#next up will be the musical guys and Amnesiac

[h-didanart]

GUESS WHAT EVERYONE

It’s Au time >:3

What’s the au about? Dumping all my Bloodmoons into Deltarune dark worlds!

How did that happen? Uh, idk, I just wanted to draw them in different clothes and with different colors, tho I have thought through about three different Dark Worlds for three of them. Still, this will be a dump of the designs which I am very proud of :3

Cw for bright colors

Separated!BM, Hunter and Harvest. They’re gardeners, aprons being used as their cape and skirt respectively, flower theme popping up here and there. Also there might be an anime reference in their designs.

Lone!BM, Original. He’s a seamstress or whatever the term is, his clothes are made of various different fabrics stitched together with many different patterns which were an absolute hell to draw. He’s a magic user

Retired!BM, Bloody and Harvest. They’re a mechanic, their weapon is a laser thing that can turn into any tool, and their clothes are probably supposed to look messier than that. Also yes, I know exactly what their color palette looks like.

Magic!BM, Sturgeon and Harvest. Probably my favorite design, they’re a cook, a very messy cook, their magic is element based because cooking processes. They’re extremely salty at the fact they didn’t get the everything-weapon thing

Ocean!BM, Bloodmoon. They’re a fisherman because ocean, yes those are socks on crocs, they look more like their family now! I really like their color palette.

Swap!BM, Scythe and Fang. Demonic nun, need I say more? I had to redo their color palette cuz I really didn’t like the original one. They really despise the fact their magic is chain based

I’ll probably ramble more later, I just wanted to like dump this here at some point. Expect more Bloodmoons to come!

[lexirosewrites]

Because the break in slick Sunday, one that I completely understand, I thought I'd give an idea. I don't often write omega verse but I love slick Sunday so much.

A small idea based losely 50 first dates.

O!Steve who after one too many hits to the head loses his short term memory. He can go a couple days before he forgets and reverts back to before the accident but the record is only 4 days. He spends his days with Robin who takes care of him and documents everything she can for him. Everyday Steve relearns his life but one day he bumps into rockstar A!Eddie.

Their scents mash so well (whether scent mates are real or they just love each other's scents) that they fall in love then and there. But Steve knows he probably won't remember it the next day, so he tries to cram everything he can into that one day with Eddie. Eddie is so taken with his omega who is so outgoing and seems carefree. He doesn't know that it's because Steve wants all he can from Eddie before the alpha realizes it's too much work to deal with someone who'll never keep their memory of their love.

They share a passionate night together and Steve is grateful to wake up knowing this man. Eddie is more than happy to take Steve with him to his show and gives him backstage passes for him and Robin. The day is just as meaningful but Robin reminds him that it's better if he just tells the alpha than lead him on like this.

Steve is too selfless that he decides to cut their losses. He takes one final hot makeout session before telling Eddie he was gonna go home with Robin. Eddie's understanding, knowing he can't take over the omegas life.

Then he realizes he never got Steves number. But as creepy as it makes him feel, he does know where Steve lives from sleeping with him that first night. So he buys flowers and ends up Steve's doorstep. The omega opens up but he doesn't recognize Eddie. Not really, but the smell, the smell he recognizes. He lets Eddie in and sits him down at the table. He shows him the small video Robin made him to play for himself every morning that tells him about his condition and what year/how old he is.

Steve's scent is anxious as he apologizes and tells Eddie how he woke up with his scent in his nest but nothing else. That his scent makes Steve feel safe in a way he's never felt with anyone other than his pack. But that's when Robin comes down from her room and sighs at the sight of Eddie. She asks Steve to let them chat and Steve quietly goes up to his room, taking time to check in on the other videos his kids made to keep him up to date with their lives.

Eddie and Robin talk and Robin tells him that Steve knew he could never have Eddie and figured he would be too much if he told him. So he just decided to let him go live his life without an amnesiac holding him back. Robin tells him that it's okay and she will always be here for Steve. That he could go right now and no one would blame him. He's got a great life and Steve, Steve lives a quiet life with struggles everyday.

Eddie leaves confused and heartbroken. But after spending the day with the band and looking at the guys he grew up with. Who all found love, he knows that love isn't easy. So, the next day he returns and Steve greets him with no recollection of the past day. Eddie explains that he's an alpha that's been seeing Steve and he was hoping to talk to re-introduce himself to Steve. Steve is shocked and let's him in, having recognized the scent on his sheets. Robin's there and just as shocked as Steve but Eddie stays and shows that he cares.

He still has more tour but he starts making his own videos but his videos are always just him and band. But after tour is over, it's always of him and Steve, in love with each other. He writes music and performs his songs that will always be for Steve. And after a while Steve begins to go with and have adventures everyday. Documenting their live and sharing it with his pack.

And every single day, Eddie proves he loves this man and he always will

i’m gonna sob

[summerf0x]

Splatoon dashboard simulator

🖌 GhostOfInkblotAcademy

god I fucking hate school first my teacher drops a ton of extra homework on me right before the exam then the Horrorbouros comes to town and forces me to evacuate in the middle of an exam and then a Grizzco employee sends a Booyah Bomb DIRECTLY into my dorm so now I have to replace all of my furniture

🐻 mr-grizz’s-favorite-child-soldier follow

why don’t you complain AFTER you spend all night trying to clear Salmonoids out of the city

🖌 GhostOfInkblotAcademy

37,597 notes

🌟agentfourhead

Day 137 of posting photographs until my boss comes back

#at least I don’t have to deal with the other guy here anymore all he did was complain and ask me to listen to his mixtape #then again I did stuff him in a snowglobe so maybe it’s justified

4 notes

🐟 chum1738292 follow

ω-3 fans will be like “You should listen to Fishing Frenzy it’s so good!” And then the entire song will be composed of doorbell noises and choppy cello and it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever heard.

🔁 🐠 flyfish893

The Valiant Green Flame Born in Jigokudani could slam his head through the drums and still make anything leagues better than Wet Floor or whatever weird music the land-dwellers listen to

436 notes

🐚 selfishshelfish

“Muck Warfare is actually about Marina Ida’s past as a weapons engineer for the Octarian army” yeah and Ink Me Up is actually about Marie Cuttlefish’s secret job as a special agent

#honestly *ff *he *ook fans scare me #like I love their music but there’s no way I’d ever interact with their fandom outside of existing on the same social media platform #next thing you know they’re going to say Fly Octo Fly’s actually about an amnesiac soldier escaping to the surface #or Nasty Majesty is about lesbian sex

0 notes

🎱 applicant-10008

I’m glad I never have to deal with the Deepsea Metro ever again

🎱 applicant-10008

IM BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN????

🎱 applicant-10008

Ok ok ok ok I just need to get out of here and Pearl is here so things can’t be too bad

🎱 applicant-10008

DEDF1SH??????

3 notes

♠️ TopTableturfTactics follow

Something that’s always bothered me about the Alterna Adventures card packs is that they feature some guys I haven’t seen anywhere else.

Like the other expansion packs always have some sort of connection with other creatures (EX: Zapfish Zeal’s titular Zapfishes and other electricity-based creatures) or brands. But these guys are brand new! I’m starting to wonder if they’re original characters but DJ Octavio apparently has some sort of historical significance I’m currently looking into.

If anyone has any information, please DM me or send an ask in!

🏹 NEOthree follow

@captain-three

#might want to keep an eye on this one, boss

231 notes

[thegeminisage]

we're IN castle town!

zelda has only been missing a week...please...that's so tiny and cute compared to 10,000 years in totk........

been stolen away like all the others...nintendo you have my attention

adding the phrase "resentment list" to my vocabulary immediately

LADY IMPA MENTION

i feel like i knew she was here but Still

i have broken my first pot. this little old lady was so startled :(

KITTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and what if i am thoroughly exploring the town before i trigger the next bit? i can do what i want. also, again: kitty. not since twilight princess have we had cats in a zelda game...eow is coming for tp's cat superiority

ohhh, ok, the others who got stolen away were sucked into the rifts...so this has been going on since before zelda got kidnapped?

bottom of the well 💀

ok, ok, i'm going in the castle

got my first rupee! i am still murdering pots

this music is interesting - i don't think i hear any old tunes in it...no, wait, i got like one STRAIN of alttp hyrule castle. there it is again! and a hint of the main theme! ok, i'm satisfied. i know allowing musicians to compose new themes is important, but this is HYRULE CASTLE.

IMPAAAAAA

ok she's the old lady version in this one and not the hot warrior version. sad but i like both

ooh i can detour to my room...

I HAVE A CAT??????????????????????????

EOW SUPERIORITY I HAVE A CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omg pls and the little toy horse...

FIRST BED FLEX

ok, throne room...

GENERAL WRITE AND MINISTER LEFTE...PLEASE...

wait...they keep calling link a swordsman...do they not know his name 😭 i kind of assumed zelda had met him prior to this moment in the prologue but omg what if that was the first time..............

the rifts have been appearing for a long time...girl, how long...you just live like this??

AND THE KIDS JUST DIE? LIKE THEY JUST DIE? THIS GAME IS MADE OF TOYS!

omg PLEASE they literally don't know his name 😭😭😭 omg shes gonna have to find HIM now 😭😭😭😭😭

actually, i kind of love coming into the middle of the story like this...it's very unlike most zelda games which begin with link waking up to what seems like a normal day that quickly gets fucked up. it almost calls back to the storytelling in botw where you have to piece stuff together bc you're fucking amnesiac

OHHHH THE EVIL CLONES THIS IS HOW SHE GETS FRAMED

holy shit theyre gonna EXECUTE her??

i can't believe they're allowed to talk about death in this tiny adorable game

oh i like tri's noises

and i LOVE their theme, if thats what this is

oh time for me to get my big fucjing gun (staff)

PUZZLE CHIME >:)

AND now i can make pots to break >:) game of the year

goddess statue from the trailer. hi, hylia

omg nobody but me can see tri bc im gods specialest little princess

YAAAAY OMG my boyfriend cloak!!!

laksjdfh it smells like a musty dresser

oh no way...is impa about to pull a yoda...

HOLY SHIT SHE IS LMFAO I LOVE HERRRRR

YES IT'S FINALLY BED FLEX TIME

omg the crickets and night sounds...what a great touch

aw wait so tri's whole job is fixing this shit...i wonder if we'll see more of the little fairy guys later

oh back at it in the krispy kreme

okay i am OUT of castle town...and waking after being washed up on a beach :') don't think i missed the link's awakening shoutout, grezzo

NEW POST!!!

[leos-soggy-wolf-nuts]

Green Flag: Leo x Kinda-self-insert Episode 3

This is the first episode of this fic I'm writing after reading every route of Echo, so if you notice some kind of change (although, I doubt anyone is paying that much attention) that's probably why; Enjoy!

First disclaimer: I don't know how being a store manager works.

A disclaimer I'll bring over from Episode 1: I do not know how car insurance works.

"So...who's the wolf guy?" asks Ken, the pig who works the till. Ken is a brown-eyed, black-haired, nosey asshole. As his manager, I'll say that he's a good employee. As his friend, I'll say that he very consciously exploits my tendency to overshare. I ignore his question.

"You got a boyfriend, La-nee-oh-ell?"

My name tag at work says 'Lnioel'. He knows I hate it when he calls me that, and I groan accordingly. "He's just driving me to work, my car's a piece of crap."

"And it stinks, too." he retorts.

"Sure did after you were in there." I say under my breath, but loud enough for him to hear.

"Tch. Spiecist." he jokes as he stocks denim jeans on a shelf. The entrance bell dings, and we hush up and do our jobs, the clock ticking in tandem with the low-volume inoffensive music that fills the air for hours, and hours, and hours...and hours...until I'm numb and bleary-eyed.

The door rings again, and in its wake a wolf with red fur. I perk up, and smile a little, though the brain fog has only barely begun to clear. He spots me and walks over.

"It's quitting time, yeah?"

Ken raises his brows at me. I ignore him and check the clock. It's 5 on the dot.

"You're punctual, aren't you?" I say.

"Waiting is a pain. Didn't want to leave you hanging."

I smile at him, and go to get my stuff organized in the office. Papers go back in drawers, and my keys go back in my pocket. It's muscle memory, just like every other part of this job. The monotony is shattered, suddenly, as Leo leans conspicuously on the desk of the office. He's in another good mood.

"You do a lot of managing today?" he asks as I continue to move junk around. I snort.

"I don't even remember. Autopilot, the whole day, I swear."

"Amnesia." he says, enunciating the 'sia'. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

I look over at him with an incredulous expression. He's holding his hands out at me, his thumbs tucked behind his palms, out of view. He's grinning, though a gentle air pushes out of his teeth every half-second. He's trying not to laugh. I jokingly scowl at him and look back at my papers, which I'm trying to avoid showing him, as they're mostly doodles.

"Amnesia wouldn't make my eyes worse, thankfully," I say, suddenly a little too aware of how smudged my glasses are, "but even if I was an amnesiac, I'd have trouble forgetting you."

Bold. Intentionally. Oozing with plausible deniability.

Thankfully, it seems I won't have to deny anything. The wolf slides closer to me. "I'm on your mind, ciervo?"

He's close enough that I can feel his body heat.

And I wanna feel it all over me.

My antlers clack against the wall, and I clear my throat, unsure how to keep playing it cool. Is he just toying with me?

I don't mind being a toy.

Fuck. Fuck. Shit. Okay. I turn my body to lean against the desk just like he is, arms crossed, nonchalant, all casual smiles and ambient machismo.

"Nothing better to think about." I say.

That sounds stupid, but he gets the idea, sliding next to me, then twisting himself to stand right in front of me, so close our knees are touching.

"No boning in the office!" Ken shouts from outside, sounding only semi-serious. Leo and I chuckle, and I feel a pang of loss as he gets further away, beckoning me to join him outside. I spank him on the way out, making his tail jump. As we near the exit, Ken mockingly makes his hands kiss while Leo has his back turned. I flip him off and join the wolf outside. Night is just beginning to touch the horizon, the orange of the sky highlighting Leo's color, just as it had in the morning.

Leo snaps his fingers, remembering something. "I looked at your car today. You mind if I bring you to sign some stuff?" Leo says as the evening air swallows me. I nod. We board the chihuahua, and I grip my seatbelt as Leo slams down on the gas pedal. I'm less stressed out by his driving this time, flowing with the g-force.

CRASH!

"Puchica."

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (4-10 Feb 2024)

top 5 personal HO fave - he was he was super thrilled to be there, had a great time, lost his mind a little & flexed (literally). Incredible.

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 Throuple Honey (Brent Archer) - short, sweet & simple with lots of domestic details

🥰 "Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole" (Isabel J. Kim) - love a skillful response to the classic original story. I just kept saying 'wow. wow.'

😍😍😍 Reread the entirety of Rachel Reid's Game Changers series. I just love them all SO MUCH!!!! 😍😍😍

Game Changer (Game Changers #1) [Scott & Kip]

Merry Christmas Scott & Kip (Game Changers #1.5)

Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2) [Shane & Ilya] {here's a really great review of this book, which is THEEEE GREATEST rivals-to-lovers story ever!}

My Dinner with Hayden: A Heated Rivalry Short Story (Game Changers #2.5)

Tough Guy (Game Changers #3) [Ryan & Fabian]

Common Goal (Game Changers #4) [Eric & Kyle]

Role Model (Game Changers #5) [Troy & Harris]

The Long Game (Game Changers #6) [Shane & Ilya, Part 2]

🥰 The Supersoldier's Amnesiac Groom (casspeach) - 48K, very canon divergent arranged marriage AU - reread for Stucky Book Club

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

A Word on Words | NPT: Starter Villain - John Scalzi

Hot Ones - Tony Hawk

Hot Ones - Sterling K. Brown

Hot Ones - Mark Ruffalo

Hot Ones - John Oliver

Hot Ones - Barry Keoghan

Hazbin Hotel - s1, e2

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Mall Madness" (s21, e5)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Can I Offer You a Nice Shrimp in This Trying Time?" (s16, e5)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Desert Island Discs - Graham Nash, musician

⭐ Up First - The Sunday Story: Tiny Desk, Big Stage

⭐ What Next: TBD - Streaming Is Cable Now

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Taquile Island

Short Wave - Wolves Are Thriving In The Radioactive Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The Sporkful - Undercover Dining With NY Times Restaurant Critic Pete Wells

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang - The Top 10 Places We Would Love To Visit

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2024 Grammys Recap

Vibe Check - Hey, Sis: featuring Audie Cornish

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Moynaq

Shedunnit - The Green Penguin

Vibe Check - Hell Has Flooded

⭐ It's Been a Minute - Sam Reich on revamping the game show - and Dropout's success as a small streamer

Ologies with Alie Ward - Theoretical & Creative Ecology (SCIENCE & ECOPOETRY) with Madhur Anand

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Welcome Home

Short Wave - After 20 Years, This Scientist Uncovered The Physics Behind The Spiral Pass

99% Invisible #569 - Between the Blocks

Switched on Pop - Brittany Howard's Chaos Theory (with Brittany Howard)

⭐ Song Exploder - Green Day "Basket Case"

The Assignment with Audie Cornish - Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce: Cultural Supernova

⭐ Throughline - The Scent of History

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum

Alt.Latino - The greatest Boleros of all-time

The Sporkful - Deep Dish With Sohla And Ham: Tacos Al Pastor

Today, Explained - When one (airplane) door opens …

Dear Prudence - Is My Work Husband Keeping Me A Secret From His Wife? Help!

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Lisa Frankenstein And What's Making Us Happy

Endless Thread - Recess Therapy's Julian Shapiro-Barnum is skeptical of kids becoming social media stars

⭐ Strong Songs - "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel

Today, Explained - Why Taylor left TikTok

Short Wave - Clownfish Might Be Counting Their Potential Enemies' Stripes

You're Dead to Me - Simón Bolívar

Consider This from NPR - What Makes A Football Movie Great?

It's Been a Minute - A Super Bowl in 'new Vegas'; plus, the inverted purity of the Stanley Cup

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Lena Waithe

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Putting the Awe in Audio

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Very Best Of Buddy Holly And The Crickets

My Mix #5 [Simon & Garfunkel, Carpenters, John Denver]

Presenting KISS

Presenting Black Sabbath

[anarchic-miscellany]

.hack//sign Appreciation Post

Anime is always following "the next hot thing" and burning through stuff at an alarming rate (remember when everything was all about "Blue Exorcist"? Remember when "Bleach" was top of the pile?) so take your time, guys, relax: focus on some stuff you missed the first time around. Like ".hack//sign"!

In the world's only MMO, a player named Tsukasa wakes up with no idea who he is. He cannot log out, and there is a mysterious guardian angel protecting him from harm. He doesn't want answers, he wants to be left alone, but no man is an island... Subaru, the shy leader of a guild of "Justice Bringers" is curious about this new "cheater" in the system, and together with the nice old guy Bear, who plays the game to reconnect with his son, Crim, a flamboyant roleplayer who co-founded the Guild with her but got bored, B.T, the information broker interested moreso in the powers this kid possesses in game, and Mimiru, the upbeat schoolgirl here to have fun; an investigation into the mystery player goes on! But there are darker forces at play here, and matters are complicated by the excellent character of overpowered player-killer Sora...

It's like if "Sword Art Online" was good, focused on characters, growth, the nature of self, identity, and just a HINT of lesbianism, and came out BEFORE that trash show! Imagine if it used the concept well, was experimental in its storytelling (all of the real world parts are done as washed out silent movies, representing the need for a technicolour escape from it all. *chef's kiss*) and had, like, CHARACTERS! With arcs, feelings, depth, episodes dedicated to them, growth!

Imagine if our protagonist was not building a harem, but learning to be a person and to socialise! And if instead of an almight god power letting them save the world, they were instead seen as a cheat and an asshole for having this, and were hunted by every single person on the server! Interesting subversion of it, right? Sure, it was experimental, and didn't always work (Tsukasa is kind of a prick for a lot of it, and that's rather off putting to some, even if they are an introverted, amnesiac trauma victim growing and learning; and the central villain and plot is kind of glossed over and rushed unless you play the games. Which I did.) but what was there was bold, and tight, and fun, and excellent!

Oh, and Paul "Leon S Kennedy" Mercier plays Bear.

Plus, the music (by Yuji Kajiura, and with breathtakingly beautiful vocals from Emily Bindiger on a couple of songs, you'll know her from "Flying Teapot" in "Cowboy Bebop") is ALL FANTASTIC, and has the best disconnect between its pumping theme song and actual content I've seen.

It was wholesome, without being treacly, it was all about mood, atmosphere, dialogue and people. Give it a go.

Or don't, I'm not your keeper.

[pointreyesjournal]

The Amnesiac : ep26

Coitus, Coffee, Steak & Molotov Cocktails

By half past noon I’ve managed to track down some generic-brand soft panniers for the Ducati on Craigslist and by half past three I’ve got them stuffed to the point of bursting with dirty laundry and strapped to the bike. River arrives at my place about 4pm and we take a short proof-of-concept ride on the Ducati to ensure that the panniers wont fall off, aren’t going to melt on the exhaust, and most importantly aren’t going to interfere with River’s comfort. We loop the coast road around the peninsula, stop for a moment to watch the waves break, check the luggage and steal a few kisses as the late afternoon sky begins to change to the color.

We catch a glimpse of Emma climbing the stairs to Henrik’s office when we return to the parking lot behind my building, and it’s a solid two hours before they re-emerge with a knock on my door. Emma’s skin is flush and moist. She has the look of a woman who has been ravaged sexually. Henrik looks as though he needs a coffee and pulls himself a doppio espresso macchiato. “Scribbly scratch it and down the hatch it” he says before slurping it down in a single gulp, then immediately pours himself a hefty glass of red wine.

“Help yourself.”

 “I did” Henrik replies snarkily.

I can’t complain. Henrik is a single guy living in a loft, with zero other bills, and a company that is beginning to make money. So he puts far more red wine into my wine cellar than he takes out. There have been months that he’s been so generous with the Grand Cru Bordeaux and the Vin de Bourgogne that I don’t even bother to collect rent.

“C’est bon?” I ask Henrik of the wine.

“C’est parfait!” he replies.

The plan was to enjoy barbecued filet mignon with red wine on my rooftop deck, but an unseasonably cold Pacific sea breeze swept across the peninsula at sunset forcing us indoors. We pan sear the steaks in cast iron, then finish them in the oven surrounded by a harvest ratatouille. The girls take command of the ambiance while Henrik and I cook. Emma is astonished by my stereo system, and in moment of maturity that surprises all of us, chooses John Coltrane’s album “Giant Steps” and turns it down nice and low. Upon her asking, I point River toward the bag of votive candles in the junk drawer under the junk drawer and she begins lighting them as Emma switches off the lights.

The house is dark, warm and cozy, with flickering candlelight and the smell of thyme and rosemary basting in Irish butter and steak juice. Henrik tells us about hygge (pronounced hooga) the Danish art of cosiness, and how back in home during the Scandinavian winters people gather in warm dark places, wrap themselves in heavy wool sweaters, eat reindeer steaks next to a roaring fireplace, and drink warm cider, mulled wine and hot chocolate. If there is a little book of hygge, we’ve certainly torn a page from it tonight.

The filet is exquisite. I sit across the table from River so I can watch the candlelight dance in her eyes. Emma regales us with tales of growing up the only child of a hippy professor with a penchant for recreational psychopharmacology, and losing her virginity in 8th grade to the  trumpet player of the freshman high school jazz ensemble while they were both higher than sputnik on pills she found when she was hunting for loose change in her dad’s watch drawer. This explains a lot about her, including tonight’s jazzy music selection. “Jazz” she tells us “is great during dinner. Great during sex. Great for getting high. But not so great at the coffee shop. It’s the opposite of music for the masses.”

After dinner we cosy up as couples on opposing couches and enjoy red wine as Emma DJs an impressively deep playlist of hard bop jazz, all of which was recorded during the calendar year 1959. Emma may not be a political science major or economist, but she certainly has a grasp on the progressive mid-century jazz scene. It isn’t long before the exhaustion catches up to River. The wild night of sex, early morning shift at the coffee shop, and the three glasses of red wine hit River like a Molotov cocktail, and she spreads out across the couch with her head in my lap. I stroke her hair as she struggles to stay awake.

Henrik correctly assesses the situation and suggests that it’s time to leave. He gives Emma a nudge in the direction of the hifi, and she turns the music down slowly, then off. A quick round of hugs and they’re out the door. I gently raise River from the couch and guide her toward the bedroom. Standing in the middle of the bedroom with her eyes closed, she raises her arms over her head, and I carefully undress her, starting with the sweater. We disappear together under the eiderdown. The warm candlelight of the votives slowly fades away in the living room as we fall asleep in each other’s arms.

[springvaletales]

((Session 46 is wrapped!))

Literally ALL of my session prep happened at work in between customers today so I’m stuck somewhere between knowing exactly what I want to have happen tonight and letting the players faff around for another session so I can iron things out more.

“Your god will go back to prison at sunrise, so if you need anything else from him, you’ll have to find him before then.”

“Is that not your Tuesday?”

“It’s usually my Monday.”

New band name: Existential Bread.

“It was MY turn to fail to come to grips with the grim truth of reality.”

The party could drink and dance and have fun, but instead, they decide to pull a reverse-heist and harass Captain Astaroth.

Thiori, excitedly: “Crystal dicks, a WHOLE bunch of eggs, and then we fill the chair with chocolate pudding.

Bagelby wants to disguise himself as Advisor Rond-El to frame him for the reverse-heist prank.

Asahi and Sir Carl Jaeger are the only ones who actually know Rond-El as a person, so Bagelby pestered them for twenty minutes to find out how best to impersonate the man.

Michael bribed Ena with a tiny creme brûlée to say that she hadn’t seen him if Rond-El asked. Ena agreed on the condition that he would say that he saw Rond-El near Astaroth’s office.

Ena didn’t put together that her amnesiac brother remembered something about her tastes until, like, an hour later.

The party was devastated to suddenly remember that they left Sprocket - a child-sized Warforged they saved from Spider Prison in Blackstone City - inside an inn within a burning city that they never went back to.

“WE ABANDONED THE CHILD!”

In Astaroth’s office, they found a model of the Shellmarsh Hollow Battlefield, but none of them passed the history check, and just thought it was neat.

Any drawer or space that Bagelby chose not to hide an egg in, Thiori filled with pudding.

Ena’s Player: “She’s not gonna go through his shit.”

Bagelby’s Player: “Bagel will!!”

Bagelby read through every single love letter written between Astaroth and Bethany Herself. The party is scandalized.

Thiori’s Player: “….oh my god, guys. Eggs? Sweets? Fertility symbols? Are we founding Easter?!”

Bagelby found some eggshells in the floorboards of the office, and started having a crisis because the eggs he filled the office with last time were supposed to be illusionary.

Ena and Thiori sneaked out of the office, and Bagelby - in his Rond-El disguise - burst through the office doors as dramatically as possible.

The party returned to their rooms and Ena immediately began grabbing up an armful of eggs, intending to hide them around the palace.

She then finally realized that she’d never told Michael she liked creme brûlée, and he would have had to remember that about her.

She began smoking, and accidentally cooked the eggs she was holding.

After the party left the rooms again, Lex went out on the dance floor to flaunt her new strength; she picked up nobles and servants left and right to swing them around to the music and then move on to the next.

Eight NPCs have a crush on her, now, and they have banded together into a fan club.

At one point, Lex found herself dancing with her god, who was still running rampant at the dessert tables to get all that good mortal food he could before he had to go back to moon prison.

Thiori made a point to walk past Astaroth while eating eggs…three times. Astaroth is not amused.

Bagelby witnessed Manon-Val and Almaea whispering to each other on their thrones. Manon-Val made his wife laugh, and she jerked back too fast, got their horns tangled, and nearly yanked her husband out of his chair.

Ena found Thiori’s four kiddos on the second floor walkway, and gave them each a colorful egg to hide.

She also tossed an egg to Haaruma to see what Chaos would happen.

Ena and Michael managed to wave to each other and feel no tension. Ena then started smoking again because processing your feelings is hard.

Bagelby found Velenna lurking at the edges of the room just watching everyone, and went up to have a talk with her.

She admitted to being tired of the festivities after so many years of celebrating, and usually only came out for the final day, when all the political maneuvering was pretty much over and done with.

She warned Bagelby to ‘take tiny sips’ of the wine being brought out later in the night, as it was a few hundred years old, and incredibly strong, by mortal standards. He’s only sixteen, after all.

As he left, Bagelby tried to sneak an egg into Velenna’s pocket with mage hand. He didn’t get away unnoticed, but Velenna didn’t stop him.

The live band started playing the tune of a local folk dance, and most of the dance floor got up to participate. They formed two lines and someone grabbed a rose from a decorative vase, and the rose was handed to the person not chosen to dance down the aisle from the giver.

Shush I had to do it at a historical site on a family trip once and it’s been stuck in my head for years I have to get rid of it.

An elven woman chose to dance with Bagelby because the Leonin advisor’s resting bitch face frightened her. They both failed their dexterity rolls but somehow managed to balance each other out and not fall.

Lex chose to dance with Vashael, and give Michael the rose. She then ripped him off his feet because she’s still getting used to her new god-given strength.

Michael then chose to dance with Thiori, and gave Haaruma the rose so that she could pick her wife, who was in line behind Thiori.

Both Lex and Thiori lifted Michael and Vashael off their feet for the dance, and afterwards, both prince and warlock needed to sit out for a few rounds to process the Experience they’d just had.

Bashur was left standing with the rose for three rounds before he tossed the rose over his shoulder and waltzed himself down the dance aisle.

“The phrase ‘less hydrating water’ scares me.”

The highlight of the night is the opening of a cask of 250 year old Montillado wine from Rhobbery, Salance.

Bagelby had to lie about his age to not get kicked out of the party at this point, as the minimum age for this part of the night was 20, and he’s only 16. He was very convincing.

Everyone drank the wine in excess, and then, after several glasses….everybody failed their Con save.

Thiori and Haaruma, who are both immune to poisons by way of racial and/or class traits, watched in horror as the entire room and all their friends collapsed into a deep, unnatural slumber around them.

Thiori used his alchemist kit to test the wine cask for poison, and was relieved to find that it wasn’t going to do anything but keep those affected asleep for a few hours.

That’s enough time for the villain to make her appearance tho.

The gasps of horror I received when revealing that Geraldine was a Sunfell cult spy who had poisoned the wine with a sleeping drug that knocked out all but one of the NPCs and all but one of the players were absolute Bliss incarnate.

Thiori tried to hit Geraldine with first a mug and then a table, but her grandson?/husband?/assistant? Harold jumped down on the table from the second floor and crushed it, knocking Thiori back.

We left off with Harold beginning to mutate using a mutagen created by Thiori’s ‘father’, Krell, and hopes to do the next session the week after next!

[seungmoroll]

Lost Memories | Kim Youngbin

Word count: 1k

Genre: amnesiac! youngbin x reader, slight angst

Request: “can i have sf9 youngbin x reader please? when you tried to help with his memories but he kept pushing you away. when you take a distance, he remembered and said sorry to you.”

A/n: my first SF9 request, thank to the anon for this request!

           “I can’t do this anymore, Inseong.” Quickly shoving your things in your bag, you try your best to not let the tears run down your face.

           “Y/n, stop, you don’t mean that.” He takes out everything that you put in your bag. Plopping down onto the bed, you run your fingers through your hair, “Inseong, you don’t know what it’s like to be in my position.”

           “It’s going to get better Y/n,” says Inseong.

           “You said that last time Inseong, and that was months ago. The situation isn’t going to get better for me, and I just can’t handle it anymore. I’ve had enough.”

           It’s been a year since Youngbin’s accident, and as a result of it, he had gotten amnesia. You and the other guys did your best efforts to regain his memory, and slowly, but surely; he did. Unfortunately for you, any memory he had of you was gone. Those two years spent together, just gone from his memory.

           “But you just can’t leave him like this,” Inseong was trying his best to convince you to stay, but he knew that if he was in your positon, he would’ve left a long time ago. “He has you and the other boys, he’ll be fine without me,” It hurt you to say it a loud, but it was the truth.

           From the bedroom, you hear the front door open and close, alerting you that Youngbin has just come home. Wiping the tears from your face, you whisper to Inseong, “Please, do this one thing for me. Please distract him. Let me leave.”

           He looks you in the eyes and sighs, “Okay, okay, I’ll distract him. I’ll let you leave, but promise me that you’ll take care of yourself, okay? Make sure that you keep in contact with me or with one of the other guys.” He pulls you into his arms, giving you a tight squeeze as you quietly say to him, “I will.”

           Once the two of you separate, he exits the bedroom, making his way towards Youngbin. Taking a deep breath and collecting yourself, you grab the last of your things and put them in your bags. You hear the two men’s voices get closer and then it becomes muffled as they enter the guest room, or what is now known as Youngbin’s bedroom. Taking this as your cue to leave, you make your way to the front door. As you hold the door open, you take a look back and reminisce on every little memory you’ve shared with Youngbin. The first night after the two of you moved in, you guys slow danced in the living room. Mornings when you guys would make breakfast together. Things that Youngbin couldn’t remember anymore.

           Without another thought, you take a step out the door. A step away from Youngbin.

           After you had walked away from the love of your life, you had moved into your best friend’s apartment, making sure to let the other boys know of your whereabouts.  At first it was hard for you. You had hated yourself for leaving Youngbin, but you knew that you couldn’t live like that. Everyone around you made sure to remind you that what you did was right, but you still couldn’t help but doubt your actions.

           While you dance around in the kitchen as you make lunch, rapid knocking can be heard over your music. Turning your music down, you hear a familiar voice call out your name. Slowly walking towards the door, you mentally prepare yourself to face the person on the other side. Opening the door, you are met with the sight of Youngbin. This was the first time you’ve seen him since you’ve moved out, and the sight of him made you yearn for him.

           “Young-Youngbin? What’re you doing here?”

           “Y/n,” he says as he pulls you into his arms. You’re too shocked to hug him back, confused as to why he was here. You are pulled out of your thoughts, when you hear sniffling coming from Youngbin. Attempting to pull away from him, he tightens his hold on you.

           “Why’d you leave me?” That one question alone, shattered your heart. Tears quickly started to pool in your eyes. “One day you were there and then the next you were gone. Why?”

           “I had to, Youngbin. I didn’t to, but I had to, for my sake. I was in so much pain.”

           “Did I cause your pain?”

           “No. At least not on purpose. I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.”

           Dropping down to his knees, arms still wrapped around you and face buried in your stomach, he says, “I’m sorry I didn’t remember you. I’m sorry, but I remember you now. I remember our late-night talks. I remember slow dancing in our living room. I remember the way your nose scrunches whenever you’re happy. I want you back in my life, please Y/n. Please come back to me.”

           Getting down on your knees to sit with him, you gently place a hand on Youngbin’s cheek, asking him, “When did you get your memories back?”

           “About a week ago,” he explains. “I was making myself a cup of coffee, and when I opened up the cupboard to grab a mug, I saw the mugs we made for each other at Color Me Mine and all the memories just came at me all at once. I would’ve come to you sooner, but the guys told me to take some time to process everything. Now I’m here and I just want to apologize for putting you through so much pain and torture.”

           “Bin,” you softly say, “You don’t need to apologize.”

           “But I do!” Youngbin shouts, cutting you off. “You spent months trying to help me, and I-“ Pressing your lips against Youngbin’s, you stop him from blaming himself. You didn’t want to hear any of it anymore. All you wanted was to kiss him.

           It takes seconds for Youngbin to register what’s happening before he starts to kiss you back. You can’t help it when tears start to roll down your face. It’s been so long since you’ve last kissed Youngbin. It’s been so long since you’ve had him in your arms like this, and it makes you think that you don’t ever want to let go.

           When the two of you pull apart, Youngbin wipes away you tears and whispers to you, “Please take me back.”

           Pulling Youngbin into a hug, you say back to him, “I’ll never leave you again.”

A/n: hope u guys liked this, feedback is always welcomed!

masterlist

[seaspectr]

sea's fiction podcast recs!

If you're new to the fiction podcast genre or looking for a new show to try, here's a list I compiled over years of listening to audio dramas and similar podcasts :)

For those who don't know, fiction podcasts are scripted audio-only stories that play kind of like a TV show in your head. The podcast medium is a lot more accessible to otherwise marginalized creators, so you can generally expect more diversity in the stories being told than you'd see from Hollywood. I love podcasts because they are perfect to keep your mind occupied while doing more mundane tasks like chores, video games, or drawing.

The is organized from most to least recommended, and there are asterisks next to shows with heavy LGBTQ representation, though virtually every show on the list has at least one or two minor queer characters. All of the descriptions and genre tags are written by me, and I try to keep things as brief as possible so that you can look through them quickly and find a match! Everything is available to find on Spotify unless otherwise linked.

Top 5 audio fiction:

Wolf 359, Penumbra Podcast: Juno Steel, The Bright Sessions, Archive 81, The Magnus Archives

Full list under the cut

Audio Fiction

Wolf 359

Space station shenanigans evolve to uncovering the horrifying secrets of a cryptic organization. (Drama, Action, Mystery, Science fiction)

The Penumbra Podcast (Juno Steel series only)*

Brooding detective solves cases on Mars and falls in love with a master thief. (Action, Romance, Science fiction, Noir)

The Bright Sessions*

Therapist works with people with supernatural abilities, but a dangerous organization looms on the horizon. (Drama, Mystery)

Archive 81*

Employee tasked with listening to tapes discovers a world of cosmic horror, eventually becoming intertwined with the world and the tapes themselves. (Horror, Action)

The Magnus Archives*

Archivist records statements of individuals’ encounters with the paranormal. Eventually, he falls deeper into the world of supernatural horrors and struggles to retain his own humanity. (Horror, Mystery)

Life with Leo(h)*

An uptight lawyer's life is turned upside down when she is gifted a sentient android programmed to be in love with her. (Romantic comedy)

Look Up*

Love story between two high school boys who meet up on the beach at night to stargaze as they await their moms' return from space. (Romance)

In Strange Woods (Musical)

Journalist follows the story of a town after the disappearance of a highschooler in the woods. Note: heavy themes of grief. (Mystery)

36 Questions (Musical)

A woman tries to make amends with her ex-husband after long-held secrets were revealed. (Romance)

Harbor*

Small town siblings work at a mysterious department that deals with issues pertaining to supernatural monsters. (Horror)

ars Paradoxica

Physicist accidentally travels back in time into WW2 and changes the course of history as she tries to find a way back. (Drama)

The Two Princes*

Love story between two young princes in a medieval fantasy setting. (Romance, Fantasy)

This Planet Needs a Name*

Crew of scientific explorers are tasked with terraforming an alien world for the future of humanity. (Science fiction)

Desperado*

Misfits fight to protect their old gods and heritage from crusaders in a modern world. (Fantasy)

The Deca Tapes

Cabin fever amongst a group of amnesiacs known only by their roles with backstories that shed horrifying light on each of the individuals stuck together. (Mystery, Science fiction)

Time Bombs

Three episode arc about a bomb squad by the creators of Wolf 359. (Action)

Kaleidotrope* (link to listen)

College radio show that offers romantic advice... until the hosts fall for each other! (Romantic comedy)

Welcome to Night Vale*

Follows a radio host as he casually documents a small town’s inexplicably strange news. (Absurdist horror)

We’re Alive

A ragtag group of soldiers manage a safe haven in LA when a zombie apocalypse breaks out. (Action, drama)

Midst

Fast-paced narration of a uniquely imaginative fantasy setting and the varied characters on it. (Fantasy, Action)

Alba Salix: Royal Physician

Sitcom-like hospital comedy in medieval fantasy setting. (Comedy, Fantasy)

Red Valley

Corporate employee discovers records of the bloody creation of human cryonic technology. (Horror, Science fiction)

Unseen*

Vignettes of people living beyond the veil in a world of hidden magic. (Fantasy)

Rabbits

Investigative journalist uncovers secrets of an ancient organization in hopes of finding her missing friend. (Mystery)

Mabel

Caretaker communicates with a woman trapped within the soul of a house through a series of voicemails. (Mystery)

Other Fiction Shows

The Adventure Zone

D&D played by three brothers and their dad; both heartwarming and hilarious.

Myths & Legends

Retellings of mythology from around the world in a fresh contemporary voice.

Fictional

Retellings of classic lit in that same fresh contemporary voice.

Hello from the Magic Tavern

Somewhat raunchy improvised comedy show centered on a guy who has accidentally fallen into a medieval tavern in a magical land and banters with a glory-seeking old wizard and a chillaxed talking badger.

Off Book

Improvised comedy in the form of musicals.

* = High LGBT+ rep

This isn't meant to be objective but instead a list based on my own personal opinion toward the shows I've listened to. Feel free to add on with your own favorite shows, I know there are a lot of amazing ones out there I still haven't listened to. :)

You've reached the end of the list!

[mewtonian-physics]

An Honest Review of Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand

Spoilers under the cut!

Hi! Penny (not that one) here with the next installment of my Nancy Drew game reviews!

In case you haven’t seen the previous reviews, a quick overview of how I’ll be doing this:

I’m going to include several different factors in my review of each game. First, the plot; obvious enough. The plot is, after all, the driving force behind the game. I’ll also be talking about what I think of the characters, as well as how fun it is to play/replay, and the general atmosphere/setting of the game too. And, of course, I’ll talk about my opinions of the music. I’m not going to be doing any ratings or anything like that, no numbers will be coming into these reviews; I’m just going to say my honest thoughts. (Even when they are not nice thoughts.)

Please remember that these reviews will be my entirely subjective opinions! If you disagree with me on any points, that’s absolutely your prerogative, and in fact, I’d love to discuss it with you and hear some perspectives aside from my own. These reviews are not meant to hurt or invalidate anyone’s feelings, but only to put forth my own.

So without further ado, my review of Secret of the Scarlet Hand!

Plot

Honestly, the plot for this one feels pretty convoluted. Nancy goes to work at Beech Hill Museum for a while, but pretty much right after she gets there (naturally) a priceless artifact is stolen, and a mysterious red handprint is left in its place! So Nancy has to... do... chores. And try to find out who took it. But mostly do chores. They throw a couple plot twists in along the way (such as the thief stealing from another thief), but there’s honestly very little I can think of about this game except the chores. That’s how much you have to do.

Characters

The cast for this one ranges from good to lifeless. Joanna Riggs is... well, she’s boring and unhelpful. Henrik van der Hune is an improvement, and his amnesiac spell during the latter portion of the game makes things more interesting, but also please Henrik I am begging you to wear some clothes that aren’t exactly the same color as your skin. Alejandro del Rio is pretty great--he’s outspoken about cultural appropriation and artifact theft, and also talking to him is just fun. Taylor Sinclair is... very over-the-top, there’s not much else I can say about him. He’s definitely entertaining. 

Meanwhile, this game also introduces two iconic recurring characters for the first time: Prudence Rutherford, who will go on to appear again in Danger by Design and The Phantom of Venice, and Sonny Joon, who will just appear in a lot. We don’t get to talk much to Prudence, and as in most games, Sonny’s presence is limited to his notes and doodles, but the entertainment value there is still sky-high.

Also, I like the guy from Keep it Real Restoration. Hope he knows I think he’s one of the best characters in this game.

Gameplay

UGH. I hate to be this negative, but the gameplay for this one is infuriating. Having to run back and forth to take notes and do chores and figure out when you can talk to Henrik and literally all of the other pointless repetitive nonsense it makes you do really dampens the fun. I hardly ever replay this game just because it’s way too much of a hassle. I think the developers were too focused on making it educational to remember to also make it fun.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is pretty good for what it is! It doesn’t really feel like I’m in a museum that has the kind of money to get that monolith, though. Too small. But the temple exhibit would be so fun to do in real life. Also, every time I went out the back I felt like someone was going to sneak up on me from behind. And then someone did. 

The ending is one of the most terrifying ones in the series, for me at least. Unfortunately, the mood is immediately shattered by escaping the monolith only to see the rest of the cast standing there ready to recite a ridiculous poem instead of actually trying anything to help get you out.

Music

This one isn’t bad, per se, but most of the tracks just aren’t that memorable to me. Actually, most of them are quite nice to listen to (I love ‘Exotic’, ‘Monolith’, and ‘Pacal’ in particular), but they just don’t stick. There are a lot of these games that have soundtracks that are so memorable that you can just say the name of one and I’ll instantly know the one you’re talking about, but with this game I don’t even remember most of the music unless I’m listening to it. So like I said, it’s not bad, but it is kind of disappointing.

Conclusion

...Yeah, this one isn’t one of my favorites. Or even high on my list. It’s worth playing at least once, if only for Prudence and Sonny, but it’s not one I come back to very much. A little less running around doing chores, a little more actual sleuthing, please!

See you next time, when I review game #7: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake!

[dawnwriterimagines]

"At least somebody's happy to see me.": Vanya Hargreeves

Summary: When the Umbrella Academy finally reunites in 1963, an amnesiac Vanya reunites with her sisters, happily, especially Number Eight, who Klaus actually makes visible, after her death by Vanya's hand.

Warning(s): Fluff, light angst, etc.

- - -

You could still remember the way Vanya's sound wave had cut straight into your body, slicing messily through your clothes and across your chest. Vanya was dragged away by Leonard, or Harold Jenkins, sobbing and screaming out her frantic apologies when you felt yourself slipping away.

Allison had been next to you, having used your power to block Vanya's accidental attack, but it only caused the energy to bounce off your materialized shield and into you. It cut off, slicing the nape of Allison's neck, she stuttered out a painful "I heard a rumor..." to no avail as Harold Jenkins escaped with Vanya in tow.

Your sister held you tight as your family came to rescue you both, and she didn't let go, even when you quickly passed in Luther's arm's during the frantic car ride home.

Later, Vanya came home, to the Academy but by that time, Luther was fully aware of what his sister could do, but he would soon see for himself. Blinded by loss, he was quick to isolate Vanya until he was sure of what to do with her, in short, it didn't work out.

Meeting the enraged Vanya at her recital theater, with the commission's lackeys on their tails, the group of siblings banded together to take her down. During the battle against gun wielding agents of the commission, Klaus unleashed his hidden power, a magnificent display of his growing abilities.

Luther's eyes were wide in disbelief as you came to view in an ominous blue light as well as Ben Hargreeves, their long deceased brother, having grown up apparently in his ghost form. The siblings couldn't believe their eyes as you and Ben made quick work of taking down the agents, their bullets flying straight through your intangible bodies while you sent them flying and Ben's monsters ripped them apart.

Exchanging a glance with Klaus, you looked away to turn towards Vanya, who's eyes were squeezed shut as she focused deeply on the resonance of her violin, holding tight to the bowl of her instrument as she glowed with a pure white light and the wood draining of color with her clothing. You began to walk down the aisle, towards your sister, your siblings finishing off the agents behind you.

A violent wind consumed the theater as Vanya went on, her music as beautiful as it had always been, tears slowly manifesting along the corners of Vanya's eye's as she remembered her sister, how she had dreamed of seeing you in the audience, embracing you off stage when her performance was finished. The memory of you pulled her to continue, her sorrow pouring into the strings of her violin, the sound growing and energy rising all around her.

"Vanya..."

At the sound of your voice, Vanya's brows furrowed, her Boe pausing, missing a chord in the song. Was she imagining your voice now?

"You play so beautifully," Vanya felt your hand on her shoulder. She gasped harshly, her eyes bursting open, her tears finally falling like raindrops, she sucks in a breath as she looks over to see you. Her eyes are wide, her core filled with energy she had unconciously built up, the sound of the violin chords still floating through the air despite not a note being played. "You always have," you continue, a soft smile upon your lips.

Vanya stares at you in shock and disbelief, she can see the blue hue to your skin, the ominous light that surrounds you but there is no mistaking your presence, it was you. "(Y-y/n)?" She stutters with a small, fragile voice. Reaching her hand out to touch you, gasping and flinching back as she can feel your hand in hers, so cold, yet as comforting as you had always been.

"It's me," you wrap your arm's around the broken woman, who quickly drops her violin and bow to return it with a desperate embrace.

Vanya releases a choked cry, shaking as her body quickly racks with sobs, the light surrounding her soon begins to diminish. She holds you tight, crying with a stuttered, "I-i'm s-sorry! I'm sorry!" Repeating brokenly while you squeeze her tight to you, feeling Klaus's power fading.

"It's ok," you pull away to wipe away her tears. "It's ok." You smile, leaning forwards and pressing your lips upon her forehead, "Don't worry anymore, Vanya. It's ok."

The moment her hands slip through you, your form suddenly vanishing, she breaks down, clutching her chest painfully, before feeling the build up of energy within her quickly taking shape, she gasps out as Allison behind her, fires off a shot behind her that startles her senses. A large beam of light and paralyzing sound leave Vanya and shot out of the circular window atop the Icarus Theater, hitting the moon and destroying it.

It doesn't take long for the siblings to realize their fucked. Five quickly devising a plan to go back in time to evade the apocalypse.

Obviously, he fucked that up.

The siblings find each other after a year and/or more of being apart, all separated between 1961 to 1963. You and Ben stuck with Klaus, who somehow found himself becoming a cult leader. You had found Diego a while back, having declared himself a psychotic and sent to an asylum for trying to save the president from his future assassination. Klaus found Allison later on, or she found him, she had married and became a civil rights activist. Luther was found by Five, who was last to teleport to 1963, he became a body guard for a big shot mob boss, you were actually pretty surprised to find that out. Vanya...well, you weren't sure where Vanya was, Five did say he saw her, she's supposed to be a nanny now, on a farm?

Five found Klaus and Allison, eager to finally get the group back together, meeting up at the hideout he had with a alien theorist, this family can never even say the word 'normal'.

Vanya sat on the couch, facing Luther and Diego, horrified to find out about the evil deeds of her asshole adopted father. Keeping her drugged up on pills to suppress her powers? Keeping her isolated from her siblings? Jeez, now she really had to meet this guy.

"Hey! Get down here already!" Vanya perked up, upon hearing Five's voice, the three siblings getting to their feet and walking over to the railing to view.

"Is it just me...or did we all get hotter?" Klaus wondered aloud.

Your eye's widened upon seeing Vanya, you smiled to yourself in relief, "Vanya," you hummed to yourself.

"I can't believe I have a sister," Vanya laughed excitedly before skipping down the steps, a smile on her face, looking at Allison. You raised a brow before recalling what Five had told Klaus of Vanya's memory.

"Klaus," you nudged the seance. Klaus looked at you before back at Vanya.

"I mean, won't she maybe, freak out?" Klaus wondered, glancing at Vanya.

She shuffled in front of Allison, recalling how pretty unwelcoming her brothers had seemed when they found her, none of them seemed to had missed her. She hesitated in embracing the only other woman of the many siblings, wasn't she told that she had 2 sisters?

"Vanya," Allison breathed, smiling softly as her sister came waking down the steps to her, brightly. Allison stood there, almost awkwardly, "I missed you." she couldn't help herself when she walked forwards to finally embrace her sister.

"Thank god, somebody did," Vanya joked half heartedly, stiffly welcoming her embrace before relaxing and hugging back, relieved.

Klaus couldn't help himself as he aww'ed at their sisterly reunion, "Aww! This is precious," he wrapped the both of them in his arms before giving a loving kiss to Vanya's forehead, "Finally, Vanya! Where have you been?"

Vanya blushed at the love she was suddenly receiving from her siblings. "Around, I guess."

You frowned, shoving Klaus's arm, "Klaus!" You warned, Klaus flinched lightly before sighing.

"Ok! Ok, I got it!" He raised his hands in defeat. Then, turned to Vanya and Allison, who raised a brow confused. "Hey, um, Vanya, come with me, please."

Klaus dragged Vanya away from Allison, who gave her brother a confused frown, before he pulled Vanya into a corner as everyone began to go upstairs to discuss Five's plan.

"Hurry it up, Klaus," Five sighed as he straightened the collar of his uniform, looking over the balcony before turning to head to the couch.

He waved the old man in a child's body off. "Yeah! Yeah, I got it!" He then turned to a nervous Vanya.

"Did I do something wrong?" She wondered, her fingers pull down on the end of her shirt, anxiety filling her.

Klaus raised a brow. "No, no. Why would you say that?" He then realized what it seemed like, dragging her secretly over from everyone in attempt to have a private conversation that may have to do with telling her off. "Oh, no! Haha! Don't worry, I just wanted to talk to you, Vanya." He smiled, the girl laughed lightly, her shoulders relaxing visibly. "Well, I mean--" he glanced over at you, "Not me. But, another member of the family."

Vanya titled her head to the side, her brows furrowing. "I thought we were the only ones left?"

"Well, yeah...but--she wanted to see you again. She's kind of bugging me about you." Klaus let out a small 'ow' when an invisible force seemed to jab him in the ribs. "Alot."

Vanya's eye's widened before she began to grin widely. "Wait...I have another sister? Really?!" She questioned, happily. "That's great, no offense, but there's way too many boys in this family," Klaus shrugged his shoulders, nodding at the fact. "So, where is she?"

He looked over at you, "You ready?"

Vanya glanced at the empty spot before assuming he were talking to her. "Yeah?"

You nodded. "Always."

Klaus stepped back alittle, taking a deep breath, shaking his hands out to prepare himself. Vanya pursed her lips, blowing out a low breath, "What're you doing?"

"Just a sec!" His hands begin glowing an ominous blue, that makes Vanya step back in surprise. Klaus leans over into himself, concentrating his ability to conjure up a misty figure beside Vanya, she notices, jumping back to the side with a loud gasp.

"Woah! Hey, what's happe--!" Vanya presses herself against the side wall as the person comes into view, illuminated with the same blue light coming from Klaus's hands. A beautiful woman her age, (h/c) hair and leather pants with a fitted top under a loose jean jacket that steps towards her. "W-what?"

You smile widely, "Vanya!"

The small woman's eyes are wide in disbelief before she pushes herself lightly off of the wall, taking a hesitant step. "W-who are you? Do I know you?" She looks over at Klaus, who's already begun to sweat faintly along his brow. "Is this--is this my sister?"

Klaus grin's, nodding. "Vanya, this is our sister, (Y/n) Hargreeves."

You can't wait any longer and quickly rush up to Vanya, she's shocked when she feels your arm's wrap around her, a warmth she's never felt before enveloping her upon your touch. You held onto her, running a hand down her hair as her hands come up to wrap around your waist. "I've missed you, sis."

Vanya can't help the smile that spreads across her face, she let's her head settle into your chest, she wonders if the heartbeat she hears is from you or her. "I have another sister..." she breathes, you chuckle.

"Yeah, you do," you pull away, keeping your hands on her shoulder's. You then look at her eyes, they're different, "So, you don't remember us, at all? The academy? Me?" Some part of you hoped she would've, when she saw your face.

She shook her head, tilting it down, guiltily. "I was hit by a car, I lost my memory, I don't remember anything..." her eyes then narrowed before she glanced up. "Well...I think I remember something...but I'm not really sure. It's a fragment of a memory if anything," she sighed, alittle frustrated. "It's just a song. Not even a lyric...just the name, I think. But I've never heard of it, and it doesn't exist here, I guess it's one from the future. Our future, I guess."

Your eye's widened, before you asked her. "What...what's the song called?"

Vanya paused, looking at you now, fully. The glow of blue around you reminded her of a black and white movie, she wondered if she could remember the color of your hair if she tried, did you have highlights, maybe two different colored eyes? "...she told me her favorite song was (f/s)...I...it's like listening under water, it's not very clear...but I can still feel a hand around mine throughout the entire thing..." Vanya's lips tug up, recalling all the nights that the memory had comforted her, knowing someone out there was waiting for her to come home.

You would've cried if you could've, but you could only smile, sorrowful and relieved at the same time, "I'm glad to know you still remember...you used to hate that song...so much!" You chuckled at the end, Vanya's eye's drifting upwards, her heart doing flips and her eyes going red as they burned. "But, you put it on the record like clockwork, every Sunday night. We'd lay on the rooftop and watch the stars until the sixth flicker of the low brook street lamp. The city never got that thing fixed," you recalled fondly.

Vanya sniffled softly. "...b-but...but how could---how'd this happen to you? I remember you. I remember you like....like it was so recent. How did you die?"

You shook your head. "It doesn't matter, Van," you rough your hands up to her cheeks, wiping the tears that began to fall down her cheeks. "It doesn't matter. It matters only that, I got to see you again. And I've missed you, so much, Vanya. So much," you brushed her hair to the side cupping the side of her face as Vanya breathed a sad laugh, taking your hand in hers. "I love you, Vanya. Always know that, okay?"

Vanya couldn't speak, biting her lip to hold the sob creeping up her throat, she hasn't heard those words in years, and she could feel every emotion that you carried in that single sentence and it made her want to hold you and never let go as she sobbed her heart out. She nodded, vigorously, "I-i know. I know," she sniffled harshly, she could hardly believe she was breaking down right now. She hardly remembered you, she didn't know why she was crying but a part of her was just falling apart and she didn't know why.

Klaus placed a hand on your shoulder, "(y/n)..." he whispered, softly. Not wanting to break up the two of his sisters, he guiltily spoke, sadly nodding towards the spirit of his dead sister, "I'm sorry, I can't keep going..." he apologized, before you shook your head.

"No, Klaus," you reached out, holding onto his hand, "This was more than enough," you leaned up, placing your lips along her cheek. "Thank you for giving me this time. You can rest now."

Klaus nodded, before letting you go, briefly. Turning to Vanya, who's grip on your hand grew tighter, "Vanya..."

"P-please, just give me...give me alittle more time," she begged. "I don't know why but...I'm just so...I'm so scared to let you go!" She wrapped her arms around you, squeezing you tight as she sucked in a shuddering breath as she sobbed into your chest. "Please, don't leave me."

You closed your eye's, wanting so badly to cry, to shed even a single tear but everything felt so bottled up, thrown into a pit so big it would never be released, it hurt. You hugged her to you, she held you tighter, "I'm always with you, Vanya. I won't ever leave you," you breathed, kissing the top of her head as Klaus's power began to fade, you felt her touch begin to slip, your body be coming intangible once more. "It's ok. I'm right here, for you."

Vanya collapsed to her knees as you slipped through her hands, silently wrapping her arms around herself as Klaus tiredly walked up to her, going to his knees in front of her, he sat there, laying a hand on her back. Before the young woman leaned forwards to wrap her arms around him, her head against his shoulder. Klaus encircled her shoulders, pulling her to his side as she began to slowly calm.

A few days later, Vanya's memory returns. She remembers everything about her family, about you.

And as she stands, walking out of the FBI building, she wipes away a stray tear as she remembers the last time she had seen you. You had forgiven her, loved her unconditionally, embraced her and welcomed her despite what she had done to you.

Today, she'd save the world with her family, for you. And she knew that you would always be by her side through that and the future ahead.

[lokislittlesigyn]

A Day’s Work - Pt.3

Part 1

Part 2

Pairing: Loki / Sigyn (basically an oc based off the marvel/myth namesake)

Warnings: Some slight/implied language. Violence.

Summary: The Guardians of The Galaxy have been, well, guarding the galaxy on their own time. But when a handsome reward for the safe return of an Asgardian princess is released, they may get more adventure than they bargained for.

No Loki yet! Don’t worry. He’ll show up soon enough. ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sigyn pressed the other panels’ blue buttons as quickly as she could, making her way to the end of the hall. One by one, the cell doors opened, previous inmates flooding out.

The alarms blared.

"Time to go!" Rocket shot off, the other Guardians in tow.

Sigyn followed them - but noticed the panel of their cell. Stopped.

Sigyn Lokiwife of Asgard, it said. That was her name. Lokiwife.

She was married?

"Hey, princess! C'mon!" Quill yelled, ready to come back for her. She turned, snapping out of her trance-like focus on the panel. Caught up with the Guardians and stayed close to them as they ran through the ship.

"Any ideas where the armory might be?"

"How about we just ask them for directions?" Rocket snapped as a group of the bounty hunters sprung from behind a corner. Drax tackled one, Gamora running in to attack another. Rocket and Groot took another. Sigyn jumped, staying back as Peter reluctantly took the last one, socking him in the jaw. The Guardians made quick work of the bounty hunters, taking their blasters. Peter panted after the fight, holding his newly-borrowed blaster close. "About that armory..." Somehow, among the ruckus and chaos, the Guardians found the armory - more of a messy storage room, in truth - and grabbed their belongings. Sigyn stayed to the side, still mulling over the panel's words.

Wife.. Someone's wife... Did her husband miss her?

Did he love her?

Did she love him?

"You okay there, princess?" Peter glanced at her, clicking a small device to his hip. She met his gaze.

"Fine. Just ready to be out of here." She smiled weakly. “Can I help..?”

"Uhh..” He looked down at their weapons, then at Gamora, who gave him a look. Back to her. “Just stay close.”

Sigyn’s shoulder drooped.

“All right, let's haul out." He nodded to the group, grabbing his blaster. They left the armory - and were immediately met with a dozen or more bounty hunters, all guns trained on their position. Groot, seated on Rocket’s shoulder, reached over and pressed the device on Peter’s hip.

Click.

((if you want to follow along with music for the full experience, queue Take A Chance On Me - ABBA right about now ;) ))

Music began blaring from the device.

“If you change your mind, I’m the first in line!”

"You know the drill, Guardians!" Peter triggered a helmet to cover his face.

“Honey, I’m still free. Take a chance on me!”

"Hey, Drax?" Rocket grinned, "Bet'cha I can take out more of ‘em than you can!"

"Is that a challenge?" Drax pulled out dual knives. Sigyn's eyes widened and she moved closer to Quill, staying just behind him.

The Guardians charged.

They ran to the beat of the music, practically plowing through the droves of bounty hunters -  Peter leading the way. Rocket grabbed pebble-sized bits of metal from his belt, tossing them out onto enemies. With a grin, he clicked a remote - triggering colorful pink and orange explosions all around them. Several bounty hunters gagged on the colored gas. He then jumped on Drax’s shoulders, then onto more enemies, weaving among them. Groot, still clinging to his shoulder, released a fierce little battle cry.

They shot past Gamora, who impaled a hunter on her sword. He spat out blood before she tossed him away, meeting her next foe with a lethal slice across the chest. She turned, bashing the blaster of another hunter up just as he fired - hitting a wire that supported beams above, causing the heavy beam to swing down in front of them.

“Stop!” Peter slid to a halt as the beam groaned, colliding with a handful of the bounty hunters...

“Now!” he called, the Guardians hopping past the beam just before it swung back over their path.

They rounded a corner. Down the hall, another crowd of bounty hunters was advancing on them. Past their shoulders, a large, open hangar housed countless ships. In the distance, the Milano.

The door behind the hunters slammed closed.

“How many you got, Drax?” Rocket grinned, already poised to throw another round of grenades.

“Thirteen.” The giant man rolled his shoulder, brandishing his knives.

“Awh, that’s cute. Got fifteen myself-”

“I am Groot!”

“Well, we’ve got fifteen. But who’s counting?” Rocket tossed the grenades, downing a handful of hunters.

“We are!” Drax charged into the fray.

“Aren’t there more pressing matters at hand than games?” Gamora shouted, stabbing one of the hunters in the leg, then the chest.

The group made their way down the hallway, Sigyn staying close behind Peter - and dodging blaster shots from the enemies, silently lamenting her lack of a weapon. Peter shot one enemy in the neck, then grabbing his arm, swung him around and, using him as a sort of shield, shot two others. He dropped the limp body, then triggered his mask to disappear, revealing his face. He caught Gamora’s eye, giving her a cheeky wink. She rolled her eyes, but not without a small smile.

They reached the blast door.

“All right, let’s pry this sucker open.” Rocket walked over to the controls.

Immediately, Drax grabbed the door and with a roar, pried it open. The others stared at him.

“What? He said pry it open.”

Sigyn giggled slightly. “Well... He’s not wrong.”

((music ends here!))

~~~~ They made a beeline for the Milano.

"Okay, guys, let's get out of here ASAP," Peter sat in the cockpit, having just finished releasing the Milano from the various tethers that held it in place. "No telling who might show u- Awh sh-" Another large group of bounty hunters rushed into the hangar. Alarms blared louder as the Milano took off.

"They must have sensors up!" Rocket snarled when the Milano shook from the impact of a blast, "Punch it, Quill!"

Before them, the main doors to the garage were starting to close as another ship was brought in.

"Hold onto something, this is gonna be rough!" Peter slammed the shift forward. Sigyn clung to a seat, yelling along with the others and the Milano lurched, then jumped into a high-speed escape. Other, slightly smaller ships around them rose, chasing them, grappling hook-like guns loaded and ready, already shooting at the Milano.

"C'mon- C'mon! We can make it!"

“Peter, we can’t!” Gamora screamed. The ship rocked as hooks made impact, mercifully sliding off without taking hold.

“We can!”

The opening before them was getting smaller... Smaller...

Ting!

They sped through the door just in the nick of time. Behind them, explosions sounded as the enemy ships crashed into their own mothership's door - and each other.

"Ha!" Peter let out an almost maniacal burst of laughter, the rest of the Guardians cheering loudly. Even Sigyn cheered, whooping once. The Milano, still at a considerable speed, shot out into space.

"Oh, thank goodness.." Sigyn breathed, "That was- that was incredible! Is this normal for you? Escaping captors? Close calls?"

"Well, now that you ask-" Rocket started.

"Don't even, Rocket, don't even." Peter cut him off.

"What? I was just answering the lady's question." He grinned.

"No, you were definitely about to rat me out."

"Was not."

"Yes you were." Once they were out of range of the enemy ship, Peter slowed the Milano, flipping a few switches. "What's the quickest way to Asgard?"

“Ehh, there’s a few ways. You could always let me drive...”

Sigyn glanced at Peter.

Sigyn Lokiwife of Asgard. Asgard, whatever it was, must be home.

She excused herself and stepped back into the main room of the Milano, staring down at the table, arms crossed.

Would the people there hate her, if she didn't remember them, or would they understand?

Did they care for her in the first place?

She closed her eyes, letting her mind wander. Surely, there was some memory she still held, even something faint...

Asgard. What was Asgard?

She furrowed her brow. Gold. Asgard has gold. Sun. Warmth. Smile. Her heart fluttered. Something about Asgard made her feel lighter... Excited?

"Feeling overwhelmed?" Gamora walked in.

Sigyn gasped and turned to her, eyes open. She swallowed, and managed a tiny smile. "A little."

The alien walked closer, stood across from her. "I don’t blame you. Not everyone’s used to such.. Intense fights. We'll return you home safe."

Sigyn nodded, pursing her lips.. "About that, are... Look, I know you think I was given some sort of - something - to make me forget. But I can hardly remember anything about this Asgard place. I.. I’m not so sure I belong there."

"You're the princess. You belong there. And I doubt your husband would take kindly to you being away from him much longer."

"He's protective?"

"Notoriously. There’s several million units being offered for your safe return; no doubt, he had a hand in that."

So he does care about me.. Unless he's just an over-protective, overbearing jerk...

I guess we’ll see.

"You're all returning me for the sake of a reward, then?"

"Yes."

Sigyn nodded. "Well, I'd probably do the same.." Would she? "...I think."

Gamora pursed her lips slightly. "You should start remembering soon.. Even the most powerful amnesiac gases only last a few days, maybe a week at best."

"How long will it take to reach Asgard?"

"Depends on if we have to stop for fuel, or hit another detour... I'll let you know."

Gamora left, walking back to the cockpit. Sigyn took a seat and, sighing quietly, mulled over what little she could remember of her apparent home.

[bewaretheidesofmarchyall]

Hey, i really like minecraft and used to watch mcyt's back when i was younger. I was wondering if you could maybe guide me into the dream smp series. I have no idea where to start or what people are partaking in it. It seems so active rn and you seem to be invested in the plotlines and such so i thought maybe you can help me?

Okay!

The Dream SMP: A History

Warnings for drugs, the selling of drugs, drinking, war, death, explosions, and human/fish relationships

So, once upon a time, there was a Minecraft server.

It didn't have much of a plot or drama, everyone was just kind of playing the game

Then Wilbur showed up.

An important thing to remember about this server: It’s all Wilbur’s fault, except when it’s Dream’s.

Anyway, Wilbur decided to start a Minecraft drug empire (re: potions) out of a hto dog van (I did not misspell that. It’s called the hto dog van).

But they all lived in Dream’s server (Dream is the main Ruler/God/Inconceivable Green Dude of the SMP) and under Dream’s rule. 

He interfered with their “drug” business, so Wilbur did the only logical thing: Declared independence and formed his own nation to sell more “drugs”!

The nation was called L’Manburg, but Dream wasn’t a fan of any of this

And so the Revolution began!!

Part One: The Disc Wars

The main players were Wilbur (the most theater kid of them all), Tommy (The closest thing to a shonen protagonist this thing has), Tubbo (sunshine personified, likes bees, can lie though), and Eret (fuck Eret /j) (In all seriousness, they're awesome)

It was a hard battle.

Dream had way more people. The revolutionaries were outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, and out planned. And that was before Eret betrayed them.

Eret killed off all of their fellow revolutionaries in exchange for Dream giving them a kingdom.

All seemed lost (Tommy even tried to duel Dream despite being 16 and not the best at combat. He got killed quickly.)

Tommy hadn’t really cared about the revolution in the beginning, but at the end he gave up his most prized possessions (his music discs) to get Dream to leave them alone.

And L’Manburg was an independent nation!

Everyone celebrated in the ways they knew best

In Wilbur’s case, that was sleeping with a fish (yes. a fish. it was a salmon, if that clears anything up) named Sally and having a son: Fundy, furry extraordinaire!

Somehow the middle ground between Salmon and Human is Fox, as Fundy is an anthropomorphic fox.

He was the first person born in L’Manburg, and it seemed like there was to be peace throughout the land once more.

Take one flying guess who screwed that up.

Part Two: The Election

If you guessed Wilbur, we have a winner!

He decided that he needed to win an election to rule the country, and ran as POG 2020, or Wilbur for President.

But he wasn’t unopposed.

Enter Quackity (yes, this is the guy Trump vague tweeted), wanting power but being chill about it, as usual. He decided to throw his beanie into the political ring as Quackity 2020.

It seemed like an easy race, since Wilbur had liberated the nation and Quackity was just Some Guy at this point.

Then, Fundy and Nikki decided to run as Coconut 2020 in a third party bid for the presidency.

THEN, when Schlatt (senile old goat, the corrupt businessman archetype, often drunk) came up to the stage to endorse a candidate, he instead rambled into the mic that he was running for president too.

Like the senile old man they all thought he was.

Little did they know.

Wilbur still could have easily won this election. He was popular and everything. Then, he made a decision.

(Wilbur didn't need to do this, but like all tragic heroes and/or theater kids, he had hubris and was going to make it Everyone's Problem)

He went up to Quackity and suggested that they combine their votes. Quackity wasn't going to win either way, but this way he'd get to be vice president.

Quackity saw that it made sense, but decided that he wanted to be petty that day, and decided to combine votes with Schlatt instead.

And then the votes were counted

Team Coconut came in fourth because they cheated

Team Schlatt came in third because no one wanted the drunken, senile goat to be president

Team Quackity came in second

And Team Wilbur won in a landslide, taking 45% of the votes! 

Tommy ran out of the video to tell his mom they won. And then Wilbur revealed the deal Quackity and Schlatt struck. 

Quackity+Schlatt got 46% of the votes. Schlatt was president of L’Manburg. 

Schlatt immediately takes the podium and starts giving a dramatic speech that sounds less Senile Goat more Dangerous Dictator Goat. He orders that Team Wilbur leave the nation of L'Manburg Manburg (he renamed the country) under threat of death.

Part Three: The Festival

Team Wilbur became Pogtopia, Schlatt and crew became Manburg, and L'Manburg became a nostalgic dream.

The Pogtopians hope to reclaim their nation, and get this absolute madman on their team.

The dude spent a year just farming potatoes to beat someone in a contest. He regularly quotes The Art Of War. He's a die-hard anarchist.

Behold: Technoblade.

So Manburg is a dictatorship at this point in the tale, and Pogtopia is trying its best. 

They have Technoblade, Tommy, Wilbur, probably someone I'm forgetting, and Tubbo. 

Tubbo is their spy on the inside (so is Fundy, but he hasn't even told Pogtopia he's spying for them, so he's regarded as a traitor)

Then the Festival rolls around

Wilbur has been spiraling, and having a little corruption arc because of course the theater kid decides to kin Hamlet (or is it Macbeth in this situation?) 

A day before the festival, he reveals that he's planning on blowing up L'Manburg, because if he can't have it no one can.

The festival comes around, and surprise! Tubbo is publicly executed in front of a crowd!

Schlatt figured out he was a traitor, so he ordered that Techno execute him.

Techno did, but because he was peer pressured. 

Then Techno killed pretty much everyone at the festival with fireworks!

Wilbur tried to blow up the place, but lost the button to detonate the TNT (Side note: The TNT was given to him by Dream. Because of course.)

Part Four: The Revolution 2 (Electric Boogaloo)

By the time the true war for L’Manburg rolls around, next to no one is on Schlatt’s side.

Quackity betrays him, Fundy betrays him, even Eret is back on the side of Pogtopia.

The war went by fast, and Schlatt was surrounded by former allies and enemies alike.

Schlatt had a heart attack before anyone could actually kill him, and died as pathetically as he’d lived. Anti-climactic, but everyone was happy.

Wilbur declared Tommy, our protagonist, president.

Tommy declined the presidency, saying that he needed to search for his discs first. He declared Wilbur president of L’Manburg once more.

Wilbur declined the presidency and declared Tubbo president

Tubbo accepted and gave a lovely speech

And then it all goes to shit. "Surely not all of it?" Yeah. All of it.

Wilbur (yes. it was wilbur.) explodes L’Manburg, finally pressing the button to destroy his nation despite his dad trying to stop him.

His own father, Philza, kills him

Stabs the Wilbur

Everyone panicks

And that's when Techno decided it was Chaos Time.

He stands on the ashes of L'Manburg, and said that no government will be allowed to rise in the entire SMP. Tommy objects, and Techno gives this speech:

do you think you’re a hero, tommy?

the thing about this world tommy, is that good things don’t happen to heroes. let me tell you a story, tommy. a story about a man called theseus. his country—well his city-state technically—was in danger. and he sent himself forward into enemy lines. he slayed the minotaur and saved his city.

and you know what they did to him, tommy?

they exiled him. he died in disgrace, despised by his people. that’s what happens to heroes, tommy. the greeks knew the score. but if you want to be a hero, tommy. that’s fine.

do you want to be a hero tommy?

THEN DIE LIKE ONE.

And then he spawns two withers (one of which is named Subscribe To Technoblade) and all hell breaks loose.

Part Five: The Aftermath (aka Where Are They Now?)

Since then, Tubbo has been trying to rebuild L’Manburg. It’s a canal town now, and it looks lovely. He’s a good President.

Tommy isn’t the best Vice President, but once he stops banning people from the country he should be good.

Nikki has left the fox Wilbur gave her in Pogtopia.

Speaking of abandoned foxes, Fundy’s dealing with the death/betrayal of his dad, as well as not getting on that well with the others. He’s also engaged to Dream.

Yes, you read that right. Dream and Fundy are getting married. Fundy met their eldritch overlord on what was pretty much a blind date, and they just clicked.

Eret is adopting Fundy! She has no kingdom any more, but she’s recovered some honor and now has a son.

Philza is dealing with the fact that he killed his son, and may try to resurrect him.

Schlatt is still dead (but is he really gone?)

Quackity is....doing some worrisome things, getting vague tweeted at by Trump, ate Schlatt’s heart, and might be possessed by him??

Technoblade is still doing his own thing, I think

And Wilbur? Wilbur is an amnesiac ghost, blocking out the memories of when he was hurt or a bad person.

There’s way more to say on the subject of the Dream SMP, but this is the basics! Hope this helped!

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 20

Hi, I’m tired. Actually, my friend Celeste created a piece of art that puts the emphasis needed on that sentiment:

I’m very tired. November felt like it was three years and also felt like it went by in a blink and also I’m not sure where October ended and November began—how does time work like that? (I’ve yet to see Tenet, but maybe that will explain it.) But like Michael Scott, somehow I manage, and lately it’s been like this:

Late-night Etsy scrolling. Browsing beautiful, non-big-box-store artwork is very calming just before I go to bed. I’d recommend Etsy stores like Celeste’s chr paperie shop, which I know from experience is full of great Christmas gift ideas. 

Taking a day off of work to do laundry. I’m not sure if it’s more #adulting that I did that or that I was excited to do that.

Eating Ghiradelli chocolate chips straight from the bag. I actually don’t recommend this as a healthy option, but this is also not a health blog.

Watching lots and lots of ‘80s movies. One day I’ll ask a therapist why this decade of films is so comforting for me despite its many flaws, but for now I’m just rolling with it.

Reading. Have you heard of this? It’s a form of entertainment but doesn’t require screens—wild!

Memes. All good Pippin “Fool of a” Took jokes are welcome here.

Leaning into the Christmas spirit by ordering that Starbucks peppermint mocha, making plans to watch everything in that TCM Christmas book I haven’t seen, and keeping the lights on my hot pink tinsel tree on all day as I work from home.

This month’s Round Up is full of stuff that made me smile and stuff that sucked me into its world—I think they’ll do the same for you, too.

November Crowd-Pleasers

Sister Act (1992)

If in four years you aren’t in an emotional state to watch election results roll in, I recommend watching Whoopi Goldberg pretend to be a nun for 100 minutes. (Though, incidentally, if you want to watch that clip edited to specifically depict how the results came in this year, you’ll need to watch Sister Act 2.) This musical-comedy is about as feel-good as it gets, meaning there’s no reason you should wait four more years to watch it. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

Nevada Memes

Speaking of election results, Nevada memes. That’s it—that’s the tweet. Vulture has a round up of some of the best.

SNL Round Up

Laugh and enjoy!

“Cinema Classics: The Birds” (4605 with John Mulaney)

“Uncle Ben” (4606 with Dave Chappelle)

RoboCop (1987)

I’m not surprised I liked RoboCop, but I am surprised at why I liked RoboCop. Not only is this a boss action blockbuster, it’s an investigation into consumerism and the commodification of the human body. It’s also a critique of institutions that treat crime like statistics instead of actions done by people that impact people. That said, it’s also movie about a guy who’s fused with a robot and melts another guy’s face off with toxic sludge, so there’s a reason I’m not listing this under the Critic section. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Double Feature – ‘80s Comedies: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) + Major League (1989)

The ‘80s-palooza is in full swing! In Vacation (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Chevy Chase just wants to spend time with his family on a vacation to Wally World, but wouldn’t you know it, Murphy’s Law kicks into gear as soon as the Griswold family shifts from out of Park. The brilliance of the movie is that every one of these terrible things is plausible, but the Griswolds create the biggest problems themselves. In Major League (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Wesley Snipes are Cleveland’s last hope for a winning baseball team. Like the Griswolds, mishaps and hijinks ensue in their attempt to prevent their greedy owner from moving the Indians to Miami, but the real win is this movie totally gets baseball fans. Like most ‘80s movies, not everything in this pair has aged well, but they brought some laughs when I needed them most.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (2020)

They’re born a minute apart in the same hospital, but they don’t meet until their 30th birthday on New Year’s Day. So, yes, it’s a little bit Serendipity, and it’s a little bit sappy, but those are both marks in this book’s favor. This Time Next Year is a time-hopping rom-com with lots of almost-meet-cutes that will have you laughing, believing in romantic twists of fate, and finding hope for the new year.

Double Feature – ‘80s Angsty Teens: Teen Wolf (1985) + Uncle Buck (1989)

In the ‘80s, Hollywood finally understood the angsty teen, and this pair of comedies isn’t interested in the melodrama earlier movies like Rebel Without a Cause were depicting. (I’d recommend Rebel, but not if you want to look back on your teen years with any sense of humor.) In Teen Wolf (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5/10), Michael J. Fox discovers he’s a werewolf.one that looks more like the kid in Jumanji than any other portrayal of a werewolf you’ve seen. It’s a plot so ‘80s and so bizarre you won’t believe this movie was greenlit.

In Uncle Buck (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), John Candy is attempting to connect with the nieces and nephew he hasn’t seen in years, including one moody high schooler. (Plus, baby Gaby Hoffman and pre-Home Alone Macauley Culkin!) This is my second pick from one of my all-time fave filmmakers, John Hughes (along with National Lampoon’s Vacation, above), and it’s one more entry that balances heart and humor in a way only he could do. You can see where I rank this movie in Hughes’s pantheon on Letterboxd.

Lord of the Rings memes

This month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I revisited The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy we love almost as much as we love Gilmore Girls. You can listen to our episode about the series on your fave podcast app, and you can laugh through hundreds of memes like I did for “research” on Twitter.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (2019)

Most adults are afraid of children’s temper tantrums, but can you imagine how terrified you’d be if they caught on fire in their fits of rage? That’s the premise of this novel, which begins when an aimless twentysomething becomes the nanny of a Tennessee politician’s twins who burst into flames when they get emotional. The book is filled with laugh-out-loud moments but never leaves behind the human emotion you need to make a magical realistic story.

An Officer and a Gentlemen (1982)

Speaking of aimless twentysomethings and emotion, feel free to laugh, cry, and swoon through this melodrama in the ‘80s canon. Richard Gere meanders his way into the Navy when he has nowhere else to go, and he tries to survive basic training, work through his family issues, and figure out his future as he also falls in love with Debra Winger. So, yeah, it’s a schamltzier version of Top Gun, but it’s schmaltz at its finest. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

November Critic Picks

Double Feature – ‘40s Amensia Romances: Random Harvest (1942) + The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Speaking of schmaltz at its finest, let me share a few more titles fitting that description. In Random Harvest (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Greer Garson falls in love with a veteran who can’t remember his life before he left for war. In The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Gene Tierney discovers a ghost played by a crotchety Rex Harrison in her new home. Mild spoiler: Both feature amnesiac plot developments, and while amnesia has become a cliché in the long history of romance films, Harvest is moving enough and Mr. Muir is charming enough that you won’t roll your eyes. You can see these and more romances complicated by forced forgetfulness in this Letterboxd round up.

The African Queen (1951)

It’s Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn directed by John Huston—I mean, I don’t feel like I need to explain why this is a winner. Bogart (in his Oscar-winning role) and Hepburn star in a two-hander script, dominating the screen time except for a select few scenes with supporting cast. The pair fight for survival while cruising on a small boat called The African Queen during World War I (in Africa, natch), and the two make this small story feel grand and epic. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

A young man’s (Dennis Price) mother is disowned from their wealthy family because she marries for love. After her death, he seeks vengeance by killing all of the family members ahead of him in line to be the Duke D'Ascoyne. The twist? All of his victims are played by Sir Alec Guinness! Almost every character in this black comedy is a terrible person, so you won’t be too sorry to see them go—you can just enjoy the creative “accidents” he stages and stay in suspense on whether our “hero” gets his comeuppance. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1937)

What would you do if you found out you were to be someone’s eighth wife? Well, it’s probably not what Claudette Colbert does in this screwball comedy that reminds me a bit of Love Crazy. This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended Colbert, Gary Cooper, or Ernst Lubitsch films, so it’s no surprise these stars and this director can make magic together in this hilarious battle of the wills. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The Red Shoes (1948)

I love stories about the competition between your life and your art, and The Red Shoes makes that competition literal. Moira Shearer plays a ballerina who feels life is meaningless without dancing—then she falls in love. That’s an oversimplification of a rich character study and some of the most beautiful ballet on film, but I can’t do it justice in a short paragraph. Just watch (perhaps while you’re putting up your hot pink tinsel tree?) and soak in all the goodness. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 10/10

The Third Man (1949)

Everybody loves to talk about Citizen Kane, and with the release of Mank on Netflix, it’s newsworthy again. But don’t miss this other ‘40s team up of Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles. Cotten is a writer digging for the truth of his friend’s (Welles) death in a mysterious car accident. Eyewitness accounts differ on what happened, and who was the third man at the scene only one witness remembers? 71 years later, this movie is still tense, and this actor pairing is still electric. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

The Untouchables (1987)

At the end of October, we lost Sean Connery. I looked back on his career first by writing a remembrance for ZekeFilm and then by watching The Untouchables. (In a perfect world I would’ve reversed that order, but c’est la vie.) In my last selection from the ‘80s, Connery and Kevin Costner attempt to convict Robert De Niro’s Al Capone of anything that will stick and end his reign of crime in Chicago. Directed by Brian De Palma and set to an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, this film is both an exciting action flick and an artistic achievement that we literally discussed in one of my college film classes. Connery won his Oscar, and K. Cos is giving one of the best of his career, too. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

Remember the Night (1940)

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in my favorite team up yet! Double Indemnity may be the bona fide classic in the canon, but this Christmas story—with MacMurray as a district attorney prosecuting shoplifter Stanwyck— is a charmer. I’ve added it to my list of must-watch Christmas movies—watch for some holiday cheer and rom-com feels. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Photo credits: chr paperie. Books my own. All others IMDb.com.