#please go play the game if you like cosmic horror love story!
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Wow the new slay the princess update sure looks weird!
#parody#crossover#slay the princess#made this silly crossover when the game first came out#felt like it just suited them#also it was really fun imitating the art style#please go play the game if you like cosmic horror love story!#ocs#my art
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I saw you made a post about HSR being nauseating — and honestly, SAME 😫
As someone who doesn’t play many video games, HSR feels like an out-of-body experience at times. I really struggle to play the game on 60 frames with motion blur and good graphical settings.
What I’ve been doing (that somehow helps for me?) is letting my game run at the lowest possible graphics settings, setting the frame rate to 30, and making the game window much smaller. I try to keep the game in the middle of my screen so my desktop can ‘frame’ the window and kinda anchor me. I turn anti-aliasing on to keep character outlines from blurring as well.
Penacony is just naturally dizzying with many of the dreamscape’s rooms requiring you to walk on goddamned wALLS — but many of Penacony’s more annoying puzzles aren’t relevant to the main story, so I wished I just ignored them 🥲
I hope Honkai’s next region is less dizzying though — and I hope you’re doing okay! Honestly, your health is so much more important, so if you ever feel like you’re going to get a headache playing a game — please know that you can completely skip some areas, and play another day if you still want to return.
Omg Anon, sistaaa 😭🤝😭✨
And sameeee I DO set the fps to 30 and low quality and smallllll game window just like you said!! It helped a LOT but still sometime it's just, urgh, like ... You know the bartender event rn right? When we have to go into that first monster mind and like there's one moment you will walk straight from floor to wall to ceiling in like 3 sec?? i thrup, hands down.
BUT BUT BUT I do love the cosmic horror indie game vibe of the dreamscape!! I really do!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 Like petting a cat why sneezing your lung out through your nose. And I'm pretty hooked on this Penacony arc, it's reminds me of Lostbelt 6 from FGO with all the "acting" and "can't trust anyone" thing.
AND ALSO to my not-very-surprise the "what-if" about Gallagher Robin and Sunday I made before update turned out to be somewhat-true! Yah, worth it. Also those clock mirror puzzles on penacony maps? Chef kiss. Mihoho please give me more 2D illusion puzzles!!
I did meet same problem with Genshin when I first played it, but it's nothing compared to penacony dreamscape and brigdes. Still, the things I do for lores O(-(
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About
I figure I should make an intro post its self since it's more accessible, but for further detail about me you check the about tab on my blog.
So, hello ^^ I am Anonomy, I actually go by a lot but my main name is Anonomy. I'm older than 18 (that's all you need 2 know ^^). Aroace and bigender. I have GAD (+selective mutism) and have some situational depression.
I've been into TF2 for about 9 years and have around 5-6k hours (and counting!). Timezone is around PH so if you want to play HMU, I am often busy but I always have room for a round or two. Or if you just want a little chat, that's fine too. My other interests aside from tf2 range from valve games, horror, cosmic horror and sci-fi/fantasy, aliens, the ocean, psychology, SPYFI, I LOVE SPYFI my favourite character ever is SPY TF2
He/him + She/her, please no they/them for me unless you didn't know beforehand.
This is my blog so I do blog things.
I'm into TF2 as a WHOLE. That includes the spyfi 1960s setting, the surrounding lore, the characters, the gameplay, and pretty much EVERYTHING about it. I don't exagerrate when I say I'm crazy about tf2. I play the game very extensively and know a lot of niche mechanics, so if you need advice or tips on tf2 itself you can just ask, I love helping other players. My area of expertise is mainly engineer, medic, and pyro, but I've enjoyed plenty of other classes and subclasses.
Tags:
#myart - this is my art. i used to do a fandom tagging system for myart+[fandom] but tbh it got confusing to me so it's obsolete.
#nomi writes - textposts that I think fall under the category of what could be seen as writing. So like thinly veiled fanfics, posts I put a decent effort into, etc. It's like the formal tag for nomipad. Pr much all of my textposts will fall under this since i'm a perfectionist.
#nomipad - personal tag for any rambles or things that I don't think fit nomi writes. More messy. Tbh there is little difference but I thrive on micro organizing. But more often than not this is for regular rambles
#nomi asks - answers for asks. I'm always up to chat about TF2 but other things are okay as well of course. Specially about mental health, etc.
I occasionally disappear into the shadows and come back, it's normal. Sometimes I just get really busy or am cycling through one of my hobbies. I have a really specific way of doing things and I go on my own time :P
#tf2 gameplay - things related to the gameplay. sometimes I like to talk about the gameplay or recount stories about what I've seen in the many years of playing this game. Pretty meta.
Etc.
That's all, take care!
#intro post#tf2#horror#pretty fun tbh#will update this accordingly#also a good guide for myself cause everytime i dip and come back i have to relearn how to use this website xD
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Writer Q&A Tag Game
Thanks again to @digital-chance for the tag! You can find their original post here!
1)What motivates you to write?
My own ego (I kid...sorta).
I love creating worlds and giving life to the various voices inside my head. I love teasing out ideas and constructing (too) intricate plots and scenarios. Writing is my escape from the daily grind (for good and bad) and my main outlet for expression. I honestly wouldn't be me without my writing.
2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)
I'll share something from a short story currently on ice until I get around to editing it. It's tentatively called "Cosmic Self-Serve"
Unfathomable eldritch horrors weren’t on my Tuesday night bingo card but it takes all types to keep a gas station in the black. I took another pack of gum from the rack and popped a stick in my mouth, praying for brain freeze. Cool mint took over my senses and I felt like a person again. Gary won’t be happy with my lack of respect for “stock integrity” but that’s why our corporate gods gave us shrink. Also Gary’s an asshole so screw Gary.
3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?
I'm going to have to give this to September from my Festival Project WIP. He's such a mess of a character despite his best efforts to keep it together. He has a pretty lengthy backstory for "reasons that drift a smidge into spoiler territory." On the surface, he's calm and collected and can weather any storm with clear head, but that comes from a long history of battling demons (both real and internal). He currently puts these talents towards being the Editor in Chief at his newspaper office.
4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?
The initial brainstorming and outlining stage. I love plotting out stories free from the expectation of making the words sound pretty. I do still enjoy making the words pretty but sometimes I stall getting too caught up in that.
5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)
The dialogue, though I will be the first to admit that I can get carried away with it. I also credit myself as a very meticulous plotter, in the actual plot and with character backstories. I've been told that my shorter stories tend to subvert expectation and go in unexpected places (but this too has its pitfalls as my earlier writing has been labelled as confusing by certain peers in writing workshops).
Even when I'm trying to stroke my ego, I keep offering caveats.
6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?
Honestly, how supportive everyone is! We're always trying to build each other up and the discussions I see on my feed where people excitedly talk about their stories and OCs remind me why writing is so much fun. And the games, of course. My god, these games! I love them!
7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)
I recently took the plunge and bought Scrivener and I'm liking it so far. It's a bit of a learning curve with all the features you can play with, but I love how you can organize stories and bookmark things within each text section for referencing. Best of all, (and as far as I'm aware) you only have to pay once for it (unlike some other subscription based programs). With that being said, I do love Microsoft Word for smaller projects and its backup feature.
I also use a timer on my computer (I have Windows so there's a clock app that you can adjust). On days that I'm really struggling to motivate myself, dividing my time into smaller increments can get me through the slog.
8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)
Egad, what a broad question! I have to think about that for a second...
There's a unique Protestant-inspired church branch within Hollow Grove that's known as the Edelhaus Coalition Church. It's also uniquely American, whose foundation is the old Puritan work ethic that emphasizes hard work as a core tenet that guarantees a path to heaven.
Where it diverges is its belief in The Founder and the concept of The Faithful. The Faithful are the true believers that have gained immense favor with God through their hard work and aptitude. As evidence of his favor, he gives The Faithful powers over nature. The Founder (who many believe was the original historical founder of the town, Goodwin Hollow) was the first Faithful and every Festival of Shadows, the evidence of his will is seen in the resurrection of the recently deceased every festival year. This holiday is celebrated by all in the Edelhaus Coalition church for this reason. It's also why many acolytes within the church opt for natural burial for a chance to walk the earth again.
There's more to it but in the spirit of brevity, that's all I'll say for now.
9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?
I'll say it again, write what you love. There's no point in writing something you don't.
I also want to emphasize the importance of breaks. Sometimes if the words aren't flowing (or there's just so much going in your life), never feel ashamed of putting the pen down and coming back to a story later. The time away can offer fresh perspective. It can divert your attention to something else that you're equally passionate about. I sometimes like to procrastinate on one story with another. If I can't write at all, sometimes reading or watching something can inspire you.
10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters
I'm truly inspired by reading the snippets of stories from @digital-chance (that's two mentions now!) @rmgrey-author @palebdot @tabswrites @writingbyricochet and @fatexweaver. I appreciate the support and interactions I've had with @vintagecivet @macabremoons @friendlyshaped @aestatismors @leisoree @words-after-midnight @axl-ul @nai-nty-8 and @nonsenseramble. Seriously, you all rock and I appreciate all of you!
I'm going to go ahead and gently tag all these beautiful folks listed above as well as some newer mutuals who I hope to get to know more @girlfromthecrypt @elhuei @isherwoodj @poemsbymo @robin-writes-a-lot and anyone who would like to participate!
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rambling about the concept of a mha rgb horror game but not really just thinkin about it.
i think mha would be a SICK rgb horror game. katsuki would look sick as fuck. he has the yellow hair and red eyes already my guy could be looking mysteriously into the camera and is he the horror? does he know the secrets? midoriya would be the protag but at the end of the story theres a twist to make it the "protag/narrator was the monster all along" because those are always interesting to me. might draw some concepts for it because my brain is like "yes yeesss yes" bc WHY NOT?! i fuckingg love horror like you go lil dudes. bad endings good endings, endings that are silly, endings that are cosmically horrifying but played as a joke, endings that turn the story into a different one at the end, true ending, endings where everythings shit because you made it that way. will never get over it. midoriya being the protag would be so funny to me personally because youd make the most awfullest of choices and hed scream internally. because hes not a protag that shows no emotions (which im not saying is bad, most protags are that way so the player can interpet their feelings and feel more emersed. some protags show no feelings but do subtly have their own personality, away from the player) which is excactly so interesting to me. i want this so badly, i want to draw funky shapes and midoriya going through the ringer. i want to draw lil creatures and other characters and oh my god. oh my god. is it a phylogical horror? is it a "oh my god i got transported to a funky ass world and now its life or death here" or a "you stare into the shadows. it stares back" like please do you see it? do you see my idea?
#smalltalk#rambles#this also just might be my excuse to draw crowded drawings and have it make sense#idk im lazy though we'll see
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Cool Games of 2022 that I liked
This guy launched with a pretty rough beta and honestly still isn't complete, but it's probably the most enjoyable co-op level based shooter that I've ever played. I've heard Fatshark is pretty good at creating additional content for their games, but you really shouldn't buy a game based on what might be coming. The moment to moment gameplay is just good. It's just really good. Also it's visually incredible...if your graphics card can handle it. (on a 3070ti with DLSS on quality and sometimes I drop to below 60fps at 1440p)
Pkmn LetLet def needed more time in development, but honestly this is probably the most interesting pkmn game overall. I personally only experienced one crash during my play time and performance has been fine. Like, I expect a switch to crumple under the weird expectations this game has, they should've designed those parts better, but even then. It's still a very compelling game. I like the openness, I liked exploring (even if it rarely hit 30 fps), I liked catching new funny little dudes, I liked the characters for once because they don't feel so one dimensional. Competitive is wild right now, lots of interesting teams and weird new stuff. I do hope they continue modifying the pkmn formula, I really want more for co-op. Anyway, I do hope they just slow down with pkmn and the devs can get their shit together properly.
I highly recommend if you're a fan of PS1 horror games. A dystopian sci-fi setting with Lovecraft themes and RE1~esq controls and puzzles and excellently executed anime art style. Everything about this game just works.
PLEASE NOTE THIS GAME DOES HAVE A LOT OF FLASHING IMAGERY AND DOES NOT HAVE A WAY TO TURN IT OFF.
A DOOM-like that takes being called that as a compliment. If you like fast-paced old school shooters, you'll love it. It's got dudes to shoot and you have bullets to feed them. Pretty excellent level design, some bits that make it just a little more engaging than point gun and dude, but not enough to disrupt flow. I really had a good time with it.
I kickstarter'd this game and I'm glad I did. It's a great puzzle platformer with a funny gun that is also a frog. I really love ps1 aesthetics and low poly art and this game does a great job with it. It's also fun to replay and speedrun levels. The frogun's sticky tongue latching on to walls to move around quickly is fun.
Absolutely excellent sprite work with gameplay improvements to an already good beat'em up base. If you need a beat'em up to play with friends, this one is my go to.
It sure does like to say capitalism sucks a lot, and that's a pretty good feature. Enjoyed the story and the characters, the beginning is really tense, but it loses that about a quarter of the way in (which I kinda miss). Still, you'll mostly enjoy following character stories and trying to do the best you can looking for your preferred ending with a funny dice system
Finally, a voxel based game that isn't terrible and actually takes advantage of being voxel based. Tons of creative solutions and interesting challenges. Unfortunately does need a pretty good rig to enjoy a lot of the visuals, but it does looks really good too.
I really liked Shadow Tower and King's Field. There's something really appealing about first person dungeon crawlers. The world here is interesting and full of secrets. Exploration is fun, but sometimes really tense (in a good way). Also, of course, I like ps1 aesthetics and this one really nails its look within that visual style while still feeling like it's own.
It's still in Early Access, but the content that's there is honestly worth it.
Yeah, it's good. Play it. I wrote a bunch of stuff about it before that felt negative overall, but it's still a great game (and better than the majority of other over inflated budget games).
Good job FromSoftware, now stop overworking your employees and please just take care of Armored Core 6. PLEASE REMEMBER THE ANTI-CAPITALISTIC THEMES OF ARMORED CORE. PLEASE REMEMBER THEM. PLEASE DON'T WATER DOWN HOW MEGA CORPORATIONS RUINED THE WORLD OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I WON'T FORGIVE YOU IF YOU DO. I'LL MAKE MY OWN STUPID MECH GAME GOD DAMN IT.
QUICK LIST OF GAMES THAT I'M PROBABLY GOING TO RECOMMEND BUT I HAVEN'T COMPLETED
Super Lesbian Animal RPG Lunistice Goodbye World Gloomwood UraGun Scorn
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part 2:
also eratum: it's 10 demos not 11
the invicible: i can't say much because doing the demo is apparently set in the middle of the story and is gonna change your perception of the beginning of the game (unless like me you're going to forget the details in a week or two) BUT i'm definitely convinced to buy the game, the atompunk aesthetic is my kinda shit and i was anxious and scared all the way, not because it's horror, it's not, but because the atmosphere is there. still in the wishlist of course and also will probably buy the book by stanislaw lem
this bed we made: another game i really want to buy, finally more new mystery games!!! the game takes place in a hotel in montreal, quebec during the late 50s, you're playing sophie, a maid who loves to snoop around guests' rooms and from what i gathered it's going to adress ptsd from ww2 and lgbt conditions! i hope even if there isn't a dub in quebec french (i would love one that's for sure) at least i hope it'll be translated because i absolutely want to play this with my mom (she's been waiting since post mortem to finally have that kind of game again, even if tbwm it's not an old school point and click). still in the wishlist as well. oh and best moment:
the cosmic wheel sisterhood: what can i say, i'm a fan of red strings club, and the new deconstructeam game looks neat af. i already love fortuna, i like how fluid the dialogs are in french, i love that you make your own tarot card, that you flirt with a demon who will make you worse, the music, i can't wait to see the consequences of my choices, or the multiple branches of the game. still in the wishlist, buying day one etc. etc.
ghost trick phantom detective: i wanted to try it because of shu takumi and also i never played it back in 2010 so it was the ideal occasion. it was fun, i liked the mechanics coupled with the puzzles and the story is interesting and the dialogues funny enough. can definitely feel that ace attorney feel i was looking for. still in the wishlist.
sea of stars: the graphics were very pleasing to me when i saw the trailer and the demo finished to convinced me, i like the mechanics, i like the design, i like the fishing minigame, it seems funny, feels like this is going to be a great RPG!!!
little thoughts about 5 out of 11 demos i played for the steam neo fest:
viewfinder: did the demo a while ago and i loooove the concept, the game is pretty and there's not only one way to solve the puzzles, i want to know more about the little cute lore elements. still in the wishlist.
wargroove 2: i liked the story of wargroove 1 even if it wasn't anything groundbreaking, but i was way less enthusiastic about the gameplay which became boring and redundant real quick, unfortunately even if the new demo let's you play a new more challenging mode, the gameplay is the same and i got bored playing it again. too bad really because i really want to know the rest of the story, but i think i'll watch a yt let's play, still in the wishlist to support the devs, but yeah i probably won't get it.
firebird: french narrative game written by the gm of the french actual play i'm watching, the art is cute, the story and choices looks promising, the protagonists have potential and damn but the soundtrack slaps!! still in the wishlist.
stray gods, the roleplaying musical: ok so i didn't expect it to basically be a real musical in a interactive fiction format BUT i didn't dislike it, the characters' designs are cool, there's 4 songs in the demo i was really convinced by 2 of them, the entire cast reveal sounds cool tho i'm not well versed in brodaway or english voice acting world like i can be with the french one, and of course there's the l.bailey/a.williams/t.baker trio (and like i love ashley and laura and their song together is really great, but feels like déjà vu somehow). there's replayability potential as well so i think i'll play it. still in the wishlist.
en garde: another french game yay, and it is fun as hell!!! the writing is cute and the gameplay is sooo pleasant. if you wanna feel like puss in boots, definitely give this a go. still in the wishlist.
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I just finished the game Control earlier. Sitting with some coffee now and thinking about it. I absolutely loved it. I feel like I say I love every piece of media I make a text post about, but then again, if I don’t enjoy something I won’t finish it and I definitely won’t waste time writing about it, so 🤷🏻♂️
Anyway, bullet points:
AMAZING A E S T H E T I C
Seriously, I loved the old retro office building atmosphere
cosmic horror haunted house
Magic gun is cool 😎
“Don’t eat mold.”
Big big X-Files vibes
The Federal Bureau of Control is what I wanted The Southern Reach organization from the Area X series to be like. I wish the sequel to Annihilation had been more like Control instead of the pretty disappointing book that Authority ended up being.
I love the lore and weird stuff you read about in all of the letters and memos you collect, but then again I’m one of those people that actually enjoys hunting for collectibles. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on some interesting world building.
Telekinetically throwing everything never gets boring to me, especially when you level up enough to throw enemies at each other
Dr. Casper Darling is a fucking daddy and god bless them for finding an excuse to show him in his underwear.
The whole cast is pretty nice! Like, friendly nice! Wow, a government agency where most everyone has the best of intentions!
I love you, janitor ❤️
I dunno, I could probably mention more but I’m sure people don’t follow me for my video game reviews. I will say I wish there were more spooky creatures and whatnot, and the ending felt pretty abrupt BUT you can also disregard both of those criticisms since I still have plenty of DLC to go through (which I’ve been told actually works as more of a real and satisfying ending).
#and that’s that on that#I really enjoyed the story even if it did feel like it just kind of… ended.#I wanted to hurry up and finish the main story so I could surf tumblr for gifsets without getting spoiled#but there’s still a lot of dlc and side missions to do#the game is cool that way. in that once you beat it you get to keep playing and doing stuff and exploring#is that a spoiler? this might be so read at own risk: once you finish it’s like ‘thanks but here’s more stuff we need fixed!’ which is cool#I’ve still got to clear out a mold infestation#also pretty much all of the dlc#I’m happy with that#I really enjoy being in the world they’ve built so I’m happy to spend more time exploring it#seriously tho if you like x-files or Annihilation or cool science fiction cosmic horror mysteries then this is a good buy#I waited for it to go on sale just fyi. that’s my recommendation. not that it’s not worth full price but I mean… cheaper is nice 🤷🏻♂️#my only gripe is I’ll have to upgrade to a next-gen system to play the sequel whenever that comes out years from now#I would love a sequel with a more lived in building. more people walking around instead of empty set pieces#even if said set pieces are aesthetically pleasing#maybe have a sequel set right after they’ve cleaned everything up and are just getting back on their feet#or maybe The Foundation expansion will push my opinions in a different direction. I dunno. we’ll see when I start it tomorrow#okay anyway… I love this game!#it’s good!#you can ignore this#text
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I keep seeing people talk about circular narratives
Play Signalis for the love of fuck you owe it to yourself, this is one of the most intricate, well-thought out stories I have ever seen. It's an endless spiral into oblivion, a deliberately unclear story, open to vast interpretation, yet perfectly guided. If you like circular narratives, if you like survival horror, if you like retro-futurism, if you like cyberpunk, if you like cosmic horror, if you like lesbians, if you like smashing your head against a wall of trying to figure out what the fuck is ACTUALLY going on in media.
I fucking love this game so much, please you owe it to yourself to play it
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Nine Legacies: The Balefire Rekindled Masterpost
Prelude: Magic’s resurgence has changed almost every aspect of life. The “mundane” world cannot deny magic’s existence, and is both fearful and all too curious about its capabilities. Despite public and private pushback against the forces of Olde and Arcane, society must come to accept the presence of Fae and other magical phenomena as something “normal,” just as it did during the golden age of magic. But with the benefits of magic’s return comes the many horrors fueled by it: Vengeful dead have begun to rise, monsters stalk the lands, and legends of old reveal their long denied truths to the “modern” world. Luna Nova itself faces one these emboldened threats now, as a shadowy coven that has plagued the legacies left behind by The Nine Old Witches for centuries plots their destruction yet again. The New Nine and their companions stand firm against the darkness, but it will be the dare-devil firebrand Amanda O'Neill, and the reserved and calculating Constanze Amalie Von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger who must first answer the call of Olde Legacies. When fate calls them to action, they waste no time in taking up the torch, and light Luna Nova’s way to a brighter tomorrow.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429150/chapters/62068246
Author’s Note: Hello, and thank you, first off, for reading this post! I hope that I’ve piqued interest! To explain further though, Nine Legacies: The Balefire Rekindled, is the first installment in a series of fanfiction I plan to write, titled under the series name Nine Legacies, as one might expect. This fic, and all of the fics that follow it in the series, are/will be a deep expansion and exploration of the Little Witch Academia world. The main focus of the OG series/ovas was never world building. It was focused on Akko and her journey, and that’s amazing. The original series is possibly one of my favorite and most beloved pieces of media. But it leaves much for the viewer to ponder on, doesn’t it? Who were the Nine Olde Witches? As in, who were they as people? What were they like? What was life really like during the golden age of magic? Where do the Fae come from? How did magical societies organize themselves? How will they do so again now that magic is returned, and how will non-magical, or “mundane” society, as I call it, react to such a sudden paradigm shift? These questions and more are what drove me to write this fic/series. It’s not just an exercise in world building, of course. While that may be one of my great loves when it comes to writing, Nine Legacies is primarily a story about Found Families, love (for the self and others), and how those two things are tested by a world around us that, at times, feels wholly uncaring and apathetic to your very existence. It deals in the above themes as well as in political struggle, fighting for the right to live as you are, with trauma and how to overcome/live with trauma, and especially with the first installment, Balefire, with Vengeance.
It features some horror elements, lots of action, and cosmic horror elements (IE Lovecraftian horror elements; think Cthuluhu, if you’re not aware).
(Credit for above image goes to Alexis Kennedy, and all of the artists who worked on the Weather Factory game named: Cultist Simulator)
It’s not all gloom and doom though; I’m not here to write an unsatisfying story. It may be gritty and grim at times, but I try to balance that out with humor and fluff, both dark humor, and much more light hearted fair that you’d expect from LWA. And yes, it is VERY gay (I’m a trans lesbian woman, if this wasn’t extremely gay then I would have failed myself). This might sound like quite the departure from what you usually read for LWA, and it probably is, but I hope that this is an enjoying and stimulating experience! While it is very much my own canon, I’ve based just about everything I’ve done with the setting on the original series’ material, as well as materials adjacent to the canon, such as mangas, light novels, and the OVAS.
This series will be a four-five part installment of novel length fics. Nine Legacies: The Balefire rekindled, is currently, as of August second 8/2/2020, unfinished, as I write chapter 20 of what will like be 27-28 chapters in total, and it is already the third longest LWA fic on AO3 (archive of our own) at 442,068 words. I began properly writing this fic in full in January, for reference, and started planning out the whole story/what I wanted out of it in november of 2019. I try to update every other week, or every week if possible, and do weekly/two weekly updates on my progress, all posted to this tumblr.
Lastly, and most importantly, there are two things to note about Balefire, and about Nine Legacies as a whole: I give antagonists their own scenes and perspectives quite a bit. I feel it is imperative to my story that the antagonists all get screen time to help better flesh them out. And secondly, each installment in the series will focus on 2-3 of the “New Nine” witches (The New Nine in this case being Red, Green, and Blue teams. Chariot and Croix are NOT New Nine in this, but will play important roles for various characters throughout. Think of them more as mentors for the New Nine). Balefire specifically focuses on Constanze and Amanda, but it also sets up the plots and development for just about every other New Nine witch, and you can expect to see other OC characters in important side roles that will develop and enhance the story, as well as lesser used characters from LWA, such as Wangari making appearances as important side characters. I can’t say much more on the specifics, but I’ll leave this section off with something to entice you: ALL of the Nine Olde Witches (as written by my own canon, essentially) will be fleshed out in full. Their origin, who they were, why they were important, all of that is crucial to the story, hence the series title, Nine Legacies.
“Perhaps they, the new blood.... Perhaps they hold the strength to rekindle our flame.”
I hope all of this has you interested and ready to read! ITS FINISHED NOW! All the main chapters are done, but I intend to go back and do a FULL re-edit, with criticisms, suggestions, and corrections in mind from YOU GUYS, the readers. PLEASE: Never hesitate to send me asks, comment, leave kudos, etc. ALL of that stuff shows me whether or not I’ve done good work, and even if I haven't, telling me HOW I may have failed will always be helpful. I want to make this the best fic it possibly can be, but I can’t do that without reader participation.
Without further adieu: Nine Legacies: The Balefire Rekindled
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429150/chapters/53589904
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Sonic: The Hedgehog (2020)
Sonic: The Hedgehog (2020)
Greeting my flock of film freaks and welcome again to the Cult of Cult. Todays offering is a bit more of the mainstream blockbuster variety, but as films based on Video Games are still actually quite niche and vastly underestimated I think we should open our hearts to Sonic: The Hedgehog and hope that we find it a pleasing tithe to the cult. I am your beloved minster, The Reverend Chainsaw, and welcome to today’s service.
The Message
I must confess to the congregation that I was drinking mighty heavily of the lord’s Tennessee sour mash when I was taking in this movie. That said, I think that this is a great movie to have a drink with and I mean that in the best possible way.
Sonic: The Hedgehog is of course based on the Sega video game franchise and stars Ben Schwartz as the titular blue rat. Schwartz brings his brand of high energy enthusiastic comedy to the voice role. While Schwartz is particularly on brand for Schwartz, is he on brand for Sonic? I’m not entirely sure, but I’m also not entirely sure I was ever in love with the old ways. I am not an avid fan or consumer of Sonic media and perhaps that means I am in a poor position to say. I am most familiar with the Sega games and Sonic cartoons from the 90s, and from what I have grasped the more recent entries with their more anime centric and high lore plots still owe quite a bit to the attitude era of the 90s. Sonic was a hero but he was also a bit of a cross between Mickey Mouse, the Flash, and Bart Simpson. As an angsty 90s boy I wanted to eat chili dogs and go very fast that was very appealing to me, but I’m not so sure it would be appealing to a vast audience of older millennials, or even todays kids. And though I think it would be a fair criticism to say that Ben Schwartz is playing sonic as basically the superhero version of his Dewey Duck from the VERY VERY good DuckTales reboot, I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing.
Dewey Duck the Hedgehog is a small mammal (also not a rodent, I wanted to say rodent and apparently hedgehogs are not rodents, just googled it) from an alien planet where his adoptive mother, an owl named Long Claw, fears that he will be hunted for his special powers, which I think is just super speed but it might be other things. In line with these concerns after an attack by pursuers Longclaw gives Sonic the Moses treatment and floats the special blue boy down the metaphorical river. Unlike Moses, however, Sonic is not found by ultra rich ultra powerful extra special people but is instead alone. Sonic lives alone in exile outside a small American town as a sort of local cryptid.
Thus begins a charming adventure. Through a poor decision to use his powers while working out some personal issues, Sonic inadvertantly draws the attention of the U.S Government and their nasty big brain baddy Dr. Robotnik. Sonic recruits a small town police officer with big city dreams to assist him in finding his magic rings so that he might flee from earth to an uninhabited mushroom kingdom.
Now about these two human characters. Officer Everyman is played by cyclops from the X-men franchise. The actors name escapes me and so does the characters, and while, yes, I just looked up if hedgehogs were rodents, I will not be looking up this information. I like the review better this way. It makes me laugh. And while I don’t remember his name, I do remember that he used to live In Mt. Juliet, TN. Anyway, what you should know about Officer Goodguy is that he drives a Toyota Tacoma!
That Toyota Tacoma is also continuously abused by the mad machinations of our films biggest draw: Jim Carey as Dr. Robotnik. If we were to pitch a Sonic movie, I don’t think anyone would jump to Jim Carey as the must have for the role, but after seeing this film, boy was it the best choice. The way he chews the scenery and plays off the rest of the cast and situations is just so much fun to watch. It’s fantastic to see Jim Carey back in a larger than life role. The Decision to play Jim Carey as the kind of condescending nerd who has taken their lack of social skills and leaned in as opposed to working on themselves was a brilliant choice. We’ve all known that kind of guy who tries to play the misanthrope just because they are too egotistical to recognize their flaws. Here Dr. Robotnik has given up on human connection in favor of subordination. His intellect is his only value, and thus he demands everyone around him acknowledge intellect as the only quality that matters as he has. It was a great choice.
From the point the chase begins the film becomes a road trip flick, and despite the fact that Sonic could supposedly cover the distance required in the blink of an eye we watch the ins and outs of our heroes relationship as they learn what home, and being a hero mean to them. By the climax it is pretty by the numbers, Sonic has come to feel at home on Earth and now that he has friends who care for him they can begin to make a world from which neither will have to flee; and of course, they beat the bad guy. FOR NOW. we are treated to an even crazier Dr. Robotnik stranded in the Fungus Dimension bent on revenge.
The Benediction
Now for all things Holy and Profane in this film, please rise for the Benediction.
Best Scandal: Sonic the Cosmic Horror
The original look of this film was mired in dread when the early footage and trailers dropped revealing a hideously uncanny hedgehog monster in the form of sonic. The memes are amazing, the toys are unsettling, there’s still plenty of Quasimodo Sonic stuff out there floating on the web and I suggest that you search it out, the laughter is good for your heart. Also if anyone wants to send me any creepy sonic merch I’ll take it.
Thanks to the work of online fans and internet harassments, the studio felt it was going to lose money on the project and reeled back the release allowing for the design department to give us a more cartoony but less frightening alien monster. I mean he’s a cartoon, it’s okay for him to look like a cartoon.
Best Scene: Noodle Dance
It’s hard to choose, and it feels a bit biased, but there are a few scenes with Dr. Robotnik that are just what make the movie more than a forgettable IP adaptation. Not that Ben Schwartz wasn’t doing great as the character but I feel Sonic as a whole would be lost in the milieu of CG spectacles and Super Hero Origin stories that we are bombarded with every year if not for Jim Carey’s performances; and even with them Sonic: The Hedgehog is not completely out of those woods. That said, I think Dr. Robotnik’s Alone Time Dance Party has to be the stand out sequence in my memory. I can’t really speak to what makes it so enjoyable, but damn if it isn’t just the best scene in the movie.
Best Character: Silicon Valley Dr. Robotnik
Do I even need to say it? It’s Dr. Robotnik. I’m not a fan of this villain from any other media. I always found Dr. Robotniks look unappealing, I’m not a huge fan of his powers, or using robot henchman. it always struck me as pretty boring how Sonic didn’t have a cool rogues gallery (i’m talking about 90s sonic) the way Mario did. However, they did something with the design, characterization, and performance that just made him such a fun villain. Also, my friend Jacksons mom said I looked like him and it didn’t hurt my feelings so.
Best Actor: Jim Carey
Jim Carey. It really seems like he’s all I’m talking about in this movie. Once again, I think Ben Schwartz did great and Sonic IS basically Dewey Duck in this movie. Dewey Duck is my favorite part of the rebooted DuckTales series, BUT he is just outmaneuvered by Jim Carey in this role. I think it’s a compliment enough to say that Ben Schwartz was even able to keep up with his energy, let alone play his quicker perkier foil.
Worst Scene: Toyota Tacoma Commercial
Sonic: the Hedgehog’s worst scene would probably have to be the forced friend fight between Sonic and Officer Wachowski during the car chase. It’s an overproduced weightless car chase scene with a contrived buddy cop controversy meant to force apart our heroes so that they can ultimately grow a little and come back together later in the movie. Not that I mind a movie like this to be so by the numbers, but it just felt like two of the blandest things on this movies plate being forced into one scene. I do like the idea of giving me the crap part of the dish in one flavorless generic bite, but that still doesn’t save it from being the worst scene in the movie.
That Toyota Tacoma took a beating though.
Worst Feature: Nothing Ventured/ Nothing Earned
I’m sure many fans would feel that the worst feature of the film is that it isn’t loyal to any previous lore laden version of the character, (probably the one they like the most). In the portrayals of both Sonic and Dr. Robotnik there were decisions made that drastically differed from the ways they have been portrayed before. Sonic is naïve and idealistic, a bit childish, Dr. Robotnik is driven by a lot of insecurity. Where are the Chaos Crystals and my original character Grindy the Wolf Cub?
But I think that these are over all positive choices in a film that otherwise chose to play it incredibly safe. In their cautious approach to appeal to the widest possible audience the film makers gave us a pleasant and appealing cartoon romp but we are left with little to hold on to. The worst feature of Sonic: The Hedgehog is it’s safety.
Summary:
Sonic: The Hedgehog is often touted as “the first good video game movie”. A label that I disagree with wholeheartedly. It is certainly a good video game movie, but it’s not the first, and it is not by leaps and bounds better than other video game movies as a whole. It’s a sub genre that gets a ton of disrespect, and in a world where the biggest criticism levied against the Super Mario Bros is that it’s not a faithful adaptation, I don’t understand how Sonic the Buddy Cop/ Road Trip comedy is escaping that attitude.
All that said, I had a good time with this movie. But it felt like playing on the playground as a toddler. You have fun and then you leave and you don’t really remember what you played or who with. I’ll think about Jim Carey and Dewey Duck, but I had a hard time hating or loving anything this movie did in any strong way. I usually feel that a movie that is “bad” or “corny” or “shlocky” is always better than a movie that is generic, or pointless, or boring. Sonics pleasantness and cheerful energy just barely save it from being another Transformers franchise. I get that origin stories are hard, so I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment, and hopefully it’s going to do something that sets it apart. Probably not.
Overall Grade: C
James Marsden! I just remembered!
#Sonic: The Hedgehog#2020#2020s#video game#sonic#hedgehog#alien#action#super hero#adventure#buddy#road trip#jim carey#james marsden#ben schwartz#scifi#science fiction#dr#dr robotnik#robotnik#C#Grade C#scientis#mad scientist#(C)
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More Family Content: Setting Up A Grimdark Campaign
Grimdark is a setting style thats focus on dystopian fantasy violence and the ammoral, think less ‘Starving Games 9: the diverging maze runner, girl is special but in love with two guys’ nonsense and more the Warhammer. I myself, (being someone who never grew out his angsty side) is an absolute whore for this kinda stuff. The main appeal for this setting is no matter who you are, you are a villain. But thats good. Cause everyone is a villain in a grimdark campagin and being the villain is cool sometimes. So I thought I would give you my process of setting up a Grimdark D&D Campaign if anyone wants to try it.
Inspiration
Well before we commence on actually scarring our players we need ideas. And to quote Picasso, “good artists borrow, great artists steal”. So lets look at some recommendations for you to read or look up or play to steal-I mean take ‘inspiration’ from.
The Warhammer Franchise: If you looked up Grimdark in the dictionary you would find a image of the Warhammer universes with the words ‘For The Emperor’ covered in heretic blood. The Warhammer Franchise has two Grimdark settings, the ‘40k universe’ and the ‘Age of Sigmar universe’, both good examples. The 40k universe being a high gothic sci-fi universe as the zealous and xenophobic imperium of mankind and their space marines who fight gods of chaos and egyptian alien terminators... and Orks (Yes actual orks) who paint things red to make them ‘go fasta’. Age of Sigmar is the more fantasy side with Giant bat zombies and Rat hulks and whatever the Hell-pit Abomination is supposed to be. Both good starting points, if you would rather read then trying to play the games and get drowned in lore, for the Age of Sigmar angle try ‘Scourge of Fate’, ‘Court of the Blind King’ and ‘Rulers of the Dead’ for my recommendations, though Age of Sigmar has book series for each faction in the game so choose an aesthetic you would like. For 40k, could not recommend anything outside the Horus Heresy series, yes its over 50 books but pick the first one ‘Horus Rising’ and that should help. Warhammer actually even has ‘Warhammer horror’ series set in the universes as well if you want to go a spoopy angle.
The Starcraft Franchise: Moving alittle over and returning to the realm of science fiction there is the Starcraft franchise. The starcraft games really pull from the previous mention Warhammer for its concepts and designs and pulls it off well. Plus I really enjoy the world building almost as much as the warhammer stuff (Okay last time I will mention Warhammer). So go onto youtube and look the games up or go buy and play them. However there are some books aswell if you would rather just read up on the lore like ‘Flashpoint’ and ‘Queen of Blades’. Obviously this is if you want to go for a more sci-fi or steam punk styled game but its D&D, do want you want (And if you want to do a sci-fi, look up the Dark Matter suppliment). But overal a good idea of how to do Grimdark.
The Song of Ice and Fire Books: Now put your pitchforks and torches down, I know season 8 of Game of Thrones was the equivlent of a hooker; that being you expect a huge payoff but you get robbed the satisfaction, being left with nothing but disappointment and a strange itch in your groin afterwards that reminds you of what you hoped for. But we are talking the books not the tv series (Though you can include it I suppose). Many of us know this franchise for its sheer bleak outlook of alliances and the concept of loyalty and the roulette of life that may just kill someone important at any point. Obviously a more medival approach for Grimdark but a good one and I would recommend it to anyone (When he finally finishes writing THE DAMN FINAL BOOKS). Obviously the whole book series is the reading recommadtion so find them cheap somewhere and delve in headfirst.
Other more Eldritch recommendations: Cosmic horror and grimdark go together like a fat kid and diabetes so I thought I would throw some quick recommendations for if you want to explore this angle aswell:
The Yellow King-Robert Chambers: A collection of short stories revolving around cults and maddness... yes please.
Bloodbourne-fromsoftware: Phenomenal game, explores both classic gothic and cosmic horror, I have drawn from this game for inspiration A LOT more than I am comfortable saying. If you can’t get through the game, maybe try the Offical Artwork book as it can gve images that you can use a inspiration for scene dressing in game.
The HP Lovecraft bibliography and the Cthullu Mythos: Seperating the man from his work, the penned work of HP Lovecraft is still some of the best written cosmic horror from the arguable father of cosmic horror... once you get over the racial stuff.
The Dark tower book series and IT- Stephen King: A more light hearted apporach to Cosmic Horror but still good horror to pull inspiration from. Main issue, if you wish to read up on Stephen King, set some time aside
The Darkest Dungeon-Red Hook Studios: Not gonna lie, I love this game probably too much (I will probably blame it for my obesity if I wasn’t aware thats it’s my fault I am a fat f*ck) I think it shows exactly how bad it probably would be a adventurer (I actually base my own stress rules on this game-more on that in another post) so is a good representation on what a grimdark fanatsy world would be like on these characters.
Session 0
Alright now that you have successfully ripped off every grimdark franchise-I mean collected recommendations for inspiration, let’s move onto what to discuss in your Session 0.
1. What are your players okay with?
This one is painfully obvious but a session 0 is like when you lose your virignity; you don’t set some bounderies or go into it somewhat prepared, you are gonna face a sticky situation afterwards and probably get your head kicked in by someones dad for corrupting their kid (Just me?...).On the topic at hand, its good to know what your players are okay with and can inform your story direction. For instance, I had a player who want to play a reform brothel worker but i would not allow it due to the circumstances of another player. Normally the questions I ask beforehand is is the following
Are you okay with detail viseral descriptions of violence?
Are you okay with scenes of torture/depravity?
Are you okay with depictions of slavery or prostitution?
Are you okay with themes like suicide or mental/phyiscal abuse?
Are you okay with sacrifical death or occult themes?
Are you okay with swearing?
Following this you should adjust according to suit your players, you want them to enjoy being evil, not weeping at the evil around them. So before you do anything, set your bounderies.
2. What is their motivation?
Another obvious one but also important one. To help establish characters in the world they live in, you must discuss their motives. Why are they on a quest? What are their intentions with the reward after? And so on and so on. Then once you have that and have discuss you can help the players fit the world alittle more. A thing I have told my players is to think of a motive for a character and turn it into an obession; this is due to the theme of obession is thorough throughout many grimdark settings as it’s easy to make a character’s good intentions twisted when they become so obessed with and wrapped up in it.
Of course you’ll get players that while wanting to play grimdark still want to be the token good upstanding hero because reasons (These would be the people that go to a pick and mix shop just gets white mice the bland pricks). But it is okay, you can work with it and truthfully I like the dynamic of the bright eyed advenutrer and friends that slowly gets tainted by the reality of the world they live in (If you want some inspiration on this I recommend the show Madoka Magica).
3. Understanding
Okay this is a more serious point. Alot of players I have played grimdark have kinda took some of the darker elements for granted as well they haven’t experience things like that. Which in turn can hurt players that have experience in those matters. So I always ask my players (And I am asking you too future grimdark DMs) to look into these themes, research and understand why they are not right and why we should not really have them in real life. If you are playing something like this just so you can be a slave trader without consequence then may I ask you to leave the table.
Playing to be a villain is good, playing to be an asshole is bad.
And that should help, I would in0clude some the additonal rules I use aswell like Stress and Bleeding but I will save them for another post after I am finished rewriting them for the third time and this post is already so goddamn long. If you also have recommendations for new DMs when it comes to running Grimdark, by all means share them. Thank you for reading.
#dnd#dnd 5e#dnd 5e homebrew#dnd 5e campaign#dnd 5e character#dnd 5th edition#dnd campaign#dnd discussions#dnd grimdark#dnd dark fantasy
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your confession is mine
tangentially related to Lightning Rod, but a wAAAaaays down the road. I am lazy. No italics. Blah blah tumblr. I really am interested in exploring the dynamics of a mature relationship. I am so tired of love triangles and petty drama when the narrative of Mortal Kombat feels like it demands so much more--the drama is cosmic, era-affecting, HUGE.
Warring Exes (shang tsung/raiden)
Restored Timeline
The breeze coming in over the ocean was salty and gentle; it played with Raiden’s hair as he drifted in that half-asleep state of existence unique to mortals. There were many reasons to appreciate the limited time of a finite existence and this was one of them. In fact, it encompassed more than one. He shifted a little, carefully as he could so as not to disturb his companion, who had similarly fallen asleep, one bronzed arm tucked under the crook of Raiden’s neck as they dozed.
In millions of eras, multiple eons, thousands of lifetimes lived, Raiden had never once envisioned himself this way, naked, draped in only soft sheets, much and more flesh exposed to eyes and to elements—though only two eyes would see it this way—and feeling not a single iota of shame, regret, or horror. Only one thing did hover over his existence this way, a single piece of truth, which would, necessarily lead to all others and perhaps bring this carefully-cultivated new era unraveling around them. It ate at him as he considered it, fingers playing aimlessly about on the shapely chest of the man lying next to him, similarly naked and similarly not offering the world a single care for his exposure.
“Something troubles you,” came the voice from above Raiden’s head. He did not shift, but could feel the vibration of that sonorous baritone in the man’s chest under his fingers. He laid his palm down and ceased its movements.
“I have been… dishonest with you, Shang Tsung, and I… must set it right.”
“Your nature demands it of you, Lord Raiden,” came the languid response, a hand finding its way into the silvery-white mane of Raiden’s hair which was spread over the pillow and some expanse of the sheets around him. Raiden shifted to meet those dark, serpentine eyes.
“You…”
“I have known since Lord Liu Kang brought you to me for my… training. No god defers so obviously to someone who is not also a god.” He spoke as if it was a trifle, nothing of consequence. His smile was languid, but not entirely warm. It was the knowing smile of a predator with cornered prey who has yet time to toy with it and may not even be hungry. “You trained him, as surely as you trained me, and now, for some reason, he is the deity, and you are a mortal—though you are not human.”
Raiden regarded him carefully, not in the reserved way he used to, but with a mixture of awe and uncertainty. Shang Tsung was unpredictable in many ways, but in his interest and obsession with influence and power from the shadows, he never really wavered. His intent and intensity sometimes fluctuated, but the desire was ever present, ad infinitum.
The biggest difference was that this time there would be an end. There was no void from a soul, stolen by the gods, to utterly empty him beyond any mortal’s capacity to fill. There was, ostensibly, a finite amount he could want or desire. Raiden hoped this was the case, at least. He felt the beat of Shang Tsung’s heart under his hand, beneath that warm flesh, and prayed to no one that it was so; he had come to cherish that heart, openly adoring its owner, however flawed. He lay back down, sighing, unsure whence he should next go with this conversation—or at all, for that matter.
“You have a story to tell, Raiden,” said Shang Tsung, reaching down and tilting Raiden’s chin upward to once more gaze into his eyes, still bearing the soft glow of divinity, but also filled with guilt and something else. Fear? Shang Tsung both loved and hated that he could still elicit such a response from a man he was certain had once been a deity—of thunder no less! The power was intoxicating, but it wasn’t all he wanted. “So tell it. I am at your disposal. And yours alone.”
There was a bit of force—not much—in the motion that guided Raiden’s mouth to Shang Tsung’s and still a little more when the sorcerer’s other hand, which had until that point been occupied in Raiden’s hair, found its way to the back of his head and trapped him there. But what a dulcet trap. The grip on Shang Tsung’s chest tightened a little at first, but then loosened languidly as the kiss deepened and sweetened.
Did he ever give anything which did not feel wrested from him? And when, precisely, had Raiden stopped caring, delighting in the titillating dance which led to this give and take? The question of when he had fallen in love was an easy one to answer, so that, at least, was settled in his restless mind. But the remainder? That was the mystery to be unwrapped and if anyone could succeed at this monumental task—as insurmountable as unwrapping the vestments of the man himself—it would be Shang Tsung, without care or reservation and yet with the utmost delicacy, mindful always of the thunder god’s sensibilities. It was absolutely delicious and Raiden felt himself drowning in it.
“I crave your tale as much as I crave you,” whispered the sorcerer, lips parting—though only just—from those of his old, mysterious mentor. “I am breathless,” he purred, “with anticipation.”
“Let nothing be denied you, then—at least where this is concerned; I have… hidden it from you long enough, though not well, evidently.” There was some sheepishness in this remark, as a child admitting to a parent that they had, indeed, removed a sweet from its place, cooling on the countertop. Shang Tsung laid his head back on the luxurious pillow, a Cheshire smile upon his face. The hand which had been used to grasp and control was now weaving through the air, playing magic like strings, causing a low, melodic hum to enter and hover about the room; the colors reflected the strange sunsets in this place, unpredictable and ethereal. In the nexus between worlds, on this island, at its very fulcrum, time did as it desired. It was not bound by the laws of any world and sat apart from all, yet interconnected to all.
“Let nothing be denied me, ever,” warned Shang Tsung, a hint of that old predatory menace in his voice, though his hand did not stop moving. Raiden watched it, weaving this way and that, and felt himself mildly entranced by the sight, though that had not—he assumed—been the intention.
“I was,” said Raiden quietly, “as you have guessed, the god of thunder—I had, for many lifetimes, devoted myself in duty to my… chosen vocation, protector of Earthrealm.”
“A deity of destruction as protector,” Shang Tsung mused, “how like you, dear Raiden. How very like you.”
Raiden’s jaw tightened, but he kept silent, holding his tongue, knowing that the reaction was just what the sorcerer wanted. This was part of their game, this tug of war between them. When had he begun to relish in it? When I made peace with the side of me of which he so fondly speaks. And there was fondness in the man’s voice when the word “destruction” rolled off his forked tongue.
“Electricity facilitates life, as well, Shang Tsung—balance, in all things,” Raiden reminded the sorcerer, who waved this off as if to say ‘when was the last time a lightning bolt healed someone?’. Raiden knew very well that Shang Tsung could see right through him, that he clearly fought his nature, tooth and nail, every day of his long life. The struggle defined him and fascinated his sorcerous companion. “But my… father was the god of death and chaos…”
Pleased with the admission, Shang Tsung began running his fingers over Raiden’s scalp once more, almost as a reward, delighting in the way the miniscule arcs of electricity jumped to and fro as he did this. He came alive when they touched, when their flesh met, in passion or in training; there was such a field of power around Raiden that Shang Tsung could not very well help himself wanting to be near it. When did he take me? The sorcerer found himself wondering.
“So there are more… beyond you and the fire god, hm?”
“There were, yes.” Had it been anyone else to whom Raiden was speaking, he might have been alarmed at the acuity. Given that Shang Tsung had detected him the moment they met at least left Raiden with some relief, that he may have been thinking about this a while—they had, after all, known each other for over two decades… this time—and that he was not simply generating these theories spontaneously.
“Were…?” There was interest in the sorcerer’s voice, now, more than before. He knew a tangled tapestry of fate when he heard it and he was about to be handed the most beautiful of these. As with everything else he had taken from Raiden, it was being freely given. Taking by force had its merits, but not with this one, so cloaked in virtue and chastity. See, now, how far behind you have left that part of yourself, Raiden. See yourself the way I see you and that… will fulfill me.
“Eons before anything… at all,” Raiden began, pushing himself to tell the story of all creation, the true story, titans included. He wove that tapestry Shang Tsung so coveted with beautiful master strokes, no embellishments, and as much detail as he felt he could or should, at the moment. That he had a brother was now known to the sorcerer, that Kronika was, in human terms, his grandmother, that she was a titan, a being of pure passion and desire, having no vision but her own and that the offspring of titans were Elder Gods, the very opposite of that embodiment of uncontrollable, uncontainable power.
“All but Shinnok,” said Raiden, “who sought to overthrow the rule of the others while the realms were still young. Had I stepped aside and allowed him to do as he pleased, we would not be here.”
“But you,” filled in Shang Tsung, having followed the narrative closely, “dutiful son of the Elder Gods, stood between mortals and utter annihilation… and triumphed. My oh my, what a tale.”
“If it ended there,” interjected Raiden with some mischief in his tone, “I would not have enticed you to the story at all.”
“Then by all means…” Shang Tsung made a broad gesture, encompassing the whole of his chambers and they shifted utterly. Night fell outside, a thousand thousand stars from all the realms clashing above the palatial fortress of the sorcerer. Within, torches lit themselves, glowing softly, warmly, casting dancing, tantalizing shadows upon the walls. Raiden watched these things dancing and wondered if they danced at Shang Tsung’s bidding, or if he let them be, appreciating the unpredictability.
“Shao Kahn,” he said, “a name you recognize… has always been a threat… to all realms, but my primary concern has ever been Earthrealm. He, in his ambition and greed, had long ago set his sights on it. I interceded with the Elder Gods on behalf of the people of Earthrealm. I had no choice; they would have been defenseless in all-out war.”
“The tournament,” Shang Tsung guessed. “You tell me our tale, Raiden, but I know of no Elder Gods.”
“These things… they are past, forgotten, and erased, living only in the memories of the immortals who once served them—those who are left,” Raiden admitted quietly. “In that past, you came upon this island on your own and forged a partnership of servitude with Shao Kahn and a deadly alliance with the Netherrealm sorcerer-acolyte, Quan-Chi.”
“Abhorrent,” spat Shang Tsung, having long since decided anyone affiliated with the filth of Outworld was far beneath him. His feelings for Quan-Chi were similar—without the power of a whole Elder God on his side, Quan-Chi had been reduced to little more than a pretender to the Netherrealm throne. Raiden would never regret the stroke which had beheaded his hateful father, though he had not been the one to strike it, precisely. Imbalance, it may have wrought, but had there been another choice? “To serve Shao Kahn,” Shang Tsung hissed. “Nonsense—filthy nonsense.”
“I have opined, in one past or another, that, no matter your perceived station, you have always had a finger upon the pulse of fate, moving whichever way you thought best to put yourself in a place of distinct advantage,” amended Raiden, unsure why he had the urge to soothe Shang Tsung’s ego.
“So why, then, did you feel the need to show me this place of your own accord and to help me… acquire it from the hands of the Shaolin, if destiny was always to give it to me…?”
“Because the acquisition needed to be peaceful. The fact remains that this island is safest in your hands,” said Raiden quietly, not without some hesitance. He had come this far, however. To stop now would be suspicious and the height of cruelty, besides. “In all shifts of the sands of time, this space between realms is wrested from the hands of the ones who have sworn to protect it, by force and bloodshed and unnecessary loss of life. With you, it is never in danger of falling into the hands of Outworld, or the Netherrrealm… and when it is given, it is always with your express consent and for your own aims—never taken.”
“I do not share wealth.”
“Until you do.”
Their eyes met and passion once again ignited between them. The spark became a roaring flame generating its own heat and aching pleasure. Fingers found hair, pulling almost viciously. Hands roamed about grasping, groping and clawing. Tongues tasted, lips teased, teeth grazed. Even outside the arena of kombat, the two warriors, a god and a sorcerer, strove together to achieve the greatest heights of victory and of pleasure.
In the night sky over the fortress, a thunderhead formed and began raining its contents, both those of life and of death, down upon the island between realms.
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i feel like when discussing the current state of Corpse Party its actually important to talk about Dolls Fall specifically because despite that absolute bullshit to tie it into the universe this really is not a Corpse Party work so its by comparing this work to post Blood Drive Corpse Party we can actually really see why the love has really evaporated for Corpse Party
this story really didn’t have a bad premise. it was a good premise for a no-holds-barred gorn horror manga. Lizzie Borden was an evil witch lady whose will ensured her work would keep going on in another region of the world. and now in the modern day these children of this all-girls orphanage has to survive being trapped here. they have to survive an evil headmistress lady who brutally murders any “troublemaker” for her black magic. so a group of pre-teen and young teenagers have to survive their hellish situation against this lady and her evil maids who will kill them without a moment’s hesitation and maybe also assisted by the ghost of Lizzie Borden bc why not. if they fuck up they die horribly.
that premise can feel reminiscent to the original Corpse Party. in Corpse Party a couple of teenagers and one 14 year old is trapped in a ghost school and have to play their cards right or they die violently. BloodCovered and it’s PSP remake enhanced this with more characters. also Seiko Shinohara is there. this remake benefits tremendously form a greatly enhanced cast and more tragic writing, creating a horrific but also incredibly genuinely saddening game with the last scene being Naomi just breaking down and screaming for Seiko over and over and then credits roll
the point is it worked. it was just a survival horror game about evil child ghosts that murder you. it was simple and it worked! it made a really good game! a depressing one but a good one! it knew what to do and did it right!
then Blood Drive happened and Kedouin transformed his story from survival horror to cosmic horror and like, ramped up all the stakes by 10000000x with so much weird magic occult bullshit and also introducing like 20 new characters that are all parts of black magic groups and its like, what the fuck
and it ended up being an incredibly derisive and, from what i’ve seen, mostly... kind of disliked game. it just kept... upping these stakes until it was a convoluted mess. it wasn’t really Corpse Party anymore.
and this is the exact same problem that Dolls Fall has
Kedouin could not help himself and kept including stupid shit. some of the girls actually gain magic powers called Possessions? the main character can manipulate fire, one girl can fuck around with plants, another can learn your thoughts and memories by licking your body fluids (ew), one girl got a magic gun and revealed it after killing a girl she was having lesbian sex with who got one cool scene at the end and that was it. and then this shit with the headmistress being like a hundred years old and wanting to obtain godhood and its like
holy fucking hell dude you’re not good at these kind of stories dial it back and write survival horror please
literally everything that went wrong in Dolls Fall is more or less what went wrong in Blood Drive, basically!
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Ally's Apocalyptic Ad (Tripple threat)
Well hi there honey ~
The Quarantine has compelled me to post another ad onto FYRA, since there isn’t much you can do other than spend your days inside, I figured I’ll use this as a perfect opportunity to reach out to those who are interested in a specific role-play with me! :)
The name’s Aaliyah or Ally for short, and I will cut right to the chase. I am looking for a mature role-player, preferably 21+ but will also accept 18+ (just to be sure that you are of legal age, otherwise it’ll be uncomfortable).
I recently turned 27, with 12 years of experience, and hope to meet someone who shares a passion for creative writing and formulating interesting plots and characters. In case you are curious about me as a person, I am a full-time student and a young writer who works at the gym on the side, but also enjoys other creative outlets such as drawing and photography. But at the moment, as the pandemic is spreading, I am reduced to attending online courses, thus have loads of free time on my hands. Be sure that you’re able to uphold a stable Roleplay. And if I do not message you back right away, I hope you can forgive me. I will make sure to let you know if either my capacity is full, or if I am not able to respond right away due to technical issues (or other reasons). If you are hitting a hiatus, that is more than fair! A simple message to put things on hold will completely suffice, but I would like to keep in touch in case the story bears great potential. I very much enjoy video-games, tv-shows, comics, films, books, and the list goes on. Hopefully, I can attract some kindred spirits. I roleplay both Canon and Original!
But currently, I am looking for something very specific, and that something is heavily focused on Supernatural / Gothic / Horror / Urban Fantasy genre. So if there’s no luck in finding a fitting Canon based story, we can always switch to original world-building. For fandoms, I have only picked out four very specifically that I am more than willing to do. I have a heavy craving for a role-play based around dark gritty plots, deeply well-written characters and a whole lot of sass. So if you’re in the mood for something spicy, hit me up.
What it comes down to:
What the Partnership should be: I strongly encourage an active roleplayer who is not afraid of sharing 50% of ideas, plotting, length, detail but most important of all, passion. A bird cannot fly with only one wing. Communication: I’m a chatterbox, so I love making new friends while brainstorming! Communication is the bedrock of it all. It strengthens our compatibility and the story. Should there be something that bothers you, or if you think your characters are not given any proper attention (be it a mistake on my part or if we’re both at fault here), don’t worry about it. Just tell me and we can figure things out. I have no issues with rewriting scenes for a better narrative, or, correct a mistake. We can always exchange and see what would benefit the story most. The Way of Writing: Not a fan of one-liners or text-talk. No half-assed replies. And certainly no ‘quality over quantity’ when you can have both. What I expect for you to have is a basic grasp of grammar. Not to say you need to write a perfectly articulated novel - obviously, a no brainer. I don’t either, but if I get the feeling of my partner wavering in their effort and not investing as much as I do, I have to give them the chop, unfortunately. Too often have I encountered partners who showed strong enthusiasm at first but as time progressed… they slacked and eventually only put an adequate amount of effort into their side whilst completely disregarding my characters.
How I write:
My writing: Third person perspective usually, although I have made some exceptions in my years of writing. My style is a wide spectrum and very flexible, which means that frequently, the word count can go up to 1000+ per reply - though it depends on the given situation and partner. And yes, I do double, preferably even, most likely in canon universes. However this again wholly depends on the type of story, partner, and the cast of characters. I am very open and willing to discuss.
Rating: So you are writing with someone mature. I have 12 years of writing under my belt. There will be violence, there will be swearing, there will be gore. Intimate, uncomfortable topics such as drama, erotica and other topics close to that will always be included with me as a partner. I have few limits but I will respect the boundaries of my partner. And lastly, I won’t fade to black or skip out on the nitty-gritty, unless it doesn’t serve a particular purpose in forwarding the story, then I can make an exception. Characters: I write both canon and OC characters. Face claims, GIFs, drawings, mood boards or just a plain physical description should suffice. Characters ought to be written as opulent, flawed, unique, talented, heroic, villainous, spiteful, angry, and everything in-between, beings. Don’t be afraid of making them human. Romance: Openly play and accept characters of both genders, preferable m x f pairings, but I am open to m x m and f x f relationships as well. I have more experience with m x f relationships, so I am more flexible with this one. If the chemistry of two characters compel me, I’m on board! When it comes to sexual situations and intimacy (intercourse, foreplay, all that funny business), I am not particularly squeamish about it. I encourage eroticism, but always in a tasteful, sensual manner (that goes for romance as well), though it is never the main focus of any of my stories, rather a tool for furthering the plot. Erotica is welcome but not the center of any of my roleplays, so I’d rather have it develop naturally and not rush it from one ‘sex-scene’ to the next. Content: Drama, violence, action, romance, pretty much everything's a-okay. I have no qualms with explicit subjects that may be uncomfortable for the general public. Roleplays are fictional stories and we best keep viewing them as such. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me, right? If there are things you are uncomfortable with, name them and I shall respect your boundaries. My roleplays imply and involve brutality such as psychological and physical trauma among other things. It may be difficult to read and write, but it is all part of the plan and a way of progressing the story. However, that’s not the end of it. I 100% endorse beauty, serenity and placid moments as well. It is all needed for our characters to grow and evolve. I love it when it all comes full circle… everyone- and everything has a beautiful and hideous side. This is for adults and I am not here to coddle, I am here for a challenge.
And finally, here are the things that I am looking for interest-wise! If your fields of interest are not listed here, I am sorry, but I won't be compelled to do anything but those things mentioned down below. Sorry :(
☞ Castlevania *** ☞ Devil May Cry **** ☞ Hellsing *** ☞ Hellboy ** ☞ Constantine *** ☞ AU / Where all universes clash into each other **** ☞ The Boys ** ☞ Bayonetta ** ☞ Buffy *
As for original plots, I am very keen on urban and gothic fantasy, but I am also inclined to do fantasy/alternative reality, mythology, etc. I have plenty of ideas up my sleeve, some of them fully fleshed out and some of them mere rough concepts still in progress. Either way, I would rather have these ideas introduced throughout email or whatever platform we choose to communicate on. I also have a strong penchant for world-building, especially worlds on a metaphysical plain or different planets, dimensions like the underworld, netherworld, purgatory, heaven, etc.
Original themes:
☞ Supernatural / Metaphysical (Demons, Angels, Spirits, Monsters, Hunters, Cosmic Horror, etc.)
☞ Mystery
☞ Crime
☞ Action
☞ Horror
☞ Romance
☞ Thriller
☞ Monsters
As a precaution, here are the things I am not interested in:
☞ Slice of life
Topics that aren’t listed in my ad (although I am not against trying something new, I have had many messages that suggested we roleplay something completely out of my field.)
☞ Anime cliches
☞ Solely smut focused plots
Aaaand should I hit a hiatus myself, I will notify asap!
Platforms I use are email and google-docs. I also have a Discord account in case we plot and chat outside of the RP. However, Google Hangouts has proven itself as a sufficient chat-medium for OOC-chat, so I rather stay on email (in case you also have a Gmail account).
If you message me, please use the referred codenames below so I know your specific interest. :)
♠ 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖊𝖉: Canon
♥ 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞 𝕶𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖘: Original
Even though not mandatory, it is preferred. I would love to read a small description of yourself and your passions. Message me here: EMAIL: [email protected] Excited to hear from you! Sincerely yours -Ally
#indie rp#indie roleplay#independent roleplay#oc rp#multiple paragraph#para#semipara#long term#email#tumblr#spn rp#smut rp#aou rp#submission
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Merry (part 1)
Author’s note: This’ll probably only be two or three parts, unless I get inspired. Either way, this first part would probably work as a one-shot. Happy birthday, Virgil!
Warnings: This first part doesn’t really have any. Just some food mentions and mild-ish selective mutism. It’s pretty fluffy, to be honest.
Word count: 2470
Look for links to part 2 and my writing masterpost in the notes!
...
December, 2017
Patton was excited.
He absolutely loved throwing birthday parties, and it had been a while since he’d gotten to do so. He was especially eager because the last friend of his to have a birthday had been Logan, whose birthdays were never as fun as, say, Roman’s. It wasn’t that Patton preferred any of his friends over the others—of course he didn’t! Logan was one of Patton’s favorite people in the world, but he just wasn’t as receptive to Patton’s efforts as most of their other friends, which made him a little sad. He didn’t mean to be selfish about it, but it was always more fun when the person whose birthday it actually was was as excited about it as Patton.
He thought back to Logan’s birthday, which had been on November 3rd, just over a month ago. Knowing their friend, Patton and the others had tried to keep the celebrations minimal: just the six friends together at Roman’s house for cake, small presents, and a few games of Mario Kart on Roman’s console. Logan had been flustered by the attention; and while he was clearly trying to hide that he was pleased, he kept trying to insist that the party’s motivation didn’t make any sense.
“Patton, this is all highly unnecessary—I am only a day older than I was yesterday. I have not suddenly aged by an entire year. Really, all of this celebration is rather frivolous.”
They had all still had a fun time, of course! And Patton wouldn’t change Logan for the world.
Even so, this birthday was particularly special: it would Virgil’s first birthday since they had met him; and, according to Logan, he was turning eighteen! He would officially become an adult! That fact required celebration.
Patton was slightly ashamed to admit that he had nearly missed the date. Had it not been for an offhand comment by Logan about the upcoming milestone this month, Patton probably wouldn’t have known until after the date had passed. Logan hadn’t known the exact date of Virgil’s birthday, but some quick internet searching had gotten Patton his answer. December 19th—a Tuesday, only two days before winter break officially began (the school ended that week on a Thursday for reasons unknown to him). Patton was immensely glad that his friend’s birthday didn’t fall during the break. That would make things so much harder to plan!
Even though that was happily not the case, Patton had some work to do. He wanted Virgil’s day to be perfect.
…
A week before his birthday, Virgil received a package in the mail. It was fairly large, and at first, Virgil had assumed that there had been a mix-up at the post office. When he found out that his father had sent it, though, things made more sense. Virgil’s dad always got him a birthday present, no matter how tight money was. It made sense that he would put in even more effort this year, since his work and geographic distance kept him from coming to visit for the occasion.
On the side of the box, written in black sharpie, was a note: “Do Not Open Until Dec 19!!” The message was surrounded by simple line drawings: a party hat, a cupcake with a candle stuck in it, a smiley face, and a gift box. Virgil’s dad was no artist, but it made the just-shy-of-eighteen-year-old smile.
He put the box under his bed, so as to not be overly tempted to open it early, but he made sure to shoot a thank-you text to his dad so that he would know the present had arrived.
His dad, of course, immediately called him. Virgil didn’t mind: he actually really enjoyed talking about their days. Virgil’s dad still called him most days, in fact, even though Virgil had been in college for several months now.
“Hi, Dad,” he said, picking up on the second ring.
“Hey, Virgil! You didn’t open your present yet, did you?”
“No, of course not,” he laughed. “I can read.”
…
Everything was planned and ready.
Virgil still seemed to think that none of his friends knew about his upcoming birthday, and judging by how he was acting, he planned to keep it that way.
His birthday was tomorrow, after all. If Virgil had wanted any sort of effort to be put in to celebrate by the others, he would have told them earlier. Or, at least, he would have done so if he wanted them to know that he wanted that.
What a weird sentence, Patton thought.
Regardless, while it had taken some planning, everything was ready for his friend’s birthday. All Patton needed to do was work on his own present.
He sure hoped Virgil liked it.
…
Today was Virgil’s birthday. He was officially eighteen. Finally, an adult.
He had class, obviously, since it was a Tuesday, but he had the day off of work. He planned to use the afternoon mostly to just relax, although he did have some plans. Talyn had invited him to see a movie at four, a couple of hours after their and Virgil’s last class. Apparently, they’d been planning to go with Joan, but their schedule had filled up, and Virgil was one of their only other friends who was a fan of the horror genre.
Until then, though, Virgil planned to go about his day like normal. He attended class and sat with his friends as usual; thankfully, none of them seemed to know that today was any different than any other. Virgil was glad. He hadn’t wanted his friends to feel any pressure to put something together for him.
After school, he decided to open his present.
Virgil dug the package out from under his bed and carried it out to the kitchen, relieved when he set it down on the counter. It was quite heavy, whatever it contained. He smiled at the note scribbled on its side, then grabbed a pair of scissors and got to work removing the packaging tape. When he got the box open, Virgil had intended to grab the birthday card first, but the gift immediately grabbed his attention.
It was a coffee-maker, brand new, fancier than he was accustomed to.
Virgil oh-so-gently lifted it out of the box, staring at the machine in almost reverent awe. He set it carefully on the table, like it was made of glass.
“Um, what is that?”
Virgil looked up to see his roommate, Remy, standing in the doorway between his bedroom and the main room.
“It’s a coffee-maker.”
“I can see that, but gurl, since when can you afford one like that?” Remy made his way over, staring at the machine in shock.
“It’s a present from my dad,” Virgil admitted.
“You are 100 percent, absolutely letting me use it. This is non-negotiable. I’m putting it in the roommate agreement,” Remy said seriously. “Wait—a present? For what? Christmas isn’t until next week.”
“Um. It’s sort of my birthday?”
Remy lowered his sunglasses and regarded him over the rims, eyebrows raised in shock. “It’s your birthday? You cannot just, like, spring that on me! I don’t have anything for you!”
Virgil shrugged, embarrassed. “…I, uh, I didn’t expect you to care.”
“What! This is slander! Come on,” Remy said, grabbing Virgil’s arm and pulling him to his feet. “We’re going to get you some coffee. My present to you.”
“Uh… not to sound un—unappreciative or anything, but…” Virgil indicated the coffee maker he had literally just unwrapped.
“Coffee grounds, dummy, for the machine.” Remy rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Now get your shoes on and let’s go!”
Virgil let himself be dragged along, weakly protesting that he had to be back by four, since he was going to see a movie with a friend.
“Yeah, yeah, you will be.” Remy grinned, opening the door to the apartment building and pulling his roommate towards his car. “Get in, Grinch, we’re going shopping.”
…
At four o’clock, Virgil arrived at the library, where Talyn was waiting to pick him up. They smiled, pushing off of the little half-wall lining the walkway, and approached. They had recently dyed their hair a bright green, presumably for the upcoming holiday; and their stylishly done makeup had accents of red and gold.
Virgil wanted to tell them that they looked nice, but for some reason giving people compliments, even in a completely platonic way, was intimidating. So, he settled for a half-smile and a “hello”.
“Ready to go?” Talyn asked cheerfully.
The two of them were going to see a new horror movie that had recently come out. Apparently, Talyn and Joan had been planning to go together, but something had come up in Joan’s schedule, and so Talyn had an extra ticket. They had asked Virgil to come in Joan’s place, without asking him to help pay, and they didn’t even know it was his birthday! Virgil hadn’t told anybody, except now for Remy.
They arrived at the theatre, and Talyn made use of a gift card they had to get each of them some popcorn. They claimed to have found it when cleaning their room about a week ago. Virgil wasn’t sure if he believed this, but he decided to play along. It was really nice of them to pay.
The movie itself was pretty good. Virgil probably wouldn’t see it again, but it wasn’t bad. He really liked hanging out with Talyn, honestly, more than watching the actual movie. Before it had started, during the previews, they told him a funny story about their mom’s naming choices with a cat she had adopted—apparently, her first choice had been “Cosmic Charlie”.
“I—I don’t know, that seems like a quality name to me,” Virgil had said, grinning shyly, when they told him this.
“Oh, of course. It’s so unique, you know? But we kinda helped her figure out that Odin might be a better name.”
“Fewer syllables,” Virgil had agreed, nodding knowingly.
“Exactly.”
“No other reason for the name change, I’m sure.”
“Nope!”
Virgil smirked, pausing to eat some popcorn. “Does she just have the one cat?”
“No, my family has three. The other two are Boy Cat and Girl Cat.”
Virgil, who had just taken a sip from his drink, nearly spit it out. “Wait, really?”
“Yeah… but that wasn’t her. I named them when I was a kid.”
Virgil laughed. “That’s great.”
…
On the way home, Talyn checked the time on their dashboard, hummed, and then glanced over at Virgil. “Do you mind if we stop at Patton’s apartment on the way? I have to pick something up.”
Virgil shrugged. Why would he mind?
Talyn drove to Patton’s apartment building, which Virgil hadn’t actually been to before, and parked on the curb. “Why don’t you come with me? You know Patton: we’re probably going to end up chatting for a bit.”
Virgil nodded, shrugging again. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. The two of them walked up to Patton’s building—a stark contrast to Virgil’s own, but most of his friends wouldn’t know that. Roman was still the only one of his closest friends who had visited his run-down apartment building, and Virgil had made him promise not to tell the others about it. He didn’t want them to judge him for it, or worse, to pity him.
Talyn and Virgil were about halfway between the street and the building when Virgil paused.
“Wait, isn’t that Logan’s car over there?” he asked, pointing towards the sleek black car parked a short distance down the block.
Talyn followed his gaze, paused for a second, then said, “Maybe? I’m not sure. It’s a pretty common car.”
Virgil frowned, but he let Talyn lead him up to the building. They pressed the button beside Patton’s apartment number, and he buzzed them in almost immediately.
Walking down the hallway towards Patton’s apartment, Virgil cleared his throat, and then spoke uncertainly, his voice wavering and soft. “This—this was all p-planned… wasn’t it?” He wasn’t sure what made him more anxious to say that, that Talyn might be upset that he figured it out, or that he might be wrong and was about to have a very awkward conversation.
Talyn turned to grin at him, and then reached up and knocked on the door.
Relief flooded through Virgil, accompanied by confusion and, admittedly, a bit of excitement. The door swung open, and a chorus of voices greeted him.
“Happy birthday, Virgil!”
…
Virgil, Patton, Roman, Logan, Talyn, and Joan all sat around Patton’s kitchen table. Virgil, seated before a chocolate birthday cake, was sure his face was bright red as everyone else sang the happy birthday song. The moment was made all the more embarrassing by two specific friends: Roman, of course, was being way too extra with his singing, adding riffs and changing octaves far more than should have been possible in such a short song; and Logan, meanwhile, sang in such a manner that, if he didn’t know any better, Virgil would have thought he was doing really awkward beat poetry.
The song finally ended, and Virgil leaned forward, blowing out the candles.
They enjoyed the cake after that, and then Patton insisted that they all watch Virgil open his presents.
“Wait—presents?” he repeated.
“Well, it is a birthday party,” Roman pointed out. “Presents are generally included.”
“Yeah, but… you didn’t have to do that. You already….” He gestured around at, well, everything.
“We know we didn’t have to,” Patton assured him. “We wanted to.”
Virgil didn’t have much choice in the matter, so he opened the gifts. They were already bought, he told himself; and it would be rude to refuse. Plus, he was secretly very happy that his friends had done all of this for him.
From Logan, he got a gift card, which he claimed was intended for some audio books that he believed would be calming for him. He had gotten the idea from the large pair of headphones that Virgil carried around in his free time.
From Talyn and Joan, who had already set up the outing to the movies for him, he got a pack of Tarot cards. When he asked about it, Joan shrugged and claimed that they’d thought of him when they saw it at a shop.
Roman gave him a poster of Jack Skellington from Nightmare before Christmas, already framed. He seemed incredibly pleased by Virgil’s shocked expression.
“Dude, how much did you spend on this?” he asked, wide-eyed.
“Don’t worry about it,” Roman said, grinning.
And from Patton, he got a little black, gray, white, and purple friendship bracelet, handmade, and a card that Patton had clearly drawn himself.
Virgil liked the gifts, but he absolutely loved his friends.
...
College AU tag list: @patton-loves-coloring @starryfirefliesbloggo @purplesoul-at-hogwarts @lotusthatexists-festivestyle @quoth-the-sparrow @awesomelissawho @amuthefunperson @faithfreedom @heck-im-lost @gayfandomsaremything @bunny222 @syndianites @astraastro @momolinia @captainswan618 @hamilin-manuel-miranda @goldenkiddos @afilhadehades-blog @virgeofselfdestruction @theresneverenoughfandoms @iris-sanders-athena @super-magical-wizard @rainbow-sides @thefallendog @fanficptsd @zodiac-awesome @lookitsthatquietgirl @soft-boy-patton @nerd-in-space @pearls-of-patton @ab-artist @angered-turtle @im-so-infinitesimal @enby-kiddo-with-a-blog @raygelkitty @dr-gloom @whats-going-on-kiddos @spider-parker14 @oh-star-how-the-mighty-fall @fillyourteacup @kittiebrick
#thomas sanders#sanders sides#virgil sanders#patton sanders#logan sanders#roman sanders#college au#merry fic#ts fanfic#sanders sides fan fiction#technically two hours late but shhhh
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