up and scratch behind his ears. he wiggles his body contently at your fondness. and then your stomach growls. it made sense, it was currently 6:43pm, and you last ate at noon, so you get up and drag yourself to make some mac n cheese.

as the pasta boils your phone starts ringing.

it’s james.

rubbing your hands over your face, you answer the dreaded call from your boyfriend james.

“heyyy~ sweetheart, y’doin okay? you were hic bein’ a bit of a bitch today, didnt answer my calls, what, you hate me or sumn?” he rambles, most of his words just slurring off.

“james, are you drinking again?” your voice is agitated, hearing the chattering and the low bass of a bar in the background.

you know he has a problem, and you’ve tried to get him to stop so many times. but you just can’t. he just won’t take your help.

“wha- i mean- well- no- but um- well y’r just gonna be mad at me like y’allways are” he stammers, not wanting to tell you the truth.

“no, i’m done with this. you say all this to me when you’re drunk, and then act like everything is fine! i’m sick of it! you spend so much time at the bar, and its the only place we ever go on dates, and i just end up babysitting you! so yeah i am mad! but for the last time! fuck you james.”

you hang up.

you start to tear up, the knot in your chest tight as your emotions come rushing to you, face heating up as tears begin to fall. the hissing of something behind you snaps you out of it.

“shit!” you rush over to to your stove, where the water from your pasta spills over the sides, the flames licking at the bottom of the pan.you take it off the heat and turn it off. it looks done anyway. you add some butter, and, of course, cheese. stirring gently, you sob.

james was so nice to you, always showering you with gifts and praise and love. but it was all for nothing. he just didn’t love you like he loved drinking in the end.

pouring the mac n cheese into a bowl, you call spencer.

“hey lemon! how’s my favourite person this fine evening?” you smile at the nickname.

florida, 2007

“spencer, you’re a boy. why are you so complicated? i mean, its just annoying!” you walk into his bedroom after his mom let you in, clearly pissed off. being 16 isn’t fun, especially when boys you like are rude to you.

“what did he do?” spencer doesn’t look up from his computer, just slightly turn his head.

“he said that i must eat lemons because of how bitter i am. i mean come on!” you lie on his bed and watch him play runescape.

“lemon… hmph” he just smiles and continues whatever he was doing on his game.

“what? nothing to say? ugh! you suuuuuck!”

los angeles, 2024

“yeah, i mean, no. i broke up with james.” you sniffle, and eat a forkfull of your food, elbows resting on the cold marble of the kitchen island.

“i mean- um- yeah thats horrible…” he says

“you’re allowed to celebrate, i know you hated him. and so did everyone. but still. im fragile right now!” you giggle through your gentle tears

“well, i mean, honestly? glad he’s gone. he sucked dude. not sure why you didn’t do it sooner. well, one positive to come of this, your pillows won’t stink of beer next time i nap at yours!” he replies, clearly happy for you.

“yeah,” you chuckle at the memory of spencer falling asleep on your bed, then completing his hair smelt like budweiser “that is true.”

“all seriousness though, are you okay?” his voice is genuine this time, filled with concern.

“no, not really. it’s just… different i guess. but, not much has changed y’know? like, it already felt like he wasn’t my boyfriend anymore…” you begin to ramble for at least 20 minutes, only to be met with the occasional ‘mhmn’ and ‘yeah’ from spencer. mid sentence, there’s a knock at your door.

“oh one sec, someone’s here.” you get up from your table and swing the door open to see a very sympathetic looking spencer, two target bags in his hands.

your jaw is on the floor. you were just crying to him over the phone, and he’d stayed whilst going out to get what you can only assume is things like sour patch kids and vanilla ice cream, which you could see at the top of the bag. your favourites.

“girls night?” he smirked and raised the bags at his sides.

all you can do is smile ear to ear, and wrap him in a tight hug. he leaned into you, basking in your sweet citrusy perfume.

“you’re my favourite, spencie.” you say into his shoulder.

as you both walk inside, charlie comes bounding over to spencer, his favourite person.

“who’s a good boy! charlie is!” spencer was now crouchedby your kitchen island, fussing over your dog as you walked to put on something more comfortable. you slid on some track pants and an old atari hoodie. walking back into your kitchen, spencer has unpacked the bags, and is creating his favourite conconction, The Agnew Sundae. basically the most sickeningly sweet ice cream ever. his dad made it for you both in the summer, and it consisted of:

vanilla ice cream

chocolate syrup

caramel sauce

whipped cream

sprinkles

mini marshmallows

chocolate chips

m&ms

and some crushed oreos to finish.

god, you know you’re going to regret this later, but boy was it a good way to cheer you up.

also strewn on the counter was his switch and copy of animal crossing, a few of his dvd’s for you to watch, and his mom’s chocolate chip cookies.

“spencer, how on earth did you get these? your mom lives across the country!” you hold up the baggie, and raise an eyebrow.

he looks up from his ice cream assembly station, and smirks.

“a magician never- ow!”

you cut him off by lightly jabbing his arm

“okay okay, she visited not to long ago - when she took you to the mall? and she gave me these to freeze and keep for an important event. i think she’d agree this is important.” you cant help but smile at his remark. you missed you moms.

“i’ll have to ring her later to thank her.” you say.

the night goes on, and you and spencer sit on the couch under a blanket watching barbie princess charm school. because what else are you going to watch?

as the movie goes on, and the effects of the agnew sundae kick in; you were dozing off on his shoulder. towards the end of the movie, so does he. he drifts off, comforted by your soft hair occasionally brushing against his face.

you stir awake, the sun beaming into your eyes through your semi-open blinds, and you’re hit by a wave of memory. everything that happened last night comes flooding back.

james’ call.

spencer’s call.

spencer showing up for you.

at the latter, you smile slightly. you prop yourself up on the sofa, and notice the absence of spencer’s warmth by you. frowning slightly, you walk into the kitchen.

“morning sleepyhead” his sweet voice rings through the room

“hey. i thought you’d’ve gone home”

“no, im not that mean! who do you take me for?” he retorts, his attention turning back to the pancakes on the stove.

“pancakes? what time is it?” you come up behind him, putting your chin on his shoulder.

“yeah, and it’s about 10:30.” he leant his head on yours, flipping one. you had to admit, they look pretty good.

“10:30!?” you lift you head in surprise, looking at your phone “shouldn’t we be in work?”

“nope, i called us in sick. said my mom was having surgery. which she is, but i made it sound dramatic so we could stay off.” he looks at you, and smiles slightly.

“well, send her my love! i think i’ll go get dressed now.” he hummed, and you left the room.

opening your closet, you pick out a yellow baggy t-shirt and some grey sweatpants. you pull on some fluffy socks, and slip on a zip up hoodie. walking back out into the living room, spencer walks in with two plates piled high with pancakes, drenched in syrup and strawberries

“so,” you say, a fork full of pancakes in your mouth. “whats the plan for today?”

he looks over at you, and shrugs slightly. “not sure, we could go to the book store you like?”

“ah, you know the way to a girl’s heart“ you put a hand over your chest and giggle a bit.

a few hours later, you walk into the store, door creaking just a bit as a small brass bell chimes overhead. the air is filled with a comforting mix of old paper, leather bindings, and a hint of freshly brewed coffee from the corner cafe that you and spencer like to get tea from. you breathe it in deeply, a sense of calm washing over you. as you walk over the creaky wooden floorboards beneath you, soft warm light filters down from antique lamps, and cast a gentle glow over the rows of books. you ghost your fingertips over the cloth spines while the quiet murmur of whispered conversations and the occasional rustling of pages create a soothing background noise, almost like a lullaby. through spencer’s airpods, syd barrett serenades you both, and his voice blends seamlessly with the ambiance of the store.

“anything good today lemon?” spencer says as he shimmies up next to you in the aisle of towering book shelves, his voice like honey rolling off his tongue. his hair was unruly as always, but he looked so pretty in this light. his face was littered with freckles that you wish you could kiss. he’s smiling at you, and it snaps you back to reality, and reminds you of the fact you’re staring at him

“uh, yeah, i think i’ll get this one” you smile back, holding up a copy of memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden

“cool, shayne likes that one i think. but he likes every book so…” he smiles at his own remark “um, you want me to grab our normal seats in the cafe while you pay for that?”

“yes, please!” you reply eagerly, smiling as he walked off.

you walk up to the cashier, an older lady who always gives you a bookmark.

“thank you m’darlin’, have a lovely day!”

“you too mrs bryson!” you reply, heading over to spencer who’s sat in some plush leather armchairs. as you sit in comfortable silence with him, time seems to slow down, and for a moment, it's just you, spencer, the books, and the comforting atmosphere of this charming bookstore.

“i got you your sweet tea.” he says, handing you a plastic cup filled with your favourite tea.

he remembered.

fuck.

you were in love with spencer agnew, and it took you him handing you your favourite tea to realise it.

“thanks spence.” you say, still grasping the feelings in your chest.

while you read you book and drink your tea, you feel your attention drifting to him. you can't help but glance up from the pages every now and then, watching him as he sits across from you, his focus on his own book. his fingers absently tracing the rim of his coffee mug, his brow furrowing as he reads. the way the sunlight filters through the small window, casting a warm glow across his hair, highlighting the subtle streaks of lighter brown among his dark curls. you find yourself smiling at the sight of him, wondering when these small, mundane moments began to mean so much to you. the bookstore is quiet, aside for the murmur of others reading or talking in hushed tones. yet, with spencer sitting just a few feet away, the world feels like it's faded to the background. it's just you and him, sharing this space, this moment. you watch the way his lips move slightly as he reads, how he occasionally tilts his head in concentration, and the way his eyes light up when he finds something particularly interesting. as he looks up and catches you watching him, you feel a rush of warmth spreading through your chest. he smiles at you, a slow, easy smile that makes your heart skip a beat. he raises an eyebrow, and you quickly look back down at your book, feeling your cheeks flush. but you can't help it; your gaze finds its way back to him, like he's the most interesting story in the room. he seems to notice the shift in the air between you. he closes his book and leans forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees.

“everything okay?” he asks, his voice gentle, his eyes filled with genuine curiosity.

“yeah,” you reply, trying to sound casual, though your heart is racing. “just... glad to be here with you.”

he nods, his smile growing a bit wider. “me too.”

as he settles back into his chair, you realize that this simple exchange has changed something. the air feels lighter, the connection between you stronger. you may have come here to read and relax, but now, sitting across from spencer, you know you've found something else entirely - something you never want to let go of.

as you leave the store, you’re panicking slightly as you realise you don’t know what to do. so instead you make up an excuse.

“i forgot my keys ," you blurt out, looking back at the bookstore. it's a thin excuse, but spencer doesn't seem to notice. he simply nods, a hint of concern in his eyes.

"do you want me to wait for you?" he asks, already reaching for his phone to check the time.

"no, it's fine," you reply quickly. "you can go ahead. i’ll just be a minute."

spencer seems reluctant to leave, but he nods, offering a warm smile before stepping out onto the street. you watch him walk away, his figure blending into the crowd as he heads toward the main crossing. your heart sinks a little as he disappears from view, and you take a deep breath, trying to steady your racing pulse.

the bookstore feels different now. the warm glow and soft murmurs are still there, but without spencer, it's like the color has faded a bit. you stand by the door, uncertain of what to do next. you could go back outside, catch up with him, and just say it. tell him how you feel. but the words seem stuck in your throat, and the thought of laying your feelings bare feels like too much, too soon.

you step back inside, pretending to look for something you might have left behind. the stacks of books seem to stretch endlessly in front of you, a maze of comforting distractions. you wander through the aisles, hoping to calm your racing thoughts, but all you can think about is spencer - his smile, the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs, the warmth of his voice.

eventually, you find a quiet corner and sit down, closing your eyes for a moment. you know you have to do something. you can't just let him walk away without knowing how much he means to you. but the fear of rejection, of changing everything, feels overwhelming.

you realize you need time to sort through your feelings, to figure out the best way to approach this. with a heavy heart, you decide to make your way home, hoping the familiar surroundings will bring clarity. as you step out onto the street, the cool breeze brushes against your skin, and you take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside you.

on the journey home, you replay the moments with spencer in your mind, each one a bittersweet reminder of how much he means to you. you know you can't keep hiding your feelings, but you also know you need to approach this with caution. as you unlock the door to your apartment, you make a silent promise to yourself—to take the time you need, to listen to your heart, and to find the courage to follow where it leads, even if it means risking everything for him.

when you get home, spencer tries calling you as he paces around his bedroom, his phone pressed against his ear. the ringing continues, but there's no answer. he frowns, feeling an uneasy twist in his stomach. maybe you're still in the bookstore. maybe your phone is on silent, or maybe you're just busy. he tells himself there's a reasonable explanation, but the doubt lingers.

as he walks to his kitchen, he dials again. this time, the call goes straight to voicemail. his instincts tell him something isn't right. the keys excuse felt odd, and your hurried departure only amplifies his worry. he takes a moment to think, then leaves his apartment, jumps in his car, starts the engine, and drives toward your apartment.

the streets pass in a blur as he navigates through the evening traffic, his mind racing with possibilities. he finds a parking spot near your building and heads to your door. the hallway is quiet, save for the distant sound of a tv from a neighbouring apartment. he takes a deep breath and knocks.

nothing.

he knocks again, this time a little louder. the knot in his stomach tightens. what if something's wrong? what if he's too late? he knocks a third time, and this time, he hears a faint rustling from inside. the door opens slowly, and there you are, standing in the doorway with a look of surprise and confusion.

"spence?" you say, blinking at him as if he's the last person you expected to see.

"i - i was worried," he stammers, rubbing the back of his neck. "you didn't answer your phone, and i - i didn't know if you were okay."

you tilt your head, trying to process why he's here. his eyes search yours, and you can tell he's anxious, almost desperate to explain himself. "i'm fine," you say, "just had some stuff to think about."

he nods, but you can see he's not entirely convinced. there's something else, something deeper. he takes a step back, as if he's about to leave, but then he hesitates. "i - i have to tell you something," he blurts out, his words coming out in a rush. "i like you. like a lot. like i think i love you? and i know it might be weird, and i don't want to mess things up, but I just had to say it - because i couldn't keep it to myself anymore.”

he looks at you, his eyes full of emotions you can't quite decipher yet. you nod, urging him to continue, even though your own heart is racing. there's something in his gaze that makes you realize this isn't just any confession - this is something that's been building for a long time.

"i've liked you since we were kids," he says, almost breathlessly. "i mean, you were always the coolest person I knew. you didn't care what anyone else thought. you were smart and funny and just... so genuinely kind. i remember when we used to ride our bikes around the neighbourhood, and you'd always be the first one to try something new. like, remember when you climbed that huge tree in mr lawson's yard just because you wanted to see the view from the top? i thought you were so brave."

he chuckles softly, his gaze softening as he reminisces. "and then, when we got older, you were always there for me. when my parents split up, and i felt like everything was falling apart, you were the one who came over with a pizza and just listened. you didn't try to fix it; you just let me talk. that's something i've always loved about you. you're a great listener, and you care about people. like, really care."

he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes locking with yours. "it's not just that, though. It's the little things, too. the way you laugh at the dumbest of angela’s jokes, the way you get excited about your favorite books, and how you always know the right thing to say when I'm feeling down. you make everything feel... lighter, you know? like, even when things are tough, you find a way to make it better."

spencer pauses, his voice growing more earnest. "so yeah, i've um, been holding onto this for a while, and i just, couldn't keep pretending that i didn't feel this way. i like you - a lot. and i don't know if you feel the same way, but i just couldn't not tell you anymore."

he takes a step back, the tension in his shoulders indicating that he's prepared to leave if needed. "i don't want to make things weird between us. if you don't feel the same, that's okay. i just had to say it, because you're the best thing in my life, and i can't keep acting like you aren't."

his confession takes you by surprise, but as he speaks, you feel a surge of warmth in your chest. the words you were struggling to say are suddenly so clear, so obvious. you watch as he starts to turn away, his shoulders slumping in resignation. before he can take another step, you grab his arm and pull him back, your lips pressing against his in a gentle, yet desperate kiss.

he freezes for a moment, stunned by your sudden action, then his arms wrap around you, pulling you close. when you finally break the kiss, you look into his eyes, and there's no doubt, no hesitation.

"it's always been you," you whisper, your voice soft but sure. "you're my person, spencer."

he hugs you tightly, his grip firm and comforting, as if he's afraid you'll disappear if he lets go. you rest your head on his shoulder, feeling the steady beat of his heart against your cheek. it's a perfect moment, one that feels like the beginning of something new, something beautiful.

and as you stand there in each other's embrace, you know that everything's going to be okay, because you have each other. and that's all that matters.

[hehe-69]

Solavellan haunts my every waking moment, I can’t stop thinking about them, thinking about Solas.

Veilgaurd Spoilers

Imagine knowing you cannot give someone all of you because you are still bounded to the will of someone you called “friend”. Bounded and enslaved to a purpose and wanting so desperately to leave that purpose behind so that you could have them and give them all of you.

But you can’t, they have your heart, they consume you completely but you cannot. You are ruined and twisted.

Thats a different level of pain, wanting, yearning, waiting, for 10 STINKING YEARSSSS but knowing you can’t give them what they deserve, what you so desperately want to give them, that you cannot HAVE THEM.

And believing you are too far gone for them to love you, that you are to twisted and rustiness to be loved but they still do, they FORGIVE you after you lied and betrayed them and all you have to do is stop but you can’t.

You’re bounded to this purpose because of the enslavement to someone who stole you from the fade you loved and twisted your purpose in ways that no other spirit has been twisted.

And finally you are free, but you wouldn’t dare ask them to go with you not after all you’ve done. But they choose you again forever and always. They choose to love you and they love you willingly and unconditionally in such a mind bogglingly beautiful way. It makes me SICK and the most wonderful of ways.

I wish we got to see more of Solas and Inky, they are so complex and beautiful and pure in their love for each other.

Inky’s love makes Solas pure again, it makes him whole again, it makes him him again. It makes him something more than he was in the beginning, it gives him hope.😭😭

The fact that his fist decisions that aren’t influenced by Mythal is him seeking atonement and choosing to be with Inky and letting himself BE LOVED FOR ONCE.

They make me want to write again

I will never not choose them to have their happy ending I physically cannot do it not after everything they’ve both suffered.

Varric died trying to save Solas I feel like not redeeming Solas goes against what Varric sacrificed himself for. He loved his friends so deeply he risked his life trying to save him from himself. Varric always wanted happy endings to his stories and for his friends, the least I can do is honor him by giving this one the one he wanted. The one that Solavellan DESERVES.

This game is, at its core, about many different shades of love and devotion and the many ways that it can be twisted to distorted beyond the point of recognition.

I mean LOOK AT HIS FACE WHEN HE LOOKS INTO HER EYES IM GONNA PUNCH A TREE

[ccswife]

Oh No..

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part 4: is it working?

previous

pairing๛: kate martin x iowau!reader

synopsis๛: kate catches you watching your saved edits of her

warnings: slight angst (barely)

not a lot of dialogue in this one, but low-key proof read :D

----------------------------------------------------------------

It's sunday morning, and you wake up to a bright ray of sun in your face, peeking through the barely-shut curtains. turning over in your very, very warm bed, you notice the time on your phone.

as well as some notifications..

9:23AM

notification center

3 messages from bear🐻

[goodmorning star sunshine!]

[hows the hangover?]

[r u alive]

you reply to her texts and chat for a little bit. she admits halfway through your in-depth conversation about what you drank and what color your throwup was, that she didnt remember anything from last night. ANYTHING. your head was already reeling from the raging hangover you had aquired, and this made it ten times worse. you begin to play a game of eenie-minie-moe with yourself. "do i tell her? do i say nothing? do i ruin it? do i protect my own feelings?" after at least 7 minutes, you come to the conclusion to not say anything. hey, you know what they say! ignorance is bliss!

you climb out of bed and grab some clothes to go take a hot bath. bathes are very good on tense muscles, and aroma-therapy helps to ease anxiety, reduce inflammation and sooth headaches. it was about 10 when you hopped in, and you planned to stay there till the water got cold. after the fact, you showered quickly to wash the grime off and get the hairspray out of your hair. finally getting dressed into a comfy pair of sweats and a oversized shirt, you go to cook some breakfast. cooking breakfast always was a good thinking time for you, as it wasnt super busy in the mornings and you could stand there and watch the eggs or pancakes cook whilst contemplating every decision you have ever made leading up to that moment. todays topic was " what the hell did i do to get into this position with the girl i love!" and it did not dissapoint! feeling that the topic was actually taking years off your life, you decide to give yourself a kate break and call out of work for monday. you used the "im sick *cough cough* and i never take days off!" excuse and it worked surprisingly well!

after a calm morning and breakfast, you chilled on the couch and put on a random show for some backround noise. it was now about 11ish, nearning 12. scrolling through instagram reels, you get a notification that kate posted on her story. (yes, you have her story notifs on.) clicking on the notif, it brings you to her story.

you nearly dropped your phone.

another woman....hiding her face..... LUNCH DATE?!?!?!?!? so shes seeing someone? you've never seen this woman in your life, so obviously a secret. even from you, her best friend. honestly, it took some life out of you. with everything going on between you two, you didn't exactly know how to feel. did you deserve to feel like this, like you had been "betrayed"? part of you knew that that was a little dramatic, but nevertheless still very valid. if there was one thing that Kate and the girls had taught you, its that your feelings will always be valid, whether they change or stay the same. these specific feelings made you lose your appetite, and frankly the will to live. aggressively turning your phone off, you get out of the deep crevice you were shoved in on your couch and make your way back to the bedroom.

"and here, I shall lay"

you dramatically say as you fall onto the bed, draping a hand on your forehead as you do so. you opt to watch "Crazy Rich Asians", just to believe-in some sort of love, and cuddle up in between the sheets. half-way through the movie, you feel multiple buzzes from your phone. opening it up, you see a bunch of texts from a very worried gabbie and caitlin. they know what happened last night, so the story she posted as alarming to them as well.

shhhh🤫

gabbie babbie wabbie

y/n are you alive

sos

hello

caity baby

we saw kates story

obviously its not u cuz ur not tagged

r u ok

gabbie babbie wabbie

lil harsh there cait...

caity baby

whoops sorry

but r u alive

get out of bed

gabbie babbie wabbie

y/n🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

hello🥺🥺🥺

answer pls we miss you and wanna know ur alive

caity baby

y/nnnnnnnnnnn

after scrolling through the messages, you liked a few and explained you were ok, and that you took tomorrow off and are gonna lay in bed for a while. they remind you to eat and be good to yourself and you reluctantly agree and promise to them that you'll comply. finally finishing your heart-wrenching movie, you fall into a light sleep. periodically you respond to your texts, as kate had been texting you quite normally. this includes all the regular nicknames and stupid jokes she always made. you'd be lying if you didn't love the normalcy she was exuding, and that it didn't bring you comfort in your relationship. it just solidified your decision to not tell her about last night, in order to keep what you two have now. you were sure that you could shove all the feelings down and support your long time best-friend in her romantic endeavors (not with you). at about 7 o'clock, kate asked if she could 'stop by' and obviously you agreed.

IF you were being 100% honest with yourself, you were seriously nervous. you hoped that you wouldn't slip about what happened and how you felt about the insta story. at exactly 7:16pm, kate knocked on the door of your apartment and you graciously let her in, immediately being engulfed into a bear hug. she had the biggest smile on her face as she pulled back to look at you.

"hello beautiful" she tucks a piece of hair behind your earn, rubbing her thumb against your blushed cheek. "I missed you today! it feels like its been forever" she pouts at you, doing her signature puppy eyes.

you giggle at her and reply in a blissful tone. "ive missed you too katie bear, how was your day?" pulling away from you, she starts to walk to your bed room, you following close behind. " it was actually really good! I had a really good lunch today. you would've died at how good it was. it was some Italian place downtown." she draws out the emphasis on 'really', and continues to talk as she plops on to your bed. " I went out with my friend nancy, she graduated last year and is interning at a dental place by school" you join her on the bed. "oh yea? is she a new friend?" curiosity killed the cat, but you tried to be as discrete as you could with the tone of your voice. obviously since she was talking about it, she is open to the subject. kate goes on to rant about how she's her new friend, how they met at a coffee place, blah blah blah. then she gets to the surprising part.

"-and then after we talked about edits, she mentioned how she has a whole folder of them! I dont think ive met anyone with a folder of women's ball edits! it was so funny, and then she mentioned how there were a few of me in it! I laughed so hard I-" after she said that you stopped listening and internally crashed out. never met anyone with that?????? does she not remember catching you???? it genuinely boggled you how one of the only people that remembers every single detail about you could forget that. deciding again not to say anything, you mentally join back into the conversation and give her 'mm's and 'ohh yea's to let her know you were acknowledging her rant. the conversation slowly turned into showing each other stupid tiktoks and reels. both of your eyes began to droop, and whilst laying on each other, the two of you fell asleep.

and together you peacefully slept, blissfully unaware of anything else happening in the world

----------------------------------------------------------------

a/n ◕‿↼ : wooooo finally chapter 4!!!! I finally got a laptop so this is way more fun and wayyy easier to do so im a tad bit more motivated. I know this one wasn't the most exciting and didn't hav much dialogue but there's a lot to come guys dont worry I'm cooking up some good chapters. love you pookies! enjoy pls🤗

[employee052]

ozzies long-ass TSP ramble

For context, a few days ago i was in a thinky mood when i watched this video on Valve catwalks. it mentioned death of the author, and while ive heard of it, I didnt understand what it meant until after the video explained it. So i got thinking. the following was a series of messages I sent to my friends on a discord server im in (with the exception of the last part bc i just thought of it now even tho im sick) that i compiled for yall into sections so its easier to read. these are just my thoughts and could be totally wrong, i just wanted to share aksjdh :P (plus this is my second time im posting this so there might be some inconsistencies)

(ramble under the cut so yall dont get a massive wave of text on your dash)

"smth smth death of the author smth smth reviews smth smth interpretations smth smth skip button"

like idk if this was obvious to everyone else n im just finally getting it or not, but the skip button ending being about the narrator seeing the negative reviews causing him to create the button in order to appease them, which said reviews ended up making him believe he was being preachy and obnoxious and unfunny, but as a result, he ends up believing it and trying to appease those interpretations rather than be more confident of his dialogue and what it means to him(whatever he may believe) and ending up dying at the end bc of it being a kind of literal version a death of an author of sorts

---

im just thinking about how timekeeper/settings person/432/whatever is really only interested in the player, but not stanley himself. and if the narrator ends up dying (or decaying at least in my interpretation) during the skip button, could the same be said about stanley as a character as well?

like we never see stanleys model as us, we dont see his feet when we look down, and the only time we see him in game is either as a hand during the bucket escape pod ending, the mariella endings, and the not stanley ending. and the last two are cutscenes. for all we know, stanley could have died at some point during the skip button after the narrator did and we would never know bc we cant see him

but since 432's desk being at the end of the epilogue which happens post skip button ending, i would have said that was the first time we ever see him interact with the game internally rather than asking for the time. but i do remember someone suggesting that the timekeeper was the one who removed the door in the skip button in order to kill the narrator off and get stanley/the player away from him in order to talk more

with that thought in mind, that would mean TK had to kill stanley and the narrator off in order to be able to lead the game, push beyond the barriers of a narrator and character and just talk to the player, one on one

---

it makes me wonder if what the curator said in the museum ending holds more weight

like, she talks to the player as well. both she and TK talk to the player themselves instead of stanley the character. and when she says "When every path you can walk has been created for you long in advance, death becomes meaningless, making life the same. Do you see now? Do you see that Stanley was already dead from the moment he hit start?"

stanley's function is a character in the narrators story, a literary device to propel the game forward. the narrator makes the race track, and stanley drives. without the narrator where would stanley go or do, without stanley who would move the story along?

"Can you see? Can you see how much they need one another? No, perhaps not. Sometimes these things cannot be seen."

and yet, hes dead, just like the curator said. because no matter what, he's never going to be able to truly make his own decisions. the confusion ending lays out how all the endings are scripted despite what the narrator believes and acts, its all predetermined.

and in a sense, the narrators dead too. no matter what stanley tries to do to change the story, or the narrator changes to the game in order for stanley to react to, its been planned long in advance for the eventuality. every word, every event. and with stanley's deaths, it ends up just bringing them back to the beginning again, "What exactly did the Narrator think he was going to accomplish?" if they always come back to the same preplanned paths, to the illusion of free will, it doesnt matter regardless. death doesnt become a statement, it becomes an inconvenience.

"But listen to me, you can still save these two. You can stop the program before they both fail. Push escape, and press quit. There's no other way to beat this game. As long as you move forward, you'll be walking someone else's path. Stop now, and it'll be your only true choice."

The only way to save both Stanley and The Narrator is by not letting the story play out to begin with. To beat the game, which means to let the game end after you win.

and yet,

the end is never the end is never the end is never the end is never the end is never the end is neve-

In a game where there is no ending that stops the game in its entirety, where everything will keep on happening again and again and the end is never the end, the only way to beat it is to make a choice as yourself the player, not stanley the character.

because he doesnt get a choice, the narrator doesnt get a choice. they think they do, but they dont. the only way to beat the game is to not play it. (which makes sense given that there are achievements involving not playing the game in both the 2013 HD remaster and 2022 Ultra Deluxe)

both Stanley and The Narrator are two sides of the same coin that make up The Stanley Parable, and the only way to use the coin is to give it away.

maybe thats why the true ending of the game with credits and stuff like that, is the Not Stanley Ending.

You the player have successfully broken the fourth wall from the outside in, even though that ending was planned like all the others (ie, the game allowing you to disconect the phone), you break the illusion of being stanley the character, which the game ends up booting you out of stanley as it cant handle the "narrative contradiction".

maybe thats why the escape pod ending has the sign that reads "both the player and the narrator must be present in order to leave". its not stanley, its the player, us.

maybe thats why that ending is one of the most cruel. the only way to get there is to leave the narrator trapped in the boss' office. there's no way to get him to the escape pod. the end is never the end.

---

(this part was the new idea i just had today so this might not make sense i appologize)

going back to the beginning of this ramble about the death of the author and such. perhaps there is a way to get the narrator out.

with thoughts about interpretations and with he idea of the "death of the author", all of us have our own interpretations of the TSP characters. whether its design, or relationship wise, or characterization, or what have you. The Narrator in my head is different from you reading this, and that narrator is different from another persons perspective, and definitely our narrators are different to the one that lives in Davey Wreden's head, or Kevan Brighting, or anyone who has even heard of the stanley parable.

and that's not a bad thing! there can be many similarities to the characters that our interpretations share, some more common than others and some that make no sense at all, but for the most part we all have different interpretations of the characters.

I read a book called Book Simulator (The Reader's guide to not reading) by Chris Yee on stream once. The VOD is gone now. But I discovered the book because I heard the guy writing/the narrator of sorts for the book was written like the Stanley Parable Narrator.

It didnt help that Kevan brighting voiced over the commercial for it too askjdh

but back to the book. this will contain somewhat spoilers for it since it brings up a moment at the end of the book so feel free to stop here if you dont want to be spoiled

---

basically, in Book Simulator, Booksi (The book's instructional narrator on how to fake read at the start of the book) is arguing with The Narrator (no not ours, but the general narrator who speaks in the third person), however, its revealed by The Narrator that Booksi has a plan to take over the world by inhabiting more book simulators and distributing them across the world. But, the reader could kill off the booksi that they have in their hands that they are reading, to quote:

"Or was he the original Booksi? Maybe not. Maybe the original Booksi had been vanquished long ago, and the reader was now facing one of the many copies roaming the world. Both Booksi and the Narrator knew the answer to this question, but neither would reveal the truth."

---

Taking from Book Simulator the concept of multiple iterations of one character existing in different copies of the media they originate from, maybe in a way that's how the Narrator may die in the stanley parable, forever stuck to repeat the same endings with the illusion of free will, but he lives on somewhat for everyone that has seen or heard of him in any capacity.

this may sound a bit preachy (oh the irony) but bare with me:

The Original Narrator from The Stanley Parable is dead, dead in the sense that he and Stanley are stuck within the game, given the illusion of free choice, and unable to leave nor do anything to try and escape, is also alive in the sense that we the players perception of The Narrator lives on in our minds.

The Narrator from the game might be stuck, but the Narrator i see in my head, the one i designed and draw and think of is perfectly fine and alive as ever.

and the same goes with you and anyone else who has heard of the narrator. their interpretation is still unique and different to them even if it all comes from the same media. he may not be exactly the same as the original, but hes still there. and in a way, hes free.

(man typing this last segment down makes me feel like a gd priest, and/or someone talking abt the barbie movie akjdhkjasdh so sorry if doesnt make sense at all :P)

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

k, m, n, t for pd and/or suck!!! >:33333

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

-> you know i gotta say wiwi. i have to. that character was Made For Me i swear to GOD . genuinely i cannot think about prime defenders season 2 episode 39 without feeling physically sick bc i love it so much. its the only one i havent relistened to since i heard it the first time. i KNOW its gonna make me cry again so i genuienly have not touched it even though theres things in there i need to hear again for character research. his arc is so like. narratively satisfying in a way that hits me so fucking deep to my core in an extremely personal way. and like. there were definitely some Decisions that i was REALLY ANNOYING about hating when they were brought up because im used to media with bad storytelling/creators that do not care about their characters but. looking back on it i would not change a single thing about it. i love you wiwi so much.

-> FOR SUCK.... its not over yet. so i cannot definitively say. campaign finale comes out tomorrow so my answer may change depending on that but for right now i think i gotta say arthur. i joke a lot about hating arthur for no real reason in particular but. man his story is just REALLY good. not going 2 give you suck spoilers (hehe) but i also really like how shilo has grown through the campaign. hes my little guy :]

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

-> TIDE. TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIDE TIDE TIDE I LOVE TIDE SO MUCH. thats my dad thats my best friend i love tide so much dude. every time he is mentioned or on screen i am just like :D HI TIDE I LOVE YOU TIDE

-> grefgore :] light of my life this is how i feel anytime i think about grefgore

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

-> CHARACTER STUDIES. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. I LIKE A GOOD SHIPPING FIC AS MUCH AS THE NEXT GUY BUT PLEASE GOD WRITE THEM IN CHARACTER. EXPLORE THEIR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS AND WHY THEY MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS THE WAY THEY DO. this doesnt even go for just pd and suck this is like. true for every single fandom ive ever fucking been in. do you know how hard it is to find character studies in the danny phantom tag on ao3. nobody has even fucking watched the show how are they going to write character studies they just want (<< i cannot legally finish this sentence without getting in so much trouble) I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MY FUCKING SELF AROUND HERE. ALL I EVER WRITE ARE CHARACTER STUDIES BC THATS THE WAY I THINK ABOUT CHARACTERS. I LOVE THEIR MOTIVATIONS I LOVE TO GET INSIDE THEIR BRAINS LIKE A LITTLE PARASITE AND IT IS ALWAYS SURPRISING TO ME WHEN OTHER PEOPLE DO NOT THINK LIKE THIS. (edit im just now reading through this and realized the question says three things. i did not process that. my three things are all more character studies please)

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? 

-> oh dude i have so many hmmmmmmm how to choose just one. i have a LOT of feelings about wiwis original death and i might write something about that when i can get over my shrimp emotions about him. dakota cole audhd truther but that ones pretty much canon anyway so i dont think it counts. vyncent and his relationship with growing up in fantasy world and then being thrown into prime and how he adjusted to that. I think he really lies shitty syfy channel type horror movies that are so stupidly bad. and also plays a lot of video games but again i think thats mostly canon already. i think tide listens to dad rock but also like. ocean man by ween. you already know about my william and ashe being each others emotional support at concerts. i think william and ashe should hang out and do emo kid things more. i also have a lot of feelings about ashe and coping with the crippling loneliness of basically growing up alone and how the pd becoming like INSTANT best friends was so much for him in sooo many ways. you already know how i feel about mark i am in the middle of dissecting him like im in a high school biology class as we speak. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i know im gonna think of something really good after i hit the post button so stay tuned

[whole-circus]

やあやあやあ！！！元気ですか？

良かったら何かリクエストしたかったのでとにかく--!

could I request any of the creepypastas with a ftm reader who’s basically like urumi akamaki from alice in borderland please? this can be seen as platonic or romantic btw :)

ありがとうございました！

素晴らしい一日をお過ごしください!

Nina the Killer and Eyeless Jack with ftm Urumi Akamari like reader!

➥ Hi hello!! Im actually pretty fine, comparing to other days lolol. Hope you are fine too!! Ohh i remeber my huge AiB phase lol. Anyways here you go dove!!! If you wanna someone specific too then feel free to inform me, I will always gladly update!! :) Ah im so so so sorry that you waited so long :((

˚　　✦　　　. ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚. 　　　✦　　˚

Nina the Killer

You and Nina are definitely pretty similar in some aspects - even if its hard to believe! Nina tend to be pretty..well pretty crazy and insane, so its not like you will be freaked out by her..! From the killing part to some stupid ideas (for real, every adult who would see what she wanna do would  clutched one's head in disbelief). Sooo, I guess she would need someone like you! With your tendency to be total control freak, you can easly make most of decision for her and Nina would even thank you! Also she isnt scared to take any risk, as i said earlier - Nina is a bit of adrenaline junkie!! Your a bit distant and mysterious mask would be the perfect balance to Nina, who is really out-going and a huge chatterbox!! And your fake persona will perfectly match hers!

When it comes to you being trans, she is such a huge sweetheart i swear!! Well, by accepting and not treating you any diffrent she isnt doing anything super special - its just the bare minimum! But Nina is always ready to soothe you if you feelin dysphoric - she tries talk to you and she never ignore your feeling, all you say and do is valid! Be ready for lots of complements - she means every single one of them! You are the coolest boy she had ever met, how could she not like you??

Eyeless Jack

Okay, Jack just loves smart people!! Is all into brain > body thing, so you are perfect! He is an intelectual person (demon, im sick), and appreciates these things in people. With you, being all two-sided and often using manipulation in order to get what you want - man, you are just his type of person i swear!! He enjoyes psychological games, and will gladly team with you against someone..you guys will be partner in crimes 100%! Enjoys that you are such a mysterious person, and no one can see through your sweet and cute persona, you have so much power! Would like to see what you are really like, he can guess that there is so much more in you. Yet, i think that Jacks personality makes him easy to get along with, and you kinda seem similar in some aspects. Jack also isnt scared to take a risk, becasue well..its not like he has anything to lose. But he got the right spirit!

Jack absolutey wouldnt mind if you are trans or not - you are still this handsome boy he liked and nothing will change that! He literally would eat kidneys from people that were trasnphobic (thats all what they good at i guess). He is the first one to be always by your side and reassure you how many times you need it if you feel dysphoric. Would also try to help you the best he can, trying to find you some healthy ways in order to make you feel at least slightly better. Jack is also patient, and wont be mad if you yell at him or be mean during your bad days - he gets how hard it can be for you, and wants to be your safe place!

˚　　✦　　　. ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚. 　　　✦　　˚

[irishseaweed]

FALLOUT 4 COMPANION SPOILERS

(And some small lore spoilers)

Anyway, I am a whore. As such, and since Fallout 4 has no negative repercussions for doing so, I have romanced (basically) every romanceable companion in Fallout 4. I have a lot of opinions. I will be ranking the romanceable companions here, with short reasons as to why they've been ranked as such. A follow-up post will include my little fashion makeovers for said companions.

Honorable Mention : Magnolia (one-night stand only, the game doesn't allow more than that. I actually finished romancing Piper *immediately* after leaving Magnolia's room the morning after, funny enough. But still, an interesting side character voiced by the original live action Wonder Woman, what's not to like?)

Disqualification : Paladin Danse (requires siding with the Brotherhood of Steel and FUCK those assholes straight to hell Im not doing that)

NOW THEN :

1. Curie. The second to last companion I romanced, but my favorite. Her storyline about learning to grapple with synth/human emotions and survival needs, experiencing the Wasteland for the first time, and growing into her own person is great. Plus, you get multiple dialogues that include Flirting options- and unlike other companions, each of those dialogue sections includes TWO flirting opportunities rather than just one. Flirting with Curie also makes her adorably flustered. She's also super polite to the other companions, and the Combat Medic perk can save your life in a pinch. Normally I find a french accent slightly obnoxious, but for her it sounds nice.

2. Hancock, mayor of Goodneighbor, the second companion I romanced. Compelling character, great default outfit, enables chaos and chems, solid backup with his shotgun, fun dialogue all around (and that voice tho)... you can't really go wrong with Hancock. The Isodoped perk only adds to the benefits of not using radiation protection in the Glowing Sea, pair with the Ghoulish perk to embrace the nuclear waste.

3. Piper, the first companion I romanced. Her drive for investigation and truth-seeking is inspiring, she's compassionate, she has that little nickname "Blue" for the player-character, she helps you get connected to important characters like Nick Valentine, she gives you sweet rolls... just all-around a really positive presence in a wasteland full of cynics and nihilists. With a highly Charisma-based build, ESPECIALLY in early-game, her Gift of Gab xp boost perk was phenomenal.

3 (yes its a tie). Cait, my third romance. Her tragic backstory and struggle with addiction make for an extreme level of character depth some companions just can't keep up with. Plus, a little spiteful violent fun now and then keeps things interesting. Enabled some of my more questionable decisions, like doping up and melee-brawling a behemoth to death. I like the level of detail that her likes and dislikes around drugs and alcohol shift after her quest. The Trigger Rush perk can be a lifesaver if you're struggling at the end of a close fight.

4. Macready, the fourth companion I romanced, migrant from Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland. Good for ammo in a pinch, didn't mind my occasional thievery, but he's got some flaws. I didn't even know for sure his wife was out of the picture until the conversation where I actively finished Romancing him, and having him galavant around with me while his sick (though waiting to be cured thanks to me) son was god knows where with no family to watch him makes me feel a little guilty. His Killshot perk combined with the railroad Deliverer makes stealthy assassinations much easier, though.

5. Preston "Another Settlement" Garvey. Fuck you Preston Garvey. The last character I romanced and by far the worst. You only flirt with him once before fully romancing him, and he responds with all the passion of a wooden 2x4. Even his Romance dialogue is mostly about how he used to want to kill himself which is just trauma dumping out of nowhere to desperately try to give Garvey any depth at all. Hell, every other companion has a Thoughts dialogue option and a Relationship check-in dialogue option, but PRESTON has "Chat" instead of "Thought" and it uses the same stock few lines as if you choose "Relationship" instead. Plus having him as a companion makes talking to him to complete and receive Settlement quests that much more difficult because sometimes he just won't do those conversations. I hate him. I am going to keep him in Sanctuary to keep an eye on him, but he will not be stationed in the area where the rest of the romanced companions are. He does not deserve a seat at the table, a place in the bed. BUT his unique perk is handy when fighting large groups, so romancing him wasn't a *total* waste of time. Plus, he was by far the fastest to romance, so at least I got it over with quickly. Do like 8 or 9 of those little five-minute settlement quests and he'll be begging to fuck.

[azelle-intermisson]

Echo vn review

i have finally finished echo as my second ever visual novel after adastra. i really loved this vn and it was a super interesting read. for anyone who hasn't read it if a furry horror vn with very human feeling characters peaks your interest then i would 100% recommend echo its a really good story with some really strong characters that i enjoyed thoroughly. in this review im gonna be going through all the main cast and some of the side cast so its gonna be a kinda long post where i just gush about parts of each route i really liked but there will be titles before each section if you want to see what i have to say about one character in particular for whatever reason.

this review is all my opinion and is not going to be exhaustive so i will end up missing some things (mainly because i did not take notes while reading and forgot a lot oops). so if there is something i missed you wanna hear my opinion on ask :). also this is my first time writing something like this so lmk if there are things i can do better if i end up doing this again.

SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME AFTER THE READ MORE

before i fully dive into the review i wanna go over some of the external factors that have influenced how i view this vn. during flynn's route i was the most sick ive ever been in my whole life and im pretty sure i missed out on some vital details because of the brain fog during that sickness. i am not well versed at all in vns the only other vn i have played is adastra, however i am familiar with romance tropes so even though i feel like i missed out on some cool moments simply because i haven't played many vns i did not miss out entirely. also about halfway through my playthrough i learned that there is kinda an order you are supposed to read the routes in which is:  Carl > Leo > TJ > Flynn > Jenna, i ended up reading it in this order: TJ > Leo > Flynn > Jenna > Carl. i don't really know how much this ended up changing how i view the story but thats how i did it. i also made chase gay i don't really know what that ended up affecting since i played all the routes as gay chase and whenever i got something i considered a "bad ending" i would reset to my last decision and do something different. the last thing that might have some sway on how i feel is how sweet the community has been to me so far, i don't usually get myself involved with a community before i finish something but this time was different since i was making fan art and everyone was super nice <3

Visuals/Music

I really loved the music and artwork for this game. i feel like the music did such a good job of creating an atmosphere whether it was chilling in the diner with jenna and tj or getting kidnapped by brian it always did an amazing job at really putting me in the shoes of the characters. i adored all of the fully rendered drawings throughout the game i love the colors i love everything about it. of all of them i think the one below is my favorite i just love how serene it looks.

this was my favorite track i feel like it does such a good job of capturing the tone of the whole game so well or the one that plays whenever they are just chilling idk what its called and i can't find it for the life of me it is driving me crazy.

Misc

there are a few things i couldn't quite fit into any of the next sections so i wanted to put them here. i really loved every character in this game i feel like the reason why i loved them all was because of how human they felt. whenever someone did something i didn't agree with i always defaulted to sympathizing with them because of how human they felt to me. also after writing this i have realized my ranking of each of the routes is just how much leo is involved with each of them i guess i just really love the guy.

Prologue

this part of the game is a little less fresh in my mind since i only read through it once on my first playthrough but from what i remember it did a really good job of establishing the setting and getting me interested in the lore of these characters. the first river scene was such an amazing moment i love how the route split happens in a way that makes you choose between emotionally comforting someone or going after who you want to romance. my only issue with it was that i did not realize that this was a route split in my first playthrough and ended up picking tj since he seemed the most affected by flynn and i was really worried about him even though the character i really wanted to romance was leo. even though i did not realize it was a game with so many diverging paths at first i still think the prologue was really good and got me very invested in the lore of echo.

MAIN CAST

Chase

i walked into this game not really expecting to care for chase too much since i kinda didn't like marco in adastra and i was expecting him to be more of the same type of guy but i was pleasantly surprised. i hate it so much when player inserts are just blank slates so im very glad that chase is an actual character who interacts with the world and people around him. he never had any moments where i was frustrated with him and wished he had said something different(aside from the ending of tj's route) and for the most part he reacted the way i think i would in his situation so i really liked him in all of the routes.

TJ

in retrospect i really like tj's route for how subversive it is as a romance with tj not reciprocating chases feelings and how nasty chase's jealousy felt. while playing it i kept waiting for leo to show up and whenever chase would try and romantically pursue him i would get kinda sad because i wanted to hangout with big wolf man. however i feel like this gave me a really interesting perspective on this route since before chase even kissed tj i never expected them to actually get together since it didn't feel like tj was all that interesting to me. this made chase's jealousy over julian feel even more scary than it already was and that final confrontation at the lake with flynn horrifying. i loved how the horror aspects where handled in this route and how subtle a lot of it was in comparison to other routes. chase drowning flynn and the description of it is one of the most haunting things from this game for me. overall i thought tj's route was pretty good even if i spent the whole thing wanting to hangout with leo because i was dumb and didn't know i had gotten to the route split. its in 4th place in order of my favorite routes in this game.

Leo

leo's route is my favorite i love him so much. i love how you get the bad ending of his route for trying to stay with him. his route was also my first time seeing the hysteria in full swing so that was a crazy twist. every single scene with brian made me feel so anxious i never really knew what to expect from him. i loved how his unhealthy obsession with chase was treated with the weight that it really deserved. the way he reacts to kudzu and chase's relationship not only feels like a natural progression of his character but also adds so much to the horror of his route since his jealousy often ends up causing serious harm. it was so sad to see him unravel and act the way he does during the hysteria because i really wanted to see him be happy and somehow move on from chase. the final scene of the "good" ending gave me what i wanted in the most evil way possible. i had wanted him to move on so bad that i had forgotten how brutal moving on can actually be. leo ends up losing the person he is closest to in the worst way possible i say this with love though it made me cry real hard. and the implication that he is planning on staying in echo is too just heartbreaking. i could go on forever about all the things i love about leo's character but i don't want this section to be too long so i will end it here and say leo is my favorite of the main cast and he has my favorite route of this whole game.

Flynn

i feel super conflicted on flynn's route, it does so many things so well but the ending left me feeling weird. i wanna talk about the things i liked first, which is most of the route. aside from leo he was the character i was most interested from the prologue mainly because i could tell that he wasn't just going to be a one-note mean guy and i thought he had a ton of potential for a really interesting story and i was right . i really enjoyed how his mean demeanor was written the times when he decided to be nice never felt out of character, like the way he helps carl with his interview and really wants his friend to do well and when things don't turn out well he still supports carl but does it in such a flynn way i just loved it so much. flynn and chase's relationship during this route stressed me out the most out of all of the routes mainly because of how they hid it from leo i really wanted chase to just talk to leo about everything but i can understand why he was avoiding it so much. i really loved the reveal of chase killing sydney and how flynn reacts to it. the way everything in that scene plays out was just amazing i can't be mad at either side of the it since i can understand why jenna and leo don't want to believe that their childhood friend killed someone but i can also understand flynn's immediate reaction to this and wanting to lash out at chase. the sydney flashback really got to me everything about it felt so real to me and flynn trying to take a big brother role for sydney and try and protect him from seeing the corpse anymore was so heartbreaking. my favorite part of this route was when you get the perspective of flynn rather than chase it was not something i was expecting in the slightest and i was so happy to be able to see some of his thought process when he does stuff. i really liked the hysteria portion of his route but im a little iffy on the ending. on one hand i like it for the story the fact that flynn dies kinda makes sense to me i just really wished he had lived and we had gotten to see a healed flynn who now knows the truth of what happened fully, even though i know this vn doesn't like giving out easy solutions. overall flynn's route is really good i just wish it had ended differently i would put it at 3rd place in my ranking of the routes in this game.

Jenna

i almost adore jenna's route as much as leo's. i really like her personality and aside from leo she is my favorite character. learning that she likes manga and watching anime with her was such a fun little moment that i thought was cute. it really surprised me when carl went missing in this route i was kinda expecting his birthday to play out the same in every route but i this was a really good plotline. i liked that this route forced jenna and flynn to interact more since the tension they have is always so fun to read. i loved the side characters in this route micha was my favorite out of all of them(even though i think jeremy is really cute). i want to give micha his own section in this review but to put it shortly his relationship with leo made me super happy. i really liked the tension between jenna and leo it was such a good conflict that i enjoyed reading. the whole fake cheating prank was such a gut wrenching scene that i was honestly having a hard time getting through. i liked the section where they are kidnapped by brian more in this route than in leo's mainly because brian getting rocked by the ghost thing was really satisfying. the implication that carl was tortured the same way chase was for multiple days is unfathomable to me. leo and chase being sewn together made me feel sick because anything remotely body horror related gets me and micha having to sever that tie was really cool foreshadowing for leo and micha's whole thing. the whole van section was also really incredible and seeing leo start to move on from chase warmed my heart in an otherwise very intense route. i liked heather she is such an intresting character to me since i really want to sympathize with her because its clear she has a lot of unresolved trauma but she was also an asshole to jenna and tried to flood all of echo. i really loved her trying to flood the town it is such a crazy plot point but i still really loved it and jenna having to put aside how shitty heather was to her to talk her down was a really good moment. the dinner scene after everything also felt very satisfying and it was good to see micha be apart of the group for a bit his interactions with everyone made me smile. i really liked jenna's route all around it is my 2nd favorite and was a super fun read.

Carl

i really liked carl's route i relate to a lot of his struggles and even though there where less scenes that scared me it was still really good. this was the last route i played so i was feeling kinda melancholic while reading since echo had become my nightly routine for about 3 weeks and i was really loving the characters and story. i liked how much lighter(in comparison to the other routes) of a tone carl's route took staying over at his big haunted mansion is such a silly concept on paper but it ends up playing out super well. i thought raven was a silly guy even if he didn't really add or remove much from this route and he helped keep jenna somewhat in check so that was nice. the escape room stuff was so interesting to go through. i found myself feeling scared that they may not actually make it out or they would end up killing each other. my favorite scene from this route was the hanging tree stuff. i had such a vivd picture of everything happening and it was really hard to watch jenna and carl to do things that i know they wouldn't. this route also had a ton of echo lore so i kinda wish i had played it first since i feel like i missed out in other route because i was trying to piece together things that are revealed in carl's route. i really liked the james hendricks and john begay stuff . even though carl's route is my 5th favorite by no means do i think it's bad.

Side Characters

i'm not going to only talk about the ones that really stood out to me and in a much shorter way than the main cast (other than micha)

Micha

micha is my favorite of the whole side cast and i really adored him and leo's relationship that i interpreted as romantic during the last bit of jenna's route. at first i didn't really like him and thought he was kinda an asshole. as the plot kept going i kept getting more and more attached to him since he was still an asshole but he was working with the main group. normally i don't like characters like him but i feel like he was written in such a realistic way that i found it hard to stay mad at him. i really loved him and leo's relationship their connection felt so real and i think they could be soooooo good for each other. the van scene was so incredible the way the player and chase have to fill in the blanks as leo and micha talk about what happened between the two of them really immersed me in the story .leo feeling guilt over never reaching out to micha after he was disowned was such an interesting thing i never really expected leo to want to help someone who was a bully to his friends but i still feel like it makes sense for leo to feel this way since he just wants to protect people. i think its really sweet that leo ends up leaning on micha more after the van scene. also the scene in the dinner at the end of jenna was really sweet i loved seeing micha being added to their group dynamic and i wish i got even more. in conclusion leo and micha should kiss and live happily ever after <3.

Brian and Clint

i don't have a lot to say about these guys other than the fact that they are horrifying antagonists. before i saw brian fight i was under the assumption that if leo is present then we are probably safe but brian ends up breaking that sense of safety in such a horrifying way. i like that even though clint isn't physically strong the fact that he has the strongest character following his orders made him so intimidating

Jeremy

i wanna give him a big kiss even tho he is mean

Janice

i really liked janice in tj's route. i love the fact that we never get a clear answer for why she needed chase and tj to be digging holes. i almost want to trust that she isn't killing people but she clearly has a few screws loose.

Closing Thoughts

i really loved this furry visual novel and its really human feeling characters. i had way more to say about it than i thought and the more i write the more i love the story and the more i want to say but this is already such a long post. i liked adastra more but i don't really feel like it is a fair comparison because if i hadn't played adastra this account would not exist and i prob would not be drawing at all but maybe if i had played echo first it would have done that to me since it still is really good. this was super fun to write even tho i know some of it might not make any sense lol because this is just kinda stream of conscious. i might end up doing this with other things i read/watch since it also gives me an actual reason to take notes when i read/watch things. also i wanna say thank you to the community on here i haven't been involved with fandom spaces for a really long time and im still not very involved with this one but you guys have been super nice and i wanna continue making art and talking about this game :)

[aquato-family-circus]

i saw your mention of psychodessy and i decided to give a chance and gotta say that was the most roller coaster of everything that happened the past seven years for DF, so my question here is whats your afterthoughts about the doc in general?

I think first of all I am extremely impressed anyone ever makes a video game ever. The documentary really does a good job impressing upon you have an intensely collaborative effort game development is. If people can't properly communicate with each other the whole thing grinds to a halt. and it's harrowing to watch the intense emotions that result from it! I felt for the folks on the team who had to bring up difficult discussions they were afraid to mention at all.

I think seeing all the iterations upon iterations the levels went through is inspiring bc it means these wonderfully crafted, heavily symbolic and layered themes and level designs didn't come out of like a couple meetings and playtests. Watching them work so hard on the bonzai version of Bob's Bottles was so dramatically ironic it hurt, they tried so hard to make it work. but then it didn't. and that Just Happens Sometimes. makes me feel better about not having brilliant creative ideas every day trying to work on projects and stories.

It's also interesting to be on the outside looking in, seeing moments frozen in time where I can think "I wouldn't have handled that this way", and having to remember that this isn't like something I can fairly have judgement on even with all this documentary. its edited down from 1000s of hours of footage and presented to tell a narrative arc. there's so many thing I'll never know! so I can't judge too much when there's like decisions I wouldn't have agreed with. im not there. game development is hard!!

and then sometimes asif strolls in and makes a sick fucking amnesia fortnight game with his team 2 times in a row and i hoot and holler

[pixelatedbugs]

what do you mean theres no more “the scholar and the merchant” crossed path . i need more gay men

okay im going to ramble about the stories ive completed now spoilers! uh oh! for partitio, osvald, ochette, temenos, and hikari! (the last two, i havent completed their stories but i mention something spoilery)

i did partitio’s first since he was my first character and i needed to get him OUT of that first party slot . he’s free now . I loved the story though i was mildly disappointed in the ending (i wanted that old capitalist man to die) but tbh it wouldn’t have really fit the tone or partitio’s character to leave him for dead. plus partitio started the whole ass industrial revolution and created the concept of a department store so . that chapter was really fun by the way, i love how it actually had a permanent effect on the town and also alrond is fuckin great. the final boss was teetering on annoying for me but I think that was because i was a bit underleveled for it. overall i think it was creative, i mean it was a fucking train thats sick as hhell. but that cannon does SO much damage god.

osvald. holy shit massive mood change . like i already had a big mood whiplash when i got osvald after agnea but damn. anyway harvey is actually fucked up, way more than I already thought he was. if he wanted to steal osvald’s research and kidnap his wife and kid for their special magic blood he should’ve just killed osvald. that would’ve been the smart decision, but he’s so envious, so angry that they’re equal and he’s not better, that he decides to frame osvald for killing his wife and daughter, leaving him stuck in a really shitty maximum security prison for 5 years, then use his wife’s blood to make a chimera (okay shou tucker), lies to osvald saying it’s actually her. and it does have her voice, and i presume a bit of her mind, considering that once it begins to run out of health it starts to crumble and cry, and its tears heal osvald…its still not her though. she’s dead because harvey saw no more use in her. but hey, osvald’s daughter is still alive! and her minds been fucking manipulated so she thinks harvey is her father. jesus christ chapter 4 fucked me up. anyway the final boss battle was great. Osvald finally finding the answer through wanted to protect Elena was fucking awesome. the power of love is based and its also a giant fuck-off laser beam that transcends the elements to all foes, and reduces their shield points regardless of their weak points that costs 75 SP.

ochette’s was so good! the final boss being the companion I didn’t pick (in my case, the lājackal) almost made me cry. it was so sad, it didn’t deserve that, and im really excited to see my mom play her story because she picked the lājackal and I wanna know what Mahina could’ve been…also, the boss fight was hard as fucking hell, and extremely creative. The fact that it gets different attributes based on who you’re using??? thats fucking sick?? why did i have to be using castti so it got infinite heals every turn?? i still beat it first try but god it was hard. i still don’t like the human chief but at least she’s trying. I was really worried we were going to come back to the beastling village being overrun ON TOP of the night of the scarlet moon. oh yeah, who the fuck was the dark hunter? probably will find that out later..

also starting to see where these stories connect. The Shadow and D’arqest have been a running theme, at least in ochette’s, osvald’s, temenos’, and it’ll probably show up in hikari’s as well. plus there’s that purple fog with the creepy music that shows up sometimes (it was the same music during the part with all the corrupted people during osvald chapter 5…)

anyway im going to take a break now. i wanted to do castti’s so i could train up my lower characters but i am tired because i played for like 10 hours straight . hyperfixations suck ass sometimes i cannot stop thinking about the fuckin game and i need to fuckin sleep. holy shit i wrote a lot sorry.

[swampgallows]

im going to be brutally honest and say that if i were living in different circumstances i would have definitely checked into a ward by now. i have  barely been able to leave my bed and my body is subtly but constantly trembling. my jaw is feels wired shut almost. im just petrified hardened in place by fear. i cant leave my house often (which is one of the major contributors to why i feel this way, pandemic or not) but if i could leave without constantly being monitored i feel like i would have gone to a hospital by now. i know that they would monitor me there too but thats different. overall i just need to get out of here in general but right now im so worn down i feel like i cant take care of myself which is why i think a ward would help. im pushing my luck more and more by putting off my root canal, i shower on average once a week, i havent been walking my dog because i havent been leaving the house at all, so it’s been affecting her health and happiness too, and i dont want her to suffer from my lacking. yesterday i felt so nauseous and woozy and had such a headache i couldnt even play video games, i just lied in bed in the dark all day until like 10pm. im barely sleeping (as usual) even when i want to, and i dont want to take xanax too often because it makes me nauseous and groggy. im just so worn down. im so exhausted. i cant kee p up this vigilance any more. im tired. i want to fall in love. i want everything to be so radically diferent. i dont know who i am. i havent even gotten to experiment with who i might want to be. i dont knwo what the best version of myself is because i dont know who i am. im mor ean dmore isolated and more and more chained down to this same rut, rusted wheels spinning on the same corroded tracks, im sick of it. i just need everything to change and i dont think it can. and covid darkens it all, my whole future. every single decision i make now has to roll the dice of “will this give me covid? will it kill me when i get it? how sick will i get? will i have a stroke? will i get long covid?” 

i jsutu need one safe place. one place that passes the burrito test. one placew here i can wake up and take a big deep breath and dance around in the room to my music on speakers, bring home nice groceries, use a blender for breakfast, eat better, steam veggies when i want, open all the windows. have a job to do. paint something nice. i want to paint again even if theeres nothing i want to make. even if its paint by number i jst wantt o use paint again. i want to be able to meet people and not have to be afraid. im so tired of being afraid. im so tired of everything holding a gun to my head and then laughing at me because im worried they might pull the trigger

[boojersey]

☕ video games?

HEHJEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEE

if i wasnt an mcr/general interests blog this shit would absolutely be decked out in nothing but grand theft thotto v rn

it took me YEARS AND YEARS to get to play it bc i never had a good enough computer and then for a while i was still a bit bad at video games and would get frustrated how fast i died like thirty seconds into the first shootout like i would get stuck on the prologue hardcore and i gave up every time eventually bc it ran too slow for me to want to actually put more than an hour or two of effort

NOW i have a good computer AND im fucking sick at shooting now so ive been in hardcore hyperfixation mode playing gta every day i use my computer lmao for like a month now and im headfirst ass deep in fanfic for it like i sorted michael/trevor by completed works and in order of kudos and im on page 9 of the results i must have read 500k+ words already

OTHER video games i currently play are fortnite (i will die on this hill this game is fun free and i can talk to my friends. im very good at it and win often of course im gonna play it. fuck everyone who says its cringe) webkinz overwatch a little huniepop 2 a little and road 96.

road 96 i just discovered and i could go on and on about how great it is. you play a hitchhiker trying to cross a border and your gameplay is just choosing a location to start then hitchhiking to the same destination over and over with different events and characters throughout your journey. its ai generated so every single game is different theres like 114k possible journeys to take and you just roll the dice each time and i love it. its beautiful. its also political climate based, you make decisions that are politically aligned throughout bc the game is about border crossing

i also play on the switch, rn im playing cult of the lamb and i own a few other things like breath of the wild and animal crossing but rn its just cult of the lamb and cook serve delicious 2 (which i HIGHLY recommend) rn

games i dont play regularly anymore but have/still love include the professor layton series, undertale when i was a bit dweebier lol, life is strange, resident evil 7 gameplay from achievement hunter lol, until dawn gameplay from achievement hunter lol x2, danganronpa series, a fascination with the technical trainwreck of fnaf security breach, the jackbox series, cultist simulator, audiosurf 2, hotline miAMI (i have spent so much time in my life getting stoned then just sitting there in the apartment looking at the colors and listening to deep cover by sun araw its one of my favorite songs), cooking simulator, and that's all i can think of

video games have always been a huge part of my life since i was 7 playing webkinz or on the landline playing wizard101 in a rudimentary 2000s version of discord with my friends, ive always loved them and ive probably spent about a fifth or so of my life playing them and dont regret it; obviously id do stuff irl over online, but i still cherish the time i get in video games and online with others

[ashalaughs]

An Annotated List of Men's Tinder Profiles Part 14

Friends, it’s been a while but I’m feeling inspired. We could all use a laugh.

Blow me up with your stories, I will return the favour in a different way!: My stories are very violent

Hey, I’m [Name]. I like to stay active with home workouts and gym sessions: honestly, a level of laziness that I have to respect

I like it all and find it easy to get into conversation. Less politics the better though (mindfulness): is that what mindfulness is?

I must admit, I was born at an early age: yeah, we all were, man

I believe people take to many pictures of themselves, especially dudes. If you have more than 2 it’s too much. First should be DL and the last one: fellas, is it gay to gaze upon your own visage?  

If the world didn’t suck, we’d all fall off: You cannot convince me that this is not what flat earthers believe

No I don’t eat chicken n rice. I only eat nachos tyvm!: So offended by the two most common foods in the world

No Low Vibrational Shit. Im impressed by almost nothing: I’m no vibrations expert, but surely never being impressed by anything isn’t the good vibes-producer you think it is?

If ur someone that wakes up in the morning and the 1st thing u do is eat food and then brush your teeth don’t match me plse: This totally mystifies me in a way I really love

I just discovered that I like sushi it’s ok if you don’t like it I will never ask you to go to the restaurant with me: will he just never go to a restaurant with me period or just that sushi restaurant in particular?

If you can climb me like a tree, then I will expose my flaws, and also…intelligence is a vivacious. Handle that, then we can get hands on…show me u can be a commander of chiefs: I have so many questions. Are the flaws a reward? A vivacious what? Which chiefs am I commanding?

Just a young 29 year old very energized young man Looking for a beautiful thick mature juicy cougar woman…I’m a young energizer bunny that goes deep for long hours: hey, do you think this guy is freaking out about turning 30?

Trust me I’m on job. I ain’t trying to blow my own trumpet but every time I meet up with someone, have sex, make love whatever they always say they can’t feel there legs I don’t get it is it a nervous system thing or something. Or maybe they’ve watched too much which chicks but anyways I’m apparently paralysing women: this just really cracks me up. No notes.

The current efforts are for the sake of not asking others for help in the future. Strength is the strongest foundation. Remember, life is not about winning sympathy through tears, but winning applause through sweat: I would argue that life is about neither of those things

Fat, lazy, nerdy, piece of garbage. Looking for will to live. I’ve been told I have a soothing aura: this can’t possibly be true

Sorry hoes u had ur chance but Ark Survival ascended is out its Game Time now: how ever will we comfort ourselves?

If swipe right = Okay with clothes ripped: inaccurate

Not interested in Norses, real estate agents, fitness sick girl’s, vegetarian, and women with children from different fathers: he wants to slut shame, but he also hates Vikings and people who want to sell him a house

I think the world of Canada. But Canada doesn’t provide women in return. Canada is a dishonourable citizenship: this man thought that he’d take his oath to the queen and then his nationally assigned wife would be like “let’s go”

Tired of endless swiping? Bored with ‘modern dating’? Sick of comparing and being compared? Fuck all that! Ler’s build a Sex temple, run by a robot mommy, that does all the boring decision making for us and leaves us to have fun. Like life is supposed to be, remember?: Dating apps are always a bit dystopian but this truly takes it to another, more terrifying level. Look, if I ever encounter an adult who wants a “robot mommy” in real life, I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.   

[t-h-i-n-g]

Can you do. Dustin henderson x reader where the reader is a freshman like him but a football cheerleader who likes dnd so since it's the basketball game she can sub for Lucas. (At my school we separated cheerleaders by sports because the seasons often overlap)

On The Sidewalk

(gif not mine credit to owner)

a/n: sorry it took me a hot minute to do this. i wasn't expecting it to be FOURTHOUSOUNDWORDS?? but, it turned out pretty cute. kinda proud of it ngl. sidenot: did i use ericas dnd character cause im unoriginal... yes BUT THATS THE ONLY PROBLEM I SWEAR enjoy :)

word count: 4.2k

summary: walking to your spot next to chrissy you overhear a conversation as you pass a table. sparking an interest in you that has been missed.

warning: none, if there are any let me know

st - masterlist m.masterlist

------------

You entered the cafeteria, scanning across the crowd. The same people sitting in the same spots as usual. The white and green uniforms showed through the crowd like the north star at night. You fidgeted with your fingers, biting your lip nervously taking in the different groups.

Today was full of nerves. The fact the championship basketball game was tonight had your table filled with tension that could be sensed where you remained, across the room. To be honest you really didn’t want to go. You were happy for the guys, really. It was great they made it this far. It was just… you didn’t really like basketball. It was the main reason why you did cheerleading in the fall during football season. You made the executive decision in August that at the beginning of your freshman school year would be spent on the sidelines of a field for hours rather than spent durring the winter and spring in a small space on the gym bleachers every Friday and any other time needed.

Your attention was broken as someone jumped up onto one of the lunch tables. Shouting across the room. Jason suddenly stood up making your eyes fall to him. He said something you couldn’t hear. Your sight fell to your shoes, bringing a hand up to your mouth to nervously bite your nail.

So here you were; thinking of an excuse on how to get out of going to the game tonight. You doubt blaming it on sickness would work as that's what you used last time. Or saying you had to babysit with the fact you know most of the people at that table knew you hated children. With their sticky hands and grubby faces. And you couldn’t say that you had plans with a friend for the fact all of them were already booked to go to the game tonight. 

Sighing in defeat you dragged your shoes across the floor’s tile. The amount of looks you received was enough for you to accept that you would have to face an endless amount of time tonight witnessing boys passing balls back and forth to one another. Looking up you met Chrissy’s eyes. A smile finding its way to her face as she raised a hand to usher you over. You gave a meek one in return picking up your pace to take your spot next to her.

“It’s not that we want to postpone it. It’s just that most of the subs will be at the championship game.” You stopped in your place overhearing a conversation as you passed by. Was this… your opportunity. Had grace from whatever gods that existed decided to shine down on you; to support your hatred for basketball. You tapped your foot pondering if you should approach them. I mean you didn't even know what they needed a sub for. A game night? Gambling? Some satin ritual that needed a certain amount of people to be successful with it?... Eh you could deal with worse.

You turned to your left, placing your hands rather roughly on the edge of the table. Making you wince slightly as the group's attention snapped to you. You let out a meek ‘sorry.'

“I heard you needed a sub,” you stated, looking across the individuals. Taking in their matching Hellfire Club t-shirts. You furrowed your brows, the name seemed familiar. Your eyes widened as you recalled Jason talking about them once. “DnD right?” you questioned.

The guys just kind of stared at you while you stood there awkwardly, waiting for a response.

“Y-yeah,” one of them stuttered out. You turned to the voice, gaze falling on his curly hair. Dropping it to your face you met the eyes of Dustin Henderson. Someone who was in your intro to chem, math, and english class. A smile broke out on your face as you rushed to the spot empty next to him. Sitting down at the table you brushed your arm against Dustin’s, giving him a light smile.

“I know how to play. My dad taught me when I was like 12. I’m a little rusty but I swear I can do it.” Nobody made a sound as you frantically searched each of their faces for some kind of answer. Turning to who you were pretty sure was Eddie Munson, the guy who was struggling to graduate. You were getting desperate at this point. “Please, I don't want to go to the game tonight. If I don’t have an excuse to tell Chrissy, she’ll make me go and I cannot handle another game of boys shooting balls into holes.”

Gareth let out a snort, covering his mouth in his hand as he turned away to compose himself.

“Aren't you literally a cheerleader?” Mike asked, you gaze went him.

“Yeah but that’s for football. This is basketball. I can stand being on the side of the field, but being in the stuffy gym for hours watching people move back and forth in less than a 100 foot space? I’d rather not.”

“Isn’t it basically the same thing? In football they go back and forth the whole time.” You rolled your eyes.

“This is off topic, that’s not the point, can I join or what?” Turning away from Mike you looked back at Eddie with a raised brow. He leaned forward in his seat, a smile growing on his face.

“Absolutely not.”

“You did ask for a sub,” Dustin stated, “This is the sub.” You pointed at Dustin, nodding with his statement.

“This is Hellfire club. Not some excuse for you to be able to cancel some plans.” You raised your hands up defensively.

“Hey man, if that’s how you view it, fine. But, I bet that you’ll struggle to find somebody…” You motioned your finger in a circle, “In this place that knows what the heck they’re getting into..” Some quiet ‘ooohs’ were heard amongst the group. Eddie snapped to them, shutting Gareth and Jeff's mouths. Eddie pushed himself out of his seat, taking a spot to the right of you. He bent his head down to your level.

“What’s your class?” he questioned, “Level one dwarf?” Another sound of commotion came from the boy. You gave him a light smirk.

“I’m called Lady Applejack, thanks. Who’s a level-14, chaotic good half-elf rogue and can sneak up behind any monster that you throw my way. And stab them with a smile as I watch them die a slow, agonizing death,” you ended your sentence in a deathly whisper. You tilted your head to the side. “So are you gonna let me join or are we just going to keep chatting away?” Eddie was silent for a moment, his brows furrowed. Before standing up straight and holding out his hand.

“Welcome to the Hellfire club,” he replied. A smile broke out on your face as you grabbed it, shaking it gently.

—

“Okay, so the campaign starts at four. In case you have anything you need to get, you got enough time to do so,” Dustin explained as the two of you walked to English together after the lunch bell. “It’s going to go on for a while so make sure you tell whoever that you’ll be home late.” You nodded, approaching your locker quickly grabbing some items you needed for your next class. Dustin stood next to you and suddenly went quiet. You pulled out a folder as you looked over at him.

“Anything else?” You took in his expression. “What?”

“It’s just,” he paused, “You were the last person I expected to actually like DnD.” You let out a snort.

“Even Jason came before me?” He pondered the thought.

“Second to last person to expect.”

“Or Jarry Theft.”

“Third-”

“Or Francis Finch.”

“Fourth-”

“Or-” Dustin waved around his hands, cutting you off while you chuckled.

“Fine, whatever, you were like the… twenty second to last person I expected.” You rolled your eyes playfully, shoving a loose binder back on a shelf and closing your locker with a slam. You let out a sigh.

“I get it,” you stated, continuing your way down the hall, “I’m not the most passionate about the subject. But that doesnt mean I don’t like it. I don’t really have anyone to play DnD with. I mean I knew you guys played it but-”

“Didn’t want to hang out with the freaks,” Dustin once again stopped you. You looked over at him.

“It’s not really that per say. Jason really doesn’t like you guys. He would most likely pull Chrissy away from me if I did approach your club,” you tried to explain.

“What about now?” You shrugged, huffing.

“If Chrissy does let him do that, so be it. The more I think about it, the more I don’t think she will allow it. I mean soon as school started we clicked. She’s one of the sweetest girls I know. I have no idea how Jason pulled her, but I know the fact of how she and I get along will play a factor in it.” You nudge your shoulder with his, “Plus you guys seem cool and not like the satanic worshipers the school has made you out to be.” Dustin winced.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment?” You let out a laugh as you approached the classroom door.

“It sounded better in my head,” you replied. You paused in front of the desks, turning to face Dustin. “Do you want to come over to mine after school?  To help see what I’ll need?” He blinked at you, slightly talking aback by the request.

“I-I mean, sure I guess.” You smiled at him.

“Cool, I'll meet you by the flagpole?” He nodded watching as you separated from him to make your way to your seat. Dustin’s eyes watched as you walked away. Snapping himself out of his gaze before going to his own.

—

The final bell of the day rang. You packed up your items from your desk. Following the other kids into the hallway. People stood next to you shoulder to shoulder, walking robotically down the halls. All with the same mind set of getting the hell out of here.

You pushed your way lightly through to get to your locker. Opening the lock and door, you placed a folder on the shelf and grabbing your backpack. Out of the corner of your eye you saw someone lean onto the locker next to yours. 

"Are you coming to the game tonight? You never gave me a proper answer," Chrissy asked, her voice soft like usual. You smiled sheepishly looking over to her.

"I actually have plans with a couple people," you replied. She furrowed her brows.

"Who?" You bit your lip.

"Dustin Henderson and some of his friends." Her eyes widened excitedly before leaning closer to you. She spoke in a whisper,

"Didn't you say you liked him last year?" You sighed jokingly, shutting your locker.

"Yeah, but that was last year. It was just a little thing after a project we had to work on that's all."

"Just a little thing?" Chrissy scoffed playfully. " If I recall, you said it lasted from when you danced at the Snowball to spring break."

"Like I said a little thing. We barely even talked after the dance," you said between giggles. She linked her arms with your as you directed her towards the exit. You walked through the doors, continuing down the sidewalk. Someone called her name from behind the two of you. Looking over your shoulder you saw the voice belonged to… Jason. He waved you guys over. You turned to face Chrissy.

"I'm meeting him at the flagpole," you briefly explained to her, pulling away. She nodded, pulling you back in for a quick hug.

"Have fun," she said with a smile. You returned it.

"Yeah, you too." She gave you a squeeze on the shoulder, walking back to join Jason. He peered over Chrissy to stare at you. You have an awkward wave. He gave one back, gaze lingering on you as Chrissy approached.

"Where's she going?" Jason asked. Chrissy looked back at you, seeing your back as you headed in your own direction.

"She has plans tonight," she simply stated.

"With who?"

"A boy." A light smile fell onto her features. Jason furrowed his brows.

"Actually?" Chrissy nodded. Jason looked back up to see you were no longer in sight. "Huh, didn't think she would ditch you for anyone." Chrissy shrugged. 

"It's okay. I knew she'd find someone, sometime this year."

–

Your feet walked across the concrete. Turning the corner to see Dustin, hands in his pockets scanning the area. His eyes landed on you, his face lighting up. You smiled.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Hey," you replied back, placing your hands on the straps of your bag. "My house is just a five minute walk from here," you informed, looking left and right on the street. He stood next to you waiting for the signal to cross the road. Both of you lightly jogged across and once again found yourself on a sidewalk.

"Do you usually walk?" Dustin questioned. 

"Mhm." You nodded.

"Even in the winter?" 

"Depends on the weather. If it's a snow storm I have someone usually drive me to and from," you explained. Silence passed over the two of you. You took a left, Dustin following.

"Who drives you?" Dustin asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Usually one of my parents in the morning but they couldn't really do it after with work and all. Jason did it after practice if it was really bad outside. Which was probably like five times." Dustin furrowed his brows.

"Didn't I have to give you a ride with Steve or something last winter? When we had that science project?" You stuttered a breath at the memory. An anxious chuckle left you.

"Yeah, that was a bad day. I swear I thought he was going to crash." Dustin laughed. 

"He nearly hit a fire hydrant on his way back over when he came to pick me up." You giggled. Another beat of silence passed by, Dustin broke it once again.

"You know we never really talked about the snowball. I didn't get to thank you for the dance," he mumbled, bumping his shoulders with yours. You kicked a fallen pine cone.

"Ofcourse, I couldn't resist the hair, y'know?" He let out a snort.

"Oh yeah, that was… something."

"Definitely something," you agreed in a fit of giggles. You looked up to see your house come into sight. "It's the third one," you informed him. He hummed in response. 

Approaching your driveway you opened the mailbox to check if anything was in it. Taking the few envelopes in your hand you made your way up the lawn. Dustin followed behind you. Going up the steps you opened the front door, keeping it open for the boy behind you. He shut it while you took off your shoes. He did the same, stepping out of them and looking around the space. Not much has changed since he had last been here. Just some furniture pieces in different places. 

Dustin noticed you moved down the hall, he took after you. Entering a new room her had not been in. 

"This is my dad's office," you explained in a murmur as you searched the area. "He keeps all the DnD books in here." Dustin hummed in response. He took in the rather bland wall paper on three of the walls, while the other was filled with posters. From movies, to bands, to fantasy games, the ultimate nerd wall.

"You said your dad taught you it right?" Dustin asked, taking a closer look at one of the papers.

"Yep," you said looking through a drawer on a desk, "He was a total nerd in highschool. And some of the nerdiness obviously carried into adulthood, cause here we are now," you finished with a grunt pulling out the different binders and books. Searching through them you grabbed the one that suited for the event and went to place it in your bag.

You grabbed Dustin's hand to drag him away from the wall. His eyes widened at your actions, taking a look at your conjoined hands but not pulling away. You made your way into the kitchen, to look through the cupboards.

"Are we going to need any snacks?" you questioned sifting through the different foods. 

"I mean if you want you can bring whatever you want. It's gonna take a while for it to finish up so…," he trailed off, leaning against a counter. Dustin peered at you as you scanned the different options. Pulling out some sort of chips that were already eaten  and Oreos. He nodded, solid choices.

Dustin cleared his throat as you placed the foods in your bag with the books, zipping it up and once again placing it on your back.

"Ready?" he asked, straightening his posture. You nodded before following him out the door. 

You found yourselves again on the sidewalk, silence casting above the both of you. You sighed lightly, kicking a rock before walking up and continuing to kick it across the concrete. Dustin passed it back to you when it veered off in his direction. Making you smile to yourself lightly.

"Thanks for coming with," you spoke up, attention still on the rock as it ended up in the grass. You frowned slightly then turned to look at Dustin. His gaze met yours.

"Ofcourse it was no problem," he stated. You gave him a great full smile. You took a right watching the school approach slowly.

"Sorry if I suck tonight. It's been like… a year since I last played," you mentioned. 

"That's fine, I'm just glad we have you so Eddie isn't on mine and Mike's asses about not having a sub. Then he'd bring up Lucas and blah blah blah," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "And you'll do good, don't worry about it. Even if you do mess up a little bit it's not like we're gonna kick you out or anything. Just do your best, that's all that could be asked of you." The two of you paused waiting for a car to pass. You looked over at Dustin as he turned to you giving a reassuring smile.

"You're just as I remember you Henderson," you spoke in a whisper. "Always the sweetest guy around." A blush settled itself lightly on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well I wouldn't say sweetest but-"

"Take the compliment," you laughed, pushing his shoulder lightly.

"Just a heads up, all that I just said could be a lie. Depending on how into it Eddie gets," he mentioned. You let out another chuckle, once again taking his hand to pull him to cross the street. 

"Well at least you gave me a heads up," you replied opening the school doors, yanking him inside in the process 

–

The lighting was rather dramatic. A red hue casting along everyone's bodies. Candles lit across the table.It was nearing the end of the campaign, you could feel it. The question was; will it be a good or bad ending?

“The hooded cultist chant, “Hail Lord Vecna.’” Eddie looked among the group with a dangerous gaze. “‘Hail Lord Vecna,” he repeated. You slowly bit onto a chip, the crunch breaking the silence. “They turn to you, remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar. But there is one you do not recognize, his skin is shriveled…” Eddie turns sharply to Jeff, “..desiccated. And something else. He is not only missing his left arm, but his left eye.” Eddie covers his own, rising from his seat, as the group bursts with complaints. You threw your hands up in defeat as the others slammed theirs on the table. You put your head in your hands.

“Vecnas dead,” Jeff exclaimed.

“He was killed by Kas,” Mike added.

“So it was thought my friends, so it was thought. But Vecna lives,” Eddie informed, putting a little Vecna man on a throne. “You are scared, you are tired, you are injured. Do you flee Vecna and his cultists? Or do you stand your ground and fight?” Eddie asks to take his seat once more. Everyone's brows furrowed in thought. “Come on,” Eddie coaxed.

“I saw we fight,” Dustin stated, “To the death.”

“To the death,” Mike agreed. You nodded.

“To the death.” Everyone began hitting the table in sync chanting, ‘To the death!’

You anxiously held the dice in your hand before deciding it was now or never. You quickly rolled them and as the numbers revealed, the group cheered.

Mike's turn came, only his roll knocked him down. 

Then came Jeff and he followed Mike. Back and forth it when, offense and defense knocking each other down. The stakes grew higher as the end grew near.

“Guys, I hate to say this, but we’ve got to flee,” Gareth stated, as you guys were huddled together.

“I concur.”

“Did we not just say it was ‘to the death?’” you asked sarcastically.

“That wasn’t literal,” Gareth seethed.

“Vecba just decimated us,” Jeff informed,” We can’t kill him with two players.” You looked over at Dustin.

“You too? He only has 15 hit points left. Don’t be pussies,” he replied.

“Pussies? Really? Cause we’re not delusional?” Gareth shot back. You spoke up.

“Delusional? How about not being a coward.”

“Hey!” Eddie called from behind you, “If I may interject, gentlemen, Lady Applejack. Whilst I respect the passion, you’d be wise to take Gareth the Great’s concern to Heart. There is no shame in running,” he insisted. “Don’t try to be heroes. Not today, ‘kay?” 

Dustin held up a finger.

“One Sec,” he turned back to the group, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and mikes, beginning the group back down. You leaned into him gently, “What do you think?”

“How many hit points do you and LadyApplejack have left?” Mike asked. 

“Twelve,” you both said in unison.

“It’s risky as hell. But you’re the ones on the battlefield. So it’s your call,” Mike replied.

“What do you say, Lady Applejack?” Dustin questioned, turning to you. You gave him a teasing smirk.

“You really gotta ask?” His eyes lingered on you for a moment before looking down at his shoes again. He looked back,

“Screw it.” You and him turned back to Eddie. “Let's kill this son of a bitch.

“The chances are twenty to one,” Eddie mentioned.

“Never tell me the odds. Give me the D20.” Dustin held out his hand, Eddie tossed it to him.

—

Dustin stood at the end of the table, shaking the dice then releasing it onto the table. Eleven. 

“That’s a miss!” Eddie called with a shake of his head. Once again the group erupted in complaints. 

Now it was your turn. The last hope of anything good coming out of this. You shook the dice anxiously with both hands, the rest of the individuals stood behind you, cheering you on. You let it roll onto the table.

“Please.”

“Come on!” It rolled across the table, agonizingly slow, taking its time to stop. Only to land on a…

“Crit hit!” you cheered as the die revealed a twenty. Your arms went up into the air as you faced Dustin. Catching him in an embrace as the others were celebrating with each other. Letting go you faced Gareth, giving him a high five. Doing so you missed the stunned look on Dusin’s face.

— 

You burst through the doors, everyone still howling with excitement as you exited the school. Everyone went their own ways. And once again you found yourself alone with Dustin Henderson on the sidewalk. You looked over to him, a smile still casting over your face.

“This was the most fun I’ve had…,” you paused, “In a while.” Dustin nodded, making his way down the school’s pathway.

“It was really good and we couldn’t have done it without you Lady Applejack,” he said, bumping his hip with yours. You let a giggle escape you as you cross the street. He turned to you. “Gonna make it home alright?” You nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay.” The two of you were silent for a moment. Gazing into each other's eyes. You looked away shyly, clearing your throat. “I better get going though, don’t want to make my parents worry too much.” Dustin agreed watching as you continued down the street.

You paused mid-step and quickly turned around, making your way back to him. You cupped his face lightly, placing a kiss on his cheek and giving him one last smile.

“Have a goodnight, Dustin,” you whispered lightly, walking backwards. He nodded absent mindedly, trying to come up with anything it responde.

“Y-you too,” he stuttered. You chuckled, facing in front of you again. 

Dustin watched you go, a hand coming up to where your lips touched his face. Leaving him stunned on the sidewalk.

------------

likes and reblogs are appreciated :)

[brokenmachinemusings]

literally just watching it makes me think they watched link click with a brick wall separating them. like how did they fuck up this badly. im glad u and ur sibling could make some fun of it though we always unite for this muahahaha. i also had super high hopes i’m not sure if i mentioned it on this post (reblogged it like, 2 times with additional commentary i’m not normal about this.) also whoever the new guy was that’s qiao ling’s friend i think should Explode because i haven’t watched that far but it feels like a romance subplot that’s unneeded and makes me want to rip my eyes out.

i’m so honest idek how they fucked up that badly. they tried. but they fucked up. not letting cheng xiaoshi connect to the characters he possesses absolutely fucked everything up i think. he doesn’t have to relate to every aspect of their identity (he doesn’t in the donghua either, eg they didnt completely do it with liu siwen other than amp up the playfulness), but that doesn’t mean you can absolutely scratch that. and they took longer in telling the story of some things, not allowing the audience to think on their own. god the constant overexplaining trying to make us understand when in the donghua they barely understand either. its so unnecessary and ruins it more. i think they underestimate how far sound design carries (basketball game. in the donghua, before cheng xiaoshi/chen xiao enters the game, there’s maybe one shot of them playing, with a passing one as well. other than lu hongbin’s leg being broken but that’s another topic. in the live action? they keep showing and showing and showing and it gets sooo boring and the audience is just being spoonfed.)

the diving is so. ugh. i dont even have words. i’m just saying lu guang wouldnt act like that. like thats dangerous my man. why r u explaining everything about diving upon the first meeting. r u not scared that cheng xiaoshi might change the past for his own motivations (he DID try to take advantage of the powers but it didnt work. still.)

i think generally making the choice that shiguang meet in adulthood fucked it up. like they dont have the years of emotional connection they built up they dont have the experience. its so underwhelming. like the donghua is so much better because we immediately get, oh, theyre good friends about to do a deep dive or something. but? the live action??? zero emotional semblance. made the main character lu guang (i only watched like, 4 eps btw). like they gave more backstory to lg than 3 years of link click did and i am pissed at that because not everything needs to be explained. give it time. live a little

generally the live action sucks by not trusting the audience and making awful decisions to adapt. that’s how i’ll end this for now sorry for making yet another long as fuck rant even though i could probably go on and on if i thought more (-> tired and sick rn). thank u dearly for ur reblog 💙

i am one (1) episode into the live action why does it lowkey suck. compared to nothing else its. okay. but compared to link click its literally taking the concepts and characters not understanding any of them and trying to make something w it. i wouldve been more hyped if this was an au ngl like give us museum au i would eat that shit up. dont try to tell a mediocre story compared to the real deal…