#my theory as to why is that they want to replace chip to steal their friends because they. are lonely

[potatochip-oc-dump]

i think it's about time I introduce you to Chimp

and also the forbidden comic where Chip says fuck

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

Ok, yes, I know it’s been… A WHILE. BUT I HAVE RETURNED!!! AND WITH INPUT!!!!

I first wanna start off with Chip and Knuckles’s dynamic in the recent pages, because there’s obviously something there that others may miss.

Knuckles is the Guardian of the Master Emerald, we all know it, been there done that. And Chip is a LITERAL GOD. And yes, Light Gaia is separate from Chaos and the Master Emerald, but the two are still connected. Light Gaia seems to feed off of the energy from the Chaos Emeralds like plant feed, treating it like a form of much needed sustenance. Dark Gaia is the same, but it feeds off the anti energy instead, or I suppose the lack of natural Chaos energy. And while Light Gaia is a calm, childish, optimistic being with a form of his own, Dark Gaia is brash, angry, and wild. This means the two have different reactions to their food source being taken away.

See, when Eggman zapped all the energy from the Chaos Emeralds at the beginning of the game/comic, it reverted Sonic’s Super form to his Werehog form because of the lack of energy. And since there was suddenly more food for Dark Gaia to snack on, he was awakened prematurely. Think of a child sneaking into the kitchen to steal a few cookies. In contrast, when Chip’s Chaos energy was zapped away and when he was awakened, all he did was find temporary replacements like fair foods and giant ice cream cones. But when Sonic and co. started bringing the Emeralds back to normal, Dark Gaia got angrier and angrier, causing the issue with Omega right now, while Chip got more and more answers to who he is and what he truly wants in life.

Knuckles is the only one who understand’s Chip’s dilemma here. He is a young Guardian whose only goal in life is to, like I said, guard the Master Emerald. And while he knows what he has to do in life and what his purpose is, he’s not satisfied. He longs for something more, a family, a home, a life. Him and Chip are kind of similar in this sense, as they both desire more than just vague visions of their past or where they came from.

So, since the two aren’t directly connected, they are still connected. So when the temple begins doing whatever temples do, they both feel the same thing. Knuckles feels Dark Gaia’s anger, and Chip feels Dark Gaia’s influence grow stronger. It’s also why poor little Tails is left out of the loop haha~

To summarize: My take on the relationship between Chaos Energy and Gaia Energy is as follows: Dark Gaia and Light Gaia feed on the different energies from the Chaos Emeralds, (Dark feeds on anti/negative energy and Light feeds on the positive energy when the Emeralds glow) so when Eggman disrupted their eternal snacks they were awakened and started causing problems. Due to this indirect connection, Knuckles and Chip understand each other much more than they realize.

Next I wanna talk about Omega’s situation here because it’s actually really interesting!

So as we all know, Omega is a robot, an artificial intelligence, created by Eggman. And also as we all know, Omega hates Eggman’s guts! And I mean he H A T E S Eggman! So much so that it’s the default emotion for him. Naturally, when interacting with any Dark Gaia creature, this hate gets amplified so much that it corrupts him. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? Omega is a robot, not a living being! His emotions are all fake, he doesn’t know what real hatred is!

…

If that’s the case then how did he even escape Eggman’s control in the first place?

Well to be fair, he is still a robot and it is true that robots typically don’t feel any “Real” emotions. However, in fiction it is possible to program a conscience or a simulation within the core programming that imitates emotion. This allows Omega to feel just like any other person, also allowing him to escape Eggman’s grasp due to feeling inferior and under appreciated. And if my theory on Dark Gaia is correct, then this all makes perfect sense!

I theorized that Dark Gaia’s just throwing a tantrum because Sonic and his friends are taking away his midnight snack, and I used a kid taking a cookie as an analogy. Well, just like that little kid, Gaia is desperate for any little crumb, nugget, or particle of food, no matter what it is, because he’s angy. Dark Gaia is desperate for literally anything at this point, so he’s ramping up the amount of monsters and negativity in the world just to get what he wants. Simulated or faked emotions are no real difference to him in this enraged state, so to him, Omega is just another random idiot for him to suck dry. After all, if Omega’s able to fool even Rouge and Shadow with his simulated emotions, then Dark Gaia doesn’t really care.

Another summary: Dark Gaia is pissy and hungry, so he doesn’t really care if one’s anger is simulated or not. He still likes the taste of Omega’s fury, so he is able to corrupt the robot despite the guy being, well, a robot!

AND NOW FOR GUN YES I CAN FINALLY HATE ON THE GOVERNMENT LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Wait-

Oh shoot this is already reaaaaaaallllyyyyyyyy really long! Uh. You know what? I’ll make a separate ask at some point later on talking about G.U.N. and what their whole deal is in this situation. This whole ask was mostly about gods and emotions anyway, so it would be quite the whiplash to go from that to government stuff. So with that said, thank you so much for reading this very… V E R Y long ask! I hope it was enjoyable despite its length. Great way to come back from a 5-month disappearance…! Haha… We have fun here.

Thanks for making this comic at all btw, it really shows your talent and growth as an artist and it’s in general just fun to read. There are so many little details and plot points that I could go on and on about but again, I’ll save it for later. Byeeeeeeee!!

very good points regarding knux n chip! I rly wanted to give them this connection that only they could have, which is one of those big missed opportunities from the game by cutting knuc from the story.

Nd super interesting take on the gaia/chaos energy duality 👀 cant wait to shine my own light on that in the future!

[creepingsharia]

How to Steal an Entire Country

Biden “will make America weak again, dependent upon others again, full of Made in China again, and friends to jihadists again — it'll be Obama II...”

By Donald Finley

It's been over a month since the election, and all is not well in Mudville.  The home team fights round the clock to prove that the challenger cheated, and the challenger makes no effort to calm fears or address concerns — just continues naming cronies and planning not just to take over the ballpark, but to change the rules for the entire sport.

For those who care, the internet still exists, and there are more sites than Twitter, Facebook and news services out there where the truth actually matters.  So why does anyone have to search for the truth?  Investigations and impeachments have been blasted forcefully into our faces for years, thanks to the author of the MSM's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Joseph Goebbels, of Third Reich fame, who said, "The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly — it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over. ... A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth."  It appears he also wrote the SOPs for Facebook, one of which is clearly "propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will."

Now, all across the MSM, Biden's "victory" consequences are given the fait accompli treatment.  We should all just behave and accept reality.  It sounds and reads like this: "Trump is baselessly contesting the results."  "Trump campaign court cases have been thrown out due to baseless claims."  All the "doing" is from the Trump side, and it's wasting everyone's time.  The Democrats haven't done a thing, obviously.  They are the innocent victims, once again, of Trump's craziness.  "Meanwhile, President-Elect Biden saw his shadow again today."

There is nothing baseless about what happened.  It's clear the Democrats planned this for quite some time, focusing on the battleground states, and centrally synchronizing and executing their Transition Integrity Project war-gamed plan.  They prepped the battlefield with lawsuits all across the country to remove any teeth in election laws, thus making the commission of fraud much easier and its discovery much harder.  And here is what they did.  And here.  And here.  And here.  More here.  Just check it out.  I recommend getting a head start and caring now; otherwise, it will be a big shock when you care later, and you will certainly care later.

So there's a growing mountain of evidence that President Trump was re-elected.  If the election had been conducted according to existing laws, there would be no question.  If only legal ballots were counted, there would be no question.  If the Democrats hadn't fabricated so many illegal votes, there would be no question.  But there is a question, and it's this: how are we going to make this right?  This is no conspiracy theory; it's a real conspiracy, across many states, involving the highest levels of Democrat elected officials, down to hapless election volunteers just following directions.  It was a conspiracy to steal the federal election for Joe Biden or, in other words, to remove Donald Trump from office, something Democrats have been openly trying to do for at least four years.

All the guilty Democrats believe that if they act the propaganda out, it will actually happen.  Why don't they call for transparency?  Because they don't want it.  It will expose them for what they are.  Don't they want to eliminate the cloud of illegitimacy in the election?  No, because they built it; it's about power, not legitimacy.  What about their reputations in being associated with a fraudulent election?  They don't care what we think of them; they want their shot at wielding power and getting rich from taxpayer dollars, book deals, and speaking fees.  There is no MAGA in what the Democrats did, nor in what they plan to do.  If they are allowed to do it, there will be no America left to make great.

Like the home title theft commercials, this is entire country and cultural theft.  Every MAGA policy will be reversed if Biden is allowed to take the Oval Office.  He will make America weak again, dependent upon others again, full of Made in China again, and friends to jihadists again — it'll be Obama II, the narcissistic pronoun president again.  "I," "Me," and "My" will dominate every speech again, which will repeatedly lecture to us, "That's not who we are," as something we absolutely are is insulted in favor of some more egalitarian socialist-globalist replacement.  Under a Democrat administration, "we" real Americans who love "our" nation and don't want "our" prosperity given to China so Hunter Biden can get rich again will slowly watch "our" Constitution, freedom, history, democracy, tradition, and independence chip away.

Because the Democrats are so self-centered, they have framed the governance of the U.S. as them versus Donald Trump.  They have fought everything Trump because he has fought their corruption with his promise to "Drain the Swamp."  But this is much bigger than Donald Trump, and he has openly said so.  It's not whether he wins or loses this election; it's whether the U.S. ever again holds a free and fair election.  To the Democrats, it's "Donald Trump's investigations can destroy many of us in the next four years and we'll never win another election" versus "Donald Trump goes away, and so do his investigations of Democrat crimes (and as a bonus, Joe Biden will let us do whatever we want and we'll ensure we never again lose an election)."  In framing it in such a way, the Democrats' thirst for power at all costs created the circumstances whereby they couldn't succeed without doing grave damage to the country.  That's where we are, with our election system shattered, void of the electorate's trust, and those who did the damage potentially and ironically poised as the only ones who can fix it.  The epitome of "the fix is in."

In the end, it comes down to this: what does it mean to have right versus wrong, corrupt versus honest, truth versus lies, fair versus stolen all work out backwards?  The last place on Earth the rest of the world would have thought that possible is right here.  "Our" America.  Abraham Lincoln said, "We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."  He was talking about slavery, an evil that needed to be purged from our nation, lest we lose our nation altogether.

There are many evils, but today the foremost evil we must address is the Democrat party's corruption of our national election.  We all know what happened, and what the right thing is.  We need to fix it.  Now.  The details and the prison terms can be figured out later.

Donald N. Finley is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

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

image source: Transition Integrity Project

Go to https://stopthesteal.us/ to see how you can help in your state or nationally.

[flipomatic]

Closed Book Chapter 5

Chapter 1 Chapter 4

Author Note: It’s Grom time. I had this all finished and then I had to change large parts of it because I saw the tweet from Dana that says the twins were stood up for Grom. Based on the episode I thought the twins went together, but no. Whoever stood them up is awful. Also, the season 1 finale airs tomorrow and I am not ready.

______________________________________________

Every year Hexside held a huge Grom dance to celebrate Grometheus being defeated and banished back under the school. It was one of the biggest events of the school year; all students 14 and older went to watch the fight and party. Emira wondered why they didn’t permanently seal the monster and throw the party to celebrate being rid of it, but when she asked Principal Bump he dodged the question.

A few posters had been up since the start of the school year, but about week before the event the number greatly multiplied. Some decorations were also put up in order to start preparing, and gossip of who would be chosen as Grom queen began floating around. A lost of the whispers claimed it would be Amity, but Emira didn’t buy into that. Usually an upperclassman was chosen, since they had to fight the creature. It would be decided a few days before the event, so she could only wait and see.

It was a nice coincidence that the day before Grom was the final day of Emira and Ed’s punishment. They would be able to attend Grom as free witches.

Unfortunately, there was still a week until that day. This meant Emira was again, or as usual, trapped inside the Blight house.

She was sitting at the table in the kitchen, debating if she wanted a snack while doing homework. That’s right, homework. There was literally nothing else to do. The assignment was to write about the foundation of duplication spells, including information about the witch inventor behind the spell and the theories she created. It was, in two words, mind numbing.

When Mittens arrived home and came into the kitchen in a hurry, that was a great excuse for Emira to abandon the tedious task.

“How was school?” Emira put down her pencil as she asked.

Mittens dropped her bag on the table, a sharp frown already present on her face. “It was fine.” She said in a tone that did not match her words, moving to scrounge the cabinets for a snack.

“You sure about that?” Emira prodded for more information, not believing her at all.

“Yes.” Was the only response she got.

“Alright.” Emira shifted in her chair so she could see Mittens easier. Her sister was behaving quite oddly today. The other girl had taken a fairly large box of cookies out of the cabinet. “Don’t eat too much, Mom will get mad at you.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Mittens snapped at her, putting the box on the counter roughly.

Emira was honestly taken aback. She thought her relationship with Mittens had improved, at least slightly. Her sister had been in a decent mood for the last few days too, which seemed to have all but vanished now. “Wow, already getting into those teenage rebellion years? You’ve grown so fast.” She teased to try and lighten the mood.

Mittens didn’t reply, instead she started taking cookies out of the box and putting them on a napkin.

“Seriously though, what’s up?” Emira refocused on the topic, her eyes locked on the back of Mittens’ head.

Mittens stopped at 5 cookies in total, putting the box back in the cabinet. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She muttered, not turning to look at Emira.

“Just sit with me then.” Emira pat the chair next to her and pulled it out slightly in invitation. “You can eat your cookies while I work on my assignment.”

“You’re actually doing homework?” This piqued Mittens’ interest, drawing her eyes and a slightly softer frown back to Emira.

“Not by choice.” Emira put on an exaggerated grimace and shook her head. “If you join me, I won’t tell Mom about the cookies.” That would get her for sure.

“Fine you win.” Mittens rolled her eyes and then picked up her cookies to bring them over to the table. “Just for a few minutes.” She sat down in the chair, sighing as she settled.

Emira cracked a smile, watching as Mittens picked up the first treat to take a bite. While she was chewing, that was Emira’s chance to strike. She had thought about getting a snack and now was her chance.

She didn’t even need illusion magic; her hands were fast enough to steal the next cookie from the pile. It only took a moment.

“Hey!” Mittens swatted the offending arm ineffectually. It wasn’t enough to stop Emira from claiming her prize. “Get your own!” She protested, pulling the remaining cookies farther away from Emira’s reach.

“This one is so good though.” Emira took a big bite out of the cookie for emphasis. It was chocolate chip, a great flavor. “Delicious.”

Mittens wasn’t quite smiling, but she wasn’t frowning so deeply anymore either. “Whatever, just do your homework.”

“Aye aye.” Emira said before taking another bite out of her stolen reward. She turned back to her homework, which astonishingly had not completed itself while she talked to Mittens. One more bite and the cookie was gone, so she picked up her pencil to resume the assignment.

Emira started writing the next line on her work, keeping an eye on Mittens in her peripheral vision. Her sister was staring straight ahead, that troubled frown back in full force. She had finished the first cookie, but wasn’t eating the next one.

She looked worried, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

A few minutes later, after Emira had written a few more painful sentences, Mittens broke the silence.

“I um,” She started to speak, then stopped and cleared her throat. She was still looking straight ahead. “Are you going to Grom with anyone?” Ah, Emira thought, that’s what this whole bad mood was about. Mittens was finally old enough to attend Grom this year.

“I might.” Emira admitted, dropping her pencil to focus on the conversation. “Not sure yet though.” There was still a week to figure it out.

Mittens’ expression didn’t change. “I see.” She said quietly. “Are you planning to ask someone?” With these words she turned her body slightly towards Emira, eyes coming up to meet hers.

That was quite a personal question. Emira did have someone in mind to ask, another witch in the illusion track, but she wasn’t that close to them so she was still debating it. She also thought about asking that detention track girl, Viney, to go with her. Unfortunately, she was 1000 percent off limits due to her time in the detention track and habit of mixing magic. Emira had never spoken to her and still liked to admire her from afar, but the other witch she was considering was a far safer option.

“I’ve thought about it.” Was what Emira settled on saying, “But I haven’t made any plans yet.” She could feel her cheeks were warmer than usual at this line of conversation.

Now Mittens looked more thoughtful, her brow scrunched up in that little thinking face she often made. “How would you plan to do it, if you were?”

Interesting question. It almost sounded like Mittens wanted to ask someone to Grom. That was the only conclusion Emira could come to. Was it Luz? It had to be Luz.

“Hmm, let me think about it.” Emira tried to keep her voice level, she didn’t want to spook Mittens. It took a lot of effort to get her to even sit and talk, she would probably leave if Emira seemed too excited or crazy. “I would probably just take the plunge and ask if they wanted to go with me.” Despite being a trickster, Emira could also be straight forward sometimes. If she ever got around to inviting the person she wanted to go with, that would be how she did it.

“That takes a lot of courage.” Mittens mused, fidgeting with the edges of the napkin her cookies were on. That was probably too forward for her, Emira thought. Mittens was brave in danger, but could actually be quite withdrawn socially. Especially if she had a crush on Luz, Emira was still pretty sure it was Luz.

“Well, a note is another option.” Was her next idea. “I could leave it in their locker or hand it to them.” She had to say it as if it was from her perspective still to keep up the image that this was about her, even though she was just giving advice to Mittens.

Mittens perked up at that one. “A note, huh.” There was a spark in her eyes. “That’s a good idea.”

“Why thank you.” Emira replied with a smile. “It wouldn’t have to be long, just the invitation is enough I think.”

“Yeah,” Mittens nodded, probably running the idea through her mind. “That could work.” She muttered, before clearing her throat. “What would you do if they say no?”

That was another hard hitting question, one Emira wasn’t sure how to respond to. Mittens had distinctly ventured from just asking about Emira’s plans to worrying about her own potential Gromposal. Interesting that she wanted to know how to react if it went poorly, rather than if it went well.

“I’m not sure.” Emira was confident that Luz, or whoever Mittens planned to ask, would say yes, but she still wanted to answer the question properly. “Cry and move on I suppose. Keep looking until I find someone who returns my feelings.” That was the goal wasn��t it, to find someone who liked her in return.

“Okay.” Mittens looked somber as she turned her gaze back towards her snack. “Thanks, Em.”

“Anytime.” Emira couldn’t keep from grinning as she replied.

A few seconds passed and Emira waited as her sister thought things through. It was silent, with nothing but their thoughts between the two. Mittens gave one last sigh before seeming to gather her composure.

“I guess I should leave you to your homework.” Mittens face snapped back up to Emira’s, the previous stress in her expression replaced with a small playful smirk. “You’re never going to get it done while I’m here.”

“You’re probably right.” Emira admitted with a frown. She didn’t want to get it done in the first place.

Mittens nodded in agreement. “I’ll leave you to it then.” She rose from the chair, slinging her bag back over her shoulder. She took one cookie off the top of the stack, then pushed the last two towards Emira. “You should have them.” She said, not looking back before vacating the kitchen.

Emira pulled the cookies closer to her, picking up the top one as she mentally wished Mittens and herself luck in asking someone to Grom. She was certain that her sister would not be rejected. A moment later Emira resumed work on the awful homework assignment.

She had just bitten into the cookie when heeled footsteps sounded behind her. Her mother’s voice came next.

“You shouldn’t be eating this close to dinner.”

Sometimes, Emira thought, she needed to take her own advice.

Chapter 6

[babybottlepop96]

Jorogumo

Summary: You and the Attack on Titan gang go on adventures to visit murder sites, but on one trip, nothing is as it seems

A/N: This will be multi chapter, and probably the first of a series I’ll do involving mythical creatures and beast. Please let me know what you think of it!

Jorogumo: A mythical creature from Japan, described as  spider woman. It takes the apperance of  a beautiful woman to lure in unexpecting men.

(picture drawn by me, don't judge lol)

Chapter One

Ten Years Earlier

Emilee stuck her hand out the window of the beat up, old, green pick up truck, letting her hand fly through the air. Her boyfriend, Jason, in the driver’s seat, window down singing to some song she didn’t know the name of. The two were on a road trip, camping here and there in the back of the truck. Their destination unknown, for the two had taken the essentials and whatever money they saved up and left. No notes, no goodbyes, just left the world they knew to start a new life together. Stopping for some gas, Emilee runs into the small run down shop to get some snacks. “Will that be all?” The woman behind the counter asked as she rang the items up and placed them into a bag. 

“Could I also get a pack of Newport Menthol one-hundreds?” She asked as she handed the woman her I.D., looking out at the darkening sky. The woman took a look and grabbed the cigarettes.

“That’ll be thirty-two dollars and forty-six cents.” She tossed the smokes in the bag with the rest of the things. Putting the money in the register, she handed Emilee her bag. “Your man’s a looker, better keep him close unless you want to lose him.” She spoke seriously. 

“And what's that supposed to mean?” Emilee asked defensively, she knows Jason is downright one of the most handsome men out there, but obviously this man knows he is taken, so why would she come out and such a thing?

“There’s something that lurks out in these parts at night. Something evil, people say it likes to take handsome men. Just be careful.” The woman spoke again, her voice was serious, lacking any other emotion. 

“You have got to be shitting me, you're a crazy bitch.” Emilee grabbed her bag and left, lighting a cigarette as she walked towards the truck, Jason patiently waiting for her in the cab.

“You okay, babe?” He asked with an eyebrow raised, his hand out asking to bum a smoke from her.

“Yeah,” She handed him a cigarette. “But the bitch behind the register tried saying some shit about keeping you close because something evil lurks in this area and takes handsome men.” She took a drag and slowly blew the smoke out. “I’m pretty sure she was just interested in getting into your pants.” Jason laughed, leaning over to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek.

“No crazy bitch will be getting into my pants anytime soon. Except for you of course.” Emilee gasped, smiling and playfully slapping her boyfriend on the chest.

“You asshole, just drive. I want to get the back set up before it gets too terribly dark.” Emilee stomped out her cigarette and got into the truck.

“Anything you want, babe.” Jason smiled and started up the truck. They drove for another thirty minutes before finding a spot just inside a wooden area. The roads were deserted, but in case any car decided to pass, it would be more comfortable if they were somewhat hidden. Laying in the bed of the truck, air mattress blown, pillows lining the bed walls and blankets haphazardly thrown on top of the couple. Legs and arms tangled with one another, Emilee laid her head on Jason’s chest, listening to his heart beat.

“Fuck, I gotta take a piss.” She sighed, gently pushing herself up and making her way towards the back of the truck. 

“Don’t get lost babe!” She heard Jason call.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily!” She continued for a moment before she felt safe enough to drop her pants and squat. As she held the roll of toilet paper in her hand, she heard a rustle in the bushes not far off to her left. “Jason?” She asked, but received no reply. “Jason, if that’s you, this isn't funny!” She wiped herself briefly before pulling up her sleep shorts. The bushes rustled once again. “Jason?” She asked once more, making her way to the rustling branches of the berry bush. Suddenly, a squirrel ran out from underneath causing Emilee to let out a small squeak and then chuckle to herself. “Fucking woods. I feel like I’m in some cliche, shitty horror movie” She turned and stared into the eyes of the woman from the gas station. 

“Told you to keep a close eye on your man.” 

After a few minutes, Jason sat up from his comfortable position, looking towards the area Emilee had walked towards. “Em?! Baby?! You okay?!” He called, eyes looking around the surrounding area. 

“I’m okay, babe. Just… Ran into an old friend.” Emilee suddenly appeared next to him. 

“Jesus fucking christ!” Jason rested a hand over his chest.

“No. Not quite.”

~~~~

“The police never found Jason’s body. It’s like he just… vanished. Emilee’s body was drained of her blood, not even a trace of it on the ground where she died. Only thing they found was some puncture wounds on her arm, but other than that… nothing.” Jean spoke to the group of his friends while they sat in a rounded booth at the local diner.

“Come on, Jean. You're telling me that a girl was bitten by a vampire and her boyfriend just vanished? I bet it was the boyfriend. Kill the girl and just leave.” Connie spoke as he took a bite from his burger, his girlfriend, Sasha stealing some of his fries.

“See, I thought about that too. But that wouldn’t explain how she was bled dry with no traces of it anywhere, nor does it explain the puncture wounds on her arm.” This was a normal thing for the group, it started after they graduated, traveling around to visit certain murder areas. They been to Lizzie Bourden’s house, the Amityville Horror house, they even been to the sight of the Murder Hotel H.H. Holmes created. Mazes and trap doors, dead ends and torture rooms where countless victims had suffered. But this one was knew, this was a murder that happen only ten years earlier, but what was strange was the fact that there was multiple similar cases scattered across the united states over the last couple hundred years, all unsolved.

“Jean makes a good point, even if I hate to admit it.” Eren spoke, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m so proud of you, Eren! Finally agreeing to something my brother said without calling him ‘Horseface’!” You exclaimed while clapping your hands. The rest laughed while Eren grumbled.

“Come on, Brats. It’s getting dark and I want to get to the motel early enough to clean it and get enough sleep.” The group's driver, Levi, spoke as he came from the restroom. Levi was older than the rest of the group by a couple of years, but he was the only one with a R.V. that could transport the entire group around. He was also there as a “chaperone” due to the fact that Eren, Jean, Connie and Armin somehow always got themselves into trouble. 

With Levi in the driver’s seat, his best friend and forensic major, Hanje in the passenger seat, the rest of you in the back, you headed off You had your legs across Eren’s as he, Jean and Connie played among us and your head rested in Armin’s lap as you two talked about conspiracy theories.

Sahsha was raiding the mini fridge, Marco fiddling with his camera, Ymir and Krista doing something in the back room, no one cared to figure out what, and Mikasa sat reading a book. How she never got motion sickness you would never know.

“Okay, brats. I gotta get gas. Someone go inside and pay and grab some more snacks. I think Sasha ate them all.” Levi grumbled as he pulled into a shitty little gas station.  Connie and Sasha quickly ran in and got snacks and paid for the gas. 

“Will that be everything?” The woman behind the counter asked, a smile quickly replacing her scowl upon noticing the boy with the buzzcut. 

“And these snacks please!” Sasha yelled as she threw the chips, nuts and can of soda and energy drinks onto the counter. 

“Can I also get a pack of smokes? Whatever the cheapest is, menthol.” The woman nodded kindly, grabbing the pack he got for Levi, knowing that may be the only way to keep his rage under control. “You better be careful out there. Wouldn’t want a handsome man like yourself to get lost.” She winked at him. Connie gave her a weird look before looking at Sasha, “Imma head back.” He nodded towards the RV and Sasha nodded quickly.

“I’ll be right there, I’m debating if I want to get these weird looking candies.” He shook his and gave a smile. 

“Don’t be too long! Levi won’t hesitate to leave you behind!” Sasha waved him off, too busy with the treats. Sasha decided she was going to buy ten bags, even if she didn’t like them. Who the hell is she kidding, Sasha liked everything she ate. She went to the counter and put the candies down, pulling her wallet out and putting thirty bucks on the counter.

The woman bagged the snacks and put the cash into the register. Handing Sasha back the change, she spoke. “Better keep an eye on your man. He is cute and I’d hate for anything bad to happen to him. 

“Fuck off, freak.” She grabbed her shit and made to leave. The cashier grabbed her arm with a wicked smile taking over her face.

“Where the fuck is Sasha?” Eren grumbled.

“I told you, she was eyeing the candy. You know how she is with food.” Connie defended though it wasn’t to any one’s surprise. Everyone knew Connie had a thing for her.

“Hey! I’m back! Sorry, the cashier was being fucking weird.” Sasha said as she scrambled back into the RV snack bag in hand. 

“About fucking time. Lets go brats! The motel is just up ahead.” Levi said as he started up the engine, driving ten minutes to the motel. 

Once in the rooms, everyone got who they were rooming with and what room. Armin and Eren, Connie and Jean, Ymir and Krista, Mikasa and you, Sasha and Hanje, and then Levi and poor poor Marco in another. Everyone settled down and began to discuss what they hoped to find. Not like they would be able to find much after ten years, but the thought was still thrilling. 

As Hanje was falling asleep she swore she heard giggling from Sasha, not bothering to even spare a glance, figuring it was just her texting Connie. Sasha looked at the ceiling, her smile forming. “So…. hungry.”

Ten Years Earlier

Emilee stuck her hand out the window of the beat up, old, green pick up truck, letting her hand fly through the air. Her boyfriend, Jason, in the driver’s seat, window down singing to some song she didn’t know the name of. The two were on a road trip, camping here and there in the back of the truck. Their destination unknown, for the two had taken the essentials and whatever money they saved up and left. No notes, no goodbyes, just left the world they knew to start a new life together. Stopping for some gas, Emilee runs into the small run down shop to get some snacks. “Will that be all?” The woman behind the counter asked as she rang the items up and placed them into a bag. 

“Could I also get a pack of Newport Menthol one-hundreds?” She asked as she handed the woman her I.D., looking out at the darkening sky. The woman took a look and grabbed the cigarettes.

“That’ll be thirty-two dollars and forty-six cents.” She tossed the smokes in the bag with the rest of the things. Putting the money in the register, she handed Emilee her bag. “Your man’s a looker, better keep him close unless you want to lose him.” She spoke seriously. 

“And what's that supposed to mean?” Emilee asked defensively, she knows Jason is downright one of the most handsome men out there, but obviously this man knows he is taken, so why would she come out and such a thing?

“There’s something that lurks out in these parts at night. Something evil, people say it likes to take handsome men. Just be careful.” The woman spoke again, her voice was serious, lacking any other emotion. 

“You have got to be shitting me, you're a crazy bitch.” Emilee grabbed her bag and left, lighting a cigarette as she walked towards the truck, Jason patiently waiting for her in the cab.

“You okay, babe?” He asked with an eyebrow raised, his hand out asking to bum a smoke from her.

“Yeah,” She handed him a cigarette. “But the bitch behind the register tried saying some shit about keeping you close because something evil lurks in this area and takes handsome men.” She took a drag and slowly blew the smoke out. “I’m pretty sure she was just interested in getting into your pants.” Jason laughed, leaning over to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek.

“No crazy bitch will be getting into my pants anytime soon. Except for you of course.” Emilee gasped, smiling and playfully slapping her boyfriend on the chest.

“You asshole, just drive. I want to get the back set up before it gets too terribly dark.” Emilee stomped out her cigarette and got into the truck.

“Anything you want, babe.” Jason smiled and started up the truck. They drove for another thirty minutes before finding a spot just inside a wooden area. The roads were deserted, but in case any car decided to pass, it would be more comfortable if they were somewhat hidden. Laying in the bed of the truck, air mattress blown, pillows lining the bed walls and blankets haphazardly thrown on top of the couple. Legs and arms tangled with one another, Emilee laid her head on Jason’s chest, listening to his heart beat.

“Fuck, I gotta take a piss.” She sighed, gently pushing herself up and making her way towards the back of the truck. 

“Don’t get lost babe!” She heard Jason call.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily!” She continued for a moment before she felt safe enough to drop her pants and squat. As she held the roll of toilet paper in her hand, she heard a rustle in the bushes not far off to her left. “Jason?” She asked, but received no reply. “Jason, if that’s you, this isn't funny!” She wiped herself briefly before pulling up her sleep shorts. The bushes rustled once again. “Jason?” She asked once more, making her way to the rustling branches of the berry bush. Suddenly, a squirrel ran out from underneath causing Emilee to let out a small squeak and then chuckle to herself. “Fucking woods. I feel like I’m in some cliche, shitty horror movie” She turned and stared into the eyes of the woman from the gas station. 

“Told you to keep a close eye on your man.” 

After a few minutes, Jason sat up from his comfortable position, looking towards the area Emilee had walked towards. “Em?! Baby?! You okay?!” He called, eyes looking around the surrounding area. 

“I’m okay, babe. Just… Ran into an old friend.” Emilee suddenly appeared next to him. 

“Jesus fucking christ!” Jason rested a hand over his chest.

“No. Not quite.”

~~~~

“The police never found Jason’s body. It’s like he just… vanished. Emilee’s body was drained of her blood, not even a trace of it on the ground where she died. Only thing they found was some puncture wounds on her arm, but other than that… nothing.” Jean spoke to the group of his friends while they sat in a rounded booth at the local diner.

“Come on, Jean. You're telling me that a girl was bitten by a vampire and her boyfriend just vanished? I bet it was the boyfriend. Kill the girl and just leave.” Connie spoke as he took a bite from his burger, his girlfriend, Sasha stealing some of his fries.

“See, I thought about that too. But that wouldn’t explain how she was bled dry with no traces of it anywhere, nor does it explain the puncture wounds on her arm.” This was a normal thing for the group, it started after they graduated, traveling around to visit certain murder areas. They been to Lizzie Bourden’s house, the Amityville Horror house, they even been to the sight of the Murder Hotel H.H. Holmes created. Mazes and trap doors, dead ends and torture rooms where countless victims had suffered. But this one was knew, this was a murder that happen only ten years earlier, but what was strange was the fact that there was multiple similar cases scattered across the united states over the last couple hundred years, all unsolved.

“Jean makes a good point, even if I hate to admit it.” Eren spoke, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m so proud of you, Eren! Finally agreeing to something my brother said without calling him ‘Horseface’!” You exclaimed while clapping your hands. The rest laughed while Eren grumbled.

“Come on, Brats. It’s getting dark and I want to get to the motel early enough to clean it and get enough sleep.” The group's driver, Levi, spoke as he came from the restroom. Levi was older than the rest of the group by a couple of years, but he was the only one with a R.V. that could transport the entire group around. He was also there as a “chaperone” due to the fact that Eren, Jean, Connie and Armin somehow always got themselves into trouble. 

With Levi in the driver’s seat, his best friend and forensic major, Hanje in the passenger seat, the rest of you in the back, you headed off You had your legs across Eren’s as he, Jean and Connie played among us and your head rested in Armin’s lap as you two talked about conspiracy theories.

Sahsha was raiding the mini fridge, Marco fiddling with his camera, Ymir and Krista doing something in the back room, no one cared to figure out what, and Mikasa sat reading a book. How she never got motion sickness you would never know.

“Okay, brats. I gotta get gas. Someone go inside and pay and grab some more snacks. I think Sasha ate them all.” Levi grumbled as he pulled into a shitty little gas station.  Connie and Sasha quickly ran in and got snacks and paid for the gas. 

“Will that be everything?” The woman behind the counter asked, a smile quickly replacing her scowl upon noticing the boy with the buzzcut. 

“And these snacks please!” Sasha yelled as she threw the chips, nuts and can of soda and energy drinks onto the counter. 

“Can I also get a pack of smokes? Whatever the cheapest is, menthol.” The woman nodded kindly, grabbing the pack he got for Levi, knowing that may be the only way to keep his rage under control. “You better be careful out there. Wouldn’t want a handsome man like yourself to get lost.” She winked at him. Connie gave her a weird look before looking at Sasha, “Imma head back.” He nodded towards the RV and Sasha nodded quickly.

“I’ll be right there, I’m debating if I want to get these weird looking candies.” He shook his and gave a smile. 

“Don’t be too long! Levi won’t hesitate to leave you behind!” Sasha waved him off, too busy with the treats. Sasha decided she was going to buy ten bags, even if she didn’t like them. Who the hell is she kidding, Sasha liked everything she ate. She went to the counter and put the candies down, pulling her wallet out and putting thirty bucks on the counter.

The woman bagged the snacks and put the cash into the register. Handing Sasha back the change, she spoke. “Better keep an eye on your man. He is cute and I’d hate for anything bad to happen to him. 

“Fuck off, freak.” She grabbed her shit and made to leave. The cashier grabbed her arm with a wicked smile taking over her face.

“Where the fuck is Sasha?” Eren grumbled.

“I told you, she was eyeing the candy. You know how she is with food.” Connie defended though it wasn’t to any one’s surprise. Everyone knew Connie had a thing for her.

“Hey! I’m back! Sorry, the cashier was being fucking weird.” Sasha said as she scrambled back into the RV snack bag in hand. 

“About fucking time. Lets go brats! The motel is just up ahead.” Levi said as he started up the engine, driving ten minutes to the motel. 

Once in the rooms, everyone got who they were rooming with and what room. Armin and Eren, Connie and Jean, Ymir and Krista, Mikasa and you, Sasha and Hanje, and then Levi and poor poor Marco in another. Everyone settled down and began to discuss what they hoped to find. Not like they would be able to find much after ten years, but the thought was still thrilling. 

As Hanje was falling asleep she swore she heard giggling from Sasha, not bothering to even spare a glance, figuring it was just her texting Connie. Sasha looked at the ceiling, her smile forming. “So…. hungry.”

[purplesurveys]

1040

survey by amandahudson48

When's the last time you said you were sorry? Maybe last Friday or yesterday? I haven’t been replying to Andi because I was in a slump, then when I was finally able to get back to them I made sure to apologize first and explain why it took me a while to respond.

Have you done anything interesting in the last week? I got to dine in at a restaurant again after nine months last Monday, and I brought my parents to treat them as well. The three of us had ramen, then I also treated them to frozen yogurt after. It felt nice to be out, but we also headed to a mall Gab and I used to regularly go to so everything ended up being too difficult to process and I was fighting tears the whole time at the ramen place.

Are there any songs you listen to everyday? I don’t think so. There have been a lot of days where I’ve avoided music altogether.

What do you consider a waste of time? Having to manually go to a government office nowhere near your house to queue for an ID or document when it could be done digitally, but you can’t and have no choice anyway because the agency’s website isn’t even working. In short, welcome to the Philippines where the government can steal billions but can’t maintain their own damn websites.

How do you react to stress? I tend to have a shorter fuse around people. So that I don’t accidentally lash out on anyone, I’ll bring myself to work on autopilot until I get a task done. If I find time to myself, I cry in private for a few minutes because stress sucks; then I try to dust myself off and get back to working.

Have you ever considered what you would do in certain life/death sitches? Sometimes. My game plan for the most part is to simply scream at the top of my lungs to rouse attention, but I’ll never really know what I’ll do unless something actually takes place. I have a track record of being scared frozen when scary men have approached me in the past, so idk if I will have it in me to scream in a life or death situation.

Have you ever gone mud riding? No. Photos don’t look too appealing mostly because I’m not into vehicles and driving them on unconventional terrain lol, but I mean I would still give it a shot at least once.

Do you edit your photos? Just sometimes, if I mean to show off or promote someone/something to my mutuals; like the time I promoted my uncle’s business when he gave me a free cheesecake. I usually use the VSCO or Foodie apps.

What kind of cookie do you like the most? Chocolate chip cookies that are crispy on the outside and gooey inside; and dark chocolate macadamia cookies.

Do you enjoy working alone? Sure, though I don’t mind the occasional groupwork.

Is there anyone you're not over and feel like you never will be? Yes, I’m in exactly the same place I found myself at five years ago.

Do you like long or short surveys? Medium-length, so like anywhere between 40-70 questions is the perfect length for me.

How often do you listen to your iPod? I used to listen to it everyday because I brought it with me throughout middle school and the first half of high school. When iPods slowly went out of style in junior year, I started using it less frequently.

What kind of house do you want? Something modern and minimalist; I’d like it to be predominantly rectangular or square in shape with large windows. I do also want a brutalist style for myself but I might have to give that up if I ever end up with a family, as I don’t want my kids thinking their own home looks aloof and unapproachable.

Would you like living on the coast? It sounds like paradise. Yeah, absolutely.

What song was the last you listened to? To Let A Good Thing Die - Bruno Major. Then I got really sad and had to stop listening to music altogether and scramble to watch something hilarious on YouTube.

When's the last time you were really late to something? Last week, for a meeting with a client :/ I wasn’t accustomed to my weekly calls just yet and ended up attending a 4:30-5 PM meeting at 4:57, right when it was ending, because I thought it started at 5. It was embarrassing and my manager was rightfully jokingly mad at me.

Do you prefer to take back roads or the highways? Highways as much as possible, but if I’m stuck in traffic and if it looks like I wouldn’t be able to get to my destination on time then I ask Waze to guide me through backroads.

How do you spell your name without consonants? Rbyn or Rbn, depending on what you consider y to be.

What's the last movie you watched? Uhhh it was still That Thing Called Tadhana but it’s been a while. I mainly watch a Korean drama titled Start Up these days.

What would you like your generation to change? The people society votes into office. Young Americans seem to be leading the charge on this front, which is so so great. Meanwhile in my country Manny Pacquiao is planning for his 2022 presidential campaign and we are once again fucked because voter’s literacy is so fucking low that I actually see a possibility of him winning. Migrating has never sounded more attractive.

Do you use your cell phone a lot? Yeah, it’s beside me with the screen turned on nearly the entire day.

When's the last time you saw an ocean wave? Not sure about an ocean wave, but the last time I saw a wave in general (we were at a beach) was August 2019.

How long can you hold your breath? Maybe a minute max? I haven’t had to try in a while.

Would you rather work behind the scenes or be the star? Behind the scenes. I loathe the spotlight and I’ve never been the performing type, and I always hated it whenever I’ve had to perform in school or for a family function. It’s also why, as fun as hosting looks like as a career, and as much as I know I would’ve been decent in it if I tried, it was just ultimately never the path for me.

Are you a sore loser? Yeah, I hate it. I’m competitive to the bone, which personally sucks too because it’s hard for me to enjoy games lol. I make it easier for the playing crowd by just watching at the sidelines so that I don’t ruin things for them.

When's the last time you used a pair of scissors? Yesterday when I was doing embroidery.

What was the last word you thought? I mean...’embroidery,’ I guess, since I typed it last before reading this question.

Is it easy to make you angry? It takes me a while to explode.

Have you wondered if other people wonder what you’re thinking? No.

Do you sing a lot? When I’m alone and am certain no one can hear, yes.

Do you think you have an addictive personality? Uh no, not really. I like keeping a certain distance with everyone I interact with. As nice as I can be, I try to make sure my personality isn’t the type that would ~leave people wanting more~ so to speak.

Which affects us more: our genes or the environment in which we're raised? For me, it’s the environment. Genes are strong too, but they’re already there; they’re given, they’re constant, they’re wired into each person. The fact that people can still be constantly affected depending on what kind of situation they’re in says much about the capabilities of being raised in a certain environment. For instance, I know for sure I would’ve ended up being more emotionally stable if I was provided with a healthier, gentler upbringing.

Why do you believe that? Oops, I may have already answered it above.

Honestly, do you enjoy arguing? Nah. Watching others do it can be fun, but I avoid them myself.

Do you prefer to use tape or glue? Tape. More secure.

Do you see routine as a comfort or a rut? Comfort. I do like bursts of spontaneity every now and then, though.

When's the last time you cried? Last night. I wanted to this morning, but I already did so much heavy crying last night that I just gave myself a break today.

Do you believe that love can get you through anything? No. I know that now.

What do you wish you had more of? Money is always a good answer. Also, weekends.

If you HAD to change one thing about your best friend, what would it be? I wish Angela lived nearer, so that it’s easier to visit. I wish Gabie wasn’t so selfish.

Have you ever gone to sleep mad? It’s harder that way, lol. But I mean yeah I guess I’ve felt angry while trying to go to bed; it’s just that I usually use certain outlets so that I could calm down and fall asleep more easily.

Do you like your computer? I love it. Even though it’s an older Macbook Air I have no plans to replace it; it’s still so low-maintenance and reliable after all this time.

Which theory do you wish but perhaps not believe was true about afterlife? This is a good question and something I always wish was verbalized more. For me, it’s the idea of reuniting with all your deceased family, friends, and pets in death. That has always given me comfort, but I don’t necessarily cling to it.

Is there anyone that you truly could not live without? I can think of one such person, but we’ll see if it holds true.

[ficsnthings]

Paul “Jesus” Rovia x Male!Reader

Summary: Jesus said he had to run. He didn’t say who he was running back to.

Rated: T - canon typical violence

Read on AO3

Please consider buying me a coffee

y/n = your name

y/e/c = your eye colour

When Jesus awoke in an unfamiliar makeshift cell with no real sense of how long he’d been there, his immediate thought was to escape. He needed to get home to where his people, where his family were waiting for him.

So after assessing that neither the water nor the cookie that had been left for him were poisoned (after all, why they would poison him after going through the trouble of saving him and dressing his wounds if they were just going to poison him?) he quickly ate and drank before he slipped his bonds, watched the guard they had posted on the most obvious exit to keep him in and waited for an opening to sneak away and find another way out, which he found in the form of a third floor window.

If there was one thing Jesus was good at, it was thinking on his feet, but it wasn’t until he’d finally lowered himself to the ground that he realized he really didn’t have a plan now. He knew he needed to get home, but at the moment, he wasn’t sure of quite how far away home was. Even if he made it over the wall, he had no weapons, no real sense of where he was, and no guarantee that the tracker, for Jesus knew that was what the rough looking man with the angel wing vest was, wouldn’t come after him.

These people could have killed him, could have left him out there to die, but they hadn’t. Instead they had brought him back with them and left him with food and water. He decided his best chance at making it home might be to make a deal. But first he needed information, leverage.

So he snuck around, found their supply stores (meager given how large their community appeared to be ), their armory (impressive, considerably more so than their food stores), before creeping around a few of the large homes that populated the street in order to find the man who had brought him there, the man he had assessed to be a leader, Rick.

Later, when he was sitting in the RV listening to Glenn and Abraham’s conversation involving ridiculous metaphors for sperm and procreation, he found himself unable to keep his thoughts away from his own child. The little girl he and Y/n had found abandoned and very much alone right at the very beginning.

The two of them had been quietly making their way through a little town, maneuvering swiftly down a backroad when they thought they heard a baby crying from the inside of a car that was surrounded by a group of the dead. They had paused, waiting and listening, and had almost thought they’d imagined it when they heard it again. Her cries were tired, barely audible above the noise of the snarling monsters surrounding her, but they were there.

Up until then he and Y/n had tried to play it pretty safe. They had avoided other people as well as they could, knowing that trusting the wrong sort, or getting caught somewhere in the panic and desperation of some of those groups could easily cost them their lives, and hadn’t gone out of their way to kill the undead creatures which now roamed the streets, only fighting them out of necessity. But the moment they heard those cries, the moment Y/n had given him that look of I’m about to do something stupid please back me up, he didn’t even have to think about it. He just did.

The two of them worked together to take out the group of the dead surrounding the vehicle, then jimmied open the door using the same crowbar Y/n had been using as his weapon of choice.

Y/n unstrapped the baby from the carseat/carrier that was still locked into place in the back seat and took the baby, who was maybe six, seven months old with a head of wispy brown hair, big blue eyes and pudgy, bright pink cheeks, into his arms. He gently rocked her, cooing and hushing until her little cries quieted and she instead looked up at him curiously. Jesus knew as he watched the two of them that this changed things. That he would do anything to ensure the safety of both his love as well as this rosie cheeked girl whom was already quickly stealing his heart.

Back in the present, his eyes focused in on Rick’s hand reaching over and grasping Michonne’s. The way they smiled at each other, the looks they shared, it spoke of familiarity, a shared closeness, but despite his initial assessment, after observing the two a while longer he got the distinct impression that the two had not been romantically involved long.

Watching the two comfort one another made something inside of him ache for his own love. The man he’d been with since Before.

When they’d met Jesus had just begun putting his life back together after having gone through the grueling process of getting sober. He hadn’t been looking for anything serious, hadn’t meant to get so involved, but Y/n was funny and sweet and beautiful and strong. He was kind and caring, but wasn’t a pushover, wasn’t afraid to call Jesus out on his shit. He’d gradually nudged his way past all of Jesus’ defenses, taking care of him in the little ways he did.  A new beanie when his was starting to look a little too worse for wear, another tube of toothpaste to replace the one that Jesus hadn’t realized was nearing empty, a parting kiss over coffee when he left for work in the morning. Before he knew it Y/n had wormed his way into his heart, leaving articles of clothing in drawers that once contained only Jesus’ own, a toothbrush beside his in the cup next to the bathroom sink, and a dull ache of longing in his heart when they were apart.

Jesus couldn’t wait to get back to his family, to hold the two people he loved most in the world in his arms again. He hoped Y/n wasn’t too worried about him. That was one thing he knew was inevitable with him going outside the walls, but wished he could change nonetheless. He hated making Y/n worry.

******************************

Waiting for Jesus to return was always difficult. Knowing that he was outside the walls, usually on his own, was terrifying. I knew he would do everything he could, whatever it took to make it back to us, but I also knew that nothing out on the road was predictable. Anything could happen to him out there, and if one day he didn’t come back we’d probably never know why.

Sometimes when he’d go out he would get held up in someway, causing him to return later than he’d hoped. On a few occasions storms and bad weather had left him holed up for days waiting for the worst to pass before he could make it home. Far more frequently, however, he would run into walkers, or people. Those were the circumstances that scared me the most. And I could just feel in my heart that was what had happened this time.

Jesus had meant to be home yesterday, had said as much as he’d kissed our daughter and I goodbye right before leaving a few days ago. He could waltz through the front gates at any time now, but knowing that didn’t stop my mind from running through possible scenarios that could have kept him from coming home to us. A day late wasn’t so much in theory, but in this world it could be the difference between life and death.

I tried not to dwell though, didn’t have much chance to do so anyway. We all had jobs to do, and mine was to take care of our daughter, Rosie, and help out around the community wherever they needed a few extra hands.

So that is exactly what I did. I awoke that morning in a bed that felt too empty, got myself cleaned up and dressed, then did the same for our daughter. I fed her and myself, then began our usual morning routine of going out to help maintain the crops before the sun had risen too high in the sky.

After a few hours we would retreat back to our trailer and work on learning our ABC’s. Rosie, in all her three and a half years, had never wanted anything quite the same way she wanted to be able to read. So each day we would spend as long as her young mind could stay focused and willing reciting the alphabet, practicing writing out each letter, and practicing the sounds that each letter made.

Today we were working on learning to write Q, R, and S, which were some of the more difficult letters for a child under four to pick up, but she quickly got the hang of Q and R. She just couldn’t quite get her mind around forming the S on her own. If I mapped it in dots she could trace over it, no problem, but she hadn’t yet figured out how to recreate it herself, yet. It would come to her, I knew. She was very determined and tended to pick things up quickly. She just needed a bit more time and patience.

Patience, however, seemed to be one thing Rosie didn’t  have in abundance today. When I could see Rosie’s steely determination quickly beginning to give way to frustration, I decided it was time to switch activities before she devolved into a meltdown.

“Hey, baby girl, why don’t we give ’S’ another try a little later, and right now we go outside and play for a bit, huh?”, I gently suggested.

The little girl in question paused to think for a moment before nodding, “Okay, Papa.”

I pulled her in for a hug after we’d both risen from our place on the floor, “You’ve done such a good job today, Rosie. You’ve been learning very fast, so I think you just need a break before you can get the ’S’ shape.”

We quickly gathered up some of her favorite toys and went outside to play in the dirt in near our little trailer. We raced matchbox cars along side little model horses whose brown paint was chipping in places, making them look more frame overo than chestnut.

As Rosie played, I felt my worry for Jesus creeping back into the forefront of my mind. By now it was mid-afternoon. What if-

“Papa?”, Rosie’s sweet voice interrupted my inner turmoil.

“What is it, baby girl?”, I replied, bringing myself back into the present.

She peered up at me with big, blue eyes and asked, “When’s Daddy coming home?”

“Well…”, I started, but was distracted from answering when Harlan, who must have just returned from his run, came hobbling around the corner supporting Freddie who was a looking fairly beat up and limping at his side.

I quickly stood and stepped towards them, ready to help if needed, “You guys okay?”

Harlan turned his head my way and nodded, readjusting Freddie’s arm around his shoulders, “We’re fine, just gotta patch up Freddie’s leg here.”

My eyes traveled down to look at the wound and I winced, “That doesn’t look so good.”

“Could have been a lot worse if Jesus hadn’t found us.”, Freddie spoke up.

That got my attention, “Jesus?”, I asked, “Is he back?”

Harlan nodded and said, “Yeah, he found a group out there so he’s taking them up to Barrington house.”, before continuing on his way towards the medical trailer.

Relief flooded my system. Jesus was safe, he was home. I knew he’d be round eventually, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. I spent enough time without him when he was outside the walls, when I knew that we could be together I refused to waste whatever time we may have by staying away.

I crouched down in front of Rosie, who had resumed rolling her toy cars through the dirt, and asked, “Hey, baby girl, Daddy’s home. Do you want to go see him?”

Her face immediately lit up with a bright, dazzling smile, head nodding emphatically as she scrambled up from the ground and exclaimed, “Yes, please, Papa!”

I stood as well and she quickly latched onto my hand and began dragging me away from our trailer.

“Hey, hold up.”, I laughed, “You don’t even know where he is.”

She just shrugged and continued tugging at my hand, “I’ll find him.”

I chuckled once more, shaking my head, “Daddy’s this way, sweetheart.”, as I turned and began leading her in the opposite direction from which she’d been pulling me towards, “Daddy’s up at the big house.”

********************************

“Follow me, I’ll show you where you can get cleaned up.”, Jesus conceded, slightly warily.

Gregory was already making any potential dealings with Rick’s group difficult, and the tension between the two leaders was palpable. Gregory always took any good fortune their community had for granted. He never seemed to be able to look far enough in the future to realize that whatever fortune they had now was only temporary. That at any time someone or something could sour their luck and then they could be stuck in a bad situation made worse by a lack of allies willing to aid them in their time of crisis. Jesus knew what Gregory always seemed to lose sight of: In this new world, people needed each other to survive.

Though Rick’s community needed their help today, he knew that one day in the future, be it in a few months or a few years, the Hilltop may need their help in return.

So Jesus would continue to do what he always did when Gregory was being a particular brand of asshole. He would keep the peace for now and try to talk some sense into him later when he had the chance.

Just as he was about to lead the group upstairs, the front door of the house burst open and a tiny figure barreled in.

As soon as the little missile caught sight of her target she yelled, “Daddy!”, and ran full force into strong arms that automatically opened for her, latching herself to him and hugging with all her might.

The moment Jesus had his daughter in his arms again he relaxed exponentially, finally releasing the breath that he always seemed to be holding whenever he was away from she and Y/n.

He held her tight to his chest, closing his eyes and just breathing her in for a long second before pulling back a bit to say, “Hi, Rosie-girl. I missed you so much.”, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Rosie smiled the easy smile of a small child and said, “I missed you, too, Daddy!”

He smiled back at her warmly, and was about to ask where her Papa was when the man in question came bounding in, closing the still wide open door behind him.

*******************************

As we began breaching the final fifty or so feet between ourselves and Barrington house, Rosie let go of my hand and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her towards the place she knew her Daddy was.

I sighed, shaking my head. That little girl had moxie immeasurable.

I watched Rosie fling open the door before racing through it, leaving it wide open in her wake and as I walked up the front steps a few moments later , I knew we were going to have to have another talk about responsibility and how it was linked to being mindful of our surroundings: ie: not leaving doors open EVER, even if you thought it was safe.

But all these thoughts flew out the window the moment I’d closed the door and my searching gaze finally met that of the man I loved. When his crystal blue eyes met my own y/e/c orbs, I finally felt whole again.

Then he was there and his arms were holding our little girl between us while mine were encircling the both of them, clutching those most precious to me close.

His hand reached to cup my cheek and pull me in for a long, gentle kiss that felt like coming home.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”, he apologized when our lips parted, “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

I scoffed jokingly, “Me, worry? Nah, I knew you’d ninja your way back home sooner or later.”

Jesus smiled, letting his hand stroke down the side of my neck before turning back to the group of strangers that in the excitement of our reunion I hadn’t even noticed where standing in the foyer.

“My apologies for the lack of introductions. This is Y/n and our daughter Rosie.”, he said.

Members of the group smiled or nodded warily in greeting, and Jesus reluctantly set Rosie back on her feet, “Stay with Papa, okay? I’ll be back in a few minutes and then you can tell me all about everything I’ve missed out on in the last few days, sound good?”

Rosie nodded, taking hold of my hand once more, “Yes, Daddy.”

Jesus gave her one last warm smile before turning back to the group, “Alright, let’s get you all cleaned up then, shall we?”, and led the way up the stairs towards the bathrooms.

When Jesus returned a few minutes later he was alone, and so the three of us made ourselves comfortable on a couch in the sitting room. Jesus wrapped an arm around my waist, pressing me close against his side while our daughter sat perched on his lap, her little hands absently attempting to braid his long hair (though mostly only succeeding in creating tangles as opposed to the plaits she was going for) as she told her Daddy all about the crops she and Papa had helped to weed and harvest, and the letters she had learned to write and how Papa said that she was learning really, really fast!

In that moment, as he sat with the love of his life and the daughter they were raising together, his own little family, Jesus reveled in the feeling of being home.

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[haloud]

take a chance and don’t ever look back -- chapter 4

ao3

Life in Roswell seemed impossibly small when he was a kid with a ticket out, but even then he had no idea how boring it could be. Work on the ranch keeps his hands busy and soothes his soul; the Fosters have been good to him in a life where Michael can’t say that often. Still, though, his brain paces his skull like a circus tiger, coiled and starving. People don’t talk to you when you start sixth grade in clothes three sizes too big; people don’t talk to you when you’re twenty-five and day drunk on household chemicals.

Boredom’s gotten Michael into trouble more and more over the past eight years but agreeing to help plan Isobel’s wedding just might take the (proverbial) cake.

Four hours into Isobel’s book of fabric samples, he’s slumped in the corner of his bunk and wracked with a new respect for his sister’s choice of career. He groans, “Why do you even need an assistant? You’ve planned a million weddings. And this time you won’t even have to argue with people who are too dumb to know that you know everything.”

Isobel stops pacing and wheels to face him with her hands on her hips, a pale satin tie clenched in each fist. “Because a good wedding is the result of the competition between two forces: an idiot with a vision and me, who knows how to make it happen. If fewer than five screaming fights take place, I consider a project a total failure.”

“Iz, I’m not gonna fight you; you know I’ll just agree because I want this to be special for you.”

“Well, if you really want this to be the wedding of my dreams—” She fights back a smile, “—you can start by having an opinion between ash blue and periwinkle. Really let me have it.”

“Periwinkle is for dumb sluts.”

“That’s the spirit,” she says, tossing the ash blue tie into the reject corner with all the rest. “Excellent. With that done, we’re all set for you guys’ fittings next week. Is Friday okay for you? Max has a thing on Saturday.”

“Iz…”

“You’re sitting in the front row, so you don’t get to say no. And before you say anything at all,” Isobel sticks her palm in Michael’s face, “I’m paying for Max’s suit too. As if I’m going to let my own brothers make their own wardrobe choices on my wedding day. How stupid do you think I am?”

“Front row, huh?” An unexpected lump in his throat blocks the words, leaving them watery and weak. He scrubs at the back of his head as Isobel gives him an exasperated look.

“Of course. None of Noah’s family will be there, so we’re not having traditional attendants or anything, but that doesn’t mean you’re not still my maid of honor.” She reaches out and cups his cheek. Her eyes glisten bright, too.

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

“Doesn’t need to; you’re already here. Dumbass.”

Michael gasps dramatically as she claps him on the cheek. Then Isobel goes back into action mode, taking a step back, straightening her shoulders, and tossing her hair back like they hadn’t just been thirty seconds from weeping openly in each other’s arms.

“Alright,” she says, “I’m off to put the fear of god into a pastry chef. I’ll be back tomorrow, though—next, you get to help me put the playlist together.”

She tears out of the lot, the same terror behind the wheel she was at eighteen. He watches her go, unease prickling in his guts.

He…doesn’t want to put together a wedding playlist.

He hasn’t had much to do with music in a long time. Mostly, it just hurts. It hurts to not even be able to mock the fingerings against his thigh. It hurts to think of musicians who never got to live their dreams. It hurts to hear about love, and it hurts to be that guy who turns off the radio because of an old flame.

Not that Isobel knows any of this. Just another secret under lock and key. He’s got a lot of those, in the form of a literal locked box among several boxes he keeps shoved in drawers and under things, stuffed in the hidden corners of his life. He pulls it out and sits in in his lap; he fiddles with the little padlock holding it shut safe.

It—it was never an actual dream he had, or anything. It never formed fully in his mind. They never even knew each other until it was already too late, even if they didn’t know it at the time. Helping Isobel with all the preparing, it—it shouldn’t be this hard.

The problem is. The problem is he kind of likes it.  Sitting shoulder to shoulder with his sister on his narrow bunk while she lectures him on fabric integrity and color theory. Comparing flower varieties until he fears he’s lost his sense of smell entirely. Eating so much over-sweetened cake it makes him sick. It’s boring as hell, and frustrating, and overly extravagant, and. He wants it. And he shouldn’t want it. Not while he’s half a murderer with a rap sheet as long as Max’s latest light reading. Not while the only person he’d ever ask could be dead already, and no one even knew to tell him.

With an old, resigned ache beating dully in his throat, he slips the lock and nudges the box open. Inside are the usual suspects—old institutional copies of a human birth certificate, a Social Security card, some emergency cash, the title for his truck, all beside a small stash of other things. As a kid, he’d been a bit of a magpie. Treasure always found its way to his fingertips—pocket-sized ones, in case he had to leave again. Beads and bits of embroidery thread; glittering stones and false keys. He grew out of the habit slowly after aging out of the system. He kept what kept his memories alive and discarded the rest. He runs his fingertips over the remnants, and they feel impossibly small. A single earring of Isobel’s, missing its twin. A button off an old jacket of Max’s that someone might mistake for gold. A necklace he found at a secondhand shop—two bullet casings and a chunk of quartz threaded on a ribbon—he’d meant to leave on Rosa’s memorial before Max looked at him with salt and sulfur in his face and told him to stop going before people started talking. And there’s—just one other thing.

He stayed a magpie when it came to Alex Manes; he kept an unhealthy number of trinkets in a desperate bid to keep him close. A stub of eyeliner pencil he found in the footwell of the passenger seat. A handful of chipped guitar picks dropped on the desert sand by clever, distracted hands. Hell, he even kept an old flyer from the UFO Emporium, just because he remembered it tacked on the glass of the ticket window the day they kissed in the dark. But nothing Alex left him belongs in this box of mundane essentials and things a desperate someone might think to steal. Nothing except the thing that was never his, and always was.

Michael started helping Sanders out on weekends and days off school when he was fifteen. The old man’s sight was going, and though he refused to admit it to even Michael’s face, he knew it was a good idea to hire someone on to pick up the slack. The yard was the closest thing to a haven Michael had—it felt good to work with his hands, no one would go looking for him there, and even if Sanders could be a real bastard, he never raised his voice or his fists around Michael.

Late on a summer evening, Michael was bent double under the hood of a tourist’s Mercedes, searching for the source of a weird clunk its owner started hearing from the engine after an oil change, when he felt something cool and smooth on the tip of his finger. With a little extraterrestrial assistance, he straightened up with it in his palm—a simple silver band, no adornment, no engraving.

Sanders laughed his cackling smoker’s laugh about people dumb enough to lose a ring inside a car; red-faced, the car’s owner swore up and down that it wasn’t his, never seen it before, he’d never do anything that stupid.

So Michael just…kept it. Carried it around in his pocket. Kept it in his glove box, took it out sometimes to look at it, put it in his lockbox once he settled down a bit.

Even at seventeen, he wasn’t that kind of romantic. Marrying Alex Manes didn’t start to cross his mind until…he can’t even pinpoint when it was, exactly, that looking at the ring started feeling like looking at his future, started feeling like it deserved a matching set. It just feels natural, now, that the day he fell in love with Alex he already had a ring in his pocket.

He thinks back to being touched all nervous and hungry, and he thinks Alex might have loved him just a little, too. Maybe not enough, maybe not enough for a lifetime together, but Michael would still like the chance—that’s all he wants, just the chance—to go down on one knee and find that out some day.

But hey. It’s not about him right now; it’s about giving Iz the best damn day of her life. Helping her forget the secrets and the lies, just for a little. So he replaces the lock on the box, replaces his aching back on its shelf, and starts scrolling through the music on his phone.

He dances as Isobel’s wedding. He dances with his sister and with girls he knew from high school; he dances with Noah’s lawyer friends and other people he’s never even met before. He dances with acetone cutting his blood and his brain a thousand miles away, under vaulted ceilings and, later, under the stars.

--

In a clean, cold hospital half a world away, dancing gets a little more complicated for Alex Manes.

[shooting-the-walls]

The Empty Hearse: my inner monologue because I like writing these

I would just like to point out before we get going that I was rather a latecomer to this fandom. I got into it just as Season 4 was released, so early 2017. When this episode was released in 2014 I was only 10 years old!!! Still probably my favourite fandom though, the one I always find myself returning to.

Anyways, on with my crazy monologue!!

• We stan a quick rundown of the Depression of the Century

• #creepymaskmuch

• Molly be like "oh damn"

• Uno reverse bitches!!!

• Molly be like "YAAAAS"

• I'm sorry can we just acknowledge how hot the window jump is

• Bet John wished he could be Molly in that sitch XD

• DERREN BROWN MOTHERFUCKERS

• Still feel so sorry for John :(

• "BOLLOCKS"

• Greg is so fucking done with Anderson's theories XD

• "You're a guilty lil bitch Anderson, stfu": Lestrade 2k14

• "I BelIEVe iN sHErloCK HOLmeS"

• Eyyyyyyy Sherlock is not guilty!!!! (Obvs)

• When depression hits, get a (terrible) moustache bitches

• WE DON'T TRUST YOU MARY, DON'T ACT ALL NICEY NICE

• Ooooo helicopters and running, Mission Impossible style

• When you just..... give the fuck up

• When you can't stand that screaming so you just turn your music up

• I mean torture is pretty harsh man

• Of course Sherlock would deduce his way out XD

• When Mycroft just doesn't give a Single Shit

• WE STAN THE THEME TUNNNEEEEE

• John be like "nah imma just stare at this wall"

• Mycroft's got a fancy fucking office guys

• John stop tryna be Sherlock with your terrible imitation coat and scarf

• Mrs Hudson always cares for her adoptive sons, but she does with high sarcasm and sass

• Mycroft, why does your office look like a torture chamber??

• Benedict is HOT Jesus

• "Definitely. Enjoying it.": You! Don't! Appreciate! Your! Brother!

• 2 HOURS TO LEARN A BLOODY LANGUAGE!?!?! JESUS FUCK I DID 7 YEARS OF FRENCH AND I CAN BARELY HOLD A CONVERSATION

• Anthea prefers Sherlock to Mycroft, they have bitch sessions about him pass it on lol

• Mrs Hudson is so sassy and honest XD

• John you fucking liar you're not sorry

• Mycroft is so Done with his little brother XD

• Sherlock, stop personifying London dude

• "Yes, we meet up every Friday for fish and chips": Mycroft, the sarcasm is not needed

• MYCROFT TELL YOUR BROTHER WHAT HE FUCKING DID TO JOHN

• Mrs Hudson is such a fucking Queen

• "What's his name?"

• "Sherlock was not my boyfriend": YES HE FUCKING WAS SHUT UP

• "I AM NOT GAY": wow, denial is high there John

• Mrs Hudson ships Johnlock more than the rest of the fandom combined XD

• Mycroft: "oh yeah but the other wine is like so much better. Anyways, your bff hates you now byeeeee"

• I LOVE THE MUSIC IN THE RESTAURANT SCENE GEEEEZ

• Sherlock is such a fucking little twat when he wants to be lol

• "Would I suggest you look at this menus, it's... completely identical"

• THE ACCENT. THE FUCKING ACCENT. I'M WHEEZING

• The way he's just tryna be like "look at meeeeeeee" and John gives not a single fuck

• "Surprise me" "certainly endeavouring to, sir"

• Awwwwwww hey Mary

• John is such an awkward lil hedgehog

• Mary: I agree I'm the best thing that could have happened to you

John: bitch you're not Sherlock

• SHERLOCK FUCK OFF

• Oh damn. OH DAMN.

• John just having a mini mental breakdown here

• "Short version. Not dead."

• John looks like he's about to kill someone (preferably Sherlock)

• "Oh God" "Not quite"

• SHERLOCK STOP MAKING BAD JOKES ABOUT THE MOUSTACHE SITCH

• The look in Sherlock's eyes when he realises that John isn't happy to see him

• #deflectiontechniques

• HE LOOKS IN SO MUCH PAIN ON THE FLOOR BABBBBYYYYYY

• In the cafe, Sherlock just looks like a kid that's like 2 hours late home

• "You know for a genius you can be remarkably thick"

• "That's a little more difficult to explain" "I've got all night bitch"

• "Just your brother, Molly and a hundred tramps"

• I love that they end up in a chip shop XD

• John, your moustache is terrible. Accept it lol

• "One word to let me know that you were alive"

• Mary just laughing her head off in the corner XD

• Sherlock: BITCH STFU IT'S A SECRET (whilst entire chip shop is listening in)

• *headbutt*

• "I said sorry, isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

• Mary knows what's up BUT SHE A LIAR

• SHERLOCK LOOKS LIKE HE'S ABOUT TO CRY WHAT A SWEETIE

• Honestly don't know why Mollie looks so shocked, like she knew he was alive

• Greg is just like a proud Papa

• "Oo you bastard!"

• Sherlock being vaguely confused/irritated by a hug XD

• BBC, can we talk about the random shot of the back of Una Stubbs' throat?

• THEY EVEN GOT ONE IN FOR THE SHERIARTY SHIPPERS, HAVE THEY JUST COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN ABOUT JOHNLOCK :(:(:(

• Anderson just doesn't ship Sheriarty XD

• Think the Chip Shop Argument got spilled lol

• Mary is having the time of her life reading the blog XD

• Mary really ships the boys right from the start lol

• "I don't shave for Sherlock Holmes" "You should put that on a t-shirt"

• "SHERLOCK HOLMES GET DOWN FROM THAT SOFA OR SO HELP ME GOD--": Mrs Holmes 1983-present

• The terror alert is on critical and these bitches are just playing chess

• Ngl, missed the burgundy dressing gown

• "Oh bugger!"

• WE STAN THE BROTHERS PLAYING OPERATION

• SHERLOCK'S IMITATION THO

• Mycroft be so defensive

• "Both of us thought you were an idiot, Sherlock. We had nothing else to go on until we met other children" "Oh yes, that was a mistake" "ghastly. What were they thinking of?" "Probably something about making friends": I feel SO sorry for the Holmes parents XD

• Mycroft, I think your brother is trying to set you up with a lil someone (

• "Change the subject. Now"

• Mrs Hudson: :)

• "He's pleased to see you underneath all that--" "Which of us??" "Both of you"

• PLAY DEDUCTIONS WITH YOUR BROTHER MYC

• Sherlock straight in there with the gender equality

• Sherlock: Icelandic sheep wool bitch

Mrs Hudson: ah yes, because the world need a blog on that -_-

• THE CURLS ARE AT A PEAK GUYS

• "I'm not lonely": yes you are stfu

• I love the wink to Mrs Hudson :)

• Mrs Hudson really wants her boys back lol

• Loving the use of transitions to show how much of a dick John is being to Sherlock lol

• "Have dinner?" "Solve crimes?"

• Molly knows she's replacing John really

• "Weight loss, hair dye, botox, affair, lawyer. Next!"

• Sherlock is so gentle with the poor woman :)

• I LOVE THE OLD GUY SO MUCH LOL

• John is so fucking convinced he's right, but it's kinda sad that he doesn't think Sherlock will respect his personal space (because he never has before): JOHN SUBCONSCIOUSLY WANTS SHERLOCK THERE

• Can we just agree that Sherlock is such a sweetie and that it is heartbreaking that John is now his awful internal monologue because he's convinced he hates him after how he reacted once he returned?

• Lestrade just being a concerned dad in the background

• Molly and Lestrade are both just so spooked out

• *dramatically blows dust off book*

• HE WANTS JOHN BACK SO BAD awwwwwwwwwwwwww

• Quick aside, but I have a friend who is a train fanatic (he's coming to prom on a steam thingy) and the train dude reminds me of him lol

• WE LOVE A LIL BIT OF MIND PALACE WORK

• "Excuse you": JOHN YOU SASSY QUEEN

• John: Makin' my way downtown, walkin' fast, getting kidnapped and I fall down

• "Did you get him off a murder charge" "Nope helped him put up some shelves"

• "Do you fancy chips?": HANG ON A MOMENT. In S4E2 Sherlock states that "You're suicidal you're allowed chips. Trust me I should know". Does that mean..... oh Jesus, Sherlock, you little sweetie, you need to talk to someone

• ON PRINCIPLE I HATE SHERLOLLY BUT IT'S ALSO SO SWEEEEEEEEEEET

• *when you wake up after a night out and you don't know where the fuck you are*

• Sherlock is just immediately alert like: wtf is wrong with my John

• The chips just... don't matter, okay

• When you steal a motorbike to help your bff

• I'M SORRY BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE LIKE A 16 YEAR OLD SHERLOCK ROARING AROUND SUSSEX ON HIS LITTLE MOPED AND HIS MOTHER YELLING AT HIM FROM DOWN THE ROAD TELLING HIM SHE'S GOING TO KILL HIM IF HE DOESN'T GET HOME RIGHT NOW XD

• Ngl having the little kid right at the front is real creepy

• But like can you imagine Sherlock and John going to bonfire nights with Rosie when she's a bit older and both of them being dead tense as they watch the bonfire being lit?

• LISTEN TO YOUR DAUGHTER BITCH

• The fact Sherlock figures it out JUST as the bonfire lights up: PERFECT

• Sherlock, with a complete disregard for his own safety: *jumps into a fire and drags John out before tearfully begging him to be okay*

Hetero shippers: ah yes, what a good male friendship

• I LOVE THE HOLMES PARENTS SO MUCH

• I love Sherlock's face lol: he is SO done

• Sherlock totally resembles his mother in terms of personality

• I think the fact this is Benedict's parents makes that scene a million times better: do you think that's how he wants to act during the small talk sometimes XD

• Mr Holmes just looks so Done, and Mrs Holmes is just like "fuck it I'm used to this"

• "She worries!": well of course she bloody does, one son is the British Government, the other is a recovering drug addict who solves crimes as an alternative to getting high and her daughter is locked up in a secret facility

• "Promise?" "...promise": HE LOVES HIS MUM AND DAD REALLY

• Tbf John, you couldn't expect the poor guy to lead his parents on like that, really

• John stop making bad puns

• "Is it to get to you through me?": JOHN KNOWS WHAT'S UP

• Awwwwww he's got his John back and he's just so happy

• Aw c'mon, you've gotta admit that a bit of Sherlock's massive concern is for his brother being in parliament that night

• I'M SORRY BUT I CAN'T HELP THINKING OF THE PARENTLOCK EDIT OF THE FACETIME BIT

• "Illegal!" "A bit": yeah, like this is anything new tho John XD

• "I don't understand" "well that's a first": JOHN LIVES ARE AT STAKE STOP BEING A SASSY BITCH

• *sudden flashback to the great game and the painting*

• I actually love the scene in the train carriage so much, because even though it ends up with Sherlock being a little bastard to get John to admit his feelings, I like how it demonstrates that everyone expects Sherlock to know everything all the time, and that's a very unrealistic expectation: despite the fact he hates it, he is only human, and I think this scene nicely acknowledges that

• Two bros, chilling in a tube train, trying not to freak out cos they might die!

• Sherlock: ooooopppsss, John, might have just set off this fucking bomb :/

• "Mind palace!"

• "You think I've just got how to diffuse a bomb tucked away in there!?" "YES!" "...maybe"

• Sherlock may be a little bitch but you have to admit he's a bloody good actor

• John, the whole way through the tube scene: wtf wtf wtf wtf

• "I wanted you not to be dead!" "Well, be careful what you wish for": Sherlock, sweetie, it almost sounds like you wish you were dead.....

• AWWW HE FORGIVES HIM GUYS

• I wanna know what that information Mycroft gave Moriarty was

• "His death wish": yeah, let's be honest Moriarty was just like "I crave heckety heck death"

• How difficult do you thunk Sherlock found it up on that roof, having to tell John all of that??

• You've gotta admit that it was a pretty good plan

• You can bet that all the conspiracy theories were on Anderson's wall XD

• THE GIGGLING JESUS

• "You COCK"

• "You said such nice things, I never knew you cared :)"

• "I will kill you if you EVER-" "scouts honour" "BREATHE A WORD OF THIS ANYONE"

• "Terrorists can get into a lot of trouble if they don't have an off switch"

• "Oh please, killing me. That was so 2 years ago": WE STAN

• Mycroft is just so desperate to get out of Les Mis: "but the pain. The HORROR"

• Lestrade just seems a little disappointed

• John tryna act surprised at Tom XD

• SHERLOCK'S FACE (the memeeeessss lol)

• WE STAN OUR TWO FAVE BOYS TALKING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS

• Sherlock is just so determined

• Sherlock: oh yeah heard your graveside speech btw, super sweet

• YES THE HAT BITCHES: OUR FAVOURITE DETECTIVE IS BACK

• OOOO CREEPY MAGNUSSEN NUGGET AT THE END THERE

[lakia27]

codename: kids next door season 1 episode 14: operation L.I.C.E.

Abigail Lincoln is searching for a way out after stealing tortilla chips, compliments of The Delightful Children From Down The Lane, until she runs into them. They're about to sic their Knightamaton named Sir Toasty on her. She hurries up and grabs a fire extinguisher and uses it to fly over the Delightfuls and sir toasty. She flies out of the Delightful Mansion and escapes by flying with a fire extinguisher and she has managed to steal tortilla chips. She arrives back at the Sector V treehouse HQ and she shares the tortilla chips out to the rest of Sector V. Numbuh 5 also has tortilla chips. Sector V starts to eat their nachos a.k.a. tortilla chips. Numbuh 4: Numbuh 5, you could've visited the Deli for some tortilla chips, mate. Numbuh 5: Corn chips are much better when you steal them from the Delightfuls. Numbuh 4: Alright, well they do, actually. Then Numbuh 4 goes to his room to put up a picture of his on his bedroom wall. As Numbuh 5 takes one of her phones out of her right pocket and is about to play My Little Pony on it her head gets itchy and starts itching it and keeps itching it until a giant louse bursts out of her cap. this is no normal louse. this species of louse is hungry for hair (no baldness). Numbuh 3: i'll be right back, guys i'll just go get my camera. after all, i'm photogenic. Numbuh 4: Alright! Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5: Ok! Numbuh 1: alright, Ok! But while numbuh 3 has went to get your camera Abby finds that the hat isn't hers. Numbuh 5: This hat isn't mine, guys. Numbuh 1: Well, I as a matter of fact have a theory for this. My theory is that The Delightful Children From Down The Lane must've swapped your hat with a louse-infested copy of your hat, Abigail. Numbuh 5: Well, Numbuh 1, your theory is probably true if i do say so myself. Probably true. Numbuh 1: Yeah! It's probably not just a theory of mine it's probably actually true. Well, that's just probably though. The rest of Sector V then hear Numbuh 3's scream coming from Numbuh 3's room. when they get to numbuh 3's room they see that all of Numbuh 3's plush dolls and stuffed animals have been eaten. Numbuh 3 is devastated. She's devastated at the loss of her soft toys. Numbuh 1: don't worry, Numbuh 3! we'll get you new soft toys. Numbuh 3: Okay! but i also want revenge! Abby returns with a new hat. they all decide to suish the lice and they set off. first they go back in numbuh 3's room and they see the lice eating her bed. Numbuh 4: Holy shit! WTF Numbuh 1: Holy Fuck! And they all run back to the kitchen. after they lose the lice numbuh 2 bumps into a huge monster louse and accidentally tosses the bowl of nacho cheese at it. that causes it to melt. they realize that the lice's weakness is nacho cheese and gear up for the fight. (the sixth picture is of the eaten plushie of numbuh 3's numbuh 3 brings to fight the lice) however, right when sector v are about to get more cheese the rope for the cheese pourer falls off. they look up to see the rope is eaten, some of it. the lice that's eaten some of the rope sees it's been caught in the act and it screeches and runs away. they notice that their cheese supply is running low so they'll have to get more at the cheese repository on the 67th floor. they use what they have now. whilst combing the treehouse for lice to exterminate numbuh 4 becomes a tad scared and walks the wrong way because numbuh 4 wolks in the wrong hallway. he runs into lice and he gets his hair eaten. Numbuh 4: You cunts! my hair is gone and it's your fucking faults! you ate it! numbuh 3: my poor wally! numbuh 1: i'm not the only one with no hair anymore. except numbuh 4's hair will grow back sooner than mine. numbuh 3: yep! you have cancer and lice ate numbuh 4's hair so that, my friend makes sense indeady. now we go down. so they go down to...long way down treehouse. just before that numbuh 4 puts his hood up to hide his baldness. Numbuh 3: guys, you go on without me. you guys go! because i vow fuckin' revenge on what the cunty lice did to my plushes. numbuh 2: okay, kuki! numbuh 5: atta girl! numbuh 1: alright, numbuh 3. then we shall go on without you. so you'll catch up. numbuh 3: yuppers! i will! numbuh 4: are you sure about this, numbuh 3? numbuh 3: yes i am, wally! and i'm about to kick lice butt. Hazel: I will join in numbuh 4: well alright, then. Hazel: What's up Numbuh 4? numbuh 4: we're fighting lice that ate my cruddy hair. and numbuh 1 theorized that the delightful doofises replaced one of numbuh 5's hats for a lice infested one. also, lice ate all of numbuh 3's stuffed dolls and stuffed animals. numbuh 1: but we'll get her new ones. do you want to join us on our mission? Hazel: Heck yeah Numbuh 1: well let's go defeat those lice dickheads and sector v carries on with hazel and without numbuh 3. as the lice approaches numbuh 3 she blows up the room. she blows it up with a cheese detonator. the rest of sector v and hazel go to the cheese room and numbuh 3 catches up, covered in cheese from blowing up thatbroom with a cheese detonator. Next, the lice come to them again. they're actually near the cheese room. Numbuh 2: i'll hold these assholes off. Hazel: I'll kick their butts numbuh 2: alright. numbuh 2: guys, hazel and i will hold them off. the rest of sector v reaches the cheese room Hazel: Oww help numbuh 5: i'll come help and so numbuh 5 goes to help hazel numbuh 3: wally? numbuh 4: yes kuki? Hazel: My leg numbuh 3: are you okay hazel? Hazel: I cant continue numbuh 5: (as kuki starts trying to kiss wally) why can't you continue? Hazel: My leg is broken numbuh 3: i'll put a bandage on your leg. you guys go on without hazel and me. numbuh 1: we will. let's go! Hazel: I also don't feel so good numbuh 3: then i need you to tell me how you're not feeling so good. after all, i'm the medical specialist of sector v. Hazel: it is my tummy numbuh 3: tummy ache? Hazel: Yes numbuh 3: i'll sort that too with a hot water bottle. it'll make your tummy better the rest of sector v reaches the cheese room. Hazel: I think I might puke numbuh 3: (as numbuh 3 passes hazel a bucket) well here's a bucket to puke in) Hazel: I wish I could help Numbuh 3: and i wish i could help but you don't feel too good and i have to stay and look after you because i'm the medical specialist of sector v. Numbuh 1 raises the pressure in the main tank to fill every nook and cranny in the treehouse and then the next thing he should do is hit the purge button. before that the queen louse emerges from the ground. Hazel: I'm going to help numbuh 3: then i too am gonna help and hazel and numbuh 3 goes to help Hazel: pukes on floor numbuh 3: ewww! Hazel: Sorry numbuh 3: it's ok and they continue going to help numbuh 3 and hazel arrives to help and the queen louse joins the other lice. Hazel: I think I'm going back to the clubhouse Hazel: I really feel nauseous numbuh 3: what does nauseous mean? Hazel: I might puke numbuh 3: okay! well here's the bucket again for you to puke in Hazel: hiccups the queen lice attempts to snack on numbuh 2's scalp but numbuh 1, numbuh 4 and numbuh 5 shoots it in the head with rifles and it passes away and blood splatters when they shoot it in the head with rifles to save numbuh 2 from having his hair eaten. then nigel presses the purge button. cheese floods the sector v treehouse to get rid of the other lice in it. it's nacho cheese that floods the treehouse. except the cheese isn't flooding the Uno household of course. that's still clean. and it's still tidy. when the delightful children from down the lane take s stroll around the park they are trapped and Lenny drops his helmet. the adult person behind the new newspaper gives it back to them and as they walk away, Lenny starts scratching his head. they start to hear chewing noises. the adult person who was really the knd in disguise and repleced the real helmet. they replaced it with a lice infested helmet. in spite of what has happened to them, the knd a laugh at this.

[thelittlepalmtree]

Punishment tactics don't work

I have a cousin (7) who is borderline ADHD. Her mom said it best when she said "she acts like a boy but since she's a girl it's considered out of control." After a year in special ed I have worked with kids for whom out of control means violence, extreme processing difficulties that lead to intense emotions, destructive behaviors, etc. My cousin's biggest offense this school year: stealing band aids.

But regardless of the reasons, she does struggle socially and academically (despite possibly being gifted) because of her behavior. So when I visited I tried to help her parents to create a behavior plan. Before I continue I'm going to use this terminology:

So basically I wanted to create a plan where everything was about earning rewards. She should have a variety to chooes from, and she should have multiple chances to earn. I'm a firm believer that children's actions should rarely have a neutral value. This means either you make a conscious effort to respond positively or negatively (ex. "Wow good job for putting your backpack away!" or "if you don't put your backpack away how can you earn *chosen reward*?"). Most behavior plans use checks or stars or some other symbol. So 5 stars might earn the reward, then ten stars, then 20, etc.

From the mom I received a lot of enthusiasm. But from the father I met with a lot of resistence to positive reinforcement. He insisted that they'd "tried that already" when it was clear that they hadn't even thought to try many of my suggestions. Instead he insisted that his daughter just needed to understand consequences.

Here's the thing. I think humans are hardwired to be persistent. A lot of people talk about the prefrontal cortex in children not being developed and them not being able to make decisions; but that really means something entirely different than what most people think. Basically everyone makes decisions by weighing the risk vs the reward. Kids experience rewards far more intensely than adults do, their brains are just more active in the areas that feel pleasure. One book I read described it by saying adults walk by a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies with their nose plugged but kids get hit with the full aroma. The desire is just stronger with them. So every risk is going to seem like it's outweighed by the potential rewards.

How does that translate? Well if her dad had his way she would only experience punishment, meaning she would only get a response from behavior she shouldn't be doing. Let's set aside the fact that most of her behavior is attention seeking and therefore such a plan would only increase behavior that her parents want to decrease. Even if one could devise an effective punishment every time she did something wrong, she'd still do wrong things. Why? Because the rewards are still more powerful than the punishment. She's still going to want the thing she wants, and since there's no better offer she'll do what she wants to.

So a plan in which the only punishment is the lack of a reward is a million times more effective. Rather than merely discouraging undesirable behaviors, it can help her to replace those behaviors with better ones and even encourage her to be proactive to earn the reward (one student I knew started cleaning up after other kids in order to earn the reward he usually got for cleaning up after himself).

Are there other things that need to be done to effectively manage her behavior? Totally. It's important to remain unemotional in stressful situations, make outbursts and crisis moments into teachable moments, and have clear expectations. But her father didn't plan to do any of that. And here's the really sad part: he got her to do what he wanted by yelling at her (largely acknowledged to bring short term compliance but no long term change). She has a serious problem with lying now that I think probably originated from wanting to avoid stress with her father. She is also very verbally aggressive and makes targeted emotional attacks. How did she learn to do that? Someone does that to her.

If her own father (who is a scientist btw and I'm outlining one of the theories most supported by research) cannot methodically and rationally respond to behaviors he doesn't like, how will she be able to learn to interact with others?

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

I follow various developers on social media, from big guys to small guys, famous guys to unknown awesome talented guys.. and some of them even follow me back! From these developers, some are purely focused on mobile, others stick to PC, and it’s surprising to see how few are really targeting both.

However, there is some frustration I have, and it comes from the many comments I’ve seen from developers saying “hey I’m sticking to [this platform] because the other one is crazy/hard/difficult/not-worth it” even tho they have no on-hands experience and purely base this on other developers saying it or looking at statistics.

I’ve been releasing on mobiles since 2004, and I started porting my games to PC and releasing on Steam in 2015. It took me a while to include the PC platform, mostly cause the tools I was using simply weren’t allowing me to cover both platforms at once. When I made the switch from my own sloppy framework to the LibGDX engine it did allow me to release stand-alone PC games, so I dove in with full force and currently have six games on PC (Steam, Humble, and Itch) with two more coming this year.

Being on multiple platforms, means there is multiple ways to make revenue, there are multiple ways to (hopefully) get some coverage on your game, multiple ways to do sales and discounts later on, and more importantly: multiple ways for the games to find and enjoy your games. You might notice here the keyword is: multiple.

So why are so many PC game developers still not doing both platforms?  I honestly don’t know.

Most PC game developers seem to say that the App store is oversaturated with mostly free to play games and that you can’t make money on premium games on mobile anymore.  And it’s true! very true, a quick look at the top lists will show you the same couple of f2p games at the top spots. Silly Pokemon Go (nobody seems to love it, yet it’s still up in those lists) followed by stupid match-3 games (nobody likes those) and of course the “angry-face-shouting-icon” games that are always up there and are stupid games that nobody plays (just check them, and they all share the same icon!).

The thing is.. those games are not your competition! Those games are from companies making billions (literally BILLIONS) per year, and spending millions (literally MILLIONS) per year on marketing.  That’s like saying your new rogue-like dungeon-crawler with pixel-art graphics and chip-tune music has to compete with Rocket League and Grand Theft Auto V.

The same thing happens with the top-lists on PC (Steam, GoG, Humble) and you have just as much chance breaking into those lists as you have on the app-store. So stop looking at them!

Yes the app store has a lot of games being released according to the stats, but just a handful of those games are really a problem to you as they are interesting enough to steal front-page or chart list spots. Most of the games being released on a daily basis are present in the statistics and look like it’s a crowded place, but what the statistics don’t say is that most of those games are not standing out in anyway and are not showing up on the bigger game sites or top download lists as they only get 1-10 downloads (possibly friends from the developer).

Guess what, you have just as much chance to show up in a top downloads list on the app store as you have on Steam!

So.. why are so many mobile-game developers still not doing both platforms? I honestly don’t know.

It seems that if you mention PC games, you also mention Steam. Which is funny but not unlike mentioning mobile games and forgetting there is a world full of Android users and a Google Play store that goes with it. Much like a Humble store, Itch.io or GoG are there for your PC game needs.

However, saying Steam is oversaturated with games, is true! Yes, it’s not as bad as mobile app stores, but it is still oversaturated, and the competition in general are bigger and slightly more polished games and more likely games that are direct competition with your game.

I’ve seen people expecting big things from getting their games on Steam, and then I tried to tell them that they might not sell millions.. not even thousands, and most likely, maybe, just a few hundred copies when they release (and I was right).  Steam is changing some things now, with shutting down Steam Greenlight and replacing it with a pay-per-game barrier of some sorts. There’s a lot of talk about this, and I’m not going into it, but it will possibly change the landscape.

Releasing and earning money on PC is really just as difficult as it is on mobile. I’ve actually been there and done that in both cases!

But.. but.. then what’s the best platform to release on? Well in case you haven’t been paying attention:

If you can release on it, release on it!

ALL PLATFORMS are the best platforms. And to be perfectly clear on that: that includes consoles!

“But if I release my mobile game on PC, the gamers will bitch about it being a mobile port” – true! so don’t do that! I did that, my first few PC releases were Gunslugs and Heroes of Loot. Now both those games were designed with gamepads in mind, I originally created them with android consoles like the Ouya (remember that?) and other AndroidTV devices from the start. So the controls were fully designed for gamepads.

But PC gamers still weren’t happy about it. It seems that PC gamers want more settings and statistics. Seriously!  Adding stuff like separate volume controls for music and sound-effects. Adding extra things like statistics (how many games played, how often did you die, fun things like that).

PC gamers don’t want a simple interface, they want extra stuff to show them you are serious.  And guess what? mobile gamers also profit from adding those things! So yes, don’t release your mobile game on PC with it’s mobile interface, big bold “touch” buttons. Create a proper interface, preferably one that works for all devices and controls.

“But if I release my PC game on mobile I have to dumb it down” – well, yes and no. Of course you want to simplify the controls a bit where needed, but you can keep this in mind from the start of development, and it often only improves your games interface design for all other platforms if you make it leaner and meaner.

The days of having slow mobile devices that can’t handle large scenes or lush graphics are pretty much over. Technology wise there is very little limiting yourself from not releasing on mobile!

What ever it is that’s holding you back on covering all platforms, I promise you the work involved to fix that is far less than creating a new game.

Well for one, most mobile games don’t really make a lot of money, and most pc games don’t make a lot of money either! You can, in theory, double your revenue from the same game by putting it on twice as many platforms. Besides that it also grows your possible user base.

I know that multiple people have bought my game on multiple platforms that I released it on. Either because they wanted to play my games both on the move and from the comfort of their game rooms, or they simply wanted to support my work and purchased my game a couple of time because of that. Which is awesome!

Coverage from the press can also be more spread out, as you can now reach out to press for mobile games and pc games, and possibly even console games if you plan on releasing there.

So where do you prefer releasing on? or why do you only release on one hardware-platform? Let me know in the comments, cause I’m very curious!

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

I follow various developers on social media, from big guys to small guys, famous guys to unknown awesome talented guys.. and some of them even follow me back! From these developers, some are purely focused on mobile, others stick to PC, and it’s surprising to see how few are really targeting both.

However, there is some frustration I have, and it comes from the many comments I’ve seen from developers saying “hey I’m sticking to [this platform] because the other one is crazy/hard/difficult/not-worth it” even tho they have no on-hands experience and purely base this on other developers saying it or looking at statistics.

I’ve been releasing on mobiles since 2004, and I started porting my games to PC and releasing on Steam in 2015. It took me a while to include the PC platform, mostly cause the tools I was using simply weren’t allowing me to cover both platforms at once. When I made the switch from my own sloppy framework to the LibGDX engine it did allow me to release stand-alone PC games, so I dove in with full force and currently have six games on PC (Steam, Humble, and Itch) with two more coming this year.

Being on multiple platforms, means there is multiple ways to make revenue, there are multiple ways to (hopefully) get some coverage on your game, multiple ways to do sales and discounts later on, and more importantly: multiple ways for the games to find and enjoy your games. You might notice here the keyword is: multiple.

So why are so many PC game developers still not doing both platforms?  I honestly don’t know.

Most PC game developers seem to say that the App store is oversaturated with mostly free to play games and that you can’t make money on premium games on mobile anymore.  And it’s true! very true, a quick look at the top lists will show you the same couple of f2p games at the top spots. Silly Pokemon Go (nobody seems to love it, yet it’s still up in those lists) followed by stupid match-3 games (nobody likes those) and of course the “angry-face-shouting-icon” games that are always up there and are stupid games that nobody plays (just check them, and they all share the same icon!).

The thing is.. those games are not your competition! Those games are from companies making billions (literally BILLIONS) per year, and spending millions (literally MILLIONS) per year on marketing.  That’s like saying your new rogue-like dungeon-crawler with pixel-art graphics and chip-tune music has to compete with Rocket League and Grand Theft Auto V.

The same thing happens with the top-lists on PC (Steam, GoG, Humble) and you have just as much chance breaking into those lists as you have on the app-store. So stop looking at them!

Yes the app store has a lot of games being released according to the stats, but just a handful of those games are really a problem to you as they are interesting enough to steal front-page or chart list spots. Most of the games being released on a daily basis are present in the statistics and look like it’s a crowded place, but what the statistics don’t say is that most of those games are not standing out in anyway and are not showing up on the bigger game sites or top download lists as they only get 1-10 downloads (possibly friends from the developer).

Guess what, you have just as much chance to show up in a top downloads list on the app store as you have on Steam!

So.. why are so many mobile-game developers still not doing both platforms? I honestly don’t know.

It seems that if you mention PC games, you also mention Steam. Which is funny but not unlike mentioning mobile games and forgetting there is a world full of Android users and a Google Play store that goes with it. Much like a Humble store, Itch.io or GoG are there for your PC game needs.

However, saying Steam is oversaturated with games, is true! Yes, it’s not as bad as mobile app stores, but it is still oversaturated, and the competition in general are bigger and slightly more polished games and more likely games that are direct competition with your game.

I’ve seen people expecting big things from getting their games on Steam, and then I tried to tell them that they might not sell millions.. not even thousands, and most likely, maybe, just a few hundred copies when they release (and I was right).  Steam is changing some things now, with shutting down Steam Greenlight and replacing it with a pay-per-game barrier of some sorts. There’s a lot of talk about this, and I’m not going into it, but it will possibly change the landscape.

Releasing and earning money on PC is really just as difficult as it is on mobile. I’ve actually been there and done that in both cases!

But.. but.. then what’s the best platform to release on? Well in case you haven’t been paying attention:

If you can release on it, release on it!

ALL PLATFORMS are the best platforms. And to be perfectly clear on that: that includes consoles!

“But if I release my mobile game on PC, the gamers will bitch about it being a mobile port” – true! so don’t do that! I did that, my first few PC releases were Gunslugs and Heroes of Loot. Now both those games were designed with gamepads in mind, I originally created them with android consoles like the Ouya (remember that?) and other AndroidTV devices from the start. So the controls were fully designed for gamepads.

But PC gamers still weren’t happy about it. It seems that PC gamers want more settings and statistics. Seriously!  Adding stuff like separate volume controls for music and sound-effects. Adding extra things like statistics (how many games played, how often did you die, fun things like that).

PC gamers don’t want a simple interface, they want extra stuff to show them you are serious.  And guess what? mobile gamers also profit from adding those things! So yes, don’t release your mobile game on PC with it’s mobile interface, big bold “touch” buttons. Create a proper interface, preferably one that works for all devices and controls.

“But if I release my PC game on mobile I have to dumb it down” – well, yes and no. Of course you want to simplify the controls a bit where needed, but you can keep this in mind from the start of development, and it often only improves your games interface design for all other platforms if you make it leaner and meaner.

The days of having slow mobile devices that can’t handle large scenes or lush graphics are pretty much over. Technology wise there is very little limiting yourself from not releasing on mobile!

What ever it is that’s holding you back on covering all platforms, I promise you the work involved to fix that is far less than creating a new game.

Well for one, most mobile games don’t really make a lot of money, and most pc games don’t make a lot of money either! You can, in theory, double your revenue from the same game by putting it on twice as many platforms. Besides that it also grows your possible user base.

I know that multiple people have bought my game on multiple platforms that I released it on. Either because they wanted to play my games both on the move and from the comfort of their game rooms, or they simply wanted to support my work and purchased my game a couple of time because of that. Which is awesome!

Coverage from the press can also be more spread out, as you can now reach out to press for mobile games and pc games, and possibly even console games if you plan on releasing there.

So where do you prefer releasing on? or why do you only release on one hardware-platform? Let me know in the comments, cause I’m very curious!