#real light edit but eh

[zelda-without-a-licence-plate]

hear me out okay-- HEY COME BACK I SAID HEAR ME OUT!!!

[icewindandboringhorror]

It's always interesting to hear about people's weird/unexpected "alternate life paths". Like, something that you could have done with your life, a job you almost took, a school you almost went to, etc - that was still actually realistic enough that it could have happened, but NOW it seems to not suit your current personality.

Like for example, I currently hate advertising (how manipulative it is, brands trying to be 'relatable', social media amplifying it to an obnoxious extreme, etc.) so much that even seeing a little ad before a youtube video is grating to even witness, but there was a point in time where I was genuinely seriously considering going into marketing/making commercials as a career lol. Or like, I have a relative who was very inclined to be a pastor when they were younger, even though today they're a super strong atheist, etc. etc.

[andysfandomcorner]

I'm starting to lose it with my fellow pjo book fans. Specifically about the pearls.

Have we lost the ability to think critically??? First of all,this is an adaptation,things are going to be different. Secondly, Percy has already had an instance (with the pen, albeit temporarily) of losing things, AND accidentally (with the spear) breaking things???

Literally the moment I saw four my first thought was "Well, one of those isn't making it to Hades."...... Like what??? And even if it does.... So what??? This is an adaptation. It's not going to be exactly like the books. Those fuckers are old. Not ancient but hey, times change and the next gen/People who didn't catch it the first time around deserve to be able to enjoy it the way we did.

Also, about the deadline shit:

This a.) Creates more tension cause now there is a war happening (which like.... I think is a cool element), And b.) It further cements these kids desire to do good and to be better than their parents. Which..... Yk..... Is kinda a major point in this story???

(specifically: they now have no real incentive to do this. They SHOULD just go home. But they actively choose 'No, we are better than this, and we can still fix it'. Hubris may not be their fatal flaw, but my god is it what makes them human, and what cements that they are still just kids! This is a great addition imo)

There needs to be tension. This will, Inevitably create it. There is still so much to go. And Rick is notorious for monkey wrenching shit. Hold fast y'all, for fucks sake.

Anyway, I personally loved episode six. I love the change in the deadline having passed, and the four pearls.... The lighting kinda sucked ass, and there weren't any super obvious cameos of the Di'Angelos but hey. It is what it is.

But seriously guys, let's think critically and not let our nostalgia cloud our judgement of this. Kill the cop in your head. Fr.

Edit (spoiler for ep 7): They lost a pearl. Shocker. I CALLED IT!!! Also this episode had way more changes than were- eh. But hey! Uncle Rick is evil and we love him anyway so really no big complaints still.

[minotaur-asterion]

Coloring Stranger was so unpleasant I didn’t color another Princess for months lmao, she’ll pop up in another post if I can find some other Princesses to post her with

Anyway, the save the Princess sisters colorized!

Bonus Damsel and notes under the cut:

Damsel is probably one of my favorite edits thus far, both thanks to the color scheme, rendering the gold, and her nails! She’s soooo cute, strawberry blonde suits her so well!

Happily Ever After was my first Princess to finish post-Pristine Cut, and I think she’s totally gorgeous. I wanted her colors to be lighter, almost “innocent,” while her sleeves show her real desire: to leave the cabin. (Wearing her heart on her sleeve, eh? Eh? 💥 🍅 💥 🍅 ow ow okay I’m leaving)

I’ve always imagined the Prisoner having light-colored hair, and I added a silver pattern to her dress to help give her a bit more of a Princess-y look too. The chains were left uncolored, as always

Since Cage cut off her head, it would make sense that she’d look a bit more corpse-like, so I gave her pale eyes and tried to emphasize the sunken look to her eyes and cheeks. Those chains were a bit of a pain, but I say it’s worth it for these results

Have a bonus Damsel

[hareofhrair]

Edith Finch and the Unreliable Narrator

Oh you thought I was done losing my shit over that game? Nah I’ve just been letting it ferment a while. This is just part one because I need to sleep, I’ll hit you with the rest later.

What Remains of Edith Finch has been analyzed pretty thoroughly through the years since its release, but none of the analysis I've seen has ever quite done it for me, in part because I think they are all overlooking an incredibly crucial element of the story.

This is a story about unreliable narrators.

It's not just a cheeky reference that House of Leaves is one of the books found throughout the Finch house. It too is about nested unreliable narration, and I believe is there to draw attention specifically to this element of the game. Edith is not telling us the truth. The stories she reads are not telling her the truth. The result is a matroyshka doll of contradictions and carefully unexamined clues.

Here's a few of the more blatant contradictions, just to prove my point.

Grandma Edie is wheelchair bound. Yet in the retelling of Edith's final night in the house, she sees Edie standing unassisted on the porch. But eh, it's difficult to see. Maybe she had a walker. (Edit: nah that's totally a walker forget this one)

So how about this little nugget.

We are given explicit dates for when Lewis died, when Edith and her mother left, and when Edie died.

Actually, we're given two explicit dates for when Edie died.

We have Lewis's date of death from his tombstone, as November 21, 2010. Edith specifies it was exactly a week after this (November 28) that her mother informed Edie they were leaving, and that same night they fled the house, leaving Edie alone. Edith claims Edie was found dead by nursing home carers the next morning, November 29.

The date on Edie's tombstone is December 5th. A solid week after Edith claims she died.

Here's one of my favorites. Walter is hit by a train that should not exist. The real life Orcas island does not have a train, but in most games I would simply write that off as artistic liberty.

But having a train on an island that small at all does not make sense. Furthermore, even if there were a train, why would the tunnel pass directly under a residential home? Having lived near train tracks, if it were that close to the house at all, the entire family would have been very aware of it, and yet it seems to have caught Walter by surprise. And where is it now? Did they shut it down after Walter was hit? And why would Walter take a sledgehammer to a random wall in the inexplicable tunnels below his already subterranean secret bunker, instead of just going up stairs? Was he afraid of going back through the house? And more importantly:

How does Edith know about any of this?

She had no idea Walter was down there.

("After Barbara died he got as far away as he could" is another lie btw. Walter didn't enter the bunker until he was 16, eight years after Barbara's death, the same year Dawn was born)

So what did they tell her when he died, in 2005, when she was about six years old? Maybe they hid it from her, she's a small child, maybe she just didn't remember. What did they tell her at literally any time after that when she presumably asked about Walter's grave in the family plot? She knew Walter existed, she played in his bedroom. Did she never ask where he was? What happened to him? She has a mysterious uncle she's never met, and then one day out of nowhere there's a new grave for him out back, and she doesn't ask for any explanation about that?

Walter's letter doesn't say he was hit by a train.

I bring this one up not because it's a particularly blatant contradiction, it's actually a pretty fuzzy one with a lot of weird, circumstantial explanations. But it leads into one I think is really important.

When Edith arrives at the house, she informs us the power has been cut off.

But after she leaves the bunker, lights begin turning on.

Eventually culminating in Edith's room being fully illuminated.

This is also the point at which she stops talking about investigating and wanting to find out the truth and switches to "Maybe there is no truth, actually! Maybe it was all just a self fulfilling prophecy and none of these bizarre situations mean anything! You should definitely NOT come here and dig deeper into it."

This is the point at which I think Edith switches from more or less honestly repeating unreliable stories she has no way of verifying, to straight up lying to us, in an effort to discourage her son from ever coming here. There's no answers here, she assures him. Stay away.

People who try to handwave this as a mundane situation, either caused by hereditary mental illness (some real ableist takes about that out there btw yall, yikes) or simply a string of unrelated tragedies highlighting the randomness of death, the complicated ways we grieve, and how sometimes when people die they leave behind unanswered questions that we simply have to live with— Are neglecting the aspects of the story which are blatantly fantastical.

This "string of unrelated tragedies" has been haunting this same family for over 500 years. To the degree there are multiple books written about the curse, by presumably non family members. A man sailed a house across the Atlantic for pete's sake. Even looking at just the deaths since the Finches arrived in America, you cannot tell me that's a normal amount of tragic, unnatural deaths. And Finches have apparently been dying this way and at this rate since the 1400's. You're really going to tell me that's just bad luck? If nothing else, the fact that the family hasn't died out yet with a death rate that high is proof of something unnatural.

How about the fact that Edith's mother was SO alarmed by Edie trying to give her that history of the family, that she got into a physical altercation with a 93 year old, then fled the house, literally just grabbed her kid and booked it, abandoning literally everything she owned, including mementos of her dead husband and children. And then she never came back for them.

If this was a simple case of Dawn and Edie having a personal disagreement, even a pretty intense one worth cutting someone off for, you would think at some point in the seven years following Edie's death, she might have wanted to come back and pick up her stuff!

What was it about Edie trying to give Edith that book that made Dawn change her plans from "we're going to move out" to "we are leaving immediately with the clothes on our backs and never coming back?"

Why does Dawn think Edie's stories killed her children?

And why does Edith never enter the library?

Once we're shown that final evening in the house, it's clear that Edith has known the secret passage into the library from the start. And yet, in the "present" of the game, she never enters it. We only see the inside of the library during her flashback.

You would think, of all the answers Edith might want, the biggest might be what was in that book Edie tried to give her. And if it's anywhere, it's probably still in the library.

But it doesn't come up. Edith, very carefully, I think, completely avoids the subject.

Let's talk about Milton for a minute.

Milton's story is the shortest and contains the least actual details about what may have happened to him. He simply disappeared. Important note, he's not the only one. Barbara's boyfriend also "just disappeared." If I had a nickle for every mysterious disappearance that's happened in this house, I'd have two nickles! Which isn't a lot, but hey, I think maybe any mysterious disappearances are unusual, let alone two.

According to the writers, Milton is the king in their other game "The Unfinished Swan," which is a surreal fantasy that takes place in a magic kingdom. Kind of rules out Milton having just fallen in the lake and drowned during a mental health episode, doesn't it? Kinda makes it explicit that something not normal is going on here, doesn't it?!

Milton's murals are in every secret passage in the house. He knew them all. He knew the house better than maybe anyone.

And when he disappeared, his mother's response was to seal the doors of all the bedrooms. Why? What did she think happened to him? What was her rational for this?

And even more bafflingly, Edie's response to this is to drill peepholes.

Dawn's response to her son's disappearance is to turn her dead relatives bedrooms into sealed tombs. Edie's response is to insist she be able to see into those tombs. And this was apparently an acceptable compromise to Dawn.

Notably, the one exception is Walter's room. There's a peephole under construction in the garage that was presumably for this room. But why did Dawn save that one for last? What made it such a low priority? The fact that there wasn't a memorial in there, because Walter was under the house instead?

Hey, I actually misled you a bit back there. I said she sealed up the bedrooms. That's not completely accurate.

She also sealed the library.

The library where Edie tries to give Edith the family history, that final night in the house.

How did Edie get into the library? I somehow doubt a wheel chair using 96 year old crawled through that secret passage.

Among the bedrooms Dawn sealed, one of them was Edie's. She didn't seal her own or Lewis's or Edith's rooms, so she clearly didn't expect them all to abandon the rooms they were using and sleep in the living areas. So where exactly was Edie sleeping?

Hey, so I actually misled you a bit there, when I said the library was the exception to Dawn only sealing up the old bedrooms.

There's a cot in the library.

Someone was sleeping in there.

During the flashback, Edith doesn't acknowledge it, so why is it there? What is it meant to imply? Was Edie sleeping down here instead of her bedroom upstairs? Sure, I could buy that, stairs are clearly an issue for her.

Except, remember, the door was sealed. Only accessible by crawling on all fours through a cabinet that's maybe 2ftx2ft.

The only remotely plausible scenario is that there is another, more elderly-accessible passage into the library, presumably (since there's no space for it anywhere else) somewhere in the HUGE portion of the third floor we never get to see, and which Dawn and family decided to build a shanty town on top of instead of live in. And that in the couple of minutes between when we hear Dawn and Edie arguing in the dining room and when Edie appears in the library, she booked it up two flights of stairs and down again. Plausible!

But Occam's Razor provides a much simpler explanation.

Edith is lying.

I think it's time to talk about the books.

The books that fill the Finch house are a constant, looming presence. And I do mean constant. There is nowhere in the house that they are not. They're in the secret passages, they're in Walter's bunker, they're in the basement— Literally everywhere.

A lot of the titles are repeated, over and over, and I think this one can safely be chalked up to the realities of making a video game. The amount of work it would take to make that many unique books, the hefty chunk it would add to the game's file size-- The impact it would have on the framerate alone, trying to render all the damn things! So I don't think it's surprising or particularly meaningful that the books repeat as often as they do.

But see, the thing is, they didn't just make one set of books and copy paste it into every room in the house.

Instead, every room gets its own, bespoke book collection, featuring a mix of repeated titles and books seen literally nowhere else.

You go back and read that paragraph up there about how resource intensive and insane it would be to make all the books unique, and then tell me the fact that they DID make them all unique (albeit in a slightly more practical fashion) doesn't mean anything.

So let's talk about some of the titles on display in the Finch house.

I already mentioned House of Leaves, a story about unreliable narrators and a house that grows an impossible hallway that can't physically fit in the space it occupies. I'm gonna talk some more about that later when I get to the maps, just you wait. It's one of the books that appears repeatedly through all rooms.

Other books seen throughout the house include: the Necronomicon. The King in Yellow. Infinite Jest. Gravity's Rainbow. The Weird. And three separate stories by Jorge Luis Borges.

The Necronomicon and The King in Yellow, as well as being allusions to the eldritch mythos of Lovecraft (which is its own whole bag of cats) have something in common with Infinite Jest. They all feature what you might call cognitohazards. Meaning, something that poses a danger to any person who has perceived it. By reading the Necronomicon, you irrevocably bring yourself into the awareness of Lovecraft's eldritch beings. The King in Yellow features a play, which when seen induces madness. Infinite Jest features a film which when viewed causes the subjects to lose all interest in anything other than watching it, eventually leading to their deaths. Additionally, they are all three named after the cognitohazard they feature, meaning it's impossible to tell if the books on the Finch's shelves are the stories that feature these things, or the things themselves.

Gravity's Rainbow and The Weird are two of many books featured in the house which are experimental and surreal or straight up part of the genre known as weird fiction. Defining weird fiction is sort of a debate on its own, but it's a relatively modern genre, applied retroactively to stories as far back as the 1930's but which experienced a resurgence (called the New Weird) in the 80's and 90's. To try and roughly describe it, it's a genre of supernatural fantasy and horror which features transgressive, experimental, and non traditional elements. Lovecraft is considered a writer of weird fiction. He described it thus:

"The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain—a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space."

What Remains of Edith Finch is, itself, a work of weird fiction. And that's not me talking out of my ass, the writers have said as much in interviews.

Which would then imply, by it's very nature, an element of the supernatural.

Just an element that you don't dare look at.

[michavs]

FLASH DRIVE

TSUKISHIMA x Fem!Reader

Summary: A photography enthusiast forgets their flash drive at the lab, filled with photos they shouldn't have taken. Tsukishima Kei finds it and threatens to expose them unless they agree to pretend to be in a relationship. Over time, their fake feelings turn real. (Also please help to support my AO3, ty <3)

Tags: Tsukishima x fem!reader, slight Sugawara x reader, fake dating

Warnings: Reader being a stalker, language, blackmailing, grammatical mistakes probably

Click. The sound of your camera went off as you captured a photo of your awesome senior, Sugawara-san, playing soccer on the field in front of your class. You had been admiring him since your first day at this school, he was your mentor for student orientation.

“Cute.” you murmur while looking at the photo you captured, your heart fluttering at the sight of Sugawara’s smile frozen in time.

“You’re such a stalker, you’ll be in a big trouble if you get caught, you know.” your friend Yachi says, smirking at you as she nudges your shoulder playfully. You roll your eyes and gave her a defiant grin. “I don’t care.” you reply, shifting your position to get a better angle to shoot Sugawara-san again. The excitement of capturing the perfect shot makes your pulse quicken.

“Hey, help me out at the volleyball club at 5 PM. Kiyoko-san is absent today.” Yachi says, munching on her food with an air of nonchalance. “Yeah, sure. I’ll study in the lab while waiting.” you respond, your mind already wandering to the photos you’ll edit later.

Later, in the quiet of the lab, you sit ready with your computer. The intention to study is overshadowed by the thrill of transferring your photos. You connect your flash drive, your fingers trembling slightly as you gaze at Sugawara’s handsome face on the screen. Each click brings a new wave of admiration.

“All done!” you say excitedly, your voice echoing softly in the silent room. You pack up your things with a satisfied smile, already anticipating the next opportunity to photograph him. You get up from the lab chair, your steps light as you head to the volleyball court with your bag and camera in hand. Little do you know, in your excitement, you’ve forgotten to turn off the computer and your flash drive is still connected to it. The oversight, unnoticed in your eagerness, sets the stage for the unexpected events to come.

“Yachi, am I late?” you ask, your breath slightly ragged from rushing to the court. “Nope, we’re still waiting for the others.” she replies, glancing up from her attendance sheet. You scan for Sugawara-san’s face among the tall volleyball players, your heart beating faster with anticipation.

“There he is,” you murmur, eyes sparkling upon spotting Sugawara-san next to Daichi-san. Your pulse quickens, and a smile tugs at your lips.

“Hinata… here, Kageyama… here, Tsukishima… eh, where’s Tsukishima?” Yachi asks, her voice echoing in the gym as everyone shakes their heads.

“Tsukishima, the blonde guy with glasses, right? He was studying in the lab earlier,” you say, recalling the fleeting glimpse of him before. The door swings open, and Tsukishima strides in, his tall figure and blond hair unmistakable. “I’m here, sorry I’m late,” he says, placing his bag and headphones aside before joining the practice. Practice begins, and everyone immerses themselves in their activities. You sit on the sidelines, leaning against the wall, eyes drawn to Sugawara-san's every move. He’s graceful and focused, a natural leader on the court.

Suddenly, a loud thud catches your attention. BRUKKK You look over to see Tsukishima sprawled on the ground. Your heart skips a beat as everyone rushes to surround him, their concern palpable.

“I’m fine, no need to worry.” he reassures, brushing off their concerns and returning to the game. Your eyes follow him, noticing an item that has fallen from his pocket and landed right in front of you. A flash drive, identical to yours. You pick it up, frowning. “Hmm weird, it feels just like mine.” you mutter, rubbing the flash drive. Then you see it, a label with your name on it.

‘(Y/N) GRADE 10-C’

OH. MY. GOD. Panic sets in as you remember what you’d done before coming here. Your heart races, a cold sweat breaking out on your forehead. You forgot to take out the flash drive, and you left your computer on. Crap, what if he saw the files?

Great, now your life is over.

After practice, you gather your courage and approach Tsukishima. “Hey, can we talk for a second?” you call out, your voice trembling slightly. He’s walking with his friend, Tadashi, but they stop and turn to face you.

“Can’t you just say it here?” he replies curtly, with that annoying look on his face. You pull the flash drive he dropped from your pocket. “Oh, that. Do you know whose it is? Looks like they forgot to take it,” Tsukishima responds, a sly grin on his face.

“It’s mine, idiot. My name is literally right there,” you snap back, your frustration bubbling over. He whispers something to his friend, which you can’t hear. Tadashi gives you a sympathetic look before leaving, leaving you alone with Tsukishima.

“So, you’re the little stalker, huh?” he smirks, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

“It’s for the photography club assignment, nothing else,” you retort, trying to keep your voice steady.

“Oh, really? Then what’s with the folder named ‘Pretty Boy, Suga-san’?” he teases, stepping closer until only a few centimeters separate you. You glare up at him, your height disadvantage making you feel even more vulnerable. “Let me see the flash drive.” he demands. You show it to him, but he suddenly snatches it and holds it above his head.

“Hey, give it back!” you cry, jumping to reach it.

In an unfortunate twist, you trip over Tsukishima’s foot. Luckily, he isn’t weak, so neither of you falls completely. You crash into his chest, and he catches your left hand while still holding the flash drive. His other hand steadies your waist. “Wow wow, watch it.” he complains, his voice softer, letting go of you.

“Well, give me back my flash drive then.” you demand, straightening your uniform and glaring at him.

“I will, but do me a favor first.”

“Huh, why are you so demanding.” you mutter, crossing your arms.

“Well, if you won’t do it, say goodbye to your image then Ms. Stalker.” he threatens, still wearing that annoying smirk.

“No. Please don’t share it, I’ll do anything you want.” you sob, your eyes starting to water. Panicking, you grab Tsukishima's shoulders, pleading desperately. “Wow, chill. I didn’t know you’d freak out like this,” he chuckles, gently prying your hands off his shoulders. “Let’s go on a date for a month.” he adds, his tone flat.

“Stop joking,” you shoot back, annoyed and desperate.

“I’m not joking. If you don’t want to, then whatever,” he shrugs, a smirk playing on his lips. You roll your eyes at his smug expression. “Fine, it’s a deal then.”

“Yeah, it’s a deal. See you tomorrow, Ms. Girlfriend.” he says, giving you a wink before walking away, leaving you standing there, trying to process everything that had just happened.

“Damn it, please tell me this is just a dream.” you mutter to yourself, hoping for an escape from this surreal situation.

──────────────────

Weeks has been passed, you and Tsukishima grow closer, and what started as a fake relationship begins to feel real. You start to notice the little things about him – the way he listens intently when you talk, his subtle acts of kindness, and his rare, genuine smiles. As the month of your fake dating arrangement nears its end, you and Tsukishima walk home together after his volleyball practice for what you believe might be the last time. . The streets are quiet, the sky painted with the warm hues of the setting sun. You feel a mix of relief and sadness, knowing that this bizarre yet strangely comforting chapter of your life is about to close.

The silence between you stretches, comfortable yet tinged with an unspoken tension. You steal glances at Tsukishima, wondering if he feels the same way. As you reach a familiar corner, you slow your pace, reluctant to let this moment end. Tsukishima seems to notice, his steps matching yours until you both come to a stop. He turns to face you, his usual cool eyes softened by an unusual intensity in his eyes.

“(Y/N).” he starts, his voice steady but quieter than usual.

“Yeah?” you respond, trying to keep your voice casual despite the fluttering in your chest. He takes a deep breath, his gaze never leaving yours. “This month… it was supposed to be just a favor, right? A fake relationship to help me out,” You nod, unsure where he’s going with this but afraid to hope.

“But somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling fake for me,” he admits, his eyes searching yours for a reaction. “I know we agreed to end this after a month, but… I don’t want it to end.”

Your heart skips a beat. “What are you saying, Tsukishima?”

“I’m saying that I like you, (Y/N). Not just for this month, not just for the sake of our arrangement. I genuinely like you,” he confesses, his voice earnest and a bit vulnerable. “And I want us to be real.” You stare at him, trying to process his words. The cold, aloof Tsukishima is looking at you with a raw honesty that you’ve never seen before.

“Tsukishima…” you whisper.

“Kei.” he corrects softly.

Your own feelings bubbling to the surface. “I like you too. I’ve liked you for a while now, but I was afraid to say anything because I thought it was just part of the deal.” He takes a step closer, his hand reaching out to gently cup your cheek. “It’s not part of any deal. I want to be with you, for real.”

You smile, tears of relief and joy welling up in your eyes. “I want that too, Kei.” With a small, relieved smile, Tsukishima leans in, pressing a soft, tentative kiss to your lips. It’s gentle and sweet, filled with the promise of something real and lasting.

As you pull away, you both smile at each other, the tension of the past month melting away.

“Ah right here, you’ve fulfilled your end of the deal” he says and hands back your glash drive. You take it, “Thanks.” you reply softly with a small giggles.

He looks at you for a moment before speaking again. “Since I’m your boyfriend now, you should delete those Sugawara-san’s photos, okay?” he says.

“I’ll delete them, i guess.” you reply, looking at him playfully. He chuckles, a rare, genuine laugh. “Yeah yeah, now let’s go home.”

“Mhm, let’s go home, Kei.” you agree, feeling lighter than you have in weeks. Walking hand in hand, you both head home, knowing that this is just the beginning of something beautiful.

From that moment on, your relationship with Kei blossoms. The teasing and banter continue, but now it’s filled with affection and understanding. You find comfort in his presence, and he becomes your rock, always there to support you. Your friends notice the change, and they’re happy for you both. Even Tadashi, who has always been supportive, gives you a thumbs-up and a wink.

© MICHAVS 2024, please do not translate or repost my fics without my permission.

[amber-tortoiseshell]

hav u ever looked at the cats in the app neko atsume to see if the colors they're listed as r accurate to real colors? I've been playing the game again and curious about what u think

I didn't know this game, but I looked it up for you, and i think it's fairly accurate in a very stilized way, and has a good and consistent internal logic.

I made a table about the regular cats for you (based on the fandomwiki): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Sxg4lThXmIUZjA3VDcxSmArqqd1AB0_XcMa8N_bvXqY/edit?usp=sharing

The only one I couldn't match with a real color was Peaches.

A few more comment:

We have these two brown cats. I wrote them in as chocolate, but I think they are a little too light for it (or for cinnamon), especially Cocoa. Eh.

Then there's Maple, who has brown stripes but called "Orange and White Bullseye". I identified it as chocolate silver tabby, it clearly uses the same color as all the other chocolate cats:

(I made the white-background tabbies silvers which is a very gracious assumption, but i think it works within the logic of this color simplification system.)

We have a brown tabby and a black tabby which should be the same color. But I think the latter is pretty close a black smoke, and I regularly see smokes with ghost patterns being called tabbies, so this could solve this contradiction.

Pepper is a little unfortunate, i think a white heterochromic cat would've been better.

Honestly my biggest problem is with the tortoiseshell tabbies: we have three, and one of them has different stripe colors (correct), but for the other two they just slapped the black stripes over both backgrounds. Why couldn't they do the same for them?

[undertalebabbleblog]

UTDR 9th Anniversary Newsletter Musings

(Here's a link to the newsletter if you haven't already read it: Autumn 2024.) (It's spring right now where I am...) (Eh, oh well.)

First of all, Tori blowing fire to light the candles, very cool, might have to draw that.

Hmm, that's a lot of a certain number... You know what, I don't even have to go into this, we all know what it's referencing.

An interview with Sans, heck yeah!

As I expected, it's a joke, but... uh... just me, or does it seem like it might be talking about something else? Not entirely sure what, but I'm sure there's already plenty of theories despite it literally only coming out today. In any case, it was very amusing and some classic Undertale humour. Also

Jeez, Tori, it's been years, you've already made your feelings about Asgore's actions clear. Give the poor guy a break. (Link to the full interview if you wanna read it: Sans: What do you think about the number nine?)

...Toby? Toby, what does this mean? TOBY WHY DO YOU MAKE THE MOST INNOCUOUS STATEMENTS THAT HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL MEANING BEHIND THEM ...This is... ominous, to say the least, given the Snowgrave route and the fact that Toriel might join us in the Dark World in Chapter 3... ...I'm just overthinking this, right? ..........right???

Toby, this is the Undertale fandom you're talking to. Since when have we ever been responsible with Sans or his AUs? You should know better than to trust us with this skeleton by now. *Proceeds to use cup for strawberry milkshake* ....Dammit, now I want to draw him with a bunch of different-coloured eyes... just because...

Never misses a chance to do this sort of thing, does he? (It has my real name in it, which I don't really want to show, so have some badly edited screenshots instead.) I have made butterscotch cinnamon pie before and it was genuinely delicious. Would love to bake one in that Toriel pie tray. ...I wonder how a fish and chips pie would actually taste, though...?

PERFECTION

I would buy every single item of this kitchen merch if I had the money.

*vibrating intensely with excitement*

Very nice, always cool to see unused stuff and concepts.

. . .

*Well, there is a man here. *He might be happy to see you. *What do you think?

...I overthink these things too much.

And finally, we get a letter.

My best friend's favorite number is nine. It's because there isn't a number that's higher. 9. 99. 999. 9999. If everything gets high enough, You become invincible. Nothing can hurt you anymore. Nothing can hurt anyone anymore. But isn't it scary, to think there's a highest number? That, if you made 99 good memories, you couldn't hold anymore. So I don't like to keep count of the flowers we pick, or the times that they laugh, or how many scary faces they make. I just hope we'll be friends for 999 more years.

(Couldn't screenshot the whole thing because it was too big, so I just copied the text. Here's a link to the original: Letter) On one hand, the spacing is kind of reminiscent of what we assume is Gaster. But on the other hand, it's not in all caps, and the language is different, and from what we know of the mysterious scientist (which is quite frankly very little), it wouldn't make sense. There is, however, someone else that would make a lot more sense.

*I'll go get the flowers. *I should have laughed it off, like you did... *Okay, [Name], are you ready? *Do your creepy face!

And most telling of all, "My best friend"...

It's. It's Asriel. IT'S GOTTA BE AZZY OKAY COME ON, THERE'S THE MENTION OF THE SCARY FACES AND EVERYTHING

...Ahem.

My hypothesis is that it's Asriel Dreemurr.

Aaaaannnddd... that's it for this newsletter! I needed somewhere to dump my thoughts on it, and that's kinda what this blog is for, so yeah.

A very happy birthday to my favourite game of all time.

If you have any theories or observations about the newsletter, I'd love to see them!

See ya next time, Pup

[cherry-bomb-ships]

Wanted to get some creative flow going while staying low-effort, so here's a screenshot redraw/edit/whatever you wanna call it, because I was curious how Mojo would look in the show with all my headcanons and little flourishes that I add when I draw him -w- So here's my redraw and the original screenshot, plus a version wif his OG palette since the lighting in the scene I decided to redo is all reddish

[Any reblogs and comments are seen and appreciated!! 🥺🥺 Also click for higher quality. Under the cut I put some of my thought process on my changes ehe ❤]

So the first thing I have to mention is one of my favorite changes: that little chip out of his ear! I mean, it's not a lot to explain if you just think about it for a second. This poor chimp has taken a LOT of beatings over the years, there's no way that he wouldn't have some physical scars from all that, so I figured the best shorthand way to show that would be giving him that notch. I like to imagine that he's self-conscious about it too 🥺

Second most notable change, I always like giving him a little tooth poking out because I watched a lot of anime as a teen Because with those sharp teeth of his, the idea of one poking out makes sense and also just looks cool to me -w-💖💖💖 I like to think it's a side effect of the PPG movie when he got all huge, cuz his canines also got extended so much that they were poking out from his mouth

So the thicker outline around the bottom of his eyes is something that the original show actually did, in the Powerpuff Girls Rule 10th anniversary special! That stuck with me ever since and rly made me question why he didn't always have it 😭💖😭💖

Even if I prefer his rounder design pre-movie, I can't deny that I adore the sharper, M-shaped nose that they gave him later on and I wanted to keep that. The sharp lines just make sense to me and line up with the shape theory of "sharp=mean and evil". Plus it looks like an M! For Mojo! :3

So this change is a more subtle one and is also a very new idea I had, but I gave his pupils a purple tone instead of being pure black! In all honesty it was inspired by one of the cover arts of the newest PPG comics coming out currently where the artist gave him purple eyes. In my mind they used to be a light brown and got tinted purple from his mutation, along with the whites going pink.

Alright final thing (I think), I know I touched on the notch out of his ear, but when it comes to his ear shape in general, I like to find a happy middle ground between his fully rounded ears they drew on him pre-movie, and the sharp almost elf-like ears they gave him post-movie. Like I said earlier, the sharpness reads as more villainous!

Oh wait! Okay last thing for real: I love giving him a bit more fur around his face, purely for the fact that I think it looks good and cute uwu 💖💖💖💖💖💖

If you read this far please either reblog or comment with your thoughts, I'd be so honored 🥺💖

[jakekiszkasleftnutsack]

Mile High Club

Danny Wagner x f!reader

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Summary: What are the chances you run into your favorite band at the airport when heading home after one of their concerts? Low. What are the chances the tall, dark, and gorgeous drummer seems interested in you? Slim to none.  

Warnings: 18+ GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT, secondhand embarrassment, unprotected sex, teasing, light degradation/name-calling, breath play, impact play for like a second, let me know if I missed any we are not being thorough today.

W/c: 4.7k

A/n: I don’t really do the christmas thing but here’s a little something to hold y’all over while I work on some requests and bigger things. Special thanks to my girl @whereisthemusic for the crumbs! ily

Edited by @garbagevanfleet​ 

Theme Song: Kiss Me You Animal - Burn The Ballroom

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Airports can be very liminal spaces sometimes. In less traveled cities the terminal has a certain eerie quality about it, like an abandoned industrial town but slightly more comforting because it smells like warm cinnamon rolls. You’ve been in enough of them that you’ve come to somewhat enjoy existing in that atmosphere and watching people go about their lives. Granted, it’s usually a lot more fun traveling toward your destination than away from it. 

In your case, it’s one of the less exciting times to be sitting at an airport bar, clad in your new concert merch. Your post-concert slump is hitting harder than it ever has before, as to be expected after seeing your favorite band perform for the first time. You had scored a spot at the barricade, they performed all your favorite songs, and you touched the hands of Josh Kiszka himself. Yet, despite all this, you’re sad to be at the tail end of that wonderful fever dream and returning to the real world.  

Nursing the cocktail you ordered for yourself, you pull out your phone and review the few videos you took the night before, hoping to beat the emptiness you feel with a little bit of joy. 

“Three beers and a tequila soda, please.” A very familiar voice catches your attention from a few empty barstools down. 

There’s something eerie about hearing the voices that fill your dreams in real life, so eerie that when you turn your head and spot Sam Kiszka leaning against the bar by his forearms mere feet away, you feel like you’ve seen a ghost. Your whole body goes rigid but your cheeks flush. All at once, you’re exhilarated but terrified, bashful yet determined to somehow make contact. For fear of letting the moment pass you by, you let slip the first word that manages to reach your lips. 

“Samuel,” you mutter, mortified to be existing in his vicinity. 

Lazily, his head pivots until he finds the source of his name. He looks slightly thrown by the odd greeting but he’s probably very used to the dumbfounded look plastered on your face, so he smiles a beautiful toothy grin back at you.

“Hi! Love the shirt.” He smiles with one side of his mouth. 

“Thanks! Love the music.” You silently cringe when you remember that you’re wearing the Dreams In Gold tour shirt you recently bought. 

“Ahh, touché! What’s your name?” He props himself up on one elbow as he turns to face you, crossing one foot over the other in the process. 

“I’m y/n, It’s really nice to meet you after such an awesome show.”

“Yeah, it was a good one, wasn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed it!” He smirks proudly at the compliment. 

“Enjoyed it? It was magical, I was mesmerized!”

“We’re mesmerizing now, eh?” Josh quips, out of nowhere. The curly haired piece of ass settles into the barstool on your opposite side and reaches past you to snag the freshly prepared cocktail Sam ordered for him. “Haven’t heard that one before but I have to agree. Just look at that handsome man, so entrancing.” He gestures to your still unlocked phone that you forgot was zoomed in on a paused, lewd looking video you took of him performing Age of Machine the night before. 

All the air leaves your lungs when you notice your mistake and you quickly reach to flip the phone over, but Josh is quicker and snatches it off the bar top first. He holds it up next to his face, displaying it for Sam like a trophy while he parts his lips and rolls his eyes to the back of his head, attempting to make a similar face to the one on the screen. “It’s uncanny.”

“You’ll have to forgive my brother, he seems to have forgotten his manners,” Sam addresses you, then turns to Josh to speak in a patronizing tone. “Josh, this is y/n.”

“What?! It’s a good photo,” Josh giggles like he’s a master of comedy, but you feel like you could curl in on yourself and disappear.  

“Josh is all too proud of his talent for making sex faces.” Sam cockily makes fun of his brother as you anxiously try to grab your phone back from Josh.  

“Sorry, y/n.” He dangles it in the air, briefly lifting it out of your reach before holding it out for you to take, all the while smiling proudly. 

“Whatever you call it, nobody’s immune.” You shrug your shoulders in favor of Josh’s argument, hopefully deflecting the spotlight away from yourself. Unsurprisingly, he accepts the flattery and wraps one arm around you, squeezing you into a goofy side hug. 

“Ahh, see?! She knows what she’s talking about!” 

Sam chokes out a few beginnings of words but all of them fail to make a valuable point in protest. “Wha- No! You’ve just claimed another victim!” 

You’re about to jab back when Danny’s tall dark figure materializes over your shoulder between you and Sam.

“Well, hello. Are these delinquents bothering you?” He smiles down at you as he grabs the remaining lone beer from the bar. 

“Yeah actually, could you take care of them for me?” 

Danny laughs, but the other two boys launch into a tirade of various “hey now” and “wait a minute”’s.

“Not really, I was just telling them how much I enjoyed your concert last night. I’m y/n, by the way.”

He holds out his cup for you to cheers, so you tap the side of your cup against his. “Very good to meet you, y/n. Nice t-shirt.”

You roll your eyes as you take a rather large gulp of your cocktail but ultimately smile at his compliment as he takes a sip of his own drink, and watches your expression shift. He’s only being kind, he doesn’t need to know how mortified you are. 

“Thanks, I couldn’t resist. I wanted the poster too but I guess there weren’t enough, they were all gone by the time I got there.” 

“Yeah, we heard that’s been happening a lot, apparently.” He purses his lips and looks off into the distance somewhere, potentially in contemplation. “Well, that simply won’t do.” 

Danny turns you to face him head-on by grabbing the back of your barstool and turning you away from Josh and Sam. While you’re watching him, completely dumbfounded, he slings his backpack around his shoulder to bring it in front of him. He rummages around inside of it for a moment and produces one drumstick, twirling it between his fingers effortlessly before holding it out to you. 

“Oh my god. Are you serious?” You try to keep your hands from shaking when you take it from him, but to no avail. 

“Oh my god, the Holy Grail!” Sam chimes in, lightly mocking your astonished tone, causing Josh to make a painfully sad attempt at stifling his laughter. You and Danny side eye his friends together but shake off his teasing rather easily. 

“Ignore them, they get weird when they’re tired.” He rolls his eyes, offering a sweet apologetic smile for the rowdy bunch. 

“Are you sure I can have this?” Apprehension litters your voice. 

“Consider it a gift.” Shrugging his shoulders, he lets one hand land on the back of your barstool. His arm is actively blocking you from the rest of the airport and locking you in, figuratively. He’s also giving you an excellent view of his beautifully sculpted bicep.

You turn it over in your fingers, inspecting the various notches along its body suggesting it’s been lightly used. All the cracks and divots add so much character to the imagined worth of your gift. This drumstick is quite literally about to become your most prized possession. 

“Thank you, Danny. This is so kind of you.” 

“You’ll have to come to another show so we can get you a matching set.” You can hear the edge in his voice, leading you to suspect that it wasn’t a suggestion. 

“Is that a promise?”

Before Danny can answer, your attention is captured by a short brunette woman making her way over to the five of you out of the corner of your eye, furiously tapping at the phone in her hand. She smiles politely at you purely as a formality, since she clearly has more pressing matters at hand. A few yards behind her you spot Jake walking with a small posse away from the bar and down toward the terminal. “So sorry to interrupt, but our flight’s boarding soon. We gotta go.” 

“Of course, I don’t want to hold you up. I should probably go find my gate anyway.” You return her smile then turn back to the boys, who are moving with absolutely no sense of urgency.

With a clearing of her throat and a jerk of her head in the direction of the terminal, each of them begins to descend from their barstools. Josh downs the rest of his tequila soda, and they all take a moment to say goodbye to you. They thank you sincerely for coming to the concert and showing your support for the band, followed by a round of warm hugs. You try to milk each one for as long as possible without seeming too obvious, especially the last one, which happens to be Daniel.

“Thank you again for the drumstick, I’ll cherish it forever.”

“You’d better be sleeping with it every night.” He punctuates the last word with a wink.

Um- Daniel? What was that?

“Of course, what else would I do with it?” You two share a laugh while standing in extremely close proximity, only halfway pulled away from the hug so that you’re still holding each other by the arms. 

“I wish we could chat more, it was really nice to meet you, y/n.” 

“Likewise. But you’ve got a flight to catch.”

Based on the way he’s looking into your eyes, you know you’ll be screaming into your pillow long into the night once you’ve made it home. You’re sure you’re probably blushing, but you do your best not to think about it for fear of saying or doing something stupid. Because, let’s face it, you have no idea what you’re doing and have been walking on eggshells for the entire conversation.

Danny gives your arms a light squeeze before letting you go entirely and picking up his backpack from the floor. He walks backward for a moment as he takes his leave, allowing you both one final wave goodbye before he jogs to catch up with the rest of the group. 

What the actual fuck just happened?

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As you’re scanning the signs for your designated gate, your much-too-large suitcase in tow, a foreign hand lands on the small of your lower back.

“Are you following me now?” The voice is one you recognize, but its speaker is so close to your ear that it startles you right out of your skin.

“Holy shit, Daniel Wagner, you scared the living fuck out of me!” You smack him dead in the center of his chest with the back of your hand in retaliation as your heartbeat makes its way to a normal pace. Your jab had seemingly no effect on him though and he laughs at your expense. 

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help but notice the drumstick sticking out of your bag.” He taunts, gesturing to your half-open backpack and falling into stride with your steps. 

Obviously, you know that Danny’s stick didn’t quite fit in your carry-on so it’s been poking out past the zipper, but you turn and grab for it anyway as you flounder for a comeback. 

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re the one following me since I’ve basically got an antenna.”

“I plead the fifth.” He holds his hands up in a defensive position.

Eventually, you come to a halt, and you realize that you’re standing amongst the entire Greta crew waiting next to their gate. You fumble for your boarding pass in the side pocket of your bag and check the gate number. You’d think they’d have made these things easier to read, truth be told you probably couldn’t read an eye chart at this particular moment in time, as flustered as you are. 

Your eyes go wide as golf balls when they finally locate your gate number. 

“Gate 6.” You say it aloud just to confirm that it’s correct since Gate 6 just so happens to be the very gate you’re already standing at. 

A wicked smile creeps onto his face as he comes to the realization just seconds after you. “Are we on the same flight?”

You tuck your boarding pass under your arm so you can readjust your items and get ready to board. “It sure looks that way.” 

“Do you live in Nashville? I mean… not in a creepy way.” The way he stumbles over his words amidst his excitement makes you mourn for your aching heart. 

“I might. Maybe we’re neighbors.” You shrug your shoulders and raise one eyebrow in pseudo-curiosity

“What a nice surprise that would be.” 

The flight attendants begin calling groups and special members to begin boarding, so you keep your boarding pass in hand and readjust your items to get ready to board.

“Well, since we’re sharing the plane I expect you to behave.”

His statement catches you so off guard that you stare up at him for a moment just processing the words. He quirks an eyebrow at you with the smuggest expression you’ve ever seen on a human man, an expression that almost taunts ‘what are you gonna do about it?’.

When you realize he’s completely serious, you stand up straight, clear your throat and respond with, “What are you gonna do if I don’t?” 

His eyes narrow for just a moment, pulsing as he processes your response, his smug smile never wavering. “I guess we’ll see.”

Sam taps Danny with a backhanded smack on the shoulder, signaling that their group is boarding. The Greta boys file onto the plane according to the flight attendant's instructions, and Danny turns around only once to look at you. It makes you snort-chuckle to yourself while you fall behind to wait for your group to be called, but as he slips out of sight you shoot him the same smug smile that he gave you.

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Everything has settled down significantly since boarding, the other passengers are relaxed in their seats and the flight attendants are popping around every so often to check on things. All is calm, except for you. You haven’t been able to stop looking at the back of Danny’s head the entire time and your heartbeat hasn’t slowed since you were all alone on your barstool.

They’re not seated all that far from you. You can tell exactly who is sitting where, even though it’s not a difficult game to play. Danny has an aisle seat on the same side as you, his curly hair passes the top of his seat, which is right next to Sammy, because, of course. You can see Josh’s khaki-clad leg bouncing away across the aisle, and next to Josh is obviously Jake with his damn hat on. It’s impossible to miss. 

Their presence is beyond distracting. How many people can say they’ve been on the same flight as Greta Van Fleet? A majority of the folks here have no idea who they are; the fact that they’re in the presence of legends is completely lost on them. 

To not take advantage of such an opportunity would be an abomination - jail worthy in fact. But how to take advantage? That’s the real question. How does one get more time with them without forcing it? Why does it feel so painful to just take what they gave you of their time and be happy with it? Why does the idea of going this whole flight with Danny just out of reach after he so shamelessly flirted with you sound like utter torture? How are his shoulders so toned and perfect?!

They are perfect. He’s perfect. You can see the ridges of his side profile in that muscle shirt if you lean a little into the aisle, your chin propped up on the heel of your hand to look as inconspicuous as possible. 

Then, right on cue, Danny turns his entire torso around in his seat and looks back down the aisle right at your dumb little face. He’s smirking, like he’s fully expecting to catch you staring in his direction. There’s nowhere near enough time to react, but you lean right back into your seat and out of sight as fast as you can possibly manage. 

You wait what feels to be at least four years before daring to peek around the seat in front of you again to make sure he’s no longer looking. But no, there he is, turned around in his seat and smiling devilishly awaiting your return. You narrow your eyes at him, just to let him know you’re not falling for whatever it is he’s trying to do. He sees your suspicious eyes and shoots you one playful wink in return. He fucking winks at you and turns back around in his seat like a diabolical tease. 

“Well, that does it. I’ve just about had it with you, Daniel.” You whisper the thought to yourself, or what would have been to yourself if you weren’t in such close quarters with a ton of other people. The woman sitting across the aisle looks at you with distaste and you sheepishly apologize then return to the task at hand.

You pluck your bag from the floor under the seat in front of you where it was stashed and dig through it until you find what you’re looking for.  An old-fashioned printed ticket from the concert and a sharpie, one that you keep on your person at all times for emergencies just like this. In your elegant chicken scratch, you write out your message. 

It’s important to keep it short and sweet, you decide, so that there’s no room for interpretation. ‘Follow me’. Surely, there’s no way a directive so simple could be muddied in his boy brain.

The overhead light is already on, signaling that it’s safe to leave your seat and walk around. With one defining nod and your note in hand, you swiftly unbuckle your seatbelt and begin to strut down the aisle. Your target is locked in, Danny’s seat is just a few steps away. As you pass him, without so much as a turn of your head, you place the scribbled ticket directly in his lap and continue on toward the vacant lavatory. 

You hurl yourself into the bathroom as quickly as you possibly can to promptly stop your stomach from falling out of your ass. It takes you a moment of standing quietly to realize your hands have been shaking. Until now, your whole body was running on pure adrenaline and kept you from feeling any real apprehension. Now that the severity of what you’ve just done starts to sink in, along with extreme regret, you contemplate whether you should just flush yourself down the toilet. 

The longest two minutes of your life slip by, and still no interruption to your bathroom break. Maybe he’s waiting a little while to follow you so it doesn’t seem as suspicious? What if he doesn’t come at all? Facing rejection by having to walk past him back to your seat is out of the question. What if he looks at you? A ragged breath catches in your throat when that idea crosses your mind, threatening to turn into a sob if you let the thought linger any longer. 

Just as you’re promising to never follow your instincts again, the clunky bathroom door shuffles open, and in comes Danny without as much as a knock. While he shuts and locks it you twirl around to smirk at him, leaning your shoulder against the wall as you cross your arms. As much as it would have broken your heart to have embarrassed yourself for nothing, you can’t help but find it kind of hilarious that he couldn’t bring himself to pass up temptation. 

“How the fuck am I supposed to have my way with you in here?” he quips after taking a single glance around the space. You don’t answer him, and it only deepens your smirk when he finally registers the look on your face. “What’s that look for?” 

“You’re a horn dog.” 

“Um, this was your idea?” he speaks with a melody of bemusement.

“Oh, so just because a girl invites a guy to follow her into an airplane bathroom she automatically wants to screw him?”

He cocks an eyebrow at you and leans his own shoulder against the wall, mimicking your stance since he’s caught on to your game. “So you brought me here for some friendly conversation?”

“Absolutely not,” you snort, causing him to roll his eyes and shake his head a little at your teasing, though you think he seems to find it charming. 

“Well… it’s not ideal, but after that stunt I’m not letting you out of here until I’m good and ready.” He grabs you at the waist and pulls you towards him; he towers over you and you have to crane your neck to kiss him properly. You fumble with his belt as he pulls on the hem of your shirt.

“Wait,” You pull away gasping, and place a palm on his chest to let him know to pause. “I kind of want to keep it on.” 

“Seriously? You’re really gonna make me fuck you in my own merch?” He's unamused. 

Looking up through your lashes at him, you nod bashfully and throw in a lip bite for some added innocence. “Mhm, but if you rip it you have to buy me a new one.”

You swear you can hear a growl come from deep in his chest when he pauses for a moment to look at you before grabbing two fistfuls of the t-shirt material and ripping it right down the middle. A genuine gasp escapes past your furiously beating heart, followed shortly by a hiccupy giggle when you do the same to his own shirt in retaliation. 

“Hmm, would you look at that?” He glances down at each of your handiwork and clicks his tongue three times to chastise your behavior. “You’re gonna fuckin’ get it now.”

Some shredded pieces of fabric fall to the ground, but he makes no move to fully remove either of the tattered shirts, instead opting to slide your shorts and panties off. He shoves his pants down just barely enough to free his rock hard, veiny cock from its confines. Using the small amount of strength you can muster, you lift and perch yourself on the tiny sink when he grabs your knees and spreads them, putting you on display for him. His massive hands hold your legs wide open so he can bend down to lick a slow stripe up your center. Just a few skilled flicks of his tongue over your clit is enough to get you ready for him, but he purses his lips and spits on your pussy for good measure.

“Oh, fuck,” you whisper breathily at the filthy act. 

He chuckles lightly at your reaction, stands up, and positions himself. He takes his cock in his hand and smears his own saliva around with his tip before pushing in a few centimeters.

“Oh, fuck,” you repeat yourself.

“That’s right, babygirl. Fucking take it.” He pushes in all the way this time, immediately pulling back out to slam in again. As if hunkering down for the long haul, he cradles your legs, one in each hand, and a warm feeling fills your whole being. Is it too early to be seeing stars? 

You let your head lull back in ecstasy but he grabs your jaw abruptly, forcing your attention back to him.

“Eyes on me, sweetheart. I want to see the face you make when you cum.” You nod in understanding, promising to heed his request. He goes to return his hand to its place holding your leg, but when you open your mouth to moan he quickly covers it before you can utter a sound.

“Shhh, we have to keep quiet. Let it all out for me, but don’t make a sound.” The gruff timbre that lines his voice while he fucks into you at a merciless pace could make you cum all on its own.  

Your brows furrow to a peak, painting what little he can see of your face a shade of almost pained frustration. He flicks his thumb over your already sensitive clit to accompany the never ending waves of pleasure he’s pushing through you with his cock.

Out of nowhere, the tide rolls in and your orgasm ripples through you like a warm breeze and he rides it out relentlessly, his eyes locked onto yours. For all you know, the clouds could part and the gates of heaven could open to accept you at that very moment, and you would happily ascend. You try to scream his name only to be muffled into his palm, and through teary eyes you see the devious smirk that he tries to keep from creeping onto his face when you struggle like he fucking loves the power he has over you. 

Just as you’re verging on the point of overstimulation, he reaches his own climax, spilling its contents deep in your core for you to hold onto for safe keeping. His hand leaves your lips and comes down hard on the meat of your thigh with an audible slap. You cry out, but he’s in no condition to care about that while he shudders and moans and bruises your leg with his grip.  

The pumps come to a halt and the comedown is slow, you’re thankful that he leaves his cock inside your twitching pussy to savor the feeling just a little longer. Although, you hadn’t noticed that in the midst of all the action your position had shifted until he was practically on top of you in an uncomfortably crooked way. You can’t be surprised since you enticed him to ruin you, but clearly, he hadn’t noticed either and almost loses his footing when he finally pulls out, you have to throw an arm out to help steady him. His bicep is warm and damp, the vein prominent. 

“Danny, Danny, Danny.. getting carried away now are we?” you scold, clicking your tongue at him like you would a child. 

He laughs sweetly, like strawberries and sugar or windchimes on a summer evening. It almost takes your breath away. “How could I not? You’re a vixen.”

“Who? Me? Of course not, I just know a once in a lifetime opportunity when I see it.” You shoot him a sly smile and move to stand up. He holds his hands out to aid in getting you upright, but when you reach for your clothes as he fastens his belt, you’re hit with a realization.  

“Daniel. My shirt.” 

He looks puzzled, but still cute, until it dawns on him that you’re on an airplane filled with strangers, and thanks to him your new shirt is lacking structural integrity. 

“Shit, umm…” He scans the floor of the bathroom before scooping up his own discarded shirt, also completely unwearable. “I have a shirt you can wear, I’ll go grab it.”

A moment of silence. 

“Why the fuck did we bother being quiet if you’re just gonna walk out there with no shirt on?”

“Aww, y/n,” He pecks your cheek “That was just for me.”

۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵♡۵

thank you for reading

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[akewanchan]

[Break My Case] Personal Story - Akehoshi Hinomiya, Part 1

Translation by akewanchan. Source is mobile game Break My Case.

TL note:

(edit) Thanks to Imai for letting me know that Kyousuke is actually a reference to Kyousuke from Stand My Heroes!

For clarification, Hinomiya is referred to as Ninomiya in an instance. This isn't a typo!

Ain’t sayin’ working yourself to the bone or yer surroundings don’t play a role.

I’ve seen folks pullin’ it off.

The real thing… Talent as ya say, got no mercy… 

Livin’ in high cotton, all the luxury, don’t come to mind no more.

No doubt I wished a lifetime supply of it by now. 

Akehoshi: ….

Akehoshi: (..... I’m home?)

Akehoshi: (Eh… managed to get back home properly. Good goin’)

Moving my head a wee bit while probing ‘round for my phone was ‘nough to make my world spin, making me all sluggish. 

Akehoshi: (Aaah. Still hammered as I can be. I’m parched…)

Akehoshi: …Ah. Darnit

Akehoshi: (Ain’t refilled dispenser’s bottle.)

Akehoshi: (Do recall thinking ‘bout 30 minutes before leaving the house yesterday, how I gotta swap it out since I’d wanna have a sip in the morning.)

Ain’t like anybody’s gonna complain ‘bout sleeping in on a sunday with no plans in store.

Even then, I sorta had a hunch I wouldn’t be able to hit the hay a second round if I tried to.

Feelin’ as if I was lifting a heavy load, I stood up.

Akehoshi: …Bwech

A wave of nausea washed over me yet again from gulpin’ down lukewarm tap water ‘till the last drop.

Akehoshi: (Shoot. Reckon I went too far yesterday. Sitting here and not rememberin’ what got me plastered like this just means I’m done for.)

Akehoshi: Shoulda called it quits halfway through…

Woman: …Huh! Don’t tell me, is that Ninomiya Akehoshi?

Man: Whozzat?

Woman: He’s a celeb. Y’know, that “way too angelic child actor!” guy. He showed up in TV dramas until he grew quite a bit. 

Akehoshi: Ahaha. Sure can see through the darkness in here, eh. You watched ‘em? Thank ya kindly

Woman: Eeeh, oh my god…! He’s the real deal!

Akehoshi: (....Real deal.)

That’s right, yet it ain’t.

Unfortunately, I was different.

From beginning to end, all the way through.

Akehoshi: (….Oh)

Akehoshi: Someone’s awake. Morning

Yuragi: …You’re alive.

Akehoshi: Ahaha, do feel like I’m on death's doorstep. Am muddling through one way or n’other

Akehoshi: Did I cause a ruckus in my drunken stupor when I got back? Pardon me for waking ya up if I did. 

Yuragi: Don’t you remember

Akehoshi: Not a darn thing for a while now. But good goin’ on my part for making it back home, right?

Yuragi: …

Akehoshi: (Huh. What’s that look for.)

Akehoshi: …Reckon that it ain’t~

Yuragi: Yesterday, what did you do.

Akehoshi: Eh? That’s new. Usually it’s in through ear and out the other with you when I’m doin’ the talking.

Akehoshi: Was just havin’ a drink to answer ya, though

Yuragi: Anything else? 

Akehoshi: Other stuff… nothin’ in particular?

Yuragi: …. ‘Kay

Yuragi: Then, s’fine

Akehoshi: Eh. Wait

Yuragi: What

Akehoshi: Naw, ain't it my line to ask what

Yuragi: …

Akehoshi: (If I did do somethin’ wrong, he oughta been pissed the moment he saw me, no? Seriously, what… Ah)

Yuragi: ---You scared me… Lights aren’t on either, what are you doing

Yuragi: …Can you stand?

Akehoshi: ….

Yuragi: Water. Want some?

Akehoshi: Don’t

Yuragi: Eh

Akehoshi: ---I said, I don’t need anything.

Akehoshi: … Aaah….

That feeling of swatting his hand away, the sound of water hitting the floor.

And then, the tone of voice I usually never use against other people.

Akehoshi: (....That ain’t a look of anger. It’s one of concern, huh.)

Yuragi: Remembered?

Akehoshi: I did

Akehoshi: Had been mullin’ over it myself of how I kinda drank a wee bit too much yesterday.

Akehoshi: But turns out it was more than that. Sorry for all the trouble I caused ya

Yuragi: ….

Without a word Yura turned the other way with a hmph, opened the freezer and started diggin’ through the stock of ice cream.

He picked out one, and while I was thinkin’ he’d just go back to his room-- He put that popsicle on that table, leaving it as is. 

Akehoshi: …Eh. You mean you’re giving this, to me?

Yuragi: I’m going to bed, don’t wake me up.

Akehoshi: Ah. Sure, thanks

Akehoshi: ….Reckon I made him worry.

Around the time I headed to my room after a quick shower, my mood improved somewhat compared to when I woke up. 

Akehoshi: (....Still rock solid, eh.)

I absentmindedly looked around my room while hitting the top of my ice cream with a spoon.

And then my eyes caught a glimpse of a DVD set from that old TV drama that was brought up plenty yesterday. 

Akeboshi: (...Watched it more than enough by now.)

Ain’t like I had anything I wanted to do, so I opened the DVD set to kill some time until my ice cream thawed.

Out of the six CD’s, I took out the 5 with ease and put ‘em on playback.

Akehoshi: …..

A child actor lucky enough to hit it big, his career lasted just short of 10 years until retirement. As a final conclusion to his acting career he received a spot in a TV drama set in a school.

I reckon that I, a so-so kid who wasn’t fated to be the main lead until the very end, received the main focus in an episode as a gift of kindness. 

However.

Akehoshi: …Yer amazing no matter how many times I watch it. Kyousuke-san. 

Akehoshi: The “real deal” is different.

He debuted a few years before I called it quits, and he made a beeline for the top spot within my generation.

What kinda connections or brute force got nothing to do with it, that much is clear when you sit through it just once.

Akehoshi: (That’s why… no matter how many times I watch it.)

Akehoshi: …What’s with that? That awkward silence just now. 

Reason why it didn’t take him 10 years to have grasped them roles as a rookie wasn’t luck or his surroundings, and this one episode makes me realize again and again each time. 

Akehoshi: (Aah, shoulda stopped right there before turning around.)

Akehoshi: (S’important line, yet it’s all pouring out--)

Akehoshi: …. Haha, 

Doing it more like this woulda been better, doing it more like that woulda been better.

Realizing I hadn’t learned my lesson thinking ‘bout stuff that wouldn’t reach my past self, a halfhearted chuckle escaped my mouth.

With my own strength, I wasn’t able to grasp what I wanted. 

It didn’t come true.

Just like this TV drama that’s frozen in time, no matter how many times I’ve seen it by now, it won’t change.

Akehoshi: …..I’m sure the Akehoshi-kun on screen wouldn’t wanna hear the ramblings of a guy who got off that ride a long time ago either, eh. Let’s just stop here

“My one and only wish, won’t come true anymore.”

Once I got that through my head, not a single thing mattered anymore.

But, I reckon that was for the best.

Rather than obsessing ‘bout what I can’t get, taking what I do get is a way of living that’s more suited for the likes of me.

Akehoshi: (Ah, spoon’s getting through.)

A blend of vanilla, chocolate and cookie cream. 

I stuffed my mouth with a spoonful while wondering where you can even find these sorta things, and sure enough it was so sweet I could only laugh.

Akehoshi: (Felt it in my bones this ain’t the thing to stomach when yer hungover.)

Akehoshi: (But, it do seem to be the flavor Yura likes. Let’s just eat it all up.)

Akehoshi: ….. Thank ya.

Looking at the wall, I gave my word of gratitude to Yura who’s surely drifted off to dreamland by now, and I took one more bite.

This sweetness so strong it’ll jolt you awake, slowly melted away together with this lazy afternoon.

[horizon-verizon]

Emma called Daemyra grooming, which to me means they both don't understand what that actually means and they don't understand the relationship, so sorry GREAT actor but I don't listen to their thoughts on them :)

Anon talks abt this post.

i mean, I guess? Grooming, yes, needs time and much more psychological manipulation than what we see b/t older Daemon and 19 year old Rhaenyra. It requires much more than showing explicit sexual content the one time (bc these two).

Some might point out that he was also giving her gifts as young as 15, which I mean...eh. He wasn't trying to deceive her with that particular act/acts or had ulterior motives which again is what is required in grooming situations. Daemon with the necklace wasn't having some master plan to entrap her or use her. He was just giving a necklace. That moment was more charged with the knowledge that such a thing just wouldn't fly in our own world, so the observation of what's actually happening int this particular scene is put aside for the audience wanting to and applying an immediate boundary by claiming that he was grpoming bc he gave her gifts in this very 1st episode and has thus been grooming her ever since she was what, 7ish if you asked some of them?

At the same time, Daemon has done wrong/manipulated to Rhaenyra both in bk and show when she is older and in her teens when he comes back from the Stepstones--even if we can't solidify or define it was real grooming.

For me, their relationship is one big "grey area" than anything solid and that has the potential to swing dark to light often bc that's simply who they both are. And I don't really fault or resent people for having the impression and final stamp of grooming, since it's such an age gap and she's a teen when they first kiss. (I suspect in the bk they also kissed and that was when she was actually 15ish). *EDIT 11/4/24* AND Daemon was using heer against Viserys at her young age of 15. I just don't think he was out to prey on her exactly.

GRRM already does make it a point to show that 13 yr old Dany getting impregnated, 15 year old Viserrra engaged to a man who could be her father and dying trying to live her last moments as a girl, AND Daemon messing w/Rhaenyra then getting the boot are all obviously bad things about this system--thus a critique of said political environments, but it's still does not mean Larra Rogare, Viserys I, Daemon, and a few others were necessarily bonafide "pedos" like Robert Baratheon, Craster, Walder Frey, or Aegon II bc...

it takes more than the presence of a marriage between 15 yr old and a 23 yr old or a mere relationship of such to rule one of them as an actual hand-rubbing "groomer" (although this particular label on Daemon fits more back in 111...he definitely was using her against Viserys) or a "pedo", bc of how marriages are an arranged affair AND these teens aren't as considered "adults" in ASOIAF--It's not a part of their conscious OR they were forced/socially pressured to marry

The boundaries are looser; again GRRM does criticize that, but he doesn't try to break away from the consequences of that by only writing characters who are closer in age fall in love or become closer or get into sexual relationships.

Example: He still has Dany have the much older and adult Daario as a lover so she can pursue her first self-determined relationship at her 15/16 years of age...which canonically she uses to heal even as she has her doubts about Daario's feelings for her. Perhaps he could have gotten her with one of her khalasar instead, like Jhoqo, but Dany is also still very much a teenager still and Daario was exciting and persistent when she wanted to feel desired. Daario is fine prostrating himself but not totally being her soldier like Jhoqo. Eventually, their relationship will not pan bc Daario's interest in her is still wrapped up more in her being a queen and she herself has the higher goal of freeing slaves, getting back her throne, later the Others, etc.--this doesn't mean that Daario wasn't a critical person in a particular point in her life or that she didn't love him. And all this is consequential to the sort of world she lives in and her particular circumstances.

*END OF EDIT*

Such relationships of real history and Westeros just don't jive with what we know can come of them and present so many possible fallbacks and mostly on the younger, and people want to avoid prevent justifying such things to impressionable audiences. I think, though, that people tend to eschew any and all signs of Rhaenyra genuinely finding strength AS GRRM WROTE IT in Daemon and vice versa. And that we simply do not live in their world so people have to be a little smarter and maintain a degree of intellectual separation as they also assess what makes these characters tick/their environment's affects on them as the actual text suggests. Basically, Watsonian vs Doylist readings and to stop making as if what's happening in real modern life will always happen in text. Slow down.

[wrenanigans]

SAW A SKYRIM POST YOU REBLOGGED. SKYRIM FAN???

YES! New skyrim fan! I finally started playing the game 12 years after its release and I am HOOKED! I’m gonna use this ask as an excuse to ramble so uh, long post beware xD

Okay so my first ever run has been the most chaotic shit. I just finished the main questline, but it was a JOURNEY to get there.

I’ve been playing with my gf @bucca2 who introduced me to the game. The first thing she did, as soon as we got out of the tutorial (and got mods working, including multiplayer), was take me to a little farm up north to meet somebody. “You liked Kefka, I think you’ll like this one,” she said. Cryptic and concerning! And I found this wagon and met Cicero.

To quote Aby, “Yeah, honestly, it was like taking a kid to Disneyland for the first time. There was this quiet wonder in his voice like he was discovering magic was real...honestly, I wish I had been recording. It was very adorable. He was hooked from Cicero's first voice line.”

Dude, when I say “blorbo at first sight” I mean I was down bad in an instant. I was writing fanfic based on that interaction alone (with some helpful hints from Aby). I had dreams about the bastard on night one. I got obsessed.

That feral enthusiasm did not wane as the game went on, because I went straight for the Dark Brotherhood questline. I was the Listener before I had even spoken with the Greybeards. I even updated a mod from an old Skyrim edition myself so I could marry Cicero. I was all about that wretched little fool and it was making a fool of me.

With Cicero as my first companion, I went onto the Thieves’ Guild quests next. Did you know that you can fail the tutorial pickpocketing quest? Because that’s what I did! They recruited me anyway. I got up to the Sepulcher quest, but never finished it, so I just have the skeleton key xD

When we assassinated the vampire in the DB questline, I got infected, and decided “eh, why not!” So I became a vampire. This made the inheritance of Bloodchill Manor extra fun — I simply sat back and watched the bloodbath! I only had to lift a finger when the Dawnguard came knocking xD

I went to the Bards’ College next. We’d “acquired” an expansion mod for it (do not get me started on other modders who charge for their shit. i have strong 🏴‍☠️ opinions) so that was a fun extra questline.

Up next was some Daedric prince shenaniganry. I got the Ebony Blade and did some light murderizing to buff it, then met Sanguine for some debauchery. My stealth archer build got even more broken when I stopped by to pick up Barbas from Clavicus Vile. Immortal dog to tank for me? Yes please!

Then I did the Dawnguard questline! I accidentally-on-purpose cheesed the pilgrimage to go fill the ewer. I got so lost in the Vale that I found the palace treasure room when I was only on shrine two. Seeing Serana shove the snow elf bastard off the cliff was fun, though I did miss the loot…

After that, I decided it was time for some warmongering, and signed up for the Imperial Legion. Which was a little awkward, considering I’d assassinated the Emperor already, but what they don’t know can’t hurt me! I had great fun in the battles where I simply perched up high and picked Stormcloaks off, like some sort of nefarious gargoyle. Also, General Tullius? would. He also saved my ass when I got lost in the Whiterun battle and found by 7 or so Stormcloaks, and he tanked while I shot them down. Sometimes the game’s mechanics make for great story :P

Finally, it was time for the mainline quest. I tolerated Delphine until she was no longer useful, at which point I turned to Parthurnax for guidance. Being told to go on a grand quest to find the Elder Scroll I already had was pretty entertaining, especially considering I’d done the same thing with the dragonstone from the first dungeon (which I’d gone to early to retrieve the golden claw). It was also funny as hell when I tried to talk my way into heaven and the only faction dialogue choices I had where the two that the dude didn’t like xD

After that, I went, “well now what? …probably lunch.” So I went and munched on somebody, as a vampiric treat. That’s where I last left my playthrough! I’ve had an absolute blast with the game, even if I am playing it ass-backwards. I may go do the Dragonborn DLC content next. If you have any recommendations for more shit to get up to, I’d love to hear it! Especially if it involves murder xD

[lilmaemae]

tagged by the lovely lovely @thestrangeillusion !! you're so cool actually, and i'm glad to have learnt more about you on your own edition, ehe <33 im a few days late but here are my answers !!

do you tidy your bed

no, because i'm going to lie in it in a few hours lmao. it feels more cosy in its nest state

what's your favourite number

15! or 5? as my birthday dates, they're precious to me

what is your job

i used to work as a veterinary nurse (for the past 2 years) but i just quit!

if you could go back to school would you

... i'm going back to school in september (college lmao), for vet school, so uh,,, yes? 😂

can you parallel park

not at the moment, but in the near future i hope so!

a job you had that would surprise people

i used to sell cured meat at a branch in the airport. or the time i helped my mom's friend with her candle making workshops?

do you think aliens are real

i think that there are many things different from human-likeness that can exist. whether or not they have "intelligence" in the definition relative to humans, however.,,, i think chances are slim. i think they'd be smart in their own ways.

can you drive a manual car

close! i'm learning how to drive right now, have been learning the the month or two!

what's your guilty pleasure

reading ao3 on my light tabs. i don't use incognito because it keeps logging me out of shit, and it's way easier to keep track of the fics im reading.

tattoos

none atm, but i do wish to get either an animal/astronomy related one eventually !

favourite colour

greeeeeen and pink!

favourite type of music

i like pop/r&b? music that sounds melancholic. like day6, d.o (kyung soo), jeff satur

do you like puzzles

i've never had the space for physical ones but brain games are pretty intriguing!

any phobias

hate the fucking cockroaches 👎👎👎👎👎 genuinely, the occurance of those shits randomly in my bathroom gives me so much anxiety that i stopped washing my hair in the specific toilet

favourite childhood sport

,,, i've never exaclty done sports ngl, but i do have a brown belt in taekwondo?

do you talk to yourself

yes. it's the ✨anxiety

though on good days it's a silly narrator in my head that makes life a little more fun!

what movie(s) do you adore

ngl i'm not a huge movie girl but tangled and more recently nimona!! tangled's soundtrack is just, amazing, i adore mandy moore'a voice so much. and nimona is such a treat, especially with all the shape shifting and the gay dads.

coffee or tea?

tea! matcha lattes are so good. and green tea, hojicha, chrysanthemum tea, fruit teas, bruhh the list could go oN. for coffee, i only like mochas that are so sweet they'd make a religious coffee drinker puke. not to mention they either give me headaches or cause me to vibrate so intensely that i might as well be the flash trying to phase through solid objects.

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

a zookeeper! i always knew i wanted to do something animal related, and im glad i'll be able to learn more soon.

tagging @emberfaye @mousydentist @venagrey @jez-bez @chaeul @fairlylokai @the-cookie-of-doom @awiderangeofgreen @ella-norah and anyone who wants to do this challenge!!!

[hotwaterandmilk]

Just another one of those posts where I do a bit of a general update on a few things. This time opening with an edited scan of Maomao from Nekokurage's Kusuriya no Hitorigoto manga adaptation to get your attention. Boo!

I've been reading the Kusuriya no Hitorigoto light novels and enjoying them in the sense that I think preteen me would have liked them. I started reading the LNs earlier this year (as they're great for reading in waiting rooms and the like thanks to their short format) and I think the LNs are definitely my preferred version of the story. The anime has a nice OP theme but is fairly middling otherwise and I don't go much on the art in either mang adaptation (though Nekokurage's art has improved recently and Maomao looks less like a giant-headed baby doll in the Animate bonus cards per my scan above). Maomao is the real draw in all versions so obviously I preordered her Nendo the first moment I could — bring on May 2024!

Speaking of translated light novels you can buy right now, the first part of the Oguni no Koushaku Reijō wa Tekikoku nite Kakusei Suru light novel was just released as A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy Volume #1 by Cross Infinite World (see here). It's a solid story that doesn't overstay its welcome and Bertine's business acumen is just *chefs kiss* for those after a competent heroine.

Once the second and final part of this is out, I'd love to see Cross Infinite World pick up another short (but unrelated) PASH! Books publication, Shiitagerareta Shuusai Reijou to Ringoku no Haraguro Kenkyuusha-sama no Amayaka na Yakusou Jikkenshitsu. The web novel version was quite solid but I haven't read the printed version yet. Yeah I like science ladies, what can I say? It would be so good to keep seeing interesting titles for girls and women being picked up for English release because I tire of isekai villainess stories (which imho peaked years ago with Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou) and there are some great little tales out there that do things a bit differently & just need to be shown to the right audience.

I'm so excited for Metallic Rouge in early January! While it used to be that getting an original property from BONES was always exciting, it has been a while since they've created anything I've really cared about but I'm hoping this will break the drought. If a show has Izubuchi, Kawamoto, Yamada contributing then you know I've got to be there. Plus a couple of lady leads in a SF setting? Trailers with some great action and music? I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much but I'm keen to give it a shot. If it isn't for me at least I can say I've given it a chance, right?

I've been terrible at sharing the latest about this year's Silent Möbius anniversary, but I'm not a news blogger and frankly very few people care so eh y'know, whatever. BUT I figured I should say something about FAIRYTALE PARFUM releasing scents for the key members of AMP this month (though Mana has been totally forgotten, it seems). You can check out the range here, there will be a launch event on the 10th of December in Shinjuku too.

Asamiya drew new artwork for the bottles and while I'd love to get Kiddy's perfume that nods towards her bodily acceptance in its notes, importing that stuff is just too much of a pain so I've settled for a tiny acrylic stand of Kiddy instead. Sadly there's no option to buy a set of stands so I just went "whatever" and grabbed just my best girl. Anyway, if you'd like a tiny acrylic stand of an AMP girl with extra weird proportions then make sure you check out the FAIRYTALE PARFUM website.

[tokyopewpew]

Part whatever of Veilguard Breakdown!

Themes, gameplay, Overall Plot, and ruminations on the Production behind the game aka wild speculation.

Spoilers abound as well as some disclaimers under the cut. Buckle up this is going to be a LONG ONE.

Ok I am going to try and organize this so it isn’t just a ramble. I also don’t meant this to come across as a defense or shilling for Bioware or EA, if it sounds defensive or you think I’m giving a lot of grace, please know it is for the actual real, physical people who had to make this game. The writers, the game designers and directors, who I think had an incredibly difficult job to pull off with this game. ( and if you couldn’t tell already, i really liked it so I think they did a great job!)

My credentials to talk out of my ass are: I work in *vague general gesture* entertainment. I studied anthropology, writing, film and tv (specifically animation) both seriously in college and in my free time. I write and draw comics, I animate, and do general writing/editing for novels and scripts. I am not saying i am right in any way shape or form, but I have some extra insight maybe, which I think puts me more sympathetic towards to rough spots in this game.

I’m also a Solavellan Truther so be warned.

That being said here we go:

Gameplay:

Overall I really enjoyed the game! Like most action games it took my a bit to get a grasp of all the buttons (oh my god so many buttons). I played the new God of War games and enjoyed that gameplay quite a bit, ergo I liked this gameplay. GoW was much more of a power fantasy than this though, where you felt monstrously strong from the jump. Playing as a mage, and only starting with Mage and Rogue companions did have me feel a little squishy, but by the end I was ripping enemies apart left and right. I think I beat Elgar’nan in like 6 minutes? It did not feel like I was fighting a god lmao.

I’m kind of weak on the critique for the gameplay. I’m glad there’s no crouch or stealth option thank christ. Like most action-y rpg’s there’s a light and heavy attack, a dodge, a jump, a sprint. The lines kind of blur for me on “how dare you copy these controls wholesale” and “these controls are generally linked to these actions, for ease of use for the player we’re staying consistent with other games for an easier onboarding.”

Also I have never played a dragon age game for the combat. I’m happy to have encounters and do fights but I could/did pretty much play Origins and 2 with a cocktail in one hand because it wasn’t that involved. Inquisition too just being kind of like eh, don’t keep tension in your finger, you’ll keep attacking don’t worry about it. I’m playing for the story and the plot, not the buttons I have to press to get to that. That being said, because of the total difference in game play, from past DA games, i do think this one is the most fun to play/fight in.

One of my very few combat gripes was that, given what a difference damage type makes in a fight, I wish I could change my weapon in the middle of combat. I don't want to have to leave a combat area, cool off, and then swap out my orb. Just let me change it mid combat please.

THAT ALL BEING SAID LETS TALK ABOUT THE PLOT AND PACING!

I do think this game has some recency bias against it. The other games have 10+ years of us rolling them around in the Fandom Rock Tumbler to shine them into perfect glowing beloved, well understood in totality creations. It’s been two fucking weeks with this game, of course it feels shallow in comparison. Give it some time and we’re gonna chew on it more.

That being said: I do agree that it feels softer than other games, but I can identify why that might be.

I think this game is a lot tighter on its narrative than any other DA game. By which I mean the main narrative is always very focused on defeating the gods. The companion quests feel very brief, sometimes just being conversations, and even though their personal quests are meant to in some way link back to the Evanuris, they feel like such small fish in comparison. Taking down any or all of the personal villains for each of the companions does not feel like I’ve made a tangible blow against the Evanuris the way destroying Corypheus’ lyrium mines and Samson’s armor did in Inquisition or the way recruiting the different factions did for Origins.

But here’s where I append my little caveats. (I'm gonna harp that DIFFERENT doesn't mean bad to me). I do like the breakneck pace of this plot. They did start off as cartoon-ish new villains being thrown in, like they do in every Marvel movie. But I think they did a good job of ramping up how terrifying they were pretty quickly and actually making them feel threatening. The odds felt forever stacked against us, and it matched the streamlined, focused main quest line. And hey, let’s be honest, the fetch quests and padded content was a big complaint against Inquisition (or many open world games).

Which is what makes me see a lot of the complaints against VG are ones where I don’t think people connect that Bioware is damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Do you want a streamlined, focused game without a lot of cruft, a complaint lobbed at many open world games? Ok you won’t get as many little side quests that feel like they add weeks to the plot.

I do think the companion quests are the things that actually make the plot slow down. But we love and want as much companion content as possible? Again, I think this could have helped if the companion personal villain quests felt more essential/woven into the Evanuris that would have helped. I think some more friction between the companions could have helped, in like banter where we saw that they're personal issues are bleeding into making problems with the team. HOWEVER: that's an easy criticism to make if it weren't a game where you can do many things in many different orders. Maybe there was more Davrin and Lucanis bickering, I just missed it because I didn't take them out in the field together, or I resolved more of their quests before I had them both in my party again.

Some Ranting about the SETTING

Seeing a lot of people throwing out that this game is a Soft-Retcon/Tonally Light compared to other DA games. Yes and no. I think it’s through some narrative necessity. I do wish Bioware would trust the audience more with some heavy shit but lets be fr media literacy is on the decline. I don't like that they're dumbing stuff down but has the public at large not proven they can't fucking comprehend a lot of what is thrown at them?

A major comment circulating is about the Crows being turned into Good Guys and Tevinter not going into the class system and slavery enough. I also experienced ZERO racism against my elf character or suspicion of me as a mage. Which, yes, is tonally different from the other games. And I would have liked the depth, I'm not gonna lie.

But given The Real World: I'm ok with not having slurs thrown at me in a game right now.

I also see that as a narrative choice. These are supposed to be your allies that are integral to making it through the game if you want everyone alive. I think they wanted all the antagonism and focus set on the Evanuris and Solas and didn't want to distract or give players the option to kind of question the factions they're petitioning support from.

It's in line with this game having far fewer consequences to your choices. They are more railroading with the plot/important decisions you make which I get isn't going to be to everyone's taste (again, more God of War feeling than DA Origins).

But I also think previous games had a really easy time talking shit and building up off-screen monsters. And now, narratively, they need to bring those off-screen monsters in and humanize them so you won't refuse to work with them outright.

Par example: Playing Origins and loving Zevran. Oh my god his horror stories about the Crows?? How can you support the Crows at ALL hearing what he’s said about them or how many times they try to kill him?!

Psst it's because Origin's goal was to humanize and make him likable as an individual and the narrative tool they used to do that was giving him a tragic backstory of poverty and abuse. Which is not unique to many assassin guild characters. But that kind of shoots them in the foot if they want to have any other Crow companion or involvement because they poisoned the well themselves. So what do they do? Just never include the Crows in a main story on the side of the hero ever? Do they introduce another assassin's guild and say no don't worry, they train their professional killers totally ethically and cool, you've just never heard of them? Or do they kind of work around what they've already got?

Meanwhile, the ones I haven't seen nearly as much critique on is the Lords of Fortune!! Oh my GOD were they sanitized to be Unproblematic! I was cringing so hard when they talked about being treasure hunters but they had Taash EXPLICITLY SPECIFICALLY clarify they don’t steal and they are careful with culturally sensitive materials, sending them to the appropriate people.

This is some Indiana Jones "it belongs in a museum" RetCon. But that's FINE because it matches our real world sensibilities.

Like I don't want to complain that the Crows can't have grown and evolved as a group (forcibly or of their own volition) and not also joke that Isabela really learns her lesson after DA2 to not fuck with culturally significant artifacts and turned the Lords of Fortune into the "pirates never steal another person's property" meme.

Complaining that the ASSASSIN'S GUILD isn't operating ethically is an oxymoron. We need some fantasy elements, some suspension of disbelief. Otherwise we're filing a million OSHA violations against Treviso too for the lack of railings in the Casino and Rook should go to jail for murder.

Like I said, it's not bad, it's just Different.

It's the change in landscape of 10-15 years of game/narrative. development. Of them listening. Sorry it can't go both ways. Gotta read up on the Ludonarrative dissonance again which I think is a huge struggle in making more realistic worlds and still having it be a fighting/action game.

For those that don't know: Ludonarrative dissonance is when the narrative and gameplay are at odds with each other. Kind of noted in games like Uncharted, where Nathan Drake is supposed to be a kind of every man, but the gameplay has you be a fucking action hero.

Or, since everyone loves to compare this to BG3 here is my own experience of it when playing that: I listened to the narrative the first time I played which said ANY SECOND NOW: YOU WILL BECOME A MINDFLAYER. DO NOT SLEEP DO NOT REST HOLY SHIT YOU’LL DIE.

So I only long rested like twice for all of act 1 and was confused when I didn’t get any cut scenes, plot, or dialogue people were talking about. And looking it up, I was not the only one who made that mistake. I listened to the narrative so damn good, that I was going to die any second, I didn't get the cut scene that told me it was ok to take a break, this artifact is going to protect you. So i reloaded an earlier save and re-played a good chunk of act 1 and rested often. Lo and behold: I got all the cut scenes that had previously eluded me! That to me was a big annoyance that the GAMEPLAY and the NARRATIVE were at odds like that.

Veilguard and Dragon Age suffer a bit from this in how they are trying to present a fleshed out, intricate, geo-political world, but you still need enemies to fight in the game. But not demonize entire cultures.

It doesn't help that Origins started off with kind a weak fantasy basis that doesn't hold up as well today. Europe but upside down, cultures are real world stand ins etc etc. And then add 15 years of not just games culture changing but culture culture changing and things that passed in the first game can't and shouldn't be carried over to the newest iteration. Or even mentioned above, where earlier games build up groups or areas as evil, which shoots themselves in the foot when they want to re-examine that later.

Like they have gotten a lot of flack for some of the elven and qunari depictions because they made the direct parallels to native americans and Muslim cultures. They have clearly learned their lesson to not demonize and ENTIRE culture and every person from that culture.

But then how do you have diverse enemies in games but also make it clear you aren't fighting an entire country/culture? We get the kind of weak so uh uh we have a separate faction now! the antaam are the BAD qunari like the venatori are the BAD Tevinters! We need enemies for you to kill and NOT FEEL BAD ABOUT IT but you have to know THESE are the cult ones which makes it ok! Which is something most video games do nowadays.

So when the comment is that previous games were darker, I believe the previous games were more grim because you were up against the world. It was a more brutal land of prejudice and strife and every faction you could join abused and indoctrinated kids in some way. Like that was of the time period to say "Look how Real and Serious our game is? Look how terrible everyone is, everyone is greedy and out for themselves and shitty, but you'll bend them to your will with your awesome might."

But that is not the tone of Veilguard. Which I would almost guess IS a real world reaction to purposefully NOT HAVE a lot of built in bigoted content for the sake of "realism." Both for it to be a fun, escapist game, and a power fantasy.

With the narrative of this game you need to be involved in all the factions which, I would guess, they decided to go more friction-less and have them all be groups you felt like deserved to be saved and that you care about rather than make you begrudgingly help someone you hate.

ANOTHER FOR EXAMPLE: The discourse ALREADY HAPPENING about the choice between Minrathous and Treviso. Like both options are TERRIBLE but saying that because Tevinter has slavery, it deserves the dragon attack? Wild!

Can ya maybe see why they chose to omit some stuff or not pack in anything that would make you doubt your allies? Or be ok with dooming them in the end game as some sort of catholic retribution for their Sins?

Another way to put it is that while I'm disappointed by maybe the lack of exploration on some of the deeper Geo-poltical topics, 1. I don't think that was the goal of the game. And 2. I would rather they recognize that they wouldn't be able to do it justice or go to the depth they would need to so it's better to cut it rather than deliver something they aren't proud of. Like the game shouldn't have to tell you that slavery is bad to know it's bad, even in the fantasy world. The goal of the game is also not to dismantle slavery in Tevinter.

So I ask the room: do we want to see slavery in our fun after work game? Do we want to be called knife ear and not be able to shop at merchant's if we're an elf? I'm kind of cool with not having that.

Disclaimer though: I am white as hell! I've seen black creators express frustration with the lack of conversation on these subjects and how that feels like Bioware pulling punches and it is totally fair to want more meaningful discussion of the topic in the game.

Seeing the bones through it's skin: thoughts on the production of the game:

It's a weird line to walk when Bioware is clearly wanting to make an inclusive, fun, first person game, but have depth and realism in a world that does include that from its shaky foundation. Has Thedas improved in the 10-20 in game years to be more inclusive?

The narrative design for a game is also super different from books or comics and why we generally want happier endings in games. One of the major criticisms against The Last of Us 2 was how fucking bleak it was. How do you get people to keep holding the controller when it's a tragedy? When it's a slog to get through? So I can see the decision to water down or sanitize areas to avoid turning off or downright triggering players.

Which also, same problem mentioned again. I don't think this is anyone here who's gotten this far into my rambling lol, but game design and writing having to be for BOTH new and old players makes it a much different writing experience. I think people have been trying to apply Book Continuity Rules to Dragon Age rather than Movie continuity. What do I mean by that?

Did you know that for comics, you should prepare for your second issue sales to drop by half? Because presumably, a lot of people will try your first issue but won't necessarily want to stick with it, and who in their right mind is going to pick up the second issue and not the first? And every subsequent issue sees a similar decline in order numbers BECAUSE it's a linear story where if you pick up the fourth one you won't know what the hell is happening and the payoff won't work. Video Games can't work like that, the same way movies try REALLY HARD to make sequels as easy as possible for someone to come in completely unfamiliar.

This has been the fault of Dragon Age and Mass Effect Andromeda overall. Trying to be a high fantasy series, but also anthology so you don't have to start from the beginning, with writers coming and going makes it a weird collaborative continuity that is BOUND to change OVER THE COURSE OF 15 YEARS.

Storylines and plots have been picked up and dropped and told they'll matter and quickly wrapped up across the course of every game. Because they have to make way for this to be someone's FIRST Dragon Age game. Inquisition was my first one and I think I made it 15 minutes before I had to stop and google Chantry, Templars, why the fuck do they hate elves? IT WAS A STEEP INTRO is what I'm saying. I've now since played all of the games and adore them all for their own reasons. And I'm sorry but I don't get why its so hard to grasp that the games are not being made to entirely be fanservice to existing players.

I get the frustration over only 3 choices carrying over but like... There cannot be a google survey at the beginning of the game.

"But what about the keep?" You may very well ask. I already commented on this in the tags of another post but I need y'all to really think and remember that the things brought over from the Keep are pretty much just as light, and most often only result in mild flavor text.

Given the development hell this game has gone through and what feels to me like a desperate attempt to limit scope and streamline the game, I can be disappointed but recognize it is realistic that those cameos are nice icing but not essential to a good story. Use your imagination. I think Mary Kirby said she gets the desire to see characters again, but you should not want them back for the Plot. If they're In The Plot, that usually isn't good for them. Varric. That is what fanfiction is for, so they don't invalidate people's headcanons or how they imagine the world to be.

Which I think they handled what they could well enough. Referring to Divine Victoria is a clean crisp way to let you yourself fill in the blanks. They just have to say Orlais, they don't have to specify whether it's one of 5 potential ruling situations. The more branching possibilities, the more chances for a game to break and I'm sorry it is a fucking MIRACLE this game ran smoothly and perfectly for me from day 1. I'd rather have that than a bug report that if you have a timeline with Old God Keiran, and Gaspard as ruler of Orlais and Divine Vivienne the game crashes and is unplayable.

I'm ok with Utada Hikaru, Simple and Clean writing that covers a lot of bases and lets YOU fill in the gaps yourself so that your world is not invalidated!

I think a lot of people are looking at it saying Bioware has endless EA money and this game had 10 years why couldn't it do Everything AND MORE. When that is not an accurate timeline. This game had 3-4 years of development built on two corpses that also had 2-4 years of development. And you can absolutely feel it sometimes. In that sense, the plot of being a core group of weirdos, trying their best, beset by development hell, met with huge expectations and criticized for it's divergence or lack of inclusion of past game decisions WELCOME DRAGON AGE 2: 2 THE VEILGUARD.

Ok whew I think that's going to be it. I love you goodbye.