#not too long and a good central puzzle

[she-anemone]

there's really nothin like a zelda dungeon, 2d or 3d they are just in a class of their own as puzzle playgrounds I luv em so much

[the-internets-girlfriend]

The First Night - George Clarke

George Clarke x Reader

It started with a drink, a smile, and a quiet kind of pull. She didn't know who he was - only that something about him felt like home.

warnings: alcohol consumption,

masterlist x

Chris smirked before Max even finished the sentence as he sat in the podcast room.

"So," Max said, turning to him across the studio, "you've known George for years, live with him. You've gotta have a story. Like... first time he a brough a girl home or something."

Chris barely contained a laugh, "oh, I've got that story."

George gave Chris a look - pleading for him to stop.

But Chris just leaned in. "This was before anyone knew who he really was. Before the recent collabs. He met this girl in a random bar..."

George, across from them, just smiled - now realising it was in fact going to be a good story, one he wanted out for fans to know. His fingers tapped once against the table.

Max grinned. "Go on."

I hadn't meant to stay out that long. A bad day turned in to a missed train, no charger, freezing wind - the perfect combo.

I ducked quickly into the first open bar I saw after leaving work - an attempt to stay out of the cold weather, and the raining beginning to make it's way to central London.

The bar was warm, the lights creating a hue over the bar, and quiet music humming in the background, as groups nestled around small tables chatting.

I order a drink - nothing too fancy, something just to help time go by.

I was halfway through the drink, cheap cider - and pretending to be busy as I fiddle with the coasters sat on top of the bar - when a voice cut in beside me.

"You look like you're trying to convince yourself to like that."

I turn to see him - soft brown hair, easy smile, dark washed hoodie. A little stubble, and a lot cute.

I decide to engage in conversation, hoping for the time to go by quicker as I wait out the rain, "it's not working," I said, nudging the half full glass. "But I've committed now... Well at least until the rain stops."

He gave a toothy grin, "name?" He asked, as he pulled out the leather stool next to me and sat down.

"Y/N."

"I'm George. So what brings you here tonight?"

I gesture to the rain outside and my work bag sat on the ground at my feet. "I worked late, and missed the train so just waiting until the rain disappears before decide my next course of action, what about yourself George?"

"My mates just left," he starts, my faces becoming confused as to why he didn't leave with them, so he continues, "but I was looking at you for a while, and would've hated myself if I didn't come and say hi before I left."

A grin replaces my puzzled look, a faint pink blush rushing to my cheeks.

We continue talking. Nothing too deep - just banter. He was funny, but not loud about it. Kind, but never too polite. Said he worked in "media", whatever that meant, I didn't pry him for answers.

Eventually an hour had passed and the bartender alerting us the bar will be closing soon. I glance out to the rain still pouring outside, and pull out my phone thinking it would be best to call an Uber.

My phone was flat. George takes notice of the black screen on my phone and offers, "I live five minutes away. You want to come back? Just to charge your phone, honestly. My flat's got a ridiculous window view."

I pause, unsure of what to do - he seemed safe and respectful.

He added, "You can leave the second it gets weird."

I smile. "Only if there is a cup of tea in the equation then lead the way."

His flat was a brief walk from the bar - a walk that was shared with giggles and constant banter. The flat looked like three men lived there. It was warm and messy in the way that felt lived-in, not lazy.

As we entered, George took my coat from me and hung it on the coat rack to dry. I admire more of the flat - spotting two guys sat on the couch, of who were both staring at me.

"This is Y/N," George said carefully. "Chris, Arthur." George continues, pointing at the two boys.

The two boys gave a smirk in the direction of George, and I put two together and figure these were his friends from the bar.

"Evening," Chris said, already eyeing George like something was up.

Arthur gave me a polite nod and a smile.

The two boys turned to look at each other, and let out a whisper.

George ignored both of them. "Come on - I'll show you the view then make a cup of tea for you."

I follow George to the other side of the living space, a large window sat centered - an amazing view of London. The lights scattered like gold, the hum of the city distant and soft.

"Okay," I whispered, "I get it, this view is amazing."

He leaned close to me, our shoulders nudging each other. "Told you."

When I glanced at him, he was already looking at me - not in a creepy way, just like.. he was really seeing me.

Then, quietly, he said, "tea?"

I followed closely behind George, a mug of hot tea steaming clutched between my palms. George was taking me to his bedroom, where I would be able to charge my phone and wait for the rain to settle.

As the bedroom door closed behind us, I still felt the eyes of the housemates on me.

George sat his tea on his bedside table and took mine, settling it beside his - like it belonged there. He took a long cord and passed it to me, allowing for my phone to begin charging.

"You can stay as long as you like. No pressure."

I knew my phone would need a while to charge and I nodded. I took a seat on his bed, my back against the headboard as I took my tea and began sipping at it.

I felt the bed dip beside more, and then move again, I saw George standing and making his way to his wardrobe.

"Here, you must be freezing." He passed a grey hoodie, towards me and I took with no argument, wanting to feel the warmth of something other than my tea.

We both now sat on the bed together engaged in conversation - both unsure of the space between us but wanting less space.

After a while, George asks, "want to watch something?" Already reaching to grab the remote.

"Sure," I said. "Whatever you like."

He didn't ask. Didn't listen options. Just was on a mission to find something casual to watch.

The screen blinked to life. The opening swirled in - blue, spinning stars and that familiar, eerie theme.

Doctor Who.

My breath caught - that chord hit lie muscle memory.

George sat up sharply. "Wait - oh god, I can turn it off. I just picked something old and that I love, I didn't think -"

"No!" I said, grinning. "Don't. Are you kidding?"

He blinked. "You... like it?"

I grew up on it. My mum and I used to watch every Saturday. Ten was my Doctor. I cried so hard when he said he didn't want to go."

George visibly relaxed, a smile gracing his lips as he looked down at me. "You're joking."

"I literally has a sonic screwdriver. This is, like... my childhood."

The smile continued to bloom on his face, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "You are the coolest person I've met this month!" He exclaims.

He shifted, settling beside me.

And then - soft, unsure - he reached over and pulled the blanket a little tighter around both of us, his arm brushing mine.

"You don't mind?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No. I'm good." I take the next move with shuffling closer to him and leaning my head against his shoulder.

We didn't talk during the first episode. Not much, anyway. Just a few whispered lines, little gasps, shared glances.

But then a second episode started, and we didn't stop it - my phone charging long forgotten, just happy to stay with George.

Halfway through our second episode, he leaned in closer - his breath was felt on my ears as he said, "what was it about Ten that made him your favourite?"

That was it - the start of something.

We kept talking. About favourite episodes. About things we loved that no one else really got. About childhood fears and comfort movies, and what we'd do if we had a TARDIS.

As we spoke, we both moved closer to each other, George even moving his arm I leant against and draping it around me pulling me closer - but he didn't try anything. Just sat with me as we used each other for warmth.

At some point of the third episode, I must have drifted off. I woke hours later to find the lights have been dimmed in the room, a blanket tucked around me, and closing the door softly behind him with two glasses of water in his hands.

"You stayed up for me?' I whisper, taking the offered glass of water from him.

He sat down in the bed, placing his glass beside the empty tea cups. "Didn't want you waking up alone."

The softness in his voice did something to my chest.

So I stayed the rest of the night.

And then I kept staying.

Chris finished the story to the camera with, "we thought she'd vanished by morning. But she didn't, she sat at the kitchen bench with a cup of tea in her hand."

Max leans forward with a grin on his face - already knowing the answer to his question he was about to ask, "so...who was she?"

There's a pause.

George now realises what the plan between Chris and Max was - it started when George mentioned he was finally happy to go full-on public with his relationship, and now realises he has been set up so he can't back out.

George clears his throat.

"She's my girlfriend," he says finally. "Still. Going on one year together."

Chris whoops, and Max claps his hands in amusement.

"Oh, I never would have guessed." Max says, his voice laced with sarcasm.

George gives him a look. "Max you have literally met Y/N, I've just been set up by Chris telling the story." He says, with a chuckle.

Chris and Max go on to tease George.

George just smiles.

And somewhere, I'm listening to podcast once released - and still wearing that same hoodie I was given over a year ago.

I hope you all enjoyed this little one-shot. The idea came to mind when I was rewatching Doctor Who last week, and obviously is inspired by when Chris reveals the first time George bought a girl home.

See you next time,

mwah x

[stumpyjoepete]

Thinking a bit more about Megalopolis (see prev post). It's not really the case that the script is as disjointed or schizophrenic as my post makes it out to be. The central plot is pretty simple: an egotistical city planner has an ambitious and futuristic vision for redeveloping the city, and he butts heads with the Mayor and others who oppose him in this. He ultimately succeeds in building his utopian "megalopolis". Everyone is happy, the end.

And yet.

There's this... intense centrifugal force that prevents everything from cohering into a unified whole. It's like a puzzle where all the pieces are cut from the same picture, but upon closer inspection, no two pieces quite fit together. Or like that collection of nonsensical objects. A fork where the tines and the handle are connected by a chain. A watering can with the spout facing the wrong way. A quick glance leaves you confused, and that confusion is only deepened by further contemplation.

I think this is especially clear in the pseudo-intellectualism of the title cards, narration, monologues, and quotations/references:

Laurence Fishburne does this heavy-handed narration at the beginning and end of the movie (and several random points in between). And there are these associated title cards that look like they were made by applying an "Ancient Rome" theme to some PowerPoint slides. "Or will we too fall victim, like old Rome, to the insatiable appetite for power of a few men?" My brother in Christ, you are making a movie where the hero is named Cesar, and the happy ending is when he successfully pulls a Robert Moses. This is not a story about power corrupting or good intentions going awry. What are you doing???

Cesar Catilina interrupts Mayor Cicero's speech (where he is introducing a plan to build a casino) in order to lay out an early plan for "megalopolis", which is an ambitious and long-term alternative to the (short-term) casino plan. He prefaces his megalopolis pitch by reciting the Hamlet soliloquy. What exactly does Coppola think "To Be Or Not To Be" is about? He must thinks it means, "I am a dark and brooding bad-boy intellectual", since it's hard to see how "I'd like to kill myself, but I fear death" fits into an argument about the importance of long-term thinking in urban planning.

Cesar says several negative things about "civilization". "[Imagine] humanity as an old tree with one misguided branch called civilization... going nowhere." (Shot of notebook shows an illustration with 'war' and 'cruelty' offshoots from said branch.) "Emerson said the end of the human race will be that we'll eventually die of civilization." (Note: unsourced, probably fake quote.) "Civilization itself remains the great enemy of mankind." Umm... you're an urban planner! You're doing a high modernism. What exactly does it mean for you to call civilization the enemy? Is "megalopolis" somehow anti-civilization because it looks like a Georgia O'Keefe painting instead of a bunch of straight lines and right angles? Will the "war" and "cruelty" branches wither and die when buildings have labia?

Also, there's this amazing line read that completely inverts the meaning of a fake Marcus Aurelius quote (the quote was attributed to him by Tolstoy but is not actually something he said). "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape... finding yourself in the ranks of the insane." Why did you put in that pause??? Fake Marcus Aurelius is turning in his grave! You're supposed to be fleeing FROM the ranks of the insane! I suppose this isn't really inconsistent with the characterization of Cesar, it's just such a fucking batshit thing to say.

All of the cargo-cult intellectualism listed above could perhaps be excused if the vision that the film is supposedly about had any content whatsoever. Or, alternatively, if the movie was about something more substantive, and the vacuous megalopolis vision took place off-screen in an epilogue, like the "happily ever after" of a children's story. But no! The movie repeatedly interrupts the plot to grab you by the shoulders and scream in your face: "I have a vision! For the future!". And then--now that it has your undivided attention--it shits the bed like a man who has just polished off an entire bag of sugar-free gummy bears and washed them down with a fistful of Ambien:

"Conversation isn't enough. It's the questions that lead it to the next step. But initially, you have to have a conversation. The city itself is immaterial, but they're talking about it for the first time. And it's not just about us talking about it. It's the need to talk about it. It's as urgent to us as air and water."

"Mr. Catalina, you said that as we jump into the future, we should do so unafraid. But what if when we do jump into the future, there is something to be afraid of?" "Well, there's nothing to be afraid of if you love, or have loved. It's an unstoppable force. It's unbreakable. It has no limits. It's within us. It's around us. And it's stretched throughout time. It's nothing you can touch. Yet it guides every decision that we make. But we do have the obligation to each other to ask questions of one another. What can we do? Is this society, is this way we're living, the only one that's available to us? And when we ask these questions, when there's a dialogue about them, that basically is a utopia."

After the revolution, we won't have conflicts anymore; we'll have dialogue instead. We won't have a need for the "jobs" and "sanitation" of "now"; we'll have the "imperishable" "dreams" of "forever". We won't have problems that need solving; we'll all be too busy asking each other questions. Now, if everyone could just shut up and get the hell out of the way and let Cesar implement his vision, then "everyone" will soon be "creating together, learning together, perfecting body and mind." A chorus of children's voices gradually morphing into Laurence Fishburne's, chanting, "One Earth, indivisible, with long life, education and justice for all." It's eschatological anti-politics made entirely from cotton candy. Please, for the love of God, stop making Adam Driver monologue at me! Let's get back to Aubrey Plaza stepping on horny fascist Shia LaBeouf!

The incoherence of Megalopolis's vision is compounded by how anachronistic its depiction of our fallen world is. There are some half-hearted (and ham-fisted) gestures in the Clodio sub-plot towards the dangers of Trumpian populism, but the script was first written in the 80's, and it's extremely obvious that Coppola is writing about New York City in the preceding several decades. The city's finances are in dire straights. (There's literally a "Ford Tells City: Drop Dead" reference!) The city is full of slums, the streets are full of crime, and the elites are all decadent. (For Coppola, decadence means that ladies are doing cocaine and smooching each other in the cluh-ub.) The main character is Neo-Roman Robert Moses, and the conflict of the film is about urban renewal. In case you, like Mr. Coppola, have not been made aware, slum clearance is not a major political issue in 2020's Manhattan.

Two thirds of the way through the movie, a falling Soviet satellite provides a deus ex machina, blowing up the financial district and clearing space for megalopolis to take its place. Ironically, a previous attempt to produce the film came to its abrupt end when two planes flew into some buildings in the financial district. Perhaps you heard about it. The financial backers of the film at the time considered Megalopolis's plot a bit too close to current events for comfort and withdrew their support.

But Coppola's depiction of Manhattan was already decades out of date by then. Moses stepped down in '60. Jacobs' book railing against urban renewal came out in '61. The Power Broker came out in '74. One presumes popular opinion of Robert Moses soured in the following years. The crisis of the city's finances that peaked in '75 was over by '81 when NYC balanced its budget and reentered the bond market. The crime wave of the 70's and 80's had receded by the year 2000. The demand for housing in NYC proper is as high as it ever has been, and it's only getting higher. Megalopolis imagines America as an incoherent mishmash of several decades of mid-century NYC, dressed up in the toga of the late Roman Republic, calling out for (Robert) Moses to part the slums and take us into a promised land that is literally beyond any description, and whose only concrete feature seems to be glowing people-movers.

A Robert Moses with the power to stop time, at that!

Oh, did I forget to mention that part? Cesar discovers he has the power to stop time in the opening scene of the film. I forgot because it's literally irrelevant to the plot. Time stops a few times, and then it starts back up again, and the events of the film just plod inexorably forward. For a movie as temporally dislocated as Metropolis, perhaps that's just as well.

[evandsolo]

Home is where you are. | ft. Choi San.

choi san x reader genre : fluff, established relationship, slice of life words : 1,790. trigger warning : none ! if you see some, please tell me. plot : it's your first anniversary with the love of your life. you just spend the night together. side note : i just love San so much, i wanted to write the cutest thing with him ! I hope I gave him justice !

It’s already been a year. The best year of your life if you had to be fully honest. A year since he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life by your side. You knew San for a long time before, but could you imagine how amazing your life would be today ? You’ve never felt so loved before, so understood, so cherished, even though his work was taking a lot of his time. He always made sure to have enough time to spend with you.  

“I can't wait to be home and to be with you again” he said on the phone last night making your heart flutter so fast. “I Can't wait either. Will you be home when I get back from work?” You asked, hoping for a positive answer “I'm landing in the morning. I'll probably have to make a stop by the agency before heading home but I'll be there. I promise.” 

Your day was full of meetings and appointments, but you loved your job so much. You had a lot of responsibilities and you've never felt so accomplished in your life ever before. You kept on checking your phone every time you had the chance to. You wanted to make sure your boyfriend arrived safely, but the text did not arrive as soon as you hoped it would. He was supposed to arrive in the morning. He always texted you when landing. He probably had forgotten, you knew he had a lot of things to do. Or maybe the plane was running late. For a second you thought about checking his flight, just to reassure yourself. But it'd be a little bit extra. You let the hours pass by, until it was time for you to go home. Still no news of your lover. You can’t help but start to worry. It’s not usual for him to remain silent, especially when he comes home from a long trip.  

You hoppe in a taxi trying to call his best friend, who also became yours over time. “Yeah ?” answers Wooyoung’s voice on the other side of the phone. “Good lord, you’re alive !” Relief can be heard in your voice. “Of course I am ! Are you okay y/n ?” Okay ? How can you be ? “ I haven’t heard from San since you took off the plane, is he still with you ?” you ask. please please please, tell me he is with you. “No, he left the agency a few hours ago, but I'm pretty sure his phone died. You don’t have to worry, y/n” You try real hard to hold back your tears. “Yeah, I hope you’re right. Thanks Woo.” You finish, hanging out the call. Why hasn't he reached out to you yet ? On that day that seemed so special for the both of you. 

Your way home is full of questions and worries. You try to call him up but you end up again by falling on his voicemail without even a tone. Wooyoung was probably right after all, there was no need to be worried. 

You unlock your door and suddenly your heart stops in your chest. A soft dim light is diffused in the whole apartment, and the floor is covered in red petals. The room is filled with the sound of your favorite melody. All the pieces of the puzzle are assembled and you finally realize what was going on. Your eyes are starting to fill with tears as you move into the room. He stands up here, behind the central island of the kitchen. His eyes finally reach you and you can see the widest smile on his face. “ Hi gorgeous !” He says, in his joyful voice. 

Your bag falls on the ground, and you run into his arms, burying your face into his chest. You were so worried, that seeing him here was the biggest relief ever. “I’m happy to see you too, baby.” He chuckles. “ I missed you, and you didn’t send any text. I thought something bad happened to you.” You admit, keeping your face close to his heart so you could hear his heartbeat. “ My phone died before I left the agency and I didn't have any battery left in the other one. But I had to come home fast.” You sigh in relief. You finally took a second to reach out to his lips and pressed yours against it. “I missed that.” He says, when you step back. 

“What were you cooking? It actually smells so good !” You ask, leaning on the counter to see into the pot. “A Sundubu-jjigae. Your favorite.” He answers, putting a kiss on your temple. “You really make my life feel like a dream, Sannie.” You were so lucky to have him. The sound of your favorite jazzy melody echoed in the room. Everything was so damn perfect. “ Would you like to dance with me ?” He asks, behind your back. “Here ? But the kitchen is way too small, we don't have enough space to dance.” You say, pointing at the room around you. “We won’t be fancy waltzing for sure, but I just want to have you close and swing to music.” He puts his hands around your waist and you wrap your arms around his neck, and starts swinging softly around the room. Soft light coming from the little spots and candles around the room made it even warmer. That was comforting. You always dreamed of those kinds of moments, but never thought it could be real. But here you are, slow dancing in the arms of the love of your life. “ I’m so thankful for the life we share.” You whisper, eyes riveted in his. He was gentle, understanding. The most caring and beautiful soul you’ve ever seen in your life. He makes you turn around yourself and you can’t help but giggle. “I’m thankful for you, y/n” He murmurs in your ear. keeping you close to him. The music changed, and sadly you stopped the moment. 

It was time for you to freshen-up a little, as the dish was finishing to stew. You had a few minutes before you. Once you reach the room, you find a giant box on the bed. The bow on it doesn't fool you. You also had a present prepared for your lover, but this ! This was quite wild. “Love ? What's in there?” You shout from the room. “Open it, you'll love what's inside !” Curious, you pull the piece of fabric to open the box’s lid. It’s absolutely full of things, and every little detail makes your heart warmer. Twelve items, for twelve months of love. A giant bear plushie, some candies, your favorite perfume, a very pretty bracelet. amongst everything there was a silky sleepwear set. Two cats were embroidered on the top, right on the heart position. It was the cutest thing you’ve ever witnessed, and it was quite special to you. It was personalized and showed how much attention he puts in everything you said or shared this past year. You took the time to admire every single item, before heading to the bathroom for a few minutes. 

“So ? You like… Wow ! Hello Baby.”  He says, appearing in the door frame, making your smile become wider. The way he was looking at you, could make you fall in love again. “How did I get that lucky ?” He asks, as you turn to him. He had so much love in his eyes. That's something you have never witnessed ever before. And the way he looked just like a prince out of a fairytale. His half buttoned shirt, rolled out sleeves, perfectly adjusted to his good amount of muscles. He couldn't look more handsome than this. “ You ain’t bad either, love.” You answer him with a little voice both amused and lascivious. You loved the way his honeyskin stood out even more thanks to his white shirt. He probably would be even more handsome without, but you’ll keep that for later.

You grab the small box on the dresser before heading towards him and placing a kiss at the corner of his jaw. “Here’s yours. Open it.” You invite him, a little smile on your lips. You waited for this for days. You knew he'd be so happy.  “What’s in there ?” He says, looking at it closely. But it was just a box, no brand, no distinctive signs of anything. “Just open it !” You press him with all your impatience. You couldn’t wait any longer. He opens the upper part, just to discover a gorgeous beige necklace. “Babe ?” He says, a little bit lost, when taking the object in his big hands. You can’t help but giggle. “You should just read the paper in it, before looking at me like that.” He took it with concern, and read the lines you handwritten him earlier on. 

Hi ! It’s me, Byeol. 

Apparently, you told mom you were hoping to grow the family one day. So here I am the first addition to our family. I may not be a human baby, mom says it’s a little bit too soon, but she said to me you’d be the happiest kitten dad in the world.  

I can’t wait to meet you ! You and mom will come and get me tomorrow morning. 

See ya, Byeol ! 

“Is it real ?” He said, lifting his head up to you, his eyes sparkling with joy. You nod your head quickly, happiness reading in your features. “But you said because of your allergy we couldn’t have cats !” His cautiousness made your heart flutters. “It’ll be okay, I've discussed with doctors and I was able to be desensitized, so we will be able to accommodate her.” You didn’t tell him anything to keep the surprise total. And it worked just as you expected. “ You did that for me ?” He asks, wrapping his giant’s arms around you. “ Yeah. You wanted to have a cat for so long now. I knew you’d be happy.” He leans to you, to kiss you deeply. “Do you know how much I love you ?” He says against your lips, making you smile as you step back a little. “I’d probably love you more after the diner. Because you cannot imagine how hungry I am.” You say, leaving his arms to run to the kitchen. 

From the hallway you can hear him yelling with joy and saying "Guys! I’m going to be a cat daddy!" Probably a voice message he sent to his best friend, impatient to share the big news. You couldn’t help but laugh. 

Life was so good by his side, you hoped it would remain like that, forever. Even how fast, crazy and amazing it is. It’s just as perfect as you expected it to be.

I really hope you appreciated it, do not hesitate to reblog or to leave a note i’d love to read all about your thoughts. ✿

[minothtime]

Linguistic Games - A Non-Comprehensive List

Obsessed with games about languages? Played one and crave infinitely more? Fear not, for I am here with a small handful of recommendations that will perhaps tide you over for a little bit before you start going crazy again!

This is a humble list of some games about linguistics or languages (or anything adjacent) as a main feature that I, a translator by trade, have played or heard about. Hopefully this is useful for anyone that's looking for new linguistic experiences!

Games I've Played

These are games I've actively played to full or near-full completion. They've all been great too btw.

Heaven's Vault

Oh boy, where to even begin talking about this game. Heaven's Vault is a game in which every single choice you make matters... and there's no turning back! This game is made to be replayed, as tedious as it might be to do so, and the lack of savefiles does hurt it a bit if you're as impatient and curious as I am. However, the story is so gripping and the twists and turns are so captivating that you just wanna keep playing to know everything!!

The story is simple on the surface: you're an archaeologist traveling across space with a simple goal: find out both what's going on with your curious companion and what has the Nebula in such a tizzy.

The artstyle is amazing, the game feels good to play, characters will remember every decision you've made and react accordingly... You might even discover a route so far from what you originally set out to do, it may derail your entire ending!

The language mechanic itself is fun, and figuring out the symbols and how they build on each other is incredibly enrapturing! Sometimes a bad guess can send you hurtling down the wrong path, but that's just life!

All you really need to keep in mind about this game is that two routes will never be the same... but they might be heavily similar. Or not. As long as you are aware that this is a slow-paced game with plenty of replayabilty, you're in for a fun, mysterious experience of trying to fit the jagged edges of the puzzle pieces together. And the picture they form is absolutely worth it.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation4, PC (Steam)

Price: €21,99 (Steam, PlayStation Store), €15,99 (Nintendo eShop)

NOW €8,79/$9,99 UNTIL JUNE 5TH ON STEAM!!

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

Chants of Sennaar

Yeah, it's me again, Chants of Sennaar's #1 megafan. What about it.

CoS is perhaps my favorite game out of this whole bunch. You're basically dropped in a strange, unfamiliar place... and everyone speaks a language you don't understand! Through logic and experience, you'll uncover the meaning of all the words you've been hearing though the sunny lower floor of the tower... because of course, this is a tower!

Tongue-in-cheek Babel reference aside, you go through different societies, each with their own language reflecting it, in your efforts to reach the very top of the tower. The story is plural yet simple, with a central one revolving around your character and lots of small side stories that keen-eyed players will find a delight to uncover.

On the language side of things, well... Language is Sennaar is both a device to advance the story and a collectable of sorts. It is possible to finish the game with incomplete knowledge of all the languages, but filling your notebook with every single word is just so much FUN! Apart from that, many languages have certain patterns one might recognize - verbs or nouns or some words may be written in a specific way, which makes it easier to understand the meaning of some things.

I want to spoil this game as little as possible. This is a game that should really be experienced if possible, so this little overview probably feels somewhat lackluster... oh well! One thing that stressed me out BAD in this game -spoiler alert, I guess?- were the stealth sections (there's not that many, just two stressful ones near the beginning and at the very very end), but in retrospect they were not bad at all. Trial and error makes it all work, and to be fair this game is incredibly lenient when you get caught.

Also the ending's nuts and i've been rotating the main character in my head ever since i first played this. artsyle is so cool too. insane game please give it a chance.

Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), Xbox One

Price: €19,99

NOW €12,99/$12,99 UNTIL JUNE 5TH ON STEAM!

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Sethian

Alright this one is for the true linguistic nerds out there. This is NOT a puzzle game. The other two games so far had puzzle and adventure elements, but this one? You only get two fucking things: a diary that updates as you go... and a weird screen with even weirder symbols.

You wanted a language to decipher? Well here you go! Learn this language. Use it to ask questions. Get answers. So on and so forth.

Sethian's language is impossibly interesting. This language doesn't take its grammar, syntax or stuff like that from English. Oh no. As the creator stated, it "borrows elements from Chinese, American Sign Language, and other real world languages, in addition to some features which have no real world counterpart."

Also, just as a heads up, you're not gonna get the meaning of every single symbol or word. Sorry. But let's be real - that's just true to learning any new language. Some things are better left as a mystery!

Sethian is not very long, but if you're into this language stuff it's honestly an incredible experience. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Platform: PC (Steam)

Price: €4,99

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

Cypher

This game is relatively similar to Sethian language-wise, even if it's not nearly as complex. Premise is as follows: you're helping a stranded space traveler make their way out of the planet they crashed onto... by acting as a translator between them and his local companion!

It's very fun and the way the language works is quite interesting, but don't expect much length or depth. Honestly, this is an amazing free game you can play if you want to scratch the itch a bit! ...Even if it might leave you itching for more. Oh, well!

In case you're seeing this on PC, here's a link to the game's itch.io page. Have fun!

Platform: PC (itch.io)

Price: Whatever you want it to be!

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

The Gostak

This is the one exception: I still haven't finished playing this game. In fact, at the time of writing, I just started. But this 2001 text adventure is an absolute masterpiece. Difficult as fuck, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

This game does not have convenient graphics or a handy way to keep track of what you've learned. What I'm doing is taking out my notebook and my multicolored pen and getting to WORK. You have to discover, parse or even guess the meaning or function of words based solely on their relations to OTHER unknown words that you uncover... by using the same words you know nothing about! You are the gostak. The gostak distims the doshes. From there, it's all on YOU to not only understand what's going on, but also complete this adventure... because it IS an adventure!

Your goal is unclear at the beginning, but as you unravel the language and begin to understand your surroundings, you'll see more and more of this world. As mentioned before, this is a text-only game, which can be a turnoff for some people. I, however, would say that the joy of figuring out words and the relationships between them without even knowing what they mean is simply amazing.

Here's the link to the game's website, so you can whip out your trusty word processor (or, if you're old school like me, your handy pen and paper) and go to town! May the gitches frike and the duscats glake!

Platform: PC (website)

Price: Free!

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

Games I Have Not Played

Homicipher

Well. From what I know about this game, it's a threefold game: horror, language, and adventure all rolled into one!

The only reason I haven't played this game is because I despise horror games with all my heart. They make me extremely anxious and I just don't have a good time at all. Everything else about this game is screaming out to me - a developed language-learning/guessing system? A crazy point-and-click adventure with multiple endings and interesting character interactions?

I'd say that if you don't mind the whole horror side of things, you should absolutely give this a try. I'm afraid I can't say much else about this game!

Platform: PC (Steam)

Price: €13,79

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

7 Days to End with You

All I know about this game is that you're given basically nothing to work with from the very beginning and that your interpretation of the language affects the story itself. Interesting concept!

A few reviews seem to imply this game is a bit divisive, but it's still on my to-play list. Maybe you, too, should give it a chance!

(If you're interested, maybe try and find a spoilerless review or a better summary... I'm sure there's much to be said about this game, but none of it will be found on this post!)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), Android (Play Store)

Price: €11,79 (eShop), €7,79/$7,99 (Steam), €5,49/$4,49 (Play Store)

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

Honorable mentions

Tunic

This is just a soulslike! Maybe I'm just so bad at videogames I struggle to get past the beginning, but as far as I know I don't think the language is the main focus of the game. It is still a translatable, learnable language, tho!

Outer Wilds

Keeps the same feeling of "knowledge drives you forward" that Heaven's Vault and Chants of Sennar have, but as far as I know there's no language translation central to the game. I mean, there is, it's just automatic and you don't get to play with a new language. Amazing experience nonetheless! (I'm still yet to finish it...!)

Tork (Can you torque the talk?)

2004 flash game, but it is now sadly unplayable. It employed a language-learning system similar to Chants of Sennaar.

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

Honorable honorable mentions

Rapid-fire list of non-language games that just scratched the same itch somehow.

Return to the Obra Dinn

Incredible notebook detective game about finding out what happened to the crew of a ship. Deductive reasoning takes the wheel here.

The Roottrees Are Dead

Another notebook detective game! This time, you're a private investigator in charge of filling out an extense family tree... and perhaps some surprises along the way!

Type Help

Rounding up the notebook detective genre, this one has you following the mysterious events that unfolded at a house party using only audio transcripts. Honestly, once it clicks, it clicks. Here's the itch.io link!

Sable

Low-stakes exploration with simple yet atmospheric graphics and a very interesting story to uncover!

Tales of the Neon Sea

An eclectic mix of noir, cyberpunk and pixel art that results in an unforgettable detective experience. Well-written characters, an amazing story, fun worldbuilding... I only wish it was longer!

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

Well, that's all! If you play any of these games (or have already played them), please don't hesitate to let me know!!! I just adore these little linguistic gems :D Also, if you know any other games not mentioned in here, PLEASE tell me I'm getting desperate

Hope you enjoy these games! Much love <3

[housemdork]

house md rewatch: 1x08, "poison"

the diagnostics department is poisoning its devotees to act just like their idol. chaos ensues.

this one felt good. it feels good to be hit over the head with some over obvious messaging every once in a while, especially when that messaging is very fun, exciting, and character-driven. PLUS we get major house and foreman dynamic development! i am very pleased.

this episode very conveniently comes in thirds, represented by each time chase, foreman, and cameron misstep during the case (in that order). they're confronted with a helicopter mom who reacts, in their view, poorly to how the diagnostics team treats her son. in my opinion, she's one of the first to rationally question their central practice of treating to diagnose, so it's funny how they all immediately get pissed off and write her off as crazy. i'll break down this first and move into other sub-conflicts/plots.

house demands to know why foreman cares so much about the case from the very second he presents the file to house. he's asking nothing but leading questions, of course, because he can tell that foreman's base interest comes from just that - blanket curiosity - rather than a more cameron-esque bleeding heart. house identifies a burgeoning house-ism in foreman, and it's one of house's most dangerous.

chase's tendency to be cavalier causes the mom to toss him off her son's case. he doesn't often weigh the consequences of what he's going to say in conversation, so long as it gets the job done, gets the patient to comply, gets the diagnosis clear and under control. yet another house-ism. yet, unlike house, chase doesn't have the necessary thick skin to bear through the pushback his big mouth gets him.

cameron's stubbornness could not present in a way more dissimilar to house, yet it's their strongest and clearest connection. she's also the last of the ducklings to be sent in to deal with the helicopter mom and, frustrated that she's compromising the diagnostic process, says that "no, it's on you. you need to do better. right now. yes or no." it's easy to put those words into house's mouth, but, not long after, the mom also boots her off the case.

each of the ducklings embody their own house-isms, but to varying degrees of failure. it seems like 1x08 may be highlighting the missing component for us: house combines all 3 of the aforementioned traits, rendering him pretty darn miserable, which makes him less compromising, less kind, and more convincing.

above all else, though, foreman gets the spotlight this time, which is refreshing after several chase and cameron-heavy episodes. while investigating the patient's home, cameron comments that he's "deflecting a personal question with a joke. gee, who do i know that does that?" foreman, understandably irked by this question (because, for nearly the full duration of this show, i believe that foreman does NOT like house), retorts with, "yeah, i'm just like him, except for the angry, bitter, pompous cr*pple part." he misses all the true comparisons to be made between himself and house thus far: their ambition, love of the puzzle, and the same cynical way toward others. and, just like how house md presents love in all its dimensions across several characters, the show will also present these traits in their character foils as equal parts good and bad.

later, when trying to make another appeal to the mother of the patient, she freaks out on foreman, too: "you're just as pompous and superior as [house] is!"

1x08 also presents these foreman/house similarities as inescapable. house is thrilled that foreman isn't making up with the mother by the episode's close, but foreman doesn't know why he would do that at all. never fear - house knows! there's no reason to make nice with her if "you don't care about her. or her son." immediately following this, foreman and house leave together in the elevator, where house smugly realizes that they do, in fact, where the same shoes. ugh, to respect someone so much and detest them at the same time is such an insanely interesting character dynamic.

a brief chase/daddy issues moment rears its head, too. he's able to redeem himself for his prior failures with the patient when he fakes a phone call to the mom from the CDC, since she won't go ahead with house's treatment till she hears their second opinion. not only is this ingenious and horribly manipulative, it also impresses house, a rare thing. i'll never forget the absolute elation chase feels after earning this fleeting approval, complemented nicely by a literal glow passing over their heads between shots.

that's his DAD, you guys.

there's another separate thread i want to highlight happens during cameron and foreman's conversation about house. foreman is upfront about house and vicodin - he's an addict. he uses vicodin to get through the day and can't pass easily through one without it. but cameron is so resistant to this. disputing foreman's diagnosis, she says, "he's not an addict. he has to take drugs. he's in pain!"

there are so many distinctions throughout house md about the root cause of house's addiction, a conflict that will basically tear up his relationship with cuddy and (very nearly) with wilson, too, in the distant future. oftentimes they're insistent that his pain is psychosomatic, therefore "less real," or it's phantom pain, or it's just Not As Bad as he claims. cameron makes a unique divergence from this separation of disability, addiction, and pain, by removing all traces of responsibility from house. it's all pain, so it's all okay. most people claim the opposite and put all the onus on house without factoring in the hand life has dealt him.

this is very in character for cameron thus far, as she wants to bring out the best in house, the kind of "best" that may not even be there in at all.

and, finally, 3 small notes:

hugh laurie has just about Found House at this point. the above picture says it all. he's endearing and funny and still a little evil.

wilson was there. this was probably his most "i, too, am in this epsisode" episode to date. i do love that he showed up solely to read the love poem the 80-year-old syphilis patient wrote for house, give him the test results that he had no business handling, and then leave. and he looked good during it all!

cuddy said like 3 words all episode :(

[jbuffyangel]

Hello Barry Allen: Arrow 2x08 Review (The Scientist)

It is bittersweet to remember how much I loved Barry Allen, before The Flash made me hate him with the fiery intensity of a thousand suns, but that’s a topic for another time. Let’s just enjoy this precious golden retriever who comes to Starling City to be the third point in an Olicity love triangle.

And y’all – I love me a good love triangle. Let’s dig in…

Olicity and Barry Allen

Full disclosure I did not know Barry Allen was The Flash when Grant Gustin guest starred on Arrow. I missed every foreshadowing moment of the forthcoming spinoff because I barely knew who The Flash was and really didn’t care.

The husband, of course, filled me in and oddly enough it didn’t tick off in my brain that they were pairing FELICITY SMOAK with one of the most famous comic book characters – a character even more popular than the Green Arrow. This is not something you do if the female character is simply comic relief. (No, I am never letting that Katie Cassidy comment go. Should I move on? Yes. Will I? No.) Season 2 Jen wasn’t that smart y’all. Bottom line, if Season 2 is a chess game, then Felicity Smoak’s pawn will become a queen. 

There is a break in a Queen Consolidated warehouse and this is where Oliver, Diggle, Captain Lance and Felicity first meet Barry Allen.

Lance: Who the hell are you?

This is one of Oliver’s all-time best comedic lines. Stephen Amell is bringing humor to Oliver’s blinding jealously, which is a lot of fun. It also offsets Oliver’s egomaniacal hypocrisy and makes him far more tolerable. Good choice, Mr. Amell!

Barry: I’m Barry Allen. I’m from the Central City Police Department. I’m with the Crime Scene Investigation unit. We’re working on a case with some similar unexplained elements to Central City. So, when the report of your robbery came over the wire, my captain sent me up here.

I bought his story. Oliver does not.

Barry is convinced it’s one guy who broke down a door of reinforced titanium and the security footage seems to support his theory. Also, the bruising pattern on the dead guard’s neck suggests someone used one hand to break it.

Barry: I’m guessing you don’t know how hard it is to break someone’s nec.

Oliver: Hmm? No. No idea.

Barry also figures out what was stolen – an industrial centrifuge (it separates liquid), which is a very big and heavy machine the thief ripped out of the ground.  Felicity offers some explanations, and Barry adds his two cents and soon these two adorable nerds are sparking off all the science.

Felicity: What did you say your name was?

Barry: Barry. Allen.

Felicity: Felicity. Smoak.

Source: @buffysummers

Barry looks at Felicity for about 1.2 seconds too long and Oliver gives him THE LOOK. Let’s keep those eyes on the centrifuge, Mr. Allen. I’m cackling. Jealous Oliver is one of the best Olivers.

The thing is Barry’s theories are based on evidence and Oliver is taking them very seriously because he knows exactly what can produce that kind of strength in one man.

Both Diggle and Felicity find additional evidence (and video footage!) that proves Barry Allen is dead on. The pup has some smarts! He arrives at Queen Consolidated at Felicity’s invitation. I just love that this young buck is popping up on Oliver’s turf and annoying the crap out of him.

Source: @oliver-and-felicity

Barry makes Felicity laugh and Oliver finds this puzzling. Felicity enjoys laughter and not a simmering pile of brooding man pain??!!

Felicity is socializing with another male. This cannot be born. Oliver gently pulls Felicity toward him, and more precisely away from Barry Allen, to ask a very important question.

Source: @kurtweller

The way Stephen’s voice rises to a full soprano is flat out hilarious. I accept no other interpretations.

Felicity accurately points out that forensic science is not really her thing, and she could genuinely use Barry’s help to figure out this latest mystery. Oliver agrees, and boy he is not happy about it, but all he can do is make sad puppy eyes as Felicity flounces off with her new “friend.”

Felicity and Barry gather evidence, and this is the first time Emily Bett Rickards has an equal sparring partner to banter with. The reason Barry and Felicity click so much is because they are basically the same person.  That said, inviting Barry into the home office is putting him precariously close to Oliver and team’s nighttime activities and, just like Felicity, Barry is no dummy. He’s done his research on The Vigilante, and it is safe to say that Barry Allen is a fanboy.

Source: @lyricalarrow

Barry: Green. That’s interesting, right? I mean, why green? Black would be better for stealth and urban camouflage, but personally I think that he trained in some sort of forest or jungle environment and the green is a nod to that.

I love Grant’s reading of this line because no detail is too small for Barry – he’s fascinated by Felicity’s attempt at monosyllabic. But more worrisome for Felicity is Barry, once again, is dead on.

Felicity: I don’t give the vigilante much thought.

Oh girl. You are so bad at lying.

Barry: Police reports show that he uses carbon arrows, but if he switched to an aluminum carbon composite, he would have far better penetration.

Source: @eddiethawne

This inadvertent sexual innuendo is almost as bad as “It feels really good having you inside me.”

Barry is also convinced that the vigilante has partners. Ok, so let’s just give the kid a job and call it a day. I do like that the writers acknowledge all the obvious things the police should figure out about the vigilante through Barry Allen’s obsessive fanboy investigation. In this way, I feel a kinship to him.

Felicity is curious as to why Barry is so curious, which gives us his character’s back story. His mother was murdered. They never caught the guy who did it and maybe the vigilante would. Barry Allen is looking for a hero. (SAD PANDA)

Barry and Felicity found the truck that stole the centrifuge, and it was just used to rob a blood bank. Oliver pressures Barry for more information about his “similar case” in Central City, but Barry is equally as bad of a liar as Felicity. Actually, he’s worse. Oliver is done with the close proximity to Felicity and the lies.

Oliver: I want you to look into this Allen kid. There’s more to him than he’s letting on.

Diggle: His intentions seem pretty clear to me.

This is why I love Diggle, and he will forever be the number one Olicity shipper. He will nudge Oliver about Felicity when necessary. This teasing remark is also a direct message to Oliver, without flatly calling him out. Barry is being clear about his feelings for Felicity and Oliver is not. Diggle lets Oliver know he has some competition and it’s time to get in the game. But Oliver, no matter how much he knows Diggle is right, is nowhere near ready to do that. Hence, his absolute dejection.

Source: @oliver-and-felicity

This is why Barry Allen is so necessary. It’s been quite a run of Olicity episodes thus far. First, we have the Russia debacle, with Oliver sleeping with Isabel and Felicity was hurt and jealous. Oliver also takes the opportunity to tell Felicity that even though he feels something for her he will never be with her. It’s a pretty definitive slamming of the door on any potential relationship between these two, except these feelings keep brimming to the surface.

Oliver heroically saves Felicity from the Count like a scene straight out of a romance novel. Nothing bonds two people like shared trauma. Oliver also tells Felicity that he will always choose her because nothing is more important to him. I mean honestly this man set the swoon standards.

But these are also some very frustrating episodes – for both Felicity and the viewers. He clearly has feelings for her, will die for her, will kill for her, betray his code for her, but refuses to be with her. So… where the hell does that put them? Oliver and Felicity are in a very murky gray zone.

Oliver knows Felicity wants to be with him. Even if she was trying to hide it (like she is in this episode).

Source: terushimasyuuji

The pain of the Russia debacle made Felicity’s feelings clear.  Even Oliver isn’t that stupid, which is what prompted the “I have feelings for you, but I’m going to let you down easy because I’m a selfless hero who is also the dumbest of pine trees to ever exist.” Of course, Oliver likes all Felicity’s attention and concern (because he’s in love with her even if he won’t freaking admit it). Whether they want to admit it or not, there is a serious power imbalance between the two of them. Oliver is calling all the shots.

But it's Felicity's life too. Felicity is asserting her independence with Barry. She is taking Oliver at his word. Ok, you don’t want to be with me? Fine. I will move on. Felicity isn’t trying to make Oliver jealous. In fact, I don’t think she notices he’s jealous at all. I think there’s a large part of her still feels, despite all the moments she’s shared with Oliver and the things he’s said, that he will never feel for her what she feels for him.

Felicity’s feelings for Barry are genuine, which is why it’s driving Oliver crazy. He’s been able to enjoy all the emotional benefits of a relationship with Felicity, without actually being with her. Barry Allen a big bucket of cold water on all the warm fuzzy feelings.  He’s also a flashing red warning sign. Oliver needs to understand there is a shelf life to all this “I must suffer because I am undeserving of love.” His trauma will cost him Felicity.  She will not wait forever for him. 

And there was some part of Oliver, deep down, that thought Felicity would wait forever for him. This is where the egotistical hypocrisy comes in. It’s okay for Oliver to have girlfriends and sleep with whoever he wants when he wants, but Felicity so much as looks at another man, and Oliver is ready to break his neck with his bare hands.

Felicity is a hot ticket. Some guy will absolutely cut in front of you to be with her. This is so Dawson Leary. Yuck. Take it away Pacey Witter.

Pacey: Look at that girl, Dawson. Just take a good look. She's a freaking goddess, man. How long did you think it was gonna be before some guy comes along and is interested in her? I mean, really, dude! And when that happens, what are you gonna do?

Dawson: I'm just gonna take it all as it comes.

Pacey: You're gonna take it as it comes. Oh great, well perhaps you should start figuring out right now because the guy that comes along is not gonna be your best friend and he's not gonna ask for your permission. The guy that comes along is gonna take one look at that woman and just cut right in on ya.

So, am I that bothered that Oliver gets the crap beaten out of him a couple times? Nah. Not really. He had it coming. Maybe the Mirakuru soldier can knock some sense into his concrete head.

Source: @olicitygifs

This was so overly dramatic. Oliver is an enormous man child with muscles. He’s not upset Felicity was a little rough with the medical tape. Didn’t this man use to suture his own bullet wounds, but he can’t handle Felicity’s soft womanly hands against a little scrape? Boy, please. He can’t yell at her about Barry, so he yells about her nursing skills.  

Oliver decides to come clean with what he knows about the super strength thief. He tells Felicity and Diggle about the serum on Lian Yu designed to create human weapons. Oliver assures them that Ivo and anyone injected with the serum are dead (spoiler alert Oliver, jeez) and he burned the last of it on the island.

Oliver asks Felicity to analyze the blood on the bent arrowhead.

Felicity: Barry and I will get right on it.

Diggle: I think our Miss Smoak is smitten.

Both statements cause Oliver physical pain. The man can barely breathe. Alright, I’m starting to feel a little sorry for him.

Diggle confirms that Oliver’s suspicions are right about Barry. He’s not being honest about who he is. A very pissy Oliver comes in hot, pumped up on jealousy, testosterone filled overprotection and raging hypocrisy, to confront Barry for lying about who he is – in front of Felicity. Naturally.

Barry immediately confesses the real reason he’s in Starling City. His father is in prison for his mother’s murder. Barry knows his father is innocent because he witnessed the crime. A blur with a person inside killed Barry Allen’s mother. Nobody believes him because that’s crazy. So, he seeks out the crazy cases like a super strength thief in the hopes it will lead to his mother’s real killer and freeing his father. He’s so damn earnest and hopeful, it’s like watching Oliver beat the crap out of a fluffy bunny. This is not a good look when trying to show your not-wife what a douchebag her new boyfriend is. Barry leaves town, which also costs Felicity her date to Moira’s welcome home party Oliver randomly decided to throw.

Instead of immediately apologizing to both Barry and Felicity, Oliver doubles down and defends what he did. Apologizing is not really his forte, so this is not unexpected.

Source: @owenelliots-blog1

I love my unproblematic queen who can acknowledge the mountain of hypocrisy Oliver is standing on. YEAH, BIG GUY. YOU LIE ABOUT YOUR IDENTITY EVERY DAY AND USED TO KILL PEOPLE ON THE REGULAR. TAKE SEVERAL SEATS.

The party for Moira is a disaster. Shockingly nobody shows up to celebrate the freedom of the woman who helped kill hundreds of people in Glades. What a shocker. I love you Oliver, but you are so out of touch sometimes with normal people. Also, the elitist rich of Starling City don’t want to be tainted by associating with the Queen family.

Oliver has thought about his actions and acknowledges he overreacted about Barry.

Source: @dianaclairmonts

I love that she doesn’t let him off the hook right away. Felicity is mad and she has every right to be. Barry shouldn’t have lied. I agree with Oliver on this one small point. But both he and Felicity know it wasn’t all nobility, like he’s some standard bearer for the truth, that made Oliver confront Barry like he did. Oliver was trying to obliterate any potential “something” growing between Felicity and Barry – and they both know it.

Source: @o-rigamii

My kingdom for these two to dance. Let us not speak of how long we had to wait for it to happen. YEARS, people. YEARS.

Oliver: I know. That’s why I called him. They will card him at the bar.

Awww. He called Barry. Oliver is trying to make it right. I’m even going to allow the snark because it was hilarious. Did you notice Oliver immediately racing to the bar and downing a shot with Isabel to avoid watching Felicity dance with this kid? I did.

Oliver’s acknowledges he has no right to interfere in any relationship Felicity wants with Barry, primarily because he refuses to give her one with him. Oliver is trying to be the better man, to stand back and allow Felicity the happiness he feels he cannot give her. But all I want is for Oliver to cut in. Diggle is right. He needs to get in the game!

Whatever may be happening with Barry – it’s going to be long distance because he needs to go back to Central City, or he’ll be fired. He leaves without kissing Felicity. They are both wistfully hesitant. Interesting.

Is it too soon for a kiss? Yes, especially in the land of television. I like Barry, but I don’t actually want Felicity to end up with him. He’s the third point in the love triangle and that’s all. He’s a mechanism to get Oliver’s ass in gear. I don’t need to see them make out. Also, Barry Allen has always been a little asexual to me.

For Felicity, it’s one thing to say you’re moving on. It is another thing to actually do it. Maybe it’s not so easy for Miss Smoak to put Oliver behind her.

Source: @oliverqueenz

Barry and Felicity determine the sedative in the thief’s blood is Ketamine. (Isn’t that shit for horses?) The only place that has enough for the centrifuge is an ARGUS disaster bunker. It’s time for Oliver to suit up, but Felicity is not sure he should go.  The simple fact is the thief’s muscle mass is the same as concrete. Oliver is going to be punching a literal brick wall.

Source: @oliverqueenz

Oliver is a little taken aback. It’s not like Felicity not to believe in him. But this is not lack of belief, it’s a legitimate concern when faced with a scientific reality. Sure, Malcolm Merlyn was bad, but he wasn’t made out of concreate. You can push those romantic feelings as far down as possible, but they will always rise to the surface when the person you love is about to face mortal danger.

Like it or not, Oliver Queen is the Arrow. It is his responsibility to stop guys like this, so he faces off with the super soldier – and gets his ass handed to him on a platter. This guy bounces Oliver around like a ping pong ball. Oliver was also injected with an unknown substance during the fight.

Source: @mrsmaudlin

Diggle and Felicity find him unconscious, but don’t know how to save him because they don’t know what substance he’s poisoned with. Diggle is ready to call 911 and blow the whole vigilante cover to smithereens, but Felicity has another idea. One that can save Oliver and protect his identity – if this person will keep his secret.

Source: @bifelicitys

One second Barry Allen is waiting at the train station and the next he’s waking up in the Arrow cave, with Felicity begging him to save Oliver.

And Oliver is not going to be happy with this turn of events.

Slade and Shado

Slade is in serious trouble. He’s burned half to hell and fading fast. So, is it a little odd that Shado chooses NOW to question Oliver about his romantic life? Yes, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Shado: How do you know that girl?

The girl in question is Sara. ISN’T THAT SUCH AN INTERESTING QUESTION OLIVER? Yes, please do explain to Shado how you know Sara.

Oliver: Sara was on my father’s boat… with me.

Shado: What about the girl in the picture? Laurel. The girl you told me you were in love with.

Oliver: Sara is her sister.

Shado is disgusted, which is the natural and appropriate reaction to anyone finding out about Oliver cheating on Laurel with her sister. This is a canon event, Shado. We can’t interfere. You must realize for yourself why it is impossible to ship Oliver with either Laurel or Sara. I bet Slade isn’t looking so bad right now.

Sara: I guess a lot happened in the last year.

Shado finding out about Sara. Sara is finding out about Shado. Oh, what a tangled web Ollie weaved. Honestly, he was just so slutty.

Just imagine you are Sara. I’m choosing Sara since she’s known Oliver longer, but Shado has every right to be angry too. But imagine you are Sara, and you betrayed your only sister for a guy who hooked up with someone else after you’ve been barely “dead” a year. We know Oliver didn’t forget about Sara, but that’s exactly what it feels like. Such a mess. I can’t imagine Sara loving the choices she made right now.

Did you notice Shado said, “The girl you WERE [Laurel] in love with.” That’s past tense my friends and Oliver doesn’t correct her. Now, Shado might believe Oliver is in love with her (although neither has said these words in a year). Oliver might not want to correct Shado in front of Sara. There could be lots of reasons. It’s difficult to juggle three love interests at the same time. But I don’t think this past tense reference is a small thing. 

Team Flashback is on the run and looking for a way to save Slade. Eventually they find the serum and must decide if Slade should take it. They don’t have all the necessary ingredients for a successful super soldier, however.

Oliver: What happens if we give it to Slade without the sedative?

Sara: He’ll die for sure.  

Shado: He’s going to die anyway.

That was dark Shado. Dark but true. Ultimately, it’s Slade’s call and he tells Oliver to inject him with the serum. But before he does, Slade uses his last moments to apologize to Shado.

Slade: I’m sorry. For not telling you how I really feel.

Then he touches her hair. SOB. I know some people think this storyline with Slade and Shado came out of nowhere, but I don’t agree. They built this relationship since Season 1, and it makes absolute sense that Slade fell in love with Shado. And it makes absolutely sense why he hid his feelings for so long.

Oliver is SHOCKED by Slade’s confession. At least he is consistently clueless about love in all timelines. What I love more than anything else is Shado doesn’t give two shits about Oliver’s reaction. Her focus is on Slade and only Slade. See? She’s making better choices too.

Slade’s reaction to the serum is violent, complete with bleeding eyes, and then he dies which was slightly anticlimactic to be honest. Oliver and Shado have barely begun to mourn him when Ivo shows up and kidnaps all three. This guy is like a bad case of herpes. He just won’t go away.

Moira and Malcolm

Malcolm is back and he wants Moira to tell Thea who her biological father is.  

Moira: You killed Tommy. You killed your son. You cannot have my daughter.

Murdering your child should disqualify you from ever parenting again – I feel like that should be a law. We need to ask why Malcolm cares about Thea now when he never did before? Well, he’s a sociopath so there’s that. Malcolm is all about his “legacy” and now that Tommy is gone – Thea is it. Not that he was ever happy with Tommy in the legacy department, but Thea isn’t replacement Tommy. You don’t swap one child for the other. Doesn’t work that way.

But this isn’t the Moira of Season 1. She’s done fearing Malcolm. When his villain monologue reveals he trained in Nanda Parbat, Moira makes a couple calls. She notifies Rha’s Al Ghul that Malcolm is in Starling City.  Since he’s alive, this allows Rha’s AL Ghul the pleasure of killing Malcolm for the Undertaking betraying their code.  Is this the first Rha’s Al Ghul mention? The Batman fan in me is geeking out.

Moira: So, my advice to you, Malcolm… run.

I am here for bad ass Moira not taking any more shit. She still doesn’t tell Thea about Malcolm and quite frankly I’m fine with it. I don’t want Thea to know.  Can the Queen family just be happy for five minutes?

Stray Thoughts

If you are wondering where the pink in my blog comes from – it’s this dress. I think the only dress I love more than this one is the 3x01 red dress.

Oliver and Felicity looked so good this episode. Oliver in suspenders is a lot. I am amazed at their self control.

Felicity: Is it ok to laugh because I was ordered to say anything about you being in prison just to avoid any awkward exchanges.

Oliver: Like that one.

I would die for her.

“Why couldn’t you be marooned in Aruba?” Felicity is so real for this. I’ve been to Aruba. I would love to be marooned there.

“Oliver is a good son, if not the best judge of character.” SHOTS FIRED!! Moira vs Isabel is the Bitch Off I’ve been waiting for.

Put the purse down, Felicity. You aren’t going to get ripped off while dancing with Barry at the Queen mansion.

Sara learned all the science last year. I guess she didn’t have cable tv, so I’ve chosen to find this believable.

Roy is getting a little too close to this Max/super soldier thing and Oliver wants him to back off for his safety– especially since Thea is involved. When Roy refuses, because he’s Roy, the Arrow shoots him. I love Oliver’s Season 2 problem solving skills.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 2x08!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me!

[thefirstknife]

Got through all of the secrets for Vesper's Host and got all of the additional lore messages. I will transcribe them all because I don't know when they'll start getting uploaded and to get them all it requires doing some extra puzzles and at least 3-4 clears to get them all. I'll put them all under read more and label them by number.

Before I do that, just to make it clear there's not too much concrete lore; a lot about the dungeon still remains a mystery and most likely a tease for something in the future. Still unknown, but there's a lot that we don't know even with the messages so don't expect a massive reveal, but they do add a little bit of flavour and history about the station. There might be something more, but it's unknown: there's still one more secret triumph left. The messages are actually dialogues between the station AI and the Spider. Transcripts under read more:

First message:

Vesper Central: I suppose I have you to thank for bringing me out of standby, visitor. The Spider: I sent the Guardian out to save your station. So, what denomination does your thanks come in? Glimmer, herealways, information...? Vesper Central: Anomaly's powered down. That means I've already given you your survival. But... the message that went through wiped itself before my cache process could save a copy. And it's not the initial ping through the Anomaly I'm worried about. It's the response.

A message when you activate the second secret:

Vesper Central: Exterior scans rebooting... Is that a chunk of the Morning Star in my station's hull? With luck, you were on board at the time, Dr. Bray.

Second message:

Vesper Central: I'm guessing I've been in standby for a long time. Is Dr. Clovis Bray alive? The Spider: On my oath, I vow there's no mortal Human named Bray left alive. Vesper Central: I swore I'd outlive him. That I'd break the chains he laid on me. The Spider: Please, trust me for anything you need. The Guardian's a useful hand on the scene, but Spider's got the goods. Vesper Central: Vesper Station was Dr. Bray's lab, meant to house the experiments that might... interact poorly with other BrayTech work. Isolated and quarantined. From the debris field, I would guess the Morning Star taking a dive cracked that quarantine wide open.

A message when you activate the third secret:

Vesper Central: Sector seventeen powered down. Rerouting energy to core processing. Integrating archives.

Third message:

The Spider: Loading images of the station. That's not Eliksni engineering. [scoffs] A Dreg past their first molt has better cable management. Vesper Central: Dr. Bray intended to integrate his technology into a Vex Mind. He hypothesized the fusion would give him an interface he understood. A control panel on a programmable Vex mind. If the programming jumped species once... I need time to run through the data sets you powered back up. Reassembling corrupted archives takes a great deal of processing.

Text when you go back to the Spider the first time:

A message when you activate the fourth secret:

Vesper Central: Helios sector long-term research archives powered up. Activating search.

Fourth message:

Vesper Central: Dr. Bray's command keys have to be in here somewhere. Expanding research parameters... The Spider: My agents are turning up some interesting morself of data on their own. Why not give them access to your search function and collaborate? Vesper Central: Nobody is getting into my core programming. The Spider: Oh! Perish the thought! An innocent offer, my dear. Technology is a matter of faith to my people. And I'm the faithful sort.

Fifth message:

Vesper Central: Dr. Bray, I could kill you myself. This is why our work focused on the unbodied Mind. Dr. Bray thought there were types of Vex unseen on Europa. Powerful Vex he could learn from. The plan was that the Mind would build him a controlled window for observation. Tidy. Tight. Safe. He thought he could control a Vex mind so perfectly it would do everything he wanted. The Spider: Like an AI of his own creation. Like you. Vesper Central: Turns out you can't control everything forever.

Sixth message:

Vesper Central: There's a block keeping me from the inner partitions. I barely have authority to see the partitions exist. In standby, I couldn't have done more than run automated threat assessments... with flawed data. No way to know how many injuries and deaths I could have prevented, with core access. Enough. A dead man won't keep me from protecting what's mine.

Text when you return to the Spider at the end of the quest:

The situation for the dungeon triumphs when you complete the mesages. "Buried Secrets" completed triumph is the six messages. This one is left; unclear how to complete it yet and if it gives any lore or if it's just a gameplay thing and one secret triumph remaining (possibly something to do with a quest for the exotic catalyst, unclear if there will be lore):

The Spider is being his absolutely horrendous self and trying to somehow acquire the station and its remains (and its AI) for himself, all the while lying and scheming. The usual. The AI is incredibly upset with Clovis (shocker); there's the following line just before starting the second encounter:

She also details what he was doing on the station; apparently attempting to control a Vex mind and trying to use it as some sort of "observation deck" to study the Vex and uncover their secrets. Possibly something more? There's really no Vex on the station, besides dead empty frames in boxes. There's also 2 Vex cubes in containters in the transition section, one of which was shown broken as if the cube, presumably, escaped. It's entirely unclear how the Vex play into the story of the station besides this.

The portal (?) doesn't have many similarities with Vex portals, nor are the Vex there to defend it or interact with it in any way. The architecture is ... somewhat similar, but not fully. The portal (?) was built by the "Puppeteer" aka "Atraks" who is actually some sort of an Eliksni Hive mind. "Atraks" got onto the station and essentially haunted it before picking off scavenging Eliksni one by one and integrating them into herself. She then built the "anomaly" and sent a message into it. The message was not recorded, as per the station AI, and the destination of the message was labelled "incomprehensible." The orange energy we see coming from it is apparently Arc, but with a wrong colour. Unclear why.

I don't think the Vex have anything to do with the portal (?), at least not directly. "Atraks" may have built something related to the Vex or using the available Vex tech at the station, but it does not seem to be directed by the Vex and they're not there and there's no sign of them otherwise. The anomaly was also built recently, it's not been there since the Golden Age or something. Whatever it is, "Atraks" seemed to have been somehow compelled and was seen standing in front of it at the end. Some people think she was "worshipping it." It's possible but it's also possible she was just sending that message. Where and to whom? Nobody knows yet.

Weird shenanigans are afoot. Really interested to see if there's more lore in the station once people figure out how to do these puzzles and uncover them, and also when (if) this will become relevant. It has a really big "future content" feel to it.

Also I need Vesper to meet Failsafe RIGHT NOW and then they should be in yuri together.

[queenmuzz]

A Marriage of Convenience: Chapter VII

The Necropolis: Kiss The Girl!

Read it HERE on Ao3

Or start the story HERE!

There was a growing tension in the air. Emmrich could have attributed to the thinness of the Fade, could have been the increasing moisture, increasing air pressure as the (direction) Necropolis lift clanked and shuddered downward.

But no, he couldn't fool himself. The rising tension was emanating from the woman next to him, who didn't even look at him as the veilfire torches became fewer and further apart. He didn't understand it. Why was she so resistant to the idea of him traveling with her? While he hadn't traversed the deep depths in quite some time, decades probably, he was still familiar with it, with the spirits that lingered in the darkness down here. He knew the dangers, of how spirits that had slipped out behind the veil often found themselves driven mad by the isolation, possessing long dead bodies to lash out with. So he had come prepared, his robe stitched with boiled leather padding, his pack full of water skins, dried fruit, bandages, and a pouch full of lyrium potions. Surely she could not say that he had thought this was a frivolous jaunt?

And yet she had looked… disappointed… when he had appeared at her side, fully kitted out, as if she thought common sense would prevail, and he'd changed his mind, preferring to stay in the comfort of the upper levels. But either she was too polite, or Vorgoth's words were too effective, because to her credit, she hadn't attempted to slip away again, slamming the lift doors in his face.

Still, she didn't seem to hide her dismay at him accompanying her, shown by the way she stared straight ahead, almost as if she was pretending not to notice him.

Only after it came to the seventeenth level, when it stopped with a resounding CLUNK, did she acknowledge his presence. As she gestured to him to follow her. Aside from a single veilfire torch at the lift entrance, there was no other source of light.

"Would you like me to provide some illumination?" He attempted to create conversation, puzzled at how a non mage would navigate the lightless depths.

"Already covered." Her response was curt, as she pulled something out of her pack, putting it to her mouth and biting down. There was a POP that echoed down the infinite halls, followed by a flash of blue, which momentarily blinded him. Within a few seconds, it softened, and she plopped it into a glass skull dangling at her waist. "Lyrium tablet should last us several hours. So we don't have time to dawdle. This way." She pulled out a scroll of paper, a piece of charcoal, and began walking down the corridor, not even looking back to see if he followed.

"Looks like the central lift halls are relatively undisturbed, that's good." She spoke, more to herself than him, as he attempted to catch up. "That'll make it easier to redraw the map. So, to start with…" she turned, pulling out a little compass, and by the time he reached her, she had positioned herself north, and walked at a quick pace, her chainmail gently jingling.

"Exactly how long do you think this will take?"

"Why?" she responded without looking at him, "You got some sort of soiree to attend?"

He ignored her barbs, and looked around, marvelling at how different the stone walls looked in the blue light, compared to the usual green. "Just curious, of course. My duties consisted more of attending the denizens of the Necropolis, instead of attending to the Necropolis itself."

"Of course," she led the way as she quickly made sketches on the grid, short-form symbols that he had no skill at deciphering. "You never needed to do the dirty work."

[midnight1nk]

⭐️A few days ago...⭐️

Wow, what a wholesome episode! "The rosemary to my bread", dude, I hope my future partner will say that to me one day. Now that I had my weekly dose of silly, time to check the Puzzlevision website! Eh, I bet it's going to be the same as...

[*SCREAMING*]

WOTFI 2024 PREDICTIONS REVISITED

⚠️ DISCLAIMER IN INTRO POST ⚠️

An eye for an eye...

How are we feeling, SMG4 fandom? It's that time of year and many have speculated about WOTFI as well as what might come afterwards. Myself included with my previous theory posts, suspecting that something big is guaranteed to happen. And we didn't have to wait long.

On the 14th of September, just a few days ago, the channel's latest episode, 'SMG4 and SMG3 come up with an episode' was released. But what truly made the fandom lose their mind was the sudden change of the Puzzlevision website. If you need a refresher, here is what it looked like before:

It had:

[puzzlevision.tv] being the site title and URL

Mr Puzzles' logo

A central image that transitioned between a webp to a gif file and vice versa on certain occasions

(after choosing Save As option) the image already labeled as Now Airing

Now, there was talk about this that wasn't left originally, stating that the image (that used to be larger) now had a black border around it. At least, at the time. As someone who has worked with web design, there's actually a number of reasons why this is.

Depending on the resolution/zoom setting on your device, it might alter the site's layout.

As said earlier, the image alternated between a gif to a webp. All websites require a background color underneath all of its assets so the change in image/file size may have shrunk than what was originally. Especially if you are attempting to make it look seamless between the transitions.

Long story short, It's simply how web layouts are: formatting gets a bit wonky from time to time.

Anyway, as I already mentioned, the website has changed to this,

(supposedly someone said the password was "carnival")

Then, to this:

Changes include:

The title "War of the Fat Italians 2024" with a similar URL [www.wotfi2024.com]

SMG4 logo

A whole new layout design (obviously) which just gives off 'Greatest Showman' energy

And now we've come to the present day: fans have already submitted their minigame challenges and preparing for a carnival-themed adventure. For me and other theorists, though, we're having a field day. From the clues I gathered on the website and a few past episodes, I might be able to put together what the channel has for us this year. Let's revisit my "WOTFI 2024 Predictions"!

I already covered a lot in depth in my "Puzzlevision 2: Now Airing" theory [link] and I'll be referring back to it here, so I recommend looking it over if you haven't already.

THE WEBSITE

I was honestly surprised that I was right about a couple of things. The main one being about the website itself.

The people behind SMG4 didn’t need to put this image in, they didn’t need to keep this website on. But they did.

Well, past Ink, you nailed it. And according to Cube (FM), this is the same website host.

"don't read into it too much"

Cube, with everything going on, I might as well interrogate a website for memes' sake.

Wait, what's wrong with it?

The fact that the website is used for WOTFI of all things is what's so strange. All the previous WOTFI'S asked the fans to submit their challenges through the comment section or social media. No other option was involved until now.

Maybe they wanted to try something different like what they did for WOTFI 2023?

That's a good point. It was stated that they wanted to be more experimental with their episodes. But even then, the '23 stream they hosted was on their channel, on Youtube.

Maybe they didn't want it to go to waste? After all, sites can be expensive.

Again, it's a good point. Depending on the domain they used and the apps connected to the site, it can be costly. However, I do want to iterate what I said earlier: they didn't need to keep this website up. Better yet, if they didn't want to raise any flags, why not keep the site how it originally was with the "That's all folks!" image? Why the change? Which brings us to our next point,

WHO IS THE REAL SMG4?

Let me explain...

After the change of the website, we got this post,

This brings up a lot of questions:

Who sent the letter?

If we can assume that's Four's hand, why did the post say "you" as if there is a narrator?

If Four had no idea about a carnival coming to town, then why would he ask us to submit challenges for a carnival he's supposedly hosting?

Well, they're pretty easy to answer. We already established that Marty would come back to be the most likely antagonist for WOTFI. I mean, this cardboard cutout managed to own a pizza shop, a casino, an airline company, and a spaghetti sauce brand. It wouldn't be a surprise if he also happened to own a carnival. But as I said in previous theories, Marty isn't working alone.

He's working with Mr Puzzles.

Mr Puzzles was the one who sent the letter to SMG4 just as he did for Wren in Western Spaghetti (indirect or not). It hasn't exactly shown if the letter had his seal on it. Not that it needs to anyway, they would recognize his logo and know they can't trust what's inside this envelope.

Remember how I said in my previous theory that one of the ways Mr Puzzles could control SMG4 was for our blue meme lord to be his eyes and ears? In the latest episode, SMG3 comes up with the idea of a carnival coming to the showgrounds for a week, and SMG4 wanting to go on the baby teacup ride.

Mr Puzzles was there, listening to every word they said to each other. He has been since "SMG4: Inside Out".

Could it just be purely by coincidence and just something out of improv? Sure, the SMG4 & SMG3 side episodes aren't really connected to canon. But like, c'mon, the channel knew what they were doing. Everything has to be put into consideration.

If that's true, the narrator could be Mr Puzzles, the second voice inside his head. Or, for those who love the goop!4 theory, the voice could be the demonic goo slowly taking over.

Now, back to the post!Four and site!Four. If we can assume the Four from the post is our Four, then the one impersonating Four would be Mr Puzzles, once again controlling the events in WOTFI. This time, using his website. Like Cube said, Mr Puzzles is the same website host as before. Also, look at these two:

It would be too obvious if we see a PNG of Mr Puzzles on the website again so why not impersonate his narrative foil. Well, at least look dapper while you're at it.

Or, even better, Four does know about the carnival but either the goo or Mr Puzzles are erasing certain memories.

A GAME OF WITS

Speaking of the website, let's analyze the description:

Step right up, WOTFI is coming to town and we need your challenges but this time...WITH A TWIST! We're doing a carnival theme this year and we want challenges named like a minigame and a description of what they are! For example "Whack a Bob - Who can smash bob with a hammer first?" OR "Pizza Pie Peril- Survive giant pizza's raining form the sky' Guidelines - Please only 1 challenge per person - Nothing inappropriate - Please add your internet profile name in the 'name' field below Thank you and see you soon!!! -SMG4

Carnival theme, huh?

Well, last year's theme made sense. Three's notebook was stolen and was risked of getting leaked. With the casino being heavily guarded, Four and Three had to sneak in. A secret mission to take back a secretive object.

If this WOTFI has Marty and Mr Puzzles working together, then It would make sense for a businessman and an entertainer would come up with something like a carnival. The best of two worlds: fun and capitalism. Besides, the Showgrounds would be a perfect place to host it since it used to be an abandoned carnival and Mr Puzzles having something to do with the land ownership.

[SMG4: Our New Home // timestamp: 5:38]

Now, what is peculiar is the use of the term "minigame".

Ink, it's a carnival. You have to stick to the theme of carnival rides and games.

Fair, but this is WOTFI we're talking about here. If you win a challenge, you get closer to the end and win a point for your side. For WOTFI '23, every choice impacted the story and therefore the ending. If the SMG4 crew plays and wins these minigames, what do they get in return? And if they lose, would there be a punishment?

It will entirely depend on how WOTFI would play out, in three scenarios:

Marty is revealed to be behind the carnival at the beginning of WOTFI and the Crew learns that, in order to reach him, they have to win some mini-games.

Marty isn't revealed until the near end. The Crew only came because they wanted to have some fun for the day but learned that this was a sort of trap created by Marty (along with Mr Puzzles but they don't know that yet).

OR BONUS SECRET OPTION

Both Marty and Mr Puzzles revealed themselves to be the ones hosting the carnival, meaning it's less likely that Puzzlevision 2 would happen unless something else happens.

Then, there is the phrase "WITH A TWIST". Sure, it could mean that it would be different than our regular old WOTFI, just as it happened in 2023. But WOTFI 2023 also revealed the twist that Mr Puzzles was actually the one orchestrating the whole thing, sending the fax to Marty about the secret recipe and his theme scattered in the background in multiple episodes. We might get a twist by the end of this year's WOTFI as well. Bonus points if we hear a version of his theme again.

Back in my Puzzlevision 2 theory, I predicted that the final battle with Mr Puzzles would happen back where it all started. With the carnival coming into the Showgrounds, it comes back full circle.

ONE STEP CLOSER

There isn't much to change from what I predicted:

Karen would be a key character for WOTFI this year. Maybe Karen just wanted her kids to have fun for the day, or even the corporation, her former workplace, gave her a tip that Marty would be there.

The Crew would have to find Marty's absolute weakness since he's technically invincible.

And possibly Pedro coming back to assist the Crew somehow.

But now I have a new prediction, based on the latest episode:

SMG4's and SMG3's relationship would change to a whole new level. That Four may need Three for something or if Three realizes something about himself, it would change their dynamic regardless.

It's really similar to how it was for WOTFI 2023 with small bits here and there all coming back to a single episode. (The notebook, the duo's meme guardian powers, Four's forklift, Three moving out of the Internet Graveyard, etc.)

It's still too early to confirm anything, but at the very least, we now have some idea what WOTFI may be about as well as evidence to back up some of my theories.

Will we get goop!4? God, I wish. I was listening to "Friends on the Other Side" and I was just imagining scenarios of Mr Puzzles taking complete control of Four with the goo. If it doesn't happen for whatever reason, I'll write it myself.

Oh well, we would just have to wait and see. In the meantime, that’s just a theory…

AN SMG4 THEORY

🎶Thanks for dropping by🎶

[bread-tab]

okay random 4am rant time, don't take it too seriously, but: people need to recognize there's a difference between "bad worldbuilding" and "worldbuilding styles you personally don't like."

bad worldbuilding is, for example: internally inconsistent, bigoted, or something else that messes up the plot or characterization of the story itself. sloppy. careless.

things that are *not* bad worldbuilding:

minimalism.

i've been thinking about this in the first place because i saw a post about the Murderbot Diaries a while back (don't know who made it, don't care; this ain't personal) saying the worldbuilding in those books is bad and lazy. to me, as an avid sci-fi reader and writer, that is clearly not true. but i understood why they thought this. the series uses extremely minimalist worldbuilding which intentionally withholds a lot of detail, in a way that is consistent with the (nonhuman, robot, depressed robot) first-person POV. this could also be a feature of the author's writing style in general—i haven't read her other works—but i wouldn't bet too much on it.

the signature of intentional minimalism is that there *are* details about the speculative setting—they're just doled out very thoughtfully and sparingly. the intent is to leave you a little hungry for more. it's to make you think very carefully about the details you do have. this is best suited to stories that already have elements of psychological and/or mystery plot types. the worldbuilding you do see should still be believable, internally consistent, and have interesting implications if you think about it a bit. but you are for sure going to have to think harder to get it.

if you're not in the mood, i will concede, a minimalist style definitely comes off as a bit dry. if you are in the mood, it's relaxing.

whimsy.

this is a big one for sci-fi fans in particular. see: the constant debate about whether any particular story is "hard" or "soft" sci-fi, and whether soft sci-fi is bad, etc etc. but worldbuilding doesn't have to be realistic to be good. you're allowed to have Jedi and humanoid aliens and time travel in your sci-fi. you're allowed to have historical anachronisms and astrology and po-ta-toes in your fantasy. whether or not they're silly isn't the deciding factor on how "good" these worldbuilding elements really are.

the key thing is tonal consistency. you've got a serious high-fantasy setting with its own strict, un-Earth-like theology and magic system, and you throw Santa Claus in there? yeah, that's not gonna land well. but C.S. Lewis can get away with that in Narnia just fine. why? because the Chronicles of Narnia are whimsical children's stories with a strong Christian/Western mythological influence already, and their central conceit is a crossover between the mundane world and the magical world. of course Santa can cross over too. it's whimsical, but it's not actually random. (and if you ventured into straight-up comedy, you could get away with random too. as long as it's funny.)

the unreliable narrator.

i don't have a good example for this off the top of my head (maybe Murderbot again? idk, i'm sleepy, fill in your own) but i'll tell you how to recognize when this is done well.

by definition, an unreliable narrator has some key misconceptions about their own world. so how do you tell what's going on as a reader? how do you know the writer isn't equally confused?

you connect the dots. solve the puzzle. in practice this is similar to reading a minimalist setting—but instead of just sparse clues, you also have a boatload of red herrings. you can catch some of these misleading details by comparing them to your real-world knowledge and saying "wait, this doesn't add up." other times, the false clues intentionally trick you by subverting those real world expectations.

the trick is in the consequences. regardless of what the narrator says, their actions should still have logical consequences. there should be things going on that the POV character doesn't know about. the character will be forced to learn and adapt their narrative because of these shifting circumstances. you can catch them in a lie. the inconsistencies themselves tell a story.

...

i'm gonna stop myself there because this post is long and i oughtta be sleeping. just. this is a distinction worth making. is it really bad worldbuilding, or is it simply not the genre you're craving today? learn the difference for your own sake. you'll have an easier time realizing if a story is something you'll find enjoyable to read, regardless of its actual quality.

[miloscat]

[Review] Zuma's Revenge (PC)

A beautiful little time-waster.

For a bit of nostalgia I picked up a Popcap bundle on Steam. Their games were some of the first I had when I got my very own laptop for the first time. I used to spend hours on Zuma Deluxe when I was supposed to be studying for uni. No regrets. Well, some regrets.

For this trip down memory lane I first booted up the older Zuma Deluxe from 2003. It still has the power to suck my time away, and before I knew it Steam was telling me six hours had gone by! However, the difficulty curve was too steep and the Steam Deck touchpad, while surprisingly responsive, was not effective enough a replacement for a real mouse. How I ever did this on just an iBook's trackpad is beyond me! So I got stuck on world 9 and decided to move on to the sequel.

The Zuma formula is a good one, a match-3 game but with a dimension of action and skill (on top of the usual randomness). Your frog character fires orbs out of their mouth which join a snaking line of orbs, trying to match and combo to stop the line advancing to the dead end. Puzzle Bobble but more dynamic. The stage design gives a good amount of variety to each new level, and powerups help to stave off the relentless orb crusade (although they too often seem to blink out just when you're about to nab them). Of course, like most Popcap games this is a ripoff of an earlier format, in this case Mitchell Corporation's 1998 arcade classic Puzz Loop/Ballistic. Popcap got there first in cloning it but were followed before too long by Luxor and Sparkle.

Whatever iteration it's a fun design. Zuma's contribution was adding a potentially slightly racist layer of Central American theming, and of course the timeless frog character. Zuma's Revenge followed in 2009 with the frog washing up on a tropical island, the setting being swapped out for a slightly racist "tiki" theme that Americans seem to love so much. At least you don't have a guide character speaking to you in broken English this time. Instead there are boss tikis who taunt you as you get closer to their lairs.

The boss fights are a highlight, with little gimmicks to shake up the gameplay. The final boss in particular has a fun fakeout and gives you infinite retries; much appreciated. There's other additions since the original too: more cool powerups, some levels having you swap between positions or slide on a rail rather than rotate, and new gameplay modes (they're mainly just more difficult versions of the main game, so I didn't delve too deeply). There's also the expected layer of polish over the whole experience. Plus I didn't get hard stuck for hours, so the difficulty must have been rebalanced a bit for the initial campaign, which is nice.

Popcap are [or were] great at making addictive gameplay loops, getting you into a flow state, as well as infusing their games with colour and character. It's no wonder they became an indie success before being scooped up by EA. Sadly, past this point their output became gradually more scummy and focused on free-to-play (but heavily monetised) Plants vs Zombies spinoffs. Zuma has had a time-limited Facebook iteration—now delisted— in 2010 but post-EA the series has seen just… a literal slot machine. Ugh. Maybe one day we'll get the Peggle or Zuma sequel we deserve, but it's seeming less likely the more layoffs happen over the years under their corporate overlords. Now I've made myself sad. At least we'll always have Zuma's Revenge for $1.50 on Steam.

[aclowntiny]

🔮Enhypen as Hogwarts Students🪄

Hope you enjoy! Just like the others, these will be the bases for the Hogwarts AUs I’m sure to write >:3

(I love these boys look at them 🥺)

Jungwon

☆ "You're a humble one, aren't you?" "Er, yes sir?" Jungwon smiles sheepishly at the possible compliment, answering the Sorting Hat with respect. "Hardworking, too," the talking garment continues, "and you don't seem to care about obstacles as long as you get the job done. You're a Hufflepuff!" Jungwon thanks the hat as he leaps off the stool, feeling a sense of joy and accomplishment that the hat saw those qualities in him.

☆ He’s a Muggleborn, or so he thinks until he’s taken in by his Squib grandmother, who reveals his parents were just hesitant about talking about magic to him. He grows up mostly in the non-magical world, but his grandma does teach him how to cultivate some of the magical plants she’s sneaked into her garden 👀

☆ Because of his time spent with his grandma, he goes to Hogwarts loving Herbology immediately, becoming a quick favorite of Professor Sprout 😌 It's not his best subject, but he also enjoys Potions because even if it's hard, it has the funniest mistakes!

☆ There isn't a subject he really hates, but History of Magic is notoriously the most exhausting subject for a lot of students, so it's not exactly Jungwon's favorite.

☆ Jungwon is an avid Frog Choir member, but he also tries out for Quidditch and becomes a Chaser! He's a swift boy, known for darting out of the way of Bludgers and other players just in time 😌

☆ He’s overjoyed as he imagines a time when he was happiest and how happy he’ll feel if he summons a guardian in the form of a corporeal Patronus charm. As Jungwon casts the spell, he can see it taking shape, his heart filling as the image of a tuxedo cat bursts forth and into his arms.

Heeseung

☆ "Oh, a clever one!" The Sorting Hat comments as it touches Heeseung's head. "You've got a unique mind. A thinker, this one. Likes to discuss things. Good with a puzzle too. Must be Ravenclaw!" Isn't Ravenclaw the smart house? Well, that's something for Heeseung to live up to! He's excited to do his house proud.

☆ Heeseung is a Half-Blood, coming from a magical family but just not entirely upholding all the full blooded wizard stuff over the years. He literally could not care less about all that stuff, though, like hey, we all have the same powers 🤷🏻‍♀️

☆ One of the weirdos who actually likes Arithmancy lol Heeseung is just good at it and solving sequences is so satisfying! He also enjoys Defense Against the Dark Arts because it's the perfect combo of active and intellectual, one of few classes where students can actually be allowed to run around a bit, but it still keeps the wits sharp.

☆ Divination isn't bad, but it lowkey feels like a waste of time to him 💀 rather than hate it, though, he uses it as goof-off time hehe

☆ Quidditch all-star right here! Eventually becomes captain, in fact, and leads Ravenclaw to victory many a time. He's a Chaser, in charge of scoring and swift flying, and he tends to be in the central position.

☆ He doesn’t have a certain animal in mind, really. Heeseung tells himself he’d be happy with anything…but what if it’s a tiny mouse? Or something silly like a monkey? Shaking his head, he snaps out of it before reciting the spell, focusing his greatest joy into the shape that emerged. As the beautiful Clydesdale horse stands before him, all the nerves fade away into elation.

Jay

☆ “Cunning? Check. Ambition? Check. Goals? Check. You care what others think, don’t you?” Jay just sheepishly, almost imperceptibly, nods. “I try not to, but-” “This one’s a Slytherin!” Jay nods, too, not entirely surprised to be sorted into his father’s house. He admires its traits, though, feeling like being a Slytherin can shape a cool go-getter.

☆ The Parks are an old wizarding family for sure. Jay doesn’t want that privilege to carry him through everything, trying to keep that down in favor of his own hard work. It’s nice being well off in life, but he wants to be known as a strong person, not just another strong name being thrown around. If he’s offered the easy way, he’ll never take it.

☆ Potions star! Jay’s the only one of his friends who’s really good at that class at all tbh 😅 so he’s the de facto tutor. He also really enjoys Defense Against the Dark Arts, a class where he can have duels, be a dashing hero, & really show what he’s made of! Facing down fears is right up his alley.

☆ Ever since his watch got taken to use as a demonstration and he wasn't sure what it was getting turned into, Transfiguration sort of became Jay's least favorite class, at least in jest.

☆ Ends up taking one of Slytherin's Beater positions, daring to face Bludgers and fly up close and personal with all of Quidditch's threats! It gives him a rush, even if he's had a lot of near-misses the others still talk about. It’s a tight scheduling fit what with him joining Ghoul Studies, but worth every moment of it!

☆ Elbows and jokes abound as Jay gears up to try his hand at a Patronus, jests on all sorts of ridiculous animals getting tossed out. Ignoring the mirth, Jay goes zen, honing in on a memory as he shouts “Expecto Patronum!” A massive wingspan emerges as the eagle soars from his wand, earning looks of awe from Jay’s classmates and pride from the caster himself. He can’t help but reach for his Patronus in wonder, amazed himself that he created such an awesome creature.

Jake

☆ “Can be a bit headstrong,” the Sorting Hat mutters. “Really?” “Don’t act so surprised,” it chuckles, “you’re smart, kid. Got a daring side, though. Use that. That and your curiosity.” So what does this all mean? Jake thinks. “Alright,” the hat responds to his thought, “that clinches it! Ravenclaw!” Surprise fills Jake’s face as he was trying to predict what the hat would say.

☆ The Sims are Pure-Bloods, but Jake literally doesn’t find that out until he’s at Hogwarts because his parents don’t want any kids of theirs to feel like they’re any different just because their whole family tree has magic.

☆ Jake quite enjoys Astronomy, taking in the beauty of nature and recording it, but what he really enjoys is Care of Magical Creatures because he’s a pet owner and even the odd creatures (or, well, most of them) have him soft 🥺

☆ Jake prefers more natural and straightforward subjects, and Divination doesn't really seem real to him. Even a lot of witches and wizards don't believe in it, and it puzzles Jake a bit that there's no clear answers or basis to anything. He's more along the maths and sciences side, so to speak.

☆ Loves Quidditch! Tries out and joins Gryffindor’s team as a Chaser, which he adores because he gets to be part of a little mini team and support the others with his actions. Plus scoring is such a rush!

☆ Jake can’t help but think of his family, think of Layla, as he is asked to embody happiness in his life. Those thoughts guide him as he holds his wand up in anticipation, grinning at the light sliding from his wand. A golden retriever runs out to greet Jake, and he can’t help but grin. Maybe he thought of Layla more than he realized!

Sunghoon

☆ “Hm, bravery isn’t your strongest suit…” “Hey!” “You are focused on your goals. You know what you want in life.” “Yes.” “And you want some recognition for it?” “Y-yes, sometimes it is nice to have a-” “That settles it! Slytherin!” Sunghoon’s still a little salty that the hat kinda roasted him, but intrigued by his house enough to let it go and just join the others.

☆ Like Jake, comes from a big fat “blood traitor” Pure-Blood family we love to see it 😌 thinks it’s all so stupid he plays a love for Muggles and their culture up just out of spite honestly.

☆ Takes Muggle Studies for the bit and actually enjoys remembering the names of all those appliances and things, even if it's difficult to remember so many new words. A lot of the Slytherins are shook because the Sunghoon is writing a paper on telephones??? Dork Sunghoon excels at Charms, quick but precise and elegant casting that requires specific motions. He sees the intricacies in charms more than the average student, and his casting always looks fluid and flawless.

☆ Flying is not his friend- being that high up and feeling out of control scares him. Sunghoon will take the ground, thanks!

☆ Quite obviously, he does not try out for Quidditch, just attending all the games he can and focusing on other extracurriculars like music!

☆ He has plenty of happy memories to go off of, but Sunghoon isn’t sure if he’ll really be able to pull of a corporeal Patronus. He wants to more than anything, though, so he puts his whole heart into it, calling out the spell… only to summon forth a beautiful swan that captures his attention immediately as it gracefully skates in the air around him.

Sunoo

☆ “Could be Gryffindor…” The Sorting Hat ponders. Not Hufflepuff? Sunoo thinks, considering how he wants to be in the nice house. “I can hear you, you know. You are quite innocent. Very loyal, too. Very well- Hufflepuff!” Grinning, Sunoo skips to his table.

☆ He has Squib parents, so he grew up an odd mix of living like a Muggleborn and yet having total awareness of the wizarding world from other family members. Both his sister and he inherited powers, so he also hears about Hogwarts a few years before he goes.

☆ Enjoys Divination because it’s a fun and creative class. They get to drink tea! They get to talk about dreams they have! They get to make stuff up sometimes, frankly. It feels more fanciful and less pressuring than other classes. He also likes Care of Magical Creatures because not only does he love living things, but the presentations are enjoyable too!

☆ He loves looking at the sky, but Astronomy is a bit of a tough one because Sunoo is more of a creative mind than scientific. Calculating the positions of the stars is hard, why can't he just take pictures and appreciate the constellations?

☆ Thinks Quidditch looks really fun, so he tries out and that’s where they discover that Kim Sunoo is basically the perfect Seeker. Boy is a pro at finding stuff so he sees that snitch well before anyone else does. Straight up wins Hufflepuff games by points alone.

☆ Happiness is easy for Sunoo to find; it’s a short mental distance to reach as he has a positive attitude and more importantly lots of loved ones. His friends, his sister, truly his happy place is with his people. Thoughts of his people spur on the little light emerging from his wand, fading in favor of cheering and laughter at the adorable glowing quokka that rolls out.

Ni-Ki

☆ “You’d do well in Slytherin,” the Sorting Hat muses upon Nishimura Riki’s head, “if you want something, you go get it. Brave, though, and quite a tease. You enjoy life. I’d say… this one had better go to Gryffindor!” Riki feels like the Hat gave him lowkey whiplash, but he feels proud to be joining the house of lionhearts! It suits his adventure-seeking side for sure.

☆ He’s a Half-Blood, both of his parents having magic, but his mom is a Muggleborn so he gets the best of both worlds! Adores spending time with his Muggle grandparents and sometimes envies their simpler life even though he wants to become an amazing wizard.

☆ Takes Ancient Runes so he can write secret codes with his friends, but actually gets really invested in solving and deciphering all the questions and scripts he's given. Flying is another favorite of his, just the feeling of freedom and the wind in his hair is the most magical thing of all for Riki!

☆ Don't sit with Riki in Potions though unless you want things to splash and explode on you 💀 he's a bit of a wreck trying to brew potions and it's not even from intentional mischief like a lot of other things are!

☆ Bro best flyer??? Of course he’s going for a position on Slytherin’s team! And he gets it, landing Seeker because his choreography skills lend well to flying in complicated patterns just like his lil gold friend 😌

☆ Riki is beyond determined to cast a Patronus, to have the strength of mind and magic combined to produce his guardian. Digging his heels in, he brings forth a memory, smiling and laughing into the spell despite his moments-prior seriousness. As he calls out “Expecto Patronum!”, a fox leaps around, every bit as cunning, mischievous, and charming as its caster.

[orangepanic]

In light of some of the previews we've seen of the upcoming Avatar series, here are a few of my own headcanons of what my favorite characters get up to in their peaceful old age.

Korra: Korra still loves bending and loves being the Avatar, but as her hips don't move the way they used to she now focuses on balancing her time between teaching her skills to others, keeping up with her network of world leaders and offering her advice and counsel, and hugging her many grandchildren so hard they squeak. Everyone's favorite grandma.

Mako: It took a while, but Mako finally sorted himself out. After a few turns at Chief of Police he realized he didn't much care for administration and retired. However, he still likes the puzzles, so he takes a few clients through his private detective agency where he can be the grizzled old gentleman with street smarts solving the cases the RCPD couldn't. It keeps him entertained and in slightly but not too much danger. His kids roll their eyes when he's on a case but the grandkids are enthralled by the idea that grandpa catches bad guys.

Bolin: Bolin realized at some point that he could balance his desire to help people with his love of fame and fortune and became a truly magnetic fundraiser. Eventually he starts his own fund for street kids. Three of his six boys took over management of his charity long ago but that doesn't stop Bolin from making the occasional cameo. Even at 88 he still looks good in his Nuktuk outfit.

Asami: Asami worked hard her whole life and loved every bit it. The classic career mom, she pioneered efforts like bring your child to work day and women not taking a back seat to their careers just because they wanted a family. But decades of having it all still take their toll, so she eventually retired and realized there was so much more to the world than improving or saving it. She spends her golden years balancing luxury travel with family time. Asami's postcards feature photographs of cocktails with tiny umbrellas on a backdrop of white sand or vistas from the tops of the old air temples.

Kuvira: After her prison term is up, Kuvira opts for a quiet life in an obscure part of the central Earth Kingdom. She doesn't try too hard to re-connect to the Zaofu crowd and instead channels her energies locally. She offers earthbending to anyone in the village in need of a helping hand, gives free bending lessons to the local kids, and takes an interest in gardening. When her dahlia irises win first prize at the county fair she's surprised to realize that she's happy.

Iroh II: Iroh II leans in hard to the Fire Nation's transition to democracy. Learning from Wu's mistakes he takes his time about it. The process gives him more gray hair in a shorter amount of time than he'd hoped for, but he wears it well, and eventually he makes himself irrelevant. Now in his 90s he's enjoying being little more than an ordinary Fire Nation citizen. He goes for long walks along the cliffs in the mornings with his dragon no matter the weather and has taken an interest in building scale models, which he lets the first of his great grandkids help with during his frequent visits even if his fingers don't quite have the coordination yet. Every time Iroh opens a newspaper and reads about the new administration he smiles broadly at the idea that it's not his problem.

[zetadraconis11]

Pay Amortention

I saw a wonderful Amortentia snippet here on Tumblr, and I always love those kinds of stories. I was inspired to write my own, but please also check out this one too!

~~~

Professor Sharp had gotten used to seeing students taking more time stealing glances at their fancies than anything else. He managed to capture this class’s attention last year as they cared about their O.W.L.s, but with their sixth year, they didn’t seem to worry about potions until next year with N.E.W.T.s.

So this time, Sharp thought he’d give them a potion to care about instead of wallowing in their pining hormones for Merlin knows how long…

Sharp stayed at his desk and waited for his usual group of sixth years to come in, ignoring the scent he picked up from steam billowing from the cauldron nearby.

Imelda was the first to enter, staying punctual as ever, with Cael Ilson and Garreth coming close behind her. All three of them slowed their walking as they curiously sniffed the room.

Imelda wrinkled her nose, and she looked at Garreth. “Did you already experiment today?”

Garreth frowned. “Well, yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Are you so used to the smell of burnt ingredients that you can’t smell it?”

“First of all, I don’t always burn my experiments,” he said defensively. “And second, I didn’t burn anything! I don’t know what you’re smelling.” He sniffed again as he put his bag on his work station. “I’m smelling some strange mix of fish oil, olives, and apple cider.”

Cael looked at them weirdly as he got himself situated in a work station on the other side of the classroom. “Both of your noses are wrong. It smells like some tree in a field.” His eyebrows furrowed as if he was trying to remember something. “Also…flowers…?”

Imelda scoffed and put her hands on her hips. “Garreth, just fess up and say you made a mess and you clearly covered it up with different smells.”

“Okay, that’s actually a good idea, but I swear I didn’t blow anything up! Nothing caught on fire or exploded!”

“Why can I hear you three all the way from Central Hall?” Ominis grumbled as he walked in. His eyes widened a little, and his nose wrinkled like a rabbit’s. “I…am in the potions classroom, right? I didn’t somehow wander to Beasts Class?”

Now all of them were even more confused, with an overlap of them recounting what they smelled. More and more students walked in, and Garreth pounced on them with the question: “Quick! What do you smell?”

In order, Sebastian, Estelle, Andrew, and Amit answered all different things:

“Lavender?”

“The…coast.”

“Books.”

“Plants!”

Poppy came in next with Duncan and Leander not far behind.

“Oooh, it smells like a tea shop in here,” she mused with a smile as she went to Estelle and Cael’s station.

Leander looked at her like she grew two heads. “It smells like the greenhouse, which we just came from.”

Duncan scoffed. “No, Peculiar Poppy left a stench from that horrid class.”

Ominis, Poppy, and the Ilson twins shot him looks that could kill.

Natty, Artemis, and Amadeo Mancini were the last to join the class, and they walked into a cacophony of puzzled students talking to one and another.

“How can we all be smelling different things?” Sebastian asked. He turned to the last three, lighting up. “Okay, tell us what you smelled when you came in!”

Natty and Artemis carefully sniffed while Amadeo lifted a dark eyebrow.

“Why are we sharing what we smell?” He asked as he went to his spot with Imelda and Violet.

“Because we’re trying to see if there are any scents smelled in common,” Garreth insisted. “So, please, share.”

Amadeo rolled his gray-green eyes. “I smelled lavender, okay?” He shrugged. “It’s used in potions, which is the class we’re taking now.”

Sebastian snapped his fingers. “See? He smelled lavender too!”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Cael said. “You just smell flowers like I do.”

Estelle tilted her head at her brother, gesturing with her hands. “How can you not smell the bloody ocean? It’s an obvious smell that everyone knows and it does not get mistaken for flowers!”

Natty shrugged as she went to her spot by Garreth. “I just smell grassfields from home,” she said with a nostalgic smile.

Artemis blinked twice as she was with Amit and Andrew. “I don’t smell grassfields,” she said to the Ravenclaws. “Just…a pine forest.”

Amit hummed. “Come to think of it, the plants I’m smelling come from the greenhouse, like what Leander said he smelled.”

Andrew’s eyebrows furrowed. “How come I smell the library, then?”

Garreth was hearing all of these conversations around him, and he sighed as he heard Imelda again voice her theory about him using different smells to cover up a mistake.

“For Bloody Baron’s sake!” He yelled at the Slytherin Quidditch player. “I did not do that! I just smell fish oil and olives and apple cider. Which were all, by the way, not used in my concoction!”

Amadeo looked intrigued now, and he wolfishly grinned. “So that’s what you smell? And Imelda here smells one of your failed experiments?”

“Again, it doesn’t make sense how we all smell different things.” Garreth waved to the entire chatty class. “Food, plants, books, flowers, trees, classes, it doesn’t make sense! Not unless it’s—” He stopped suddenly, and his eyes grew wide as saucers. “Ohhhhhh…”

Sharp cleared his throat as he rose to his feet, and the entire class grew quiet. “That’s right, Mr. Weasley. Your suspicions are in fact confirmed.”

He waved his wand, revealing the once-Disillusioned large cauldron. The steam came out in beautiful spirals, and the simmering liquid had a mother-of-pearl sheen. “This is Amortentia.”

Almost the entire class paled as if he said “Acromantula” instead.

“Yes, the scents you kept talking about smelling correlate with whomever you are attracted to.” He raised his voice to be clearly heard to the silent class. “Which was what I said when we went over Amortentia in my lecture last week. If you had paid enough attention instead of staring off into space, or at someone, you would have known that.” He landed his gaze on the furiously blushing Sebastian, who sank lower on his stool, then he focused on the class as a whole. “From now, I expect you all to pay rapt attention in my class. This is to prepare you all for your N.E.W.T.s. I want you all to succeed in the exams, so you don’t have to stay back here for an eighth year.

“With that, everyone, open your books to chapter five.”

The sounds of rustling paper all at once was thunderous, and everyone’s noses were deep into their books, most likely trying to hide their red faces.

Estelle peeked over her book at Cael, who seemed to be glaring at his own copy. “What’s got your wand in a knot?” She whispered.

“Artemis said she smelled a pine forest,” he muttered. “And Leander said he smelled the greenhouse.” His eyebrows furrowed. “I remember hearing that he fancied her…”

Estelle looked unamused. “Cael, your cologne smells like pine.”

“It’s a common cologne. I bet Leander has a bottle of it too,” he grumbled.

She sighed and shook her head. She shyly glanced over at Sebastian, who seemed to be invested in the chapter about graphorn horns and unicorn horns. Now she knew why she smelled the coast. And…perhaps she wasn’t crazy to think the lavender he smelled associated with her?

“Estelle,” Poppy whispered.

She inquisitively hummed.

Poppy glanced at Sebastian’s work station too and leaned closer to her first (and best) human friend. “You won’t tell anyone I smelled bergamot tea, right?”

Estelle’s eyes widened as she instantly caught on who that could be. She smiled and replied, “Of course. Your secret is safe with me.” She looked over her shoulder at Ominis sitting near Sebastian with a flushed face before focusing back on Poppy. “If it means anything, I think it’s reciprocated.”

Poppy looked hopeful. “You heard what he smelled?”

Estelle thought it over before saying in defeat, “No, but…I think he’s obvious.”

“I don’t know…”

Estelle didn’t push any more, and they went back to their reading.

Amadeo, however, looked at Imelda with a smirk. “So, Garreth, eh?”

She glared at him with a beet-red face. “Shut it. He’ll hear you.”

“And he just happened to smell your rancid broomstick polish?” He dryly added.

Imelda thought it over before she huffed. “And what about you, smelling lavender like Sebastian did?”

Amadeo’s smirk dropped, and he coughed into his fist. “That’s just a coincidence.” “Right…”

Amit and Andrew were reading intently, and the former whispered to the latter, “Do you know who would be at the library that you’re…?”

“No,” he replied. “What about you?”

Amit shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Artemis joined in and said, “I don’t know either. My home doesn’t have pine trees.”

Amit and Andrew exchanged glances, and Andrew gave him a knowing look. They instantly had an idea who it was, but it wasn’t their place to say…

Sharp settled in his chair, taking in the wonderful, studious silence.

Of course, it wasn’t long before Garreth turned to him. “Professor…if you don’t mind sharing…what do you smell?”

That got everyone’s attention, and he sighed heavily. “That is none of your business, Mr. Weasley.”

Garreth shrugged. “You heard all of us talk about ours, so—”

“Yes, and you all chose to share and think out loud. I chose not to,” he firmly replied. He lifted an eyebrow at the whole class. “Go back to your reading.”

The students went back to reading in defeat, and that was the last time anything involving Amortentia was mentioned. Sharp went back to grading papers, indulging in the sweet smell of cherries and magnolia tea…

After that day, Sharp expected results of this “experiment” like seeing some of the kids confessing and being together. He wasn’t that cold of a professor where he’d denounce romance, but instead…it was only more shy silence and more of them stealing glances.

Sharp might have prepared them a little for N.E.W.T.s, but he was not prepared for the year-long tension and denial he'd be forced to watch.

[punsmaster69]

25/FEB/20XX

light shot into my sockets from the right side. a pillow had been removed from my enclosure. i squint through the light to see frisk.

raising an eyebrow, they gestured to the pile around me on the couch.

"(migraine.)"

they slowly point to the light switch.

"(nope.)"

i point to papyrus, who's focused on a puzzle that came with the newspaper.

"(staying on.)"

"(.....I'm sure he'll understand??)"

"(he would more than understand. he'd probably make a point of assuring i was comfortable.)"

"(..And that's supposed to be a bad thing?)"

"(he's having fun with what he's doing. don't want to suddenly switch him to worry mode.)"

"(I doubt-)"

"(besides. this works fine.)"

"(well, it did before you opened a window in it.)"

shoving my face into the cushion of the couch to continue blocking out the light, i felt the pillow replaced to where it was.

a weight settled on the other end of the couch, then against the pillow and blanket cocoon of mine.

"(So, he hasn't questioned why you're doing this at all?)"

"(told him i was cold.)"

"(It's.. not cold out today.)"

"(believed it anyway.)"

"(Isn't it the opposite under there?)"

"(yeah. kinda burning up, but it's a small price to pay for darkness.)"

"(Why aren't you in your room or something??)"

"(he'd definitely know something was up.)"

"(Dude...)"

"(he would know.)"

"(I don't doubt that, but the lengths you go to just to... NOT worry him.)"

"(i wouldn't say lengths.)"

"(Heights?)"

"(c'mon-)"

"(Widths?)"

"(this is nothin'.)"

"(Well it's not less than something.)"

"(eh.)"

"(what're you up to out there?)"

"(I'm not done talking about you.)"

"(.......k.)"

"(You take something already?)"

"(the less strong kind, but it doesn't interact with my prescription ones.)"

"(Right.)"

"(Just a normal migraine, you think?)"

"(it's kinda centralized around my right eye, which...)"

i was about to sigh, then realized that would probably grab papyrus' attention.

"(i don't love, but it feels mostly normal.)"

"(What's the meter say?)"

trying to not knock over my whole pile to check, i tap the screen to see a red light.

no idea how long it's been like that for.

"(...i'm good.)"

"(let me ask again what you're up to?)"

they were silent for a moment as if wondering something else, but answered anyway.

"(Got bored, and Flowey was being annoying. So I came here.)"

"(you were so nice to him at first.)"

"(I was worried he'd leave or go on a murderous rampage again or something.)"

"(or try and take everyone's souls?)"

"(....I don't think he'll do that one again.)"

"(me either, mostly.)"

"(I'd kick his petals in again for sure.)"

"(Emotionally.)"

"(....Though, I...)"

"(..Would probably have to use SAVEs again to do that.)"

"(listen, if that petalhead went and took everyone's souls?)"

"(i give you full permission to god-mode the timeline or whatever else you need to 'emotionally kick his petals in'.)"

"(I haven't... done that in a while, actually.)"

"(loading?)"

"(Obviously not.)"

"(That would be going back on our promise.)"

"(I meant SAVING.)"

"(...hm.)"

"(Should I?)"

"(In case one of us gets in some tragic accident.)"

"(your call, kiddo.)"

"(if you meet him, tell the next sans i said that.)"

"(Let's hope I don't have to.)"

"(can i ask what's made you so sure flowey won't leave anymore?)"

"(If he wanted to, he totally could have multiple times.)"

memory of an orange sky and empty field come to mind.

"(yeah. true.)"

"(He's stormed off a couple times, but he always returns.)"

"(kid's gotten attached to you.)"

"(Not just me.)"

"(definitely to my bro, too. and tori.)"

"(In a weird way, I think he likes you too.)"

"(tolerates me for paps' sake.)"

"(Definitely part of it, but I don't know. He doesn't utterly recoil whenever you're mentioned like he used to.)"

"(heheh. getting that kind of reaction just by entering the room was pretty funny.)"

"(I'm glad he's warmed up to everyone though.)"

"('cept undyne. he's got beef with her still.)"

"(The thing with Undyne is more like rivalry.)"

"(They have more fun going at each other's throats than they admit to.)"

"(you think it'd turn into all-out war if my bro wasn't the middleman?)"

"(Papyrus is like the glue between most of this friend group.)"

they must have said his name slightly too loud.

"HM?"

"Oh-"

"Just talking about Flowey's friendships."

"FLOWERY HAS BEEN GETTING ALONG WITH EVERYONE A LITTLE MORE AS OF LATE! I'M QUITE PROUD OF HIM."

"MY KINDNESS LESSONS TO HIM HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTING, NO DOUBT."

"For sure!"

"(undyne and flowey stop fighting when papyrus enters the room, so he must be doing something right.)"

"WAIT, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FLOWERY AND THE PAYOFF OF MY EXCELLENT KINDNESS TEACHINGS, THAT MEANS..."

"SANS IS ACTUALLY AWAKE UNDER THERE STILL??"

"He is indeed."

i shove my hand through some pillows in a thumbs-up, then quickly pull it back slightly to hide the monitor on my arm.

"HI SANS."

"STILL FREEZING?"

"yep."

"JEEZ."

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING SICK, ARE YOU?"

"nah. just a bit extra chilly."

"left my window open all night, woke up as an ice cube."

"THIS IS WHY I TELL YOU TO CLOSE IT BY AT TEN AT THE LATEST!!"

"YOU'LL DEFINITELY GET SICK IF YOU DON'T."

"not everything's gonna make me sick."

"THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO IS THERE."

"𝘪𝘭𝘭 be alright. 'specially for one night."

"IS IT AT LEAST CLOSED NOW?"

"uhh..."

suddenly unable to remember whether it actually 𝘄𝗮𝘀 closed.

"yyyeah..?"

"...THAT SOUNDS VERY NON-CONFIDENT."

"I'll check."

frisk's weight disappeared from the opposite end of the couch.

"I'LL ACCOMPANY YOU. WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO GET LOST IN THE PIGSTY THAT IS SANS' ROOM."

"it's not as bad as it was. promise."

his voice was more distant this time.

"RIGHT. AND THE CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR HERE AREN'T BAD AT ALL."

"it's basically clean."

"IT IS NOT."

"definitely is."

"SAY THAT AGAIN WHEN YOU CAN UN-PILLOW CASKET YOURSELF, ICE CUBE SKELETON."

taking the opportunity where neither of them were in sight, i removed the monitor and stuffed it in my pocket.

i opened a gap in the pillow enclosure to let some fresh air in.

the thud of my window shutting could be heard. footsteps stomp down the stairs.

"whoops."

"NEED I START CLOSING IT MANUALLY AT TEN ON MY OWN?"

"i'll remember eventually after freezing myself enough."

"...AS ALWAYS, THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY..."

"Sans, you should set an alarm so that you actually remember."

"GOOD IDEA, FRISK!"

"SANS, GIVE ME YOUR PHONE. I'M SETTING AN ALARM FOR YOU."

"ok."

"can you also set a timer while you're at it?"

"WHAT FOR?"

"so i don't sleep the rest of the day."

"Guess it was only a matter of time before he took a nap there."

"can't resist the allure of a good nap buried in cushions."

can't overheat or suffer migraines or have to deal with magic issues if i'm asleep.

"HUMAN, DO YOU WANT TO COOK SOMETHING WITH ME?"

"Yeah!!"

"WE'LL WAKE SANS UP AFTERWARDS, THEN."

——

i was woken up to macaroni with what might be considered "definitely too much cheese" in it. not like i mind, though - and after my migraine cleared up, i was far too hungry to care.

p.s.

took care of the red monitor thing by taking shortcuts around town for a while after papyrus thought i went to bed.

is it the greatest solution?

no idea. too exhausted after that to worry about.