#it means a lot to me that you and everyone else likes my characters

[morteraphan]

Thank you to everyone who writes kind things about my human art. Since I've started drawing more characters in the last couple of years, I've just been losing and losing and it's really devastating, like the only thing I'm really good at is drawing cute animal designs. I still love doing that too, but there was a period where that was all I did and I realized I wanted something else. I understand people being disappointed in me, but I really needed to make that change.

So thank you to everyone who stays with me no matter what. It really means a lot. ;-;

[dammit-tazmuir]

@grievingbovine I am always happy to gush about Paul ;w;

Also I feel like... I'm not sure if it's more "codependency isn't always bad" or "codependency is a term we've grown to use too liberally when what should actually be the defining factor isn't the behaviors involved but whether or not those are actually hurting the people involved" or something in between or adjacent to that. It also feels like there might be kinda two definitions people use interchangeably? One being the more medical term and the other a looser thing of like, deeply dependent on each other.

But semantics aside I know what you mean, and yeah.

It is, generally speaking, unhealthy to be SO dependent on a SPECIFIC person that you can't live without them. Cam and Pal post-explosion had a very unique situation, whereas for most cases in real life, it's better to at least like... need SOMEONE, a purpose, a cause, but also be capable of seeking a new one if you lose that, after time to process and grief. A Camilla whose whole life revolved around Palamedes but didn't get him back learning to live again for Nona, as a hypothetical, or Harrow who would not let herself survive alone but can live for God and for Gideon and for Alecto and for the memory of those lost to conceive her and who may find other purposes still. Ofc no one is arguing Harrow is healthy about that, but like, if you CAN'T find an internal sense of worth, a purely external one is still infinitely better and healthier than none!

It feels very silly but a straight up life-changing thing for me as someone who does the same shit was the anime Gurren Lagann throwing around the phrase, "believe in the me who believes in you." Over time it morphed into "believe in the you that I believe in", and ultimately into having genuinely self-assurance, but taking even one or two of those steps is like... YEAH? Yeah! You know? External validation can be so meaningful and powerful, and isn't antithetical to internal by any means. If you can find it in even a handful of different sources, even better. A thing I try to tell people a lot when it comes to mental health too is you don't have to Get Better to get BETTER. It's not "you're unhealthy and must be fixed" or "you're 100% healthy in all ways". Less unhealthy and more functional than you were is amazing and to be celebrated actually!!!

But at the same time?

Ya know, no, I agree, I DON'T think it's a bad thing to need to NOT be ALONE. I understand the importance of being capable of surviving alone, at least long enough to seek new connections. And living for a person or cause is always easier than dying for them ("you could have lived for her, but you didn't know how"...), especially if you're living for their memory after they're gone, but people should try to do it anyway! But to just..... want to be devoted to someone? To thrive on supporting or caring for other people???

That's not what I'd call "toxic codependency", that's humans being a social species. Hell, that's looking at stories and seeing how many supporting characters are vital to helping a hero succeed and deciding "that sounds awesome actually! Not everyone needs to be the hero, I would love to be a supporting character!" Especially when you're not losing sight of your own needs in the process.

Like... Sacrifice and martyr mentality can be horrible destructive things that do more harm than good, but sacrifice is also objectively a major way people show love. Parents doing without a little more to make sure their kids get something nice, someone doing a chore they don't like because they know their partner hates it more, etc. The difference between "my needs aren't important, I'm not important, I'll always prioritize others because I don't take care of myself in general" and "I have weighed the pros and cons and decided that I can handle this and wish to put someone else first in this situation" is not always apparent from the outside but it's an extremely important distinction. There's a difference between being needlessly reckless and hard on yourself versus making a decision to achieve an end you want even though it costs you something.

Cam trying to hide how rough carrying Pal was on her wasn't her being needlessly reckless, it was her being a stubborn bitch who knows she's tough as hell. If anything people have more grounds to criticize her going against Pal's interests and wishes by not giving him information he needed to make properly informed decisions! To think that he was in any way taking advantage of her when she'd have found a way to kick his ass if he'd tried to force her to stop is wild lmao. (Not to mention Pal literally killing himself— he was still Around but objectively dead all the same!— in the "dying for someone is the cruelest thing you could do to them" book. Like he ain't making big sacrifices fueled by his love for and trust in her too smh.)

And honestly? Yeah that does sound like the kind of thing that could save the world. Our world would be a better place with less people striving to be main characters and more people eager to support each other. More people should be saying "No you will let me help you, you son of a bitch. Don't you dare tell me it's Too Much." >:( So many people are afraid of Being A Burden but more people need to understand— from the perspective of the person with that fear and as friends wishing to help someone who has that fear— that only the person offering help can decide what is A Burden to them! It's not the other person's decision to make!

Palamades didn't have a right to tell Camilla not to push herself to keep him around when that was her choice, and anyone fearing their loved ones sacrifice too much for them don't have a right to tell them to love them less, either. Sometimes— often, really— the alternative is worse. And part of me has to wonder if some people are averse to acknowledging that because if they did, then they'd have to acknowledge that letting someone else help you can be actively beneficial to them, and constantly refusing to ask for or accept help is in turn actively depriving them of something that would help them too. <.< Too bad everyone, gotta let people love you.

Locked tomb hot takes:

Insisting that the birth of Paul is only a tragedy because of the uneven power dynamics between Palamedes and Camilla as Necro and Cav invalidates Camillas autonomy and undermines her as a character capable of making her own decisions. It also undermines Palamedes constantly checking for consent. He understands more than most that there is an uneven power dynamic and actively works to respect her autonomy as much as he can while also respecting their bond/positions as necro and cav.

In a world where those who identify as men have no natural power over those who identify as women or neither, we can not apply the same cisheteronormative expectations of male behavior to male characters.

Camilla made every. Single. Choice. Willingly. She had reasons for it, and Palamedes respected that more than readers seem to. We get plenty of examples.

"What would you do if you discovered Camilla was a murderer?”

“Help her bury the body,” said Palamedes promptly.

“Sextus.”

“I mean it. If Camilla wants someone dead,” he said, “then far be it from me to stand in her way. All I can do at that point is watch the bloodshed and look for a mop. One flesh, one end, and all that.”

GtN chapter 30

NtN chapter 17

The relationship between these two may be codependent, but it's predicated on trust and consent. The whole way through. This is the life Cam wants to live. Becoming Paul was what *she wanted*.

I find it strange that some people think they know what's best for her more than she does, just because she's a cavalier.

[davidisnotmyname]

MAJOR FUCKING SPOILERS FOR THE SEVENTH COMIC (also this post is really long be warned)

Okay I wanted to give my thoughts on the seventh comic because I, a sleep deprived teenager with absolutely no knowledge on comic making or writing, feel that my opinion is logical and good /s

First off, my immediate reactions to the comic:

OH MY FUCKING GOD THATS A CHILD. THATS SOLDIER’S AND ZHANNA’S CHILD. THATS THEIR BABY. WHAT THE FUCK

the second I saw this shit I knew this comic was gonna give me an aneurysm (in a good way).

waitasecond…

THERESTWOOFTHEMOHMYGOD (also im so fucking happy that the joke I see in fan media a lot about Soldier naming his kids stuff like that is officially canon)(also east meets west fans were eating good this comic)

I like that the comic creators have put so much focus on Spy and Miss Pauling’s relationship. Not only is their dynamic great, but it shows that Spy isn’t a heartless jackass and he not only genuinely cares about the people around him, but can and will show it (I mean most of us knew that already but… someeeee people have fallen victim to the temptations of flanderization)

you’re gonna see this come up a lot in my rambling but I fucking love the shit the mercs are doing in the background, their expressions are so funny: Heavy is sick of their shit

Demo is asleep

Scout can’t breathe

Spy is also sick of their shit

Medic (and that godforsaken baby baboon) is sightseeing

Pyro is having the time of their life

and Sniper and Pauling are just trying to make sure they don’t all fucking crash and die

This is irrelevant as fuck (but most of the stuff I say is) but I just wanted to bring up how much I liked the secretary’s design. It’s very pleasing to look at.

They are like ants to me. I want to put them in a jar with holes in the lid and a bunch of leaves and then roll them down the stairs

I know this might not be what the scene is trying to imply, but fuck yeah, lesbianism (also thank god they gave Scout some semblance of character development, they are very cute as friends)

more background mercs. Medic and Pyro in particular have me in hysterics (this comic has so much good shit I can use for my discord pfp). Also Demoman my belemoman

GOD I FUCKING LOVE THE CHARACTER DESIGNS SO MUCH, thank you young Administrator for reminding me that I am in fact gay in every direction. RIP Admin, she served cunt and died

Get that fucking thing away from me

MAKAMI!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! THIS SHIT BELONGS IN THE LOUVRE!!!!!!! THIS IS GENUINELY THE MOST INCREDIBLE PANEL IN ALL OF THE COMICS, I AM AWESTRUCK

Yet again more background mercs. They saw your AO3 history.

okay I was gonna say something but my phone flagged this image as nudity for some fucking reason? What

anyways, as I was saying:

GAY (guys listen it’s canon okay you have to believe me guys wait come back no wait)

also my first thought when I saw this was “heavy is trying to hold him back from doing weird shit to the corpses,” and I don’t care how anyone else interprets it because I am objectively the most correct /j

also looking back at this I’m realizing heavy’s hands are almost the size of medic’s entire torso lmao tf2 isn’t beating the yaoi hand accusations

I’m actually gonna be sick and die oh my god what the fuck is wrong with me

I’m not gonna put all of the panels cuz I feel like it’ll get annoying quick + the image limit, but the whole series of Pauling just standing there as the Admin is cosplaying a Nature Valley Honey and Oats Bar while everyone slowly trickles out of the room just hits so hard and so good. These comics are such a compelling narrative disguised as a series of shitposts and I’m all for it.

MISS P. NAME DROP???!!!!! (Also can we get an F in the chat for all the Francine Pauling truthers)

He is literally her dad I don’t make the rules (also yes I’m aware that it’s stated that he’s her legal guardian literally two panels later so this joke really isn’t funny, but none of my jokes are so what’s your point)

Yet another casual masterpiece by Makami, with the added bonus of the subject being a beautiful hairy old man who’s built like a fucking brick house. Heavy Weapons Guy TF2 I wish you were real. Also bearded heavy goes hard, i need to cook him into a fucking soup oh my god

Hey chat so did you know I’m actually going to be inconsolable for the next three years. Also this is obviously photoshopped we all know his last name is Elbertson (no but seriously I actually started running around my room and rolling on the floor when I got to yet another name drop)

Okay, I need to either say this now or have it fester in my psyche for eternity. That haircut gave me physical and psychic damage when I first saw it. Scout tf2, you’re ugly as shit but that’s honestly poggers, welcome to the club man (also oh my god he looks so much like Jerma I’m screaming, but Jerma isn’t ugly though I promise I would never diss my king like that)

Nobody talk to me

I SAID NOBODY FUCKING TALK TO ME

spy with his granddaughter, he loves her so much but still can’t bring himself to reveal who he truly is. I actually can’t fucking do this anymore this comic is gonna have me keel over and die of a heart attack

That’s it. Get in the fucking wood chipper right now /j seriously though I can’t even begin to explain how much this scene means to me. Spydad was one of the main things that got me so interested in tf2 over a year ago, and seeing him and Scout not only being civil about it, but genuinely caring about each other is everything. I’ve never been one for spydad angst (no shade if you do like it, I just personally prefer happier stuff), so I’m glad that this was the route the comics took with that plot point.

also don’t think I’m not gonna bring up the fucking mask. after seventeen years, we finally have spy’s face. Not only that, but the reveal was done through him giving it to his granddaughter. It’s done in such a casual and sweet way but it’s so impactful. He can be vulnerable around these people. This man, who’s spent his life building up walls around himself, refusing to let anyone through to the point of wearing that stinky ass balaclava everywhere, can now freely live as himself with his son and grandchildren. I’m gonna start eating screws I swear to god.

oh fuck I hit image limit hang on I have a little bit more to say check the reblogs the rest of my descent into madness will be present there shortly.

[donnerpartyofone]

What was the process like for writing the novelization for Splice? Would you consider writing a novelization of an existing work again?

Eek I'm being interviewed! I'M SO FAMOUS. There are a lot of parts to this answer. The shortest answer is that I really just watched SPLICE in tiny sections every single day for a very, very long time. I had a certain version of the script to work from, but it wouldn't contain the exact things that were said and done in front of the camera (no script would), so I just studied the movie. I scanned the sets for objects I could not identify, of which there are a LOT -- things I've never seen before, and things I've seen but couldn't name -- and searched online until I learned to describe things like hay trolleys and circulating baths. To me, the point of a novelization is that it produces an interior and sensorial experience not offered by a screen, so I tried very hard to expand on the material qualities suggested by the movie.

It never once occurred to me to change anything. Apparently this is an expectation of novelizations. I had a writeup in Fangoria that was very kind about my ability to make psychological sense out of the things people do in SPLICE, but that expressed disappointment that I hadn't added scenes or anything. I'm such an inveterate, pathetic sort of rule-follower, I didn't even ask myself about this. I did change one exact thing, regarding the kind of candy that Elsa eats, because it was meaningful and amusing to me to do so, but I don't think anybody will ever get it. I also included just a little bit of material from the script that didn't make it into the movie, because it was completely in line with my psychological interpretation, which was what I was most concerned with.

I never thought of SPLICE as a perfect film, but I had a lot of thoughts about it, and I think my main contribution was to explain what these characters are thinking and feeling as they wade into this life-changing and profoundly icky experience together. That became very personal very quickly and I was a little bit afraid that maybe this would be how everyone would find out how totally insane I actually am, but I'm told that that part worked out pretty good -- by Vincenzo Natali, among other people, who is SO NICE AND SMART AND SUPPORTIVE. Best guy! When I turned in my draft to the publisher I thought there might be a little back and forth, I did not expect them to send the raw document directly to Vincenzo and I was very alarmed when I heard from him before anybody else, but I really had nothing to fear. He's one of my favorite people now.

I would definitely do another novelization. Actually I think I'm uniquely suited to this because I have a good dose of aphantasia. I didn't even know until recently that it's statistically weird to think mostly or exclusively in words and to have a very hard time visualizing, like, almost anything. When I started telling people this about myself I was asked, among other things, "How do you do anything if you can't picture what you're going to do?" And I was like, uh...I don't know. Maybe this is connected to my extreme executive problems and my problems with goal formation and followthrough. I mean I think this is true, now. And I developed this sort of half-joking self-mythology that I have to be watching movies every second of the day because I suffer from an image deficit and I need external infusions. Like even when I used to draw (trauma took that away, long story, but I drew all the time for like half my life), almost everything I ever made was swipes -- and I think they're pretty good, like it's worthy as art. But I guess for me, art has to be made out of something external that I manipulate. All the art I've ever made without a reference point has been maybe technically OK but really lifeless, you can tell something is missing. So I think the novelization process was a lot like how I used to draw, where I had a completely concrete external referent and I would just sort of tour it very extensively until I had created a twin of it out of my interpretations. And the twin is like, the same but different, it's a clone made out of feelings and reactions. I think that's a worthy sort of art object to make.

There's a thing I'm working on now that I'm sure I won't be able to talk about for a long while, but it involves writing things from preexisting sketches and prompts, and that's a little bit the same. I don't have as much to go on, but I can tell what the shape of it could be, I just turn it over like, what if it's like this, what if it's like this, what if it's like this. And I know that what I'm turning out is really made out of tropes and archetypes, it's kind of a collage, but if the collaging is really earnest and you're feeling your way along with reasonable naturalness, it can turn into something. It's not that different from describing experiences you've had, if you really think about it. The following comment is NOT MEANT TO COMPARE MYSELF TO A GENIUS but I had this nice moment of synergy recently when I rewatched Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE, which to me seems so forcefully unique, but in interviews he says things like, "Well I just really wanted to make an American horror movie," and talks about how his starting point was not personal at all, he just wanted to play with the established tools and ingredients people use to build a certain kind of product. And I thought, I guess that's what I do -- not as intelligently or deliberately, but I get how you can work in a way that sounds so formal and empty, and have it produce something distinctly personal.

Thanks for your fun question!

*Virginia Madsen voice* Oh yes. I forgot to tell you. BUY MY BOOK!

EDIT: Oh I kind of lied, I changed *just some of* the music that Clive listens to, to something that would be easier to communicate to a reader. Like I wouldn't use the exact band on the soundtrack because it was too obscure and specific, but I would talk instead about his genre choices because they went with what I was trying to say about him as a person. I think all of it was still pretty in line with the sounds, and the Clive, that appear in the film.

[bee--28]

I feel like some people really overlook Todd's trauma and it bothers me a lot. I saw someone say forever ago that he was "too whiny" for them in the book and that REALLY bothered me...

Cause like, it's cannon that Todd's father outright - point blank - told him at a young age that he would only be as valuable as the chemicals in his body bottled up and soild raw unless he became something "worth while". Like, I'm sorry, I'd be too whiny too if my father said those words to me, excuse my baby boy for being severely traumatized!!

That's so crazy to say... Like the author gave us more depth to Todd's character and more weight to his arc and they thought that made him whiny! Huh??? Especially cause it makes it even more sad when you think about how heartbreaking it is that Todd was able to stand the societal pressures cause he's so used to them that he became desensitized to them at all young age while Neil wasn't because (personal headcannon/analysis, I swear to Jesus if someone tries me on this I'll explode) he wasn't exposed to such parental behaviors until he was in high school (to me, personally, based on previously stated info about Todd's family and what we can infer from the other Poets, Mr. Perry was a generally good father until the pressure was on (from society and the system) for Neil to amount to something (ie high school age cause that's when you tend to start thinking about careers) but this isn't about the Perry's, it's about Todd, back on track)

This poor boy spent his whole life in his brother's shadow. Todd's grades weren't initially good enough for Welton, meanwhile Jeffrey was one of Welton's best. The pressure for greatness was a constant for Todd. He was always being told he wasn't good enough and that he'd never be good enough. Todd was simply not as good academically as Jeffrey, he could never, no matter how hard he tried, apply himself enough to even be close to his older brother. And you know his father never let him forget that. (Infer what you may from that, it's mostly what I mean)

Bottom line, Todd deserves more attention, we talk a lot about Neil's trauma but never enough about Todd's, he likely had the worst family out of everyone else

[reelvibes91]

5 Worst Movies of 2024

With the year winding down, there are a lot of conversations about what everyone was impressed by or what misfired this year. It is always good to start with the bad news. This means that this year, I will be doing things a little differently. I'm starting off with my least favorite movies of the year before next week, releasing my 10 favorites. Let's dive right in.

5. We Live in Time- Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh had my intrigue meter abuzz when this film was announced. The final product was a jarring mess of time jumps and little to no emotional pay off at all. It never felt like the weight of the situation resonated because just when you wanted something to hit hard the movie cut to the next thing.

4. Trap - So much of this movie was predictable and way too simple of a plot. Hartnett did what he could, but the writing hindered this movie the most. The second half just featured foolish decision after foolish decisions made by the lead character. He was built up during the first half to be sleek and very much under the radar. He did himself by just making the most irrational decision ever.

3. If- Ryan Reynolds just plays PG Kid friendly Deadpool without the suit. This movie was designed to be conceptual to kids, and it did work in that regard. However, the best kids' movies also make adults feel nostalgic or emotional. This one accomplished neither of those things and generally felt off right from the beginning. It felt very much like all they had to do was give us cool looking characters and make Ryan Reynolds cynical, and that would be enough. That has worn incredibly thin over the years.

2. Don't Move- Netflix really thought this was something special, but it was a steaming pile of trash. It was not at all a good movie. The premise was very easy to follow but like too many movies it was convenient until no longer required. The acting was bland, and the scenes were repetitive. There were zero stakes as well because by the time anything happened, you just truly wanted your Netflix subscription payment back for the month. Had this been a cinematic release there is a very good chance many people would have just abandoned this and snuck into something else.

1. Deadpool and Wolverine- This is definitely not the popular opinion on this movie. It just sucked the life out of me. The humor was bland. Ryan Reynolds did not work for me as he has in the prior two. Every joke was just Deadpool saying the most obscene things imaginable and Wolverine telling him to shut his mouth. Insert scenes of violence in between that mostly looked jarringly awful from a CGI standpoint. Especially the fight sequence in the van. It was horribly shot and executed.

[reno11037]

My Live (kinda) P:EG Chapter 1 thoughts

SPOILERS AHEAD

I thought it be fun to make a post AS I play chapter one, like literally writing this as I play, I’ll also do this when the other chapters come out

Some time later I’ll make another post discussing some things in better detail

With all that out of the way, let’s begin

__________

Downloading now

Launching and loading now

Chat I am not fucking ready for this lmao

Starting the chapter now

Opening looks so fucking sick, chat they cooked

Here we go, I’m so not ready 😭

Dorm rooms aren’t soundproof lmao

Damon’s room looks fucking sick, I love the layout of it

THERES A FUCKING REFERENCE TO DAMIAN, HES ON THE CALENDER LMAO (who if you don’t know is a cut character)

Damon called him sexy, Damon gay confirmed/J

A stage?

OH A CHIBI TOZU

Bitch just called me a chicken

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

FBI OPEN UP

THE CALENDERS ARE THEMED, DIANA GOT HORSES, TOZU LIGET LOOKED AT DAMON AND SAID ‘lmao you gay ass’

Neverminds all the girls got horses and the guys got Damian

MEETING TIME

Cool we got a map now

Lmao the name alpha sanctuary

Opp Wolfie don’t trust Damon or Eva

Diana to the rescue :D

TOZU JUMPSCARE

Lol Eloise calling him a villain

We got the rules

Desmond called him ‘Goat Guy’ lol

The shutter door opened

Exploring time

Nice looking room

A pharmacy?

And old looking pharmacy

lol Kai just worried about someone (or him) getting high on the drugs (good thing I use paint thinner/J)

Aww Ingrid’s not mad at Damon 🥺

Ok I love Ingrid omfg 🥺 she called Damon cute (she called his suit cute but still)

Ok I guess I’m helping her with laundry, i didn’t mean to click, I thought Damon would answer for me 😭

A back room? It looks like the store from DR2

Cassidy called Damon Damie, I love that nickname

Damn this area fucking large

FUCKING TOZU JUMOSCARE

Marabucks mention

One of Cassidy’s lines is ‘better zip up my fly, my genus is showing’ and I don’t know if I love it or hate it

Medical bed room 👀

Toshiko called Damon Mochi, FUCK THE OTHER NICKNAMES, I LOVE THIS ONE

Toshiko is scared of needles, she’s so me

Great another lab

Tozu plushies? I hate him but FUCK I want one

Ooohh Ingrid found a pin pad, has anyone tried 11037?

Never mind it’s only 4digits

LMAO CASIDY PUT 8008 IN THE PINPAD

Oooh we all got profiles now

Oh so they all can see each others profiles

Eva’s profile?

WHAT?? WHAT IS IT???

…

Ultimate Mathlete

lol everyone’s on Eva’s ass

Why the fuck is she so upset, it’s not that bad??

Opp she left

Welp back to the dorm

Someone’s at the door

A lot of people, everyone

So everyone’s lock is broken

Oh now I feel bad for Eva, she don’t look okay

oooohhh Toshiko playing matchmaker

Opp never mind

Splitting by gender

OOOOHHH DAMON GOT PAIRED WITH KAI

👀👀👀👀

I hate Kai’s fucking room, WHY IS IT SO PINK AND FLAMMABLE

Dividing the room I see? I’ve read this fanfic before lol

And back to the stage with Chibi Tozu

Cats and dreams?

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

Ooh letters

WTF WOLFGANG??

…

Welp

Wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Oh it’s his dad

Oh everyone got a letter

Oh it’s everyone’s secrets, I wanna know what Damon is (he’s gay lol/j)

FUCKING TOZU JUMPSCARE

Opp the first motive

Damon trying to get Tozus attention, trying to meet up with him

FREE TIME, WOLFGANG WHERE ARE YOU

USING MY MARABUCKS AND GETTING HIM A GIFT

GOT SOMETHHING HE’LL LIKE, OOOHH WOLFIE

HE LOVED IT

Oh his profile got updated

ANOTHER FREETIME?? OH WOLFIE

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

Opp it’s time to meet with Tozu

Here we go

…

And Tozu ain’t here

Nevermind he’s here now

Why Damon got Wolfgang’s secret

It was literally darts lol

Like father like son, wolf in sheep’s clothing…

Is his Wolfgang’s dad a killer or something?

Welp back to Kai

Oh Graces is swapping with ulesses (idk how to spell his name nor do I care cuz idc bout him lol)

Back to the stage with Chibi Tozu

Ships?

Oh boat ships

Boy with cream colored hair? Damon? Idk if his hair is cream colored but idk who else

Tozu built a ship? So did his friend?

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

Opp knocks on the door

Hello Ingrid ☺️

Laundry day and Kai is coming with

Oh Wolfie and Grace are here

LMAO WOLFIE CANT CLEAN OR DO LAUNDRY

I love Ingrid 🥺, she’s so gonna die tho lol

OMG I LOVE HER SINGING VOICE 🥺🥺🥺

Lmao Wolfie putting the entire bottle of detergent in

Oooh getting breakfast with Kai 👀

Oh Eva

She wants to talk to Damon?

Oh it’s Desmond’s secret

Oh Eva trusts Damon🥺 cause we took her side earlier

Oh she apologized to Damon 🥺

Now we showing her Wolfgang’s

So Wolfies dad did something bad and Wolfie is like him, like father like son

Eva lied about her talent cause she felt powerless??

Oh, oh Eva🥺 baby SHES PRECIOUS

Yea Damon and Eva are trusting each other 🥺

OH SHE SMILED 🥺🥺🥺

Opp Grace is yelling at Eloise

Opp Wolfie is upset at Damon and Eva for being late

Oh Cassidy and Jett

Oh she got games

Oooh a game tornament

Tomorrow at 9

Ok so Eloise, Wolfie and Diana won’t be there

ANOTHER FREE TIME??

I don’t have anything for Wolfgang so I’ll go spend it with Eva

Damn WHERE TF IS SHE???

Found her! Finally!

She liked by gift ☺️

She looks so depressed 🥺 my baby🥺 omfg I love her, I didn’t like her at first but now I love her

And her profile got updated

DAMN ANOTHER FREETIME??? THATS 4 IN ONE CHAPTER???

Back to Eva I guess

She liked my present

Oh Damon is allergic to dogs

Oh so Eva was forced into her talent, poor baby 🥺

Oh she was bullied too 🥺

And her profile got updated again

Oh Diana,

She wants to know how Damon is but the song Isolation is playing? TF does she really want?

Oh she is SO sus

She wants to know if Eva said something? Thank you Damon for not telling Diana

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

Kai trying to convince Damon to go to the tournament 🥺👀

And he succeeded and in return

THEY SHARING THE BED👀👀👀

IVE READ THIS FANFIC BEFORE

Back again with the stage and chibi Tozu

He had a dream

In class

Idk what he’s saying and idc lol

All I heard was Swiss Army Banana wtf is he on and how do I get some of it lol

Oh Kai is waking Damon up

They slept through the morning announcement

To the tournament

Only Damon, Kai, Eva, Cassidy, Jett and Mark are here

Oh Eva helped set it up

Oh she’s a fan of the game, people are totally gonna ship her and Cassidy now aren’t they cause I am a little lol

Jean is supposed to be here but he ain’t

Eva likes video games, she’s SO getting shipped with Cassidy. Damn now I need fanart

Oh Kai’s back

OH KAI IS SHOWING DAMON HOW TO PLAY CUTE☺️👀🥺

Jean is here

So is Grace

Oh Mark doesn’t want to talk about his talent?

OH I LOVE THE SPLASH ART THIS IS SO CUTE 🥺🥺

OH SHIT A KA-BOOM

Uh oh powers out

Using the trinkets as flashlights, smart move Jean

Ok Eva coming up with a plan to turn the power back on

Damn this looks like a horror game now

Searching in pairs and Damon is with Kai again

Aw poor Kai is scared🥺

Opp someone just ran past

Opp the boiler room, are we gonna see a dead body?

It’s silent

Oh

OH

And can’t see shit

Oh the power is back on

Lights on, dead body?

Oh

OH

????

Who

WOLFGANG NO

FUCK NO WHY

I CANT BELIEVE HES THE FIRST VICTIM NO

FUCK WHY HIM, WHY SOMEONE I CARED ABOUT???

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

A body has been discovered

Well time to investigate I guess, I’m so fucking sad I can’t believe Wolfgang was the fist victim

And Kai ran off screaming

My first guess is that he got electrocuted, there doesn’t seem to be any blood

Here comes everyone

Here’s Tozu too

Oh Toshiko is crying, GURL SO AM I 😭😭😭

We got the Tozu tablet

He was in the water in the boiler room so he did get electrocuted? At least it was quick😭

Bye Tozu

Oh Diana already looking sus

Investigating time

I’m not gonna say a lot, I’ll do that in my later post about the chapter

I wanna completely focus here cause I’m stupid lol

DING DONG BING BONG BABY

Investigatings over, trial time and I have no idea wtf happened lmao

All I know is Wolfie got electrocuted

Class trial starting, I probs won’t say a lot till it’s over cause I wanna focus

I’m so fucking confused lmao

I fucking hate rebuttal showdown, I DONT KNOW WHAT TF IM DOING 😭😭😭

WTF I KNEW DIANA WAS SUS BUT I DIDNT THINK SHE BE A KILLER I IN THE FIRST CHAPTER WTF

Oh nevermind she just watched him die?

Teatime with Tozu, I lowkey want that art as a poster ngl

NGL THESE DISHEVELED SPRITES OF WOLFGANG ARE LOWKEY KINDA HOT, SOMETHING ABOUT A MAN WITH BAGS UNDER HIS EYES ❤️😍🥵

OH DAMN THE KNIFE SPRITES

Bring her back??? TF IS HE GOING ON ABOUT??? HIS MOM???

So Diana used the taser gun on Wolfgang and then watched him die?

Opp nevermind

Is Wolfgang drugged or something??

OH DAMN KA-BOOM

Oh so Diana was framed

OH so Wolfgang was hallucinating, so he WAS drugged

Ingrid just said something sus…

I SWEAR IF ITS HER IM GONNA LOSE IT, I JUST STARTED LOVING HER 😭😭😭

Oh Damon said ‘that guy’ so it’s not her, is it Jett??? I LEGIT DONT KNOW

OH IT IS JETT??

Oh no it’s not him, killer just took something from his room

Oh wait, WAS IT SOMEONE FROM THR TOURNAMENT??? Throwing the battery through the vent???

Oh no the battery was suspended over the generator nvm

I still have no idea who tf killed Wolfgang tho

The cord was tied to the vent, SO IT WAS SOMEONE FROM THE TOURNAMENT THEN???

HOLY FUCK IT IS

WAS IT JETT??

Oh no

WAIT

EVA??

HOLY FUCK IT WAS HER

WTF I JUST STARTED LOVING HER I HATE IT HERE

It really was her, FUCK I HATE IT HERE, I JUST STARTED LOVING YOU WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS 😭😭😭

WTF EVA JUST EXPOSING DAMON FOR HAVING WOLFGANGS SECRET

OH DAMN NOW EVA TWEAKING

SHE USED THE CAMRRA?? Also did her accent change??

She used her game console, that’s fucked

Comic recap time, I still can’t believe it was Eva, I JUST STARTED TO LIKE HER, I KNEW I COULDNT TRUST A BITCH

End of class trial, FINALLY THO CAUSE BY ASS HURTS FROM SITTING SO LONG

Eva’s motive…

It was Tozu?? Tf you mean he ‘made you’?

She’s a traitor?? We got a traitor reveal THIS EARLY??

Oh nvm

So Eva approached Tozu

They made a deal??

To begin the killing game??? WTF EVA

So she did it to get a perk??

So the life or death secret about the pharmacy was the perk??

So Eva solved the life or death secret, got into the pin pad room and got the perk. Damn

and the pin is being changed again so possibly someone else could get it

The perk lets you used the cameras, damn that’s a good perk

Tf you mean you had no choice Eva??

So she did it so she could escape and leave everyone for dead

😑 I knew I fucking disliked you from the second I saw your ass

‘I’m always the one…that people hated’ oh Eva

DONT MAKE ME CARE FOR YOUR ASS AGAIN

Tf you mean you still would have died cuz of the perk??

Oh

So if Eva didn’t kill someone then she would die

Opp voting time

BYE EVA

Execution time!

Opp Eva getting dragged away like Leon in THH

At least she’s putting up a fight

Opp nvm

So far it doesn’t look at that bad

…

I was wrong

Opp she running now

Raining math stuff

And she tripped

And she stabbed herself on the math stuff

And nails

She’s crying 😭

Oh Cara’s puppet there giving her a hand, and her hand came off

And Eva fell

Oh Damon, seeing him cry watching Eva die HURTS

Everyone’s crying now

Diana lying to herself again??

She blames herself for nay saving Wolfgang, oh sweetie 😢

Oh she’s gonna live for him, cute 🥺

Oh Diana, I fucking love you holy shit

Everyone leaving

Damon

Damon I love you but tf you mean Diana pissed you off??

AND CHAPTER OVER

Damn that was wild holy shit

The devs COOKED WITH THIS ONE

[solaskisser]

I finished Veilguard, so spoilers ahead!

I didn't really get any pics of the end cause I was focused on what was happening so I didn't capture my Solavellan ending (I think I'll just reload right before it to get pictures before I delete my save) but that truly made me sick I love them sm - when they were speaking Elven to each other like my pookies 😖 Solas in general will always make me so sad. He's so tragic and I love him. Overall though the ending was just wild, I knew something was weird with Varric but I didn't necessarily guess THAT ??? that shit was straight crazy and replaying it is gonna make me like hyper vigilant to how the other characters react cause WHAT do u mean u sit there and let me be crazy as shit low-key. anyway I'm gonna play again and mayhaps I'll play Alya again some time, I still haven't fully decided who I'll play next but I'm excited.

My only complaints really are that I wish there was more romance (which EVERYONE said) Taash's romance was nice, and they're hawt asf but definitely could've had more dialogue and scenes specifically! Especially like I remember telling my partner that I wish I could erase my memory and romance Solas again. His romance was just so good, partly because he's Solas but also I felt there was a decent amount of content in DAI that seemed to fall through in Veilguard. Also, a lot of things felt sort of rushed I guess? Some of the issues or anything like that to me seemed to be briefly brushed upon before we moved to something else. This wasn't everything but it did seem to happen often (like the thing w Solas and Mythal at the very end... there's a lot implied there!)

Overall though the game is very easy to play, which I'll never complain about, I enjoyed most of my companions and it'll be fun to explore other romances, options, and just kind of see what I pick up on now that I know certain things. but yeah, I kinda regret not taking any endgame pics but I'll remake Vela at some point and get that ending again. I'd like to make Phaedrus (my Dorian romance) too at one point so we'll see. It truly has me itching to romance Solas again teehee

I guess one last thing - I'd like to say the theme of the game was very interesting, which I think is why I felt that it fell short right at the end. The theme of regret has a lot of potential and I feel it wasn't as explored as it could've been, but I was still happy for Solas in the end. I can't imagine playing a playthrough where you don't help him 😭 I guess I could maybe understand but I just couldn't do it. I truly feel bad for him at the end of the day. I just wish it explored it a little more like we got to see with Rook in the fade quest.

[mordredpendragon]

Cain! Hope I'm not too late for the Arthuriana Ask Game BUT: 📜 📖 🖼️ 😇 😈 Okay, bye!!!!!!

never too late! thank u for the ask!!!

📜- What was your favorite Medieval story you read this year?

PERLESVAUS HANDS DOWN. EVERYONE PLEASEEEE READ PERLESVAUS ITS SO GOOD. it's something i've been eyeing for ages now but i was finally able to read it thanks to nigel bryant's translation! (the one i vastly prefer imo + his translations are just great in general)

admittedly, it's a bit of a hefty read because it's loaded and filled to the brim with religious undertones and references (similar to vulgate except i think vulgate is easier to parse if you don't have a catholic background considering anonymous monk pretty much explains what so-and-so means to you lol) but it's so worth it. percival is the titular knight in this yes and it follows events that take place after he failed the grail question, so the land is in havoc and basically fucked thanks to his mistakes. there's actually 4 main POV's in it. other than percival, it follows arthur (who goes on his own series of quests) gawain, and then lancelot. i'm in awe of perlesvaus just of the amount of sheer depth and characterization they have for these 4 characters. plus it's got a lot of badass crazy moments. pretty much everything percival does is worthy enough of its own post

like percival fighting the dragon knight, dindrane getting kidnapped and percival literally venturing off to find her captive, beheading him, then PRESENTING it to her.

lancelot going through the beheading game (tbh everything he does in this drives me insane. its also just my favorite lancelot in general imo like more than vulgate lancelot) + gawain finding the sword that beheaded john the baptist. it's also got some crazy horror fuel that i would love to make art of one day just because of how much i want to see it visualized, like lancelot finding that one house full of corpses and the pit. i mean THE PIT.

LIKE ITS MY FAVORITE EVER. i could go on forever but fr just read it its so good. like not just if you love percival, but also if you love gawain arthur and lancelot they're amaaazing in this

📖 - What was your favorite Modern retelling you read this year? (Single book)

technically it's henry newbolt's mordred, a tragedy but it's a play and i already plan to make a post on it. (which was also my contribution to L's long af retellings list so if you like it you're welcome i was the one who showed it to her lmao)

so i'm going to say john steinbeck's acts of king arthur. ITS SO GOOD. can everyone pleae read steinbeck. peak lancelot peak morgan peak yvain.

this is one of the arthurian books that genuinely made me cry i fr felt like a husk at the ending. steinbeck's favorite character is lancelot and it really shows bc of the amount of depth and complexity he writes in his character, and it's got some of my favorite quotes of all time

SERIOUSLY its the best i love it so much. i've been recommending it to everyone ever since

🖼️ What was your favorite Arthurian art piece made by someone else this year? (Any medium)

all of @tboymordred's mordred art sorry i'm gay

especially this one

😇 Who is a character you discovered this year? (Positive, blorbo)

agravaine. i mean i always knew he existed obviously except i found newfound love for him this year. doubtly @queer-ragnelle's influence lol

also he's sick as FUCK in vulgate i think everyone should read agravaine vs druas the cruel genuinely one of my favorite story arcs in vulgate ever

😈 Who is a character you discovered this year? (Negative, beloathed)

geraint idk fuck that guy

aside from him there really isn't a lot of characters i hate. it depends on the depiction and portrayal really. you could make me like someone as heinous as uther if you cook hard enough lol

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

I'll be brave and showcase as many people as I can possibly remember that I'm aware of (however vaguely) enjoying TCW and/or the Clones! Many of us are also involved in TBB-related spaces, as well.

So to start, I'm Frost, and I've been a fan of TCW since the movie came out sixteen years ago! I enjoy the entire franchise really, but TCW is one of my absolute favorite eras. I juggle both fic and art as a creator; much like some of the many, many wonderful folks I've had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with. 🩷

So in no particular order, there's:

@clonethirstingisreal - A super sweet soul who's shown many creators a truly tremendous amount of support, as well as started her first fanfiction this year for her favorite TBB character and an original, female character!

@dystopicjumpsuit - Creative powerhouse who has made graphics, art, fics and even a couple of drinks inspired by our favorite boys of the GAR, as well as the larger franchise.

@freesia-writes (who runs @spicy-clones) - One of the many, many talented writers we have here that you may enjoy reading the work of, if x-readers are your cup of tea!

@eternal-transcience - Creates a lot of lovingly thought-out OC and Canon x OC content that she makes sure it receives a lot of regular care and attention. It's been fascinating to watch her slowly develop parts of a whole world and culture for some of her OCs for the better part of year, now!

@returnofthepineapple - Another super sweet soul to the fandom (who also runs blogs like @pinascloneevents, @pinascreatorcorner and @pinahallowsevecloneparty!) that shows creators an equally incredible amount of support. She makes fics, art, and the occasional lovey-heart reaction images of fan favorite characters, as well as themed graphics.

@523rdrebel - Another fic author, both x-readers and Canon x OC, who also shares a bit of art with us time to time!

@kimiheartblade - Lot of fun OC material and entertaining toy photography of (several) Boba Fett(s), Clones and the occasional Lando Calrissian shenanigans.

@wings-and-beskar - Make sure to mind the fic ratings on her work, but D's written work is such a treat to read. I trust all the fics sitting in my TBR list will make me wish I read them sooner!

@ulchabhangorm - Yet another artist/author combo, Maia has some Commander Wolffe x OFC content I've been meaning to read. She has a knack for finding really good artwork of Wolffe to reblog and share with everyone!

@somewhere-on-kamino - Makes art, as well as editing memes, tumblr text-posts and incorrect quotes.

@lonewolflupe - Incredible artist who's earlier work was all done using a computer mouse(!!) and recently upgraded to a drawing tablet. Absolutely impressed by how much artwork she regularly puts out!

@apocalyp-tech-a - Author/artist combo with an incredible amount of love for TBB Tech!

@fandom-friday - Ran by @wild-karrde, this sideblog has more than just content from a Galaxy Far, Far Away made by other fans, but there's a lot of good, fan-recommended SW content to dig through, so I recommend you give this blog a look!

@littlemissmanga - Has written for a fair amount of Clones, I know some of her work is also in my seemingly miles-long TBR list.

@lightspringrain - Highly, highly, highly recommend her "Crowns" art series of various Clone characters!

@starqueensthings - Makes some absolutely stunning screencap edits of fan-favorite characters. Like seriously, I mean stunning.

@sinfulsalutations - She's written some fabulous x-reader fanfiction for both TBB and TCW, just be sure to mind the ratings!

@the-bad-batch-baroness - Makes incorrect quotes (both original and generated) and fanfiction. Her currently in-progress Wolffe series promises to really tug on your heartstrings!

@nahoney22 - Fanfic powerhouse! Has written So. Many. Good stories it'd be difficult to pick a handful to recommend.

And there are SO MANY more to recommend, but... I think I'll leave a few for everyone else. 😅If you're new to the fandom, to tumblr, or both, welcome! We'd be glad to have you join us here!! 🩷

looking for tcw accounts to follow!! if you like the clone wars, the clones or anything clone related why don't ya pop over and say hi!

[brainfondue]

mile: [drops oc]

me: can i have a piece of that

moral of the story. yummy characters. good work. keep those nipples hard 👍

Awwww thank you so much nero youre so funn- KEEP MY WHAT HUH????

[kastillia]

[puppyeared]

who up seeing their disorder in a fictional character but feel like its not their place to put a name on it

[nemmet]

question: who is your favourite scooby doo character and why?

in a similar vein to my how did you get into scooby doo post from last month, i'm now interested in hearing who your favourite character from the franchise is! are they a member of the core gang or a side character? which iteration/version of theirs do you like best? do you have any specific memories associated with them? do they mean a lot to you personally, or do you just think they're neat? it's time to gush about them in the tags/replies!!

[good-beanswrites]

Hello hello! It's me again! (That one Anon who requested Lies with Kazui & Yuno, but I've set up my account now so no need to ask anonymously again lol) Thank you for satisfying my previous request, it was such a delight to read. I keep rereading it every now and then and I'm still always left in awe with it like jesus christ you didn't have to go all in on that im sobbing with the 0207 friendship dynamic.

I've also seen your latest post and drabble asks. I'd like to request from the Drabble List#1 - #5 “Idiots. They are all idiots.” with Es themselves!

Let the prisoners have fun and Es just stares at them nonchalantly, silently judging their idiocy from afar, hell, maybe even let Yuno/Mikoto convince them to join. You can do anything as long as you think it'll fit, they're all just a little silly (minus the fact they're in prison lol).

With all that said, take your time and no rush! I can always wait. Thanks a lot! ...now back to rereading my previous request for the nth time,, i love it so much,, thankyouagain

Ah thank you so much, that means so much!! I'm so glad you liked it, that one was really nice to write :'D And yesss thank you for the request -- this was such a blast to do as well! (though I also made myself emotional over Es' lost childhood, that was less fun ;___;) I debated on several activities within the prison but thought this was plausible and fun for some mid-T1 shenanigans

Es had a job to do. They had many eyes watching them. They had several lives in their hands. They had heavy responsibilities. They didn’t have time for something as silly as ‘video game night’, regardless of the laughter that bubbled up from the common room as they passed by. They were not way tempted to join, regardless of how much fun the group seemed to be having when they peered their head in.

Fuuta had whined that Es had replaced all his requests with completely outdated consoles and games, confirming they had been successful in choosing things without any access to the internet or outside world. Plus, they thought, this gave the older prisoners a fighting chance with some of the games.

Not that they cared whether or not the prisoners had a good time. That wasn’t any concern of theirs. Even in these long periods of rest between their more eventful duties, they must remain focused.

The laughter crescendoed into delighted screaming.

Es figured one more look inside wouldn’t hurt. They were supposed to be keeping an eye on everyone, after all. 

The prisoners had gathered various chairs and bedding material, creating makeshift couches. Some piled onto the new seating, some splayed out on the ground, others stood in excitement. The television was so small, the two players needed to lean all the way forward to see. 

Mahiru bounced in her seat as Yuno whipped around her remote. Fuuta was demanding Kazui play better, gesturing wildly at the screen. Shidou chucked to himself as the others grew more intense. Haruka kept asking questions about the game, receiving an answer only about half the time. 

As the match got closer, Yuno leapt to her feet. She tried to shimmy in front of Kazui and block his view. He stood to prod her out of the way. Muu called foul play, though she said it with a thrill rather than accusation. Fuuta repeated it -- with quite a lot of accusation -- and tried to push Yuno out of the way. Mikoto tried to hold him back, voicing his support of Yuno’s methods. 

The others got caught up in the yelling. Amane’s eyes were wide in anticipation. Kotoko pumped her fist as the battle got even closer. The room erupted in movement and shoving and tripping and remote pulling -- until they yanked the tiny television forward. 

The thick cord came free, and the screen went black just before a winner was announced. Ten voices chorused their outrage.

Es shook their head. “Idiots. They are all idiots.”

They turned away as the prisoners hurried to set everything up again. They were just about to turn the corner into the panopticon when Yuno’s voice called from behind.

“Hey!” She ran up, taking advantage of their brief pause. “I saw you passing by. Why don’t you come join us?”

Not for the first time, Es wished they had enough height to look down on all the prisoners. “I’m your warden. I’m not some child here to play games with you all.”

She pursed her lips. “I’m not a kid either. But I’m still down for a night to unwind.”

“You’re lucky to have the luxury to relax. I, on the other hand, am busy right now.”  

Yuno made a show of looking left, then right, across the empty hallway. “And what exactly are you doing right now?”

“I’m working.”

She frowned. “Uh-huh…”

“I am!” They fumbled for more, coming up blank. They should have known the moment she came skipping over to them that it would be impossible to fool her. There was no need for this routine check of the prison; everyone was gathered in the common room except them. Yuno had known this before uttering a single word.

Her hands fluttered in a dismissive gesture. “Too much work is never good for you. It doesn’t matter how mature you are -- if you get too caught up in your job it’ll drive you to some crazy things.” She smirked. “Just look at Shidou. Or Mikoto!”

“I could look at you…”

Though surprise flickered across her face, she kept grinning. “Exactly! So let’s get you in here.” She tugged on their arm. Prisoners couldn’t physically move Es against their will. 

They huffed as they found themselves inching closer and closer to the entryway.

“I suppose I can come and watch,” they muttered, “and still keep an eye on you all.”

“No! No more working!” She managed to get them into the room. “Here, you can take my spot in the next round.”

Kazui looked over. “Who said you were getting the next spot?”

“Oh come on, I was clearly going to win that one.”

“Clearly? I'm pretty sure was seconds away from beating you.”

“Well then, I guess Es can take your spot.”

“Es is playing?” Haruka looked up excitedly. 

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

It was as if they hadn’t said anything at all. The others launched into a discussion of who would give their remote to Es? Who would they’d face off against? Were they resetting the bracket they’d begun? Which game would they return to? The ten argued in circles for a while. For a group of murderers, they were insistent on a fair tournament. After breaking up some bickering that could have become physical, Es once again wondered how they ended up watching over a mess like this. 

At length the game was chosen, and a rematch was slated for Yuno and Kazui later in the night. To save themself time and sanity, Es went ahead and picked their opponent.

“I’ll play Fuuta.” 

He had been the obvious choice: he could supply enough chatter for the both of them, so Es could remain silent. Also, he was guaranteed to win and free them from an obligation to play more than one round. They flashed a look at some of the more observant prisoners, hoping they didn’t tip them off.

However, no one was really watching them too keenly. Mahiru clapped in joy. Yuno beamed. Mikoto shoved a remote into their hands. Haruka started rapidly explaining the rules to them. Shidou directed Es to their seat in the center. Kotoko gave them an encouraging nod. As expected, Fuuta was already deep into trash talk as he sat next to them.

They really were simple-minded people, more focused on this silly game than the fact their warden had just sat amongst them. It was dangerous to let one’s guard down in a place like this, Es reminded themself. 

With a little jingle, the match began. 

Their fingers flew across the controls. Though they had a rocky start, some sort of muscle memory kicked in. Surely this game had come out before they were born, and there was no way they’d played it regularly. None of that mattered much. Their little avatar was obviously gaining the lead.

Their eyes stayed fixed on the screen as they received slaps on the back and nudges. Their guard's cap was knocked off in the shuffling, but they couldn't risk picking it up. Voices called all around them.

“Aw, don’t just let the kid win!” Mikoto said.

“I’m not!” Fuuta was desperate. “They fucking tricked me! They’re a pro!”

Es felt energy run through their entire body. Their original plan already slipping away, they wondered if they could actually beat Fuuta. It would be fun to see… They leaned forward, holding their breath. The audience continued cheering the pair on. Once again, the room was swept up in shouts.

The match ended. A little banner flashed across the screen to name Es victorious. They jumped up, a small whoop escaping them. 

They would’ve melted in shame right then and there, if the sound weren’t already drowned out by the surrounding chaos. The others laughed and shook Es in amazement. Fuuta let out a string of colorful language.

“That was incredible!”

“Holy shit!”

“How’d you do that?”

Es placed the cap back on their head, pulling it over their eyes. “I don’t know. And it doesn’t matter. I’m done for the night.” They tried to pass off the remote, but Mikoto pushed it back into their hands. 

“Nuh-uh. I want to see this for myself.” He grabbed the other one from a dejected Fuuta. “Same game. Same characters. Lemme see what you’ve got.”

Es wasn’t meant to play one round, much less get caught up in their ridiculous tournament.

Don’t be an idiot, they told themself.

“Bring it on,” they told Mikoto.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

Me, when Sebastian joins my party for the first time: Okay, this time I'm not going to forget about you, Sebastian. I'm going to make an effort to use you a lot this playthrough so I can better understand you.

Also me, immediately forgetting about Sebastian while finishing Act 2 and making it halfway through Act 3 before I finally notice his Faith quest: ......................Oh. Right. My bad.