#mal is in need of tweaking but i still love him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

feminaexlux · 4 years

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Hot Chocolate

Merry Christmases & Happy New Years & Happy Valentineses, and Happy Super Belated Birthdays to @fenheart87 and @mamanabeille and @motherofwoofers AND @MAL HAH (I’m so bad at this) 😹😿🧡

This was a Christmas exchange for LBSC for @mamanabeille and I hope it’s cute at least if not massively overdue o m g

On AO3 here!

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Marinette wasn't sure how she strung the words together into a coherent enough sentence to convince Luka to take a walk with her on a lightly snowing afternoon, cruising for a little café to find some hot chocolate together. He probably understood most of what she'd been trying to say (or ramble, more likely) since they'd been friends for years.

Actually now that she thought about it, it probably hadn't been coherent at all, but Luka came along anyway because they were friends.

Friends. Close friends? Close enough that she loved his company with his generally good natured chillness and kissing his face with little bises in thanks.

They'd always been comfortable with casual intimacy like that. She always felt so… warm and comfortable with him near. That must have been the reason she was so panicked when she heard from him that he'd be leaving a few days after Christmas to tour with the one and only Jagged Stone as lead guitarist at age 19. It was huge for him, Marinette knew that. But to face that sudden dearth of his presence made her uneasy, to say the least.

It had gotten to the point where she forgot about making a Christmas gift for Adrien. She'd just repurpose one of her many Adrien Birthday gifts, so that wasn't too bad. But she wanted to make something important for Luka. Something that would hopefully show him just how much he meant to Marinette. And maybe it'd be something for him to remember her by.

She had been up all night working on Luka's Present. Well, she'd been up late a couple of nights working on it. She maybe had about 8 hours of sleep in the past 3-4 days.

Kitty Section had wanted to throw one last hurrah for Luka "moving up in the world", and along with it a mini-concert for Christmas and New Year's for their closest friends. Marinette had shown up late to the Liberty and nearly fell overboard crossing the gangplank but Luka had sprinted forward and caught her.

She blamed her unsteadiness for holding onto him the next couple of minutes after that. He kept an arm around her shoulder and they'd been just fine. She was warm. She was comfortable. The GirlSquad™️ that were present gave her looks. Marinette pretended that she didn't notice.

As it turned out the Liberty had run out of coffee. Marinette had rambled on that she preferred hot chocolate anyway and that she'd go out and get some while Kitty Section was just setting up. At least, that had been what she was trying to say, but it turned out she'd said something else that convinced Luka that he'd have to accompany her.

Or maybe it was because she was still a little wobbly. So she held onto his arm on their walk to find some hot chocolate. Luka didn't seem to mind. She slipped on something icy and instinctively threw her arms around him to steady herself. "Oh God I'm so so sorry," she squeaked.

"Are you alright?" He looked concerned but had on a smile. "Hey, let's find somewhere to sit down for a bit."

"Noooo, no I'm okay," she said hurriedly. "I don't wanna make you miss the party."

"They can deal," Luka shrugged.

"But it's for you! It's important!" It was important, wasn't it? Marinette was a little sleep-drunk, but her mind had registered this party as "For Luka" so it was automatically labeled IMPORTANT with big red letters and underlined 3 times.

"You're more important to me," he said quietly.

For some reason, Marinette giggled. "I know," she said, squeezing him tight. "But this is for you so I want everything to go right and have it be spectacular!"

He laughed. "The party is just for close friends, you know that, right?"

"It's for you," Marinette said. She straightened herself up and stepped back, having realized after the fact that she'd been talking to him all this time with her arms around him. "It's… it's for you and you're gonna be… gonna be with Jagged and people will notice you and you'll become a big star, I can… I can feel it!" She'd gotten wobbly again, and she hadn't even noticed that she'd been waving her arms to emphasize her points so hard that she'd lost her footing. She slipped again and landed on her butt. "Oof!"

"Alright, we're finding a place to sit down now," Luka decided. He took her hands and helped her to her feet, wrapping one arm around her shoulder again. "Hold onto me," he said.

Marinette giggled again. "Always," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around him tight. Luka stopped for a heartbeat but pressed on. He found a bench along the Seine that they could rest at for a few minutes. He sat her down first, then stood in front of her with a hand on her shoulder to make sure she was steady.

"Looks like there's a café nearby. Let me get you something warm, alright? I'll be a few minutes."

"Mmkay," she said sleepily.

He chuckled. "Try not to fall asleep out here. Are you cold?"

"No, I'm alright," she yawned. "I'll be awake, promise," she smiled, looking up at him. He did look a tiny bit concerned (a little like he doubted her to be honest) but then jogged off. Marinette let her focus soften and turned her head up to the light snow, the chill helping to keep her awake. She felt a few flakes land on her cheeks and closed her eyes just for a second, the white clouds fading out to black.

The heat from where he had held her had radiated out, leaving her colder than she liked. She wanted him back so she could lean herself against him and feel him near. Ugh, she was soooo close to dozing off. She shook her head and patted her cheeks, dusting off the snow that had started to cover her.

She better keep herself busy. She pulled out her phone and was momentarily confused. She wasn't so sure what made her upset staring at her phone until her brain unfuzzed after a few seconds. Her phone backsplash was of Adrien Agreste and it didn't feel right… She needed to change that. She went into her settings and tried to find a good replacement picture. She did think Adrien was cute and all, but… her tastes had… well, they weren't quite the same anymore. She had barely thought about Adrien until now. That background had just been… there, static, as the scenery for ages.

She found herself being embarrassed scrolling through her photos. Her most recent pictures had been selfies with her friends and pictures of her crafts or baking. Anything more than a year ago had mostly been pictures she stole off the internet of Adrien. He'd definitely grown more handsome over time she had to admit, but it was… kind of cringey just how many pictures she had of him. She started deleting the Adrien pictures that hadn't been taken by her or her friends. It just didn't have the same appeal anymore.

As she kept going further back in time in her photos she saw sketches of the prototype kittycorn masks she had made for Kitty Section. Wow she really needed to update those sketches, and maybe she could ask Luka if he wanted a custom logo? If he did she needed to go back and tweak some of his Christmas presents, but it'd be worth it to see Luka's reaction.

Marinette desperately hoped he'd like what she made for him.

She'd been setting her phone background to the pink and blue lightning bolt of Luka's kittycorn mask when he came back with 2 takeout cups. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Thank you," she smiled up at him. She took the cup that was offered to her, then wedged the cup in between her thighs to take off her gloves to feel the warmth more directly. She picked the cup back up and loved that feeling of the heat suffusing into her hands. She leaned in and smelled the hot chocolate.

He sat down next to her and had taken the lid off of his… she couldn't really smell what it was but he did have whipped cream on top of that drink. He took a sip and got some of that cream on the tip of his nose and on his lips.

Before he was able to wipe it away, and before even Marinette knew what she'd been doing, she reached out and wiped her thumb across his lips and licked off the stolen cream from her finger.

Then, because she still wasn't thinking about it, she did the same with the whipped cream on his nose when he turned to face her, giggling after mentally adding a boop. Ugh, it was that cream that came out of an aerosol can. Too much air, not enough body. "What'd you get?" she asked. She noticed his eyes were pretty wide, and she hadn't fathomed what had surprised him except maybe the drink?

"Uh…" he trailed off, looking a little red. "C-Coffee?"

She leaned against his shoulder and sipped her hot chocolate, feeling it warm her up inside. "This is good," she sighed happily. "Feels really nice."

"Yeah," Luka said absently. "Nice. Did… I didn't ask if you wanted… any whipped cream… I can get…"

"Hmm? I'm okay," she murmured, drinking the rest of her hot chocolate. Plus she really didn't want him to go anywhere. He was warm and it felt like she could sit here with him forever. It'd be nice if they could snuggle together in her bed or something like that. She should ask if she could steal him away for a cozy snow day. That was a grand idea.

"Marinette," Luka started, then just. Stopped. He'd been looking at her, eyebrows furrowed. It was a few seconds during which Marinette turned back to face him, pressing part of her face against his shoulder. He exhaled, then smiled his lopsided smile. "Nah. It's alright." Part of him looked… resigned, maybe?

"I want you… to be as comfortable with me as I am with you," Marinette said sleepily. "I'm… I feel like it's so easy to be with you," she added. "You're so good for me," she sighed, letting her body lean back against the bench. The hot chocolate was working its magic and she felt parts of herself relax.

⁂

She woke up feeling slightly more rested but still overall groggy. Ugh, what happened? Wait. Wait. Oh no, she'd been with Luka and she'd just… she'd just dozed off? Wait, where was she? She sat up and blinked a few times, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She was back in her own room?! Her winter gear had been taken off as well as her shoes, but she'd been tucked back into her own bed by her mom by the look of it.

Marinette threw off her blankets and rushed downstairs. Oh God it looked like it was already evening -- did she miss the concert? Ugh, Marinette why did you have to be so lame?! "Maman?! Papa?!"

"Did you rest well, hon?" Sabine asked. "Luka brought you back a few hours ago--"

"HOURS AGO?! Oh no! Oh no oh no," Marinette yelled, pulling at her pigtails. She'd definitely missed the concert. Luka's last concert with Kitty Section!

"He also came back to bring the rest of your things from the Liberty," Tom added. "He stopped by just a minute ago! He can't be far, dear, why don't you see if he's still nearby?" Her dad handed her purse and gloves back to Marinette from where they were sitting near the register.

Marinette was ready to run out when Sabine tossed her a jacket. "And don't forget your shoes!" Sabine added, tossing boots at her daughter as well. Marinette didn't see the calculating smiles her parents exchanged with each other after she hurriedly put her gear on and ran out the Boulangerie.

Her mind was scattered but one thing seemed pretty clear: if it'd been a minute or two and Luka was heading back to the Liberty, Marinette would most likely find him in the subway station waiting for the next train. She didn't know the trains by heart but they came really quickly. She might have already missed him but if there was even the slimmest chance that she could catch him before he left she'd try.

She flew down the steps of the nearby subway entrance going toward the Liberty and saw only a few people milling around, but there was definitely a train pulling into the station right then and Marinette felt the rush of air buffeting her. There was one familiar figure in the distance and she ran toward them, hoping her gut instincts had it right. "Luka!"

Of course, as soon as she was close enough she tripped. She'd overstepped something or other and caught the edge of… something. If it hadn't been Luka she was hoping whatever kind soul she had just launched herself at would stop her from faceplanting. "Whoa!" a voice yelled out. Gloved hands braced her and pushed her back upright. "Marinette?" Yes, yes, yes, thank God, she thought looking back up at Luka, her world finally feeling right.

She promptly burst into tears after the relief faded. "I'm so sorry I missed it!"

Luka smiled, shaking his head slightly as he pulled her in for a hug. "The concert? Doesn't matter to me, I'm glad you got your rest."

Right, the sudden and inevitable betrayal of her body just because she'd stayed up a few nights makiNG PRESENTS OH SHOOT SHE NEEDED TO GET THOSE TO HIM! She snapped her head back to look up at him and slammed her head into his chin instead. "Ouch! Oh I'm so sorry oh no--"

Luka just started laughing after rubbing his chin. "God I'm gonna miss you," he said breathlessly, wiping away tears of his own, though his were caused by laughing too hard. The train next to them closed its doors with a hiss and started moving away. "Ah, whoops," Luka sighed. "I'll catch the next one."

This moment stretched in her mind as her mind raced. When he said he was going to miss her… it just reminded her how horribly she was going to miss him. Why had she been so freaking indecisive all this time? How was she going to deal with the Luka-shaped hole in her heart? How had she not realized that she'd wanted him and needed him until right as he was leaving for another freaking country and what if he was gone for a year or maYBE 10 YEARS or what if he decided he didn't want to come back and found himself someone else and she'd gone ahead and thrown this all away because she'd been too shy and too scared and too freaking stupid to realize she was in lo-- Oh, oh no.

Oh no. Don't freak out now, you saw this coming! Don't let him leave! she yelled at herself. Not yet. Not… yet, anyway.

"Wait! Wait, um, I-I have your presents pack at the packery--back at the bakery! I-I-If it's okay did you want me to get them now?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already bring one to the Liberty?"

Marinette pressed her lips together in a wan smile. "One's not enough," she said quietly. "There are more. I… wasn't able to carry all of them." HE won't be able to carry all of them, she thought angrily at herself. But there was one that she wanted to give him in person, in private. Now was as good a time as any, if he was willing.

He looked a little worried, but then Luka shrugged. "Sure, I don't have anything else right now. I'll head back with you. Thanks, by the way… You know you didn't have to get me anything."

"How long have you known me?" Marinette sniffed.

His smile broke through again. "Fair enough." They walked back up the stairs back to surface streets and walked to the bakery when the pedestrian light was green. Tom and Sabine looked delighted that Marinette brought Luka back. "Hey again. It's been a while," Luka joked.

"Go on upstairs, we'll bring you some snacks in a little bit!" Sabine said cheerfully. Marinette noticed that there wasn't any room for argument in what her mom said. It'd nearly come across as a command.

"Stay as long as you'd like!" Tom added unnecessarily.

Luka just smiled and nodded politely and followed as Marinette decided she'd best leave right then. They went up the stairs past her parents' bedroom floor and into the main floor. Luka almost went up the Marinette's bedroom ladder behind her but decided against it. "I can wait down here unless you need help getting it down?" he offered.

Marinette wondered why he was getting weird about going into her room now, of all times. "Just come up?" Luka let out what was the tiniest sigh and he relented, going up the ladder. She waited until he was finished climbing. "I didn't get a chance to wrap this up yet, but… I want to make sure it fits properly anyway." She took a long leather jacket off of her mannequin and presented it to Luka. "This is yours. I made this for you. Can you try this on?"

He just stared for a minute. "That looks… pretty damn incredible, Marinette," he said in awe. He took off his current jacket and handed it to Marinette when she offered to take it from him. She pretended she didn't feel just slightly awkward watching his lean form emerge from his bulky outerwear, pretended she didn't notice that his gray shirt underneath fit snug around his chest, pretended that she didn't keep getting drawn to the lines and curves of the muscles he usually kept hidden underneath hoodies.

He put on the jacket she made. Most of it was black leather lined in fleece, but she left the arms and the hood a softer, more pliable fabric so he wouldn't have his arms constrained by the stiff leather. The dark gray fabric of the arms extended out past the wrist to cover the palms and backs of his hands, and had slits for him to put his thumbs through. He pulled the hoodie over and smiled at Marinette. "Feels pretty good," he said.

Marinette moved his arm so it extended out, looking at the pull of the fabric and making sure that it was fitting well. She made some minor adjustments to the way the jacket sat on him, checking the length, checking seams, checking if there were any problems at all before she realized she was probably being weird on him. "Oh! Sorry, I just--just wanted to… um. A-anyway, how is it?"

Luka had just taken her hovering around and fixing things with quiet dignity. "It's great. It's… like I said, incredible. This must have taken a lot of work," he said with clear praise in his voice. "I honestly can't believe you're giving this to me. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Since you're l-leaving in winter I wanted to make sure… that you're warm." Like you keep me warm. "And comfortable." Like you keep me comfortable. "And it's… it's not obvious but I also have something on the back. Here, you can check it in the mirror," she said, pulling him toward her full length mirror. He faced away from the mirror but checked over his shoulder to look. In the light Luka could tell that she had painted the leather in subtle blue and pink, more stains of color under the light than distinct painted lines. "I wasn't sure if you'd like it but… I put in the lightning bolt from your Kitty Section mask. So that way you even if you're not part of Kitty Section anymore, you can bring them with you? Am I making any sense?"

"I got it," he nodded, still checking out different parts of the jacket. "God, I don't have words for how amazing this is."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Marinette, I love it." He paused suddenly after looking back up at her. He was a little surprised when he saw that she was crying again. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" He moved to her and pulled her into another hug.

"I'm just," she sighed, burying her face into his chest. "Seeing that on you. It makes it real that you're going." Luka took in a breath like he'd wanted to say something, but he let it go without saying anything. For a few heartbeats they stood there like that.

They heard Tom shuffling below and the hatch opened. "Hey kids, I brought some crois-- Oh, that looks wonderful, Marinette! That jacket turned out very nice!"

Marinette sighed and pulled away from Luka. "Thanks Papa," she laughed, taking the proffered plate of steaming hot bread.

"Eat them up while they're still warm!" Tom beamed, going back down the ladder and closing the hatch behind him. At least her dad didn't make a comment on how he found her and Luka. Maybe he was saving that for later… ugh.

"Want one?" Marinette giggled. "They are best straight from the oven."

"Sure, I'll take one."

Marinette handed one to Luka and ate one for herself, feeling pretty self-conscious at how awkward it got again. She put the plate of croissants on her computer table. "So um… The other presents for you are just… um. I guess there might be a lot to carry now that I think about it, ha."

"Keep them," Luka said between bites. Keep them? As in he didn't want them? Marinette froze in place. "Here," Luka added belatedly, smiling after he finished his croissant. "Keep them here. I'll be able to pick them up when I come back in the summer." He took a step toward her and leaned in close, placing his fingers against her cheek. Marinette blushed at the contact but she didn't shy away.

He pulled an errant flake of pastry off the corner of her mouth and ate it. "H-hey," Marinette grumbled. Well, it was probably her fault for expecting something… different. "That was mine," she added lamely at the end.

"What, you want it back?" He chuckled. "Dunno how--" She grabbed his lapels and pulled him in to kiss him hard. Then she heard Tom shuffling around again and shoved Luka at the chaise lounge just in time for Tom to open the hatch.

"I brought hot chocolate!" her dad announced with a huge grin, though it faltered a little as he took a slight pause to look back and forth between his daughter and the startled young man on her chaise. The kids were blushing pretty hard and Marinette just knew Tom was formulating some conclusions on what happened.

"Thanks Dad, we're good on snacks for now," Marinette said, trying to emphasize that she did not want anymore interruptions as she took the cups from Tom.

Tom grinned again. "Sabine and I added a little Dupain-Cheng magic in the cocoa, let us know what you think, alright? We'll leave you alone now," Tom winked.

UGH. She handed a cup over to Luka who took it automatically, still staring at her in a slight shock. Oh God maybe he didn't like her like that? "I-I'm sor--" she started.

"Don't," Luka interrupted. "Be sorry. Don't be sorry, I mean." He looked a little panicked and laughed nervously. "I didn't. Think. That you. Were…" he continued, speaking in fragments at a time. "Are you? Was that…"

Marinette sipped her hot chocolate nervously, her cup shaking slightly in her hands, but asked "Are you?" for some reason.

"How long have you known me?" Luka barked out as a laugh. "I've always liked you. Always."

"Me too. Really." Marinette said quietly. "I… it just. I suck at timing, you know?"

"Yeah," he breathed out, nodding.

She pouted. "But since you're leaving… it was something that… it just scared me."

"You know I'm coming back right?" He put his cup of cocoa on the floor. "Especially if you're waiting."

"You-you could meet someone new…?"

Luka furrowed his eyebrows. "I'll let you know if that happens. Is that what you're worried about?"

Marinette sighed. "No, orrrr ummm, sort of but not really. I just… didn't want things to change. And by that I mean I didn't want to… I didn't want to make… make any mistakes. With you." She chugged her hot chocolate, tasting the hints of buttery toffee and cream with a pinch of sea salt, then set her mug aside. "You've let me just hang out, you know? Let me be… me. And I was so afraid I'd screw something up if there was… anything more between us, if anything changed between us."

"But now things are changing anyway?" Luka replied. "Because I'm leaving for a while."

Marinette nodded. "Yeah. So, I thought I'd… well, give you that," she pointed at the jacket, "at least. So a little part of me can go with you."

Luka got back up to his feet and took off the leather jacket. "Then I'll only wear this when I'm away. Right now I'm here," he said. "And you're here. And I've always liked you. If you want me, I'm yours."

"That simple, huh?" Marinette smiled shyly.

"Always been."

Marinette drew herself into his arms and hugged him tight, feeling him wrap his arms around her. "I do. W-want this I mean. You. I really do suck at timing," Marinette sighed.

"Yeah, you do," Luka laughed. "But you've just given me some of the best Christmas presents I've ever gotten." He drew her face up to look at him and smiled. "And something to look forward to when I come back." He leaned in and kissed her.

#fxl fic #lukanette #lukanette endgame #endgame lukanette #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine

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lover-of-trash-and-people · 3 years

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im angrier this time? netflix shadow and bone s1e7 re-watch (substituting alcohol with iced coffee this time) (oh, also, spoilers)

yes jesper shooting ketterdam cards title card omg I straight up forgot that this was the darkling backstory episode we all know I love bin bons as much as the next person but um can we petition to never see the flashback darkling look again I kind of love Luda but I find the entire backstory kind of unnecessary even though I get why they did it okay mr. barnes king of micro-expressions alright fuck you show makers with you breaking my heart showing me how the Grisha have had to go through this countless times that they have their plans memorized oy dumbass otkazat'sya man you speak the darkling's name with some respect alright I've got to accept the tricck they use against the king's men is pretty cool omg you fucking bitch this is exactly why people say acab I've seen people say why couldn't he have broken his bonds and killed them before they killed Luda and I truly believe a) he didn't want to kill unnecessarily and b) Luda's life was at stake so like I get it okay so I don't like the 'just mortal' thing they brought it to sort of drive darklina soulmates agenda home because lmao that is not why okay I get Baghra's points but I don't like her, she like made more sense in the books her position on merzost is true to the books but like her pacifist stance is not the same and it just doesn't make sense okay I like the poc tidemaker in their company the score when the king's men soon to be volcra confront the darkling is impeccable that blast of darkness that we see spread outwards from him was very cool dunno how I feel about him hyperventilating and the fold flowing from him like an inky black liquid god, the score when baghra asks alek 'what did you do' is so eerie and beautiful that transition was on fucking point HOW IS KANEJ IS SO ON POINT I SIMPLY CANNOT the Inej Jesper bond is so beautiful I love it okay I love and hate how they refer to Inej's horrible time at the Menagerie so briefly and yet try to add so much impact to it omg why is Jesper about to make me cry cut to Malina huddled together? okay, show god I hate how the amplifier storyline is so incredibly poorly developed the stag is so beautiful I can't 'maybe there's another way to do this'?! again with the sgegehshshsjsjs I hate it here, fucking explain it at least okay fine the shot of Alina lighting up as she touches the stag and smiling with the soft violin in the back was beautiful now time to say bye to the stag and cry I guess okay I love zoya, she feels very authentic to book 1 zoya with maybe a few tweaks we love to see a man with plot armour uwu okay Alina my fucking queen taking out the arrow would cause him to bleed out faster why would you do that the dumbassery okay alek you overdramatic bitch I LOVED THE LIGHT SHIELD lmao I'm gonna cry at how nasal and supervillain-y the Darkling sounds when he says 'you can't save them all Alina' like okay king maybe that line could have better delivery I'm so sorry I love you so much I'm still a BB stan 'you've lost too much blood' maybe if you wouldn't have taken the arrow out you dumbass 'you said you wouldn't hurt him' nobody said that Alina but I get it you've been through a lot you're obviously not thinking love the cut, she's always cool 'miss starkov' you're in tsarist russia stfu ono I'm not prepared for this Kanej scene I need several minutes they're so perfect 'Jesper fixed your cane' I see you writers thinking they're clever omg Amita shivering from the cold babe I'm so proud of you you're so incredibly cool I love his little jaw movements before he says 'you were right' and her composing herself before turning around due to the shock of hearing these words from Kaz's mouth okay we've all talked about the voice break when he says 'she's real' so I will not dwell on it but it was beautiful the little head bend after he says 'and you' as if catching himself before saying 'and jesper' yes sir that was very convincing AAAAAHHHH IT'S HAPPENING I CAN'T COPE yeah okay fuck you I'm crying Kaz's expression at 'I can't go back to the Menagerie' being literally 'I can't believe

you think I'll ever let that happen' you fucking idiots I hate you and how much you love each other you are disgusting David so much so as breathes I love him Him saying 'Im going to place this around your neck' comedic genius David looks so sad my baby angel it's not your fault get that man's true name out of your mouth Starkov you're not supposed to know it let alone say it in front of other people aleksander this is the first time I've truly disliked you, you fucking asshole, Alina my love please don't believe him (why am I saying it like I haven't read the books and watched this already) LUKE HAVING ACTUAL TEARS IN HIS EYES AS HE PLACES THE ANTLERS AT HER NECK WHY IS HE SO GOOD AAAAAAAAA I didn't notice Ivan slowing her heart on my first watch, is that to reduce the pain ouch I am even more sad now okay Jessie you did it again Emmy time for all of these people okay the violin being sad and terrifying this is so good Luke being sad, Jessie literally crying I fucking can't do this anymore 'this is my power' 'but now I control it' really? that was the best you could do at this scene that is meant to have this great of an impact? him sort of pushing her down made me even more upset I'm so mad right now Freddie's microexpression with the eye when Inej says 'Jes has a point' Jessie looks so perfectly shell-shocked, I love them so so much the prosthetic's so gross, I love it so much DAISY HEAD IS THE PERFECT GENYA I WILL ACCEPT NO COMPLAINTS She brought me to tears and I love it Alina pointing out the Darkling's role in Genya's circumstances this early on, we love to see a well deserved call out it seemed very unlikely to me that Kaz would agree to go home empty handed but I do think it would make sense to cut their losses at a certain point I love the Kribirsk camp sets far too much, they seem to have literally leapt out of the books the darkling coming to see Mal seems very fanservice-ey and not at all adding to the plot in any way but I love it Archie bringing that youthful brashness to Mal that we all know he would have is wonderful mal calling the darkling 'shadow man' lmao I'm gonna cry 'you are a child' yeah Alek babe it's best you don't talk about that Alina is of the same age as he is I wanna go to Ben Barnes' school of nose acting because god damn Archie perfectly bringing to life Mal's realisation of the impact that Alina's immortality will bring to their life together oof sir you don't understand how perfect it is that Ben's eyes are actually that dark 'you'll wish you killed me here' it's okay honey you lost this one the Crows being the Crows I love them can we please have Jesper wearing the Zemeni man's red suit be a stepping stone to him wearing fancy clothes of outrageous colours like lime green and orange in the six of crows timeline because the fans will lose their shit and you know it Inej looking fucking fabulous in her suit I can't Kanej smiling at their crazy little bi son's antics okay can we talk about Milo literally saving the day because writer's room im looking at you you're a bunch of crazy mfers and I love you but I also hate you also I get that Mal's a tracker but would he actually have food in his pocket I know this joke has been made before but like Mal pretending to be asleep after waking the guard up is every teenager pretending to be asleep when their parents come to check on them in the middle of the night omg it's the scene those beautiful gauzy curtains at the door of the tent, I want them so bad 'you are special' he says standing stiffly at the door with a creepy inflection why am I suddenly an anti wtf I want his kefta so bad though 'my parents' I love that the show added her losing her parents to him as well because well it makes him even more villanous in her eyes doesn't it no matter what she might have felt for him uwu first fight as a couple (I'm kidding please stop) I love Jessie as Alina so much darkles don't even go off comparing being Grisha to being half-shu you can't compare experiences of being the other that interchangeably yes baby call him out on his

hypocrisy man I'm so conflicted like I understand his motivations and his story so well but like how is this helping okay but Alina's expression changing ever so slightly at him saying 'you and me' stop breaking my fucking heart assholes why is Jessie breaking my heart more on this watch than Ben did on the first one I knew it before he said it but I still gasped when he did on my first watch the little head tilt after he says it still with tears in his fucking eyes man I love this show this was the most devastating break up I have ever experienced and I will not accept any counter arguments okay actual villain time we love to see it sir please don't erotically remove her cloak you have long lost the right again I knew it before they said it but them saying it had me screaming WHAT A GLORIOUS EPISODE

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poesparakeet-fics · 3 years

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AKA “Yasha The Protector” fic from the prompt poll!

Note: This is basically a SFW fic with a lil NSFW ending. The whole SFW bit is here, so enjoy, and click to AO3 for the sexy bit!

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: The Poly Nein - Relationship, Beauregard Lionette/Caleb Widogast/Yasha, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha, Poly Nein Characters: Beauregard Lionett, Caleb Widogast, Yasha (Critical Role) Additional Tags: Tickling, Bedtime, gang tickle, Sub Caleb Widogast, Stress Relief, dope monk shit, Nipple Play, Cunnilingus, Polyamory, Group Sex, Threesome - F/F/M Series: Part 1 of The Poly Nein Summary:

Trent Ikithon has been brought back into the Mighty Nein’s orbit, and Yasha’s real mad about it. After Jester take Caleb to her bed to take care of his feelings, Yasha does the same to keep him safe. Beau… helps?

FICThe Empire and the Dynasty needed to figure their stuff out. They needed to take all their stuff, and just... lay it out on the table, measure it, and figure it out. That’s what Yasha thought, anyway. She supposed that these talks might be their way of doing it, but it sure was a bad way. At the very least she wished the Mighty Nein could stop getting mixed up in it.

When Yasha first saw that Trent Ikithon had manipulated his way onto the king’s party, she’d been tempted to bamf out her wings and scream in his face, right then and there. He was old, she suspected she could maybe stop his heart that way. But she’d felt Beau go still next to her, hard and poised like a switch, and paused to match instead.

The last night before their departure they’d set up the mansion in a rented room far from the castle.

Fjord was sure Ikithon had done it to force Caleb to interact with him. Caleb agreed, in that quiet way he did when he was thinking very hard, his eyes cast down.

“We should kill him while we have the chance.” Veth said. She didn’t shriek it like she might have done a year ago, but says it matter-of-factly, in the calm, sweet voice that always meant she was talking to Caleb. They were all talking, but what she said was meant for Caleb.

“No.” He says. “Peace is worth the wait.”

Nobody was willing to argue with him on it, but she could tell Beau and Veth both wanted to. When they all bundled off to bed, Jester intercepted Caleb and pulled him into her and Fjord’s room. Caleb went along numbly, only smiling a little when she insisted that he wouldn’t have nightmares if he slept with them.

Yasha was tense all night, sleeping with Beau weaved around her rigid form like willow reeds.

The talks the next day were very boring. Lots of people she didn’t care about talked. Trent talked occasionally, but only when called upon. Otherwise he would just whisper behind his hand. Fjord talked. Caleb talked. Jester even talked a little, defusing a heated exchange with spun-sugar grace.

Yasha didn’t talk. She stood directly behind Caleb, though, staring down Trent and his molefuckers. Throughout the day she tried to convey three things to them with just her eyes:

She wanted to rip their limbs off.

She was fully capable of ripping their limbs off.

The only reason she was not ripping their limbs off was because Caleb asked her not to.

Beau, on the other hand, roved around the room like a shadow, but her head was always turned in Trent’s direction.

The others seemed happy with how the talks had gone. The fortress they were in had rooms for them, but they all agreed to set up the mansion in one of them as an extra layer of protection. Yasha trotted to catch up with Beau, one hand reaching out to brush her arm.

“Hmm. What? Sorry.”

“That’s OK.” Yasha soothed “It’s been a long day. Um… so... I want Caleb to come sleep with us tonight?”

Beau looked a little surprised. “Uh, sure, but why? I’m not as good at feelings as Jester or Fjord.”

Yasha patted her arm. “You’re getting better. But it’s not about feelings! I want to make sure if some vole-fucker wants to show up next to his bed they get a big raging surprise.”

Beau snickered and Yasha beamed, pleased with the success of her joke.

“God, you’re so cute. Also, uh... very correct. I was worried about that too,” said Beau with a frown, "If they wanna try and take him out, we'll beat them right out of the pocket dimension."

They were all quiet and tired when they stepped into the mansion, Caleb most of all. Yasha wasn’t as persuasive or cajoling as Jester, so she settled for just grabbing Caleb out of the air as they floated up through the tower’s floors and carrying him to their room over her shoulder.

“Oof! Ah, Yasha…?”

“You’re not sleeping alone with him so near. You’re coming with us.”

“Oooh, good idea Yasha!” Jester’s voice carried down to them as she floated past. “Byyye Caleb!”

“Well, ja, alright then.” Caleb sounded too tired to argue.

“We’ll keep you safe.” Yasha assured him quietly as she gave him a pat on the butt. She didn’t put him down until they were in their room and she could dump him directly on the bed. Then she slipped the Magician's Judge underneath the frame.

“I need a bath before bed because I smell! Get comfy though, I’ll join you soon.”

Once she’d stripped down next to the always-steaming copper tub she turned around, surprised to see Caleb sitting on the ground pulling books out of his bag.

“Do you want a bath too Caleb? You can come in with me, you’re just little. Beau fits.”

Caleb gave her a quirk of a smile.

“No, thank-you. I’m just restless. I’ll work for a while before bed, I think.”

“Caleb!” Yasha’s brow furrowed. This was not good. Jester would never allow this, if she was the one taking care of him.

He shrugged. “I’ll stay here, if they attack I’ll be safe. You'll wake.”

“That’s not what she’s worried about, dumbass.” Beau joined them, a wine bottle under her arm and three glasses in her hand. “It’s late, this thing starts early tomorrow, and you’re the Bright Queen’s favorite human. You need to be sharp. You’re drinking this wine with us and you’re going to bed.”

“Verdammt noch mal , I’m manipulating countries by day and being put to bed like a child every night. Would you all let me be?!” Caleb snapped.

Yasha’s hands moved to her hips.

“You don't get put to bed like a child, you get taken care of by people who love you because we can't trust you to take care of yourself! And we’re here to protect you, even if it’s from the stupid part of your brain that’s too smart!” Oh, no, that hadn’t come out the way she wanted.

Caleb’s posture turned surly, but Beau stepped between them.

“Babe, relax, I’ve got this. Take your bath.”

She had him down in a matter of about six seconds.

First she reached out and seemed to only touch him in the centre of his chest. Yasha barely had time to notice that she’d undone the buckle of his holsters before he was being spun around by a steely hand on the back of his coat-collar.

Beau yanked his coat off in on swift movement, her other hand immediately grabbing the back of Caleb’s holsters and yanking them down to his elbows. She tugged the books out and set them aside while twisting the leather straps into a makeshift binding for his arms. She shoved him face-first onto the bed, straddling his thighs.

Yasha clapped when it was finished, having crawled into the hot bath to enjoy the show.

“Beauregard! Let me go. Now.” Caleb snapped

“Nope.” Beau tugged at his holsters until she could roll him onto his side, one clawed hand starting to scrub at his belly without so much as a glance. Caleb’s body spasmed, his breath pitching as he tried to resist laughing and keep a glare on his face. “There’s only three ways this ends for you. One, you give up, have a nice glass of wine and go to bed in the strong goth’s arms with me. Two, you use your safeword so I have to let you go and you can run off into a corner with your books like a pissy little bitch. Three, I personally tickle you until you pass out, which solves my problem anyway. So what’s it gonna be?”

Her hand squeezed his side and started to climb his ribcage, finally breaking the dams of his resistance. His torso was stretched, his ribcage extended by the angle at which the holsters were pinning his arms behind his back, and with Beau’s strong thighs around his center of gravity he couldn’t do much more than squirm. First a smile broke out, then helpless, rumbling laughter.

“FUHUHUCK YOU LIONEHETTE!” He ground out, earning an audience gasp from Yasha.

There was a stubborn, defiant and mouthy side of Caleb that only Beau seemed to be able to bring out. Often shocking, when Caleb was always so deferent to his lovers. But then, Beau’s relationship with the men in their group tended to be more ‘beloved best friends I share lovers with and also occasionally make out with’ than 'lover.'

“Ooh, mouthy! So, that’s how you wanna do it, huh? Huh?”

Beau’s hands started to fly, lightning-fast pinches tweaked Caleb’s ribs, sides, hips, armpits and neck faster than he could react.

“Ah- haha, nein! ” for the first time a little desperation entered Caleb’s voice, his defiance wavering just a little under Beau’s onslaught.

“No? Why? Is the little wizard ready for bed yet? Huh?”

Caleb’s face twisted into a furrowed glare over a helpless smile, and he shook his head from where he was currently muffling his laughter against the bedspread. Beau’s hands jumped to his uppermost ribs on each side, a precision attack that made him start thrashing and shouting in Zemnian. Yasha didn’t know what he was saying, but it didn’t sound complementary.

“How bout now, huh? What if I just do this forever? All ribs, all time! You like that, you smart-ass little shit?”

“No! Nohoho! I will gehehehet you!”

“Pfft. How you gonna do that, huh? You can’t cast your little spells while you’re squealing like a lil bitch…”

Yasha finished towelling herself off and flopped onto the bed next to them, putting her face near where Caleb’s was turned and pressed against the sheets before starting to dance her fingers around his neck and ears.

“Y-Yasha! I- Ah! Hahaha- I don’t- don’t feheeheeheel safe!”

“Oh so now Yasha’s here and you think she’s gonna save you? Nuh-uh. Hey babe, wanna see something cool that Dairon taught me?”

“No!” Caleb yelped, but it was muffled because Beau was already turning him onto his stomach.

“Ooh yes!” Yasha answered, leaning in with her chin on her other hand and continuing to tease the back of Caleb’s neck. Beau’s fingers started to follow the ley-lines of Caleb’s body, applying a poke, a twist or a ground knuckle at the intersections.

Caleb’s laughter petered into giddy giggles as his body trembled under the ministrations. He could clearly feel the effects of Beau’s work, because the steady whine of “nononononononono” became just a little more frantic with each applied touch, his neck and shoulders squirming and scrunching further to avoid Yasha’s teasing.

“We usually use this to make people’s nervous system more sensitive for interrogation,” Beau explained, “so… well, I guess it might work pretty well, huh? Let’s see!”

She didn’t bother to roll Caleb over this time, instead jamming her hands under his arms from behind to get his armpits and ribs. Every part of Caleb’s body started to shake, and his laughter turned into muffled shrieks.

“Nahahahat there!”

“Um, we already talked about this. It’s ALL ribs, ALL the time.” Beau teased, stepping up the rhythm of her fingers and making Caleb’s hysteria kick up with each word . “Yup, that works. How’s that, tough guy? Still wanna fight?”

She turned him on his side so he could talk, one hand still jammed under his arm. Caleb was red in the face, but he still spit out “Fuck you fuHAHAHAck you fuHAHAck youhooHAHAHA!”

“Caleb! That’s so rude!” Yasha admonished. “And you know what? I’m getting a little hungry.”

Caleb’s eyes widened and his thrashing sped up. Beau looked a little confused, but watched the one-sided exchange with an amused smile on her face.

“Remember in Aeor when you were a big spider? Do you think you’re as tasty now?” She pounced face-down on one of his thighs. “Omnomnomnom!”

Caleb’s squeal started before Yasha’s face got anywhere near him. She placed one hand on his knee and the other on his stomach to keep his body from folding up to block her, worrying both places with gently wiggling fingers. Then she nipped up and down the thigh muscle from hip to knee like it was corn on the cob, and Caleb nearly levitated off the bed.

“AAaaiiiiii! YAHAHASHA! AAAH! YAHAHASHAHA PLEAAHEEHEEHESE AAAH! UNCLE! UHAHAHANCLE!"

Yasha paused, peering up at him along the length of his body. Beau's fingers stilled too.

"Are you gonna come to bed?"

"Yehehes,” he wheezed, “yes!"

Yasha backed off. Beau started to, before mischief overcame her and she tweaked Caleb's ribs, making him convulse and scream.

"Hey!" Yasha warned, pointing at Beau. "He gave. My meal of wizard legs was interrupted, but I'll fill up on monk ribs if I have to."

Caleb made a raspberry sound at Beau from his position in a heap on the mattress. Beau held her hands up in surrender. "Alright! I was just teasing him, no need to get aggressive... Hey, you! You still want some wine?"

She untwisted Caleb’s holsters, setting him free.

“Yes pl- *hic* please.” Caleb croaked, still catching his breath.

Beau moved to pour the wine-- white, Caleb didn’t like red-- and they all sipped it as they got ready for bed. Once Caleb had stripped and tucked himself under Yasha’s arm with his head on her shoulder, Beau sat behind him. His spine went rigid.

“Relax.” The monk soothed. “I’m done. It only lasts an hour, but we can get rid of it faster.”

She started to rub Caleb’s back his firm, flat palms, working out muscles, nerves and energy where she had disrupted it to make him more ticklish. Caleb did relax, eyes rolling as his eyes started to flutter closed.

Beau moved to her other side, settling into a position that mirrored Caleb’s. Yasha fell asleep to the sound of their quiet breathing.

#yahsa protects Caleb from the dangers of being a sad wizard.#but also from deadly wizards #she does it all #yasha nydoorin #caleb widogast #tickling #tickle fic #tk fic #critickle role #mine #poes prose

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graveyard-in-the-void · 4 years

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---- Pumpkin Pain ---- (Me? Trying to write whump? With Pumpkin Scissors, it’s more likely than you think!

Now, after reading the manga as far as is translated- I can say that I somewhat abandoned the canon. It’s still an incredible Manga/Anime that I recommend to anyone (especially the anime, the manga gets pretty serious, I would go for both, but if you’d have to pick...)- but there are a lot of major tweaks I did on the atmopshere and themes present in the original work. I feel bad, it were deep themes, but dear god, I just can’t help but rip anything I love into unrecognizable pieces and make it way too light-hearted. Oh well, enjoy if you can!) ------

It hadn’t been easy this time around. Despite no tanks. Only bandits. Maybe that’s why Henry acted the way he did. Lowlife bandits. He had no respect for them. Challenging them to battle, while he told his group to continue setting the car up- They were on dangerous territory, the river nearby had the habit to flood over during the early morning hours… they were on a timer, undoubtedly. And that was why the rest of the platoon acted the way they did. Turning their back, trusting their leader. Because it was Henry Miller. He was incredible. As the last bandit fell, the car roared to live again and all of them gathered again, Henry confidently jumping beside Malcolm into the back of the car- exhausted, but smiling. “There we go. I thought I would have to fix the car by myself too!” Funtime Foxy rolled his eyes at that. “Listen, Lieutenant, while you were in your element, we had to figure out an entire car mechanism. You had fun, we had work.” Henry just laughed. But there was something about that laugh that kind of tipped Malcolm off. Unsure he looked at the small figure next to him. “Lieutenant?” The breaths he let out were absolutely irregular, his whole body seemed to still shake- and it didn’t seem to be only from exhaustion. It seemed- Henry looked at him, his eyes wild, a little bit glassy. “What is it, Corporal?” “Ah, well-“ The Phone Guy had adjusted the mirror, frowning a little as he inspected the scene behind him- he saw it too. Malcolm glanced away again, reaching for Henry’s shoulder. “Lieutenant, are you hurt-“ “NO. No, I am-“ Taking a sharp breath, Henry adjusted in the backseat, shortly his face turning into a grimace. “I am fine.” “Stop the car-“ Malcolm ordered, before his superior instantly fell into his word. “Under NO circumstances stop the car! We need to get this intel to the station! We can’t AFFORD any further delays!” His breath was getting more and more into disarray. “But Lieutenant-“ “INNOCENT PEOPLE, Malcolm! They’ll be SHOT AT. The building is full of civilians and they don’t KNOW that and if we don’t-“ Breaking off, Henry started coughing, and that was when Mal made his decision. “There’s an abandoned hut down the road, sometimes used by the military.” He started slow, his voice deeper and more determined than before. “You and me will get off the car there. Foxy and Simon will go on and deliver the information.” “But-“ Gently Malcolm put his big hand on Henry’s shoulder, causing him to wince a little. “You’re in NO state to make decisions anymore.” “I-“ All the big man needed to do was to carefully squeeze his shoulders, causing him to quiet down. As the road went on, he felt Henry growing more and more limp under his grasp, and the fear started crawling into Malcolm’s very core- The other two were deathly silent too, driving as fast as they could. It seemed like hours, but it were barely a few minutes that they drove, before the Phone Guy brought the car to a halt. Without waiting another second, Malcolm stood up- And Henry tried to follow suit, just to completely fold in on himself. Everyone tried to get to him, but due to position, Malcolm was first, abruptly catching him and raising him up in his arms, feeling the sticky heat of slowly dripping blood creeping over and covering his arms, his heart stopping for a second. Jumping out of the car, while keeping Henry steady, Malcolm looked back only once. “Bring the information to the stationed members of section one. Hurry. I’ll take care of him.” There was another second of hesitation from the other two, however, they knew they had no choice here- not if this mission was supposed to be a success. And if they had any more doubt, Henry’s weak voice remained oddly authoritative. “… go already y-you idiots, what are y-you WAITING for…?” “Yes, sir!” The car drove off, as Malcolm carried Henry off into the hut. It felt terrifying to see Henry in this state. A nauseating mixture of intimacy and terror filled the atmosphere. Terrible, it was terrible, but Malcolm had no choice but to unbuckle his lieutenant’s belt and opening his coat- Just to see that his entire right side was covered in blood. Even more- There were metal- things- sticking out of his side too. Hooks? “What- what were you up against, Lieutenant…?” “… bandits.” He muttered, his eyes staring at the ceiling, clearly unable to focus. “No, these weapons- those- I haven’t see those before.” “… c-creative bandits. They- use… hooks. Does damage- taking them out.” Slowly he breathed in and out, trying to steady himself. “… they will- have to… I think- we should… I-“ “Shhhh, Lieutenant. You- have to save your breath.” “… I am… not dying…” Half-hearted Malcolm smiled, desperately trying to keep himself calm, knowing that now it all depended on him. “Of course you aren’t, Lieutenant.” Slowly he closed his eyes, gathering himself as well, reigniting his determination. “… I wouldn’t let you.” A quiet laugh escaped Henry, before he stopped as Malcolm grabbed his shoulder, pressing him down. “Wh-“ “Lieutenant, I will have to remove the hooks. This will hurt… I apologize. Please- try to hold still.” Instantly Henry weak grip on his arm grew tighter, it was clear he knew what was coming. But he remained quiet. The fear was visible in only his fingers, and his eyes. Malcolm already knew this would hurt him too- so he paused one more second. “… it’s okay to scream.” With that he removed the first hook. The fingers on his arm turned into claws, as he felt Henry desperately trying to sit up, his feet kicking impossibly HARD for someone so hurt- Malcolm wouldn’t back down though. Kicks and scratches and he was sure if he would have managed to sit up, he would have tried to bite him, there was no tactic and elegance left inside of his superior. Only the instinct of an animal trying to escape the pain. However, he refused to scream, the howl kept inside of his throat and closed mouth. “I’m sorry Lieutenant- I’m sorry Henry. It’s going to be over soon.” With that he grabbed the second hook, swiftly getting it out, adjusting the angle- Another breathless and tired noise of pain, Henry trying to throw himself around, twitching- but Malcolm’s grip had no mercy. He was holding him tight, too tight to get himself hurt even more on accident- “Last one. It’s okay. It’s okay Henry.” The body below him was shuddering, lying in his own blood- And Malcolm moved quick, taking it out, getting it done. There was a scream. An actual, loud scream that send a chill down Malcolm’s spine. He was so sure he never heard him scream like that. At all. It sounded to unlike his lieutenant- The only silver lining- and it was none at all- was that he had stopped kicking him so hard. Probably his strength leaving his body, but Malcolm desperately tried to not think about it. When it was all said and done, he had the bandages ready, a needle and yarn too. God, god, he wasn’t- he wasn’t at all prepared to do this. He never did this before- But if he wanted him to live- At least there was hardly any reaction from Henry anymore, he seemed to almost completely lost conscious, only his fingers sometimes twitched, as a little sound escaped his throat. “It will be fine.” Malcolm whispered, unsure if to himself or to Henry. “You will do just fine. You will be fine. We’ll get out of this.” Eventually it went fully quiet, maybe because Malcolm was focusing so much, maybe because Henry finally slipped away. And without thinking any further, he finished off patching up the cleaned and stitched wounds, wrapping them into bandages as well. God, the whole side was ripped open, a fleshy mess- And now, as he looked down at his sleeping, pale, wrapped up Lieutenant, he almost looked- Mummified. It made him feel sick. Sitting down by his side, Malcolm stared at him. Dirty, worn down, sweaty and in pain. That was the last thing he wanted to see him like. He should have STAYED by his side. He should have fought with him. Reaching out, he grabbed Henry’s hand, closing his eyes. When he focused, he could feel Henry’s heartbeat in his palm, and it- it helped a little bit. Right now, Henry was still here, still with him, and had a chance to get better- everything would get better. Tonight he would sleep a second. Not until he knew Henry was alright. Not until Henry’s eyes opened again. When consciousness came back to Henry, he at first almost wished it didn’t. His entire body was in utter agony. He wanted to move, but couldn’t. His head was hammering. Slowly he glanced up at the ceiling, until he had saved enough strength to look to the side- “Henry! Henry, oh god. You’re okay. I knew it. I knew you’d be okay.” It was funny. Funny to see this big man shake. Especially since- it was so rare to see him express such intensity in general. He opened his mouth to say something, but it was hardly a croak. Malcolm stood up. “I’ll get you some water, Lieutenant.” Rushing away, he disappeared from Henry’s field of few, leaving him to ponder what had looked off about Malcolm beside his emotionality right now- Wait- Right. He wasn’t wearing his… jacket. Slowly he shifted the tiniest bit, avoiding the utter agony flaming up inside of him, to glance- That was one way to explain why he was feeling so warm and cozy. The jacket almost covered him completely, it was that big. Falling back, he slowly breathed out, trying not to go mad with pain, trying not to want to scream and trash about, as that would just open up his wounds again… Malcolm reappeared, holding the glass of water, looking distraught. “Uhm- Lieutenant, I- will have to help you drink. You can’t move yet.” “… you think…?” Finally his voice had returned to him, just in time to be sarcastic. However, Malcolm’s face lit up- and for a moment Henry felt better. Kneeling down beside him, he carefully put his hand under Henry’s head, helping to raise it a little, allowing to ensure the least possible amount of pain. Afterwards, he sat down with him again, leaning against the wall. For a while, Henry drifted, unsure if minutes or hours passed… … then finally another thought made it through the haze of pain. “… are you not… cold?” “Huh? Lieutenant?” Surprised Mal looked at him, before shaking his head. “No, I’m fine. Think about yourself first. Please.” “Malcolm. I-“ He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. Something about the winter cabin… “… body heat…” It seemed like his subordinate understood instantly, his face changing to shock. … was what he asked that outrageous? He wasn’t SURE and it made him feel so- upset. All these rules, all these regulations. Growing up with them, internalizing them. The high society. The military. The structures that had defined him. All of it, a distant dream now. Now, all that existed was this cabin, Malcolm, and his body that was ripping apart at the seams- quite literally. And all he knew was that he wanted to feel someone else besides him. No- not someone. Malcolm. “A-are you sure about this, Lieutenant?” “… urgh, stop- calling me that… I am… h-hardly a lieutenant right now.” “Henry…” “Please just- do it for me.” There was nothing for a whole minute or two- Then he felt Malcolm slip under the covers and coat besides him, feeling a weird sense of instant relief as his smell and radiating warmth was there. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep almost instantly. There was nothing Henry wanted to do more than move again, properly. He could sit up, but it was impossible to at all shift to the injured side- And he hated lying like this. Malcolm had been cooking, cleaning him and his bandages and generally been trying to dote over his every need. It felt a little bit humiliating. However, every time he tried to see if he could finally stand up- “GOD FUCK-“ “Henry!” … and back down onto the bed he went. Frustrating. He was growing so anxious. “Malcolm. I cannot stand this. I cannot lie around here anymore!” For a moment Malcolm looked at him, trying to come up with some solution for this. “I… could pick you up, Henry?” “Goddammit, Malcolm.” “Wh-what?” “… nothing.” Henry shook his head. “… I would quite like to be picked up. Just so I can at least see the outside for a little before I go stir-crazy.” No more hesitation needed, Malcolm gently picked him up. Warm and save, his arms felt- reassuring. And as he carried him outside, he took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air on his face, the sound of birds and the wind brushing through the trees and grass. He leaned his head a little bit against Malcolm’s chest. And… he felt like smiling. “… we really did it, huh…? I survived and the other two are doing their parts. And the bandits- they are gone. It could not have gone any better.” “I have to say that- I would rather not have seen you hurt, Henry.” “Well, that is your opinion. I would do it all again.” Softly Malcolm smiled too, looking at Henry’s face, his watchful eyes wandering over the scenery. “… yeah, I fear so too.” It was their last night in the cabin. Message had reached them that their two soldiers would be coming back in the morning, with a transporter for Henry. For now though, they would sleep in here one last time. Malcolm looked at his Lieutenant, watching him sleep, sometimes still wincing during it, as his body had to prevent itself from trying to roll over. At least the taller guy could keep him steady, preventing him from as much damage as possible. He was looking so much better than just a few nights ago. His cheeks had color again. His breathing was strong. He was going to get up again. Softly he chuckled, gently wrapping a strain of his pink hair around his finger. Weird- Henry always called HIM the indestructible one. Yet here he was. Recovering. Growing strong again. He’d get out of this without anything permanent. Maybe even without any ill memory. Because that was just how Henry was. Brushing through his hair, Malcolm felt his heart sinking ever so slightly. This was how Henry was and he should have been more careful with him. All of this damage, it still felt like his fault. Never again. A short thought made it into his mind, as he watched Henry lying there, resting so peacefully. Somewhat he felt bad for it. Maybe even terrible. But frankly, he only knew one good luck charm that had ever worked on him… … slowly he leaned down, close enough that their breath mixed- His heart hammered in his chest, he was fully red in the face. Oh lord. Could he really do this? Really? But- if he wanted to apologize- if he wanted to promise to do better- if he wanted to give him good luck- Softly he leaned and did it. A gentle kiss on the forehead. Then he slipped in next to Henry for one last time, before this man would turn into his Lieutenant once more, requiring a professional distance most of the time. The memory of this kiss though- It would stay with Malcolm. And forever remind him to do better.

#mod toast #Malcolm #Henry #shippy stuff #one day I'll probably organize all the AUs? I think? Perhaps?#also if you put anything in the inbox about canon pumpkin scissors I might end up rambling my head off #it's better for your sanity if you don't #love it but also am so frustrated by it

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popatochisssp · 5 years

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This should come as no surprise but I absolutely *adore* your characterization of Sky! Where do you get your inspiration for his personality? (Also not opposed to learning more about your inspiration for the rest of the boys!) Love ya, Toffee!

Oh boy, okay well, the long and short of it is, I started almost completely from scratch when building my own characterizations of the boys!

Obviously, it’s impossible to ignore/filter out all of the preexisting fanon, but when I first started to develop who I thought the skeles of the various AUs should be, I wanted to get as close to original with it as I could rather than just taking them straight from the fanon and tweaking until they felt ‘right’ to me.

So, we’ll use Sans as an example!

Canon Sans is: a funny guy (puns and pranks), a man of simple pleasures (good food, bad laughs, nice friends), pretty strong moral code (the Judge), lazy/low energy (frequent napping, The General State of His Room)

Now, let’s thought-experiment this bitch– what happens if we take that exact same guy, but swap his motivation and energy levels with his brother’s?

You get Sky (Underswap Sans), of course! Still a fan of bad jokes, still has strong beliefs about right and wrong, but now way more extroverted, socially. He’s exuberantly charming and not only knows how to work a room, but actually has the drive to go do it! He’s intelligent and curious and wants to know things (typical scientist’s mindset), but unlike his canon counterpart, he has the energy to follow up on most of those things, to try out a little bit of everything just to understand and experience it; because he can!

Same process brought about Jasper (Underfell Sans): Canon Sans, but dropped into a violent universe with a credo of Kill or Be Killed.

Well, his humor’s not gonna be as lighthearted, probably a little darker, a little more into blue comedy territory or even gallows humor. Moral code ain’t gonna last long growing up in a place like that, so he’s gonna be jaded and bitter about a whole lotta stuff, and hoo-boy, if Sans Classic is tired and depressed, this poor bastard is gonna be exhausted and miserable, nothing’s gonna sound better to him than a long-ass fuckin’ nap where he doesn’t have to worry about gettin’ stabbed in the back or somethin’.

Keep on keepin’ on here with Mal (Swapfell Sans): what if we dropped Sky into a Kill or Be Killed world?

All his energy and motivation is going to get funneled straight into his sense of responsibility– he feels the need to step up and take on this world where anyone can be an enemy, where Jasper was just too tired and beaten down for that. Mal is still sharp and likes to know everything that he can, but he’s also learned how to use all of what he knows and has and can offer, whether that’s socially or politically or in combat. Looking out for himself and his own is his priority so he uses his intelligence as a weapon, both defensively and offensively, to make all kinds of strategic moves to get him and his brother into the safest positions possible. He still has a moral code…but not a very altruistic one, if nobody else is playing very fair. It’s pretty much just that he’ll do what he has to do and reward the ones who cooperate with money or help to encourage further, future cooperation. He’s not entirely a sadistic, evil bastard, he really just wants his family to be safe and happy, and for that to happen, things need to go…correctly. He will make things go correctly, because he can.

I went through this thought-experiment already for Slate (Horrortale Sans) over here, and this post is getting long so I’m not gonna tack on the Papyri, but it’s the same concept!

I started with the source character, considered the basic premise of the AU, and then tried to come up with what I thought that guy would be like if born and raised there– still the same character, but developed in a different environment that gave them different quirks and qualities without making them wholly unrecognizable, parts of the original canon still shining through here and there.

…But y’know, that’s just how I did things! I’m sure just about every author/artist/content-creator in this fandom had their own thought-process for how they characterize these skeletons and their alternate universe selves, and they’re all really cool and valid, too! :D

#beecheerios #crinkling #for reference #i guess?#just my brain doing stuff

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theonyxpath · 5 years

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Today’s blog is going to be a bit different. It’s one of the rare Mondays we aren’t holding our weekly meeting, in that it’s the Labor Day holiday here in the US and a bunch of us are all over the place taking care of everything from finishing up conventions to driving a kid back to college.

So, while we still have our updates and all that, I don’t have a meeting’s worth of notes to share with you in some mutated form. Instead, I thought I’d selfishly take the opportunity to talk about one of my processes; specifically, the process I go through to design the look of one of our game line’s cover treatments.

In this case, I’m talking about the cover for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant.

To do that, we need to go back to when I was designing the overall look of the entire Trinity Continuum line. Sitting down and considering what direction to go with it, I made the a call to make sure the covers let folks know that they were part of a series, rather than the direction of the original editions where I wanted each core book to reflect the genre the game was designed to emulate.

I’m talking about the funky and unique plastic binding of Trinity (Aeon), the graphic novel look of the Aberrant cover, and the pseudo-distressed look of an old pulp magazine for Adventure!.

I think we did a pretty nice job on them way back when, but now that we are emphasizing the fact that these game lines exist in a Trinity Continuum, I was looking for a way that the cover treatments would also relay that information.

A timeline sort of feel – something that could be read as moments along the Continuum – was what I was looking for, but my first idea, a single illustration that we’d cut sections out of for each main book, just wouldn’t work as intended. After all, we expect to add all sorts of new time periods and genres, so how could those be worked into a single illustration before we even could know which ones we were doing?

Instead, what if each point on the timeline that represented a new slice of the Continuum was represented by a vertical illustration that collaged together the high points of that setting? I could picture them springing up all along the timeline, with maybe the “tent pole” game settings of the Trinity Continuum: Core, TC: Adventure!, TC: Aberrant, and TC: Aeon, getting the largest and most involved images for their covers, and other books having treatments that were as involved as the books warranted.

Something like this:

That would give us an underlying structure that tied into the Continuum concept – and it is always a good thing to try and put new concepts into some sort of visual design that reinforces and even explains that new concept – yet not have a design that would constrict our ideas and cover visuals.

Here’s what the TC: Core and TC: Aeon covers look like:

Now for TC: Aberrant, I was able to start with continuing the structure set up with the previous covers, and I had the original edition’s collage cover by the awesome Tom Fleming to draw imagery from to give us the quite accurate sense of a connection between the two editions. So things like a cityscape at the bottom, and making sure we got a T2M logo somewhere in it, were natural choices for imagery.

Which scenes, which head-shots, and which full figures to be featured were a different matter entirely. A lot depended on just what we wanted this edition to have as themes, or basically, what kind of moments and characters best show off the setting folks will find past the cover?

For the biggest, focal-point full-body figures: we’d talked about the changes to The Fireman’s story, so I knew he was still an inspirational figure – maybe even moreso in this edition. I even played around with having the central image be his statue, but decided on keeping the focus on the living hero.

Divas Mal, of course, needed to be in a position of prominence, and I wanted the swirl of his cloak to talk about one of our most iconic characters also being a comic book character. Around him, the leading figures in his movement, since Mal was still a messianic figure that movements coalesced around in this edition.

Some rough sketches along the way to the cover design.

Then between them, another iconic and powerful character, Antaeus – even before we knew the lead-in webcomic would feature him. Smaller figures would run the gamut of the various kinds of Novas – mercenary Elites, celebs in the public eye, T2M members, etc. I also wanted a wide range of physical types.

Some head-shot characters as a call back to the first edition cover, and to break up the figures on a visual level. I knew Matthew and Eddy were anxiously awaiting a chance to pitch a supplement detailing the Nova wrestlers that featured way to prominently in first edition (IMHO), so Lance Stryker reprises his head-shot, along with the iconic Cestus Pax to reassure long-time fans that the hero you love to hate was still in there. (Especially since Ian Watson had already made some strong changes to the character).

Just like on the previous two book covers, the three characters above the cityscape are new ones, but again, I was pushing to hit some archetypes and expand some physical types. Plus, we had discussed a long time back that “inventor” type characters would be able to go all Tony Stark, so a powered-suit character needed to be on there to suggest that change in this edition.

For iconic scenes, I started with the Galatea explosion, and the attack on the Lincoln Memorial by Geryon. Both of those have also been moments from which a lot of the further events of the setting sprung. Then a few more, like a T2M rescue just to get the team into the cover a tad bit more, as even tweaked, I know they were still a great entry point for lots of folks coming to TC: Aberrant already aware of the idea of superhero teams.

Because, even with all that pre-planning, there were still tweaks to be made. The biggest came late in the actual illustrating when I was reminded that in this edition’s continuity Slider isn’t murdered. I’d designed the cover before the writing was done, and forgotten I’d included the Slider assassination as one of the cover moments. Whoops! We had to get that fixed even later than Mirthful Mike’s cover mock-up for the Kickstarter.

And please, lest you think this whole blog is me suggesting the covers are all a RichT production of a RichT idea, directed by and starring RichT, let me be clear that most of my efforts end by handing off my sketches to Mirthful Mike Chaney, who not only art directs the cover illustrations based on the sketches, but follows up on the illustrator’s versions and my notes on them, and then makes the illustrations sing by how he has done the graphic design for the covers.

Fantastic artist Shen Fei, who has illustrated the covers for all three books so far, has so far blown away and improved my ideas by a quantum level – and I expect that TC: Adventure! will also be for more beautiful than I imagined as I sketched it out! (And I can imagine a fair bit of beautiful.)

So, that’s pretty much it for this week. Just a little peak behind the scenes on how we do the voodoo that we do so well in order to illuminate our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

Keep an eye out in this space as well as on our social media for the Deviant: The Renegades Kickstarter that will be launching later this month!

Onyx Path Media!

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features recordings from GenCon! Go to https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/ or to your favorite podcast venue!

The Onyx Path News show went out live today, with talk of Vampire, Werewolf, Chronicles of Darkness, They Came From Beneath the Sea!, Dystopia Rising: Evolution, and all kinds of other games, along with lots of meandering nonsense from Matthew! https://youtu.be/ZVmX1n_54Fc

Our Twitch channel has a bumper crop of content coming up this week, with almost every day populated with a show! There’s Scion, Scarred Lands, Vampire, and more! Check us out and give us a follow on www.twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Here’s a special treat for fans of Mage: The Awakening! Occultists Anonymous have four new episodes for you right here as follows:

Episode 37: Forging Futures With Atratus still within her soul and tensions running a little high, Wyrd and Songbird split the party. Plans are made for the future of the cabal and the individual mages. https://youtu.be/ay54wbYhs7Y

Episode 38: In the Wings Wyrd the Seer and Songbird work to restore a wounded Hallow. Atratus experiments with the new strength of her Matter Arcana. https://youtu.be/ZsMa26FER4g

Episode 39: Lady of the Lake Wyrd the Seer delves into her Oneiros to confront the conflicts within her own soul. Songbird prepares for his UFC fight. Atratus speaks with her dead brother. https://youtu.be/AD2UTOzWSq8

Episode 40: He’s Back Acanthis, the fighter formerly known as Songbird, returns to a UFC fight, then the cabal goes to Jimmy “Smalls” Patinko’s place for a party. Enjoying the nightlife in New York City… https://youtu.be/yULxjFKo-iE

The Story Told Podcast continue their excellent Dragon-Blooded actual play. As the Dragon-Blooded set out again on the road to Daric, Kai discovers evidence of a small band of travelers attempting to hid their presence. The Dragon-Blooded decide to investigate. https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/

Our Scion: Athens, Ohio actual play is now on our YouTube channel right here https://youtu.be/gQv3599lczo along with promo videos here https://youtu.be/drNIV5G8Vys and here https://youtu.be/9_1X8l1RXaQ Expect more to come in the coming weeks!

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And NOW Scion Origin and Scion Hero are available to order!

As always, you can find most of Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, Night Horrors: Shunned By the Moon for Werewolf: The Forsaken 2nd will be available in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG!

Conventions!

Save Against Fear: October 12th – 14th GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd PAX Unplugged: December 6th – 8th 2020: Midwinter: January 9th – 12th

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Redlines

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Second Draft

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Development

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Manuscript Approval

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

W20 Art Book (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Post-Approval Development

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

V5 Chicago Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Scion LARP Rules (Scion)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Editing

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Post-Editing Development

Memento Mori (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e Companion)

DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Indexing

Geist 2e (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars – Contracted. Sketches rolling in.

TCfBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties – Contracted.

Deviant (KS) – Contracted. Putting together KS graphics.

Trinity RMCs – Contracted.

Cults of the Blood God (KS) – Sending out art notes.

Chicago Folio – Art notes going out this week.

Mummy 2 (KS) – Got Matthew’s notes.

Memento Mori – Small book, throwing it to Drew and Luis.

In Layout

They Came from Beneath the Sea!

Dark Eras 2 – Files with Aileen

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

VtR Spilled Blood – With Josh. Everything is in, so he should be cruising.

Aeon Aexpansion – Need to do cover.

Proofing

C20 Cup of Dreams

Signs of Sorcery – Inputting errata.

M20 Book of the Fallen

DR: E – Back to Eddy for XXs.

DR:E Jumpstart

CoM – Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel

At Press

Dragon Blooded – Shipping wrapping up.

Dragon-Blooded Cloth Map – Shipping wrapping up.

Dragon-Blooded Screen – Shipping wrapping up.

Trinity Core Screen – At Studio2.

TC Aeon Screen – At Studio2.

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs coming.

Trinity Core – Printing. PoD proofs ordered.

Trinity Aeon – Printing. PoD proofs ordered.

V5: Chicago – Prepping files for press.

You Are Not Alone (TC: Aberrant Comic) – PoD proof ordered.

Shunned By the Moon – PDF and PoD physical book versions available this Wed. at DTRPG!

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Thanks to Impish Ian Watson for posting this: “50 years ago today, two computers at UCLA were connected via a 4.5-meter cable, giving birth to what we call the Internet. Happy birthday, Internet.” Because without the internet, Onyx Path would just not work – we need the connections around the world to do what we do!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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queezleposts · 6 years

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Paladins Patch 1.3 Thoughts

So now that it’s a bit after the fact, I figure I might as well organize my thoughts more about the upcoming patch! Everything is under the cut, and I apologize in advance to mobile users. The patch notes for 1.3 are already up if you’re interested.

The Emote Wheel, and Gold Sinks

Okay so first off, just the addition of being able to equip multiple emotes and sprays on its own is such a good addition! But also as one of those folks currently sitting on a mountain of gold right now, we REALLY needed this sort of gold sink:

From the looks of it to upgrade to each additional slot for both sprays and emotes, the amount of gold will be:

Slot 2: 50,000g

Slot 3: 100,000g

Slot 4: 150,000g

Which works really well for me. Fernando has so many good emotes, I can’t be expected to pick just one! Speaking of Fernando though -

Please excuse the quality of this image but my BOY is using his SHIELD like a SURFBOARD! I don’t care if its Battle Pass exclusive, I WANT IT

...Okay back on topic. I’m not sure if you have to unlock these additional slots for each champion on their own, or if its a universal unlock yet - only PTS will tell. I honestly have enough gold that I’d probably be set either way though...we really needed a gold sink that doesn’t revolve around buying champion levels. I only buy champion levels if I want to unlock their talents, but nothing beyond that. No sir, I like to EARN my gold skins!

The other gold purchasable addition to the game is additional language announcer packs - 25,000g each. I think we’re definitely going to see someone playing champions of a specific nationality along with their respective announcer pack in youtube videos. So, Fernando with the spanish announcer pack for example. It just seems like an inevitable thing that’s gonna happen, haha

New Map, New Queues

So first off, the separation of TDM and Onslaught and the reintroduction of multiqueue are GREAT and I’m happy to see this happen. It looks like Snowfall Junction will also be added to the TDM queue, so that will be interesting to see how it works out. More importantly, the Rise of Furia event map isn’t going entirely to waste; I really love the look of the modded version outfitted for a classic TDM match, and the creation of points of interest with the spawned pickup that gives you a full ult charge sounds neat on its own as well. A sort of objective in an objectiveless game mode if you will.

The fact that the old Throne Area at the top of the Spire during the event will still be accessed from the custom match lobbies is just the icing on top.

I honestly would love to see more of an emphasis on new map additions over new champion additions in the future. We really are in sore need of new maps. Hell, I’d love to see the reintroduction of the test map queue just on its own.

Balance and In Game Adjustments

Fusillade Nerf: Both necessary AND welcome!

Cherish Nerf: I’m gonna miss that extra burst, but I can also see why this was necessary.

BUCC: It’s a bit of a mixed bag here, isn’t here? Self Sustain nerfed, but buffs to his ensnare as well. Then you have the reload changes; kinda makes me wonder if he’s one of those champs that’s going to receive yet another rekit later in the future because these tunes he always receives tend to be all over the place.

Bug Fixes:

Grumpy Bomb no longer deals 3x damage to Shields: AS A FERNANDO MAIN, THANK YOU

Overall audio fixes: these were a long time coming, I especially noticed the Mal’Damba one brought up.

Fixed an issue where Furia’s Wrings of Wrath Projectiles were sometimes tracking and moving through walls: Thank u lord.

Seems like a lot of map collision bug fixes went through too

Misc:

You know that thing where you’re making a Loadout, the queue pops, then you get sad because you can’t finish the loadout before the match? Now you can – until all the other players have accepted!

This is a quality of life change that I sorely needed considering how many times this has happened to me, lol.

Skins + Battle Pass

So the Battle Pass looks to have more concrete stuff this time around though they did up the buy in price - from 500 to 600 crystals. So, some skin reviews.

Crimson Serpent Mount

I actually kinda dig this mount; its nice to have another non-horse addition, and the fire trail effects are also neat.

Makoa – Akuma Skin

While the fact that there are elements that remind of Bowser is pretty fun to me, this is overall not a skin that suits my personal tastes. It feels too overdesigned, too cluttered, too clunky, too many unnecessary spikes everywhere. I guess I’m just not...too into edgy aesthetic skins though overall so I’m biased here.

Cassie – Dragoncaller Skin

When the visuals for her first dropped with the splash art for the new mount, I deadass thought this was going to be a Lian skin because of the hair and the royal vibe, but no it’s...Cassie. Honestly this feels more like Cassie cosplaying Lian more than anything, right down to the voice pack. Seriously the voice pack has HUGE Lian vibes to it, its the high born haughtiness. I guess if you’re into that, this is your skin. I do admit though, Dragon Ziggs is pretty cute, and the crossbow is alright.

Mal’Damba – Shadow Lord Skin

CONGRATULATIONS TO HI REZ FOR BEING COMPLETELY INCAPABLE SO FAR OF PUTTING OUT MAL DAMBA SKINS THAT I DON’T LIKE. This skin goes so against what kind of aesthetics I usually go for, it’s very “edge” but my snake boy pulls it off and I love him. The only downside is that the voice pack is very generic and is definitely outclassed by all of Mal’Damba’s other voice packs by far. It’s situations like this that really make me wish they added voice pack customization back so that I could equip his halloween voice pack with this skin.

Oh also who gave snek a knife?

If I get this battle pass it will be purely for the Fernando emote and this Mal’Damba skin, and I suppose the mount as well.

New Champion: Koga

Okay so visually? I don’t find Koga appealing at all. The colors just clash so much, especially that orange, and once again this is a character with Too Much Stuff and Clutter. Visually a lot with Koga gets lost to me; again, it’s just...too much. Sometimes, less...is more. As to his recolors, I do like the concept they’re continuing with in terms of recolors having slight tweaks to the model; in this instance, its the recolored version not including Koga’s mask:

It would be neat if we had multiple gold purchasable recolors for champions like we used to outside of masteries, but that ain’t happening anytime soon. That’s visuals though; kit wise, I do dig what he brings.

I think the concept of working off a resource meter for all abilities instead of using cooldowns is interesting, and his mobility looks super fun. While I am dissapointed that his claws serve no melee functionality outside of his ultimate, I do like the way their attacks tie in similarity with Zhins flame sword attacks. I was hoping for another weapon switch champion along the lines of Strix, but the way the claws function as a weapon switch is much more of a set time focused thing, since using your claws eats up resource meter. He has a talent right off the bat that restores energy when he uses his submachine gun, and if I had to guess that’s probably one of his talents that’s going to get a future nerf. Again, that’s just if I had to guess.

Seeing Koga’s passive wall climb ability and his dash is a bit dissapointing in some ways though, since much of his mobility is things people have suggested in the past for Skye in terms of a rekit. Before Koga, it was Skye that was our resident Ninja Themed champion. The woman wears kunais, uses stealth and smoke bombs, she’s clearly meant to evoke a stealthy ninja assassin in terms of how she operates. While we already know Skye will receive a visual reworking first before we see any rekit, its still going to be a hard pill to swallow for most Skye mains out there. Speaking of Skye, we did see her visual revamp teased during the Koga trailer:

I am NOT a fan of this wristbow redesign. If Koga is meant to evoke a more aggro ninja archtype, than Skye is meant to evoke a more stealthy one; besides that, Skye has always struck me as the more sleek and elegant type. This giant cumbersome crossbow she’s wielding here just DOES NOT fit the bill. Well, at least we know for sure that she’s still going to be purble (the lighting in these screenshots is affected by a firey background so its a bit misleading color wise).

I can also definitely see Maeve mains being salty though; while Street Justice has been the talk of the town, that talent really has been the ONLY thing going for her, as her base kit and mobility has been nerfed multiple times. When you look at Maeve’s large cooldowns and compare them to Koga’s resource meter, its quite the disparity. What I’m trying to say is, Maeve and Skye mains should stand in solidarity against this injustice and maybe commiserate in a bar over drinks later I guess.

I feel pretty positive about the new additions overall though, and I’m kind of looking forward to this patch which is nice for a change. Let me know your thoughts too!

#paladins champions of the realm #pcotr #paladins cotr #paladins koga #paladinsgame #qpgame #queezleposts

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promptlists · 7 years

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Sense Of Adventure (Carlos De Vil X Reader)

A/N: I’m actually so happy somebody requested this, it was so much fun to write Requested: Yes! Words: 2725 Warnings: Swearing and Fluff

Prompt: A: What is, where am I, wait what? I don’t understand! B: Hey hey hey, calm down. Look your fine. Ssh, look your okay. You just needed time to come around, you took a hard hit. A: Am I… Is this your bed?

Even after all the horror stories Carlos had told you about the Isle, you were not at all prepared for the harsh bitterness of the prison, a million miles from the happiness that shrouded Auradon. It was clear that you were the daughter of Tarzan and Jane, as no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t pull yourself away from the chance of an adventure, eager to explore the unknown and answer the thousands of questions that buzzed around your brain. Somehow, your warped sense of optimism lead you to believe that perhaps the Isle wasn’t that bad, but your heart practically broke when you saw the conditions your friends had grown up in. You had been curious to find out just what the Isle was like and jumped at the chance to join the others in bringing Mal home after she ran away. You had become good friends with the daughter of Maleficent, as you had with the rest of the VK’s, and wanted more than anything for her to be safe, as the children of the villains seemed to share the same spirit and excitement as you did. But it was Carlos you were drawn the most to, the slight innocence and naivety that separated him from the other three only intrigued you more as you found his sweetness utterly endearing.

You were contemplating how any King could allow his people to live in such a horrific place, when you wandered absent-minded from the rest of the group like you often did in Auradon when you craved adventure. Ben was still talking to Mal as you drifted through the dingy alleyways that ran through out the Isle, completely oblivious to the distance you were putting between yourself and the VK’s. You bent down to talk to two young children who looked half starved and caked in a layer of filth, reaching into your bag and pulling out two apples. “Here, take these,” You said, presenting the fruit to the tallest child. They looked at you for a moment, questioning your kindness, before they snatched the apples from your hand and ran away before you could think about taking it back. You didn’t blame them for being sceptical, you would be growing up in a place this. Taking a deep breath, you stood up from where you were crouched, brushing down your dress as you noticed the stares you were receiving. It was extremely clear to anybody who passed you that you weren’t from the isle, which was in the end your downfall. You became suddenly aware of how far away you were from Carlos and the others. “Well, well, well…” A thick Scottish accent called out from behind you “This must be my lucky day.” You spun around instinctively gulped, the feeling of cool metal brushing the underside of your chin. There, holding a hook to your throat, was the infamous pirate Evie and Carlos had tried to warn you about. “Don’t look so scared darlin’. I won’t hurt ye if ye do what I say”. Speechless, you stood frozen as the boy tied, your hands together and pulled you away.

Carlos hadn’t been able to focus on anything, since he found out you had gone missing. He was completely freaking out, feeling an overwhelming sense of responsibly for your disappearance. “This is all my fault. God knows what they’re doing to her” babbled Carlos as the group sat around his 3D printer, waiting for the fairy godmother’s wand replica to finish printing. “Carlos, stop torturing yourself, we’re going to get her back” Jay said, patting him on the back in an attempt, to console him. Carlos continued to stress pet Dude, his eye unfocused and drifting around the room. “I didn’t even say anything to that asshole when he told us he’d taken her. I just stood there”. “Harry’s completely out of his mind, the psycho barked at you Carlos! None of us had any idea how to react” Evie began, before being interrupted by the beeping of the printer, signalling that the wand was finished “Y/N is a fighter, she’ll be okay. Now let’s go get her!” The four of them jumped up, Carlos grabbing the wand and leading the charge back to the limo. He hoped more than anything that you were in fact okay, and prepared himself to rip the pirate who did this to you to shreds. He had no idea how to do it, but he vowed all the same. “Oh and Carlos,” Jay said, once you had all sat down “When we do get Y/N back, the first thing you’re going to do is ask her on a date. I can’t watch you pine after her any longer”

You had spent the time you were held captive planning. Sure, at first you started to panic but you soon realised that stressing out was pointless, and put your effort into figuring out an escape route. You knew your friends would be back for you bringing whatever ridiculous requests Uma and her crew demanded from them, but you didn’t trust the Pirates to hold up their side of the bargain and set you free. “Time to move it sweetheart” barked the first mate “They’re here!” His voice had a sing-song quality to it that sent shivers down your spine. Still you kept your composure, and stood up yourself, marching your own way on to the edge of the plank so that he wouldn’t escort you there. Your hands were still tied but you no longer had rope around your legs which sparked your thought process. Pretty much the whole ship was draped in ropes of some kind, attached to the sails and woven into huge nets which drooped over the sides. You smiled to yourself. To the daughter of Tarzan rope was incredibly similar to vines.

“Welcome!” The pirate with the hook bellowed, signalling the captain that her guests had arrived. “Finally!” Uma cackled, nodding to Harry to return to you and grinning like a lunatic at the group of VK’s that had gathered at the front of the ship, Mal and Carlos glaring angrily at the front. You glanced at the boy you loved as his eyes burned into the pirate travelling back from Uma to push you closer to the edge of the plank. Remaining calm, you shot Carlos a reassuring glance and risked a small smile, locking your eyes with his which were alight with concern and anger. He only looked away when Uma began her speech, her eyes fixated on the wand in Carlos’ hands.

“Let’s get this party started, I swear I’m cold hearted, There’s no negotiation I’m not here for debatin’”

Harry pushed you forward making you stumble slightly as you got increasingly closer to the waters edge. He sniggered when he saw Carlos’ jaw clench and pouted at him putting his arm around you.

“You need some motivation Just look at Y/N’s face Then ask yourself how long you think I’ll remain patient”

The VK’s watched as Harry prodded his hook into the small of your back, angering Carlos more and more with every second. Mal put her hand on his chest to stop him from charging forward.

“I’ll throw her overboard and let her swim with killer sharks, You either hand over the wand or she’ll be ripped apart”

It suddenly clicked in your brain. They were going to trade Fairy Godmother’s wand for you. Knowing the devastation that wand could cause in the wrong hands, you had one fleeting thought. This was bad. Very bad.

“Now, let’s all just be smart, although for you that must be hard” hissed Mal in response. “You’ll get your wand - no one has to come to any harm! Don’t try to intimidate your bark is much worse than your bite, Who’s the baddest of them all? I guess we’re finding out tonight”

Harry’s intimidation tactics had changed again to simply making you uncomfortable. He circled around you, pushing his face close to yours, lightly nipping at you earlobe when Mal mentioned biting. The pirate had the audacity to kiss your cheek. You saw what he was doing, trying to throw both you and Carlos off guard by flirting with you. Refusing to give him any satisfaction, you kept a poker-face, staring off into the ocean. You were tweaking you plan a little in your mind, working out the complications. If there was one thing that you knew it was that they could not get that wand.

“Let’s go! Bring it on! Better give us what we want! It’s the wand for the girl If you don’t it’s going down” chanted the pirate crew, grinning unnervingly as they waved their swords in the air. The VK’s took a step forward, banging their fists on the railings in response.

“Let’s go! Make your move! Peace or war, it’s up to you Give her up and do it now If you don’t it’s going down!”

Harry let go of you and went to join his captain as she continued to shout, leaving you alone on the plank. You smiled secretly to yourself. This was just the chance you needed.

“So that’s your big speech huh? An empty ultimatum?” Uma asked, an element of smugness ringing in her voice as she tapped Harry on the chin, sending him forwards. All eyes were on the pirate as he stalked towards Carlos and for a few seconds all the attention was averted away from you. Quickly, you got to work, discreetly untying the rope that bound your hands, like your father had taught you to untie grape vines in the jungle. The rope dropped to the floor so you subtly kicked it into the waves, still holding your hands behind your back

“All it takes is one swing and I’ll humiliate her!” Harry yelled in Mal’s face, pointing to you with his hook as you tried to act natural. “Matter of fact one wrong move, and I’ll debilitate her”

He invaded her personal space like he had done you moments ago, completely absorbed in the conversation. Still nobody was looking at you so you took your chance. Silently, just as your father had taught you, you took a run up to the end of the plank, throwing your body onto the rope that dangled a few meters away.

“And if she even starts to slip, I’ll eliminate her” Harry plucked the wand from Carlos’ hand and continued to gloat, refusing to break eye contact with them.

You caught the rope with both hands, scrambling up it as quickly as you could. You were completely exposed if someone would have caught you then, you would have been done for. You reached the top of the rope and dived for a cargo net, letting your body elegantly glide through the air and you landed beside a mast, directly above Uma, who had taken the wand from Harry.

“All it takes is one wrong look and I’ll -” Harry’s eyes darted back to the plank, your absence making him splutter. Uma did the same, her mouth dropping open. “WHERE’S THE GIRL?” He roared.

You acted instantaneously, gathering a long rope and rocking backwards. In one movement, you kicked back, pushing off of the mast and swung across the ship, holding the rope in one hand and grabbing the wand as you swept past Uma with the other.

There was a moment of complete silence as you let go of the rope, your body stretched out in a star shape as you flew through the air. You landed triumphantly at the top of the crows nest, waving the wand you stole in victory as the VK’s began to cheer. The moment quickly passed as swords were drawn and an all out battle commenced bellow you. Carlos unsurprisingly charged straight for Harry and had him pinned against a wall, threatening to throw his hook into the ocean. You chuckled for a second, amused by how quickly the tables had turned. Then the realisation set in, you were the biggest target on the ship yet you stood in plain sight, without a weapon to defend yourself with. You came to this conclusion too late however as Uma had already jumped out in front of you, snatching the wand from your grasp, a wicked cackle escaping her lips. She gave you a quick glare and kicked you from the top of the crows nest before you could comprehend what had happened.

The last thing you could remember before you hit the deck was Carlos, screaming your name and running towards your flailing body as you fell from the dizzying height. He reached you a second too late, trying to scoop you up as the world around you faded to black.

Painfully slowly you prised your eyes open, one at a time, squinting at the un-expected brightness that greeted you. You couldn’t recall where you were, or anything that had happened. “What is, where am I, wait what? I don’t understand!” You stammered, trying to sit up but failing miserably and collapsing back down into a cocoon of ivory sheets and pillows. “Hey hey hey, calm down. Look your fine. Ssh, look your okay. You just needed time to come around, you took a hard hit”. As your eyes adjusted you saw Carlos jump up from the foot the bed and clamber closer to your side. He had been holding your hand and started to trace circles onto the back of it with his thumb when he saw a look of terror in your eyes “Am I… Is this your bed?” You were beginning to relax, looking up at the boy comforting you, when Dude jumped up beside and began licking your face. You smiled meekly. “Yeah… I mean we were going to leave you in your dorm but I …. I guess I wanted to look after you… Not that you can’t look after yourself… I just… I wanted to see you wake up” he stuttered unable to look you in the eye You smiled wider. “So you were watching me sleep huh?” “Yes, No! Well not the way that you just sai… Oh god what am I even saying?” You giggled “Thank you Carlos,” you said sweetly, kissing his cheek slightly, making him blush. Then you jerked away, quickly remembering something. “Wait! The wand! Uma! Harry! What happened? Did they get it?” “Relax, it was fake” he said ruffling your hair and motioning towards the 3D printer. You breathed a sigh of relief. “The real question Y/n, is how did you not tell us that you’re practically a ninja? Seriously, one minute my girlfriend is tied up being pushed off of a plank, the next she’s flying through stealing from a pirate!” Carlos laughed heartily, grinning at you with a mixture of pride and amazement. “Did you just call me your girlfriend?” You breathed, barely audible. Carlos’ face flooded immediately with embarrassment and could only be described as purely mortified. “Girl-friend” he said quickly trying to cover his tracks “As in a friend that’s a girl”. You straightened yourself up in the bed, propping yourself up against a pillow so your face was level with Carlos’. You shook your head “I meant girlfriend…” you leaned in towards him “As in me being completely and utterly in love with you”. Before your better judgement could stop you, you planted a gentle kiss on his lips, feeling his twist up into a smile underneath yours as he kissed you back.

You were swiftly interrupted by the sound of Jay falling out of a closet at the other side of the room, Evie, Ben and Mal stood behind him sheepishly. “Finally!” Evie announced, after you and Carlos groaned, giving each other a knowing look before erupting with laughter. “You owe me $20 Ben” Jay said, picking himself up from the floor and holding his hand out to the King. “Where you watching us?” questioned Carlos between belly laughs. “The whole time” Mal replied bluntly. “What a way to ruin the moment” You giggled, pulling Carlos back towards you as he wrapped you back into a hug. “I love you so much Y/N” he whispered into your ear so only you could hear him. “Trust me when I say the feeling has never been more mutual”

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jaylos · 7 years

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i hated descendants 2 and here's why

a collection of reasons why i am utterly disappointed in this sequel.

warnings: there will be swearing and negative commentary about these ships: Mal/Ben, Evie/Doug, Carlos/Jane. (so basically all the canon pairings lmao)

buckle up this is gonna be long and salty. (also spoilers, duh) (and i take artistic liberty in the capitalization of words and i like to be dramatic)

also check out other rant posts i made bc they kinda tie in with all of this (reading not required in order to understand it tho): magic ban Rise of the Isle of the Lost my thoughts during my first time watching it Bal

1. Characters

Ok i need to go back to d1 for a second: they already did a bad job on introducing the characters to us there. For exapmle: Carlos and technology. He does that thing where he locates the museum or when he turns off the alarm, but without the first book (the isle of the lost) the fact that he is supposedly a tech genius would've flown over everyone's heads. And this is the problem: the movie(s) rely on spin-off media (the books, wicked world) to explain the characters to us. A movie shouldn't have to do that in the first place, but what makes it worse is that the books and the webseries are inconsistent like no tomorrow and also contradict each other on several occasions. Now that wouldn't be so bad if the movies were enough to solidify the characters, but they're not. They also try to patch up plot holes in the books so they don't have to deal with it in the movies. But someone who hasn't read them might wonder how the pirate crew got their ship, and they're offered no explanation in the movie whatsoever. (i'm pretty sure this could've been avoided with a few tweaks to the script tho??)

What I think happened here is that they simply had too many characters and so basically all of them fell flat because they didn't have time to explore them properly. And what did they do in d2? they dragged that problem with them, introduced more characters who's arcs they could half-ass and got rid of what little personality the original characters had.

We don't actually know shit about them. What are their hobbies? What are their interpersonal dynamics like? What are their struggles in Auradon after a life of abuse and neglect? (i'm convinced that that last one can absolutely be dealt with in a child-friendly manner, but instead they brushed it off almost completely. I say almost because we got a few tidbits here and there but those were about as deep as a puddle on a sidewalk)

1.a. Jay

Why is he depicted as a main character when he has less lines & relevance to the plot than Jane? Even the gotdam dog had some purpose. wouldn't change a thing if Jay wasn't there at all.

l i s ten i love Jay for the character that i made him out to be in my head and through some of the things the fandom has contributed but in canon he is redundant as all fuck.

Also i'm not gonna go into the outfits in this rant bc that's too subjective and is not what contributed to d2 being a bad movie but let's just say i found most of his looks kind of.. off-putting. why they didn't take advantage of Booboo Stewart's beauty is a mystery to me. Especially since his looks are supposed to be Jay's strong suit.

2.b. Chad

He was a completely different character. Not only did his personality shift from deceitful to moronic but his morals changed?? like in d1 he didn't actually play by the rules - he let other people do his homework, and he didn't tell on Evie because he found her cheating wrong but because he wanted payback.

And in d2 he suddenly cares about rules word for word because the writers and the (young) audience already hate him so he can be sexist too i guess. Instead of making him a meaningful threedimensional character that offers a different perspective as the child of a disney hero he was turned into the comic relief and the overdone trope of the jock that lost his status and is now laughed at. Groundbreaking. you hate him i get it i g e t i t. (also stay tuned for the sexism part i'm not done with that)

1.c. Carlos

to get super subjective again: i absolutely hate the direction they went in with his character. why not make him even more nerdy now that he has the freedom to do so? the only thing that referenced his tech stuff was that he supposedly improved their 3D printer. wow. his new hairstyle, the golden headphones etc. were things that don't fit into the impression i got from the first movie and/or the books at all. they didn't even show him tinkering with some device or whatever? how tf am i supposed to believe that he's a techie???

Also in Rise of the Isle of the Lost he is anti-magic for some goshdang reason, but in d2 he asks Mal to help him with magic, which is one of those inconsistencies i was talking about.

1.d. Evie

here's what i would have done with her instead: make 4 Hearts less relevant (do show her sewing and talking about commissions) and let her care for the remaining isle kids from the very beginning. her introduction in d2 could've been her talking about wanting to bring them over, but having difficutly to make it happen (maybe the royal council pushes back or whatever).

instead she spends 6(?) months doing jackshit about the isle kids and only remembers it like halfway through the movie.

1.e. Ben

he just pisses me off. not only is he dismissive and ignorant of Mal's struggles and blames her for when she fails to be perfect, but he is also incompetent as a king, at least when it comes to the Isle. Why the fuck did it take him so long to bring more isle kids over? and why does he need to hear it from Evie first? it was his idea in the first place but then he completely forgets about it for some reason even though he is literally dating a vk. "i guess i've just been busy" with what? being a fuckboy? (also sidenote: there it is again with the "tell don't show" that i've already talked about in the rant about Rise linked above. it's one of the biggest problems i have with the storytelling across all installations in this franchise. Ben is not shown being busy one single time. We're just supposed to believe it because they said so.)

(another sidenote: why the fuck does he have those beast traits, by which i mean all that redundant roaring like i get they want to reference beauty and the beast but do the writers realize that his father was cursed he does not actually have those furry genes)

1.f. Jane

? per s onalit y ?¿?? literally who is she

There's not much to say about the others (some i will cover later when i talk about relationships). Do you know that thing when a character's potential is wasted? In descendants this happens with every last one of them. They're like those cakes that are just for show: they look amazing and tasty but when you take a bite it's cardboard.

2. Plot

pretty basic for the most part, but i personally found the suspense curve really weird. it has two climaxes (? what is plural): 1. the sword fight and 2. at the cotillion. Also i hated that it took place over the course of like 2 days, but that might just be my personal taste. There are some plot holes of varying degrees of annoying. For one, Maleficent probably starved to death in that box because Mal and the writers forgot about her. And her moped is gone, it left, like i should have as well, good-fucking-bye.

Then there's the fact that Mal didn't go back with them because she learned some kind of lesson or grew as a peson or whatever but because she didn't have a choice and they never talked about her initial struggles except "my hair and dress are purple again so it's fine". i mean yeah she said her piece about not fitting in or whatever but we don't actually see it working out after all that trouble?How did the dynamic in their relationship change? who knows.

Then there's the fact that Uma is somewhere in the ocean, she's a giant monster and 100% capable of using magic but no one gives a shit??? at this point i'm willing to bet that in the next isle book it will be explained what happened to her so it doesn't have to be dealt with in descendants 3 and i will scream.

By the way i didn't understand what it was that Ben said that convinced her to retreat, his speech was so lame.

Also the octopus/dragon "fight" was ridiculous. they didn't do shit? Uma was just wiggling around and Mal was floating, which looked stupid because she made flying/gliding motions but stayed in the same spot.

And one thing that really annoyed me is how they only made 5 smoke bombs and then also needed exactly 5. b better prepared u idiots. that whole thing was so weird anyway bc the point was to avoid a fight but it didn't work. maybe it would've worked if they had made more than 5 who knows. and the plan to make them in the first place came completely out of the blue. (-plan? -smoke bombs -k)

Also why did Uma expect the wand to work under the barrier? The only explanation I can think of is that it's because the wand was what created the barrier (although the whole thing about the Isle is that magic Does Not Work and we should have been given an explanation as to why the wand is an exception) but 1. How would Uma know that and 2. If it had been the real wand they could've used it to knock the pirates out or whatever and Uma should've expected that. This whole trade-off thing was sketchy and holey as fuck.

You know what was one of the best things about d1? The parents. I mean this was probably a budget issue but the parents were arguably one of, if not the, most entertaining aspects. and boy could it have been interesting to see the confontation between them and their kids...

The isle was really weird and underwhelming btw. i saw people say it was great bc we got to see more of the isle but did we really? it was just a bunch of disjointed locations and we still have no idea how anything is located in relation to one another, how big it is, or how and how many people actually live there. And why did no one there give a shit that the rotten four were back? most of all Mal, whom the people hated the most for betraying them and becoming a princess. Also why did Mal not go back to her old home instead of this building that was a.. warehouse? their gang hangout?? that came out of nowhere??? correct me if i'm wrong but do they say something along the lines of "we used to hang out here" even once? why was there a bed in there

And hey remember tourney? It's not even like roar was necessary so that they'd have swords? Also it could have been mentioned like "now that tourney season's over we're focusing on roar" but no?? Let's just forget about it like the writers did.

3. Music

not really much to say, except that they used way too much autotune but i guess overall it's an improvement compared to the first movie but it's whatever. the only thing that confused me about what's my name was that in the movie (as opposed to the music video on youtube etc) there was this weird echo that made it sound like it was playing in another tab with a slight lag??

and another thing that stuck out to me was it's going down: the rap parts were already hella uncomfortable to watch but when ben started singing i just about died of secondhand embarrassment it's so bad lmao.

4. The Thing With Lonnie

Don't get me wrong, i love that she got a bigger part and that she's a good swordfighter and whatnot.

BUT:

First of all, why is it even a thing that the roar rule book has gendered language like that? i mean aren't there countless women in auradon who have proven over and over again that they're just as capable as man? why does Lonnie need to prove anything. especially since her mother is mulan of all people???

listen, the exploitation of gendered language has brought forth some great moments (eg: lotr "i am no man") but it's getting old. Girls and women have proven countless times that they can do "anything a boy can". how many times more does it have to happen until we can take the next step?

And it wasn't even handled well in d2. Sure, Lonnie's captain now, but do we really have to wait until d3 (or god forbid the next book in the isle series where the movie can lean back and let the book do all the storytelling work) for something to actually change in a system that is still misogynistic for whatever goddamn reason??

for this sideplot not to fail miserably like it did, what should have happened is that Lonnie changes the rules so that anyone can join the team, because as we were left it was still "captain and 8 men". we did not see the actual change happening and this was a half-assed attempt at this tired old "girl power" shit.

in this kind of storyline we only ever see the first step, we never see the actual progress that follows. it's always just "huh, i guess girls aren't useless after all" it's 2017 get with the program and move the fuck on.

OR just drop this overdone trope and have a team consisting of different genders from the very beginning.

It's time to tell girls that they don't need to prove themselves in order to be respected.

5. Relationships jesus christ here we go

okay okay there is a number of things that get my blood b o i l i n g and one of them is lazy fictional heterosexual romances and boy oh boy is this movie a fucking gold mine in that regard.

5.a. let's take a look at janelos first (don't worry i will talk shit about bal and devie individually as well): it's boring, shallow, if it was a spice it would be flour. look, if you ship it, by all means be my fucking guest. i even encourage you to write fanfiction or do something to make something out of this bland ass mess of a supposed romantic relationship.

it's a perfect example of what is wrong with this kind of fictional romance. first of all i will disregard the books bc 1. the movies shouldn't need the books for that, yadda yadda and 2. they don't do much to save it anyway. so. it's the easy route, the tried and true formular, and that's the problem. he was a boy, she was a girl, and that's enough to make their interest in each other believable, right? the answer is no. it's lazily written and i am tired™. why, how, when did they fall in love? are they even friends? what do they have in common? what activities do they enjoy together? those are all things we don't know, this relationship comes out of nowhere. how did they go from not even so much as look at each other in the first movie to being head over heels for each other? and not to mention, was it worth sacrificing their personalities for? you guessed it the answer is no yet again. Neither Carlos nor Jane receive any character development whatsoever. None. They could have done so much with them (if you hear a strange sound it's me weeping).

And it is replaceable. Change their names and it won't make the slightest bit of difference, because this relationship does not have one single distinguishable trait (in fact it has no traits period) compared to the 87632947 others out there. it is so. generic. and frankly i don't understand how people can settle for it. i mean i get how people can just watch the movie and not care bc why would they, but how does someone look at this and go "yes, this is a well-written romance" ????? ? ? up your standards people.

and now some predictions that came (somewhat) true from that Heterosexual Romantic Subplot Bullshit Bingo i wanted to make for d2 but never finished:

- by the end their relationship won’t have developed like at all, but they dance together to show us that they’ve come sUcH a LoNg waY

- one wants to ask the other out/they both want to ask each other out, but they’re too shy and also the plot keeps interrupting them.

- it will take away screentime they could have used to give them actual character development.

- jane won't receive an arc besides being and obligatory love interest.

- carlos tries talking to her but he stammers and it’s supposed to be cute.

5.b. Devie

Like i get that Doug is jealous bc of his own insecurities but what is hip with the kids in the year of our lord 2k17 is mutual trust and communication. To think that Evie would cheat on him is such an insult tbh?? And why did Evie not tell him where she was going in the first place? i mean granted i could think of a few reasons why she wouldn't but we don't even see her give a shit bc Doug is irrelevant in her quest to go and sing a duet with the person she'd rather be dating. She probably just forgot about Doug like I, the viewer, did the second he left the screen.

Also it's just the same bs again. We don't know shit about their relationship. What is it like? What do they enjoy doing together? What is their dynamic? Doug could literally be a pair of Pradas and it wouldn't make a difference.

But for real tho can we go back on how he accuses her of cheating?? like wow dude that's so gross pls don't present that to young viewers as cute because i assure you it is not.

5.c. Bal (h e r e w e g o)

Ben is such a bad boyfriend omg. I mean i get that he couldn't possibly understand what Mal is going through, but he isn't even trying. She changes everything about herself and he doesn't get suspicious in the least. And apparently they don't talk about anything that matters because 1. Mal can't be honest with him (she dragged all that shit around with her for ~6 months!!!) and 2. he would know more about the isle (but he has no clue).

out of all the relationships in this movie this is the one they should've put some effort into. i mean they succeeded in making Ben look like a dick but that wasn't their intention so i just ended up feeling sorry for Mal for being stuck with him bc it's ~true love~ .

Mal to Ben: "you've always known who we were" he didn't tho?? just bc he gave her a purple dress in that stained glass picture? he could've just told her that instead of letting her suffer for months bc she thought he'd leave her if she was more like herself. and that's the resolution, Mal shouldn't have been worried oh how silly of her! i guess everything is fine after all!

but you know actually their love for each other is totally believable bc they had an emotional and heart-wrenching duet together - oh wait.

A big reason why Sofia Carson and Dove Cameron got a duet is probably because they're professional singers and Mitchell Hope apparently can't get out a single correct note without 10 layers of autotune but when the story is about true love saving the day shouldn't that aspect get a little more attention? i mean don't get me wrong i like that the duet between mal and evie is there at all (but hey @disney make it gay you cowards) bc the friendships between the characters and especially the vk's don't get nearly as much attention as they should.

not to go on a tangent about how hand-holding and forehead-touching can totally be platonic but put next to Ben and Mal who Do Not Do That it makes their romantic relationship even less exciting. like, i don't know why i should care about it.

also while typing this i realized that it's not really that different from other movies and i thought hey, maybe i'm being too hard on it, but then i remembered that 99% of all canon heterosexual romantic relationships are bland and boring and i need writers to try harder (or try at all) because i am bored to death by the same shit over and over again.

i know i'm wasting way too much energy on this but i was already too invested in descendants so might as well go all the way amirite. i just had to get it all off my chest. if you need me to elaborate on anything feel free to message me.

and the first movie wasn't all that good btw, it is trashy in a way that was enjoyable, but the second one is just trash.

so yeah all in all that script was just straight up a pile of garbage consisting of washed-out tropes and no amount of bright colors or catchy songs can save it.

#disney descendants #descendants 2 #descendants 2 spoilers

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wapwani · 7 years

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ooooh for the '3-5 things when writing a character' how about, specifically young regina? how did you come at regina for hic sunt and autumn leaves, as opposed to lmctw or 2 mums?

Yikes. Sorry this took so long to respond to! Though I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it justice! :)

So…

Starting from the assumption that Regina is at her core a brave, capable, curious person, who wants to use her power to do right by people - a baby hero basically. Also assuming there are certain events / circumstances that I think of as pivotal influencers on Regina’s development, so I tweak those depending on what feel I want the story to have.

For hic sunt - I wanted Regina to be a little scrappy, really hopeful, and also really detail orientated. I took away Daniel, so she didn’t have to deal with the loss of her first love - then I could make her less edgy, less close to being tempted by darkness, more in control of her anger. So she’s a little softer than some versions of Regina, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a streak of darkness in her though. She hung out with her father a lot, and even though he more tolerated her than anything, she learned something about managing people and governing from watching him. Cora is straight up horrible in this one, but without the murder of Daniel, Regina is less fearful of her mother (also, she probly doesn’t mistrust her as much as she should, but that may come into play later).

Autumn Leaves - I think of this fic as hic sunt lite :D So there’s a lot of similarities between the tweaks. However, Cora in Autumn Leaves may be more conniving and intent on positioning herself for power - which again influences how Regina responds to her mother, and feels about power herself. I wanted Regina in this fic to be a fair bit darker than hic sunt’s Regina (which comes into play later). So I’ve written Mal with her in a different way, which makes a difference in how she responds to challenges.

LMCTW is supposed to be nothing but fluff, so I really couldn’t have Daniel be murdered by Regina’s mum! So a ‘less traumatic’ natural death for him. And Regina didn’t grow up an only child, having to take all Cora’s rather warped expressions of maternal love all by herself. She lost her father a lot younger, but he wasn’t an ineffective father (like in hic sunt and autumn leaves). This Regina was surrounded by love and support so despite the rough stuff she still had to deal with, she’s probably the most emotionally healthy of all the versions of Regina I’ve written.

2 Mums Regina - now for her, I decided that she was going to retain all her hero qualities, but have not really been tested by the ‘lure’ of darkness. Young Regina was totally a research witch, curious and eager to learn about everything, in love with knowledge for the sake of knowledge - not because it got her anything. Exactly the kind of daughter Cora would not want - Regina doesn’t hunger for power like her mother does. And she doesn’t need the power - there’s no Dark One pushing her towards really embracing her darkness. This young Regina was very much on her own, and loving Daniel would have been an incredible bright spot in her life - and then Cora crushed all that. So this Regina fears her mother in a way that none of my other Regina’s do. And that sometimes gets in the way of her inherent bravery.

Sorry, that was a bit rambly!

#asked and answered #show me your working #all the Reginas

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thejpfdude-blog · 7 years

Text

The Upcoming Summer 2017 Shows I’ll Be Watching

Hello friends and welcome to the annual beginning-of-season post about the shows I’m watching for the season! With the Spring 2017 anime season almost ending (thank goodness), now’s the time to look at the slate of shows that the Summer 2017 season has to offer.

A reminder of the usual thing I say in these posts:

I might watch some other shows that are good or drop some shows if they aren’t good, but that’s for the future.

Like always, I’m organizing these shows into three categories: Full Chance are shows I’m giving the whole season towards, Short Leash are shows I’m giving three or so episodes towards, and One Shot are shows I’m giving one episode towards. As we progress towards categories, expect less words for each anime as I lose interest in writing. Also a reminder that MAL links to the shows are on the titles for those interested. So let’s start with…

Full Chance Shows

Ballroom e Youkoso: First off, this show already has an interesting concept. And while that isn’t a huge factor in how good a show ends up being, this show does have some other aspects to it that I think might make it good. Basically, this show is about a guy who enters the world of ballroom dancing. In the most simplistic sense, it is a sports anime, so that is a plus for me given my propensity towards the sporting events. Another big plus is that this show is made by the same studio that made Haikyuu, another sports anime with some great animation scenes. If there’s one thing that this show needs in order to be successful, it’s the animation, given the high amount of movement in the sport. Yes, sharing the same studio doesn’t necessarily mean that the animation will be good (given that there could be different staff for animation roles), but it’s still a good sign. On a personal note, I don’t really like the character designs. But hey, that’s a minor issue (unless they somehow get worse or something). Overall, this show has some potential: let’s see how it capitalizes on it.

New Game!!: Yeah boi. From the makers of New Game! comes New Game!!, the second season. Believe me when I say that I’m honestly trying to keep my hype for this show down. But it’s not working, because I’m pretty dang excited for it. This show was one of my favorite shows in what in my opinion was a stacked Summer 2016 season of anime, filled with moe and fun little antics by each of the cast. Also that beautiful character design. Mmm that’s good stuff. Me likey.

Looking at this seriously though, my recent experiences with second seasons make me very wary of how this show could go wrong. So let’s see. More lewd would make this already kinda-lewd show somewhat intolerable (Okusama ga Seitokaichou). The new characters could be annoying (Chuunibyou). Old characters can get annoying (also Okusama). They don’t tweak the formula for funny and things get stale (KonoSuba). Characters could suddenly change personalities into ones I don’t like or ones that ruin the dynamic of the show (GochiUsa). The genre shifts suddenly into one I don’t like (Oregairu/Saekano) I mean there’s a lot of ways this could go wrong. My point I guess is that I don’t want to ponder it too deeply. It’ll definitely be in the back of my mind, and I’ll keep expectations low throughout the season (not just before the season like I did with Demi-chan). But I’ll just enjoy the ride for the most part. Because like always, at the end of the day I watch anime for entertainment.

Tsurezure Children: Ah yeah, give me more of that vanilla romance. This show is a collection of many many couples’ stories. Which means if you don’t like a couple, just wait for the next one. It’s also a short, which is great given this show looks to be skit-based with a focus on many couples in a given episode. I’m always down for some nice romance shows, so I’m looking forward to it. If it ends up being anything close to Honobono Log it’ll be a favorite.

Short Leash Shows

Aho Girl: So I’ve actually read the source material for this show. It’s... okay. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing special. So imagine my surprise when I saw it was getting an anime adaptation. Meanwhile I sit here waiting for Horimiya or Kaguya-sama Wants to Be Confessed To adaptation news...

Anyway, this show is about a really stupid girl and the poor soul who hangs out with her. All the funnies revolve around the stupidity of said girl and the guy who becomes the straight man. The show is in short format to fit the 4-koma format of the original source. Real talk though, even if this show was perfectly adapted I don’t think it’ll be anything higher than a 6/10 for me. But I might as well give it a shot, since it’s a short anyway, and I like anime. This is my life now.

Centaur no Nayami: In the same vein as Demi-chan and MonMusu (to an extent), we have this show about the life of a centaur living among other supernatural beings. I don’t know too much about this show other than the plot, so it could honestly go in any direction. If it doesn’t go the lewd (MonMusu) or the weird romance angle (Demi-chan), I think it has a chance of being a pretty relaxed show about the life of a centaur. Other factors ignored. Actually, what I find interesting is the studio making this, a Chinese animation company famous for making not-so-famous shows like To Be Hero, Cheating Craft, and Hitori no Shita. I don’t think that’s a good sign though when the first show in that list is probably their best one and I haven’t heard of the other shows they made. So I’m not too optimistic about this one, but plot-wise it does look interesting, which is nice for now.

Dive!!: How fitting for the season of summer. This show is about a diving team on the verge of closing. When suddenly, the coach asks to keep it open on the condition that one of the peeps from the team represents Japan in the Olympics. Wao, such ambition.

I don’t know much about this show, so I can’t say much about it. Plot-wise, it’s interesting given there aren’t much diving shows (if any). The studio though is the reason why I have this show in Short Leash instead of Full Chance. The studio is responsible for making... Piace: Watashi no Italian, Tsugumomo, and (the kicker) Battery. Yes, the same Battery that contends for the worst anime I’ve ever seen. So yeah, I’m a bit wary. But I’ll give it a shot, why not?

Hajimete no Gal: Sigh... this is my life now. Again. This show is about the life of harem main-protagonist #234852 and his scumbag friends in his quest to find a girlfriend. Because that’s all life is about. And if you don’t have one you’re a sad sack of stupid. Somehow, the gyaru girl MC asked out says yes, and shenanigans happen. I remember reading the manga for this a long time ago, and thinking “what the fudge is this baloney” (curse words changed). I mean seriously look at this. I have several questions, none of which pertain to the show’s plot (more like PLOT amirite).

Okay, bias aside, this show has the potential to be an interesting show about subverting expectations... in a way. There’s a reason why this show is in Short Leash and not One Chance, and that right there is pretty much it. As you can tell from the above paragraph this type of show isn’t really my thing. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just flat out dismiss it. I’ll give it a chance. A fair chance: I’ll keep an open mind to it. But if it is really that bad, then refer to the first paragraph for an “I told you so”.

Koi to Uso: Firstly, the plot of the show sounds pretty interesting. Here’s the description straight from MAL:

Lies are forbidden and love is doubly forbidden. In the near future, when young people in Japan turn sixteen, they are assigned a marriage partner by the government. People don't have to go through the trouble of looking for someone, and everyone accepts that the country will find a compatible partner to make them happy. Yukari Nejima is fifteen years old. He lives in a small corner of the country, and just can't seem to get ahead in life. Both academically and athletically he's below average. But within him, he hides a heart burning with passion! In this world in which love is forbidden, what will happen to him when he falls in love?

So yeah, that piqued my interest, and there wasn’t any obvious red flags, so I initially put it on my Full Chance list. But a few days ago one of my friends found out about the adaptation and responded, I quote:

“did Koi to Uso really get an anime”

“really”

Now he never said anything beyond that, so it’s kind of a moot point, you would think. Except this dude has some good taste, liking the same shows I like and the same characters I like (for the most part). Thus, I’m kinda wary about this show now. Stupid reason, I know, but trust your friends and trust your enemies closer. Or something like that. We’ll see what the deal is with this show soon enough, I guess.

Konbini Kareshi: So I remember reading about this show in an article about a convenience store in Japan sponsoring an anime. And now it’s real. Hmm. Well, corporate sponsorships aside, this show looks to be pretty interesting. It’s about a group of friends’ lives revolving around a convenience store. Yeah, sounds about right. I mean, I’m not expecting much from this show, so if it does end up being a nice slice-of-life (with romance maybe?), I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Made in Abyss: So I’ve heard good things about this one, but I don’t trust people anymore after I’ve been betrayed by their expectations multiple times. This show is a fantasy, so it’s kinda already out of my range of liked genres. The story is basically that there’s a giant abyss, people explore it, there’s a kid who wants to explore it when he grows up, his mom’s exploring it, and then he meets a robot boy, and stuff happens. Simple, right? Well, idk, it’s honestly kinda boring to me. And the character design looks weird. So why the heck do I have it on my list, much less on Short Leash? Well I might as well give it a chance, in case it is as people say it is. Benefit of the doubt and all that. And I feel like one episode isn’t enough to give it, so Short Leash it is.

One Chance Shows

(Editor/Writer’s Note: This is around the point where I got bored of writing these summaries. Notice how the posts get shorter and snarkier the further down you go. Isn’t that fun.)

(Also SO MANY SHOWS WHY.)

Gamers!: Look generic in every aspect: story, character design, etc. But sure, let’s watch an episode because this is my life now.

Isekai Shokudou: One of TWO shows with “isekai” in the title. One of them is apparently not actually isekai, but I don’t remember which one it is. This one is about some restaurant that serves normal people, and on Saturdays serves the same food to otherworldly creatures. Oh, so it’s this one. I mean this honestly sounds pretty interesting, but it’s so out there in idea that I just put it here. Though honestly it’s a hybrid Short Leash/One Shot show.

Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni: And then there’s this one which is about a guy who... surprise... gets transported to another world. Wow, that’s so original and I’ve never heard of it before. But wait, plot twist. He has his CELLPHONE. WOW. Truly a revolutionary idea that’ll sell all of the source material! (Actually that could be true... at least the second half of it).

Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun: This show’s about a guy who’s a genius soccer player who’s also fastidious, which for those of you who didn’t study your SAT vocabulary, means “very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail”. Interesting enough idea, so I’ll give it a shot.

Nana Maru San Batsu: A show about the world of competitive quizzes. Finally, I can learn about the subject which has eluded me for so long! Truly, anime is a blessing.

In all seriousness, sounds interesting enough, so, yes, I’ll give it an episode.

Netsuzou TRap: And here it is, ladies and gentlemen: the “Degenerate Otaku Show of the Season”! Featuring stuff such as yuri, NTR, and drama, it’s about two girls who are friends who have boyfriends, but find they’re more than just “friends”. To be fair, I didn’t want to watch this at first. But then I found out it was a short (10 minutes), and so I just put it on the list because why not.

Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart: Oh my god that description is too long. I guess this show’s about a girl and a cat. Sure, why not. And something with a princess, and one of them is probably named Nora. My knowledge of Japanese is truly great (/s).

THE REFLECTION: Okay, what the actual F is this description:

After THE REFLECTION, some of the people in all parts of the world are discovered with super powers. Some become heroes, and others villains. How did the Reflection happen? What was the cause of it? With many unsolved mysteries, the world is lead into turmoil.

I learned almost nothing from this description other than SUPERHEROES. But yeah sure, I’ll watch an episode.

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (why is the title so long): The best way I’ve heard this show described is a serious version of Baka to Test, which I’ve never watched. But the character designs look pretty good, so I’ll watch it I guess.

And that’s (finally) it! That was a journey, filled with 19 shows in total. I definitely won’t finish all of these though, maybe half at best, because let’s be honest most of these shows will suck. But hey, maybe there’s a show out there I didn’t list here that’s good. And maybe one of these One Shot shows ends up being good. That’s the fun of anime: finding hidden gems. Also watching it. That’s pretty important too.

Well, thanks for reading this long monstrosity. And yeah, I’ll see you in the next post!

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