#it's had some funny participation by other players

[tabikato]

Going to eventually draw these but in game, if you ever find a Scout that says "MY WIFE" in text chat while running to a specific Sniper...

Or a Scout that goes "OFFENSE TEAM!" and tries to jock headbutt every Soldier and Pyro...

Say Hi if you wanna.

[thoughtfulfiction]

Social Media QB

Author’s note: reposting my old work on this side blog! Let me know if you’d like to read a specific one. Thank you for reading!

The reputation of the Chargers social media team was unmatched. They are known for being funny and up to date on all memes and pop culture references while also showcasing players’ personalities. That alone made you apply and this past year on the job had really been a once in a lifetime experience. Working with Megan and the crew was a daily adventure and you were becoming more and more comfortable calling the guys your friends. It even got to a point where you didn’t even call them by their names anymore.

Quentin was usually just “Q.” JK was always “J’Kaylin”, Derwin was “3” and your favorite nickname was definitely calling Justin “Sunshine.” At first it was a Remember the Titans reference but it became a lifestyle. Everything and everyone revolves around the sun and that’s exactly what it felt like when you were at work. All of the players were important and special but you could just feel the energy in the room shift when Justin was there. It was palpable, it almost took your breath away sometimes.

Off camera he was goofy, funny and had this uncanny ability to make the world stand still for a bit, even just for a few fleeting moments where it felt like you two were the only ones in the room. But then reality would hit and you were reminded that you work for the team and he’d never see you in that way, he was just nice to everyone he encountered. But on camera? It was all fun and games. There was a running joke, mostly based on his real feelings, that Justin hated cameras. He couldn’t stand being the center of attention or having people perceive him so he avoided the social media team altogether when phones were pointed in his direction. 

But sometimes, a rarity, you were able to get him on camera, even if it was just for a split second. The two of you reviewed the questions he was going to be asked before their Hot Ones appearance and there was ALWAYS a discussion, more like subtle begging if you all were going to have him participate in any content.

“We need Justin for this new segment we’re doing, so you’re gonna have to talk to him.” Megan sighs, grabbing her Stanley cup that was sitting on the counter. She’d just finished editing a video where she and her assistant put fart spray on the tiny mic and could still smell the rancid scent until she grabbed some Lysol spray to de-funk the place.

You were going through photos taken during practice earlier that morning and deciding which ones to post and without looking up you asked her, “why do I have to do it?”

Lorren and Allie giggle in the corner, shaking their heads. “You cannot be serious right now y/n,” Lorren gives you a pointed look.

“What?”

“We all know you and Justin have a thing for each other. Even if you won’t admit to us…or yourself. It’s pretty obvious.”

You finally raise your head up from your laptop, staring at them while also wracking your brain trying to figure out when your innocent crush had become so painfully obvious. If the girls knew, then Justin had probably somehow caught on and the thought of that made you want to dig a hole right outside on the practice field and never come out. “Is—am I that easy to read?”

“No one blames you,” Megan runs a loving hand on your shoulder. “And I’m sure you’ve been trying so hard to hide your feelings that you haven’t noticed that he’s doing an even worse job of hiding his massive crush on you.”

The look on your face sends the room into a fit of laughter. “We’re being serious. The way he looks at you and acts around you. Anyone can see he’s into you friend.”

You weren’t convinced, “I need an example.”

“Okay fine,” Lorren stands up to prepare a demonstration. “He wasn’t ready to put the mics on when he was mic’d up until you walked over and helped him get the mic in the perfect spot in his pads. And then he wore the friendship bracelet for six weeks because you handed it to him.”

Allie pipes up to put in her two cents. “And let’s not forget when he had you driving him around the golf tournament and kicked Zion to the curb. There’s no way all of those are just a coincidence.”

“Fine. I’ll go ask him if he’ll shoot the video for us but I’m not going to lose my job because of a meaningless crush on the starting quarterback.”

You waited around for the guys to leave treatment after practice and caught up with him on his way out. “Hey Sunshine, quick question for you.”

His cheeks turn a light shade of pink and he gives you a small tight-lipped smile. “What’s up?”

“I need you to do me a huge favor and be in this tik tok. It’s a short game and it’ll only take like 15 minutes.”

His deadpan face and disappointed dad sigh has you practically begging, saying “please” in your finest sing-song tone.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” You knew he’d crack, he always did. “On one condition. You also have to participate.”

You hold your hand out and he engulfs it with his much larger one. “You’ve got yourself a deal Herbert.”

“Okay the rules of the game are simple,” Megan begins from behind her phone screen before hitting record, “we’re going to give you these Canadian snacks and you’ll rate them on a scale from 1 to 10. One being it’s awful I’ll never touch that again and 10 being a solid snack that you’d eat everyday if given the opportunity.”

You and Justin nod, diving in on everything from the ketchup chips to the toffee. The video didn’t take long as promised and the quarterback went about the rest of his day with no further distractions.

In your office a few days later on the team’s off day, you were contemplating your life. Maybe you should take a step back from him so people don't get the wrong idea. Sure, your coworkers were convinced the crush was mutual but what if he was just being nice? He was always so focused on football and making the most out of every opportunity. Why in the world would he waste time flirting with a social media manager? It just made no sense. Instead of continuing to run a million imaginary scenarios in your mind you packed up your stuff and tried heading out to the parking lot. Even after all this time you still struggled to maneuver all the twists and turns of the building and somehow found yourself walking past the quarterback room. You intended to just keep walking but he was in there alone and called out your name when he saw you.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think anyone would be in the building today.” His bright eyes staring down at you made your heart feel like it was beating out of your chest. You desperately needed to get it together.

“I came in to finish up a few things but I’m heading out now. What are you doing? I think you’ve watched enough film to last you a couple lifetimes.” That gets a light chuckle out of him and he shakes his head, the two of you knowing that his quest for perfection would never allow him to believe he’s watched enough film. “Thank you for shooting that video the other day. The fans are gonna love it, they’re always begging us to get you on camera.”

“No problem, anything for you.” He clears his throat after whispering the last part, desperately hoping that you didn’t hear it. Even though you definitely did. You should go home for the day and leave him alone in the office so he can get back to work. You should stop staring at his lips that look so soft and just begging to be kissed. He should turn around and get back to the playbook and the computer but here he is, standing still, right in front of you.

You’re just there, waiting for someone to rip the carpet out from under you, to fall on your face, for someone to tell you that this isn’t actually happening. The space between your bodies diminishes significantly, so much so that you can smell the Dr. Squatch Birchwood Breeze radiating off of him. It’s intoxicating and you swallow the fear in your gut and ignore all of the common sense thoughts plaguing your mind, allowing you to feel.

The kiss is tentative at first, he pulls back slightly, whispering if it’s okay to keep going as you feel his breath against your lips. You don’t respond but instead pull him in closer, hearing a satisfied husky moan from him as he allows your tongue access to his. His right palm rests against your cheek until he’s tilting your head up ever so slightly to deepen the embrace and he pulls you in even closer, holding on for dear life while closing and locking the door behind you. It was so much more than he imagined, these feelings that he’d been pushing aside were being confronted and magnified by the second. This innocent crush that you had on him were genuine, real feelings that created a deep ache in your bones, actively being soothed with his hands all over you as the two of you made out like helpless teenagers.

You didn’t think you’d have the strength to tear yourself away from him…until his phone rings. He ignores it the first time but it’s all you can think about by the fifth ring.

“Answer it,” you whisper breathlessly and you can feel him hesitating to pry himself away from you. The heat that was radiating off of his body that you felt being so close to him sends shivers down your spine at the sudden distance. A thousand unspoken apologies are painted on his face as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. He keeps the call short and sweet but the look of devastation is clear when he hangs up. “You have to go don’t you?”

He nods. “I’m so sorry. We can—we need to talk about this I know. And I promise we will. I just—I need to take care of this.” He doesn’t want to leave, not like this. Even if he knows you understand. Justin presses a kiss to the side of your head and whispers another “I’m sorry” leaving you in the room to think about what just happened.

You walk around the empty parking lot until you reach your car, letting out a deep sigh at the thought of what the conversation with him is going to look like after this. You need to be mentally prepared for good news, bad news and everything in between.

He is the sun after all. And sometimes when you stand too close, you might get burned. And maybe, just maybe, you’d avoid the burn altogether and bask in the warmth as long as you can.

[azuremist]

"A ship manifesto is a meta essay meant to introduce fans to a ship and promote it by explaining its appeal."

Fanlore, on the definition of a ship manifesto

Welcome to my Pearlina manifesto! In this essay, I will be introducing you to Splatoon, as well as the characters, Pearl and Marina. I will be going over their lore, their coding, and I hope that I will be able to make you understand their appeal as a romantic pairing.

First, though, I must get you caught up on the not-inherently gay lore of Splatoon. What you need to know is that, around 100 years ago, Octarians and Inklings coexisted in harmony. However, rising sea levels made it so the two had to battle over remaining territory. The Inklings came out victorious, and forced the Octarians to live underground and in much worse conditions. Nowadays, most Octarians are a part of the Octarian army, trying to regain control of the surface.

Also, for clarification: an Octarian is any octopus-like creature, but an Octoling is specifically the intelligent humanoid creature. All Octolings are Octarians, but not all Octarians are Octolings.

As for non-Pearlina key players, we have the Squid Sisters, also known as Callie and Marie. When they sing the Calamari Inkantation, it's known to snap Octarians out of their brainwashing. Because it's just that much of a bop.

Agent 8 was the first playable Octoling, introduced in Splatoon 2's DLC, Octo Expansion. They're an Octoling who had their memories wiped, and was one of the very first Octolings to escape the Octarian army and go to the surface for a new life. They are also the playable character of Splatoon 3's DLC, Side Order.

We have DJ Octavio, who is the leader of the Octarian army. He has some messed up methods, and he's sort of a war criminal, but he's also a funny old man so we forgive him. He's been around since the Octarian and Inkling war of old, along with Cap'n Cuttlefish. Cap'n Cuttlefish is an Inkling who enlists the named Agents, and the grandfather of Callie and Marie.

And lastly, there's a phone. This phone is known as Tartar. It's an AI driven to insanity by isolation, with a desire to wipe out all living beings on Earth to start anew. It frames itself as trying to help the Octolings who attempt to escape the underground, while actually leading the Octolings to their doom. Agent 8 is the first Octoling to escape its grasp alive.

Tartar is also the owner of what is known as Kamabo Co., which, among many other messed-up things, uses a process called "sanitization" to brainwash and wipe the memories of Octolings who work with them to escape to the surface. Sanitized Octolings are then used by Kamabo as test subjects, now mindless husks. Empty of all previous personality. Zombie-like creatures, made of Octolings who only wished to see the sun.

So, anyways, meet Pearl! She's an Inkling who likes rapping and the dualie class of weapons! She's a blunt speaker who uses slang a lot, and she's energetic, expressive, and brash, but ultimately friendly. Her personality is intended to clash with her appearance, which is that of a typical soft, cute Japanese pop princess. "Gap moe", as the kids say.

She was born rich, and with oddly-shaped vocal cords that made her able to be so loud that it could cause damage to her surroundings. She participated in a youth folks-singing contest as a child, which had to be cut short precisely because of the damage caused by her singing. Her using this ability is called her "Hypersonic Battlecry". Upon reaching adulthood, she started a heavy metal solo career, and she had a song that gained some fans, "#$@%* Dudes Be #$@%* Sleepin". However, besides that one song, she didn't have much luck. Even still, she practiced regularly; going to Mt. Nantai to be alone, due to the potential danger her singing can cause, when she did.

Marina is an Octoling who likes singing, music production, and is also generally good with tech! She draws in a shoujo manga-esque style, and likes the brella class of weapons. She speaks in a soft and sweet way, but she can get sassy if provoked. She's sentimental, shy and pretty bad socially, often coming across as awkward or oblivious. Even still, she expresses herself honestly, without embarrassment.

Marina was born into Octoling soldierhood, and was trained up from a child as a combat engineer. She was so intelligent that she skipped multiple grades, and went to an elite training facility, where she became an active soldier in the Octarian army. However, when she was on the surface on a mission, and heard the Calamari Inkantation, she deserted the army and Octarian society. She was at a severe disadvantage, of course; she didn't speak a word of the Inkling language. But she managed to escape, still, to Mt. Nantai.

Pearl and Marina met for the first time by chance, as Pearl was practicing in the mountains at the same time that Marina was escaping the army. They quickly grew close, and Pearl taught Marina the Inkling language and Inkling culture. She didn't know that Marina was an Octoling at this time.

After this first meeting, Marina returned to the mountains every day for two weeks in hopes of meeting Pearl again. When they finally did meet again, Marina showed Pearl a demo of a song she created, which Pearl loved. The two agreed to form Off the Hook, and they released a polished version of the demo as their first single, under the title "Ebb & Flow".

9 months after the events of Splatoon 1, Off the Hook was popular enough to take over hosting Inkopolis News for the Squid Sisters, who were now focusing on their solo careers.

Which leads us into Splatoon 2! Marina and Pearl don't have a big role in the main game. They get a bigger spotlight in the game's DLC. However, they host Inkopolis News and the Splatfests, so they have lots of dialogue for that!

But! There is another key player here. A rather important one, in fact, one who actually has a big say in Pearl and Marina's story.

So, basically, Nintendo of America hates queer people. The Japanese dialogue for Pearl and Marina make it VERY clear that the two are intended to be queercoded. But Nintendo of America didn't likey, so they censored the everloving shit out of it. They only got any better about this during the tail end of Splatoon 3's lifespan, ending around the time Side Order released. Even then, I personally suspect that they only did this because a lot of the fanbase took notice of how, hey, they sure are throwing the term "best friends" around a lot more in the English version… For that reason, a lot of the dialogue I'll be sharing for this section will be the original Japanese dialogue.

Note, these are just my personal favorite examples of dialogue between them. All dialogue referenced can be viewed on the indie Splatoon wiki, also known as Inkipedia.

During the first Splatfest, Marina says, "Even against Pearl-senpai, I will not lose," and tells Pearl that she won't hold back, despite how much she admires Pearl. We also have Marina inviting Pearl to eat with her after winning the Fries vs McNuggets Splatfest, and Pearl excitedly inviting Marina to see a movie together with her for Action vs Comedy. For the Knight vs Wizard Splatfest, Pearl says that she likes knights because they fight to protect everyone, and Marina, in response, says, "Ehehe, then I'll be a witch so you can protect me!" Marina also reveals that she learned how to make chicken the way that Pearl likes so that she can make some for her, despite it not being her taste, in the aftermath of the With vs Without Lemons Splatfest.

One of the rare English localization wins is Marina saying that she likes using the brella to "protect her precious Pearlie at all costs!" There is also a line in the German localization where Pearl says that the Ferris wheel glimmers and shines, and Marina replies, saying it doesn't glimmer and shine like Pearl's eyes.

Lastly, in one of the Sanrio Splatfests, Pearl talks about having a dream where she is with Hello Kitty, and Marina responds by saying it's too much cuteness for her to process. (Of course, her implying that Hello Kitty and Pearl are both cute, so them together makes her malfunction.)

I think one of the most underrated exchanges, though, is in the Friends vs Family dialogue, where Pearl is team family. Marina at first seems sad that Pearl would choose her family over her, and Pearl, noticing this, clarifies that she sees Marina as a part of her family. Marina, in response, exclaims that, in that case, she's joining Team Family too! It's SO cute. In the Japanese version of this exchange, she even does a keyboard smash in response because she's so flustered and happy.

Also, when describing one of her favorite manga, Marina describes a manga which seems to heavily parallel her own life: "The protagonist was born to be the prince of an evil army and the story progresses along with his troubles! And to say nothing of the romance elements on top of that! It gets me emotional every time!" It's clear that she sees herself in the protag, and is likely projecting her relationship with Pearl onto the romance, as her relationship with Pearl is what helped her escape her own "evil army".

I'd also like to invite you to check out the official Splatfest art of them! There are a few pieces that show them domestic and just hanging out, like Pulp vs No Pulp and Warm vs Cold Breakfast. There are also a few more overtly romance-coded ones. In the Sci-Fi vs Fantasy art, Marina is obviously swooning over Pearl, and the gay eye contact in the Kid vs Grown-Up promo art is so good. But my two personal favorites are the Knight vs Wizard and the Vampires vs Werewolves art. I adore the framing of knight Pearl protecting witch Marina, just like she talked about in her Splatfest dialogue, in the Knight vs Wizard art, and the dramatic lighting is gorgeous. For the Halloween Splatfest, I've never gotten over the detail that Pearl is gently touching Marina's face. Something about it just activates my neurons.

And speaking of Splatfests, after all is said and done, there has to be a final Splatfest, doesn't there? This one is themed around the Splatpocolypse! Pearl reps Team Chaos, and Marina reps Team Order, for the question of which kind of apocalypse would be more bearable. The results of Final Fests are known to be very important, and to affect what happens in future Splatoon games, so, when Pearl starts talking like the future of Off the Hook is depending on the result of this Splatfest, the threat is very real, despite her reassuring Marina that she cares about their band.

But, in the end, it's Pearl's team who comes out victorious! And so Off the Hook will break… into new musical genres! Ayy!

Marina is confused by this outcome, and voices that she thought that Off the Hook would be breaking up. Pearl is confused right back at this assumption, because she would never break the two of them up.

Pearl's Japanese dialogue reads: "That's exactly why! Our, Off the Hook's, best, unbeatable color will repaint the world! After all, I need you… Making music without you is no fun! Now, now, settle down… Are you okay, Marina? There's still more coming up for Off the Hook!"

And her English dialogue reads: "You and me are gonna rock the mic together until the end of time! Or at least until I can get my solo career off the ground. BAHAHA! I'm just playin', Marina. You know I love you. It's you and me against the universe, 'Rina!"

In all versions of the dialogue, Marina bursts into tears on-air out of joy, and Pearl tries her best to comfort her, assuring her that she never wanted to leave her behind, and never would want to. (She also directs the cameraperson to point the camera at her, trying to save Marina from any embarrassment.)

Special art for the Splatfest shows Pearl putting her signature crown on Marina's head. In Splatoon 3, we get to see an in-game selfie of the two which confirms that this happened, presumably once they were off-air.

Splatoon 2's DLC is called Octo Expansion, and follows Agent 8. Octo Expansion is where a lot of the lore with Octolings gets explored, including Marina being one! Because, yes, up until the release of this DLC, Marina has just VISIBLY been an Octoling this whole time, with nobody addressing it. It drove the fandom nuts. It was pretty funny.

Agent 8, with amnesia, finds themself in an underground subway system, stuck with Cap'n Cuttlefish and a desire to see the surface. Pearl and Marina accidentally get in contact with Agent 8 and Cap'n Cuttlefish because of a glitch in their communication device, and decide to help them out. As such, Pearl, Marina and Cuttlefish all end up in a group chat together to discuss strategy, and the player can read through their chat logs. It's in these chat logs that Pearl and Marina relay much of their previously-discussed backstory. However, Marina never brings up her own past before meeting Pearl.

Which Cuttlefish decides to fix via outing Marina as an Octoling! Very cool. He sends Pearl information about Marina from when she was in the Octarian army, while Marina is away from the chat. Pearl is, of course, surprised, but isn't stunned for long, as she immediately starts jumping all over Cuttlefish, threatening him to make sure no harm comes to Marina. World's tiniest attack dog, truly.

When Marina returns, she goes silent when Pearl tells her that Cuttlefish shared her past, but, when Pearl reassures her that she's still accepted, Marina's implied to start crying out of joy via the emoticons she uses.

Something worth noting is that the Inkling/Octoling conflict is heavily coded to be analogous to racial and xenophobia-related issues, especially from this DLC-onward. Past wars are used as an excuse for bigotry, Marina and Agent 8 are both dark-skinned, Octoling culture seems to take inspiration from black culture, and Cuttlefish quite literally says, "I don't see species" while complimenting Marina on how "articulate" she is.

In the final battle against Tartar, Marina and Pearl play a huge part! Marina uses her hacking skills to determine how to weaken Tartar's blast, which would destroy all inkfish. Pearl uses her Hypersonic Battlecry to push back against the blast, and destroys the weapon in the process, after planning it with Marina (who uses a really gay shoujou manga-like drawing of Pearl, with sparkles around her, to illustrate the plan). This, of course, leads to the iconic scene where Marina glomps Pearl and nuzzles into her face at such force that she makes both of them fall over. They can be seen on the floor in the following shot, where Marina is still nuzzling into Pearl's face.

While we're in between Splatoon 2 and 3, I thought now would be a good time to sprinkle in some miscellaneous fun facts that don't really belong anywhere else!

Pearl and Marina have nicknames for each other! Marina calls Pearl "my precious Pearlie", or just "Pearlie", and Pearl calls Marina "'Rina".

In the Japanese text, Marina calls Pearl "senpai", while referring to everyone else with the "-san" honorific. This is likely both because Pearl is older than her and because she has a lot of respect for Pearl. (Because yes, Pearl is the older one, despite their height difference suggesting otherwise! She is 21, while Marina is 18.)

Marina's feelings for Pearl are 100% confirmed romantic! In the official relationship chart, Marina, in relation to Pearl, is described as "koisuru otome". "Koisuru" means "to fall in love", and "otome" means "maiden", especially in romantic contexts like otome games. So she's a "maiden who has fallen in love"! Nintendo of America, predictably, censored this in their localization of the chart.

They seem to have a princess and knight motif! This is made more explicit in Splatoon 3, but Pearl's Japanese name, Hime, means 'princess', and she is known as MC Princess in English. Her appearance is based on that of a "pop princess". Marina, of course, was a top-ranking Octarian soldier. But Pearl is braver and is more protective of Marina, while Marina swoons at the idea of Pearl saving and protecting her in the Japanese text for Knights vs Witches. In appearance, Pearl is the princess and Marina is the knight, but in personality, it's swapped.

In "Suffer No Fools", Pearl refers to Marina as attractive and intelligent in various ways, depending on the language. In English, her line is, "She's divine, one of a kind, voice so fine, BIG mind!" In Dutch, it's, "She is without equal! Hell of a voice and won't give an inch!" In French, it's, "Divine and seductive, ravishing voice and GORGEOUS brains!" In Italian, the line is, "She is divine, a darling, crystalline voice, refined mind!" And, my personal favorite, the German version of the line: "My beauty writes tunes and she's smart like a dream!"

Also, Suffer No Fools is a rap battle. So one of Frye's disses is targeted at Marina, calling her Pearl's "grouper". This is a fish pun on "groupie", which is someone who follows a pop star around in hopes of forming a romantic connection.

The Final Fest of Splatoon 1 was Callie vs Marie, so many people were expecting Splatoon 2's to be Marina vs Pearl. When asked why this wasn't the case, a head developer stated that the reason was that the Squid Sisters always had a hint of rivalry in their relationship. However, Pearl and Marina hold only care for each other. This is even directly addressed in the Final Fest's pre-Fest dialogue, where Pearl states she knows that Marina is more popular than her, without a hint of bitterness.

Nintendo likes to give the idols of Splatoon faux-interviews, to make it feel like they're real idols! One such interview asked Pearl what the most precious gift she's ever received was, to which her answer was, "The chance to meet Marina!"

Lastly, in the Splatfest performances of "We're So Back", there is an extended section where Marina places her hand on Pearl's lower back as they dance. Kinda gay.

With that, let's get back to the story! Stop me if you've heard this before — but Pearl and Marina don't get a lot of focus in Splatoon 3's main mode, instead getting the spotlight in the game's DLC. They're super busy, after all, on their world tour!! Agent 8 went on tour with them, too, in order to help out behind the scenes. It's also heavily implied that they moved in together between Splatoon 2 and 3, as, multiple times in 2, they say they have separate houses, but, in Splatoon 3, Pearl mentions "our (her and Marina's) yard". (Oh my God, they were roommates.)

Onto Splatoon 3's DLC, titled, "Side Order"! As Splatoon 3's general main story mode took on the chaotic aesthetic due to it winning 2's Final Fest, Side Order is what takes on the aesthetic of Team Order.

And, remember how I said that Nintendo of America only got better about censoring Pearl and Marina being queercoded with the release of Side Order? Yeah, we're gonna be referencing the English dialogue a lot more from now on.

In Side Order, Agent 8 is transported to a virtual world created by Marina, named Order Sector. This world was originally created to help sanitized Octarians regain their memories! However, it seems to have been corrupted, somehow…

In Order Sector, Pearl is turned into a drone! Together, she, Acht (also known by their stage name, Dedf1sh) and Agent 8 climb the Spire of Order to save Marina, who they can hear calling out to Pearl from the spire.

Quick Acht break. I would like to bring to attention the fact that Acht is canonically non-binary, and are only referred to with they/them pronouns in-game. This means that Splatoon is willing to go there, in terms of purposefully putting queer characters in the official canon. Just in case you needed more convincing, regarding Pearl and Marina's queercoding being 100% intentional.

Anyhow. Upon reaching the control room, the 3 of them encounter Marina, now mind-controlled with a visor and called Marina Agitando. This new name for the controlled version of Marina matches the naming conventions of the other Side Order bosses. "Agitando" means agitated or restless, and an "agitato" in musical composition means that something must be played with force and accuracy (of course, leaning into the theme of order).

After freeing Marina, Agent 8 and Pearl are confronted by Order, an AI who seized control of Marina's virtual world, and whose goal is to force everyone in the outside world into Order Sector, and to then establish a colorless world of order, where independent thought does not exist.

Marina, obviously distressed by her altruistic project being hijacked for a horrible purpose, resolves to help Agent 8, Pearl and Acht with subsequent journeys up the Spire. After rescuing Marina, Pearl is also able to freely transform between being a drone and an Inkling, but chooses to be a drone most of the time, as that form helps Agent 8 more on their missions.

(By the way, it's around this time that we learn that Marina's computer background is a picture of Pearl lying seductively in her Final Fest outfit. I'm not kidding.)

In subsequent climbs up the Spire, Marina joins you, and there is dialogue in between her, Pearl and Acht between stages. This dialogue had a tendency to be Very Gay. Standouts include but aren't limited to:

Marina doing her usual gushing about how cool and cute and incredible Pearl is.

Pearl being protective of Marina, threatening violence if anyone is mean to her.

Pearl talking about a planned break after the tour, saying: "I promised her that we could find a quiet spot together and take it easy for a while."

Pearl confessing that she isn't scared of the usual enemies in the Spire, and the only time she did get scared was when she was fighting Marina. It frightened her that she didn't know if Marina would be okay. (Again, knight/princess, you get it.)

Multiple instances of Acht saying "I'm glad you're here, 8," or something to that effect, after Pearl and Marina have a moment. With the implication being that they're glad they don't have to third-wheel these dorks alone.

And, of course, the iconic dialogue where Acht says, "Hey, Pearl. Have we met? You seem familiar," and Marina immediately responds, "What?! Acht, come on! You can't seriously be hitting on Pearl in front of…!"

Ah, sweet, sweet, blatant queercoding. We could've been having this level of it this whole time in the English version, if Nintendo of America weren't cowards.

Additionally, one of the rewards for completing missions in Side Order is being able to read Marina's dev diaries! These give the player a lot of insight into the development of the virtual world.

We learn, among other things, that Marina planned for Pearl to be the player's guide from the beginning, and that she personally crafted a model for her to use for this purpose. She writes: "It's really, truly all starting to come together! I'll put myself at the top of the tower, so Pearl has to climb it to get the user to me. ❤️ Wait… would that make me like a storybook princess? ❓ Hahaha, now I HAVE to do it! I'll build you a tower worth the climb, brave Pearl!" (Again with, in terms of personality, Marina being the princess, and Pearl being her brave knight.)

Also, is now a good time to mention that the currency in the virtual world Marina created are called "Prlz"?

Marina also writes: "When I felt lost and directionless after deserting from the army, it was Pearl who showed me hope. ✨ The two of us formed Off the Hook, and ever since, I've felt like I'm just waiting to wake up from a dream! ❤️ Sniff- sorry, something's in my eye!" Then she does a gay keysmash and crying emoji.

Plus, with each diary entry, we get a picture taken by Marina! This is where we get the selfie of her in Pearl's crown, post-Final Fest. We also see, via her pictures, that she has plushies of her and Pearl on top of her computer setup, and has a sticky note doodle of Pearl with a heart in a speech bubble stuck to her computer. Among other gay shoujou drawings of Pearl we get to see, of course.

Once again, Pearl and Marina help Agent 8 a lot with the DLC's final boss!

When you reach the top of the spire, before Order attacks 8, Marina is seen pleading with Order, trying to explain why its idea of a perfect world is dysfunctional. Her words, comparing everyone's different thoughts to colors that mix together, closely parallel what Pearl told her in the Japanese text to comfort her after the Final Fest, showing that she's truly internalized what Pearl told her.

When Agent 8 is knocked out by Overlorder, Order's battle form, it seems, for a moment, all is lost. The screen is slowly losing its color. Marina desperately types away at her computer, scrambling to see if she can do anything, anything at all, to stop Order, but it's no use.

Marina herself turns gray, and begins to glitch, just like everything around her. Everything slows. Realizing that she's about to lose everything, she speaks, her voice distorted from Order's influence: "Pearl… I…"

She's not able to finish. The screen turns gray.

However, Acht had rushed over to Marina's laptop, running and reaching out to just barely press the correct key. Agent 8's heart begins to pump again – pumping to a beat.

Marina and Acht had begun playing a new version of Ebb & Flow, "Spectrum Obligato", in defiance of Order's ideals. Pearl, hyped up by the music, uses her Hypersonic Battlecry to destroy the control room!

After Agent 8 destroys Overlorder's barrier, and collects all the color chips that were lost, Pearl uses a unique special, dubbed the Color Wail, which combines her Hypersonic Battlecry with the Killer Wail. The usage of "Spectrum" in the new version of the song, the collection of all of the color chips, and the new special being Color Wail all, of course, additionally call back to what Pearl told Marina.

This final attack causes Overlorder to explode, and in its place…! Reveal a tiny octopus, who baby-talks. This little guy is known as Smollusk, a childlike, heavily-damaged, and restricted version of Order. Like this, Order no longer poses any real threat.

In additional runs after this final boss, the player learns that Order was made of the desire from Marina, and other Octoling programmers she brought on, for an unchanging world. This adds additional meaning to the continuous callbacks to Pearl's comforting words to Marina. Order is a manifestation of Marina's desire for the world to never change, so she never loses Pearl, and, for Order to be defeated, it needs to be reminded again and again of Pearl's words of comfort: that, even if the type of music Off the Hook makes changes, that change makes the world more colorful. But what will never change is that Pearl needs Marina by her side.

In these subsequent runs, as well, Pearl and Marina grow gradually more fond of this childlike version of Smollosk, who grows to like them in turn. Which, of course, leads to the fandom in-joke that they're Smollosk's moms, helped by the fact that Marina did, quite literally, make Order.

Which leads us to the Final Fest of Splatoon 3! But, I'd like to take a small break again, if you'll indulge me. I'd like to provide a quick list of some of the romantic tropes that Pearl and Marina fall into. Yoinked from TVtropes!

Love Doodles: Drawing love symbols and writing initials and names, indicating someone has a secret crush. (I'd argue Marina's doodles of Pearl fall into this trope.)

The Glomp: Tackling and hugging one's love interest tightly.

Interrupted Declaration of Love: Character tries to confess their love for somebody, but is interrupted. (During the final boss of "Side Order".)

Love at First Note: Falling in love with somebody when you hear them sing. (Marina first encountered Pearl when she was practicing her music.)

One Head Taller: A couple where one partner towers over the other partner.

Pitbull Dates Puppy: A rough and tough character (Pearl) falls in love with someone of a softer, gentler nature (Marina).

Please, Don't Leave Me: A character pleads the love of their life not to leave them. (The point of conflict in Splatoon 2's Final Fest.)

Sickeningly Sweethearts: Two people love each other to a sickeningly sweet level. (A sentiment expressed by Acht and Shiver.)

Violently Protective Girlfriend: This girl will not let anyone harm her significant other. (Pearl is very consistently shown with this trait.)

Like an Old Married Couple: Friends bicker and banter the way a married couple might, but without being married. (Seen a lot during Splatfest dialogue.)

There are even more tropes that Pearlina falls into that didn't have a proper label on TVtropes (learning a loved one's language, "it isn't fun without you", having your loved one as your phone or computer wallpaper, etc…), so just know that their story falls into many established romantic tropes.

Which brings us to the grand finale of Splatoon 3; a grand fest! Some may even say, the Grand Fest: Past vs Present vs Future! This was a very unique Splatfest in that each team is represented by a different idol group! Team Past is represented by Callie and Marie, Team Future is represented by Splatoon 3's idol group, Deep Cut, and Team Present is represented by Pearl and Marina! Their team choice is a culmination of the lessons they've learned since their own Final Fest. In Pearl's own words, from the Grand Fest announcement: "Get all you can out of the present, and the future will take care of itself. That's real!" Which prompts Marina to agree, "I can take or leave my past. But my present with Off the Hook means so much to me!"

Indeed, the general theme with Pearl and Marina's promotion of Team Present is that the reason why they love the present is because they love each other, and they love their present with the other. This is displayed no better than in their portions of the song, "Three Wishes."

"Three Wishes" is a song, sung by all of the idols, about why their team choice is important to them. Callie and Marie sing about their past, shared memories, and how far they've come. Shiver, Frye and Big Man of Deep Cut sing about their hope and excitement for the future, and determination to cut down anything that gets in their way. Pearl and Marina, though, have many, many lines dedicated solely to how much they deeply care for each other, and how that makes them love the present.

A good example to illustrate this difference is each team's lines following "Here we stand in time—endless past, present, and future span. / Our wishes are the flame that lights up history." Callie and Marie's are, "All life here is one—intermingled in the hourglass. / No start, no end, it lasts for all eternity." Shiver, Frye and Big Man's are, "Surging down the line—glowing promise we hold in our hands. / Reflecting off themselves to build a guiding gleam." Both being rather directly about the appeal and importance of the past and the future. Pearl and Marina's, though? "In the infinite sea of people passing in the dark, / My brightly burning radiance drew you to me." Not referencing the present as much as their wonder and joy in the fact that, in such a wide world, they still managed to find each other.

Furthermore, in their extended section, Marina sings, "I've been searching, all of my life, / Finally I've found my north star. / My heart's synched up, a satellite, / Orbiting wherever you are." Following this up, Pearl raps, "So your life sucks? Down on your luck? Gotta free yourself, get your mind unstuck. / Let fear push you on through, can do— Use some colors in your palette but blue, / Paint it new!" Her language echoing the way she comforted Marina during their Final Fest, with talk of colors and paint, and the fact that this follows up Marina talking about meeting Pearl, seems to imply that these lyrics are directed at a past version of Marina. The following section being question-and-answer (Marina singing, "When is the moment you should chase your dreams?", and Pearl responding, "It's right now!") seems to reinforce this idea.

After this, they sing together, in order to close out their dedicated section: "Overlapping cycles, binary stardom / Nothing can knock us out of our groove / Overlapping cycles, binary stardom / With you, nothing can stand in my way." But, just in case you thought that would be a really romantic note to end on, don't worry! They have one more shared line, which they sing together near the very end of the song:

"Having you by my side makes today perfect."

That is what they provide us as their closer; their ultimate reason why they live in the present. Why would they want to be anywhere else, when the other is here? This is also represented visually, in the trailer which revealed their outfits; they are not only holding hands, but them holding hands is the central point of the piece's composition. Your eyes are meant to be drawn to it. On top of that, you can see them tighten their grip on each other as the camera pans out, drawing your eyes to that motion. You are meant to see and take notice of the fact that they are holding hands. That is the point. That is their point.

(By the way, one of Pearl's lines in the Japanese version of "Three Wishes" is, "Hey! Give us a stage, romantic, and we'll reminisce in the café." The English translation is otherwise pretty accurate, so I didn't feel the need to provide the Japanese versions of the text, but… yeah, sure. Namedrop a romantic café as the place where you and Marina ("we'll") would reminisce. Why not, at this point.)

Even when they lose, they still manage to make it about how much they love each other! When Marie prompts, "In honor of Team Past's victory, let's hear some of everyone's favorite memories!", Marina is quick to respond, "Mine would be the day I first heard Pearl's voice at Mt. Nantai! Let me set the stage…" (She loves her wife so much. She needs you to know this!) Before she can continue, though, Shiver interrupts: "Um... not sure we have the airtime to go THAT far back. Save it for a podcast." One last time, someone has to shut Marina down before she starts gushing about Pearl, before they go off-air.

And that is the complete timeline of Splatoon, as-of my time writing this!

So, basically, these inkfish are gay. Good for them! Good for them. I mean, if you have Nintendo of America censoring your dialogue for being too queer, and weirdos on Twitter are using you as an example of Nintendo going woke, then you know you've got it made.

Pearl and Marina genuinely love and care about each other so much, it makes me feel ill. They balance each other out in personality, able to banter and tease each other, but they are also both open about how much they admire and cherish the other. Both need the other in their lives, not just as their musical duo partner, but as their life companion. Marina will follow Pearl wherever she goes, and Pearl will protect Marina at all costs. Pearl doesn't find any joy in making music without Marina, her muse, and after being a child soldier for the vast majority of her life, Marina is able to rely on and relax around her precious Pearlie, knowing and trusting that she is safe with her. They are both each other's most precious gift.

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

Hello, can I request Arthur x fem!Reader?

I was thinking of this: reader tries to teach how to play guitar to Arthur but it'll be kinda chaotic,something sweet and fun. I had this idea while listening to Javier singing cielito lindo.

Byee <3

࣪ ˖✧ Musical Interlude

✦ Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader ✦ Warnings/tags: None/pure fluff and silliness. ✦ Words: 1,9k ✦ a/n: Alright here it is, I hope you'll like it! NB: I made Arthur right-handed in this when canonically he seems to be ambidextrous; just thought it would be more convenient this way. As a guitar player myself, I loved writing this! (Arthur's pic is from my playthrough, guitar's pic from interest.)

Lately, life had been a little bit easier at camp. People were well-fed thanks to Mr. Pearson and the boys hunting copious amounts of animals, the swamps right next to Shady Belle providing unexpected resources like shrimps, alligator's eggs, or even 'gators themselves if one was bold enough to hunt them (which was definitely the case for some of the risk-takers in the gang.).

Jack had been saved and safely returned to his mother by John, Dutch, and Arthur a few days ago, and it definitely participated in keeping the mood bright and cheerful since his return party.

You were in a particularly happy mood yourself on this sunny afternoon, sitting on one of the boxes around the main campfire, tents and the usual mess of belongings specific to every camp containing a large amount of people surrounding you, making you feel at home. You liked this heterogeneous gathering of people's stuff; Hosea's book next to Dutch's almost extinguished cigar, little rocks Jack had gathered next to Charle's arrows, a half-eaten plate of stew abandoned there by John next to a letter that was probably Lenny's.

You liked this funny combination of objects; it made the camp feel full of life, homey, and convivial. It made you feel even more joyful.

"Hey Javier, you in the mood for a duo ?" You asked your charming Hispanic companion who had just finished eating on the big log around the campfire, putting his plate away.

"Always, mi princesa." The man happily answered, grabbing his guitar and yours that was carefully tidied just behind his and Uncle's banjo. He handed it to you, a big smile on his face.

You grabbed your instrument and placed it on your lap, left hand naturally placing itself around its neck, fingers pressing on the strings to warm them up a bit. Javier and you had always loved playing together; playing an instrument was already funny in normal times, but with another musician, it was even better. You could share the music, talk with each other in a language known only by artists, respond and play with each other in notes and phrases.

The dark-haired man had started playing an upbeat strumming, a fast, gypsy-like rhythm. You liked it, he was carrying you to allow you to solo on his rhythm. You gladly obliged, little grin on your face as your fingers danced on the neck, your other hand skillfully picking the right string every time, creating a harmonious melody on top of your friend's notes.

Some of the other members had gathered around you to listen, some whistling along as you played. Uncle was having the time of his life listening to you both, clapping his hands in rhythm. In the little group watching the show you were putting on, you noticed Arthur, subtle smile on his face, sipping on a cup of coffee, arms half-crossed. God, he was so beautiful even just like this, on a simple afternoon at camp, blue eyes bright with the light of the sun, light brown hair matching a sandy color flannel he had rolled up his elbows. You almost lost your rhythm when your eyes lingered on his bare forearms, and you quickly focused back on what you were doing, a sheepish little smile on your face.

After a prolonged moment of musical interlude, Javier thanked you and went back on with his day, explaining something about going fishing, which didn't surprise you. You were strumming mindlessly now, playing a little melody that was coming to you on the spot instead of an actual song. Most of the gang members walked off, some started around the campfire with you. Of course, Uncle was the first to sit on the white chair next to Javier's green tent, the old man had almost taken up residence on it; then came Hosea, opening a book as often after lunch, and finally Arthur, who came sitting right next to you on the blue box next to the brown one you were sat on, his cup of coffee left emptied on the floor.

You smiled at him, happy he wanted to rest for a while; it was rare for him to just come and sit by the fire, in fact, you were surprised he was even in camp on an afternoon at all, considering he was almost every day on a job or out hunting, coming back only for dinners and nights.

"Mr Morgan." You welcomed him with a sweet smile. Your mood was even brighter than before with him by your side.

"Miss Y/N..." He greeted you back, shifting a bit on the box, as if he was getting nervous. "You an' Javier play really well..." He began, deep voice drawling, always like he was taking his time to talk.

"Thanks, Arthur!" You claimed, genuinely happy he had liked it. With Arthur's usual poker face, it was sometimes hard to know what he was actually enjoying or not.

"I was wonderin'... Erm... Maybe..." He muttered under his breath, his eyes usually sharp and eager to make eye contact were now running away from yours. You could tell he was embarrassed, that piqued your curiosity and even softened your heart. He looked so cute like this.

"Yes...?" You inquired with an encouraging tone, offering him a reassuring smile, wanting him to understand he had nothing to feel embarrassed for.

"Maybe, you could show me some chords? I always wanted t' learn..." He probed you with a soft and interrogative tone. In a way, you had always liked how he acted more carefully and calmly around you.

"Oh! I would love to, Arthur." Your cheerful answer along with your enthusiasm made him crack up a big smile. Your heart felt lighter at this sight.

You gently offered him your instrument, placing it on his own lap.

"Alright, so. When you're right-handed, you put your left hand on the neck, and your right one on the strings." You explained to him, Arthur placing his hands where you told him, holding your guitar as carefully as if it was a newborn.

"Perfect. Now you need to pinch the strings to make a chord. For that, your fingers need to press this way-" You showed him by gesturing your fingers, curling them in the position they were supposed to have on the guitar. "What's good with you is that you already have calloused hands, so it won't hurt too much when pressing the strings."

Arthur tried to place them as you showed, but every time he tried he kept on letting them fall flat on the other strings; which made you laugh a bit.

"You need to curl them more, Arthur, or else we won't hear all the strings." You instructed him, and he chuckled a bit himself.

"Ah, this is more difficult than I thought..." He confessed in an amused tone, making fun of his own inexperience.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Just... Put them..." You bent over to him and gently used both your hands to make him properly grab the neck, and place his fingers how you wanted. "...This way."

Arthur tried to hold this position but it just felt so unnatural for his hand to be tensed like that. On top of that, your proximity and the soft touch of your fingers against his skin were definitely not helping making him more focused, not even mentioning how he could smell your delicate perfume when being close like this.

"A-Alright... Then ?" He asked you, trying to learn some more and focus back on the instrument, not his owner.

"Then, you strum the strings with your right hand, from up to down at first." You explained head tilted towards said hand, waiting for him to make a move.

Arthur did as you told, his fingers strumming way too hard, resulting in a horrible dissonant chord considering most of his fingers had moved on his left hand. You couldn't hold back a laugh at the sound he had made, and he followed you, feeling so ridiculous right now.

"Ah, damnit..."

"Arthur, you don't have to beat up the damn guitar!" You joked in between giggles, unable to contain yourself at the sight of the great Arthur Morgan struggling to play an instrument.

"This... Damned thing is sneaky; thought it was easy when lookin' at ya..." He mumbled, obviously frustrated by not succeeding, but also still a little amused at himself, the corner of his lips curling in a slight grin.

"Told you, you'll get used to it. You just have to keep playin'..."

As if to prove he could do it, Arthur tried again, but his index finger had moved again and was pinching the wrong string. When he tried strumming again, less softly, the chord began nicely, and both of you smiled triumphantly... Until the last string, when a terrible bum note ruined all his efforts.

You looked into his eyes, mouth trembling as you forced yourself not to burst out in laughter; he looked so frustrated, but the moment his eyes crossed yours, you both succumbed and exploded in a cacophony of laughing.

Hosea and Uncle had turned their head to your improbable duo, the sight of Arthur trying his best but miserably failing at hitting the good notes making them laugh too. Hosea's gaze caught yours, with this small knowing grin so typical of him, and you blushed a bit. Was it that obvious that you were spending the best afternoon trying to teach your beloved outlaw to play your favorite instrument?

"Y/N, I think it's useless, I'm way too shitty at this..." He admitted, a small but deep chuckle escaping from his chest.

"No no no, I told you before, you just need some practice. Look..."

You got up from the box and placed yourself right in front of him, grabbing each of his hands with each of yours. With your right one, you positioned his index and middle fingers properly to play the simplest chord, the E minor.

With your right hand, you gently guided his from up to down, making the tips of his fingers gently brush every string.

The chord finally ended up sounding right from start to finish, and Arthur let out a triumphant and sharp "Ah!", looking genuinely so happy it sounded good. You smiled fondly at him. How could a so violent and rough man look so adorable and goofy right now?

"See? You can do it." You asserted him, looking up at him in the eyes.

"Thank you miss, you did all the work..." He acknowledged, still smiling, the subtlest red covering his cheeks.

In the background, Hosea and Uncle were looking at each other with this specific look that was saying "There's definitely something between these two but we're not going to say anything".

You and Arthur spend another long moment trying to make him learn the simplest chords, those that require only two or three fingers. You two would crack up smile and laugh every time he would play a wrong chord, and honestly, it was the best day for you both in a long time.

As the sun was setting down, Arthur sighed deeply, realizing he hadn't done anything considered productive yet, spending his afternoon playing with you. He slowly handed you back your guitar, a gentle expression on his face.

"Thank you for your patience, darlin'. I don't know how you're dealin' with this awful skills of mine..."

"Come on, you've made some progress! Keep on training, Arthur. I'm sure you'll soon be the most famous player in the West, on top of being its fastest gunslinger. " You encouraged him, face as pleasant and lovely as a sweet peach on a hot summer day.

Your words made Arthur snort a last amused chuckle.

"You're puttin' too much hope on me, Miss." He concluded with an amused smile before leaving you, heart lighter, ideas brighter than when he had begun his day.

Arthur knew he wouldn't be very talented at guitar, but he also was certain he was going to ask you to teach him again some other day, and he would make sure to play more wrong notes, just to have the sweet opportunity to feel your tender touch on him again.

[misshoneyimhome]

500 FOLLOWERS FESTIVAL

“I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’re going to forget that guy's name” I Simon Benoit*

Summary; When Benny sees you talking to your ex-fiancé, leaving you feeling nauseous and angry, there's only one thing he wants and needs to do: make you forget all about him.

Tropes & warnings; Simon Benoit x reader; Smut 18+; oral sex (f receiving - because, of course!), fingering, unprotected sex (p in v), cum inside;

Other notes; So, finally arriving at this next stop for my 500 celebrations! 🥳 As always, thank you so much for participating 🍾 And this one, goes out to the one and only babe, @nylwnder 🤍✨ You wished for some hot, steamy Benny - and I hope I've delivered 💕

Word count; 2.2K

Taglist; @couldawouldashoulda50 @findapenny@justwanderingbutneverlost @cixrosie

➼｡ﾟ

Simon Benoit was way too confident and charming for his own good. Every time you saw him at the rink, he had a crowd around him, effortlessly grabbing attention with his easy smile and quick wit. There was no denying he was funny and, more importantly, attractive—those sparkling grey/blue eyes and that charming grin had definitely caught your eye more than once. But his cockiness? That was something you just couldn’t get past.

It wasn’t that he was unkind or harmful. Actually, he was quite the opposite. Simon always had a kind word for the fans, took time for autographs, and rarely seemed to lose his cool—well, except during the intense hockey matches, but that’s on the ice, so it doesn’t really count. Generally, you found all hockey players overly confident, with Simon being the most of all. His swagger, the way he seemed so sure of himself on and off the ice, was just a bit too much for your liking.

Yet, despite all this, there was something about him that you couldn’t ignore. Maybe it was the way he laughed, a deep, genuine sound that made you want to laugh along with him. Or maybe it was the way he looked at you, with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine—paired with his sweet French-Canadian accent when he spoke. Whatever it was, it was enough to keep him on your mind, even when you had tried to write him off as just another cocky hockey player.

Simon, on the other hand, had been hooked on you even before you volunteered for the Easter Seals Skate event. He had noticed you before, always at the rink, often involved with some kind of MLSE event. But it was at the Easter Seals event that you really caught his attention.

Your smile was wide and infectious, lighting up the room and drawing people towards you like moths to a flame. Your laughter, a sweet melody, echoed through the air, breaking even the most serious faces into grins. And the way you were with the children and the rest of the group—so caring, so patient—had amazed him. He watched as you knelt down to their level, listened to their stories, and cheered them on with genuine enthusiasm. It was clear you weren’t just there to volunteer; you genuinely cared.

Every time Simon saw you interact with the kids, his admiration for you grew, and he couldn’t help but be drawn to your warmth and compassion. There was just something about your demeanour, a quiet strength and kindness that stood out amidst the usual hustle and bustle of the rink. And from that moment on, you were never far from his thoughts.

Especially after the event, later in the evening, when Simon coincidentally met you at a small local coffee shop. He noticed you sitting by the window alone, hands wrapped around a steaming mug, lost in thought. So, gathering his courage, he approached and asked if he could join you. And to his delight, you smiled and gestured to the empty seat across from you.

While you were initially hesitant to get closer to the hockey guys, who often exuded overtly confidence, it was comforting to have a familiar face to share such an emotional day. The truth was, these children and people held a special place in your heart, having grown up with family members facing challenges. So, when the chance came to combine your love for hockey with your dedication to this group of people, it was an easy decision to get involved.

And as the conversation flowed effortlessly, you found yourself suddenly opening up to Simon. You shared stories about your childhood, your passion for helping those in need, and your experiences working in communities where children needed care. You even talked about your failed engagement, something you rarely discussed, and how it had shaped your current path.

Simon listened intently, his eyes never leaving yours. He was genuinely interested, asking questions, and offering insights that made you feel understood and appreciated. And as the coffee date turned into more coffee dates—days turning into weeks—you found yourself eagerly anticipating these informal meetings. You and Simon fell into a natural rhythm, meeting up often and sharing laughter, inside jokes, and a connection that surpassed mere acquaintances.

Furthermore, the flirtation between you two was undeniable. Each encounter left you both buzzing with anticipation and desire. The playful banter, the lingering touches, the way his gaze would linger on you just a moment too long—it all added to the mounting tension. And before long, you were both on the edge of bursting, the sexual attraction almost overwhelming.

___

However, what had seemed to sparkle soon faded one night after a victorious win, when Simon noticed you talking to a man near the rink's exit. From a distance, he observed your expression change from initial politeness to frustration and anger. And by the time the conversation ended, your smile had vanished, replaced by a tight jaw and a steely glare in your eyes. Concerned, Simon hurried through his post-game routine, eager to find out what had upset you.

And as soon as he finished in the locker room, he sought you out. Worry etched across his face; he asked what had happened. With a heavy sigh, you explained that the man was your ex-fiancé, and the encounter had dredged up painful memories, leaving you frustrated and irritated.

Simon's heart didn’t just ache for you; it burned with a fierce protectiveness. He wanted to erase every hurtful word, every painful memory. So, leaning in close, his voice low and determined, he whispered huskily, “I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’re going to forget that guy's name”.

You felt a shiver down your spine as his breath tickled your earlobe, his words and growl causing you to clench your thighs together. Though you hadn’t yet shared that kind of passion with him, you knew you were longing for it. Maybe even more than he did.

And that night, Simon's promise became reality. The moment you stepped into his apartment, the tension between you exploded into a frenzy of heated kisses and urgent touches. Simon's hands explored your body, pulling you closely as he memorised every curve, every sensation of your skin under his fingertips. Clothes were hastily discarded, forming a trail leading to his bedroom, as his lips only parted from yours when absolutely necessary.

Simon tasted exactly as you'd imagined. His kisses were intoxicating, a blend of sweetness and raw desire that made your head spin. Every touch, every caress, ignited a fire within you that only he could satisfy. And completely lost in the moment, you surrendered to the overwhelming passion that had been building between you for so long.

As you entered his bedroom, Simon gently guided you onto the bed. His eyes, filled with lust and need, gazed down at you as he hovered above, his warm breath against your skin murmuring words of desire and reassurance. His hands moved purposefully, exploring every part of you, massaging your breaths as he elicited gasps and moans that fuelled his own arousal.

And he took his time, relishing each moment and sensation. His mouth traced a path of fiery kisses down your body, causing you to arch and writhe beneath him. And when he finally paused at the inside of your thighs, locking eyes with you with a knowing smirk, the anticipation became almost unbearable. Keeping steady contact with you while his breath got closer to your most intimate core, wrapping his strong arms around your thighs, it felt like a floodgate had opened.

His sensual motion with his tongue overwhelmed you with pleasure, each kiss, each lick bringing you closer and closer to the edge. Clutching the sheets on either side of your head, you whispered Simon's name in breathless pleas, your body responding in ways you had never felt before. His skilled mouth worked wonders between your legs, teasing your clit and probing your entrance with his talented tongue. Then adding his long fingers to the mix, he effortlessly slid them inside you, gently stretching you with each determined pump. And it didn't take long before you clenched around his digits, letting your first orgasm wash over you.

"Oh yes," you moaned loudly, eyes shut tight as your back arched, feeling the rush take over, your toes curling and your breath catching in your throat.

Simon felt immensely satisfied with the moans and reactions he evoked from you. And as he continued to explore your sensitive flesh with his mouth, he found himself unable to restrain his own desire. Your honey was so delicious to him, and he eagerly delved deeper, his beard becoming soaked with your juices. Then curling his fingers inside you, increasing his pace, he drove you to another climax, pushing you to the brink of overstimulation.

Your body trembled beneath him, waves of pleasure crashing over you, leaving you breathless and yearning for more. And Simon's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he watched you unravel under his touch. Every gasp, every moan fuelled his desire to pleasure you further, while his own throbbing member begged for attention.

So, with a determined growl, he shifted position, withdrawing his fingers and mouth from your heat to capture your lips in a passionate kiss. The taste of your essence mixed with the heat of his mouth created a heady combination that left you dizzy with desire. Simon's hands roamed your body once more, touching and teasing until you were left trembling beneath him, completely undone. 

"Please," a whisper escaped your lips, fingers gripping firmly in his dark hair. "Please, I want to feel you." And your plea only spurred Simon on.

Kneeling on the mattress, he positioned himself between your legs, leaning over your form. And the anticipation was almost unbearable as his cock stood proudly and ready, droplets of pre-cum glistening. You could feel it pressing against you, and you instinctively arched your hips, silently urging him to fill you. Simon's gaze locked with yours, silently promising what was to come, before he then guided the tip of his length to your entrance, pushed inside and filling you completely.

"Oh," you moaned again, hands gripping onto his shoulders, nails lightly creating indentations in his skin.

It felt heavenly. And as Simon began to rock his hips, the sensation was exquisite—a perfect blend of pleasure and connection that left you breathless. He moved with a rhythm that spoke of experience and care, his thrusts deep and steady, each one bringing you closer and closer to another peak.

Yet, a part of you wanted more. Needed more. And he was eager to give it to you. 

"Ben," you whispered breathlessly, a moan mixed in. "Turn me around."

It was a position you had always enjoyed, and one that gave Simon the power to exert force.

So, with a grin on his handsome face, he withdrew his length, used his strong arms to spin you around, lifted your hips, and entered you again. The new angle was perfect, allowing him to penetrate deeper, each thrust more powerful than the last.

Supporting yourself on your elbows, you felt the intensity growing, Simon's pace quickening as he gripped your hips, his fingers pressing into your flesh. The room was filled with the sound of skin against skin, mixed with your moans and heavy breaths of exertion. You felt completely at his mercy, your skin glistering in sweat mixed with his, each movement sending waves of pleasure through your body.

Your hands clenched the sheets beneath you, back arching as you pushed back against him, matching his rhythm. The connection between you was electric, every motion synchronised, every sensation heightened, as Simon's name escaped your lips in a mantra of desire and need.

Then leaning forward, his chest against your back, Simon's lips brushed your ear as he whispered, "You feel so fucking incredible. I'm never letting you go."

And his words, combined with the relentless pace, quickly pushed you to the brink once more. The pleasure built to an overwhelming peak. And with one final, powerful thrust, you shattered around him, waves of ecstasy crashing over you in an intense orgasm.

"Oh yes!" you moaned louder than expected. Simon had pressed every single one of your buttons, sending your mind into ecstasy.

As you tightened your muscles around his sensitive shaft, Simon followed suit, letting out a deep moan as he released his milk inside you, his body trembling with the intensity of his climax. He collapsed against your back, both of you breathless and spent, enveloped in the aftermath of your shared passion.

Then lying there together, still connected, Simon placed gentle kisses along your spine, his touch tender and soothing. A profound sense of contentment washed over you, the weight of the past lifted and replaced by the warmth and connection you felt with him.

Turning your head, you met his gaze, a soft smile playing on your lips. "I think it worked... I think I've already forgotten his name."

Simon chuckled, wrapping his arms around you, and pulling you close. "Good," he murmured in a deep growl. "Because you're mine now."

Drifting off to sleep in his embrace, you knew this was the start of something beautiful, something worth cherishing with all your heart.

[the-blossica-fan]

Greetings!

I recently got Joe and I put him in the Wilderness since I managed to get ALL the islands and buildings from the 2.0 event.

Of course, he encountered Isolde and that got me thinking. Since players tend to pick and select people into certain teams (ex. Burn Team, Poison team, FUA team, etc...), some characters are often placed on the same team together. In this case, Joe and Isolde tend to be placed in the same team due to their Burn mechanic.

My sister and I discussed about this briefly then she whipped out this drawing:

Joe and Isolde is my sister's BROTP (since she headcannons J as AroAce). She imagined that Joe can smith an amulet that can ward of spirits as a present for Isolde since Isolde has this line:

What do you think Joe and Isolde's interactions would be like especially since they are most likely placed in the same missions by the Timekeeper?

I love the BROTP because I can imagine J calling Isolde bro and after a while, she also calls him bro, the bros 🔥🔥

BEAUTIFUL ART, I love I adore it I devour it, no crumbs left I ATE it. Shootout to your sister for being so epic.

I think Isolde and J would be very distant, mixing in the fact that Spathodea would also be in that burn team, so Isolde would not participate much in the conversations.

J would, of course, compliment and try to talk to her because he's just like that, he talks to girls a lot and means good so eventually, Isolde would start replying to his words with more enthusiasm.

She mentions to him the ghosts and how they affect her daily life and J just can't leave a bro hanging! After hearing about an amulet to ward off the ghosts, he decides to make one for Isolde to gift to her during her birthday and Isolde is ecstatic. Well, it's not noticeable but you can see it in the way her eyes sparkle and her voice trembles slightly.

The ghosts are no longer a problem thanks to J, who offers a fist bump (he had to teach her what it is)

It's quite funny because they're both close friends and drink tea together (he may drink tea but sometimes he drinks plain ol coffee), but there's this motorcycle man and a pretty dainty woman calling each other bro.

J: How's it going bro? Is the amulet working for you?

Isolde: I am doing well, your amulet has granted me peace, now I can truly rest and enjoy life... Bro?

J: BWHAHAHAHAHA YES! Bro!

Isolde is embarrassed once someone points that out because well, not very lady-like words from her, but J appreciates the effort. He did offer to take her on a ride around the wilderness, not the best idea (Nausea took over Isolde)

Now imagine him trying to help Isolde win over Kakania now that she has an amulet and is mentally stable, he gives her the most corny pick up lines while Kakania is like ._.

[mothgodofchaos]

Terror

Damien is absolutely a scaredy cat and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. Also the irony is not lost on me for the reasoning for hating horror movies.

Damien x GN!Reader, TW: none Words: 583

Damien sees you sifting through DVDs on the couch and he groans, wiping his face with his hand.

“It is that day, gosh darn it…”

“Mhmm. You promised!”

“And I am starting to wish I had not…”

He had promised to watch one horror movie with you, which is more than you thought you were going to get from him considering how much he hates horror. You’re not going to be cruel about it since you don’t really want to psychologically scar him, but it’s going to be a little scary. You flip through your DVD binders, looking for a B-rated movie, or something that will hopefully get more laughs than actual scares. 

“Why do you hate horror movies so much?”

“Darling, I saw Jekyll and Hyde when it came out, and after that I decided it was not for me. Not to mention I was not particularly a fan of the idea of one man having an inner battle between two people on whether to be a hero and save people, or a villain that harms innocents.”

“Well, alright. Here, this one didn’t get great reviews and should be a little funny. Ease you into horror.”

Damien sighs with relief.

“I appreciate you not throwing me into the deep end, dearheart.”

“Why would I? I’m hoping this won’t be the only time you’ll watch one of these with me!”

“Oh dear…”

You stand up and give him a quick kiss, putting the DVD into the video player. After the player whirs to life, you return to the couch, throwing a blanket over your legs as Damien sits next to you. On the table is a small spread of snacks, and you pull the bowl of popcorn into your lap. Damien puts a blanket around his shoulders, trying to relax into the couch cushions. His arm rests over your shoulders, and you can feel how tense his muscles are against your skin.

“Deep breaths, Damien. I’ll turn it off if you get too scared.”

“No… I am a grown man. I just- dislike uncanny humanoids…”

“Well you’re not alone, otherwise they wouldn’t use it as the premise for the movie.”

“Fair enough.”

As the movie continues, you hold one of his hands in yours while he uses the other to occasionally hide behind, peeking between his fingers. All things considered, the occasional chuckle at the jokes eases your chances of convincing him into another movie. You do eventually get him to lay his head in your lap, combing your fingers through his hair and turning his head away from the screen when something scary happens on screen, pulling his focus back to you. He opens his mouth for you to drop popcorn in, and he laughs as you comply.

“If this is the treatment I receive just for participating in a scary movie night, perhaps I can be convinced into a second date.”

“Oh can you now?”

“Unless I start shaking in terror at the spooks on screen, I will be alright.”

Damien takes your hand and presses kisses to each of your knuckles, resting your palm against his lips as his attention turns back to the screen. You feel him jump and hide under the blanket as a jumpscare happens, and you can’t help but laugh a little bit as you calm him down again with some scalp scratches. 

“Alright, the monster’s gone, Dames.”

“I dislike the scares immensely.”

“That’s not terribly surprising considering you’re hiding under the blanket right now.”

“Technicalities.”

[judeswhore]

quite literally had a dream about this

but imagine reader is famous and is participating in a charity match. but it’s a bigger one, so they want more exposure, therefore they ask younger players from different clubs, to train the famous people participating in the charity match.

and jude most definitely has a crush on reader, so when tries to teach her some moves, he starts placing his hands on her hips and just in general tries to be close to her.

being his celebrity crush and everyone knows it bc he’s not exactly secretive like he’s always liking ur pics and he’s commented a few times and he’s definitely mentioned u in interviews more than once and now he’s jumping at the chance to meet u. so it’s like an england nt thing that’s being held at sgp during international break so the whole england team is there to help train u and a few others that are doing it and the second jude hears that ur there he’s getting teased by everyone and he’s rushing to find u, offering to help u out personally for the next few days. and he’d flirt with u the whole time, follows u around like a lovesick puppy and all he’s teammates find it so funny but u just think it’s sweet. him showing u how to take penalties and he’s standing behind u w his hands on ur waist to get u to move into certain positions and it’s got u both all flustered being so close together bc u can’t deny also having a huge thing for him. the whole time ur there as well he’d just wna hang out with u, having meals together, meeting at night to watch movies and by the end of it he’d finally find the courage to ask u out on a date

[tubeon]

Have you ever explained Daisy’s lore, or really what she does? SHES SO ADORABLE and I wanna know everything about her

You're asking ME about my OC???? OHG BOOOY!!!!!! I'm too excited Where do I start.

Press read more to know more about HER ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ (it's a lot. I'm not exaggerating)

Warning for heavy religious themes and implied racism/discrimination.

This is Daisyyy and she's my Outlast Trials reagent oc!!! Her legal name is Alice Bell, and her legal birthdate is 12/10/1940 (19 as of now)

She and her parents immigrated from (British) India to America in 1943 to escape the Bengal Famine, going from the west coast to the state of Georgia, where they found a Southern Baptist Community that would be their permanent home, as long as they converted to Southern Baptism.

This is a gated community that's kind of on the outskirts of town, so Daisy grew up sheltered, but she adapted better than her parents did, making friends only with girls (because boys her age were incredibly mean to her) and participating with her church, faith, and community. Her relationship with her parents and older/authority figures was distant, but it was peaceful as she grew up.

Daisy was no pushover around fellow teens, she was loud and funny with her girl friends, and snarky towards boys who were mean, she really liked coming up with sassy remarks. Quarrels hardly went beyond throwing childish insults at eachother. However, tensions against her would rise, she was often blamed for arguments, labeled "rebellious", and lectured to do better, all by older folks. But nonetheless!! She had her best friend Peggy, and her close friend Jane, who was also a child of an immigrant family, coming from China. She didn't belong to the Baptist community, but visited occasionally from the Ranch she worked for, often on horseback. Daisy really liked Jane and the horses, not so much the boys that came with her.

Over the years, Daisy would become really close to Jane, and even though Daisy wasn't allowed to visit the ranch, and Jane wasn't allowed in the community, they often met in the middle throughout the week.

This made her just a little more distant to her church, something that didn't go looked over despite her genuine faith and achievements within it. It wouldn't help that, at some point, while arguing with one of the Ranch boys, her best friend Peggy's anger would boil over and she would slap the boy so hard he fell straight to the ground. Long story short, the father of the Ranch got pissed, and even though Daisy hadn't done anything, she got in trouble.

Gossip flies around fast in a small community, and with the strain on everything that wasn't her friends, Daisy was encouraged to go into the city by the Pastor. She could be like a missionary, spreading the word of God and their small community, just on a smaller scale. She was told it would strengthen her faith, and her relationship with God, since she had been so "disobedient". Daisy was almost 19 at this point, and was expected to do this by herself.

Daisy was so ashamed that she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to her friends or parents, leaving just a letter behind. She wanted to say goodbye to Jane, but on the day she packed, Jane didn't show up.

In the city, it didn't take long for Daisy to hear about a charity event, thinking it was a good place to meet nice people, she'd go to the address listed on the posters. And that's how she gets to the Sinyala Facility!! ^_^

Daisy has never been in that kind of environment OBVIOUSLY but she adapts in her own way, even keeping her wits. Through the mansion and through the few trials she does, her expertise is in hiding. Daisy is much smaller than the average girl her age, making it easy to get through cramped spaces or hide in unconventional spots. She is hardly a team player though, she is willing to help people where she can, mostly through finding medicine, or distracting ex-pops with bottles or other red herrings, but she hardly participates in completing the tasks given. She refuses to fetch keys out of corpses or deliberately hurt the victims (i.e. Snitch) she isn't strong or athletic, so she avoids detection at all costs. Better at finding keys on a pedestal and tinkering with the generators.

In her first couple trials, she'd be caught twice. First time, she was running in the dark and bumped into a small grunt, she was able to get away because she had scared the grunt, but when the adrenaline washed away she realized her face had been cut up, likely from that encounter. Shes actually pretty okay about it, and it leaves a fork-like scar on her face. The second time, she'd be caught by Coyle. In this scene he'd grab her by her hair, pulling and then throwing her against the floor, and as he goes to pull her up from her hair again, she grabs a bottle, first smashing it into his head, and since he didn't let go, then stabbing the remains of it into his ribs, leaving it there as he drops her. That's the first but not the last time she'll barely escape him.

After she's done with those trials, she moves onto Gooseberrys trials, onto Cleanse The Orphans. I go into real detail abt this one its IMPORTANT. She does this trial with 3 others like she always has, but one of them is important her name is Mincemeat and SHE'S IMPORTANT!!! Daisy actually does decently well early into the trial, and although she's not fond of the Gorey Nuns, she prevails. She feels bad for taking a cross necklace from one of them, but now she has one. She's able to sneak around to radios, and she can work better as a teammate with the reels.

The problem is when they get to the chapel, Mincemeat has done this before and it shows in the b-line she makes to break the jukebox, and soon the jesus victim comes forward. Daisy is taken aback, but her first thought is to try and save him. That's what the keys are for. She convinces the other two reagents that's what they have to do, is free him. Mincemeat encourages Daisy to go into the basement with her to get the generators taken care of, and the other two can find keys.

As they finish up down there, Mincemeat tells her to stay until she makes sure it's safe upstairs. Daisy is hesitant but agrees, and finds one of the few rooms with light in that basement. And then the screaming starts, and all she can do is curl up and cover her ears until it fizzles out, and Mincemeat comes to get her.

She tells her not to look as they come up, but Daisy looks anyways and it's absolutely ungodly. She starts to go catatonic and before Mince can tell the other reagents to wait, one of them presses the button on the podium. It's raining blood now, it's great. One of the reagents rush to the doors to get out of the chapel, when Gooseberry comes through and immediately drills a hole through their eye and head, killing them instantly. The three take this time to rush past, with Mince trying to guide Daisy as best she can. In their rush to the shuttle, the other reagent somehow gets sliced up, he's still running but he's bleeding profusely. Ex-pops are still pursuing them, so once they reach the shuttles, Mince would shove Daisy into it.

Now they're safe, but it's far from calm. Daisy is sobbing while she's down on the ground, Mince tries to say sorry and pick her up but she just screams and crawls away. She doesn't know what to do, but the other reagent begs her to get into her seat because he's bleeding out. Daisy takes a moment, but gets into the seat to be restrained and brought to evaluation.

After she's brought back to the sleeproom, Daisy goes to her room, tears off the night vision goggles from her head, and refuses to participate in trials and any social activities. Through Dorris' lore we know it's possible to stay out of trials indefinitely, thanks to people on the inside. This is also the case for Daisy, though she doesn't know it.

Daisy goes into a far more reserved and "childish" state after these events, and stays in her room to draw, read, make her own clothes out of blanket or cloth scrap, and pray. Another thing she did was try her best to keep track of the days. She did this by paying attention to the guards and their shifts. This is all she did for awhile until Mince became her friend, and later another reagent named Soro. This is actually the time where she would introduce herself as Daisy.

She isnt a preachy type, but she really sinks herself into her faith, and would mention to Mince how she believes that this facility is something prompted by God as a sort of "Preview" into what hell is, and what awaits for sinners. It's a test of faith for her. She thinks as long as she keeps faith, she can escape this place one way or another.

Her character and story DOES develop past this but I'm debating whether or not I wanna make comics for her sooooo,

TLDR: Daisy was raised southern baptist and got reeeally traumatized after Cleanse The Orphans and now she's an even more timid girl with a tight bible belt. She has at least two friends though YIPPEEEAAAA

[splatoonpolls]

SPLATOON OC TOURNEY THIRD PLACE

TAMI THE RUTHLESS AND VALIANT CREATURE FROM MUNI ERO KAIYO BY @wyrm-in-a-closet VS MADDY MEDUSA BY @anemonequeen VS PUMPKIN BY @judithan-xing

PROPAGANDA

TAMI

An inkling born to ordinary parents who worked at Gone Fission power plant. However, a salmonid big run happened in the area, and because Grizzco didn't yet exist, it had to be abandoned, and Tami's parents were killed. Tami herself, who was also there, was badly injured and lost her right arm, was found by some salmonids, but because she was a young inkling the salmonids didn't know what she was and so instead of killing her took her home. She then spent almost her entire life growing up with the salmonids, and became a very skilled fighter, but also starting a band with a couple other salmonids. They make music that's like horrible to listen to and will overestimate you. Once she was 14, she joined the war on salmonids on the side of the salmonids. Over time Grizzco expands and poses a larger and larger threat to the salmonids, so Tami decides that she's going to go try and put a stop to it, because she's the only one who could make it to inkling civilation without being killed, although that doesn't change the fact she didn't know the language, culture, or anything. After spending several nights on the streets of splatsville, Tami is found by Tide, an octoling who's been living there for some time. Tide takes Tami under their wing, despite them knowing nothing about each other. Over the next few months Tide teachers Tami inkling language, has Tami participate in battles (where she fuckin rocks at it bc she's been literally trained for war), all while Tami searches for more info on Grizzco, but unfortunately nobody knows shit about it. Finally she happens across Cuttlefish and eventually falls into Alterna, where she has no idea what's going on until eventually wow Mr. Grizz is there. She fucking kills him and then just kinda leaves without really joining the squidbeak splatoon she just wanted to kill Mr grizz. Anyways then she and Tide probably go back to salmonid or something I haven't really figure this out. Sorry for the text wall

MADDY

oc posts

my splat3 sona! shes a funny anemone girl she's the heiress to the throne of a not-so-distant region called Choralia, populated by mostly sea anemones. She's in hiding though, since she doesnt want the responsibility of being queen and she's strictly anti monarchy she has a purple clown fish named perseus who's constantly acting like she still wants to be the heiress moved to the splatlands from reef city, the capitol of choralia she constantly has her headphones blasting loud music as a form of stimulation. she enjoys the vibration she runs a music store in splatsville called Medusa's Temple, but it's barely open cause she's out playing turf war and napping

PUMPKIN

He's a pro-rank turf war player who had to drop out after his mom's death - resulting in a steep decline in performance and attendance. Eventually he tried to get back into the swing of things by trying to steal equipment from Spyke. Doesn't work, he gets caught and is instead recruited to become Spyke's errand boy and bodyguard. Please vote for my squid son!! Him and Spyke are gay and in the most toxic bodyguard/overlord relationship ever seen in Inkopolis. Local pro-league sniper has had the worst fuckin life imaginable, he is but a pathetic little meow meow of a squid (but will kill you for realsies)

[dumist]

Hey! Your bunch of people who for some reason likes to watch people of age doing strange things in a game of cubes.

Directly from a Brazilian who accompanies or accompanied the New QSMP participants, here is a short summary of what to expect from the BRs.

Forever - he's been on youtube for a while, in his minecraft content, the guy is a real chaotic, who loves to make amazing constructions like a philza's style and laugh. he will probably go around spreading the "brazilian word" and that it will probably just randomly appear in the house of other members friendily bothering them. Also, don't be surprised if he calls philza just Brunin, it's a joke between us BR that I'll let Forever explain

Tazercraft (Pac and Mike) - Or those two are one big double package! been on youtube for a long time, and had a big hit with their RP series "herobrine the legend",quote this series to a 19 or 20 year old brazilian and they will probably freak out at you. Pac and Mike have a very cute platonic couple dynamic, BUT THEY ARE JUST FRIENDS! them content is very family friendly, but that doesn't stop both of them from being great in RP and causing a lot of chaos.

Cellbit - Hold on to your chairs, Cellbit is one of the biggest Brazilian stremers, his focus is far from minecraft, in fact, the last time we saw him play was with Tazercraft around 2016, him main focus is on its tabletop RPG universe, which has a huge and somewhat passionate fanbase. BUT! this does not mean that the guy is bad at minecraft, he is a true mad scientist around 2012 when he still had his focus on minecraft, created things that drove the public crazy. his content is not pg, in addition to being a very experienced actor thanks to his RPG, if Cellbit fails in the RP, expect a very well written character.

Felps - a great streamer too, with a focus on varied gameplays, I admit he's the one I know least. i can say that he is not the best minecraft player, but he is a very funny, loving and patient person. expect to see him being dragged around by cellbit, pac and mike while they all know the server, also, felps is known to be random, so expect very unusual situations

[cloudmancy]

not to rekindle old discourse if you've moved on, but i was listening to you & @kindlespark's interview on the complicated women podcast / have enjoyed reading your fhjy posts and wanted to ask your thoughts on why the beginning of the season felt so promising to you? i enjoyed the premiere and the premise of the stresses of 11th grade/the rat grinders as foils, but as the season continued i started to feel disillusioned - it seemed less and less like an interactive/collaborative story (cassandra's death, fig's quest to rehabilitate ruben, the ratgrinders being really hard to find/interact with in general) and more of a tour through some unsatisfying callback easter eggs (i simply don't care about porter and it kind of felt like not even emily did). imo the ratgrinders were set up to fail as a narrative concept ever since the bad kids got mad at them for grinding and brennan just sheepishly grinned and shrugged at the camera, and while i share your disappointment that there was no coming together/addressing the root academic injustices that plagued both the bad kids and the ratgrinders, i don't think it was as surprising to me, as the season had already felt too filled with bits/joking around to be that dramatically tight - ironically, i think they got too bogged down in roleplaying scholastic tedium. i tend to come to d20 with a mindset of like, this is primarily a comedy and if they end up producing a satisfying narrative arc, great (and they certainly have achieved this in the past), but i don't think it's a coincidence that most d20 seasons are regarded as having unsatisfying endings - i think it's an incredibly hard thing to do in a ttrpg setting, even for professionals, especially so if their instincts are more towards comedy. they are great artists and improvisers, but evidently that doesn't mean they can't fail to cohere, and i think this season suffered from a lack of investment in narrative all around - brennan not being as flexible with the plot as he's been in the past, the players i think (some anyway) feeling a little tired of these characters and playing them as more chaotic/violent than usual (kristen's random nudism, fig's truancy, gorgug's hatred/bullying of maryann, fabian threatening to skin ivy). idk, i'm just rambling at this point - my overall message is that i'm in agreement that the finale was a letdown, but i'm curious as to how you thought the promising themes interacted with the story/performances in the earlier parts of the season, cause when i look back at it i don't see a unified vision, just some individually interesting pieces that never seemed to fit together, and i don't think i just feel that way in hindsight, but am open to other perspectives (disclaimer that obv this is all opinion and subject to debate)

here are sam's thoughts on it!

ok my thing is that 1) i love porter as a villain and i don't think the twist takes away from his character; i think brennan tied him to ankarna REALLY well and with genuine thought. the lore drop scene in the temple was genuinely chilling and very very cool to me and brennan clearly set up a lot of lore around it that was interesting and not just funny bc fig thought he was bad the whole time. i think porter is a great character and had the bad kids engaged with his philosophy of rage and not had ice feast completely nullify his threat he could've been a really compelling villain. 2) i genuinely had hope for the rat grinders because of brennan's insistence to make npcs like eugenia talk about them as foils, the fact that they used to be the high-five heroes, and the fact that he made them closer to unwilling participants than actual villains. seemed like genuine threads of complexity that the bad kids just didn't pick up on, but i also clearly was fooled bc that brennan didn't react to fig's attempts to convert ruben shows that he wasn't really prepared to have the final battle as anything but tbk vs trg 😭 i think the downtime system was actually really fun and effective at portraying both scholastic tedium while also embellishing the themes (rage tokens!!) 3) this probably wasn't made clear in the ep but i didn't expect d20 to write a perfect thematic story about addressing systemic injustices; i just wanted them to give me any kind of thematic acknowledgment in the battle at all and not just with ankarna. i am very aware that im always reading into the subtext of d20 seasons--that lament is more for the subtext that Could've Been. i agree with you about everything you've said wrt ttrpg settings and lack of narrative investment, but i had higher hopes because fhsy and tuc are so much better with their themes and the themes brennan appeared to be setting up seemed so… obvious to me…. it had me ignoring all the red flags 😭

[mqsi]

Hi, could you do where Barça calls the reader, Pedri's girlfriend, to participate in a video with him (like that video with Pedri and Ansu where you only have 7 seconds to respond) I would like something funny and cute, please . Thanks

Hii, I hope I did a good job with this, it was kinda tricky to write🫶🏻

——————————————————————————

You just got back home from Uni and was waiting for Pedri to arrive so you can have lunch together. He soon walked in the living room, greeting you with a kiss and a wide smile.

“Is there a reason you’re so happy?”

“Yep, you’re going to Camp Nou tomorrow with me so we can film a video”

“What?” you asked, a bit confused by this statement.

“The team wants you to be in one of those videos Barca posts on youtube”You were excited but nervous as well because you didn’t know what to expect from this.

Tomorrow morning, Pedri and you drove to Camp Nou where a film crew and some other players met with you. You greeted everyone with a smile before being seated on one of the high chairs. Pedri sat beside you and it seemed as only the two of you will be in this video.

“Alright, we are doing never have I ever today” one of Barca crew members said.

You glanced at Pedri who was biting his lip and waiting for further instructions.

“I will read questions and you each have to answer. You’ll count on your fingers and the first who puts down all of them, loses”

You both nodded and the game started.

“Never have I ever used someone else’s toothbrush”

You made a face “Omg no” and turned to Pedri but he was looking at you and trying to suppress a smile. You watched him slowly put down one finger.

“Pedro, what?”

“IT WAS YOURS” he yelled and you turned to the camera with your mouth wide open.

“We were on vacation and I forgot my toothbrush so I used yours until I bought the new one next morning” he admitted and you just sighed “next”.

“Never have I ever lied about kissing someone”

You looked down at your feet and put a finger down, avoiding Pedri’s eyes.

“Why and who” he said laughing.

“You” you said turning to him, a slight blush covering your face. Pedri was smiling at you with his eyebrows raised.

“After our second date I told one of my friends that you kissed me cause she was telling me we’re not gonna end up together cause you were taking too long with the kiss”

“I was just shy!” Pedri defended himself “Alright enough of that, next”

“Never have I ever not worn underwear on a night out”

This one was done without any words, just you putting down a finger and Pedri side eyeing you, both of you knowing damn well how that night ended.

“Never have I ever forgotten where I parked my car”

Pedri put down a finger almost immediately, shaking his head left and right and you started laughing at the memory

“It was our vacation and we were searching for the Mini EVERYWHERE. It ended up being on a totally different end of the place. I guess this counts me in as well” you said, placing down a finger. The game went on quite long before you both came down to just one finger.

“Okay, last question, this one decides the winner. Never have I ever gone nude in public”

You shook your head no but Pedri yelled at the crew “NOT FAIR, that was intentional!”

Other boys that were watching this behind the camera started laughing hysterically.

You turned to your boyfriend “Pedro, is there something you need to tell me?”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell her bro” Gavi yelled from behind the camera and Pedri sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Gavi and I made a bet one time about some goals I don’t even remember now. I lost and.. well had to run in the middle of the pitch here, naked. The whole team saw that INCLUDING Xavi”

By the time he finished the story, everyone including you was laughing and making fun of Pedri.

“Well, that makes me the winner” you said, celebrating the win with Pedri’s goal scoring celebration and kissing him on the cheek.

——————————————————————————

[zorubark]

I wish Pokémon had a online mode or maybe even in game mode where you could be some sort of gym leader

In this mode, you would choose a type to specify in and you can only use Pokémon of that type, players(who can use any type of pokemon) can challenge you, if they win, they get a badge you customized(kinda like the League Card exchange in SwSH).

Outside of the multiplayer mode, maybe in the post game you could become a gym leader, I would personally inspire it in things like the battle Tower(another SwSh example), Battle Tree from Alola, etc, where you battle many challengers, it would be funny if sometimes the challengers were your rival who without warning you is trying to become a champion again, the champion, who is just there to test you, Red, because I miss adult Red from Sun and Moon, please come back

I think becoming a champion is cool but it would be nice if the mainline pokemon games where to let you dive into other niches as your main thing, imagine a game where you can participate in pokemon contests and that can be your main thing, you use the gym badges as decoration or something lol

[rebelrayne]

Hi, I'd like to request something if that's okay. Which litg athletes do you see competing in olympics this year or maybe next four years? And which ones do you NOT see competing? I hate sports but I have a weakness for athletes, especially certain litg ones.

I can see Levi doing it this year, maybe Jamal (my baby daddy) this or next one. And I think Dylan and Arlo would be too cancelled to participate. What do you think?

Hi Anon! I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer this but I'll give it my best shot! I am not well-versed in sports so hahaha I kind of got a little unserious in some parts.

These are the Islanders that I came up with that are athletes (in some form or it is their job): Levi, Reese, Rahim, Henrik, Jakub, Jo, AJ, Tai, Dylan, Arlo, Pete, Jamal, Lewie, Chloe, Hazel, Logan, Jack, Sophie and Jude. Yes, Kat is a club dancer but I wasn't sure if I could count that with Chloe and Hazel, but I guess on a technicality she could be here, too.

Below the cut this is so long haha

Season 1

Levi - Would probably more likely be coaching at this point in his career. He'd be 32 and had made a name for himself, but ultimately stepped down to further himself in coaching. Could also see him being a commentator, too.

Reese - That mf isn't retiring until they say he's not allowed on the team anymore. Sadly, I don't think wrestling is too popular but I could be wrong. Like he'd pitch a fit and claim they were just against him or something. He'd be there (unfortunately for us).

Season 2

Rahim - Might be out of his prime now. I mean, we know he's good at what he does and all, but this is a pretty competitive sport and when newbies come in, they tend to take it by storm for a while. He's probably just playing the circuit.

Henrik - Yeah, he was a climbing instructor but there's sport climbing. I don't see him doing the Olympics though. He's pretty down to earth, probably not interested in making it his job in this way. He'd rather spread knowledge and love of climbing to others through teaching.

Jakub - lmao as if this big-headed buffoon would miss out on weightlifting or something. Like he's too stupid to be cut from the team anyway. Send him an email and he still flies to the Olympics because he can't read idk

Jo - She would qualify under Cycling BMX Racing and I think she would have done it before. I'm not sure if I'd believe that she's at this one though. She's older, probably settled down or at least doing something related and not racing as seriously anymore?

Season 3

AJ - Definitely there. Loves competition, a great team player. She's 100% playing Field Hockey at the Olympics and I love that for her.

Tai - So technically I think Tai is a rugby coach not a player? Maybe I'm not remembering that though. I think he would be more likely a coach than a player for this Olympics though personally. He has the personality to be tough but also inspirational.

Season 4

Dylan - Definitely did not make the roster after his S4 mishaps. They were so embarrassed that they ghosted him. Left him on read when he asked about how to put in an expense report to get money back for his flight and whatever because no one contacted him about flying with the team. His teammates all blocked him on social media except one, and they didn't only so they could see his profile and laugh about what a loser he is :)

Season 5

Arlo - I mean, I don't know if she got canceled sadly. She was doing what everyone on Love Island does and I can't really blame her. I think she was probably given the opportunity to try out for the team, but that doesn't exactly mean she made it. She was Semi Pro, which means she wasn't the best out there anyway.

Pete - Tried out to be on the sport climbing team, fell on his ass and still has a bruise on his tailbone eight months later. BYE.

Season 6

Jamal - Please, they probably invited him personally to be on the team. He's got such a great energy and he's funny. He'll be there for sure and is definitely medaling.

Lewie - I mean this is a big sport. Did he try out? Sure. Did he make it? Maybe. Football is a massive sport and you're going up against the best in the entire league. I'm going to stick him in the maybe but probably not.

Season 8

Logan - Does anyone even remember this guy? I mean, like, I picked him at the last recoupling and I still forget his ass exists. That's probably what happened if I'm honest. He tried out, the coaches forgot that he had and he never got a call. Aw, poor Logan. Maybe he should try being more memorable next time.

Jack - Oh, he tried. He tried and failed. They laughed and were like, no this is serious not just a hobby. But they invited him to be a Physio for the team so all in all, a win for Jack. (He fangirls over the cyclists when he sees them).

Sophie - I think she tried out and as annoying as she was, she may have made the cut for Acrobatic Gymnastics (is that a thing still? idk). Kinda hope she sprains her ankle as she walks up to the mat or whatever, but I'm kind of a terrible person so.

Season 9

Hamish - yes. If being annoying and obnoxious was a sport. I love him, but he would win the gold. No competition. Though he does play golf now......damn, is there anything he can't do????

Jude - Okay yeah he would be there but the last time it was held was 2021 so I guess it would be next year if it was every 4? Not sure on this but there is a Motor Sports category. You go, Jude! Even though you're kind of a dick and weirdly obsessed with Kat in my game.

[umaia3aurart]

What are your thoughts over the Japanese dub of the transformer prime series? Or any tf series!

I kinda love the second opening song of the primverse

OH! This is gonna be a long post! Let me talk a lot PLSSS!! 🥺👉👈

I love the original TFP dub but I also dig the Japanese version! I often enjoy comparing the differences between them!

A lot of popular voice actors in Japan participate in the show. Some of them even did voices in the “BEAST WARS” series, which had a big fanbase in my country.

The biggest difference between the original and the Japanese version is that the latter makes a few adjustments to the characters to make them more distinctive and child-friendly. They even added some comical lines that weren’t in the original to make it more mild and relatable for children. Because the original had some pretty serious moments. So in the Japanese version, Starscream and Airachnid turned out to be the funniest characters…

Similarly, “BEAST WARS” also underwent some comical changes for similar reasons. And because of that, the show was a hit with Japanese kids back in the day. So in TFP, I'd say they also gave a nod to fans who grew up watching it.

But as you can imagine, these changes have divided opinions among fans in Japan. Tbh, I understand how both of them feel about it because I love the original vibes! That being said, the Japanese dub has a lot of adorable moments that don’t exist in the original version! Let me pick up MY BOY BREAKDOWN as an example!!!!

He has a funny childish demeanor and talks more than in the original dub. His favorite phrase is “壊すの大好き!(I love breaking things!)”

In “Deus Ex Machina,” the episode of his first appearance, he says, “あー��ーごめーーーーん！！(AAAHHH I’M SOOOORYYYYYY!!!)” to Knock Out when he accidentally hits his partner's face with his hammer!

In the next episode, “Speed Metal,” when Starscream scratches Knock Out’s paint as a punishment, Breakdown breaks the fourth wall and speaks to kids in front of the TV, saying “みんなぁ！ いじめはダメだぞぉ！(HEY YOU GUYS!! BULLYING IS WRONG!!)” AWW IT'S SO ADORABLE!! HES 100% A NICE GUY lmao

And surprisingly, he even sings a song sometimes... If you don't believe me, please check out “T.M.I” and “Operation Bumblebee part 2” 🥺

And Our Knock Out is even more of a narcissist than in the original. He always praises himself for how beautiful he is. He usually uses polite Japanese when talking to others, but sometimes he talks to Breakdown casually! I love how the difference in his behavior signifies that Breakdown is special to him as a friend! ( ꈍᴗꈍ) <3

In addition, the voices of Optimus and Megatron both sound younger than in the original! On the other hand, Bulkhead sounds older than in the English version. That's interesting! Oh, and did you know? Wheeljack speaks just like a samurai! This change is probably due to his two-sword style.

I especially love Japanese Ratchet. The voice actor is Nobuo Tobita, who has played many TF characters until now. His voice is really soft and gentle! Besides, he also voiced Scourge in Rise of the Beasts! Wow, he has a wide range of acting! I’m a long-time fan of his!

Oh, speaking of ROTB, let me mention Japanese Mirage’s voice actor, Shingo Fujimori! He’s a famous comedian, and his comedy style is acting like a player and a party person (or someone like that… it’s difficult to explain). He shouts things like “YOOO! GIRL, YOU’RE SO PURDYYY!” So he really fits the character of Mirage!

Oh! And you listened to “TRANSFORMERZ” by M-flo? I like the song too! The original opening theme of TFP is magnificent, so you all might be surprised at the gap between them, but such an anime style is not bad, right? It's interesting how we find different styles in different countries!Unfortunately, the show was only broadcast in Japan up to seasons 2. I wish I could have seen the entire series dubbed in Japanese...😭

I really talked for quite a while, sorry! Thank you for the question, and for taking the time to read!