#okay ill stop rambling in the tags now

[axollungz]

can we pleeeease bring back this "NDRV3 r the kids of the surviving cast" au thing i'm such a sucker for it here are some of my personal headcanons

[delightfuldevin]

Long post!! Wanted to share all the deets about my Cookie Run self insert!!

Introducing Pumpking Cookie and their Pet, Gourdie!!

Cookie Run: Ovenbreak

Cookie Class: Epic

Pet Class: Epic

Story: Pumpking Cookie is the elusive king of Pumpkin Land of Fear! You probably won't see him on your first visit to Pumpkin Land, or your second either. Only seasoned visitors of the park know how to spot him while he's hiding. And if you find him, you'll get a treat! Or maybe it'll be a trick... You better be careful! He also puts on his own special show with his pumpkins at midnight in the main tent, so be sure not to miss out!

Skill: When the big gauge is filled, a giant pumpkin appears and the jump and slide buttons turn into carving buttons. Repeatedly tap the buttons to carve the pumpkin and earn Pumpkin Carving Points. Once the small gauge is filled, the pumpkin will come to life and Pumpking Cookie will ride it as it destroys obstacles until the small gauge runs out. Level up for more Pumpkin Carving Points.

Magic Candy Ingredient - Little Pumpkin Seed: This pumpkin seed is the smallest of them all. Can something so small really grow into something special? Only time will tell...

Magic Candy Effect: While riding the giant pumpkin, each destroyed obstacle creates a Roasted Pumpkin Seed Jelly. The stronger the enchanted power, the more points earned from Roasted Pumpkin Seed Jellies.

Pet Story: Pumpking Cookie can bring pumpkins to life by carving faces into them. No one knows exactly how he does it... Gourdie was the first one he brought to life and the living pumpkin became his faithful assistant who helps him with his show.

Pet Skill: At given intervals, the Pet flies ahead and the light inside begins to glow, generating Jack o’ Lantern Points and restoring Energy. Level up for more Jack o’ Lantern Points and more Energy restoration.

Combi Bonus: Extra Jack o’ Lantern Points

1000 Affection Points Bonus: Extra Pumpkin Carving Points

Basic Jelly: A true king earns their title from their subjects.

Daily Gift: “It’s a treat, I promise! Hehe!”

Like: Solid Red Sugar Crystal

Dislike: Breakout Certificate

General:

“Come one, come all!”

“Welcome to Pumpkin Land!”

“Wonder when I can see him again…”

“The rides at Pumpkin Land aren’t for the faint of heart!”

“Don’t forget to check out the Haunted House!”

“Things will get even more fun at night!”

Tired: “Okay, timeout…!”

Tap:

“Heya!”

“Bringing pumpkins to life is a secret I won’t tell!”

“Come and find me! I might have somethin’ good for ya!”

“Is it a trick or a treat? Only one way to find out!”

“Hehehe!”

“Y-you found me? Already?”

“I love watching fire dance!” (Like Hint)

“I don’t need a certificate to run Pumpkin Land.” (Dislike Hint)

Gifts:

“Ooo, for me?” (neutral)

“Flames are so beautiful…” (given Solid Red Sugar Crystal)

“I hope this can become a biiiig pumpkin some day!” (given Little Pumpkin Seed)

“Why would I want one of these?” (given Breakout Certificate)

“How did you find out…?!” (given Violet Sugar Crystal) [note: will not receive any Affection Points for this]

Relationships:

Lemon Cookie (friendly): “I’ll make you smile if it’s the last thing I do!” On Lemon’s chart (trust): “An odd one, but I guess he’s okay.”

Cherry Cookie (friendly): “It’s never boring with you around!” On Cherry’s chart (friendly): “Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Tee-hee!”

Popcorn Cookie (friendly): “Hey, when’s our next movie night?” On Popcorn’s chart (friendly): “My favorite movie buddy!”

Birthday Cake Cookie (friendly): “Pumpkin Land’s a great place for parties!” On Birthday Cake’s chart (friendly): “Let’s throw a spooky Halloween party together!”

Cinnamon Cookie (trust): “Always puts on a good show!” On Cinnamon’s chart (trust): “Pumpkin Land is my favorite place to perform!”

Currant Cream Cookie (friendly): “Studs and spikes can be spooky too!” On Currant’s chart (friendly): “I wouldn’t call my style ‘spooky’, but I like the way you think!”

Raspberry Mousse Cookie (admiration): “Show ‘em who’s boss!” On Mousse’s chart (admiration): “Their opinion of us doesn’t matter!”

Pitaya Dragon Cookie (admiration): “I like it hot!” On Pitaya’s chart (admiration): “Brighter than sssunshine…”

Shining Glitter Cookie (admiration): “Everything about her captivates me…” On Shining Glitter’s chart (admiration): “There’s always room in my schedule for you!”

Moonlight Cookie (admiration): “I’ll see you in my dreams!” On Moonlight’s chart (admiration): “Your smile is the warmest.”

Knight Cookie (tension): “You don’t stand a chance!” On Knight’s chart (tension): “What do you know about the Red Dragon?!”

Ice Juggler Cookie (rival): “Betcha Pumpkin Land’s got more visitors!” On Ice Juggler’s chart (rival): “Pumpkin Land is alright. (Pudding Cup Circus is better.)”

Cookie Run: Kingdom

Class: Legendary

Type: Support

Location: Middle

Story: What a strange one, that Pumpking Cookie is! Just where exactly did they come from? And what is that ominous purple glow that emanates from them? So many questions and so little answers. However, it is known that he created and rules over a Kingdom of his own called the Pumpking Patch. But… the citizens are all living pumpkins! There’s not a single Cookie in sight! This begs yet another question… Is Pumpking Cookie themself even a Cookie…?

Skill - Trick or Treat: Summons a pumpkin bomb which has a 50-50 chance of being a trick or a treat. The treat bomb explodes on the ally side, healing everyone’s HP and raising everyone’s ATK for a period of time. The trick bomb explodes on the enemy side, releasing pumpkin guts on the ground that trap all enemies, making them unable to move or attack for a period of time. It also lowers their DEF while they are trapped. It will not trap Cookies who are resistant to interrupting effects during their skill, but it will lower their DEF more. While using his skill, Pumpking Cookie will be resistant to interruptions.

Skill Activation: “Wonder what this’ll be!”

Kingdom Arena:

“Well well well, look what we have here!”

“Hope ya like pumpkins! Hahaha!”

“You wanna play with the Pumpkin King? Let’s see what you’ve got!”

“Let’s have some fun!!”

Loading Screen: If you look closely at Pumpking Cookie, you’ll find cracks in their dough all over their body.

Gacha Line: “It’s always Halloween when I’m around!”

General:

“You should come visit the Pumpking Patch!”

“I wasn’t always a King…”

“What’s this purple light? Well, the truth may shock you… hehe!”

“This Kingdom is nice. I guess I’ll stay awhile.”

“Is this a trick or a treat? Why don’t you come find out?”

“You’re invited to the Grand Halloween Party in the Pumpking Patch!”

“Ha! My subjects would love this place!”

“My Kingdom means the world to me. No one will ever take it from me!”

“Anyone who dares threaten the Pumpking Patch will have to deal with its King!”

Victory:

“Aw, no hard feelings, right? Hehe!”

“Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King!”

“Whew, that was a close one!”

“I did it? I mean, of course I did! Heh heh.”

Defeat:

“Don’t think I’m out just yet!”

“I… I will protect the Pumpking Patch…!”

“I won’t give in! I can’t!”

“This isn’t over…!”

[opikiquu]

.Aventurine. Aventurine. Boy wh y

[palossssssand]

Reconciliation

Old dome squadmates Trito and Kinoga get together at Trito’s place to catch up after years apart and a meeting by chance on the surface.

⚠️Warning for suggestive content below + implied chest trauma

After several weeks of chipping away at this, the comic is finally done! Very happy to have rendered a full 7 pages of oc stuff. Please give it a read!!

read the full 7 page comic on twitter! <-please do not click if you are a minor and view at your own discretion, this link contains explicit 18+ content. Thank you!

For the lore, includes stuff from splatoon Octo Expansion: Trito and Kinoga were a part of an octarian military squad living in the domes, Kinoga being their squad leader that many looked up to and admired. There were 6 of them who considered each other to be their closest friends. Upon hearing about the tests from Kamabo Co. and the allure of the Promised Land, Kinoga wished to seek it out in order to find a better life for their squadmates. A difficult decision, since it meant leaving them all behind, promising to come back and take them there.

Kinoga enters the metro trials and soon realizes that the Promised Land isn’t what they expected, their hope crumbling when they encounter one of their sanitized squadmates Agara, who followed suit to the metros soon after. Kinoga narrowly escapes, eventually making a break for the surface, carrying the shame of unwilling to return for their squadmates with them (it’s justified, of course, there might not be an easy way in, they might get caught again, Agara is gone)

Trito enters the Metro not too long after Kinoga does, wanting to catch up to them, and an accident that occurs in a test early on results in Trito’s near sanitization, giving him his scar. Terrified, and realizing what happens to his fellow octolings, Trito is unable to return to his squadmates, not wanting to break the news of their loved ones’ untimely fates. He hides away on the Metro until the events of OE happen and Agent 8 dismantles Kamabo, opening an opportunity to escape to the surface. Unwilling to face the possibilities of going back, Trito takes his chance to leave, starting a new life and feeling that it’s for the best if he doesn’t acknowledge it, though he missed his friends dearly.

Years later, Trito and Kinoga run into each other on the streets of Splatsville by chance, and the implications of them both being on the surface and alive hit them, having to carry the burden of leaving their loved ones behind and finding out the truth, knowing the other felt exactly the same, not knowing the fate of their squadmates and not wanting to think about the possibility of them being gone. They have a tearful reunion about it, and set up a meet later, to sit down and really talk, and get into a brief argument when the topic of returning to the domes comes up. Trito’s in disbelief that Kinoga never went back down to check on the rest of their squad, wanting them to have been a better person than him, who was too cowardly to do so. Eventually they do reconcile, and end up at Trito’s place to hook up, where the above comic takes place :]

[bloodfueledmachine]

day 28

[leonenjoyer69]

hey do you know abt the drama magicalmo is causing rn abt u?

I'm sorry for u, stay strong! Internet drama is a total bitch tbh don't let it get to you.

Yes, sadly despite having him blocked I'm quite aware. I've mainly just been ignoring him hoping that he'd get burnt out on his little hate crusade but the accusations he keeps pushing are genuinely fucking sick and disgusting.

Reminder to never pity him guys! Made that mistake myself, let him on my server as a second chance thing because I knew he was so widely hated, and guess who made everyone on there wildly uncomfortable and got himself banned after exploding at two of the members? Not to mention the fact that he had a mole on my server after getting banned to get that "damning evidence", so fun times guys.

That NSFW channel he keeps yapping about has been long gone, and nothing worse than that spoilered smut concept (you know, the one screenshot he keeps sharing, where the worst word is bloody "arousal"), on the optional channel, was ever shared. Truly it was my mistake, I had felt horrible making that category in the first place, but some of the other members requested it, so. I suppose I also made the mistake of seeing a public discord server as something akin to Tumblr, since literally everyone on there followed me on here anyways, and I know damn well have seen and shared worse things on here. But, alas, apparently discord is a different breed, and that I now know.

And the rest of his yapping? Fucking disgusting. The fact that he keeps implying that I have or would do such vile things is literally sickening, and I know every single person on that server would come to my defense because I've done fucking nothing wrong. The genuine defamation is literally crazy. All I wanted was a community and friends, and that's what I have- great friends, who are supportive and kind, and friends is all they are.

Okay, ranting over, thank you for your kind words :3 it does mean a lot to know that so many people are supporting me and defending me. Honestly, i am slightly glad it's me taking the hits over some of the other folks he's had stupid beef with in the past, none of my friends deserve to be dragged into stupid fake drama, and based on their reactions to all of this, apparently I take it far more calmly than them lmao.

I just don't want issues man, just wanna share my silly stories and characters and have people enjoy and talk about them to me. And thankfully I do still have that, I just have one persistent little hater throwing rocks at me from the corner, which is ironic when you compare what he's done to the genuine mistake I did, but hey, an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind, Ill be the better person.

Apologies for dragging my blog down with this, but rest assured more art and rambles will bring it back up soon, thank you again for the ask and you're kind words :3

[iispancakes]

Ayo Tumblr gets to see this first cause it's too late to post anywhere else. I'm back on my pjo bullshit and obsession with death boy.

[waterloverextreme]

okay so like- about being psychic in a clairvoiant way- just knowing *some things* about the future is cool and all. But usually I just accept things happen and don't question them. I heard the song "let me be surprised" from All Dogs Go To Heaven a lot growing up. I made that my personality trait. All casually oblivous; Trying hard not think too much. In fact I actively chose to ignore/forget glimpses of the future-

Except tonight, I'm dizzy and sleep doesn't want me. So I got thinking (a dangerous task). It made me realise one of the stupidest things subconciously knowing the future has affected:

In Fire Emblem there is a character named Jeorge, I thought he was a woman for the longest time. "Jeorge can be a girl's name but I don't think it matters what gender I call her" I would think to myself. Which was strange, 'cause at the time I was still in catholic school. I barely knew what a gays were, let alone gender and pronoun identity... Which is pretty on brand for living in 2009.

Little did I know in 2023 I'd make friends with a Brit named Jeorge with she/any pronouns. So uh, thanks Jeorge whom I befriended through Minecraft! You made my catholic childhood self have gender confusion over an anime character! No wonder I just assumed Jeorge was a she/any; Past me knew of you!

Though let's not think about the fact Minecraft didn't exist in Feburary-March 2009... When I got Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon... Which explains why I forgot about this 'till now: As even when I did try to research the game from my vision I never could've gotten the right results. So I dismissed it as wild imagination and moved on.

Anyway Jeorge Fire Emblem is still a she/any to me. Get trans idiot (pog)

[steaksex]

Yiu guys are so lucky im too lazy to learn enough anatomy to draw raunchy pictures of my ocs. Im making a new one and half of his existence is for me to give him a voyeurism kink and the other half of his reason for existing is him having a big gushy sloppy wet pussy with a cute twitchy tdick and for him to get so overstimulated he cries over the dumbest things. Actually now that im saying this you guys should be begging mw to improve so i can draw this

[othercrossee]

[onthewaytosomewhere]

OMG THIS IS AMAZING!!!

MY LIL FIC BB'S IN COLOR!!

I can't even get the words out for how amazing this is!

commission for @onthewaytosomewhere for their story baby just say yes ♡

♡ commission info ♡

[cloudstongue]

um, a thing (art?)

sooo i decided to TRY and participate in objectober 2024, because these are. good motivators and stuff i guess and good ideas so i dont have to keep cramming ideas in,, thiugh. i do have a lot my heads gonna explode probably…its long so, cut! (also sorry if i seem gloomy or out of it rn im just not in the best of moods)

@apandainoveralls made these prompts, and if im not mistaken wanted to be tagged so—hello!! ^_^

i missed two whole days already, so i might as well post right now. i think. it hink its okay,, a new prompt everyday is tiring!! so. without a further ado

DAY 1: OBJECTSONA grenade counts, right? i think people would just do whatever oc. anyway, angel grenade!!! i love grenade with religious imagery/themes/whatever!! (again, despite my very love/hate relationship with religion,, eapecially catholicism.) did you know that yesterday, when i drew this, waa guardian angel day?? I DIDNT KNOW THAT?? pretty ironic if you ask me!! can you guys imagine grenade as a guardian angel? whom would they guard? okay ill stop rambling now ALSO NO LINEART!!! all my homies HATE LINEART!!! (really only rei and milly but…)

DAY 2: FAVORITE SHIP okay, i dont really have a favorite ship, but i love these two dearly. theyre shoer underrated. the coloring made it feel like i used crayons,, which. i like drawing with crayons btw bcuz im a loser. mop really loves his boyfriend…hes a bit obvious about it i liked the circle btw. it was a good cricle i wanted to keep it ☹️

DAY 3: RECOLOR i didnt know what to do…this counts, right? i mean, each of rubys sisters is a recolor. sorry if this is wonky, i cant draw limbs if my life depended on it!!

okay das it!! :3

yay!! ^_^

[justabigassnerd]

Sick Day

Pairing - Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x daughter!reader

Word count - 1,028

Warnings - colds, medicine, mentions of Goose and Carole, mostly just fluff

Summary - you're sick with a cold but thankfully your dad is by your side to help you feel better

A/N - hey y'all it's new fic time! this was a lovely anon request so I hope I did the idea justice because I always wanna do right by y'all! I won't ramble, as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

Like every child. You were prone to getting sick quite easily. At four years old, your immune system was still developing and so it was easy for a small bug that wouldn’t bother someone like Bradley to bother you. It always broke Bradley’s heart when you were unwell because there was only so much, he could do to make you feel better and he felt powerless.

This particular instance, you weren’t massively ill. You were running a slight temperature and you had a bad cough, but Bradley was relieved when he took you to the doctor’s and learnt it wasn’t cause for concern. As long as he kept you home to rest, gave you medicine and plenty of fluids, you’d recover in no time. When he had arrived home from the doctor’s, he called your kindergarten and told them you wouldn’t be in for a few days before texting Maverick to let him know he needed to be at home until you were well enough to go back to kindergarten. Bradley then took you upstairs, figuring you’d want to rest in your comfy bed.

“Okay, y/n/n. You wait right here and I’m going to get you some medicine. Sound good?” Bradley asks as he goes to put you down on your bed, only stopping when you whine in protest and cling tighter to him.

“No, daddy. Don’t leave.” You whine hoarsely, burying your face in his shoulder.

“Oh, honey, you’ll feel better if you rest. I’ll come back.” Bradley tries bargaining with you, fighting to not crumble when you pull away slightly and give him your famous puppy dog eyes.

“Wanna stay with you.” You whine once more, making Bradley fall apart right then and there.

“Okay, fine. Come on. Let’s find you some of your medicine.” Bradley says, scooping you up in his arms and carrying you to the bathroom where the medicine cabinet was. He manages to find your medicine easily since it was at the front of the cabinet, but he had a much more difficult time trying to open the bottle and pour it on the spoon when you were refusing to let him put you down which meant he only had one free hand.

“Alright y/n/n. I have to put you down, okay? It’ll be quick, I promise. I’ll sit you right here in front of me, give you the medicine and then you can have some more cuddles. Does that sound like a plan?” He bargains, sitting you on the counter right in front of him as promised and sorted out your medicine as quickly as humanly possible. Your bottom lip juts out in a pout when Bradley brings the spoon of medicine towards your mouth, and you shake your head fervently in protest.

“Yucky.” You state, glaring at the spoon in front of you as Bradley shakes his head with a soft laugh. Oh, if Carole and Goose could see him now, they’d be laughing their heads off. Carole always told Bradley that when he was younger and he got ill, he’d be an absolute menace when it came to taking his medicine so much so that his parents had to tag team in order to get him to take it. It was clear you inherited your hatred of medicine from your father.

“I know. But it’ll make you feel so much better.” Bradley says, watching as you consider his words before looking back up at him.

“Promise?” You ask, beginning to trust your dad but needing the promise to solidify your choice.

“I promise, sweetheart. Now come on. Open wide, this plane’s gotta land somewhere.” Bradley then says, miming as if the spoon was one of the jets he flew and ‘flew’ it towards your mouth, even mimicking the sounds of the engine as you giggle before taking the medicine once it reaches you. Once you’ve swallowed the medicine, Bradley puts everything away and scoops you up once more in his arms.

“There we go. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Bradley questions with a grin as he bounces you on his hip slightly, eliciting a laugh from you that was quickly replaced by a cough.

“Okay, let’s get some rest, shall we? Do you want to lie on the sofa and watch a movie?” Bradley then asks, getting a nod from you as you wind your arms around his neck and snuggle closer. Bradley heads downstairs with you in his arms, first making a trip to the kitchen to fill a bottle with water for you and grabbing a few snacks before heading into the living room. Jokingly groaning as he eases himself to sit down after putting the bottle and snacks down on the coffee table. He lies across the sofa with you atop his chest and he pulls the blanket that sat on the sofa across the two of you tucking it around you more than himself.

“I wanna watch Lilo and Stitch please.” You request, snuggling as close as humanly possible while Bradley nods, finding the movie and hitting play before he wrapped his arms around you to give you the cuddles, he bragged had healing qualities. You barely made it half an hour into the movie before dropping off to sleep. Bradley looked down at you to check on you and smiled softly to himself. He knew from the second he laid down with you that it was just a matter of minutes before you’d fall asleep. You hadn’t slept well through the night before, and he knew the medicine could cause drowsiness. Bradley wanted you to get more sleep so he remains still so you can get the rest you need. He carefully placed the back of his hand against your forehead and was glad to discover your temperature had gone down since he last checked. Bradley then pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, running a gentle hand up and down your back as he allowed his own eyes to slip shut so he could join you in sleep.

Sick days weren’t fun for anyone. But with a dad like Bradley, you knew you were in the best possible hands.

[sturniolo04]

Sick M.S.

Bf!Matt x Gf!Fem!Sick!Reader

Summary: in which Ellie gets sick in front of her boyfriend.

TW: Mentions of throw up

Matt's POV: Me and Ellie have been dating for a year now can you believe that! We are just now getting back from our anniversary dinner. We went somewhere really exotic and different. In my opinion it was good considering i am very picky about what i eat on a day to day basis.

Me and ellie were now sitting in our shared room in my joined house with my brothers and she was sitting on the bed watching me play fornite while she  posted on instagram for the day

@itzEllie

Liked by chrissturniolo and 777,989 others

Tagged: @mattsturniolo

@ itzEllie: Happy one year luv

Comments: 10.2k

@ nicolassturniolo: ahh love this

@ chrissturniolo: why do you have to make me feel so single bruh @ itzEllie

@itzEllie: @ chrissturniolo sorry bud

I look up in Ellie's direction to see her turned sitting uncomfortably on the bed with her hand on her stomach.

Matt; you okay Ellie

i aksed looking at her concerned

Ellie:..

Matt: Ellie

i said again seeing she had put her head in her lap.i get up and go over to her rubbing her back slightly.

Matt; do you need anything

Ellie: I dont feel good Matt

she replies weakly

Matt: im sorry is there anything i can do

he replies back looking around the room slightly not knowing really what to do.

Ellie: i feel like throwing up

she finally admitted honestly. Its rare that Ellie ever gets sick and when she is she makes sure Matt doesnt know about it.

Ellie leans over in her seat more.

Matt: Ellie i am getting worried what can i do

Ellie sits up slightly looking okay but then throws up all over the floor and on Matt

Matt; Ellllliiiieeeeee

he quietly exclaims as he covers his mouth shocked as what just occurred

Matt:  are you okay

he states worried about her but also completely grossed out.

Ellie: its all over your floor matt im sorry

she whines out

Ellie: i'll clean it up i promise just..

she rambles hoping Matt isnt made about her throwing up everywhere

Matt: oh my god no Ellie its okay i will clean it up

he sighs out proceeding to rub her back slightly

Matt: its okay i promise just got get cleaned up

he states directing her to his bathroom

Ellie: i dont feel good Matt

Matt: i know just go shower ill clean this up is there anything you need

Ellie: No its okay im sorry

she states getting up weakly walking over to the bathroom

Ellie's POV: i feel really bad about throwing up on Matt but i couldnt stop it. it makes me feel bad about how i messed up his floor and clothes

Matt's POV: i got everything kind of cleaned up and discarded my clothes grabbing new ones as Ellie walked out of the bathroom with her hair up in a ponytail and an abnormally large hoodie which was probably mine.

Matt:  how do you feel Ellie

Ellie: like shit.. i mean i can go home and be sick there so i dont get you sick

Matt: WHAT Ellie no come here

he exclaims as he holds his arms open as she walks over to him

Matt: that is the least of my worries

Ellie: Im sorry

Matt: Oh my god Ellie stop apologizing its okay

she shudders a little as he chuckles a little

Ellie: okay

she sighs out as he rests his head on top of hers

Matt: its okay Ellie

Taglist

@adirtylittleheart @mintsturniolo

[jaimemes]

What could really even justify you doxxing everyone anyways? You seem to have some reason tell yourself it's fine, but... what even is that?

ho boy. okay last night i was going fuckin Thru It but im slightly more mentally stable this morning. i tend to get worse the later in the day it gets. tbh i should start tagging my mentally ill ramblings cuz yall ask these kinda questions a lot (which honestly doesnt really. help my delusions. but yadda yadda audience retention and engagement)

first of all, lemme get this out of the way: im not trying to justify what i do. i know its shitty. i know im shitty. im not gonna pretend im the Good Guy here, im just not quite the Bad Guy either. not everything is black and white.

its not an excuse, its an explanation.

anyways. back to the question. ill put this under the cut because this might get pretty unreality-heavy very quickly. and also i realized halfway thru that this was getting kinda long

look at it from my perspective— be incredibly mentally ill with me for a moment here. you believe yourself to be a part of a narrative. you dont know what kind. you dont know the genre, you dont know the story, you dont know what role you play or the role that your friends play. but you know that you are all part of the narrative in some way.

you know how stories tend to go: the plot is often driven by factors outside of your control— be it by someone else’s hand (ex: the villain burns your village down, there’s a killer at Camp Crystal Lake, two people get in an argument, etc) or by the whims of the universe (ex: a tornado rips through your town, you get diagnosed with a terminal illness, you find a golden ticket in your chocolate bar, etc) but nevertheless the story always starts because of a impending or unexpected change.

keywords impending or unexpected.

the characters dont expect it because they dont have all the information. they arent omniscient or genre-aware. they dont know whats happening with the other characters, they dont know the complexities of one another and how they are a product of their circumstances. they arent looking for literary devices in their own narrative because they dont know they’re in a narrative in the first place.

but you do. you’re a self-aware character. you believe youre in a narrative. and because you’re aware that you’re in a narrative, you are placed in a unique position: you can try to predict the narrative. its like watching a TV show. the characters only have one perspective, but the audience has everyone’s perspective— the complete narrative.

but of course, as part of the narrative, you arent the audience, are you?

but if you watch everyone around you, if you gather as much background information as possible, you can become as close to being a part of the audience as a character can be. you can have all the information necessary to make those predictions. and maybe, just maybe, you can predict the direction the narrative is headed before it happens. you cant be caught off guard if you know everything you need to predict the twists.

(hell, i think im in the midst of finding a twist right now. but i need more time to figure out all the pieces before i make any predictions. plus, a good narrator never outright reveals the twist to the audience before it happens. im the one with the stakes here, not you. but i digress, ive gotten off-topic.)

but there’s a glaring issue in your plan: because you’re a part of the narrative, you can’t exactly change it, can you? sure, you can TRY to stop it, but if you try, is that really you stopping the narrative? or did you just play right into its hands? did you change the story or was the story always written that way? you wouldn’t know: you’re a part of the story, aren’t you?

but the audience isn’t.

and this is where you can stop being mentally ill with me and step out of my shoes again (chances are my shoes are too small for ur feet anyways lmao)

this is where you— yes, you reading this— come in. because you are the audience here. you are MY audience. you’re completely removed of the narrative i believe myself to be trapped in. you’re on the outside looking in.

i believe myself to be in the unique position of being a character that can interact with their audience. and while i may not be able to change the story from the inside, maybe, if i interact with the audience, we can influence it from the outside. i just need to retain the audience enough to generate engagement with the story.

and what better way to generate audience retention than by giving them the information they need to predict the story in a way i as a character probably never could?

dear viewers, do you know what that’s called?

that’s called being a narrator.

but like i said before, a good narrator never outright reveals the twist to the audience before it happens, do they?

and an interesting narrator is an unreliable one.

…

anyways! wow that did not help my mental health. this is gonna be a hell of a day. so much for being mentally stable this morning lmao

but yeah. look. theres a reason i used language like “you believe” and “i believe” and “i may”. im aware that i suffer from delusions and paranoia. im aware that i am horrifically mentally ill. im aware that this all sounds completely inane. im not trying to say that this is the definitive truth of the universe. this is just my belief.

you may not be a part of a narrative. you dont even have to believe IM a part of a narrative.

but i believe myself to be.

[spotaus]

Okay, putting a New Age au thing under the cut (likely a ramble-)

So, this one might come from my own hcs a bit too much. However, smth @ancha-aus (hope u don't mind the tag-) said about a situation in which newly teen Night would reach out to *Cross* if he was sick or feeling unwell? I thought a lil more and I ended up deciding that Cross is the most reliable one of the four to keep Nightmare to his word for his own good.

By that, I mean the others can't say no to Night when they have even an inkling he's uncomfortable, and while Cross definitely also would rather Night be comfy, he's also someone Night picked out for his willingness to follow orders. So, say, Night says Ccino is in charge if he falls ill. But, Ccino also has to manage a lot, so Ccino sets the guys to care for Night directly. Night reaches out to Cross, because he's aware even if he's sniffly and miserable, Cross *will* make him eat his dinner and get healing done. Killer? Would honestly probably just curl up around Night and make things worse and/or get himself sick too (<- has never cared for a sick person). Dust? Would try, but the moment Night looks even a bit more distressed than normal, he'd give up on trying to make him do what he doesn't want to. Horror? 2nd best to care for him, but he's also been known to... not but heads, just have a sort of inherent rivalry with Ccino regarding healing and rest (tradition stuff). So Cross? Cross would be the perfect storm of making sure Night feels secure and safe and comfy, while also using his Older Brother skills to get Night to stop being fussy and just do the things that will make him feel better.

On that same note! Cute brotherly things these nerds do w/ Night:

Dust loves playing traditional table games, like chess or checkers, with Night. It's a calm activity they can do together pretty much anywhere, and I know that Dust would bring it out anytime Night seemed down or stressed.

Horror? Horror loves to take trips to the countryside, buy when Night becomes small, it only makes sense for them to visit the gardens more often instead. Horror has a ridiculous amount of knowledge on flora since he lived out on the outskirts and used to farm/forage for a living. Night loves sitting under a tree with Horror after a long day.

Killer has... a lot he likes to do with Night. He's been here the longest, so he knows Night's hobbies thoroughly (Nightmare him go everywhere with him during paranoia episodes) but Killer enjoys the most reading with Night. Whether that's Night reading to him or vice versa. (I like to think Night might have taught his boys to read, or at least Horror and Killer, because I doubt they knew before-) It's his first instinct if Night I'd upset to grab a book. It was what helped him escape his episodes, and now it helps him calm from night terrors and decompress after stressful meetings.

Cross (headcanon incoming) really enjoys music. I think whenever he has the chance, he and Night will go to the music room, and Cross will play. He learned Cello when he was younger, alongside his training as a soldier, and it was one of the few times he was able to be around his siblings normally. Night knows the piano and viola (Dream learned Violin) so Night and Cross will play together sometimes, to decompress and to help Cross shake off that wall he puts up while he's working.

And! When Night was still running on the Apple Magic, their favorite group activity was always Sparring. The fighting was how Night taught the four to be so trusting of eachother, because he would tell them to incapacitate him as a team. If the worked together, they always has more fun and got used to trust eachother like an extra limb (Like Brothers). Night was always too swift for them to catch, most of the time, but it posed a challenge. When Night lost the apple magic, he never really got back that combat prowess he had before, so they couldn't spar the way they used to... To make up for it, Night and his brothers will sometimes have game nights that involve sparring challenges. Like, passing Night between eachother in fun ways, or hide and seek with him, or tags things that don't require Night to have amazing reflexes like he used to, that still let the group have fun!

Bonus Round for the side characters!

Error! Sometimes when Nightmare is really liking a story, Error will weave him a little "tapestry" of a scene out of his strings. Conversely, Night loves to sit and listen to Error ramble about his latest craft project or his new magical device. They bond over info dumping and insane passion for stuff. (Night is also allowed into Error's 'extra floors' which he weaves into the rooms with high ceilings as a safe-haven for himself.)

Ccino! They have an odd relationship, babysitter, turned confidant, turned... both? But Ccino loves when Night offers to help him make food. Like, at first it was a way to make sure Night didn't starve hinself, but then he kept ordering new interesting ingredients and recipes, and they bonded over the craft. It's a time when they both feel extremely at ease.

Lastly... I'm thinking about slipping Crop and Straw in as an homage to RealAge again, but idk where I'd plop them just yet! Maybe Crop is where Night sources a lot of supplies from? Maybe he's a guy who hid Night and a few of the guys after the first escape from Dream? We'll see lmao.