#poor little meow meow -> want to help poor soggy cat

[crowroboros]

I went Carl first. My initial impressions from his route were:

TJ/Flynn/Leo did not have much given that they weren't in Carl's route much. TJ seemed traumatized about "what happened at the lake" and was very much the "goody two shoes" Christian kid; Leo didn't seem to be able to let go of the “perfect get-together” idea; and Flynn seemed kind of like a dick but because he knew something was up about the Lake incident.

Carl's situation was both frustrating but also really understandable. I completely get how debilitating anxiety can be and him being born into a rich family doesn't change the trauma and struggles he experienced. Though it is frustrating cause he is born into a rich family who coddle him and only back up his inaction; Carl needed to get help with his anxiety and his parents didn't even make much of an effort to try to assist him in that journey. Debilitating anxiety and self-esteem issues aren't a “just get your shit together” sort of issue, you don't just wake up one day and go “I'm better now”. It takes work and a support system Carl didn't have a drive to do that work, nor did he have that support system (minus Flynn) prior to his route.

I did not (and still do not) see his parents as being anything more than superficially supportive. They clearly care about him and his well-being, but not in a way that's truly beneficial to him or his growth. His parents are definitely a massive step up from Jenna's, but I don't see them as particularly spectacular or anything. They're just rich. A big part of Carl's self-esteem issues is that his parents never actually supported his interests. They didn't outright show hatred like Jenna's, just complete indifference. They showed him that while they do care about him, they couldn't give much of a shit about what he actually likes and wants to do in life. Whether they meant it or not, they gave him the impression that his art career and personal interests were "lesser" things not worth taking seriously.

I doubt they actually wanted to make him feel that way, but with how Carl talks about his own art; his initial desire to major in art, which was vetoed by his parents in favor of business; and his story arc over his route, it's my own interpretation that Carl's issues stem from being treated as his family's successor and heir to the business rather than his own person. And part of his route is overcoming that (something I also talk more about in this ask).

And so on a similar note, Jenna's frustration with Carl is completely understandable cause she was born into the exact opposite circumstances and managed to progress in life in the exact opposite way than Carl. She grew up poor with a very abusive family life with parents who didn't give a shit about her. She's right in a lot of what she says, but fails to fully grasp the extent of Carl's mental health struggles, seeing it more as a moral failing and laziness on his part.

It makes sense why she thinks that, as with the information she's presented, that's how she interprets the situation. It isn't like Carl is the most open about how he's feeling and about how things are for him, so why would she know? It's like what you said in the Jenna character analysis post you made; It’s obvious to her that the town breaks people and if they were smarter they would know they should leave; if they were stronger or just tried harder they could leave because that's what she did.

Beyond that though, I saw Jenna as really independent and steadfast in her own interpretation of the world. She's a fascinating character.

First Route

I'm curious; what Route of Echo did you first play and what were your impressions of each of the main characters, just from that route?

I did Flynn's route first.

Chase: Despite the reveals and some of his behavior, I actually liked him. Super flawed, but still relatable and somewhat tragic.

Carl: Had a big part in Flynn's Route; I thought he was a bit of a goof, but well meaning. Felt pretty bad for him when the interview went south. Was definitely weird seeing him in other routes without Daxton to bounce off of.

Leo: I ended up picking all of the Daxton option, so Leo was muy loco here. Still didn't tip me off to how his route was going to go though. Mostly I just felt bad for him (if a little scared) because it was very clear choosing not to talk things out led to this.

Jenna: Jenna came off as overprotective, but even though she was overly harsh with Flynn, I did get where she was coming from and couldn't judge her too hard. She also redeemed herself (and her relationship with Flynn) when he trusted her to use a gun, and she shot the monster on the road (and the ending with little Jenna left me loving her and her relationship with Flynn).

TJ: I kind of feel like this is TJ's strongest route; he tells Leo and Jenna to shut up and stop babying him and willingly tells Flynn what happened. While he spends the rest of the route scared out of his mind (understandable), he's still less comatose than he is in Leo and Jenna's routes. I'd say he left a pretty good impression.

Syd the Kid: I think I'm slowly coming around to the idea that kid Sydney is my favorite character, and I've replayed his scenes more than any other part of the game. They're just so good and they give you such a good sense of who this child was. I know he bullied TJ (and the tragic backstory doesn't excuse that), but I still love him (and what he could have been).

Flynn: Man of the hour. One of the, if not the most tragic character in the game. Chase wanted to know what his deal was, and this route sure did tell us his deal. None of this excuses how he treated TJ (or the others), but knowing his motivations (and what he's done) makes his actions in the other routes, particularly Jenna's, much more meaningful. Came out of this really admiring the complexity of his writing and how he never stops being an asshole, but is an asshole you root for. (Disclaimer, Flynn is the character I most relate to, so I might be a little biased.)

[xprojectrpg]

Moment of Awesome - Meggan Szardos/Gloriana: Following the sudden flooding of District X, Meggan and Spectrum work together to find a missing family member in a bodega.

It was so quiet that Meggan had almost missed it, but yes. There it was again. It was a bit louder the second time, and a bit more identifiable as a rather worried meow. “I think that’s the missing cat,” she realized. She set aside the bag of debris as she tried to zero in on the exact spot the sound emanated from.

“Right about...here,” she noted as she heard another noise. She flew upward, and carefully shifted the foam tile, thankfully one over from the actual location, so no animal came tumbling down on their heads. “Hello, there,” she softly whispered to its occupant. She didn’t want to just grab the poor dear and scare her into scratching. “Sorry your home filled with all the water.”

Luckily, the cat treats were on a higher shelf, and in plastic bags - Nica grabbed a pouch and floated up to perch on the top of the shelves, near the section of ceiling Meggan was dismantling. "Try these," she suggested, laying the packet within reach. "And I'll do my best impersonation of a nice, warm sunbeam."

“Good idea,” Meggan praised. What cat in its right mind could turn down flopping around in some sunshine? She hoped this one wasn’t too frightened to be tempted into a luxurious beam. She shook a few treats into her palm, and then placed two of them down near the cat. It had briefly backed away, but then appeared torn.

There was some understandably wariness there, some curiosity, a dainty sniff; and then, yes, eating quickly. “Oh, you’re definitely hungry, and I wish we knew your name,” Meggan noted. At this angle, she couldn't read a collar. She would briefly start calling her Miss Calico Doe in her head until she found out the actual moniker for her. “Just a little closer, please,” she encouraged softly.

Nica sat still and quiet, letting Meggan do her thing and just focussing on warmth and light. C'mon kitty kitty, it's all safe here...

Meggan was able to scratch behind the ears as she got a bit closer. The cat gradually began to take an interest in the moving light and the warmth, even as she stole more treats from Meggan. The cat sniffed Meggan’s hand delicately, and then studied the area further below. Meggan moved back slightly, as she spotted the cat was preparing to make a leap from there to a nearby shelf.

Restraining herself from a gleeful squeal as the cat jumped down onto the shelf near her, Nica reached out slowly to let the cat sniff at her glowing hand. "There's a good kitty-cat," she murmured softly, as the cat decided she was safe and began rubbing its head against her hand, purring.

Meggan returned to the ground, grateful the poor thing hadn’t decided to continue on to another hiding place. She poured the remaining treats into her palm. “Would you like more?” She asked, when the cat looked her way expectantly once it heard the crinkle of the package. The treats were quickly accepted, and the purring increased in volume.

Nica took advantage of the treat scarfing to check the cat's collar for a name tag. "Bonita," she read aloud, and the cat looked up and chirped as if agreeing. "Well then, Bonita, let's get you out of here and back home, yes?" The bodega owners, Valentina and Tomas, lived in an apartment not too far away. "We don't have a carrier, but maybe we can find a box that isn't all soggy?" she continued, looking at Meggan as the cat climbed into her lap and curled up, making the most of the warmth being projected.

Meggan went to check. The first one was a bit too shallow to be of any use, but the next one looked like it might be helpful. The boxes beneath it had been ruined, but this one was just high enough that it was okay. “A former box of varieties of soups could work?” As she spoke, she was taking out the cans, and checking the depth.

"Perfect," Nica agreed from on top of the shelving. "Put my coat in the bottom to make it comfy? I don't really need it, it's just for show." She nodded towards the woolen duffle coat tossed carelessly over the counter. "And some treats so she doesn't jump out as soon as we put her in?"

Meggan smoothed out the coat, and then put a small trail of snacks to the box. As Bonita ate, she could only shrug. “That’s the best lure there could be!” She also put five more in the corner of the box, so the cat could have a good allotment of treats to occupy her while she was brought to her home. “Good girl, Bonita,” she praised when it looked like she was wasn’t going to be obstinate about getting in. She was just kneading the wool at the front, though.

Nica meanwhile had floated back down to the floor when Bonita had left her lap in favour of treats. "C'mon, kitty-kitty, she crooned, crouching next to the box and putting her warmly glowing hand inside to encourage the cat to climb all the way in. "There's a girl. Don't you want to go home?"

With a loud purr, Bonita followed the light the rest of the way inside the box, and got to work on the next treat she found. “Good girl,” Meggan cooed.

[leoandlancer]

Alright, I'll bite: what's the intro starter pack for the Soap and the Skullman? You successfully have me intrigued.

I AM DELIGHTED YOU'VE ASKED

Skullman and Soap are from the game Call of Duty Modern Warfare II. It's a 2022 remake of a game that came out in 2009, and the remake has some notable improvements and provides an interesting perspective of how video games have changed in the last 14 years across the board; visuals, pacing, story, characters, challenges etc etc. All of which is cool but I'm here exclusively for the wall of beef being served.

Allow me to explain.

The single player story game includes 2+ hours of pristine cut scenes carrying the plot and character development, and any number of hours playing the game which includes banter and fps’ing. POV bounces between two teams having adventures and bein' sneaky all over the world. There’s also a Multiplayer mode but I know next to nothing about it so you’ve certainly come to the right place to learn some things. Youtube has a bunch of great Let’s Plays for the entire game, as well as videos of just all the cut scenes. Highly recommend, not least of all because I was blindsided by how wholesome it all turned out to be.

Simon "Ghost" Riley 👻 💀

Character with so much going on if anyone but a triple A studio pitched him they'd be told to calm down. Wildly op. Incredible passive intimidation score. Somehow internationally feared stealth agent despite Looking Like That. Aesthetic as fuck. Ranked Lieutenant if you can tell the different breeds of officer apart. HEIGHT. Manchester accent. Tragic backstory. The mask is a whole other post and I’m not normal about it. Despite going into it like a cat being forced into a bath, he is one half of the Grumpy One Soft for the Sunshine One trope that causes me physical agonies. (Secret third thing! Poor Little Meow Meow candidate.)

Johnny "Soap" MacTavish 🧼

You know how sometimes when a zoo or sanctuary has a cheetah or something that’s super anxious they’ll give them a chill, reliable, confident, protective dog friend? Yeah, anyway Soap is assigned to Ghost in the beginning of the game. SCOTTISH. Mohawk. Wears jeans throughout most of the game despite being continually dunked in cold water. Everyone wants to work with him so he kept being reassigned and always had to make new friends. Other half of the Grumpy One Soft for the Sunshine One trope, but Soap was an immediate, I mean immediate, adopter of his part. (Bonus! Pinnacle of AW little guy!!! Oh he’s a little bit fucked up actually..)

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Carries this team on his fuckin’ wings. Good at everything. Set all the records when he was in training and no one’s touched them. Eldest sibling energy someone give him a break. If a situation could kill a normal human, Gaz might be mildly discommoded.

John Price

Captain of Team 141, which Ghost, Soap, and Gaz are a part of. Keeps finding and adopting wildly competent soldiers/rebels/mercenaries as allies all over the world who would very literally die for him and they’re not wrong. Very protective of his kids allies. Could attack an army with a soggy corn chip and win. Team Dad. 

Alejandro Vargas

Managing with grace and panache despite his job apparently requiring him to fight everyone within a 200km radius. A colonel in the Mexican special forces. Stressed, but make it hot. Gets to prep for disaster like the world is ending but unlike most preppers seems to be having a blast and it all comes in handy. Loves his team do NOT separate them. Does attack an army with a soggy corn chip and win.

Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra

The only man on earth capable of being Alejandro’s second in command and exceed expectations. Incredibly good at everything. Much too well behaved and well mannered for this. Not high enough ranked to decide on problems, not low enough ranked for them to not be his problems. Someone help him.

Phillip Graves

Commander of Shadow Company, a private military thing. Gets to live, laugh, love being a mercenary with a massive fucking armory and zero restrictions. Suspect he has the keys to his tiny southern USA hometown and his parents are embarrassingly proud of him. Energy of a Jack Russel Terrier in a world of squirrels.

How much more space do I have? There’s a lot more ground to cover. I’m missing way too many characters.

Farah Ahmed Karim

Leader of the Urzikistan Liberation Force and a human shaped meteor. Price asks her for help and before he can hang up she kick slides in on a dirt bike with a machine gun and a squadron of fighters behind her. Coolest person in any room. Lots of stuff on her plate but seems really organized about it.

Kate “Watcher” Lazwell

Their CIA connection. Buddies with Price like everyone else except she’s the wine aunt to Price’s Team dad. Has killed people with her bare hands and will kill again. Is married and adores her wife. Cares SO MUCH but manages to not be burned out by constant bullshit.

Ok so now we’re into the boys from the multiplayer part of the game and listen there are crumbs of canon content and a cake of fanon content.

König

The man is 6′10″ tall and built better than most F150s. Wears the hood over his face because being taller than every standard doorway in Europe while dealing with heavy anxiety could be easier. Found confidence and comfort in getting really good at murder. Will go a little berserk, as a treat. Wanted to be a sniper but does not have the patience. ADHD icon. Fanon knows in their heart he can be categorized as a sopping wet man who needs a forehead kiss and a grilled cheese cut diagonal.

Kim "Horangi" Hong-jin 🐯 

Joined the military to escape gambling debts then found out he’s actually really good at being in the military. Knows about pop culture phenomena first, cool about it when you finally catch on. Fighting unspecified inner demons. No one knows why he wears a mask but fanon assumes he has delicious scars.

(Bonus! His actor, Nick Martineau, is a menace!)

So there’s a lot more but, listen, look at me, ok? Look at me. I am holding your face in my cupped hands. I am looking into your eyes. I am speaking so earnestly. Listen, I am so not normal about this ok? Please message me if you want to know anything else. I will be so stoked.

Genuinely, it was really fun to watch a bunch of lets plays and find it went from surprisingly good to actually good to oh I’m INVESTED invested in this. Replay/rewatch value is high, and there’s plenty of neat things that work well, good fridge horror, and a lot of the game runs on the characters just really liking each other. A central pillar of the story line is that Ghost makes a friend =) and that saves the day. Which is nice. There’s plenty more in the game to talk about but this is just what I’m taking away to share for now.

Ok thanks for asking, I hope some of this was helpful!

[alexiela73]

Prefall Gabe with an s/o who's usually cold and never speaks. Maybe one day the s/o stumbles across a little kitten who's been hurt and they get all mother like and take care of the kitten letting her guard down.

Jesus. You found my weakness. Big men and little kittens are fuckin’ cute. Actually, anything with kittens is pretty damn cute 

Honestly, Gabriel was kind of at the end of his rope with you. Not in a ‘I’m angry’ kind of way but more of a ‘I have no idea what else to do’ way. Everything that the man had tried to do so far seemed to have no effect on you when it came to getting you to open up or grow comfortable with him.

In a way, Gabe was sure that you must like him even just a little bit. You weren’t the type of person to stay around anyone that you didn’t like or hold interest in… At the same time though, you rarely spoke if ever, and when you did it was cold and without interest.

Sometimes he wondered why, out of everyone in Overwatch, you were the one his heart seemed to beat for. You never spoke to people, you always glared at people. You never took interest in others, nor did you allow people to befriend people. Mostly, you could be difficult to be around.

And yet….something about you had captured Gabriel’s attention, and god knows why, but also his heart. Although he couldn’t yet place it, something about you had caught his interest. Something appealed to him. Perhaps it was the mystery about you, or the way you focused on the tasks at hand.

Whatever it was, Gabriel had tried as hard as he could to get to know you. He was around you a lot, and may have admittedly pulled some strings to make sure you were always close by. Yet nothing worked, and you didn’t seem the least bit interested in him.

Right now Gabriel was walking a little behind you. You had been sent out to grab some supplies for the base, and the two of you were in Numbani right now. He’d decided that you might need a hand and had went with you…he’d thought that perhaps after almost five months of pursuing you, you might be up for chatting a little.

Still, you had ignored him and just continued on your merry way.

Rubbing his eyes, Gabriel was distracted when suddenly you stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He actually bumped into you and grumbled his apology, but you didn’t seem to hear him as you turned around.

“What are you doing?” Gabriel asks after a moment.

It seemed…like you were looking for something. Your eyes scanned the street, before looking down and Gabriel found himself confused. What on earth were you looking for? Whatever it was, the way you kept looking told him that obviously it wasn’t in plain sight.

After a moment you looked at him and caught him by surprise. “Listen,” you murmur, and the two of you stand there, still as a statue. Gabriel honestly can’t believe that you spoke, and wondered what on earth could have brought you to have to talk to him….and then he heard it.

A small, faint meow.

Immediately you started walking back the way you came, but realized that there was actually an alley about five feet back. You glanced at Gabriel before going into the alleyway, with him right behind you.

The alley was littered with garbage and empty, soggy boxes. You tried to move stealthily, wanting to be as quiet as you can in hopes of not scaring the poor little creature, wherever it might be. Gabriel saw that your face was blank, but your eyes were what really gave away the worry you felt. 

There was a small rustle in the back of the alley, and Gabe grabbed your wrist suddenly. You almost turned to snap at him, except he had a finger to his lips and he pointed. Immediately your eyes followed to where he was pointing at. 

In the corner, half hidden under a soggy box that leaned against the wall, was a bit of brown fur. Slowly, you pushed closer and moved the box to the side…and gasped at what you found.

Laying there were two tiny kittens, surely no more then three weeks old. They were tiny and thin, and one was soaked from what looked like a leaking pipe along the building side. How the two kittens had gotten here, you had no clue, but the two were crying weakly.

“Y/n…that roadkill we saw a block back…,” Gabriel said slowly, and you realized what he was insinuating. Covering your mouth with one hand, you realized it had looked like it could have been a cat. And it had been already a day or so old, the roadkill…

Gabriel gently moved you to the side as you stared in shock, picking one up to cradle against his chest. The one he picked up was the wet one, and you noticed it looked like a tiny tabby kitten with a splash of white on its nose. The other mewled, and after a moment of hesitation you reached down to pick it up.

Oh, but how tiny it was. How fragile its little body felt…the poor kitten moved in your hands and you realized how cold it must be. Immediately you cupped it to your chest, just beneath your shirt and you kept both your hands around it. It took you only a moment to realize the kitten was not gray and brown, but actually white beneath a layer of dirt. 

It cried softly, and you felt whatever walls you had around your heart melt. Forgetting that Gabriel was there, you cooed softly to the little kitten. “Its alright, sweetheart. Its going to be okay. We’ll get you nice and warm and fed as soon as possible, okay?” you whispered to it.

Turning, you looked up at Gabriel with wide eyes and before you could open your mouth, you realized how painfully adorable the scene was before you.

Gabriel stood there, a big macho man, with a tiny little kitten nestled on his chest. He was cradling it in one hand and tenderly he was stroking the little creatures head with one finger, ever so gently. It had stopped crying, but you could see it was still breathing.

“We need to get back to headquarters,” you said finally, when you managed to get your voice back. “Perhaps Doctor Ziegler could help us…”

“She isn’t a vet,” Gabriel said gently, and you started to bristle until he spoke again. “But we have to try. Little Spooky here needs a nice warm bottle to nurse on, and so does little Snowflake there.”

It took you a moment to process this. “You…you named them?” you asked, even as Gabriel started out of the alley. Naming cats meant…well, naming any animal meant that for sure you’d already allowed it into ones heart. And you knew pets weren’t allowed at the base.

“Of course,” Gabe says, then winks. “Finders keepers, right? Besides, these two need a family and now I finally have an even better excuse to stick around you, since siblings should be brought up together.”

For a moment, you didn’t know what to say. “You….you’re letting me keep the kitten?” you asked in a small voice, staring at him.

Pausing, Gabriel eyed you. “Yes. Unless you don’t want Snowflake-erm, whatever you’d like to call it,” he said, shrugging and glancing away. He’d seen the way your eyes lit up with such innocent amazement when you’d picked up the kitten. He liked it, and the way your eyes softened as you held it. He wanted to see more of it…

Lifting the kitten, you looked it in its little dirty face. “Snowflake…” you murmur. “I like it…don’t worry, baby. We’ll take care of you. Mommy and daddy have you now.” You couldn’t help half tucking it into your shirt again, trying to keep the little kitten warm.

Gabe couldn’t help staring for a moment…had you just called the two of you mommy and daddy? Perhaps there was hope for this relationship after all. 

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

Date, Interrupted

Fandom: Marvel/Avengers

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Overweight Reader

Series: Soft Thighs Series

Warning: N/A

Writer: @imaginesofeveryfandom aka @thequeenofthehobbits

Summary/Request: You couldn’t just leave them there...

In hindsight it wasn’t as bad an idea as it seemed at the time you were implementing it. When you’d started walking to Bucky’s you’d figured it would be a simple walk before your first date together, after all he only lived mere minutes away...but between the rain, the cold, and the sound of tiny little meows it wasn’t as simple as it first appeared. 

You hadn’t been able to stop yourself from darting down an alleyway towards the little sounds, your arms wrapped around your thick waist in an attempt to protect you from the cold. It shouldn’t have been a surprise what you found but yet it still managed to shock you. In a soggy cardboard box meowing with closed eyes were 5 young kittens, young to the point of not being able to see yet or properly move anywhere or do anything. The thought that someone had abandoned these poor things was at the forefront but you hide for a few minutes to see if the mother would come back. Maybe she’d left to go hunting? After 15 minutes of hoping no mother cat turned up...and you realised that you couldn’t just leave them there in the wet and the cold without any means of looking after themselves.

So on the way to your first ever date with Bucky Barnes you did the one thing you could do, you picked up the box, putting your scarf inside to warm them and made your way to his apartment. Bucky had moved into his own place recently, to help him acclimatise to normal life and he was doing well. But the last thing he expected was to open his door to find you soaking wet with a cardboard box of kittens barely able to open their mouths and meow. He’d expected you to turn up and then  the two of you to go out for dinner or a walk or something date like...not this.

“Bucky, I am so sorry! But they were just left there and I couldn’t just leave them!” The box was placed on a table and he helped you peel your coat from your soft body, the water had made it a million times heavier and he went to grab you a towel. 

Despite the fact perhaps he should have been disappointed or unhappy, he found himself more endeared towards you. You took the time out of your day to save a box of kittens...you couldn’t get sweeter than that, right? “It’s fine...” The two of you set about drying the kittens off gently one by one, attempting to warm them up with body heat and blankets. 

At one point Bucky made a trip to get milk bottles and kitten appropriate milk. They probably hadn’t eaten for a while and the fact that they ate hungrily confirmed that fact. Despite the date not being a very date like first date...it didn’t matter. What mattered was that at the end of it the two of you were curled together with a group of kittens and a warm blanket. What mattered was that you had an excuse to see Bucky more regularly, to look after the kittens together...and what mattered was that he wanted to see you again too.