#portal guardians meme

[bebe-benzenheimer]

Alternate Universe Meme: 4/5 genre

Sailor Moon as a horror anime

[shygirl4991]

Valentines Test

A gift for @alianarepasa Happy Early Valentines Day! Summary:  SMG3 and Fours fighting has gotten worse over the past week, being done with the fighting SMG1 and two slap a bracelet on the pair forcing them to swap bodies. Now the boys must go on several outings to find the spark to swap them back.  

Tag: Fluff, bodyswap, confessions, first kiss

They have had it with all the fighting at the castle, SMG1 told the pair that they needed to start getting along or else their meme powers won't work. Since then everything they have attempted to make them grow closer just made them fight,  annoyed at how at the results of the training One and Two created a special bracelet for them. At the next training event they slap the bracelet on them “These bracelets are to measure your meme energy, if the numbers are high then nothing should happen but if they hit low numbers well you two will be in for a surprise!” 

The pair exchange a look before SMG3 scoffs “Please the only reason we end up fighting is because this idiot doesn't know how to follow instructions.” hearing this SMG4 glares at Three “WHAT?! I follow instructions!” SMG1 sighs seeing that an agreement was about to happen, worried SMG2 chimes in “Hey you two why don't we do some basic practice!” It was too late as the boys had already started to argue about who pays attention more in their training and who was the better guardian. The bracelet started to beep loudly, Hearing the beeping SMG1 and Two nod at each other and run out of the room, Three looked at his wrist confused before a blast of light hit the guardians. Both men were on the floor groaning as SMG1 walked back in, sighing “Now your real lesson has begun. You two have been fighting way too much for this to be normal, so your lesson is to fix the curse me and Two put on you.”

SMG3 gets up from the floor confused “Curse?” he covers his mouth confused as to why he heard his ex rivals voice. He turned his head to see his body getting up looking around confused, they made eye contact and realized what the curse is they pointed at each “WE SWAPPED BODIES!?” One nods pointing to the bracelet “Once you two have settled whatever is going on the bracelet will be able to track your link, the moment the link is stabled you get your bodies back.�� Two nods handing them a packet with locations for the pair to go to. Three glares at the man in his body, then starts reading the pages “ I HAVE TO ACT LIKE FOUR!?” The day couldn't get worse. Two claps his hand opening a portal and throwing the pair to their first location, a park with a valentines event going on.  They blink, exchanging looks, in the whole mess of training and doing their jobs the men forgot that today was the day of love. Shroomy sees them and waves at them as he hands the pair heart necklaces, amusingly enough Three got a purple heart and Four got the blue one. 

“Hiya fellas! Happy you can come, partner up we have fun games for you two to be a part of!” The mushroom man walks away as the two men stand there looking around the park in shock, Three sighs “We have to partner with each other, it's the only way to get our bodies back.” He puts the purple necklace on the faces Four waiting for an answer. Nervously he puts on the blue necklace “We have known each other for years, but I have no idea how I can act as you for this whole thing! I mean you cheat your way to victory, I can't do that!” Three scoffs “I can cheat for us, being you will make it easy after all you have the perfect eyes,” Four blushes at the comment. With them coming to an agreement they sign up as the ship name that Boopkins told them a few months back, they then line up with the other couples. The first game was a race across a landmine field, Four looked nervous at the floor while Three rolled his eyes “Don't make me look like a bitch come on!” Something felt weird as Three ran; it was as if was lighter on his feet. On instinct he did a front flip avoiding the explosion as he lands on his feet he turns in shock “You could just fucking do that?!” Four rolled his eyes walking up the Three “Nice cover on acting as me dumbass, but yes im very um flippy.” 

Three started to look at Four’s body in awe causing the other man's face to go red, he grabs Three and starts to drag him “Please stop checking me out!” hearing that Three blushes “Oi! I wasn't checking you out that be gay!” an explosion happens causing Four to jump grabbing onto Three. They both noticed the strange looks they were getting, slowly they pulled their hats down to hide their faces. Round one was done and both men were already done, Four fell to his knees “Ugh i hated all that, how is avoiding landmines a way to show love with your partner!?” Three shrugs “Cause you didn't use them as bait? The hell do i know what goes through shroomys head.”

A loud bell rings letting them know round two was starting, this one was an obstacle course, Three blue eyes twitch as he looks around “We could try to cheat around some of the paths…”  he walks up to Four and switches their hats “Mind if i wear my hat for this, dont care doing it anyways!” Four would be annoyed by the man's tone but he was too happy to have his own hat back. They walk to the starting line waiting for the sign to start the track. As the gun fires the couples start to run, Three takes Four’s hand and pulls him. Running hand in hand they would pull each other out of danger, with a smirk from Three he slips his hand under his hat taking out a bomb. Four lets go of Three’s hand in surprise “Why do we need bombs?!” He watches his partner turn, lighting the bomb and throwing it at the group behind him. The other couples scream running away as the explosion causes rocks to fall covering the path, Three being distracted didn't notice a medium size rock was coming at him. Seeing this Four picks up Three pushing on out of the way, Three opens his eyes to go red in the face when he sees Four on top of him. 

Three wasn't sure what could be doing this, maybe it's their cosmic link or maybe it's because he knows the soul in the body. The point was Three did not see himself in that moment, he saw SMG4 in his clothing looking down at him with concern filling his eyes. “You okay Three?” Four gently caressed Three’s face, they both got lost looking into each other's eyes as if something was pulling them closer. Hearing someone smacking into the rocks Three knocked down they both quickly get up “I’m fine let's hurry to the finish line!” as they run they don't notice the light flicker in their bracelets. They make it to the top and smile at each other, Meggy smirks seeing the pair “SMG3 and four? You two together for a couples challenge?” Both men get flustered taking a step away from each other “Listen squ- er Meggy nothing weird is happening with us two, we uh did it for the prize!” She points to the poster showing that the prize was a romantic trip to a ski lodge. Four blushes and steps in front of Three “What he means is…i wanted a vacation so uh,” he looks around before snapping his fingers “To advertise my cafe!” 

Meggy sighs giving them a small smile “You don't have to hide your relationship with your friends, we will accept you both!”  Three’s face goes deep red “WHAT?! FUCK THAT I WOULD NEVER DATE THIS IDIOT!”  Meggy stares at him wide eyed “whoa sorry Four didn't think.. You get that upset, “ Four sighs smacking Three “Ignoring him, thanks Meggy for being understanding but nothing is going on.” she stares at the pair confused. She gave them a look and was about to ask another question before Boopkin came in. “Hey guys, surprise you two are here!” 

Three  gives an awkward wave “Oh you're here too, are you guys helping host this?” Boopkins nods “Yeah! I didn't think you two would join this together. I'm so happy for you two!’ He walks to hug Three thinking he is Four.  Seeing this Three steps away from the fish only for the child to keep trying, Meggy and Four stand there watching Three scream as he runs from Boopkins attention.  Meggy looking at the pair steps in front of Three “ you love hugging Boopkins Four is everything okay?”  hearing this the man stood still as Boopkin hugged him. Four holds back laughing as he sees the amusement on Three's face, noticing Four finding the situation funny he walks over to the man.

“Find it funny huh?” Four gets nervous seeing the murderous look coming from him, Meggy watches as Tari walks up to her “Meggy everyone is here wondering what the hold up is.” She points to the pair in a fight while Boopkins attempts to get them to stop.  Tari frowns walking up to them showing them a rubber duck  “Come on guys we are friends here, let's get along, don't want to make archibald upset!”  They both glare at her and cause her to run hiding behind Meggy.

Meggy sighs blowing a whistle to get their attention “FINAL CHALLENGE GO!” she turns to comfort Tari, making Four feel guilty. As they walk to face the final challenge, four starts to think to himself why have they been fighting so much? He watches Three smirking seeing as the challenge was about climbing, he was all for doing the challenge given Four’s body was flexible and easier to move. While Three’s body was more built for strength. Four thinks back at what started their constant flights only to get interrupted by Three walking up to him “Hey idiot, you think we fooled your friends back there?” 

Four sighs looking back at his friends and smiles seeing Tari feeling better “Hopefully we did, but we have a bigger issue than that. Three i wanted to as-” the bell rings letting them know it was time. Four looks at the packet that was given to them as Three gets ready to climb up the tower to get the flag, he looks at the other locations and sighs. He wanted to get this body swap problem out of the way before he had to talk to more of his friends, he watches Three climb and jumps when someone touches his shoulder. Melony smiles at him “Sorry! I heard from Meggy that you were acting weird. Is this about Four?”

Hearing this caught his attention, taking a deep breath he played along. “Yeah..we have been fighting more, feels no matter what we do we just fight,” Melony nods rubbing her chin thinking. She then smiles and shows her notepad “Oh yeah! Why not draw what you want from him,” she shows him a drawing making him blush “like you did when we talked last time!” Taking the drawing he smiles softly, now he understands why they have been fighting so much, how could he be so blind. “You dumb tsundere,” thanking Melony he runs to the goal waiting for Three. His heart was starting to beat fast as he saw Three sliding down with the flag, the man smirking at him showing off the flag. All Four can think about was making Three’s drawing come true, the moment Three crosses the line he jumps up “Hell yeah! Finally we are done with this shit!”

Four walks up to the excited Three and surprises him by lifting him up and spinning him around, they both start to laugh from the excitement of winning. Melony gives a thumbs up to Four hoping to encourage him to make the move. He finishes spinning Three pulls him in without a second thought and kisses the man, the other contestants gasp while Meggy chuckles “Nothing happening huh?” Three getting over his shock kisses four back, the bracelet starts to beep loudly as a bright light covers the pair. They pull away surprised to see each other, the bracelets then unlock falling to the floor. They both laugh hugging “Thank god i'm back to being my sexy self again!” Four chuckles pulling away from the hug looking at him “Right you're the sexy one…oh uh..” they turn to see the group of people recording them while their friends were cheering them on.

Their face go red realizing they just kissed in front of everyone “Oh fuck…UGH WHY DID YOU DO THAT IDIOT!?” Four flashes the drawing Three did of them kissing “Cause you're such an idiot you couldn't tell me you had feelings for me!” Three takes the drawing then looks at the crowd before whispering “With our past i didn't think anything could happen…”

Four gives him a loving smile “Well it's happening and all it took was a body swap heh,” Three let out an awkward laugh taking Fours hand and running from the phones, he knew tomorrow SMG1 and two will learn about how their test went. Three wanted to dig a hole and die in it when that thought came to him, he turned to see Four holding his hand smiling “So..what does this mean for us?”

Four hums looking around to see if they were alone “I wouldn't mind trying out being a couple! Three blushes and nods “I would like that as long as you don't get us body swap again!”  Four laughs looking at the packet “Hey if we run out of date ideas maybe one in the future can spice things up!” Three groans as Four teases him on the way home.

[blveblvrr]

SWEET ; OC LORE

smg6 lore for u guys lmaooo

tw: death

_____________________

“i’m not leaving you. you can’t fight him alone!” SMG7 held onto her best friend tightly.

“seven, i have to. Puzzles may be strong, but i know him. i can do this. if i don’t, well.. you know.” SMG6 finally hugged back, he and SMG7 knew she could die if she stayed on land any longer.

Mr. Puzzles had seeked revenge on SMG6 for banishing him to a different dimension years ago. now, he was back and what better way to get your revenge by taking away your enemy’s best friend’s powers with a little device that can’t get wet?

as the two meme guardians hugged on the docks beside the lake, a loud voice boomed above them.

“FINALLY.” the giant Mr. Puzzles echoed through the sky. he had taken the SMG4 crew hostage, except for Mario. He had gotten away and ran to find help. Mr. Puzzles then targeted SMG6 and 7.

“AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, I HAVE YOU. MY FAVORITE STAR. DROP THESE LOSERS AND COME BACK WITH ME. I CAN MAKE YOU SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER BEFORE, WE’LL BE UNSTOPPABLE!” he cackled and and reached out his hand.

“whaddya say, Star? join me!”

SMG6 looked at Mr. Puzzles with rage. really? he really thinks he can crawl back to the person he caused so much pain? really?

“i am not your star. i will never forgive you for what you did to me. my friends and i will end you! YOU ARE NOTHING!” the blue haired meme guardian screamed, tears falling from his face rapidly. he reached up to his headphones and pulled out his axe.

he ran straight for Puzzles, swinging right for the head. of course, he missed and only cut his suspender. the two enemies swung at each other for a while before SMG6 used his siren-like screech to open a portal, causing Mr. Puzzles to stumble and cover his ears.

SMG6 swooped down and gave a strong kick to the huge TV head, knocking Mr. Puzzles back into the portal. but, not before he pointed his finger-gun to SMG6 and shot a large amount of electricity into his back.

SMG6 grunted loudly and fell to the ground, the electricity was too much.

“JEREMY!” the 7th guardian cried, running to his side. she helped him up, putting his arm over her shoulder.

“seven, you need to get in the water. that device will explode when the portal is gone.” SMG6 coughed out.

they both looked up at the portal. Mr. Puzzles was trying his best to keep it open and struggle out of it, but the magic was too strong. suddenly the portal snapped shut.

SMG6’s eyes widened as he instinctively wrapped his arms around SMG7’s waist and ran as fast as sonic off the docks.

“six- what are you doing?! YOU CAN’T SWIM-” SMG7 was cut off as her body slammed into the water by SMG6.

the device poofed away once the water hit it and SMG7’s powers came back, causing her to adapt to the water and breathe. she gasped and tried to push her friend back.

“SIX, YOU NEED TO LET GO!! YOU CAN’T BREATHE, PLEASE!” she panicked, beating her fists against his chest. SMG6 just held on tighter.

he didn’t have the strength to even try to swim back up. the electricity shot made him go limp, except for his arms. he decided that he was fine with dying, if it meant he was saving his best friend.

as he could feel himself becoming heavy, he looked at SMG7 one more time.

“i love you, fiona.” the water muffled him a bit, but she heard him.

tears poured from SMG7’s face as she held onto the now lifeless body of her best friend.

smg7 belongs to @urrfavvfiona

story by blveblvrr (me!)

[dxrksong]

What if the Lazarus pits had blob ghosts and they merged together to became a concept ghost?

Now for the memes!

-----

Al Ghul approaches the pits

L: uh-uh, what's he doing?

Al Ghul: *dives into the pits*

L: UGH! *Pukes out a blob ghost that looked around before immediately rejoining Lazarus* NO! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!! OUT!!!

Al Ghul: *gets yeeted* ?!

------

Would Lazarus like Jason and the others? 🤔 strangely enough, I'd say yes.

L: At least you guys didn't try to just constantly USE ME like my last master did! *dramatic sobs*

Batman: *desperately trying not to adopt this unknown entity* how OLD are you?

L: *suddenly fine* oh, me? I just formed yesterday! Let me tell ya, it was QUITE a surprise to suddenly be able to move and see! It's been a true experience so far, I can see why you guys like doing this so much!

Batman: *physically restraining himself* Hn.

------

Jason: so what exactly are you?

L: oh, me? Well I don't know TOO much but from what my instincts are telling me, is that I'm a type of ghost!

Dick: GHOST????

L: yes! Specially a Concept ghost! Like how there's a concept of time and space, I'm a concept of the pits.....I guess.

Jason: you guess???

L: only a few days old, remember? I don't even have a guardian ghost yet!

Batman: *immediately at attention* are you supposed to have one?

L: yep! Every baby ghost needs a guardian! It's not like we can know everything the moment we're born. Hell, I don't even know where the other ghosts are, all there is here are shades....and remnants.

Tim: I have so many questions.

L: and I have so little answers! It seems we're stuck in the same boat Tim! (Oh btw Tim, your clones wanted me to say Hi)

The fam: WAIT WHAT?!

--------

Lazarus and the shades getting along as Lazarus greets them like one would do to their pets.

L: why hello! Yes, hello! Look at you, look at you *coos*

-------

Hmmm 🤔 Lazarus would need a guardian that can make portals in order to show them how and to make sure they get fresh ectoplasm when need. And the only ghosts I can think of is Wulf and Clockwork.

But there's also Cujo.

Lazarus meeting the only other ghost he's seen and it's this small dog.

L:

Cujo:

L: are you my dad??

Cujo: *sweating because oh no this child has no parents, but how the bark does he raise a baby ghost?*

--------

Tho Wulf parenting Lazarus would also be cute.

Walker finds Wulf and immediately spots the kid.

Walker also knows that bonds between a baby ghost and it's parent are near impossible to break. (Not to mention against the rules.)

So then it'd be Walker and Wulf raising this baby ghost together lmao!

[luffyrose]

I have fallen down the ultimate spiral. Usually falling into fandoms are ones that I know well or that I will know well because I just found an interest in them. This time, this time I've fallen into the whole dc x dp. I have no idea how or why the crossover is a thing, BUT I LOVE IT.

I'm not that big a DC fan in general, mainly because I do not have the attention span to understand what is happening (ignore the fact I've watched all of One Piece-) but I have watched all of Danny Phantom at one point or another so like, halfway there kdjnshdf

N E WAY! I was reading lex luthor's ascent from supervillainy to fatherhood real good, go read it https://archiveofourown.org/works/40263192 BUT THEN I SAW A POST, as I casually skim through it when bored, ABOUT JASON AND DANNY MEETING PROMPT/MINI-FIC ON HERE AND I WAS SO IN LOVE WITH IT

So now, my brain as it usually does, wants to write a fic on it. this is why I have so many notes/docs, someone please remind me to organize fdksjnfj but yeah- I might write some of it, I might not- I don't know, but I will absolutely dumb random thoughts I've had about it on you all.

Okay! So I don't see much if anything about it, but I love the idea that Danny is like, a baby in ghost terms. Like no one thought about it much because it was the equivalent of the "BABY HAS A GUN" meme and because the ghosts just wanted to cause some mayhem and have fun, it took them like 2-3 years to look at the overpowered ghost and go; "That's a child-".

Keep in mind, Danny is already technically the King of the Infinite realms via defeating Pariah Dark as well, so all the ghosts are like "a child....OUR CHILD" and now panicking over the fact that this lil ghost has not had a parent(Madie and Jack DO NOT in fact count as parents to the ghosts, or Danny's core for that matter, but it's not because they're human, like, the ghosts are more concerned about the fact that his parents aren't ACTUALLY his parents.)

Either way, Danny now has to avoid Clockwork, who knows he is a baby in ghost terms but almost adult in human terms so still 100% making him king, the ancient is kind enough to alleviate most of the jobs a king has to do at least......for now-

So most of Danny's 16, going to turn 17 soon, year old life is now school, dealing with the few ghosts who still cause him trouble even if he's a baby ghost to them, he does keep in mind how they are MUCH gentler now and tend to "give up" pretty easily instead of fighting him, and 'running' from Clockwork trying to coronate him.

Clockwork knows where he is when he 'hides' but his own ghost core, ancient as it is, can't help but humor the child.

Things go wonk as soon as his parents find out about him being a ghost, surprise surprise. His dad was shoot first, ask questions later as always, but his mom was more...mentally traumatizing my child by claiming they'll fix him and telling him how they would just have to cut him open a little to see what's wrong.

Danny gets hit by one of the shots and goes tumbling into the ghost zone, another shot hitting the portal itself and breaking it as he went through. Some ghost find him and are like "THE BABY!!!!"

Personally- my brain it's Kitty and Johnny finding him because they're more like friends now then much else. Kitty being like an older sister while Johnny is the friend he probably would have dated at some point given the situation since they're both around his age in general, being younger ghosts as well.

Either way, they panic, call Clockwork, since the whole Infinite Realms knows that they're Danny's guardian. Clockwork shows up, and is like "wuh oh" and decides this child needs a parent. BUT INSTEAD OF SENDING HIM TO SOMEONE CONVENTIONAL HE'S JUST LIKE WOOPPSSYYYYY *Throws a very injured and not that conscious Danny at Lex Luthor*

Lex is, despite telling himself he's not, already this random meta-adjacent kid's dad. He's sold. Be it the obvious parental neglect/abuse like he had or the fact that he didn't know he had enough of a heart not to abandoned a hurt child who knows-

Also just as a tangent, Danny 100% talks about clones one times and the two have a long talk about the sentience of clones, because like, Lex didn't think about it in a way that Clones, albeit creations of science more so, are still very sentient beings unlike other scientific creations. And depending on the type of clone, they are much much more human. Cue Lex having a mental breakdown in his bedroom later because oh fuCK HE LEFT A CHILD WITH SO LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD WITHOUT A PARENT- you can't convince me Lex wouldn't be a good dad solely to spite his own.

Danny's adopted and Lex is concerned for sure about this, apparently ghost as he quickly learned, kid that wakes up screaming sometimes. Boy is he glad to have built his whole place around keeping prying meta's out amongst other things- He's trying his best, and Danny is confused as hell about having a good parent. Even more confused because he's rich.

Lex is like "I'm totally doing this to ask about his capabilities" before panicking over Danny getting kidnapped despite knowing the kid could float through a wall if in real danger-

Cue many arguments about if Danny can go do things in general. Lex is very much stubborn about it even though he knows Danny is part ghost. This IS partially thanks to the few weeks it even took for Danny to heal from the blast he took from his parents. Either way, Danny won that argument in the end by saying he'd just float through the walls and go if he couldn't. They settled that if going as a ghost he just had to be careful about heroes and not changing in sight if at all, and if as Danny, he had to take a few bodyguards, though they could be discreet.

Either way, once Lex actually shows the world his kid, and he is so proud to call Danny his kid, Danny gets kidnapped. This is exactly why LEX SAID NO DANNY!!! Either way he gets saved by some Metropolis hero, superman or not, and he's instantly a little shit tm to them. More so because they asked a question about Lex, maybe even implying he was a bad dad, and even if Danny doesn't see him as a dad quite yet, there is no way he's standing for that!

In the end, it's a while before Danny actually goes much further than Metropolis, thank you very much Lex, this halfa knows how to do a thing or two!

Except he runs into trouble right away, that trouble being that uh oh- his underlying health issues he'd been ignoring up until now cuz they haven't messed up since his death- ignore the fact he learn that corrupted ectoplasm makes him basically have heart attacks if in human form because hey! doesn't happen if he's a ghost and he'll just switch before it happens- yeah that suddenly acts up when he runs, in human form because he wanted some coffee, straight into Red Hood. How fun.

Jason is confused because of the pit's usual anger and call for violence, upon seeing this random teen that literally ran into him, fall over in pain. Jason is worried as well obviously like this kid is definitely sick or something, but wHAT?!

He does the only logical thing obviously! taking him to one of his hideouts and not telling anyone-

Danny wakes up, sore, confused, and hella tired. Jason is equally as confused and tired, staring at the kid as he wakes up. The icky ecto doesn't actually hurt Danny from being near it, it's more like his body is thrown into cold water suddenly and it just has a violent initial reaction. So now Danny is trying to figure out why this person, ghost?, he can't tell, has the GROSSEST ecto he's ever seen, and if he's even aware of it. Let alone how the heck he's gonna help this random ghost, because by damn he's still technically the ghost king and his obsession isn't protection for nothing-

Now we have Danny, who's been unconscious for hours might I add, sitting with a very confused Jason. Danny wants to help the ghost person, he might just start calling him a halfa, but he was wrong about Vlad being a halfa, he's actually more of an ecto-possessed person, really confusing. Jason wants to know WHY this kid is making his pit rage not only calm, but worried, so he's having a time, actually having a clear head for once outside of his concern for this random child, that he's only just realizing he technically kidnaped....and definitely has forgotten to tell anyone about- Welp, he's not telling them now, his oddly comforting child now.

I have more ideas from this but I have been writing this for a while now so like- I'll tell ya more if ya want but only then- If I ever do write this it will 100% be more angsty than my blabbering here kjfsdnjkf

[smg4andbeetlejuicefanatic]

I Do Love You, Idiot

@pengwen314 I really, really liked your Smg34 hanahaki disease idea, and since you said you have no motivation to write it, I thought I’d write it. Ofc you can still write your own version (if you haven’t already, and if you have I’d love to read it) but I hope you like this version nonetheless. ^v^

~~~

Smg3 waltzed into his bedroom, accompanied by his Eggdog, and threw his cap onto one of the four corners of his bed with a spin. He then changed into his pajamas, and plopped onto his bed; Eggdog jumping up to lie down beside him.

“Smg4 is amazing, isn’t he?” 3 asked, his cheeks turning a rosy-red hue as the love of his life took over his mind. Eggdog barked in return. His master had probably asked him that same question thousands of times by now, but he didn’t mind.

3 felt the thumpity-thump of his heart as he lay there, lost in his thoughts. It was a feeling he was used to, and one that he adored.

Then he felt something else, something he didn’t quite like--a twang of something intense enough to make him jolt up and grab his head as if he were in pain. Eggdog made an attempt to comfort his master; whining in concern.

“I-I’m ok, Eggie, don’t worry,” he stuttered, petting his little friend. “It was my meme guardian senses. They’ve never been that strong though…something bad must be happening.” he added. Getting a sense of urgency, he quickly grabbed his phone and opened the portal to leave the internet graveyard; once again followed by his egg-shaped companion.

When they exited the portal, they came to a halt in front of the door that led to Smg4's room.

The new castle was eerily silent.

Everyone must be out somewhere. Hopefully Glitchy is here... 3 thought as he looked back to the door. Slowly, he turned the knob, and a creeeeeaaaaaak eminated as it was opened. He carefully closed it behind them as they entered.

The room was somewhat dark, only lit by the dim sunlight shining through the windows. Trash littered the floor, the computer that 4 used to make his much-loved, meme-filled videos was buried in dust, and the air smelled of sickness. 4 lay on his bed facing away, seemingly lifeless; sending 3 into panic mode upon sight. 3 bolted to his bedside and turned 4 onto his back, only to discover more horror.

4's skin was deathly pale, dry tear streaks decorated his face, and the outside of his mouth was covered in blood and...flower petals? Said flower petals were a deep, velvety, purple-blue; they were those of the Mr. Fokker Anemone--3's favorite flower. The same bloody flower petals, and even some whole flowers, were scattered on the floor next to the bed.

"...Three?..."

A quiet, raspy voice suddenly broke the silence, and 3 looked down to see that 4 was awake and staring up at him. The poor man's beautiful blue eyes were red and bloodshot.

"Eggie, go get a damp washcloth now!" 3 exclaimed as he sat next to him on the bed, and Eggdog ran off to do just that. "Glitchy, what happened to you?! Why are there anemone flowers and petals everywhere?! Where did they come from?!" 3 exclaimed again as he gently set 4's head in his lap and began to pull the flower petals off his mouth.

There was a pause before 4 answered. "H...Hana...Hanahaki..."

3's eyes widened. He knew exactly what disease 4 was referring to. "How long..." He was so in shock, he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Since...Peach's castle...went down..." 4 huffed. His breathing was slow and heavy.

"WHAT?!" 3 screamed. "You mean to tell me you've just been letting yourself suffer like this in secret?!"

4 gave a weak nod.

3 was overcome with rage. "WHO?! Who's the monster that did this to you?!" he screamed again, tears beginning their descent down his cheeks. At that moment, Eggdog came back with the damp washcloth, and 3 wiped the blood from his face.

"You're not...a monster..." 4 answered between breaths.

It took 3 just a few seconds to realize what he meant. Once he did, his face flushed red as roses. "I...I'm the one?"

4 gave another weak nod, followed by a weak smile. "After you...gave me that heartfelt speech...about you understanding...how I felt, trying to be perfect...and after you...helped me...finish that stupid video, and saved me...I...fell in love with you. But I was...too afraid to...say anything...cause I didn't th-...think you'd...love me..." Tears were flowing down his face now, and he was struggling hard to speak. "We'd...been enemies for...so long, and-"

"I do love you, idiot!" 3 cut him off.

Now 4's face was flushed red as roses. "W-What...?"

3 gently cupped 4's cheek. "You mean the world to me, Glitchy..." he began, staring into his eyes. "I'll admit, I fell in love with you too...all the way back in meme academy. But I let my jealousy of your popularity get in the way, and I was never able to gain enough courage to tell you. Even up until now I couldn't find the courage to tell you, because...I didn't think you'd ever love someone that tried to hurt you for so long." he continued.

4 smiled again, staring back into 3's ruby red eyes, and repeated his words.

"I do love you...idiot."

3 smiled down at the man he loved, who was still smiling up at him. They stayed locked in each other's gazes as 3 leaned in closer, closer, closer still.

And their lips met.

As soon as it happened, 4 felt the flowers in his lungs disappear and the rest of his body felt better within an instant. Once his strength came back, he wrapped his arms around 3 and pulled him down beside him. Exhaustion from being sick made him fall asleep instantly, and 3 decided he would stay there with him. So he snuggled closer to him under the blanket and fell asleep with him, as Eggdog curled up at the edge of the bed.

And it was there that they spent the rest of the night, wrapped in each other's warm embrace.

[ducktastic]

Gameological Awards 2023

Game of the Year

Cocoon is a perfect game. There aren’t many of those. It’s a tight four-hour adventure that steadily introduces new ideas and mechanics, explores those ideas, and challenges the player to think critically, then move on to the next new idea. And it does all of this without a single spoken or written word. The language barrier is non-existent. The player is constantly immersed in a series of environmental puzzles that expertly straddle the line between Zelda dungeons and Portal test rooms, with genuinely some of the biggest “NO WAY” moments I’ve experienced in years. Just a marvelous game. Nothing else came close this year to the sheer exuberance in interactive experience as Cocoon.

Multiplayer

Super Mario Bros Wonder did something that had long seemed impossible. It made online multiplayer Super Mario Bros not only sensible, but advantageous over single-player. By turning the other players into “ghosts” like a racing time trial, we no longer had to worry about bumping into one another and ruining our experience of precision platforming. Rather, by observing the other players and allowing them to see us at the same time, we could point out helpful tips and hidden secrets to help one another along. If one player was hurt, other players could go back and revive them. We’d get bonus points for reaching the finish pole at the same time. Finally, 14 years after New Super Mario Bros Wii first tried the multiplayer Mario experience, Super Mario Bros Wonder made it feel truly cooperative rather than combative.

Backlog

Guardians of the Galaxy is better than it has any right to be. Especially considering what a mind-numbing mess of monotony the previous year’s Avengers game was from the same studio at Eidos. Perhaps it was the lowered perceived marketing value of the Guardians over the box-office-topping Avengers brand that reduced corporate oversight and allowed the developers to actually deliver a game that had a compelling narrative with will-written dialogue, varied environments with slick and entertaining combat, and that all-too-essential sense of player agency that makes the audience feel like they’re actually contributing in some small way rather than just watching an incredibly drawn-out movie. Whatever the circumstances, Guardians of the Galaxy came out as a genuinely solid action-adventure game. I played it twice, just to see how my decisions changed the story. AND THEY DID, and I was pleased. Great job.

Didn’t Click

I really want to like Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. The watercolor storybook aesthetic is lovely, the dual-character controls seem compelling, and I generally enjoy the world of Bayonetta and love most things Platinum work on. The opening hours of this game just bored the heck out of me. I was constantly getting caught on invisible geometry in the environment and the slow storybook segments inspired me to grab a pillow and blanket more than adventure forward. I’m hoping the rest of the game after the opening hours is far more engaging but I took a break from this title months ago and haven’t been back yet.

Unexpected Joy

Suika Game appeared almost as a meme. My first exposure was on TikTok, as a group of people settled into a ramen restaurant in Japan smaller than your average American studio apartment all looked up from their drinks to observe a television over the bar where, instead of live sports, the news, or the drama du jour, there was a collection of cartoon fruit struggling to merge similarly sized fruits into larger ones, clearing space in their confines. I was instantly charmed. OF COURSE I would rather watch this in a bar or restaurant over literally anything else. Weeks later, videos of the game were slowly infiltrating my feed, with links to blog posts about this game available exclusively on the Japanese Nintendo Switch eShop. Within days, I’d convinced myself to buy Japanese eshop credits through an import retailer and download the two-year-old cult title for approximately two dollars. I showed it to friends. I showed it to co-workers. I told pretty much anybody I could about this impossibly addictive kawaii fruit arcade game. And then, finally, in late October, the game suddenly appeared on international stores, followed days later by an English patch. Everyone could play. Everyone SHOULD play. It’s the definition of joy. Uncomplicated, bright, surprising and, above all else, delightful. And if Baldur’s Gate III can count as a 2023 game after being in Early Access since 2020, then surely the global release of Suika Game counts as a 2023 game after being locked to Japan for one fewer year than that.

Best Mechanic

Crafting my own divination deck in The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood was the single most personally empowering experience I felt in any game this year. It was easy enough to do the “game math” of “well, if I use components with more red crystals then I’ll get more red mana back when I used this card” but I found it far more compelling to read all of the descriptions for every component available and craft a narrative where the locations, characters, and artifacts complimented one another and told stories within themselves. Like the traditional major arcana of the tarot, generating a narrative that made sense in my own mind outside of the game made it all the more intuitive to read the cards’ “meanings” when they were pulled from the deck. It genuinely felt like tiny pieces of my own soul were being spread throughout the deck of cards, that these were unique to me and my own experiences. The deck was personal both to my character and to myself, and that intimate connection made the high fantasy all the more tangible.

Favorite Game Encounter

The Master Sword. It’s a common element in pretty much all the major Zelda games. Getting your hands on it has always been an empowering and inspiring moment of Link’s journey, whichever version of Link this may be. But Tears of the Kingdom makes it special in a way it’s never been before. The moment when Link collects the Master Sword in Tears is not simply a culmination of his many trials, no longer merely a symbol of his accomplishments and various macguffins collected so far in the game. Sure, it’s still those things just like every time before, but this time it’s more. It’s a relationship. It’s a bond. It’s a loved one’s deepest wound, a burden for you to bear on their behalf. It’s the physical embodiment of timeless suffering, of timeless love, of timeless faith. And you picked it up. You struggled, it struggled, but now it’s in your hands, and now you carry the burden. And it doesn’t weigh you down.

Best DLC

Remember when MediaMolecule made great games? I know a lot of focus over the years has been on their democratization of game design tools, from LittleBigPlanet to their latest title Dreams, but their self-contained adventures like Tearaway are just incredible. MediaMolecule went ahead and dropped their next unbelievably addictive, polished, original standalone game COMPLETELY FOR FREE inside of Dreams this year, and the model train arcade challenge Tren stands tall amongst not only their own titles but possibly even the entire history of Sony-exclusives. The only reason more people aren’t completely obsessed with Tren is that the overall package of Dreams intimidates them, and with Sony shutting it down soon, Tren seems destined to be lost forever. Here’s hoping MediaMolecule release it as a standalone title, and soon.

[traincrashs]

HE'S BACK GOD DAMN IT WINSTON

Okay so episode was soo good literally loved it.

I'm gonna take a massive reach into the next world and say that 3's notebook has some spells/power summoning's in it. Because 1. why would this random person want 3's personal life that seems super weird. 2. smg3 was really protective over it and if it was just some cringe stuff im sure he would have flamed it.

On top of that 3 is a meme guardian and him being the only other meme guardian to handle casting portals with a snap of his finger alone to his world and 4's world yeah i'm assuming he's got enough in there to cast something big. 4 can't summon portals like 3 can and 3 casually just summoning things in canon multiples times yeah it's safe to say whatever 3 wrote in that journal had to be something powerful.

[tewwor]

For the Unnamed !!!

✈ : My muse and  traveling. (If they do it frequently and why, if they never left their home town, e.t.c.)

✿ : My muse and nature. (If they are an ‘outdoorsy type’, like the sound of bird’s singing, if they have never set foot in a forest, e.t.c.) 

headcanon meme ( accepting )

✈ : My muse and  traveling.

Within Saul's liminal world, yes. Outside of it, though? No, not really. There's so much to explore ( both good and bad and everything in between ) within the liminal space that it doesn't really cross her mind to venture out. Whenever it does pique her interest, she only steps outside once every couple of decades or centuries.

A big reason for this is because she knows that Saul's world is more or less safe. She's grown accustomed to it and it's unspoken rules. Everything outside of it? Strange, new, thrilling but very dangerous. Though she may not remember the exact moment Saul put her inside the world for safekeeping, the urgent panic that the guardian carried is deeply imprinted within her to this day. So most of the time she equates that panic with other worlds.

✿ : My muse and nature.

Absolutely! The way of nature might be vastly different in Saul's world, but most of is overrun by its own type of nature. Overgrown underwater ruins, stretches of ember touched fields, walkable clouds, cavernous upside forests.. A lot of her free time is dedicated to exploring. And if she's in the outside world(s), she does the exact same thing. Even if she portals into a condense city, she'll usually work her way towards the rural areas quickly.

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Imaginary Friend: Bonus Scene - Part 3

Potoo Head Geralt apparently wasn't going anywhere, and they all stood there wondering what the f**k they were going to do now.

"F**k it! I say we keep him!" Jaskier said, "There's plenty of cursed people walking around, and-!"

"And most people shun them, and treat them like they have a communicable disease." Geralt interjected.

"And most people find a mage and get the curse lifted," Yenenfer added, "so people will eventually start asking uncomfortable questions."

Jaskier's face fell. Yennefer and Geralt both started screaming internally at the sight of their bard having a sad. D*mn how he just wore his heart on his sleeve like that! Potoo Head Geralt immediately started preening his hair in an attempt to comfort him.

"He can't live with us for ever," Yennefer sighed, scratching Potoo Head Geralt under his chin. "It's not fair to him, making him stay locked up in doors, and always worrying if someone is going to try to hurt him."

"He could live with my Grannie..." Jaskier suggested, hopeful.

Geralt had met Jaskier's Grannie, and the woman was terrifying. It was rumored that she had put a Bear over her knee and thrashed his a*se for telling her to 'push off'. Plus, she was nobility, and well-respected, and she had connections. Potoo Head Geralt would definitely be safe with her.

"But she can only do so much, love," Yennefer said gently. "She can't fight off a crowd of angry people, or stop the police if they decide to take him."

"He could live at Kaer Morhen..."

Yennefer and Jaskier blinked at Geralt in surprise.

"It's remote, so he'll be safe there. Vesemir will be glad of the company, and we can go visit anytime we like."

Jaskier's face had lit up like the sun.

Geralt discussed things with Vesemir over the phone that evening, and they made plans for the roadtrip. Yennefer could have just portaled them over, but she knew Jaskier would appreciate the extra time with their friend.

Less than a week later, they piled into Geralt's vintage creeper van and started their journey. Geralt was not really looking forward to the long drive stuck in Roach with Potoo Head Geralt. He was fine with him at the house because Geralt could just go to another room. But in a confined space like a van? There was no where to go.

There was plenty of room, however, since Yennefer had done her 'Mage-y' thing (as Jaskier put it) and made the inside bigger than the outside. The space changed depending on the number of people, and right now, the inside was as spacious as an RV. But there was still little to no privacy, or places to go to get away from everyone.

The sleeping arrangements were awkward too. There was only one bed, and they all had to share. It was a huge bed, but it was still just weird when everyone just crawled into bed at the same time. At least to Geralt it was weird.

Geralt had never had a problem sharing a bed with Yennefer or Jaskier. H*ll, the three of them had been cosleeping for weeks becuase of Jaskier's nightmares. But now, Geralt felt uncomfortable sharing. He knew it was because of how touchy-feely his namesake was with Jaskier.

Potoo Head Geralt would cuddle up with Jaskier, practically sleeping on him like a large dog. Geralt tried not to growl.

Yennefer laid awake at night, feeling very much like a meme. Ah Yes. Me, my husband, our wife, and his six foot tall, Potoo Headed dream guardian.

Yennefer had almost laughed out loud when, as Geralt was falling asleep, she'd heard him mentally grumble to himself that Jaskier and Potoo Head Geralt should just get it over with and f**k already. Yennefer put her arm over him and rested her head on his chest, and used their mental link to start teasing him about being jealous. Geralt, of course, couldn't let that slide, and they started telepathically bantering back and forth.

Jaskier's voice piped up grumpily from the darkness. "What are you two doing? You're huffing like water buffalos-! You better not be f***ing! I swear to Melitele, if you two are f***ing right beside me-!"

"You'll what?" Yennefer asked, mildly, "Join in?"

There was a gagging noise, then, "You're disgusing, Yennefer!"

"Says the man who likes to use our telepathic link to heckle me and Geralt during our private time!"

"Hmmmm!"

"Both of you bugger off!"

"Well, if you insist!"

"HoE, dOn'T yOu dArE!!!!"

They finally made it to Kaer Morhen. Word traveled fast, and the other Wolves had wanted to see this strange creature for themselves. And they didn't want to let a chance to tease Geralt go to waste.

Inspite of the heads up Geralt had given them, they were still taken aback when Potoo Head Geralt followed Geralt into the Great Hall

The Hall fell so silent, Geralt could hear his brothers blinking. They stared at Potoo Head Geralt as they slowly approached to greet their brother.

"D*mned thing looks just like Geralt!" Lambert laughed as he embraced Geralt warmly. He and the other Wolves crowded around the unfortunate creature.

Potoo Head Geralt *eyes looking in two different directions*: "Mwwaaaawwwp?"

"No it doesn't!" Geralt grumbled.

The Witchers inspected the new arrival.

"He could be your f***ing twin!"

"Or his son. F**ked a gryphon, did you? Never pegged you as a monsterf**ker, Geralt!"

"You know the quiet ones are always the kinkiest b**tards!"

"Shut up, Jaskier!"

Lambert pulled out his phone and made Geralt stand next to the dream guardian so they could take pictures and say things like "I can't tell them apart!"

"It's weird looking, but it kind of grows on you!" Ceon said.

"Potoo Head Geralt," Jaskier said in an offended tone, "His name is Potoo Head Geralt!"

"That's brilliant!" Eskel laughed, "He's even named after you, Geralt!"

"Meh, it's a bit cumbersome to say, if you ask me." Lambert commented.

"No one asked you," Jaskier said defensively, giving Potoo Head Geralt a head scratch.

"It is kind of a mouthful, Nightengale," Yennefer said diplomatically.

"We can give him a nickname," Eskel suggested. Vesemir nodded . He agreed that the name was cumbersome, and 'Jacek' didn't really suit him.

They sat around the tables, eating and drinking while they came up with a list of possible names. They bickered back and forth until they whittled the list down to their top picks.

Winkerpeeps, Blinkie, Deadlights, Orbs, Facetits, and Peepers were all suggested.

Lambert wanted to go with 'Facetits' Jaskier started giggling when Yennefer read the name 'Facetits', which made Geralt start giggling. They ended up muttering 'Facetits' back and forth to each other and giggling for twenty minutes. 'Facetits' was promptly removed from the list.

Lambert sulked after his top pick was struck from the list, and argued that it was a perfectly good name. And it fit him perfectly! I mean, look at the size of his eyes! Those were some impressive facetits!

Yennefer argued that Potoo Head Geralt needed a name that Jaskier and Geralt could say without giggling, or at least look at him without giggling.

Arguments were made back and forth until Vesemir decreed that it should be put to a vote.

Geralt decided to vote for 'Deadlights', because it sounded bada**, and was more dignified than the cutsey names on the list. Might as well give the poor f**ker a repectable name.

Lambert wanted 'Winkerpeeps'.

Aiden went with 'Orbs'.

Coen and Vesemir both voted for ' Blinkie'.

They were all out voted by Yennefer, Eskel, and Jaskier, however, and Potoo Head Geralt was officially nicknamed 'Peepers'.

They stayed a few days to help Peepers settle in, and then returned home. Jaskier was worried for him at first, wondering how he was doing, and if he liked his new home. His worries were for naught, though, judging by the sh*t ton of videos and photos of Peepers that Vesemir started sending them.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Juliano stares down at the spider staring up at him. He clicks his tongue, not quite knowing what to do.

He knows it isn't a normal spider. Normal spiders aren't green and purple. Even in this universe, he knows there are no spiders like this.

He also knows that he is absolutely terrified of spiders, and the damn thing is currently standing between him and the door of his room.

"Heeeeeeey.. buddy!" he smiles nervously.

It doesn't move.

"Think you can.. move?" he chuckles nervously. "I.. kinda have a lesson with Mario to go to! Yknow, Avatar stuff.."

The spider's eyes seem to widen, and Juliano starts to sweat. What in the..

It jumps at him, Juliano screams, and he's suddenly pinned to the ground.

He shudders, seeing a woman above him resembling an Admin. "Wh-Who-!?"

"I'm Cookie, little Avatar~" she coos, showing off his sharp fangs. "And you are coming with me."

Juliano tries to push her off, but it's too late. Her fangs sink into his neck and some sort of venom is injected into him.

It takes effect too quickly. His body falls limp, and he exhales. Unwanted peace takes him over as some of the purple venom drips from the bite marks.

"There we go! That wasn't so hard, was it?" Cookie giggles. She rises back up and picks him up as she does so. A portal opens in front of them, and she walks through, carrying him.

Juliano's heart drops at seeing the inside of the circus tent he once called home. Now, spider webs cling all over it, with small little spiders made of code scurrying around.

The portal closes behind Cookie as she walks over to one of the webs and rests Juliano on it. His backside sticks to it, and the small code spiders get to works covering the rest of him in the webs.

He watches with forced calmness as Cookie pulls up a command box and starts typing. He sees her switch something several times before finally hitting a button.

Whatever she's done, she seems proud.

○●○

Domain and Forum both stare at the respective command boxes they opened after Mario and the others had come to them after not seeing Juliano all day.

Forum's pupils were prinpricks while Domain stared blankly.

Juliano's code and profile weren't showing up. No different way of searching brought any clue of him.

It was as if he was wiped from existence.

A pool of dread forms in Domain's stomach. So this is why the Higher-Ups had warned them to monitor Juliano everyone once and a while. He was an Avatar without Guardians. Avatar without a universe.

He was a former Avatar with no universe to spread memes, have Guardians to protect him, or anything of the sort.

So, it seemed, that his code (to them)..

Had simply erased itself.

[thebusytypewriter]

✨Ask game!✨

5, 6, 13, 21, 27, 36, and 38 💕

Jonnie my beloved hello :D

5. Top 3 Movies

Shit fuck uhhh this changes so frequently but atm let's go with Lilo & Stitch, Into the Spiderverse, and Rise of the Guardians!

6. Top 3 TV Series

Much easier omg. Gravity Falls, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Steven Universe. (Can you tell I prefer animation)

13. Favorite Youtuber

Hoooo boy. I'd say Ranboo but he doesn't upload on YT enough to justify it I think? Sooo let's go with Sidequest! They're a fun group of guys who play co-op video games together and bring chaos every time that makes me lose it.

21. Idea of Perfect Date

...my idea of a date is so skewed because I've never been on one (at least not one that was considered a date by the other lmaooo). High key it depends on how well I know the person already! Not too well: semi-casual restaurant, maybe a movie. At least decently well (were friends beforehand): I... genuinely don't know. Kinda the same as the other ig? But more casual with like a nerdy shopping trip involved (bookstore, comic book store, etc. etc.)

27. What I Love About Myself

Dammit Jonnie not you too /lh Alright I do love the confidence I've gathered within the past two-three years. Anxiety still is very real, but I feel more comfortable in my own skin nowadays!

36. Childhood Confession

..........I used to read my collected Sonic the Hedgehog comics to my stuffed animals.

38. Favorite Quotes

OOH okay let's do a couple fun ones and a serious one

"They live and die by the meme." - Izuru Kamukura, Danganronpa 3 despair arc (it just. is ridiculously funny to me for some reason)

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! GET MAD! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these?! Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!" - Cave Johnson, Portal 2 (iconic)

"When someone leaves your life, those exits are not made equal. Some are beautiful and poetic and satisfying. Others are abrupt and unfair. But most are just unremarkable, unintentional, and clumsy." - Griffin McElroy, The Adventure Zone (😭)

[autumnalwalker]

OC Name Meanings Tag Game

Thank you for the tag, @cljordan-imperium.

Passing the tag to @blind-the-winds, @fearofahumanplanet, @writingpotato07, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, and the usual open tag for anyone else who may wish to join in.

So, (just about) everyone's name in @thearchivistsjournal were picked via random dice rolling on name tables in the back of a D&D book and are intentionally divorced from the original meaning/context/origins of those names, as is the nature of that world. The only three exceptions to that are Pat, Vernon, and Priscilla. Pat's name is a low-key roundabout homage to Piscine Molitor Patel, the protagonist and narrator of the book Life of Pi. Priscilla's name is a Dark Souls reference with her semi-isolation from the Village and house full of paintings of other worlds. Vernon just felt like a "Vernon" to me. Sometimes a name just pops into your head and fits.

The names for Empty Names I gave a bit more thought to. For the main cast anyway. A number of the side characters are loosely based on old RPG characters of mine who kept the same names.

Also this classic post played a large part in deciding on Lacuna, Sullivan, and Road's names. Additionally, in my original brainstorming I listed the characters as A, B, C, D & E, which had some influence on their final names. It's also not a coincidence that I had the two cis characters on either end of that list, with the trans characters in the middle with the genderfluid character who's also the narrative center of the group that brings everyone together as C.

So, now to actually fit the tag game's format:

Ashan Glassheart

"Ashan" I just through random syllables behind an "A" until I got something I liked the sound of. Or maybe I pulled it from a name generator. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think what happened was I used the name generator, saw something similar to "Ashan" and modified it. The "Glassheart" part I definitely got from a random wizard name generator. I especially liked it because in that early brainstorming phase I was rather explicitly going by the classic Five-Man Band trope and originally envisioned him as filling the role of "The Heart" in that lineup. Also, I'd always intended to have his magic focus on barriers and bindings and the name lent itself well to painting a solid aesthetic on the visuals for that with all of his conjurations looking like glass. While I doubt I'll ever write it out in-canon, his normal pre-wizard name he had as a kid also starts with an "A" and ends with a "n".

Sullivan Bridgewood

As the meme goes "trans man names are like drowned Victorian children," so to the Victorian names generator on the same site I used for Ashan I went. "Bridgewood" fit the "B" in the original placeholder labels and that name led to some worldbuilding stuff with him living on an estate with a bunch of trees that all act as portals to various other trees around the world. The original idea would be that the Bridgewood was a forest his family were guardians of that he used to run away as a kid, but that backstory was discarded in favor of Bridgewood being his wife's last name that he took on upon marriage. I knew that I wanted him to be stupidly wealthy and bankrolling the whole operation and went through several ideas of how he got that money before I eventually decided on him simply marrying into it, which makes for some delicious irony in light of his current canon backstory. As for "Sullivan" I merely liked the sound of it when it popped up in the generator. It's apparently Irish/Gaelic/Celtic in origin (Google keeps giving me different answers) meaning something along the lines of "dark-eyed," and I incorporated that into his physical description.

Road

Again, as per the meme post "nb names are often just like. Nouns." But a little deeper than that, Road is sort of a spiritual successor to my original world-hopping OC that I made up all the way back in like elementary or middle school and kept making up stories for (about half of those were essentially OC-insert fanfics) but never writing down all the way into adulthood. That character traveled between worlds via an endless deserted road (a detail added when I was in high school and heard Boulevard of Broken Dreams for the first time, and where Road gets their name from). Road's inherited a number of that character's traits, such as the world-hopping, not having a fixed appearance or real name, generally trying to be good and helpful, and having the one person they regularly see over and over again be a highly destructive jerk with whom they have a complicated relationship. In retrospect, their name may also have been a subconscious low-key shoutout to the character Road Kamelot from D. Gray-man, who also has some existential weirdness going on. Road's a break from the placeholder label formatting, not having a "C" in their name, but breaking from formatting fits with their character in a way. Or maybe their name that they lost a long time ago started with a "C."

Lacuna

Quoting the meme one last time: "trans women names r like 22nd century cyberpunk hacker jewel thieves." More literally, "Lacuna" means a "gap, missing part, or hiatus." The title of Empty Names is partially a play on this, with Lacuna having effectively named herself "Empty," which is the sort of angsty thing she would paradoxically find comfort in doing. From a meta perspective I first encountered the word "lacuna" while reading the book Titus Groan and have just been sort of in love with the word ever since and have been looking for an excuse to use it. If I ever finally decide on her last name, it will start with a "D."

Eris

Now, Eris's name I definitely arrived at via tossing random syllables after an "E" until I found something I liked the sound of. And then the Google search to make sure I hadn't just accidentally named her something problematic told me that "Eris" is the Greek goddess of strife and discord, which was a happy coincidence with being fitting for what I had in mind for her character. Admittedly, where she's ended up has led to "strife" fitting less in the traditional meaning of the word and more in the Homestuck meaning of the word. In canon, "Eris" started out as a shortened nickname that she wound up with as a kid because other kids at school kept mispronouncing her real name and she eventually just embraced it, especially after her own realization of the mythological connotations. She'll get a last name if it ever becomes relevant, but for the moment it's kind of fitting that she never uses it since she's sort of been disowned by her parents for repeatedly coming home covered in blood and not being able to give a non-supernatural explanation.

[brewing-mischief]

I see your fortress of solitude and raise you to- Mr. Freezes hideout.

1) the man is constantly trying to commit crimes to help save his sick dying wife, and what's this? A near dead sick teen??? Begging for him to help? Say no more child who is ice cold but not showing signs of hypothermia. I'll freeze you until I can help you too!

2) listen. Listen. Imagine, this is a week after Danny has visted the fortress of solitude and recieved greetings and possible help from superman. So now when superman realizes that his little buddy is held captive by Mr Freeze?? Hes got to help!!

3) Batman arrives to take down his rougue only to come in contact with an intense Custody face-off between Mr. Freeze and Superman over some meta child.

Yeah, the bat isnt thrilled. This ain't YOUR city Superman! Beat it!

4) the Robin's slowly roll away the ice form of "kidnapped victium " Danny Fenton as all three adults have become an intense spiderman meme of "YOU'RE not the guardian of this child I'M the guardian"

5) Frostbite who was concerned as to why the king never showed up for his appointment sticks his head through a portal to face the Robin's trolling away the king in a block of ice and is basically like "oh nice. Thanks. " before taking the block of ghost King danny and just...vanishing.

6) Robins are confused. "Did you just see a yeti-"

"Yes. Yes i did. "

"And he just-"

"Vanished into the wall. Correct. "

(Listen this may not be the weirdest things the Robin's have seen but they are TIRED)

8) all adults continue to argue oblivious to the fact the ghost ice child is not gone. None of them ever realise danny was not full alive.

Sick as a dog and with a lot of nyquil running through his system, Danny thinks he's going to the Far Frozen for an appointment. Instead he ends up in the Fortress of Solitude.

[mizakikimoto]

I really hate the Internet now, and don't know what to do about it.

Spoilers are constantly being posted everywhere for all sorts of stories, by "fans" and the companies themselves. People are fake as heck, and overuniform memes. There's always something with a million sound effects and quick cuts flashing in your face. There's always an ad being pushed in your face. Websites are basic, and aren't fun to go to anymore. There's a crap ton of censorship. Conversations are arguments now. AI is suggesting how people should finish their sentences, and people probably use the suggestions. The loudest voices are super privileged, and also caught up in this dumb liberal/conservative culture. Everything has to have a star rating or percent or count attached to it for its worth, and you can't even look that thing up without seeing that number. So much is about trying to work with an "algorithm". So much is pushed by it. Et cetera. I can't even watch a YouTube video without suggestions, comments in my peripheral vision.

It's like computers are programming humanity, and we wrote the program. We created this thing to ruin us.

This used to be a sincere, global portal to interact with the world. It used to be full of us. The best of us. Now...it's just a mess.

I just had a part of X-Men 97 spoiled by an artist I followed onlined. I blocked him. He did it so casually.

I remember when I was 18 I was able to experience Watchmen fresh, the movie and comic. No reviews, ratings, images. Not really. I had to seek out spoilers, opinions, dissection. I had the option of not seeing those things.

When the Watchmen TV show came out someone at Collider, I think, ruined a big part. People came after him. He said like "The episode came out days ago. It's your fault if you haven't seen it." I've had that said to me when someone posted a spoiler to Guardians of The Galaxy (the movie) on Tumblr years ago.

But then days, weeks ago an official DC page posted a spoiler about the same thing. Casually. In the name of "engagement", "content".

Nothing has any value. It's just digital noise. Quick consumption and throw away. Nothing settles, sits, affects, changes a person's life.

My plan was to rewatch the old X-Men cartoon, and the rest of the other 90's Marvel cartoons. Then get to X-Men 97 on my own time.

Ever since I started living in Chicago full-time 24 years ago...it's been hell to try to do anything. An extreme. Something a lot of people will never deal with. But shouldn't I be able to experience things on my own time? Shouldn't I have a choice? Why is it forced on me now? Can't I open a book by choice? Why are the pages forced on my eyes now?

And if I avoid the Internet altogether I can't learn about new stuff. I'm out of the loop, as people say.

But the Internet used to be limited, with who used it. It's terrible to say, but it really did get ruined when "everyone" started using it, and bringing thier BS here.

That earlier group of people online were so much better. Very specific.

I don't know what I'm saying.

Y'know...if I could get back to what was stolen from me years ago, I wouldn't have to be online so much. But still...

I don't have Threads or Twitter installed.

I want to get off of this thing. I need to. It didn't used to be this way.

-Chris

[glitchylaptop]

Imagine if smg4 ends with smg4 and smg3 going somewhere really far away to protect other universes or something like that since they are powerful meme guardians, smg4 gives mario his hat to remember him by, and both 4 and 3 wave goodbye to their friends as they leave through a portal with 1 and 2

Mhm