#its the Mayor who can't cook

[amazingdeadfish]

Day Nineteen: Chaos

Cooked together once in Macaque's kitchen to try and make pancakes. Never again.

[satoruyes]

co-parent bakugou .2

katsuki bakugou x nb reader (previous part)

(cw: smut, angst, kids, arguing, verbal abuse)

when bakugou comes back from his morning walk he goes into the kitchen to see raya over the stove cooking breakfast. “hey babe, goodmorning,” she turned to face him, “i'm sorry about last night; i was just upset.”

he nods and goes to their bedroom and gets undressed. raya, not being satisfied with his reaction, pauses breakfast and follows him up. she sneaks up behind him and runs her hand down his bare back. “i said i was sorry babe, you have to forgive me.” he turns around to face her.

“you know my dad doesn't like it when we argue.” he hated that. he hated it when she used her dads position as leverage. with rayas’ dad being the mayor and all; she’d grown to be a spoiled brat. sure he had the skill to be a pro-hero but maybe not the funds. his parents weren't exactly the richest in the world. so of course his wife offered to let her dad take care of it. just like that- pro-hero dynamite had his own agency.

he swallowed hard, some spit along with his pride and sighed, “yea, ‘m sorry bout last night. i wasn't in the best head space." raya smiled, and played with the waistband of his boxers. “it's okay lovebug, now just lay back and let me take care of you.” he stood there quietly and watched her. watching as she knelt down, pulling down his boxers as she did. taking his semi-hard dick into her hands then licking the tip while working her hand up and down his full length. she kind of falters at noticing he isn't getting hard as quickly as he usually does. “did you jerk off already today or something?” he lies and shakes his head yes as she stands up. “or maybe you just can't get hard for me anymore.” she says jokingly, and katsuki forces a laugh. unsure of what was causing the problem.

__

by the time you get up it's nearly 1pm, woken up by your antsy little toddler who you let sleep in your room for night. you get up then go do your morning routine. (accompanied by your curious toddler of course) when you finish both of your morning routines you go towards the kitchen to make your cereals of choice. you go up to your room to grab your phone and see a text from bakugou. “When can i see my kid again” you sigh and reply telling him he can come over today. he likes the message and lets you know that his wife will be tagging along as well. great.

they get to your house around 3pm. you welcome them in and take them to the living area. bakugou mentions he brought something over for hana and went back to the car. leaving you and raya alone. you sit there kind of quietly while hana is wearing headphones watching her tablet. raya observes the girl, “hm.. are you even sure its his? she looks a little.. slow,” she says nonchalantly. you stare in disbelief at her, shocked she’d even say that straight to your face. “excuse me?”

“its a cute baby of course, kats’ genes really tried their best but..” she pauses “i can just imagine how pretty our baby girl is gonna be- you know with that being said, i'd really appreciate it if you kind of backed off. he needs to be an attentive father to our baby, not yours. i don't need to be worried about some desperate baby momma.’’ you scoff, you had enough of this wench disrespecting you and your child in your own home. without thinking you end up over your coffee table landing a smack across her face. she yelps in pain and hold her face like it was the most precious thing ever. “what you are not about to do is come up in my house and disrespect me and my daughter. you can get the fuck out.”

she immediately ran outside to katsuki, leaving you alone with a dumbstruck hana. you ignored the little girl's curious expression and just simply ran your hands through your hair. it wasn't too long after before you heard daunting footsteps headed your way. “what the fuck did you do? yer gonna let me bring my wife up in here just to disrespect ‘er? why the fuck of all people are you calling her a tramp ‘nd sayin she got sloppy seconds? of all people. i'm trying real hard to be in my daughter's life but yer being a real bitch about it.” without letting you say anything he drops a gift bag and leaves. leaving you once again, and leaving you speechless.

__

later that night you drop your daughter off with her grandparents and go see your old friend, eijirou kirishima. you two usually caught up at least once a month. drink a little, laugh a little, indulge a little. he's been such a great friend, so supporting and always there for you. even occasionally watching hana for you. but today you two are all alone, and both a little too drunk for either of your liking. it starts off with friendly peckish little neck kisses, short playful pecks on the lips. nothing you two haven't explored before.

but tonight something was different. you expressed to him how stressful things were today with what happened with katsukis wife. he told you he’d make you feel better and you just kind of brushed it off. but now it's hard to brush it off when he's knuckles deep inside of you, working his fingers deeper and deeper inside. you just throw your head back against his plush couch letting the pleasure take you away. “eijirou.. please,” you whine. he shoots you a toothy grin with half hooded eyes. “please what? you can use your words, i know you can.” you whine more while he works his fingers into your special spot. once you finish he pulls out grinning; leaving you blissed out with arousal apparent by his print visible.

he gets you a ride home, both too intoxicated to drive anywhere. he opens the door for you then hugs and kisses you goodnight. you get home and go to sleep.

when you wake up the next morning your head is pounding and your phone is blowing up. the most alarming test came from your mother

: “How could you be so stupid?”

: “Letting the press see you getting so personal with someone”

: “Theres photos of you and that Kirishima boy going around of you kissing”

you dont get why it was such a big deal. you didn't even care, with your parents being famous pro-heroes everything you've done since birth has been documented. it's tiring and after your daughter's birth you stopped caring. Doing whatever you wanted regardless of the paparazzi, but them following you over to kirishima's house was ridiculous. The second text you read was from bakugou;

: “Out of all of my friends you go for him?”

: “You didnt feel the need to tell me about this?”

: “Really ??? Eijirou? Has he been around Hana?”

you got kind of upset at his messages more than you did your mom. what did it matter to him, he doesnt get to control who you talked to. he’s not your boyfriend nor your dad. you leave him on read and you scroll through your twitter feed. filled with photos of you and kirishima kissing. “PRO-HERO MIYU and YUIKA SUZUKI CHILD CAUGHT MAKING OUT WITH PRO-HERO RED RIOT” you sigh and almost turn your phone off but see another set of messages from bakugou, was he jealous?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Lilia, Epel: Blessing Givers, Curse Breaker

Lilia’s vignettes continue to be gold! He “humble” brags about how his voice is great, he’s sooo adorable, and such an ikemen… (Apparently he realized he was cute because people would give him free stuff and help on his travels and when he first came to NRC!) Best part was definitely when Lilia described cooking for his dorm members and they were “so touched” that they bowed their heads, covered their faces, and/or cried 💀 NOT THEM PUTTING A PICTURE OF MALEFICENT DRAGON FORM ON LILIA'S BIRTHDAY CARD… His vignettes also mention having the strength to overcome “a curse” 😭 Cruel reminders of the tragedy that unfolded in his past, and bis unfulfilled search for a cure for Silver... TWST devs, you sickos/j

A Tale as Old as Time.

Three fairies crowded around a cradle, its curtained hood up to obscure the infant within. Green, pink, blue—each was dressed in a particular color. They glanced at the baby and at each other, mouths agape to discuss their blessings.

Safeguarded within the platinum frame was a celebration of life and a future yet to be told. The fragile start of a brand new story.

Lilia wanted to protect it himself.

“Looks like some fancy shindig.” The remark came from Epel, who gazed upon the same painting. "Erm... I mean, party. That is what it is, right...?"

"They've come to bestow gifts upon a newborn princess. Royal affairs can be a bit stiff, I'm afraid. Can't even show up to one without an invitation! Some hosts are just sticklers for tradition and protocol."

"Oh, I got it!" Epel visibly perked, cheeks appling with pink. "It's a different kind of gathering. Back home in Harveston, they're a lot more informal. Family and all the neighbors coming by with plates of warm food, a makeshift band and folks dancing, catching up by the fire... It's so lively."

Lilia’s lip curled, the corners lifting into a slight smile. "It's good to know that your hometown hasn't lost its charm."

"You've visited before?"

"Once, long ago," the ancient fae chuckled, "when I was still a stubborn and stony-faced youth. The people of Harveston opened their hearts and offered hospitality. From what you've told me, it's clear that the very same spirit from then persists to this day."

"Gosh, really?" Epel puffed up at that, as though he were a peacock flaunting his feathers. "Hehe, wellll, Harveston does have a way of makin' ya feel cozy and right at home, even if yer far away from it!"

"That it does." Lilia's eyes traced the wall of artwork before him. The colors, shapes, and textures. "Twisted Wonderland is so vast and diverse. I've traveled far and wide, experienced a great deal of cultures, yet I always find myself anchored to that one special place called home. There is no comfort like it."

There’s no place like home.

A twinge pulsated in his chest. The pain, marring the nostalgic warmth he bathed in. Lilia did not let it show—not to his underclassman, not this child that stared at him with such eagerness.

He swallowed.

“How do you celebrate in Briar Valley?” Epel asked. “Can you tell me about your traditions too?”

“Kufufu. You’re keen on learning, I see.”

“I didn’t always. I’m sure if you asked Vil, he’d give you a mouthful about how ‘uppity’ and ‘full of myself’ I was at first.” Epel groaned at the thought of another lecture from his dorm leader. “… But recently, I’ve been thinkin’ it’s not too bad to hear about how others experience everything.

“Meemaw—my grandma—goes to the city to sell our farm’s produce. She has to switch up how she talks to speak to the locals. I noticed our mayor too, when he talks to tourists. So learning about new people and cultures can’t be a bad thing.”

Epel’s eyes were wide, sparkling with wanderlust. Wistful and longing for the world that awaited him.

Perhaps Lilia had worn the same expression before, at the moment of his epiphany. When had he realized it? When the elderly couple had draped a blanket over him, when they shared a meal, when they spun him the stories of their lives, or when he sat at the cradle and relived those times to a still dormant Malleus?

The warmth in him expanded, like a gulp of soup trickling down his throat, then splashing in his stomach. It had been a humble broth of vegetables, and yet it satisfied him down to the last drop.

“We’re really not so different,” Lilia explained with a grin. “Food and friends are all you need to have a good time wherever you are.

“However, if you are particularly fortunate, you just may have a guardian fairy descend and give you blessings as well.” He indicated the painting of the three fairies hovering over a cradle. “Like so. I believe this infant was gifted with song, beauty, and…”

“Song and beauty?!” Epel’s expression crinkled. “Who decided on those, the parents?”

“The guardian fairies themselves. They choose what they believe will bring the blessed child happiness.”

“They could’ve given the kid something more…” Epel vaguely waved a hand. “I don’t know, useful? Why not strength so they won’t lose any fights? I’d be happy with some more muscle of my own…”

Lilia laughed, soft and low like a midnight whisper. “Why not indeed.”

Because time steals away everything eventually, hissed a voice in his head. The truth, bare and bitter.

The edges of Lilia’s vision quivered. A memory resurfaced—blink, and he saw himself in the frame, his long shadow cast over the crib. Blink, and that was Silver nestled in the fabric. Blink, and the castle was abandoned and covered in thorns.

A fairy robbing a crib of its cursed child.

“Strength is good to have,” Lilia said slowly, “but it will not last forever. Not many things do.”

Still… If I could have one wish, it would be…

The only force able to break the spell set upon Silver. The one feeling he was certain he was incapable of. A love so pure and honest, it was known to be true.

Something he wasn’t worthy of.

True love.

Not him. Not the grimy, low-born bat of a dubious past—as his most unkind of thoughts would insist.

He was the same as them. He had condemned Silver to walking in the night, had made the decision for him. The instant his hair had turned from pale sunshine to the moonlight of his namesake, it was too late to unwind the clock.

Which had he cast—blessing or curse?

The longer he looked at the painting, the more mocking the gentle, rounded faces of the guardian fairies seemed to become. Guiltless, oblivious beings, they were.

They would never know of his plight.

Lilia scoffed. “If the fairies wanted the child to be happy, they should have granted them that strength.”

That which was impossible for him.

"The power to overcome a curse.”

"... The power to overcome a curse, huh?" Epel quietly mused. "Not even Vil-senpai has that kind of strength--and his unique magic is to cast curses! Until the conditions are fulfilled, it can't be broken."

"That's the trouble with curses," Lilia agreed. "They're finicky, depending on how they're woven. Some may even last a lifetime without ever being lifted. Others may spend their own lives seeking out cures."

The story of his life. He was always searching for something, something, something. Lost friends, how to hatch a dragon's egg, true love to dispel drowsiness.

Now, a happy ending.

Lilia released a sigh through his nose.

If only.

"Well, if magic can't make that wish come true... we'll just have to make it a reality ourselves, won't we?"

[boabel]

ok but now I need azurtiger content you gave me a new otp

OLDER COUSINS SOULMATES FOREVER

THEYRE MY LOVES FOREVER AND ALWAYS OK!!!!! so i have this little au i cooked up where something causes tigris to rebel earlier (maybe like 5-10 years post-tbosas) and coriolanus sends her to twelve to serve as a peacekeeper, since his resentment of the place is somewhat still fresh in his mind.

before you read: tw for suicidal thoughts and mentions of murder (just thg stuff in general)

here's a little scenario that ive been thinking of from said au (which i'll probably turn into a one-shot soon!)

- so tigris is depressed and resents the capitol for what they did to her, and also for what they've been doing to victors and tributes this whole time.

- she ends up wandering off to the meadow at one point, sick of the constant noise of the district and the duties of being a peacekeeper. at this point, she's contemplating suicide. she hates that she's actively aiding the capitol and wants her duties to end, though they can't because she needs to serve for at least twenty years.

- she sits down on the old rock lucy gray used to use when she was writing her songs, and spots an old goat in the distance. his lead is roped to a tree branch, so his owner is definitely around here somewhere.

- suddenly, barb azure comes up behind tigris, startling her.

- barb only spots tigris' clothing, peacekeeper fatigues.

- "you know damn well you ain't supposed to be around here, peacekeeper. get lost."

- tigris turns around, and barb looks at her blankly, not recognising her as one of the peacekeepers that comes around trying to cause trouble with the covey.

- tigris seems to almost be entranced, she isn't sure how to respond.

- barb doesn't budge on her point, though, having dealt with spiteful peacekeepers a hundred times over.

- "can you hear me? i said go!"

- "oh, i'm-, im sorry. i never knew this meadow was out of bounds. ill get out of your hair."

- barb azure pauses, recognising tigris and her accent from somewhere.

- "you're new 'round here, aren't you?"

- "yes, yes i am. i arrived here about a week ago.. from the capitol. look, im-.." she pauses, trying to read the expression on barb's face. "im really sorry for the inconvenience, ill be sure never to cross this field again if its that much of a bother, i had no idea-"

- barb interrupts her, remembering something. she always was good with faces.

- "i know you from somewhere.. from somebody." after a long stare between the two, something clicks for barb, so apparent so that tigris can see it on her face. "you're snow's cousin, ain't you? well, what's a fancy capitol girl like yourself doing all the way out here? thought it'd be fun, did you? to rub it in our faces that she's gone. well it was him that did it! he killed our lucy gray, not the mayor! and he's gonna pay for it, you mark my words! i may not be able to say nothing in the district, but here i can! he killed her!"

- all tigris can manage to get barb to hear over the shouting is "please, please listen to me. i know what he did! he sent me here! he sent me here with no money, no contact with the capitol and twenty years of peacekeeper duty. i know how you feel, i felt it too! that's why i told him he can't go on like this. that's why im here now. i want to help."

- tigris sits back down on the rock, the tears that have been brewing from years of watching her coryo become somebody else now silently streaming down her cheeks. she hates coriolanus. she hates him.

- barb walks over to her, she hates seeing people cry.

- "you really wanna help, huh?"

- tigris tries to stifle her tears to speak, but its no use.

- "i.. i do. it's what i've been trying to do for the past five years. small things. things i can do to help you from inside the capitol. until he noticed, and it was too late. i think it was lucy gray who made me realise that this world needed changing, and im so, so sorry for what he did to her, and the fact that i couldn't stop him from becoming.. a monster."

- barb sits down next to tigris, and wipes a tear from her cheek. she then says in a soft, comforting tone, which is a stark contrast to how she was just a few minutes before:

- "why don't you come in. we'll talk over some tea."

aaand that's all i have so far!! tysm for the ask, im so glad that i could get someone else to ship them!!

[seepylilthing]

Welcome one and all , to BROADCASTTALE !

A lonely , broken down Mettaton , stuck in his dilapidated au , wished for another chance to be something stellar . His wish was heard by and outcode named Rose , and with her help he was able to create a brand new au for monsters like him

Broadcasttale was created with two things in mind: giving monsters with no home world a place to live and thrive , and creating something that could spread joy and laughter throughout the multiverse . Thus was born BTMTTTV (brodcasttale mettaton tv) .

A multiversewide TV station dedicated to entertaining the multiverse !

With your host and mayor , STELLAR !

No one in the multiverse is quite as dazzling as him , his voice is as angelic as it is charismatic , he captivates his audiences and steals their hearts .

He's a very kind and loving person over all , he cares deeply about his au and its residents , especially the cast members of his TV station . They're his family and he would do anything to ensure their safety and happiness .

He/they/it

The multiverse news reporter , TOPAZ !

The energetic newsie is a little bit nosy and he's always looking for the next scoop , dragging his cameraman with him across the multiverse to capture and air stories from all over !

He's got a heart of gold and he'll always look out for the people he loves .

(He secretly has cat ears and a tail . They are hidden by his attire .)

He/they

Speaking of cameraman , here's BLOOKSIE !

They're Stellar's beloved cousin (from another au .... ) , and Topaz's trusted cameraman

They're soft-spoken and timid , often thinking less of themself , but they do their absolute best , and when push comes to shove they always pull through ! They're much stronger than they give themself credit for .

They/them

Can't have Sans without Papyrus . Meet KUNZITE ! (named by my good friend @knightpapyrus on Twitter)

He's Topaz's dear brother , he runs a cooking show on the station and his culinary skills are the best in the multiverse !

He's an absolute sweetheart and he'll defend his brother with his life (even if that means lying to people's faces that Topaz didn't inherit the cat gene)

He/him

And last but not least , STATIC !

They're a ghost of a human child who used to live in the au broadcasttale was built upon . They somewhat resent the creation of the au , but no one seems to notice that they're here .

Deep down they have a loving heart , they're just very bitter about the initial destruction of their au , and aren't entirely open to the drastic changes that Stellar and Rose made with the broken world .

They/them , 11 years old .

Rules

1. Fanart is a-ok ! Tag me in it even .

2. Headcanons are welcomed and encouraged . They may help me build upon the au !

3. Nsfw of the ADULT CHARACTERS is fine , so long as it's kept in adult spaces , far FAR away from minors .

4. Ships are ok , as long as they are not problematic type ships . Keep the adults shipped with the adults , and ship chara with people their age .

5. Feel free to design broadcasttale versions of other characters , and what sorta segment they could have on the station , I wanna see it , and who knows .... maybe I'll adopt some of them .

6. HAVE FUN !!!

[simpofhans]

short introduction of the OC's in my spin-off Hans fanfic, being at once F3/F4 fan prequel/AU, how I could imagine the plot of the future sequels (but not entirely, that fanfic is a messed up mix of different fanfic genres but... it makes 100% sense in headcanon realm lol)

so :

Freya (30+ years old) - the mayor of Northundel, the desolate, wintery Southern Isles town, being away from the tyranny of King Friedrich and his 12 sons (Friedrich name borrowed from @galaxygolfergirl, earlier I called him Hubert, BUT TF IT SOUNDS LIKE KING FROM SLEEPING BEAUTY AND I WILL NOT INSULT THIS SWEET FUNNY OLD MAN LIKE THIS LOL...), where Hans is saved of being publicly executed. Caring, soft, mother of the group, kind of mysterious, kind and motherly. Red hair, teal eyes (just like Anna's), with a small braid behind her ear. She also hides a secrets that as a mayor of the community, she can't say to anyone. Even Hans, because as a motherly person, she wants to protect him at all costs (Wish reference. that was the only good song in this movie lol).

Anders (21 years old) - Freya's brother, standing lower in town hierarchy, but also, as his sister, trying to protect his home and help its people the best way he can. Bubbly, akward, optimistic, with a talent of cooking and doing extremely delicious homemade food, with a dark brown curly hair and green eyes. The clown of the group, always cheering up the others, with a small gestures.

Diana (23 years old, yup, Hans's age in F1.) - The only woman beside Freya living in her house in Northundel. Snarky, not trusting anyone, loves to argue, overprotective and kind of possesive, with black long straight hair, and blue eyes. She hates Hans because she's somehow afraid what could happen to him if he will leave Northundel, that is only a temporary home to him before he will go on his own adventure, but at her deep, he is madly in love with him from the first time she saw him. She seems cold, but her golden heart is reserved only for specific people, and when she will show it, she's just a lost, traumatized young girl with obsessive need of protecting others, after her loved one died. She's the outcast of the group, unseen and invisible, but with golden heart hidden under the cruelty and cold (you see what I did here, did you? ^^).

Marc (35+ years old) - The only man beside Anders and Hans living in the Freya's house in Northundel (btw his design is slightly borrowed from @pirate-of-the-southern-isles's Burro, with slight changes lol), with a short black hair, beard and brown eyes looking right into your soul. He is the caretaker of the group, and kind of its father, just like Freya is group's mother (Yup, you can ship them. They definetely have something for each other ^^). Strong and massive, but he even doesn't hides his kindness - he is always here to help, extremely caretaking and emphatic of others. He was the first, alongside with Freya, that actually trusted Hans, before Anders, and especially Diana, actually did it. He is good at constructing things, and his secret passion is woodcarving.

And of course Hans, the disgraced prince, who was saved by all of them. And who maybe, will find a new home alongside with them. Or Elsa, which he asks for help later to save magic discovered by him in Northundel. Or maybe with someone and somewhere else? This fanfic is freshly written, and it has nearly 60+ pages now, so you must wait for all your answers.

and also, For the First Time in Forever fanfic is cancelled after 400+ pages. It just... wasn't good enough and the plot was a mess. It didn't felt content and like a real plot, either gibberish plot made into the fanfic. And that fanfic was mainly used for fake laugh so... that one is better. The fact that I'm openly talking about this fanfic now, and not the previous one, says a lot.

So sorry for cancellaction FTFIF fanfic, but I promise, the better one is on the way... with near half of the first act written in a week. While FTFIF was written with a one chapter for two weeks. That says a lot again.

[dysnomiav]

Smoking wreckage covers the landscape, mechs, tanks, aircraft. The town is a little worse for wear, but thanks to the mercs who responded to the distress signal, it'll live.

One of the mech pilots rolls down a rope ladder from their cockpit and makes their way down to the ground. The rest have their cockpits open, steam visibly coming out of a couple of them, especially the one who bore the brunt of enemy fire. A Quickdraw painted like the villain of one of those cartoons kids are watching these days. Its pilot sprawled out on its shoulder, overheated.

"I suppose I have to thank you for taking the open contract, short notice that it was." The mayor of the town, a stuffy older man approaches the pilot who's waiting by the foot of their mech.

"Eh, it's what we do, and the boss always likes to turn a profit while helping folks."

"Right, yes, I'll make sure that's wired over quickly. Who is your... 'boss' then?" He looks up at the lanky thing whose gender he can't quite figure out. They jab a thumb back towards the pilot sprawled out on her mechs shoulder.

"The lunatic who's constantly redlining her mech. Could you uh, get someone to get her some water? She'll be more talkative after she's not cooking herself anymore."

"Oh, goodness, yes I'll get right on that. She's certainly earned it."

"Damn right she has."

[submalevolentgrace]

i think i just had the most comically chaotic childbirth happen in the sims 3...?

my household is two fairy sisters (one pregnant by her own clone who is now dead, it's complicated), one future robot, and a cat. based on vibes of time i figured the birth would happen in the next day or two, so everybody's at home; mum-to-be is relaxing, the robot's cooking her favourite meal, sister is doing some cleaning, cat is sleeping.

suddenly the childbirth starts! oh how exciting! everyone in the house rushes to have their little panic animations, and amusingly, the cat decides this is the best time to play chase with the soon-to-be-aunt, but because they're all clustered around each other in a cramped room there's not enough space, so the mother currently in the active process of sim-child-birthing pauses her labour panic animation to do a little calm backwards sidestep animation to give the cat some space to play chaseys, and also just then her phone starts to ring, but i can't interact with her to ignore it because she's busy about to have a baby teleport out of her!

i'm having a little chuckle at this when the alarm starts. what alarm? the fire alarm of course! the robot interrupted her cooking process to fuss over the labour starting, and left food on the stove, still cooking, which has now caught fire. all three sims spin a bit awkwardly as they can't seem to decide what to freak out over more, active childbirth at home or fire! eventually they decide fire, and rush to the kitchen to panic. i manage to get the not-in-labour sister and robot to attempt extinguishing the fire, while the other sister panics and the cat wanders off to sharpen its claws on the cat tree outside. most realistic simulation ever.

i'm thinking this is the funniest shit ever i've had happen organically already, when everything grids to a halt. that phonecall that my nearly-not-pregnant-anymore sim had been ignoring was apparently an important enough opportunity that instead of missing the call, the game interrupts everything mid-labour and mid-kitchen-fire to say that the janitorial robots at city hall have stopped working and it would be really great if she would just drop whatever thing she's doing and come to city hall right now to fix them! mid birth. mid fire.

i reject this because i don't even want to know what the behaviour scripting system would do if i didn't, and also: fire and childbirth. let the mayor unclog their own toilets. just as the game unpauses, the comically busty townie firefighter generated and summoned by the fire alarm bursts through the door, and another of the game's many systems kick in: both the firefighter and my probably currently crowning sim get a cluster of hearts over their heads, a sexy little musical queue plays, and the game announces that they're clearly very attracted to each other and should potentially "get to know" each other a little better wink wink nudge nudge! notthetime.jpg

thankfully the three not-currently-generating-a-baby sims manage to get the fire put out, the firefighter admonishes us for not being more careful while cooking, and the insurance company says they're giving us $118 to cover the damaged stove. just as the firefighter starts to have a "oh no childbirth!" freakout, the child is actually finally birthed, and with a swirl of obscuring particle effects, the new mother spins around cradling a fully swaddled newborn clone baby in her arms! awww

presumably because the game prioritises traditional relationships, the new mother gains the wish to get married, because at the time of conception she was merely girlfriends with her clone that was generated by magical elixir. however because that clone has since turned into a ghost and then died (and apparently been deleted from the world because she didn't have a household to begin with i think?), the game has decided that the target of marriage for my sim should be... the firefighter lady that she just met for the first time, mid fire, mid childbirth.

i politely right click this wish away, have the other sister ask the firefighter to leave, and the robot start cleaning up the mess of what remains of the kitchen, while new mum sits in a rocking chair cradling her new daughter.

the baby was born with the traits clumsy and neurotic. cat is asleep on the cat tower. new aunt exclaims she's starving because breakfast never finished cooking. final reminder that bills of $3,658 need paying today.

i fucking wish i knew how to screen record the pc games i play

[reenvisiongame]

The inn's done. How about a brief tour?

Took far longer than I expected, but the inn is finally done! I actually finished this up around October, but as they say, the last 20% takes 80% of the work. For the most part, the visuals of the inn won't change much from here to the end of the game, which is exactly why I spent so much time on it!

With this being the most important location of the story, I wanted it to be as good as it can possibly be. It was my hope that putting a lot of effort in now means I won't have to worry about this place as much during the end phases of development. Now even with this, please remember: nothing here is 100% final. Anything can change from here through to the game's release.

I've already introduced the inn's staff in a previous post, but one character I neglected to mention was OJ. He's a weird little guy who can almost always be found in the inn's dining hall. No one ever seems to mention him, but he's a friendly conversationalist nonetheless. Keep an eye on him as the game progresses and you might find out why people choose to pass him by, however.

One thing about Clemence Inn is that it also doubles as a town hall. Shepherd, the mayor of the town of Clemence, has an office space of his very own. Can you tell what he likes from appearances alone?

You can't really have an inn without a place to cook, now can you. This is the kitchen area, where all the yummy food is cooked up for the inn's many visitors. Every now and then, you might see a friendly face in there.

Heading upstairs, the inn is split into two separate hallways; One for guests and one for residents. As the player, you get a resident room! When you start the game, your room will be rather empty but, as you progress, the room will become even fuller than what's shown here.

Heading outside, we have the inn's garden area. This place is ideal for any guest who wants to simply relax and enjoy the peaceful scenery. To help maximize the tranquility, there's even a fountain in the middle of the garden.

With the garden area, I should mention that part of the reason this took me so long is because I had to redo the outdoor tilesheet as well. This was a lot of work, but the results paid off tremendously. Just outside the inn greets you with a rather pretty view!

Unless this post is take 8 minutes of straight scrolling, I unfortunately can't show off all of the inn and its surrounding area. So, I picked the parts that I thought were the most interesting. There's a lot more to the inn than what I've shown here, but I suppose this just means there's more to explore when the game releases.

Currently, I've been reworking the player's battle spritesheets. It's about time I finally make a more "finalized" version of these, especially now that I have a better grasp of what is and isn't working in the game's battle system.

Along with making adjustments relating to that, my plan is to add more places to the game. Next up will be the game's first "dungeon", in quotes because it's less so a dungeon and moreso a 2-room-long walk through nature. After that, I'll work on another location in the game, Clemence's library. My goal is to just slowly expand outwards until the entirety of Clemence is done, then continue to just add more places from there, slowly branching out until the entire game's map is complete. I think that'll give me enough time to do things like finish the game's script, add all the enemies and boss fights i wanted, add more items, make more adjustments, etc.

From here on out, everything about development seems like it'll be taking less of a "step by step" method and more of a "everything will kinda just flow where I need it to be by the end of this" method. In the meantime, here's to hoping the next big update takes a little less than 5 months to show off :P

And before I forget, have a happy holidays and new years everyone!

[creek-cryptid-deluxe]

Not done a life update in a bit. Sorry man. I doubt anyone actually reads this nonsense but eh.

First & foremost, ya girl obtained a button maker & is making buttons of FUCKING EVERYTHING. I love it. Other WIP include hand painting doodles on my headboard with micro brushes & craft paint. It's a good thing to do when bedridden. I beat BOTW & TOTK, then beat both of the first 2 Southpark Games, & bought a bundle of 50 Sega Genesis games that I mess around with when I get tired of puzzling over Shadows Over Loathing.

Yesterday I dismembered a swing set that was sketchy in its structural integrity & am using scrap to make a cat tree that the cats can use to come & go from my bathroom window. (Don't worry, I'm not a moron. We made it so they can't get out of our yard the same way we did for the chickens.) I replaced our sliding glass door because it was gonna Final Destination someone & statistically I was most at risk. So I ripped it all out & replaced it will new framing, french doors, drywall, siding, and a dog door.

The Man is still running for mayor. We will see how that shakes out. He has low key given me license to decorate/renovate however I see fit because I have good taste, talent, skill, and as he put it "the one who is legit trapped here the most & thus should have it decorated to enrich your enclosure, babygirl". That man is absurd... but not wrong.

Beyond that, there's not much. The Spawn is in her first apartment with a girlfriend from work, so I get calls about storage solutions, plants, and asking to raid my fridge. Oh and the one call in which 3 girls in the background were gushing because the gist of the call was "Mom everyone wants a fruit hammock like you made for me".

The 3 Bonus Kids are OK. The eldest starts h.s. next semester & is trying out for football & has really turned things around for the most part. The middle starts m.s. next year & is behaving like a middle school girl, but is also very sweet. The youngest is still on her "oh I'm just a little baby who can't use her words & wants her dada" bullshit despite her mother's second child approaching a year of existence. I basically just pretend I don't understand or hear her until she uses actual words & I don't do tantrums. You wanna scream because you didn't get your way? Cool, but you're gonna do it in your room. The older 2 have realized that I will absolutely pay them CASH if they do chores, so I made an alacart style list of chores, the definition of said chore, and the payment for it if done correctly and they know that I will happily supervise & help them learn. I think it helps that I have really framed it as chores and stuff are meant to give them the independence of having money while teaching them necessary skills for adulting (cleaning, cooking, budgeting). Plus, you are a member of the household community & thus should contribute in whatever way you can. Example: the youngest is 6, but helps me change laundry over (saving my back), puts her laundry away, likes to clean mirrors or magic eraser the walls.

Oh yeah and I'm at a point where the unrelenting agony & exhaustion have made me enraged, as happens when spring hits after a long winter sometimes. Hence the murder of the swing set & my upcoming relocation & repair of the chicken fence.

[inexplicifics]

Okay, so, what if there's a mayor of a small town who insists on giving the Witchers who saved them from something particularly nasty a reward, that it would be insulting if the Witchers refuse. Except the Witchers know that it's a pretty poor town, and they'd feel bad claiming gold or supplies they don't need, and they can't even stay for a meal because they're expected somewhere else in a few days and they're already pretty behind, so after talking it over they decide to call on the Law of Surprise. Three years later, a child is put into the Witchers arms, the result of the Law, and bound by fate to that Witcher. Geralt is pissed because the Witchers only take orphans. What do you think would happen to the kid? I imagine they can't be ignored because Fate is that mean, but they can't be trained into a Witcher. Perhaps the child is visited regularly by its surprise parent until the kid's old enough to move to KM and start an apprenticeship there?

Oh now that's an interesting idea.

I think you would end up with a kid who was welcome to live in Kaer Morhen and get training in whatever they liked, but probably not expected or allowed to become a Witcher. Maybe they'd end up as the next head cook or wardrobe mistress or similar.

[honeyedmilknsugar]

Having brain rot for Fallout4 again, especially Hancock so here's a little OC lady I cooked up;

Her name is Charlotte, but to John Hancock, she's affectionally known as 'Lottie'. Hair would typically be a pony-tail or bun instead of the two buns but you work with what you got ajdhabd

Charlotte is only 2-3 years younger than John and in those late teen years for her, she fell quiet hard for John. She sees him as a kind and charismatic man, very caring to those in Diamond City. Still they have their fun, it wasn't uncommon to find the two sharing drinks, or even smoking in the higher seats of Diamond City as they watch over the city and sometimes Boston. Charlotte also has a soft spot for books, specifically those about plants, sometimes John would bring her a book back if he was ever out and happened to spot something that looked similar to plant books, they weren't always, but she adored the gifts no matter what.

When everything begins to happen with John's brother, it really does become hard between them, Charlotte does her best when it comes to helping John, still so much stress can build up, some weeks can go by where she doesn't hear from him, and eventually it becomes difficult to find him again. Eventually she has little reason to go back out into the common wealth after finding out she's pregnant.

Years go by, with stories from others and McDonough's snide comments, its hard for her to think John had simply died. Still, Charlotte stays in Diamond City to raise her daughter, Lilac.

Still working out how, and glossing over it for now, when Charlotte learns about Hancock in Goodneighbor, she can't help but make the trip there and reach out to the Mayor that all too much John.

When they meet again, while Hancock has long come to terms and is content with his life now as a ghoul, he doesn't push Charlotte, and instead waits for her to approach him. Shes hesitant at first, she hasn't seen him in so long and and seeing him as a ghoul is jarring for her. Still, hes just the same as she knew him, hes still charismatic and cares for those he's leading and god shes missed him so much. She would absolutely then go and hold him, gently cupping his face between her hands before kissing him.

Introducing Lilac is harder, Hancock decides for now to make things simple,, he's just a friend who cares a lot about Charlotte, but it makes things seem so much easier to explain when they little girl eventually ends up calling him "uncle Hancock".

[mothy-chan]

I'm actually building a theory about its origin. Gallade wrote about it, I borrowed his idea a little.

If we count John's birthday (I'm talking about the year) it falls in 1942, right at the height of the war. Already in early childhood, the little mayor could have seen the devastation and complete collapse of the former state of the Third Reich. I think this could have greatly influenced his worldview in the future, leading to the desire to lead his city, personal country or small place to prosperity.

One of the problems with John is that despite his "supposedly radical ideologies" he comes across as... Harmless enough? I mean, he's not a racist, not a creepy killer, he's just a man who goes to his goal and isn't afraid of victims. I'm not saying he's better than Yuno, but you can't call him a monster either... Especially after Redial, where he's just a housewife who cooks in a sweater, oh my god-.

By the way, his nationality can vary from German to Italian and Jewish, I think these are a few of the most likely. If he is Jewish, he was born just in the years of their active persecution, and could have grown up in himself a deep hostility and hatred for the German people, who left him deep in the mud. Also fashizm.

Mirai Nikki Fragments Official Guidebook: John Baccus & Yomotsu Hirasaka + Column 4

Heya everyone! It's been a while! My apologies for the delay in posting these, unfortunately one of the pages had been incorrectly scanned and I had to buy a printer to re-scan it. That's also why you might notice a bump in quality from page 2 to page 3 of John's profile (sharper lines, whiter tint,... now I'm kinda regretting not getting a new printer sooner, sigh). In any case, below you can find John Baccus and Yomotsu Hirasaka's profiles + Column 4 (the last one).

You can find all the pages posted so far in this Google Drive folder or/and on Postimage.

Translation credits: @sunniedesi

Scans, cleaning and typesetting: me (@yunocre)

I have the remaining characters pages already scanlated so there should be no further delays. As for the scans quality, I *might* rescan the next chapter's pages but I am still not quite sure as I have already cleaned some of them and it took me quite a lot of time to do so. I might find a way to replace the background without impacting the changes done to it too much, we'll see!

Please reblog this post so it can reach as many people as possible. This is all for now!

[did-i-do-this-write]

Hey -the self indulgent anon- there was a family emergency (but its all good now) (and I can't remember if I sent something like this already but oh well)

So about two years later aku and Liam find luca -and he is a wolf Demi-human- and basically the wolf tribe kicked him out for failing the coming of age ritual/challenge -which think like what they did in black panther but - as per tradition (cuz if you cant complete it your too weak or something)

and so aku and liam find him half dead and take him in and aku helps train him to be stronger. (And he Wields a sword because I said so)

and then we have prince kuro who is the heir to the cloud kindom and basically the angels and demons had made a truce and were going to be equals but some angels didnt like that and killed the king and queen and took over (and the bad angels broke kuros wings and chucked him over the side of the cloud kindom figuring it would kill him)

but aku stole like a bunch of books and kept stealing them over the years -mostly maps and history, gardening and like -those plant identity books so he doesn't eat something poisonous - and some docter type books from his 'parents' second library that they never use (because rich ppl lol) so he Was able to patch Him up.

and then aku got his story and promises to help him get his kindom back. -if he would stop trying to escape and go back , you 're already almost half dead damn it!-

so then Aku decided to head to this town That sells and trades goods to maybe sell his own stuff that he grew

And everything looks fine -lots of people coming to see what this town has ya know?- But the town ppl are like hella poor and most homeless because the person who owns the town -who also work under aku's 'parents'- are underpaying and overpricing everything. -Cuz like you need a permit to sell things And setup a stall and its expensive and then the person also takes a large cut if the sales that was made-

And aku is like....why is everything so corrupt? The wolf tribe? The cloud kingdom! Here?

-and this is before he finds out about what the noble are doing to the spell books and such-

So then he decides to do something about it and goes to a different town -or maybe a nobles house and sells an invention for a lot of money plus a royalty- And uses the money to buy the town from the current owner -but since he doesn't want His noble parents to know he's there he has Luca Do it under his name instead of aku-

So i haven't figured everything out about the restaurant.

But I'm thinking Aku kinda just makes normal recipes but better because they've been improved in his time -and also things from other countrys-

So like maybe pizza pasta sushi? And like condiments -like ketchup mayonnaise and things like that-

(which (free history lesson) ketchup Used to be a fish sauce and wasn't actually Made from tomatoes until the 1700s!)

And the recipes get really popular with the people who come to buy stuff so then the word gets out and more and more people come and like the town is becoming more popular then before!

And then he Makes a Better orphanage and ends up taking in a few Of the homeless kids: owen and voilet which are panda twins and maple who is a racoon) and gives them jobs.

-like maybe gathering the firewood Needed (I mean he doesn't exactly force them too but they wanted to help) And Helping with the cooking and he pays them for it-

Which is basically the start of aku slowly taking down all the corrupt systems

And then a little bit later aku meets an aracnia In the woods named Adrian who is fixing up a birds wing right?

And so they talk and Adrian wants to be a doctor but racism says no (and I haven't decided if I want arachnids to have like 6 spider like legs or 6 human arms but I'm leaning towards the latter) so aku -who now is the mayor of a town that doesn't really have a docter But has a bunch of medical books- is like "I have the perfect place for you"

Oh and I forgot so Adrian and kuro are oldests at around 17ish I think

And then aku is also 17 but the youngest off the three of them

And then Luca is about 15-16 ish

And liam is 15

And then the panda twins and maple are about 8-10 I'd say

(no worries! And you did already send this but this one has more detail so it's the one I'll respond to 😅 I just got caught up today and couldn't answer, sorry!)

First of all, loving the concept of the first step to ending corruption being opening a restaurant. That's just a god tier concept, well done 👌🏻

All of the rest sounds really good, too! A very captivating fantasy world you seem to have created! It sounds like you have a lot to work with! Even tho you mentioned it being more self indulgent, I would love to read something like this (and I have a feeling I'm not the only one)

If you have more to share, I will offer you the same thing I offered the other anon which is you can always DM me about your WIP if you'd like to talk about it more! These long asks can sometimes clog people's dashboards and it can be a little much sometimes 😅

[anchovy89freya]

Things I need to say about Marinette and Chloe evolutions

You know? Something I can't understand with Marinette being responsible with more akumatized people instead Chloe, is that Mari doesn't have reasons to act in certain ways and hurt people's feelings

I need to say that I really can empathize with Chloe´s attitude, like, come on, she is the daughter of two people that really doesn't care about her at all, and as a result, she have a bad attitud. Being who she is now is the result of a life devoid of love and parental care.

Her dad is the Paris mayor, who is just to afraid of his wife that he can't even talk freely with she; and in consecuence is just too dependant of everyone's opinion, and uncapable to be strict about Chloe's attitude, trying to make her happy doing watever she wants, but not paying attention about Chloe's really feelings.

Chloe's mother, in the other hand, god~!, I can't stand her being so cold with her...She's a diva, and doesn't care at all about her family. Yes, your an important person in the model industry, but can't you at least call your daughter one time at day!?, say "hello" or "love you my little child" is not going to kill anyone!

Dude, she just want that her parents paying attention and love her!

For me is not a surprise Chloe's being rude, superficial and the other things they say she is. But lets remember how many times Chloe do things for others, like in DouDou Villian chapter, yes, she did something wrong, and Adrien made her an ultimatum, so, in order to protect her friendship with Adrien, she tries to make the right thing, and her butler helps her too. Is in this chapter when we can see why is what it is. The only persons who stay with Chloe was Sabrina (she's and angel~!) and her Butler, and Adrien, of course.

Chloe could being an amazing girl, she have a good heart, and not always, but try to do good things in her own way, cause it is the only way she know actually.

We see in her IG account that she gift some things to Sabrina, that is a good daughter who only wants her parents stay together and with her, that she can be an incredible super heroine, that learn from her mistakes, and, in fact, she's the first (what I remember) to resist an amukatization~! she didn't fall for the trap and words of Mayura, in that same chapter even accept in a quite mature way the fact that she probably won't be chosen again to be Queen Bee~!; and save Ladybug and Chat noir in multiple occasions.

Having said that, I still can't understand why, if Chloe is more "a bad selfish girl", Marinette is who causes more damage to others?

Nothing against Mari, I swear!, But...I...I don't get it...

Marinette dupaing Cheng, a future model designer who's already catched the attention of two of the most important persons in the indrustry (Audrey Bourgeois aka "The Queen" and Gabriel Agreste aka our favorite super villian Hawk Moth), she's pretty, cute, thin, talented in, like.. idk, everything?, she can cook, make bakery, desing (Jagget Stone CD cover was made by her, like, wtf~? Please don't stole the job to others,idk), play videogames like a pro, good student, good daughter, her parents love and protect her, they have an incredible relation, it is good in fencing, skating, make crafts, taking care of childs (more or less), dance, etc etc etc~

But this has not been an impediment to seeing her behave in the most selfish or crazy ways: 

-she's Adrien's stalker No.1 (dude, you have problems... :/)

-she has tried to push away any girl who has an interest in Adrien, regardless of whether she humiliates (Lila) or hurts (Kagami) their feelings 

-she has left his best friend so many times that Alya already doesn't seem to care much about what she does or where she is now

-teases without hesitation of his teammate(Chat Noir), and lie "in order to protect his identity" playing with Chat feelings, turning him into the bad boy who broke her heart to the point that she even puts him in a mess with her father, causing (again) an akumatization

[And, the reason to made this (sorry...)]

-Even after Luka revealed his feelings sincerely without expecting anything in return, she decides not only to ignore it (that's ok, you don't have to return anyone's feelings if you don't feel the same) , but to take a great opportunity for his friend to work alongside his greatest idol, not one but twice (Mari plz..)

So..Unfortunately. That means that doesn't care how much love you receive, or how lucky you are for have all you have (not talking about money or something like that), you can be incredible insensitive or selfish but still pretent you not...

With all my heart I hope that Marinette's Character evolve soon, because, even if the chapters have been revealed in a disastrously messy way, each has shown a worse facet of its protagonist, please come back to the wonderful and sweet girl that was once :c

[act]

I'm not saying Mari needs to be the perfect girl who doesn't made mistakes, that's ok, being a teenager means to learn and explore. But I realized that most of the akumatizations and misunderstandings (even most that Chloe) was Mari's fault, and in consequence, she needs to be Ladybug and save the day...

¿It is truly a super heroine who protects her city from evil forces, or is just Marinette making mistakes (become bigger) and just because she have (in a very convenient way) superpowers is capable to solve it?

Sorry, I'm salty again...

[ettadunham]

A Buffy rewatch 3x17 Enemies

aka bad break-ups

Welcome to this dailyish text post series where I will rewatch an episode of Buffy and rant about it in 10-3k words. What you can expect: long run-on sentences and disjointed observations, often focused on one tiny detail about the episode. What you shouldn’t be expecting: actual reviews that make sense.

And today’s episode finally brings Buffy and Faith’s relationship to a breaking point, in all of its subtextual glory. Meanwhile, I kept rewinding as I tried remembering where the layers of deception started, and the “they don’t know that we know that she doesn’t know that we know” games ended.

And I guess the honest answer is that I still don’t know. The episode doesn’t really end with a flashback answering at what point did the characters realize that something was off… But that’s also part of the fun, as one tries to look for the small signs they could’ve noted as well.

First of all, let’s just all acknowledge this delightful outfit:

We’re entering the stage of truly iconic Willow looks, folks.

Anywho, back to the Fath/Buffy/Angel mind games

Not to toot my own horn and say I told you so (like some characters), but by the end of the episode, I once again got stuck on the deliberate parallel drawn between Angel and Faith as Buffy’s love interests. It’s no coincidence that Buffy asks for a break between her and Angel just when her relationship with Faith has completely fallen apart.

During this rewatch I definitely got the impression that Buffy’s decision there was more of a result of where the whole thing with Faith left her emotionally, than Angel pretending to be bad for the episode. His betrayal was fake and pre-agreed upon. Faith’s was real and devastating.

I guess there’s also a weird BDSM theme here with the comments they make around the chains… So if we roll with that, the comparison is that Buffy and Angel had their safe words there. With Faith… not so much.

To drive the point home that Buffy’s conflict here is with Faith, and this is all about that broken trust, let’s also look at the scene between her and Willow, where she’s talking about seeing Faith and Angel together the night before.

Willow: No way. I know what you're thinking and no way! Buffy: You're right. Faith would never do that. Willow: Faith would totally do that.

We again see here Willow’s clear dislike of Faith, which I find especially fun as we also have Xander voicing some of his classic anti-Angel sentiments in the same episode. I do hope that I’ll have the energy to delve a bit more into that a few episodes from now.

But more importantly, look at Buffy’s line. Her response to the idea of Angel and Faith getting it on isn’t that Angel wouldn’t do that. (Remember, Angel, her boyfriend, the one who’d be cheating on her?)

It’s Faith wouldn’t do that. Faith wouldn’t do that to her.

The conclusion one can draw from that is that either she doesn’t trust Angel to begin with, or that her trust and faith in… well, Faith, is much more important to her right now. Personally? I’m leaning towards the latter.

There’s once again a lot of innuendos as well. (That we’re calling subtext for some reason, even though the sexual and romantic undertones are essentially textual at this point…) Like after Buffy and Angel come out of the movie theater, all full of pent up sexual frustration, and Faith shows up to steal Buffy away literally saying “Don’t worry big guy, just keeping her warm for you”.

I’m…

Faith: *does or says something that defines her relationship with Buffy in an undeniably sexual / romantic way*

me:

And then when they meet up at the library afterwards, and Faith does her usual routine of calling Buffy “girlfriend”, and is all touchy with her… Buffy shies away from her touch, and the rest of the Scoobies note how chilly the atmosphere suddenly became.

All that is to say that while Angel plays a prominent role in how this episode unfolds, and the parallel raised between him and Faith aren’t just serving the theme of Buffy’s relationships with them, but both of their characters as well… The real conflict itself plays out between Buffy and Faith, with all of its subtextual and romantic undertones that the show is once again leaning into.

It’s a break-up. It’s Buffy and Faith breaking up. That’s what’s happening here.

Something that I was struggling with however, is pinpointing where Buffy or even Angel and Giles started suspecting that there was something else going on with Faith. When Faith goes to Angel first, I was still unsure on where he was coming from, so I kept looking for signs that he was already reading her intentions. In retrospect though, I assume that Angel’s reactions there were actually genuine, despite Faith laying it on all pretty thick.

On the other hand, she also appeared with bloody hands after killing sympathetic demon guy who tried to help against the Mayor. So that was probably a dead giveaway once Buffy and Angel started putting two and two together.

With Buffy herself, there’s a pretty great little detail that happens when she and Faith discover dead demon guy in his apartment. (Which I wish I noticed myself, but was pointed out to me by someone else.)

Faith reaches into the other room for the light switch, not even looking, and Buffy sees her doing it. She completely gives away herself and the fact that she was in this apartment before, and the show smartly doesn’t draw our attention to it.

So when Buffy afterwards comments about how the way the demon guy was killed was ‘somebody’s idea of a party’, I couldn’t help wondering if that was a pointed jab at Faith. To get a reaction out of her and confirm whether or not she was involved.

Still, I remained unsure as we actually get the scene between Buffy and Willow after this happens. It’s also implied that Buffy hasn’t actually talked to Angel about what she saw between him and Faith the other night at that point, so they haven’t yet had the chance to cook up their Faith reveal plan.

On the other hand, she’s talking to Willow here, and we find out later that Buffy, Angel and Giles were all keeping their suspicions and the plan a secret from the rest of the Scoobies. So she wouldn’t have told that Willow quite yet either way.

Willow also comments about Buffy being “on edge”, which once again points to her probably thinking about Faith going rogue already here.

I do believe that Buffy’s “Faith wouldn’t do that” line is genuine though, even in that case. Buffy still wants to believe in Faith, even if they’re preparing for the worst.

So when Angel and Faith show up in her room, part of her must be devastated as the confirmation of Faith’s betrayal sinks in. As well as just being on edge, knowing what’s coming.

And what’s coming is a whole lot of classic posturing and sexual innuendo from Faith’s part, as she’s tempting Buffy with making out with Angel in front of her just to spite her (we already established which of their betrayals sting for Buffy more…), and being very up-close and personal with a supposedly chained up Buffy.

There’s a lot more going on in this scene of course, with Faith somewhat sarcastically rambling about her horrible childhood, and Buffy delivering some pointed jabs about being better than Faith, or Faith only being able to turn Angel to her side with a magic. We once again see proof of just how low and fragile Faith’s self-esteem actually is, and how easy it is to hurt her, despite what she claims.

I guess Faith’s speech about how she constantly felt inferior to Buffy is especially worth repeating:

Faith: You know, I come to Sunnydale. I'm the Slayer. I do my job kicking ass better than anyone. What do I hear about everywhere I go? Buffy. So I slay, I behave, I do the good little girl routine. And who's everybody thank? Buffy. Buffy: It's not my fault. Faith: Everybody always asks, why can't you be more like Buffy? But did anyone ever ask if you could be more like me? Angel: I know I didn't. Faith: You get the Watcher. You get the mom. You get the little Scooby gang. What do I get? Jack squat. This is supposed to be my town!

It’s one of those lines, where you’re not exactly sure how much the character actually believes of what they’re saying. Faith putting on Buffy the fact that she was unable to connect especially rings false, when you think about just how hard Buffy worked to have that connection with Faith.

But there’s also no denying in that Faith feels like the world let her down. And that includes Buffy. Because despite Buffy’s best efforts, she could never take Faith’s side unconditionally. She could never be just like her.

Buffy doesn’t have the luxury of losing herself in someone else, or to choose them over her responsibilities. (Well, I guess we’ll have to re-examine that in a few seasons from now though…) She needed Faith to meet her halfway, but Faith was already too far gone to turn around for that.

But hey, at least Faith’s got a new apartment out of the deal as of last episode. Evil does take MasterCard I guess.