#samara appreciation time

[thelilylav]

Y'know what? Fuck it (gives u guys a list of poc artists to listen to cause the white ppl on the music side of tumblr have been embarassing me)

List is under the cut, and warning bc I made it very long

Rock:

Los Abuelos De La Nada

Gesu No Kiwami Otobe

Chuck Berry

Ben E. King

Los Prisoneros

Ahmed Fakroun (ok this one's french art rock but in my book it still counts)

Burnout Syndromes (been fucking w them since I got into Haikyuu lmao)

Infinity Song (their hater song genuinely gets me every time LMAO)

People in the Box

N.E.R.D (my god if u don't know them.. idk dude my brother has been obsessed w them for forever so i just was not getting away regardless lol)

Punk/Punk Rock (& other punk subgenres):

Nova Twins (u must listen to them it's just the way it's gotta be guys)

Rina Sawayama (her hatred of Matty Healy is so attractive. i cannot believe i found her two years ago cause i still remember i would not shut up when i first heard her music it was so good)

BABYMETAL (the way their band name just straight up screams at people gets me every time lmaooo)

Indie:

The Younger Lovers

Mashrou Leila

Stella Jang

Shak SYrn (Jenni is on repeat in my room at any given moment)

Steve Lacy (if u listen to more than just Bad Habit u will find an actuall amazing discography)

Jenny Nuo (i have been OBSESSED w her music since like 2021 ish and it is a crime she hasn't blown up more imo)

Nujabes

Hemlocke Springs (oooo i hate that she does not get more love!!! synth pop and alt indie is such a fun niche like!!!)

Lyn Lapid (in my head she's huge but i have recently learned that artists i think r super popular may be unknown to an entire genre of ppl soo)

Megagonefree (found them on ig and omg!! PLS go check them out genuinely)

boa (i am once again shaming u if u don't know them)

Wallice

JAZZ (in all caps bc I fucking LOVE jazz no it's not dead go listen to jazz rn motherfuckers):

Idris Muhammad

Esperanza Spalding

Joanna Wang (ok she does pop and folk music too but idk she felt most appropriate here)

SAMARA JOY (put. some. respect. on. her. name. i would actually go to war for her i am not kidding. also this is in all caps bc MY MOM GOT TO SEE HER LIVE??? AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO SHE WAS PLS I WAS SO MAD OMGGG but i've been promised tickets next time so we're good)

Sade (my og one and only)

Funk:

Fadoul

George Clinton (i mean he's just a classic yknow)

Parliament (Give Up the Funk can make me dance like no other i swear)

Stevie Wonder (i mean.. like if we're on the topic of classics anyway then...)

Michael Jackson/The Jackson 5 (moreso his earlier stuff if my memory isn't lying to me.. look it's been a second since i listened to mj IM SORRY i am a busy person ok TT)

R&B:

Valerie June

Maxine Nightingale (if u don't listen to her... how do u have fun? actual question i put her on every time i need to feel happy atp)

Boney. M (technically they're reggae but they also count as R&B so idk.. i'm just putting them here if anyone wants me to move them later i will)

Amahla (Ca Suffit was so good and got me to check out the rest of her music, YOU SHOULD TOO!!)

Mary J Blige (not to judge but like... if u don't know THE queen then idk how to help you tbh)

SZA (wouldn't be a list without her in it tbh. i'm in love w her not even joking abt that)

Kali Uchis (to this day i cannot believe i saw her live i'm truly never getting a better moment than that omggg i have such a big crush on her anyway)

Aupinard (if ever u need to just vibe, this is the man u go to.)

Wejdene (TU PARLES AVEC UNE ANISSA MA MOI J'APPELLE WEJDENE- she's been my day 1 since i was like thirteen i can't even lie)

Annisse (just found out she only has like ~500 listeners on spotify??? apparently i'm one of them tho lmao so yeah go get that number up guys i love her too much for this disrespect)

Sister Sledge

Cheryl Lynn

Reggae:

Daddy Yankee (he's an honourable mention cause i couldn't not lmao)

Skindred (they're a reggae/metal fusion band and i will shut up abt them when i'm dead bc Nobody rewired my brain chemistry!!)

Manu Chao

Toquinho (i was so convinced this man was bossa nova but apparently he is reggae and i need to do some music theory review)

Folk:

Sushi Soucy (oh the things I Deserve to Bleed had me going thru in 2020/2021)

Miriam Makeba (Pata Pata should be enough to get anyone listening to her, just saying)

Lead Belly (do urself a favour and do some research on this man, i'm not kidding even if u don't like folk music u should know abt him- ESPECIALLY if u like Nirvana that'll make sense later trust)

Pop:

Corinne Bailey Rae (she has so much good music that gets ignored bc of Put Your Records On so.. yeah go listen to Black Rainbows she's only gotten better as time goes on lol)

Dru (he is for any person who likes ke$ha. i'm so serious he is early 2000s in a bottle and i love his music ur rlly missing out if u ignore him)

Monique Hasbun (found her recently! she's a Palestinian, Mexican and Salvadorian artist who plays around with Latin pop and does a lot of fusion music. she's dope go listen to her fr)

Mohammad Assaf (he made the Palestine song that's been going around ig a lot, but his other stuff is great as well. he's another Palestinian artist, so once again, go check him out!!)

Pinkpanthress (i LOVE her she's so much fun to just vibe to and idk how anyone couldn't have heard of her atp but then again this is the sight that didn't know who drake was so... sigh. go listen to her if u don't already!!)

Aliyah's Interlude (BROOO if u haven't heard of her actually go listen rn i'm so serious she is so good i can'ttttt ok bye)

Veondre (had a collab w Aliyah on It Girl and is gonna be releasing her own music very soon! she's trans too so go give her some love)

Shalco (wasn't sure whether to put him here or in hip hop, but his stuff is very very good either way)

Ado (she's j-pop but it's a form of pop so into the pop category she goes)

Moon (she's got two songs out rn, Moonlight and Seoul City Drift, and both r going on loop in my head at all times)

Jay Chou (call me a basic bitch idc he's good ok)

Atarashii Gakko! (i wouldn't say they're j-pop, but google did, so i'm just going w it lol)

flowerovlove (just trust me on this one)

El Tio Gamboin (Los Gatitos is such a cute song)

Grace Chang (see note for Jay Chou)

King Gnu (for all my j-pop lovers... come get ur man)

Salsa:

Lalo Rodriguez (included this genre specifically so i could mention him)

Adalberto Santiago

Roberto Roena (he's a classic i can't lie)

Hector Lavoe (i think he might be the most popular one in this genre lol)

City Pop (this is its own genre bc i literally did a presentation in high school abt it and i'll be damned if i don't flex my knowledge now):

Mariya Takeuchi

Miki Matsubara (my QUEEN my everything my-)

Anri

Taeko Onuki (one of my most listened to artists last yr for a Reason)

Kaoru Akimoto

Kingo Hamada

Jun Togawa

Bossa Nova:

Joao Gilberto (ooo he gets me every time i fucking love this man)

Elizeth Cardoso

Johnny Alf (forgot this man the first time around my bad BUT he's called the father of bossa nova for a reason so)

Hip Hop:

Flyana Boss (they're sooooo good i actually can't gush enough i have never felt so girlypop listening to music before go listen to them!! found the duo through ig so yeah if u want go follow them on there too to show support)

Lil Uzi Vert (for any emo lovers, go check out his song Werewolf with Bring Me the Horizon it is SO GOOD)

Samyra (she's slowly curing my body dysmorphia lol)

Yame (there's an accent on the e but idk how to do that on tumblr. anyway my ass loves french rap and before him i was stuck with klub des loosers so he saved my faith in the genre i can't even lie)

Lay Bankz (u cannot be chronically online and not have heard Ick yet, but i'm repping her regardless bc SHE'S SO GOOD)

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (HEAR ME OUT-)

Kaliii (Area Codes was one of my most listened to songs last year... as it should be tbh)

Miguel (he does R&B too i just first listened to him bc of his collab w J.Cole sooo)

Tyler the Creator (putting him on here just to brag abt getting to see him in concert lmao)

XXXTentacion (he has been mourned and talked abt an insane amount, but he deserves it i'm not even gonna joke on this one. his artistry is insane and he deserves some love if u haven't listened to him yet)

Kendrick Lamar (i mean i've been reblogging stuff abt him enough. Mr. Morale was actually the album that made me start Listening listening to him and i'm honestly glad it was bc that album is still my favourite to this day if i'm being totally honest)

Renaissauce (criminally and i do mean CRIMINALLY underrated)

[gazasparkle]

My tragedy in a minute 😔

How many times does one expect to die while he is alive !!

I am tired of waiting for death because it is the only way to end this nightmare and this genocide.

Yesterday we went to sleep as usual at nightfall but we did not know what was coming or expect the disaster that would happen to us, as we were bombed and targeted, me and my family directly without warning to evacuate and some of us were injured and we were lucky to stay alive other times 💔

We are now stuck in a very dangerous area and we do not know our fate and how to escape to safety because there is an Israeli sniper targeting everything that passes in front of him, and the smell of blood fills the roads because ambulances are unable to reach us.

So my family and I decided to stay where we are, perhaps it is the best option for us to stay alive.

This scene is not the first or the last.. It has been repeated for a year now..

I ask you to help me so that I can help my family in the northern Gaza Strip so that we can stay safe to support ourselves again.

I hope you share my campaign with all your friends and donate 🔗to save us, with my appreciation and thanks 🇵🇸🫂

🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗

[sky-scribbles]

You know what I really appreciate about Kaidan's character arc? He gets a story about finding self-acceptance and letting himself let go and feel things - but at the same time, he still gets to be an introvert. He still gets to be, in his words, someone who isn't 'the life of the party, who has a lot of friends'.

I mean - in ME1, Kaidan fully admits to a romanced Shepard that he doesn't feel human. When he killed Vyrnnus, he became someone Rahna was afraid of, someone she saw as dangerous... so he holds himself to nigh-impossible standards. 'You never let yourself lose control,' Shepard tells him. He's very, very indirect in a lot of his conversations with Shep, because he's trying so hard not to be too direct, too forward; he's constantly polite and disciplined and professional because he can't be a problem. He can't let anyone see him as unpredictable or dangerous because that's when they start seeing you as terrifying. That's when people you love look at you like you're not human.

But Shepard can encourage him to let himself feel, and show it - 'I might need to loosen up. A little,' he admits, sheepishly - and when you see him again on Horizon, he lets his feelings be open and messy and a Problem. By ME3, he's completely embracing his nature as a biotic, gleefully letting everyone know at the Citadel party that he can Reave now, joining in with the other biotics roasting James in the 'biotics vs strength' argument. He's accepted himself, he knows his friends accept him, and he's letting himself laugh and drink and dance like a complete dork, and he's grown so much, and yet -

And yet, he's still a fundamentally quiet, self-contained person. Maybe I'm just jaded from all the media where introverted characters get told to loosen up, and then they suddenly realise that they do want to be the life of the party now actually. But Kaidan? Kaidan hangs out in the observation deck, perhaps the quietest part of the Normandy - the same place where Samara spent her time, a place where no other characters are present. (Ashley, in comparison, spends a lot of time hanging out in the bar, where there are constantly other characters around). Kaidan's Citadel hangout with Shepard? He doesn't head out onto the Silversun Strip with you like many of the other characters; his ideal evening is cooking a meal for his friend/partner and having a chill time with the two of you. A lot of the conversations you have with him on board ship are quiet, introspective. His hangout place on the Citadel is a quiet Presidium cafe.

It's just... comforting to me. He grows, but he doesn't have to change who he fundamentally is, y'know? ME3 Kaidan is more confident and sociable and (despite everything) happy than ME1 Kaidan, but he's still a guy who's not fond of too much lights or noise or crowds, who's soft-spoken and sensitive, who gets caught up in his own thoughts sometimes. I just really appreciate that.

[sirianasims]

Chapter 44.5

I get almost halfway through the take before I stumble over my words. With a deep breath, I reach over and stop the recording. Again. I wonder how real actors can stand this, repeating their lines over and over, but quickly veer sharply away from that particular line of thought.

I hit the record button with a little more force than strictly necessary, watching the monitor as it opens a new file for the fifteenth time today. With another deep breath I paste on a smile that gets less convincing for each take.

“Hi guys, it’s Julia!” I chirp, my voice sounding unnaturally upbeat, even to me. I launch into the introduction, trying to hit that sweet spot where it still sounds natural and improvised, as if I hadn’t rehearsed it all morning.

This time, I manage to maintain a smooth delivery from beginning to end, no fumbling, no awkward pauses. Relief washes over me, until I glance at the small mirror under my camera.

One side of my eyeliner is smudged, the wings embarrassingly lopsided and uneven. I finally got my perfect take – and it’s useless. Of course.

I hammer the button to stop recording and toss a mascara onto the table with a clatter. My eyes are burning, and it’s not just from the brightness of the ring light. I grab a makeup wipe and erase any trace of the effort I put in this morning as I shut down the camera. No more today. My heart’s clearly not in it right now.

I head into the living room and sink onto my couch with a weary sigh, phone in hand. Marten still hasn’t replied to the text I sent him several hours ago, before I started recording. Now that we’re official, I figured we’d be texting and talking even more often. Instead, I almost feel more isolated than before. It’s only been a week since our first kiss, shouldn’t this be the giddy honeymoon stage?

I guess I can’t expect him to clear his entire schedule just because I finally decided to sleep with him, but still, I would have liked to see him again this weekend, spend more time together, reassure myself that the feelings – his or mine, I don’t know – are real.

I try to get a few cute selfies. My hair’s still decent, but without the makeup, I look… well, tired. I choose the least unflattering one and send it to Marten.

After a long pause, my phone finally vibrates. “You’re so pretty, Jules. Miss you too. Busy w/ study group, talk later!”

I stare at the message for a few seconds, chewing my lower lip. Somehow, it’s not the enthusiastic, all-in response I crave. He always says that he misses me, but he’s extremely slow to respond most of the time. I get it, his studies are demanding. But is it wrong for me to want more attention? More… appreciation that I’m dating him?

I feel a flutter of guilt. Do I seriously want him to feel grateful? Ugh, I sound like such a diva. I scroll through my favourites, stopping at Samara’s name. She’s visiting her family this weekend, so that’s a dead end. The quiet of my apartment presses in, the air thick with a loneliness that’s becoming too familiar.

On an impulse, I text Miranda instead, and my phone rings seconds later.

“Hey, girl!” Miranda’s voice crackles through the speaker, bright and cheery as always. “What’s up?” Her excitement makes me smile. Maybe some of that energy will rub off on me.

“Not much, to be honest. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! Perfect timing. I was just unboxing some new items for a brand deal and I’d love a second opinion. Come over!”

“I’ll be there soon,” I say.

I can always finish the video later.

It’s impossible to be sad for long in Miranda’s apartment. The moment you step inside, it’s like an explosion of colourful curiosities, framed posters, soft pillows and plants, so many plants. This place is all Miranda, loud and unapologetic.

Her cat, Socks, is curled up in her usual spot on the couch and I’m very careful not to intrude on her space as I cross my legs. At best, that would earn me a scathing look of absolute disdain, and at worst, she’d get up and leave, her tiny furry body radiating contempt.

Miranda has placed two steaming mugs of coffee in front of us, along with some fruit and chocolate.

“Thank you so much for having me over, Mir. I spent all morning messing up a recording and I was slowly going insane.”

“You’re welcome, I appreciate the excuse to procrastinate.” She indicates her unboxing table across the room with a toss of her head. “Got a brand deal, I’ve only worked with them once before, and I really need to get it right. They’re extremely picky, last time I had to redo the video like seven times before they approved it.”

“Ouch. But I guess they were happy in the end, if they offered you a second deal?”

“They were very happy, but it’s still a lot of pressure. So I’m postponing that particular problem until tomorrow, the light is better early in the day anyway. But how are you doing, really?”

The genuine concern in her voice makes me fold immediately.

“Honestly, I kind of hate everything right now. It’s like nothing really makes me happy, even though it should. I mean, I finally hit a hundred thousand followers, I got a new boyfriend, things should be amazing. But no matter what I make, it feels forced, and Marten… I don’t know. I can’t quite get a read on him, I kinda wonder if he even actually likes me.”

“Well, maybe he’s not as intense as… as what you’ve been used to, but he’s clearly obsessed with you. I don’t think we’ve ever hung out without him texting you at least two or three times, and that was before you even started dating.”

“Yeah, you’re right, maybe I’m comparing. I guess it’s too soon to worry about it, it’s only been a week. It’s probably just work dragging me down.”

Miranda looks thoughtful. “Would you rather go back to your old content?”

I shake my head. “No. It’s too niche, I was struggling to reach fifty thousand followers back then, and I’ve already doubled that since switching. I need to stick to something with a wider appeal if I want it to be viable.”

“OK, thought experiment – if money wasn’t an issue, what would you do? No limits, you can do whatever you want?”

The vision bursts into my head, unbidden. I’ve moved to Del Sol Valley, I’m working on movie costumes, maybe musicals or theatre too, and I walk the red carpet in a stunning gown, and Paul is there, and of course he sees me and deeply regrets ever leaving me. Then I force him to explain himself and either slap him or kiss him – or both – and…

“I don’t know.”

“Really? Seriously, Julia, anything goes?”

I force the fantasy out of my head and try to be realistic. “I think I just miss being a little more creative. I don’t want my whole rebrand to go to waste, but maybe I could make it a bit more… fun?”

“Well, that’s pretty doable, isn’t it? I’ve been thinking we could do a collab, maybe it’d shake up the format a little and you could do something new.”

Next to me, the cat purrs contentedly, oblivious to the mild existential crisis swirling in my head. “I really appreciate you wanting to help, but I’m a bit worried it’ll look like you’re just boosting me. You’ve got ten times the followers I do, I don’t want pity views.”

Miranda chuckles. “Oh, girl, no. I’m your friend, but if I didn’t like your content, I wouldn’t risk associating with it, you know? This collab is just as much for me as it is for you.”

I manage a half-smile. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“I’m serious, Julia. You always bring something unique and creative, and maybe it could be a stepping stone for you to add a bit more colour to your channel?”

“You’re right, and I really don’t want to sound ungrateful. This is just so far from what I used to do, I’m struggling to figure out how to combine it.”

Miranda nods. “I get it. But sometimes you have to try a couple different paths before landing on the perfect blend of what you love doing and what actually gets traction. You’ll figure it out.”

Next to me, Socks seems to have gotten bored with her nap. Her ears twitch, and in one fluid motion, she hops off the couch.

We both turn our heads to watch as she leaps onto the small presentation table where a pair of pink boots are ready for Miranda’s video.

“Oh no,” Miranda mutters. “She’s gonna cost me a deal if she touches those.”

The cat sniffs at the box, then at the shiny leather. I’m halfway across the couch when Socks swats at the lid, her claws catching in the wrapping paper.

“Socks, no!” Miranda yelps, leaping to her feet. The cat immediately backs off and starts washing herself, clearly offended that we would ever think she had any interest in the shoe box at all.

Miranda sinks back into the couch as Socks jumps off the table and we both burst into relieved giggles.

“She’s such a menace. Anyway, about the collab…”

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[everygame]

Special Delivery: Santa’s Christmas Chaos (C64)

Developed/Published by: Dalali Software / Creative Sparks (Thorn EMI Computer Software) Released: 1984 Completed: 05/12/2024 Completion: Got a high score of 8750. I’ll take it!

Writing about old video games for an audience of very few could seem like a thankless task–especially when they’re as awful as Christmas Crackers. But there’s a reason I do it. One, I just love playing games, even if they’re so crap I give up on them in minutes. Two, I just love learning. I love discovery, I love finding out things that are new to me about video games and their history. And sometimes, if I’m lucky, I find out some things that no one has really paid attention to before.

I never thought playing a completely random Christmas cash-in on C64 would bring me anything like that.

Special Delivery: Santa’s Christmas Chaos is a game for C64, Spectrum and Atari 8-Bit released by Dalali Software under Thorn EMI’s “Creative Sparks” imprint. At the time it sank without trace due to, apparently, a lack of marketing. After playing it–and I will get into that–I did my usual investigation into the developer, and was quite prepared to dismiss Dalali as one of the many fly-by-night British game developers of the 1980s–they appeared to be only a going concern between 1984 and 1989 and didn’t have any particularly notable games to their name. They were responsible for ports of Rescue On Fractalus and Lilttle Computer People to Amstrad CPC, but largely seem to have had the bad luck of being most related to 1986’s Biggles game. The weirdest thing about that is that not only did I really like the movie on which it was based (which I’m sure no one else remembers but me) when I was a kid, watching it on telly several times, I’ve actually played the game! It was on Amstrad Action #68’s covertape (along with How To Be A Complete Bastard!) and, as vague as my memories of it are now, I’m sure I played it loads of times. Less than How To Be A Complete Bastard, admittedly.

This led me to dig a little further, and sometimes things just fall into place, because I found an astonishingly in-depth article from Sham Mountebank’s When Were They Now? blog (a new one to me) all about Dalali. I think Mountebank slightly buries the lede however, because digging into the linked articles it seems absolutely remarkable that Dalali is not only in the ranks of the earliest companies to have been founded (or co-founded) by a woman, but very likely the first game company founded by a Palestinian: Hanan Samara.

Hanan Samara, pictured in Computer & Video Games March 1985.

Game companies had been co-founded by women before–most famously Sierra, by Roberta Williams and her husband Ken in 1979–but I think Samara’s story might be unique.  According to an interview with ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast she believes she might have been the first female assembly programmer in the UK, starting out by converting software to work for the Arabic market. Moving to work for Thorn EMI, she’d see a Humpty Dumpty puzzle game–programmed by her future husband(!) Chris James–and be ���hooked.”

After coding Jumbo Jet Pilot for Atari 8-Bit for Thorn EMI, it seems that she made the leap to founding Dalali–named for her mother’s maiden name (as her mother said go for it, while her dad said to get a job at IBM...) with another ex-employee, Adrian Wadley.

Something I really appreciate about Samara’s story is that she immediately brought herself to game design, with Dalali’s first game “Jinn Genie”. While this kind of Arabic-theming undoubtedly seems stereotypical today, in an interview with Popular Computing Weekly it is clear that this is an early example of someone trying to represent their culture via the art of video games:

“Jinn Genie is a game that incorporates many of the basic myths and children’s stories of my culture–I am an Arab, a Palestinian, and all the ideas of genies and so on are familiar to me.”

Jinn Genie, on C64.

The most disappointing thing, to me, is that Samara is, at this point, unheralded outside of a blog post, one short podcast, and about… three short articles featuring three pictures that can be found on archive.org! She’s one of the UK’s earliest female programmers, game designers and founders, perhaps the first Palestinian game developer, and she has managed to run Dalali since 1984 because it’s still going–they just stopped making games.

Samara’s story isn’t mine to tell, so I hope that institutions like GDC, The Video Game History Foundation or The Strong can find out more and champion her. Figures such as Muriel Tramis have gone from overlooked to winning the Legion of Honour, and if I can help get the word out about Hanan Samara, just a little bit, I’ll feel I’ve done my part.

But I know what you’re asking now.

“But how good is Special Delivery: Santa’s Christmas Chaos???”

So let's return to regular programming. First, I’m going to note that I believe I have played the wrong version of this. When it came to games, Samara was an Atari 8-bit coder, and it is absolutely transparent that Special Delivery is based entirely on Jinn Genie–both feature a flying section, a climbing section, and a section with floors and ladders. It does feel like I should have played the Atari 8-bit version to experience the most representative version, as I did with playing the C64 version of Pirates, let’s say.

(It’s worth mentioning here also that the ANTIC podcast–recorded seven years ago now–even notes that the version of Jinn Genie that Samara coded, for the Atari 8-bit, seems to be lost, although Samara does say that she has a copy of it somewhere. Aforementioned institutions could probably help with that too. What that largely means, though, is that the Atari 8-bit version of Special Delivery is the closest you can get to playing the original Jinn Genie.)

To be fair, the C64 version seems pretty close to the original (the ZX Spectrum port is… not).

As I’ve said previously, my expectations for a Chrimbo cash-in have been low, and no matter how much this is sort of a reskin of a previous game, that it’s got an idea and an actual design exceeds anything I’ve expected. At first glance you might go “well, isn’t this just Santa Claus again?” (or even Santa’s Sleigh Ride.) But it’s honestly much more–even if it is still a bit weird.

In Special Delivery, you’re first flying across the screen in Santa’s (somewhat confusingly drawn) sleigh, collecting presents that… angels are dropping. Which implies that this is in fact the historical Saint Nicolas, or maybe I’m just overthinking it. You’re trying to collect a target number of presents, but you lose them if you crash into clouds (odd) or accidentally collect a demonic present dropped by a devil (who appear rarely, but look very much like angels, annoyingly.) Losing presents won’t kill you, but Santa has a set amount of hours in the night, and you lose an hour if you get struck by the lightning that occasionally appears from the strangely firm clouds.

If you collect enough presents, you get to land on a big house to put presents under the tree. First this requires you climb down the chimney, which in this situation is: huge, full of ladders, and lit so flames keep climbing the ladders that you have to dodge. Once you’ve done that, you’re actually in the house, where you have to Solid Snake your way to the tree, drop off the present, grab the front door key, and then leave through the front door, while the residents run wildly from one room to the next, seemingly out of their nut with either excitement for Christmas or hatred for Santa. Get hit by a flame or grabbed by a resident and you’ll lose an hour.

Interestingly, if you don’t collect enough presents, you don’t get to go into any big houses, but you do get to drop presents down the chimney of some wee houses. You only really pick up big points for going into big houses, which raises the concerning idea that Santa only gives a fuck about you if you’re rich enough to live in a big house.

But to be fair, the people in big houses seem absolutely determined to not get pressies, keeping their fires roaring and attacking Santa on sight, so perhaps he just likes the challenge. “I hope Santa doesn’t show up” they’re saying, “we’ve got all the stuff we need in this big house. We don’t need wooden toys or whatever the historic Saint Nick would be handing out, he should give those to the poor people in the wee houses.”

More fool them, I checked Wikipedia and he was dropping off bags of gold coins through people’s windows. (Admittedly to stop them being sold into prostitution.)

Anyway. Even before I knew the exciting context for Special Delivery, I was struck by how… weirdly ok it was! Maybe it’s just how bad the other Santa-em-ups have been (well, I guess I didn’t hate Merry Xmas Santa) but the different sections largely make sense together, undoubtedly because it’s based on Jinn Genie. The main problem really is that it just doesn’t control very well. Flying the sleigh is stiff, and when you’re actually controlling Santa himself, he reacts very slowly to your input, meaning you have to time presses based on the lag, and I probably lost most of my lives in the chimneys as a result–it might be better on the Atari 8-Bit, so more fool me.

Special Delivery is not really the kind of thing that’s going to hold your attention for very long, but it does actually manage to be playable and feels properly festive. I’ll celebrate that.

Will I ever play it again? I was surprised to see a non-zero number of people say online that playing this is a bit of a Christmas tradition. Well, I don’t think I will be taking it up, but I do fancy playing Jinn Genie at some point now--maybe once that Atari 8-bit version is found!

Final Thought: In my research I was surprised to discover not only had I played a Dalai Software game before, I’d also played a Creative Sparks game, similarly loads of times: Danger Mouse In Double Trouble. Strangely, it has the same multi-game design as this (and I guess, a lot of the computer games of the era) but suffered a lot more for them not having any meaningful connection and mostly being rubbish. Even as a child I remember enjoying just the jungle level and suffering through the rest to get through that. The things you’ll do when you’ve got nothing else as a child.

Every Game I’ve Finished 14>24 is OUT NOW! You can pick it up in paperback, kindle, or epub/pdf. You can also support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up digital copies of exp., a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Rebuild & Restore - Social Media Wars 6

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

❤ Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤ 

All OC Characters belong to me

All Falls Down (Prequel)

Series Masterlist

uceyjucey

liked by trinity_fatu, jonathanfatu, and 300,000 others

uceyjucey: @kiyanafatu_ I promise to be the man you deserve. I promise that this time around, things will be different. I will learn from our past and use it to build an even stronger future filled with love, understanding, and joy. I vow to never take you for granted, to always appreciate you, and to show up for you—through the laughter, the tears, and every moment in between. Its just me and you baby (and our kids) K+J 4Ever ❤️

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trinity_fatu: this is so sweet! I'm rooting for yall! 💞

marraaa_ 💞

kiyannafatu_ : i love you so much! K+J 4Ever

kiyanafatu_

liked by marraaa_, trinity_fatu and 130,000 others

kiyanafatu_ Panama was a success! 📸: @ uceyjucey

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uceyjucey: THATS ALL ME RIGHT THERE! YEET! 😍

↪ kiyanafatu_ 😘

trinity_fatu: i bet it was a success 🤭

↪kiyanafatu_ 🤫🤣

kiyanafatu_

liked by marraaa_, trinity_fatu and 100,000 others

kiyanafatu_ 🫢👶🏽

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marraaa_ I told you to stop eating those pumpkin seeds smh! 🤣

TalisuaFatu another grandbaby! 💞

trinity_fatu: @ uceyjucey stay off her OMG! 😳

↪ uceyjucey hell naw! have you seen HER?!

romanreigns: congratulations! always happy to have more lil uces running around 💙

kiyanafatu_ added to their story!

🤭

I strive to be as petty as Samara and Kiyana one day!

the last chapter is in its final stages and will hopefully be up within' the next couple of days! ❤️

🏷️: @christinabae @southerngirl41 @reci1996 @empressdede @harmshake

@theninthwonder @alyyaanna @nbanenefrmdao @raya-hunter01 @msbigredmachine

@paigereeder @amandairene88 @woahthatshitfat @allmyn1ghts @reignsboy19

@cyberdejos2 @saintaquarius @bebesobrielo @scarlettnoir01 @alichesmi

@xiamentshoneypot @hunnidmilly @jeyusos-girl @li-da-savage @jaethaone

@black-yn @mzv11 @shantinextdoor @sheydnni @thatone-girly

@xmonetsworld @jeysbae @kill-the-artiste @simpin4pixles @mindairy

@vebner37 @trashbin-nie @adoreesun @shayaaaaaaa @angiedawn02

@rianasixx @bookuce @sageispunk @yourbane @yana3sworld

@kat3457 @queeny23 @privateeyed95 @melonberry @xbriexx

@rebelrel0987 @mymyhhxoxo

[tearsaura]

Holding the enemy in my arms // Garrick Tavis x reader

A/N: Based on this request. I hope you like it. I didn't want to take to long on getting this out

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: Iron Flame spoilers, angst, death

Picture is from pinterest: kateslibb

Garrick Tavis has cried twice in his life.

~Basgiath War College, 12 hours ago~

He quickly found her in an abandoned hall, grabbed her by the shoulder, his arm pressing her by the neck to the wall behind them and holding a dagger to her throat with the other.

‘How could you do this?’ Garrick had never shed a tear in front of anyone else before. He hadn't even cried at his parents’ execution, not wanting to give Generals the satisfaction. But right now? Pressing her to the wall, the women whom he loved so dearly, who he had pictured a life with? Getting married, having kids, and living at each other’s side? She looked so much like the y/n he knew, if it wasn't for the bloodshed eyes, she looked just like the girl he fell in love with.

‘You wouldn't understand.’ she gasped, her hands grabbing desperately at his arm. ‘Try me. You had me thinking you were dead. You had your Dragon thinking that you were dead, your friends! Was it worth betraying all of us? Ruining what we had? Answer!’ he shouted. The next moment, his back hit the opposite wall, knocking the air out of his lung and she had disappeared.

~Basgiath War Collage, 6 Months ago~

‘Gods your stance is terrible how did you survive your first year?’ Garrick laughed as he watched her take position. ‘I survived just fine.’ she grinned at him. ‘Well, this won’t last you for long let me show you How you're supposed to do it.’ he said, standing behind her and repositioning her arms. ‘Why Thank you, section leader. Or shall I start calling you Lieutenant?’ ‘Stop teasing, concentrate.’ He tsked, pressing a quick kiss on her temple. ‘Thank you for helping me.’ she whispered in that gentle tone of hers, making Garrick weak in the knees. ‘Of course, my love. You don't have to thank me I am doing this for selfish reasons: I need you to survive what's coming.’ he said, unaware that he was, in fact, holding the enemy in his arms.

‘Can't you be stationed here? I'll miss you.’ she complained. ‘I wish I could stay with you, my love. But you know I can't. I'll write to you all the time I promise. Maybe we'll be able to smuggle out occasionally when Xaden comes to visit.’ ‘Or we could get our dragons to fall for each other and become mates? Then we'd be able to visit each other to! We still have time-‘ ‘I appreciate your effort, but you know this doesn't work that way.’ he replied and Y/N turned around in his arms, putting hers around his neck. ‘Just promise me we'll figure this out.’ she whispered, looking at him through her lashes. ‘We will. I promise.’ he whispered back and interlocked his lips with hers.

~Riorson House, Aretia, four months ago~

Garrick ran through the corridors of the Riorson house, frantically searching for her y/h/c standing out in the massive groups of cadets that stood around all the place, with no success. His frantic search came to a halt when he spotted her friends. She'd have to be here. There was no way she wouldn't have come. Was she okay? Did she survive?

With big steps he approached them, his heart falling when he saw she wasn't among them. ‘Violet? Have you seen y/n?’ he asked the younger Girl, who just shook her head, the worry in her eyes matching Garrick’s. ‘No, I- I'm sorry we didn't see her. She was nowhere to be found.’ she replied. ‘We searched all over.’ If his heart hadn't given out before, it sure did when he heard those words.

Samara is here Chardh echoed in his head and Garrick made haste to get outside, up to where the Dragons stood. Chardh stood next to Samara, whom had her head low to the ground. She cannot get to her.

~Basgiath War Collage, 13 hours ago~

‘According to Barlowes Memories, he planted lures all over the college and up the path to the vale.’ Aetos started explaining. ‘How could he have done it by himself?’ Someone chimed in. ‘He didn't.’ Dain began, hesitating. ‘Which leads me to the next point: He- he had help from Y/L/N. I don't know for how long she has been turned into a venin or where she is right now. We presumed her for dead. I saw where Barlowe put most of the lure boxes but not all of them. And we can't figure out where Y/L/N has put them without finding her...’

Garrick blended the rest of it out. He suddenly felt dizzy, his vision turning black, and his hands started shaking. That couldn't be. She'd never do that. ‘Garrick?’ he turned to his best friend, who looked at him with his usual expressionless stare. Bodhi on the other hand had it written all over his face how sorry he felt.

He ignored their stares, tracking back all the times he shared with her. Was she a venin when he first told her that he loved her, when he helped her train, when they shared their first kiss together? Or was she turned when half of the college left for Aretia? Or was that the reason why she hadn't come at all? How come no one ever noticed her eyes where red? Once the briefing was over, he was the first who left the room, beginning his hunt.

~Basgiath War College, Present~

Garrick shook his head, focusing on the task at his hands, his mission clear: buy time, to get the wards back up. There were a dozen wyvern flying directly towards him and Chradh. There were no other Cadets or Riders near him: leaving him at a clear disadvantage. He threw a dagger towards the first venin, missing the target by mere inches, the metal falling.

‘You should forfeit Rider. Maybe then we will spare your life.’ they said, a disturbing grin spreading across their face. Chradh continued to breath fire, without no luck, and attacked the wyvern at its neck. Just as Garrick stood up on Cradh's back, ready to start another attack. Before he could do anything, a dagger came flying, piercing the Venins, falling off. In mere seconds, the other Venins followed. The Lieutenant turned his head to see the source of the flying dagger, his eyes widening. ‘Are you okay?’ y/n asked, flying closer to him. Chardh growled, ready to attack her but Garrick quickly interfered.

End her. She betrayed you. She betrayed Samara. She betrayed all of us. She will be our downfall.

‘How is it possible that Samara assumed you were dead?’ ‘You clearly don't know enough about Venins. My magic helped me build shields strong enough that she could've never find or get to me.’ ‘Why did you kill them?’ ‘Really? You want to discuss this now? I will explain to you everything once we're done.’ she stated to him and turned then to Chardh.  ‘The lure boxes I put out are very weak but all near the hall.’ And with that, she left them, closely missing the weapon one of the venin had throwed at her.

Garrick couldn't keep the grin off his face. She is helping them. She is fighting against her own to help them. He was overwhelmed with a new burst of energy and ready to take on the venin that came flying directly towards him. He didn't see the other one coming, one hand raised and pulling on of the daggers from Garrick towards him, then aiming it at Garrick. Before he could retrieve another dagger, a dark figure passed by him, taking the dagger at the chest, and plummeting to the ground. Garrick only saw the familiar y/h/c hair, and sped down after her, his heart falling even deeper.

Once Chardh caught up with her, he grabed her carefully by her body and lowered them to the ground, putting her down as gently as possible. Garrick quickly got off, sliding to the girl, grabbing her by the upper body, positioning her head on his lap. She was still breathing, and Garrick held his hand on her chest, desperately trying to put pressure on her wound, tears streaming down his face.

‘How could you do that? We could've gotten you back.’ ‘This is war. I had to do what had to be done. There's no cure.’ she replied. Her breath becoming shallower with every second. The other venins layed around, all dead. They must've raised the wards.

Call for Brennan! Call for Brennan!!

On it.

‘You'll get over me. I promise you. You'll meet someone that doesn't cause you the pain I caused. They're going to make you happy. I promise you'll be fine.’ y/n said, cradling his cheek with a shaking hand giving him a smile. Garrick shook his head violently. ‘You can't cry over me. I am not worth crying over.’ ‘Noone is going to make me happier than you did. I love you and I don't take anything you have done for granted. I could never. None of us do. You can't leave me now that I have you back, please I love you.’ ‘I will watch over you, I promise. I love you too.’ she said, her eyes going blank, as she took her final breath.

As the Cadets and Riders were celebrating inside, there was no sound to be heard outside, other than Garrick’s painful roar, triggering the same one from Chradh.

[thollandsgirl2013]

𝐍𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬

Parings → Dad! Tom Holland x Mum! Reader

Warnings → none

Summary → Your son, Theo doesn't like it when his dad kisses you. He thinks it's gross.

You were in the kitchen, making lunch, when Tom sneaked up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close. You smiled, feeling the warmth of his embrace as he pressed a soft kiss to your cheek.

“Mmm, what was that for?” You asked, leaning into him.

“Just because,” Tom whispered, turning your head gently and capturing your lips in a sweet kiss. Before you could deepen it, you heard a loud groan from the living room.

“Ewww! Mummy! Daddy! Stop that!” Theo whined, his little voice filled with disgust.

You both turned to see your five-year-old son, Theo, standing there with his hands dramatically covering his eyes. His toy cars, now forgotten, lay scattered around him as he peeked through his fingers, making sure you weren’t kissing anymore. “That’s gross! No more kissing!”

Tom laughed, pulling away slightly but still keeping his arm around your waist. “What’s wrong, mate? It’s just a kiss.”

Theo shook his head, his face scrunched up. “Mummy is mine, not yours, Daddy!”

“Oh, is that so?” Tom teased, raising an eyebrow. He leaned in again and gave you another quick kiss, this time on your forehead, knowing full well it would drive Theo crazy.

“Daddyyyyyy!” Theo wailed, covering his eyes again. “You’re not listening!”

But while Theo whined, Samara, your three-year-old daughter, was sitting on the floor nearby, clapping her little hands and giggling. “Yay! Kissy, kissy!” She cheered, her face lighting up with joy. “Again, Daddy!”

Tom grinned, clearly enjoying the split reactions of his kids. “See? At least Sammy appreciates me.”

Samara continued to clap and giggle, her laughter contagious. “More kissy! Daddy woves Mama!” She chanted.

Theo, still covering his eyes, groaned even louder. “Nooooo! No more kissing! It’s gross! Mummy is mine! You can’t kiss her, Daddy!”

You couldn’t help but laugh, reaching down to scoop Theo into your arms. “Oh, my baby boy,” you said, kissing his cheek. “You’ll always be my baby, but Daddy can give me kisses too, okay?”

Theo squirmed in your arms, wiping off your kiss with the back of his hand. “Only my kisses, Mummy. Daddy’s kisses are yucky.”

Tom feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart. “Yucky? Well, guess I’ll have to kiss Mummy more just to prove you wrong.” He leaned in, pretending to go for another kiss.

Theo shrieked, covering his face once again. “Nooo! Cooties!”

Samara was now practically bouncing in place, clapping her hands even harder. “Yayy!”

You laughed, pulling Theo closer to calm him down, while Tom scooped up Samara, spinning her around as she giggled in delight.

“Well, I guess Samara and I are on the same team,” Tom said, kissing her forehead. “Right, Sammy?”

“Yeah, daddy!” Samara cheered, her tiny arms wrapping around Tom’s neck.

Theo, still not having it, pointed a finger at Tom. “No kissing Mummy, Daddy! Or I’ll… I’ll tell Grandma!”

Tom gasped dramatically, pretending to be scared. “Oh no, not Grandma! Anything but that!”

You shook your head, still smiling. “Alright, no more kisses in front of Theo,” you said, winking at Tom.

But as soon as Theo turned around to go back to his toys, Tom leaned in and quickly kissed you on the lips again. Theo spun back, his face scrunched up in exaggerated frustration.

“Daddyyyyy!”

Tom laughed, pulling you closer. “Sorry, buddy, but I can’t help it. Your mummy’s just too kissable.”

As Theo continued to protest, and Samara cheered for more kisses, you couldn’t help but chuckle at your chaotic little family.

°:. *₊ ° . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ° .•

[callsign-rogueone]

letters from samara - g.t.

Garrick Tavis x reader (Angel!) part of my Valentine’s Day celly! 💕 words: 1.0k 🏷: FOURTH WING AND IRON FLAME SPOILERS, part of my Garrick and Angel series, so read that first for context! no other warnings, just kinda soft and sad.

Someone drops a thick envelope onto the table in front of you. “From Samara. They said it was important.”

Samara. Brennan had told you that’s where Garrick and Xaden are. Your hands shake as you open the seal, but you relax at the familiar slant of Garrick’s handwriting. 

My angel,

I will start with what I know you’re most worried about: I am alive, I am safe, and so is X. He’s brooding in the corner of the room right now -- he’s not taking it well being apart from Vi, but command has allowed them visits every two weeks for Tairn and Sgaeyl’s sakes. 

We both miss you more than words can describe. I wish I could have said goodbye before we left, or that we could have taken you with us, but X wouldn’t hear arguments from anyone. I have never seen him that serious about anything before. 

I’m so sorry, angel. For all of it, everything. You didn’t deserve to be put through any of that, and I know how deeply it hurt you. It was terrifying to see you that way, so drained and cold. I can’t imagine what it felt like. 

Promise me you’ll take care of yourself, my love. You are the most kindhearted person I’ve ever known, and I love that about you, but you have to think of your own needs as well. You deserve peace and rest, especially now. Sleep in as long as you want, make time for your meditation. I’m sure the gardens would appreciate your attention as well; I swear you could make roses grow in dry sand as long as you smiled at them every day. 

I couldn’t bear to burn anything of yours, knowing that your heart still beats. I kept the things I thought to be most important to you and took them here with me. I will return them to you as soon as I can, but they are a comfort to me now — my room here feels like it did at Basgiath, with little touches of you scattered around. I keep watching the door, thinking that any moment you’ll come knocking to walk to class with me, or if I reach across the bed in the morning, you’ll be beside me again. I don’t know when I’ll see you next, but I know in my heart that I will. There is nothing and no-one that could keep me from you. 

Yours always,

G

On the sheet below, another.

Until I can lay by your side and tell you about my days, I’ll keep writing to you about them instead.

Being here feels like being a fresh cadet all over again, but different -- bottom of the food chain, getting the shifts nobody wants, but at least we don’t have to constantly prove our strength like we did in our first year at Basgiath, and we already have our dragons. 

One of Chradh’s relatives is here, which is cool. I think they’re cousins? They look damn near identical. I walked up to the wrong one on the flight line the other day -- thankfully the guy has a better sense of humor than Chradh, but I’m never making that mistake again.

Every rider here seemed to know exactly who we were when we arrived. Some of them have been more subtle with their distaste for us than others, but nobody’s been dumb enough to try anything -- probably because we look like we can fight, and because Sgaeyl is fucking terrifying, even more so now that she’s separated from Tairn. 

I just got off a 12-hour patrol shift, and I’m exhausted, but it’s hard to sleep without you here. I don’t think we’ve ever been apart this long in our lives. Being without either of you has never even felt like a possibility before; it’s always been us three together through the good and the bad. Someday it’ll be like that again, I know it will.

Brennan is the best mender I have ever known. If you choose, he can help you strengthen your ability, but please don’t push yourself too far. I need you to be in one piece when I get back. 

There are three more sheets underneath, one in Xaden’s rough script and two more from Garrick, the last dated four days ago -- likely the day he’d sent it. 

You realize what an incredible risk it was to write to you at all. It wouldn’t take a genius to put together that X is Xaden, that you’re hiding in Aretia, that you’d faked your death, or rather that your friends had faked it for you. How many hands did these pages pass through to reach you? How many others out there are on your side? 

You bring a hand up to cover your yawn, realizing how tired you are. The sun has gone down, a small mage light the only thing illuminating the corner of the study that you occupy. It’s likely nearing midnight.

“The letters and the books will still be there in the morning,” Tab says gently. “Sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

You look down at the torn piece of fabric you’ve been staring at for the last four hours. It has not yet sewn itself back together, no matter how hard you concentrated or “cleared your mind”, how gently you touched it. You’d even asked it nicely, but it did not dignify you with a response.

You set the letters aside for a moment, stacking up the books that you’d found in the house’s library about mending and placing them in a neat pile in the corner of the table you’ve been sitting at every evening for the last week. You fold the black cotton into quarters, setting it atop the pile -- you’ll try again tomorrow.

You can’t help but smile as you tuck the letters back into the envelope, brushing your fingers over the wax seal.

Garrick is right, this is the longest you’ve ever been apart, but as you gaze out the window into the starry sky, holding the letters he’d written you, the distance between you doesn’t seem that far.

[ozzgin]

I also had a Yandere Eyeless Jack meets Y/N as an entity/spirit is very similar to Sadako the ring girl. However, more playful and dangerous. Y/N is different from Sadako or Samara. Y/N wants to play a dreadful games with EJ.

So I did start writing this with Sadako in mind, although I ended up with a more generic kind of reader whose background isn’t very clear. I found the lack of details to be more interesting, since it’s up to you to decide what kind of devilish entity this reader is. It’s also heavily focused on their encounter rather than overall headcanons.

Yandere! Eyeless Jack x Haunting! Reader

Featuring Eyeless Jack and a ghoulish reader that just found a new favorite target. Warning: mentions of violence and death

[Horror Masterlist]

Well, this is awkward. The hooded creature stands before the bed, scalpel in hand, unsure how to proceed. After a moment of consideration he nonchalantly stuffs the blade back into his pocket, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Judging by the stagnant blood that has pooled into the lower half of the body, he’d say the man has been dead for several days. A waste of his evening. Who could’ve gotten here before him? Burglars? He quickly scans the surroundings for clues, but nothing seems amiss.

Just as he ponders on the possible scenarios, a faint knock can be heard from the window. He crawls over and abruptly pulls the curtains, hoping to surprise whoever is on the other side. Pitch black. Now that he thinks about it, isn’t this an attic bedroom? Who could even casually jump over three floors? Besides him, obviously. Jack opens the window and peeks down, but no ladder can be discerned through the murk.

“Wrong guess.” He snaps back and hovers a hand over his pocket, ready to draw his weapon. He can’t quite place the whisper he just heard. A jagged, interrupted voice, like a broken record, echoing in the distance and yet as clear as if it blew right upon his ears. He stares into the darkness before sneaking out of the room. Detective work wasn’t on his list tonight, but alas, he might as well find his new source of fresh organs. Whoever is playing these games better enjoy it while it lasts.

You can sense his frustration and smile to yourself. The previous one was so quick to go. You hoped you could drag it on for longer, but humans have frail hearts. You glance at the decaying carcass and muse over the sunken face with its features distorted in terror. Was it too much? No matter, this one is different. He seems more of a creature than a mortal. Will it make a difference? Oh, you can’t wait to test it yourself. As you stalk his figure in the hallway, you stretch out your fingers and sink your claws into the wallpaper.

Without looking back, Jack plunges his scalpel in the same spot. Your hand remains in place, merely visible fog surrounding the shining piece of metal. For the first time, the creature can see you. You gaze into his endless, cloudy sockets and nod, attempting a greeting gesture. You then switch your focus to your hand and he follows. “That’s…not very useful, is it?” You state plainly. An invisible frown darkens his expression and he pulls out the blade. Statistically speaking, encountering a ghost was the least likely situation. His reaction was by all definitions rational and he does not appreciate your mockery.

Yet tangled up in his anger lies something else. Throbbing, twisting and turning, the vague beginnings of intrigue gnaw at his chest in anticipation. He’s found a rival, or maybe a playmate. Curiosity binds him in place. If it’s amusement you want, he might just provide you with it. Although he won’t make it easy for you. And if he wins, he expects a prize in return. You’ve caught his interest and he will not be leaving empty handed. Can you tell?

A shiver runs down your spine. The smile occupying your face has now widened into a full, harrowing grin. “It’s a deal”, you murmur. The hunter and the hunted. Except no one can tell who plays the roles.

[wingsofthesun]

Trilogy Appreciation Week, Day 7: Future

So for the final day, I think I'm going to list some of my headcanons of what some of the squadmates get up to in the future after the Reaper War!

Not all of them are going to be listed, btw, because I haven't decided on solid futures for some of them.

Also, this is based on an alternate destroy ending like you see in Audemus' Happy Ending Mod, where the Reapers are destroyed and EDI and the geth survive.

Ashley- She takes over command of the Normandy when Shepard retires. She continues to be a Spectre, and travels the galaxy helping keep the peace and prevent people from taking advantage of the aftermath. She probably settles down eventually, but that's a loooong way off, she's not going to retire or take a desk job for decades probably.

Garrus- He continues working with Primarch Victus as his advisor. He doesn't particularly enjoy the paperwork or the long meetings, but he does find a lot of satisfaction in actually being listened to and helping people recover. Victus sees him as his right hand man, and Garrus ends up traveling through Palaven as his eyes and ears a few times.

(Bonus Shakarian because I can't resist- Most of my Shepards retire after the war because she's just Done. She goes to Palaven with Garrus and tries to live a quiet life, though she does also advocate for various causes she supports.)

Wrex- He goes back to Tuchanka, and while a lot of his time is spent leading Clan Urdnot and the rest of the krogan, he spends as much time as possible with his kids. He absolutely refuses to be an absent father. He also gets back officially with Bakara, and even after millennia they're held up as the gold standard for a happy and healthy krogan relationship.

Tali- She immediately travels back to Rannoch and starts building the house she talks about. I also see her as being appointed a liaison between the quarians and geth, helping to keep the peace and create strong relations between the two races. (Also Kal'Reegar lives and since I ship them, they get married and are ridiculously happy together. Look, Tali just deserves it, okay?)

Miranda- She moves in with Oriana, and works as a liaison with the Alliance to root out any remaining Cerberus operatives. After some time doing that, she also ends up helping to develop cybernetic implants. She never has a biological child, but she eventually ends up adopting children and is a doting aunt to any children Oriana has.

Jack- She continues working as a teacher for biotics. She rarely enters the field again after the chaos following the war subsides, but her teaching is credited with the best and most efficient biotic squads' high survival rates.

Grunt- Aralakh Company is reformed, and he continues to be one of Wrex's most trusted men. He also ends up having some kids like most krogan, and said kids adore him and are always happy when he comes back from a mission.

Samara- She continues as a Justicar, but she also plays a pivotal role in getting Ardat-Yakshi more rights. They're still closeted in monasteries, but they're allowed far more freedom and are able to visit asari cities far more often. While she and Falere can't erase the centuries of no contact, they are able to rebuild their relationship.

James- He gets into N-School the moment it reopens. He makes it all the way to N7, and throws a huge party for graduation. He's a very welcome face on ground squads, and becomes a legend in his own right.

Javik- He survives the war. He spends quite a lot of time adrift, not knowing what to do when the mission he was born to do is finally accomplished, but eventually he finds a place in the galaxy. He and Liara do in fact write a series of books about the Protheans, and there is only minimal trolling by him.

[cadybear420]

THE HSS SAGA: MEET MY MCs

Since I made a singular profile post where I braindump some basic details/profilesfor all 3 of my It Lives series MCs (Jo, Harper, and Cedric), I'm gonna do the same for all 3 of my (main) HSS MCs. Evie included– even though I already have a more fleshed out profile for her, it's only fair. I'm still working out a lot of details for all of them, even Evie.

I of course have multiple other OG HSS MCs like Alan, Samara, etc. But this post is for the MCs that I consider part of my main personal canon universe. Other MCs I make exist in parallel universes.

For both this and the ILS one, I will update each of these with their respective profiles as I make them.

Submitting for HSS Appreciation Week 2025 Day 1: Meet Our MCs (and OCs) @hss-appreciation-events

Jordan Price (HSS: Prime)

Birthday: April 21, 1999

She's cis (she/her) and she loves masc styles (and enjoys fem styles too), but doesn't fully consider herself GNC. She wouldn't really consider herself either masculine or feminine.

She's "ridiculously jacked for a nerd". She values her academics, but she knows how to make time to work out.

She's straight. During the HSS Prime timeline, she dated some prep boy named Daniel for a while. But early into her junior year at high school, he moved away and they decided to end the relationship because they were not ready for a distance relationship. Eventually during her senior year, she started to have a crush on Julian as he started to grow out of his “macho meatheaded jock” attitude, and asks him to OG HSS prom.

Personality-wise, she's very kind, helpful, a responsible leader, happy-go-lucky, serious, and determined. She sometimes tries a bit too hard to be a goody two-shoes and preaches a lot about not wanting to stoop to the level of her enemies.

Her moms had given her a heavy education in stuff like business, socialization, and financial skills as they wanted her to be extra-prepared for any potential independent adult life (hey, you try coming up with an explanation for why a teenager is able to found and build up a whole-ass brand new high school). A lot of the inequality she saw and often experienced herself as a Black-Indian girl with lesbian moms that had to pretend they were roommates, is what motivated her to use her skills to found and create Oliver M. Berry High School, on the foundation of being a school that was accepting to everyone no matter who they were. Her moms wanted for her a life with lesser restrictions and encouraged her to pursue that.

Many initially wanted to name Berry High after her, but while she did not mind being acknowledged as the founder of the school, she did also want to be remembered as just a normal student like the rest, and did not want to be put on that high of a pedestal. so the school was instead named after its first principal.

I'm still deciding whether I want her to be a grade ahead of the rest of the Prime gang, or be in the same grade as them but gets offers from various colleges and is allowed to skip a year and graduate early. Either way, she's initially averse to graduation and wants to focus on Berry, but Julian and others reassure her that Berry is in good hands and encourage her to branch out with her skills. She attends San Jose State when she graduates, staying in very close touch with her friends from Prime while at some point eventually getting to meet Evie.

She and Julian will eventually get married. IDK if they'll have any kids.

Evie Ayana (HSS: OG Trilogy)

Birthday: March 8, 2001.

Her full name is Evelyn. Her dad would call her this name at birth, but eventually he would use the nickname "Evie-bear" as a term of endearment (because Evelyn-bear doesn't sound very fun to say), and eventually the name "Evie" stuck instead.

She's a GNC cis gal (she/her) and very very VERY proud of it. She does enjoy some feminine or fem-associated things and is proud of those too, but she really hates it when people try to define her womanhood exclusively with her femininity or act like certain things are intrinsic to womanhood. She also has major bottom dysphoria, but gets nervous talking about it because the kind of sexual acts she does prefer are too commonly misunderstood as a femdom kink thing.

She's bi with a huge preference for men. Obviously her endgame is with Aiden, but she has also felt attraction for Michael, Maria, Julian, and Kieran. After she and Aiden get married, they do eventually open their marriage and swing with Michael and Maria and a few others.

Personality-wise, she's cautious and reserved; but also confident, outspoken, and helpful. Fun-loving, but also no-nonsense. Tough, but also sweet. Will lift up Aiden, but also snuggle into his chest. Horny on main, but knows her boundaries. Sometimes level-headed, other times impulsive. She's very anxious about everything she says or does, worrying about accidentally doing something hurtful (especially if it ruins an otherwise positive relationship).

She always struggled to make friends back in her old schools and deals with a lot of social anxiety. Moving to Cedar Cove and Berry High was a major opportunity for self-improvement and pushing herself out of her comfort zone. She adapted fairly well to a more confident, outspoken, and helpful version of herself, but it's still often very difficult for her to maintain it.

She's a jock through all three books, and while she's unsure about keeping up an interest in professional competitions after graduating, at the very least she does maintain a hobby for these sports. She's also quite into running.

She named her pet hamster "Cheese Nugget", or "Cheesy" for short. She also has a white-and-orange cat named Daisy.

Besides Aiden, the person in her friend group she considers herself closest to is Emma. Emma's kindness to her on her first day of school amidst being a shy awkward wallflower is something Evie is very appreciative of, and it motivated her to push herself to make new friends and extend her kindness and help to them too.

Evie won homecoming crown, guest of honor, and prom crown in the OG timeline. But they're merely bonus things to her.

I still haven't figured out where Evie goes when she graduates, but it's definitely local. She of course stays close with her friends.

Evie and Aiden love to do duets and dance performances together, and even enter some dance competitions. Of course, their partner dances are always role-reversed, but I don't think that should matter to the competitions.

She and Aiden have kids in the future. They adopt the TBB baby and also have a boy and then twin girls. And Evie definitely won't be getting pregnant, she'd rather die.

Cher Lee (HSS: Class Act)

Birthday: January 12, 2004 (IIRC this was confirmed in her and twin's birth parents' journals)

Cher is cis (she/her) and embraces masculinity, femininity, androgyny, all of it. For this reason, she doesn't quite consider herself GNC, but rather gendercreative.

Her twin, Bear, is a very masc trans dude and has been since he was about 3.

Cher is male-leaning bicurious. She had some attraction to Rory (male version) during her middle school years, but grew out of it around the end of 8th grade. During HSS:CA 1, she had a major puppy crush on Erin Ward and was elated to go to homecoming with her. But during HSS:CA 2, she'd become closer to Ajay Bhandari and eventually start dating him.

Cher has a very deep interest and knowledge in fashion and clothing styles. Especially when it comes to stuff like drag and crosdressing. Although she wasn't specifically named after her, Cher adores Cher Horowitz from "Clueless" and greatly looks up to her sense of fashion (and she has been told she sometimes even looks like the character face-and-hair wise). Her reason for joining theatre in the first place in fact is because she loved to dress up in costume and act out the roles in said costumes.

She takes theatre and acting very seriously. Not Ajay levels of hardass seriously, but seriously enough that she's very enthusiastic about it and always puts in her best effort to give the audience a show. Most especially through putting on a stellar costume and performance for her character.

For the Enchanted Kingdom play, she actually wanted to be the witch rather than the princess. And in the Tempest musical, she wanted to be Ferdinand rather than Miranda. I'm still figuring out my HSS:CA rewrite but I may give her both of these roles.

She definitely goes to Hollywood U when she graduates. Some of the CA gang may or may not be going there too.

In the future, I feel like she and Ajay would break up on amicable terms by the end of his senior year/her sophomore year. But they might come together again years later when they're older and wiser, and might get married and have a couple of kids.

[redfountainpostin]

CW/TW: brief and vague talk of physical disability and loss of pregnancy

I think queen Samara insisted for Sky to attend Red Fountain. Of course Sky begged to go, but although Erendor in his face acts like he did it as a favor to HIM, that he did as SKY asked so Sky should be grateful ("When I agreed to send you to military academy what was the one thing I told you?!") he actually did it because Samara talked some sense into him. There was not been a king in Eraklyon from their dynasty that did not attend Red Fountain. Generally, *all* the male children that come from the king receive their education there, unless they are sent away to study religious science, which is extremely rare and reserved for third or fourth spare, or those (not the oldest, though) who are suffering from a physical handicap so severe they would not be able to handle a battlefield in a traditional manner. In this case, it wouldn't matter if they are a tech wizz like Timmy that could prove invaluable to Eraklyoni military- it is all about appearances. Erendor was about to break this tradition because the sons of harpy that terrorist organization that was after Sky was, well, after Sky. Getting a clear hit at Erendor would be perfect, but they would happily settle at the second best (two of Sky's tasters have died in service before he turned 11) because the royal couple cannot have more children. It is unknown within whom of the two the "fault" lies, but the fact remains that Queen Samara never had another child after him- there are rumors that she was pregnant for a short while and suffered a loss after a bio terror attack, but as most of attacks on the royal family, the one around that time has also been kept closely under wraps. Anyways, when she heard the plan all hell broke loose and they fought for hours, during which she called him a coward among other things, and asked if he wanted his son to be mocked as the only military illiterate ruler in Eraklyoni history. Eventually, he caved in, and of course, Brandon going with him was not even discussed, it was just a given. In general, I imagine Sky's mom to be a very cold woman, but she always showed Brandon more respect and grace than the king did. Erendor doesn't have much appreciation for Brandon's service, honestly he's mostly annoyed that his position is necessary and gives the boy a cold shoulder because of it (yay bully the child Erendor there you go) but Samara feels that the boy is most likely to die young protecting her child and as such deserves some sort of due respect. Even as she's the one actively putting him in that situation, she's grateful. It's messed up. Samara, pushing tiny Brandon as a meat shield in front of her son: thank you so so much- stay put- yes there you go, thank youuuuuuuuuuu

[ageless-aislynn]

Mass Effect 2 update of randomness!

Look, it's Shiala from ME1! But...

Yeah, I went ahead and asked that, despite hearing, "OMG, Shep, you can't just ask people why they're green!" in my head, lol!

But this was Shiala previously

so I felt like that was a fair question, lol. (It was because of her exposure to the Thorian from ME1. Her clones at that time were also green, so I thought that was an interesting and believable change.)

Speaking of green...

*incoherent flailing* Let me just say that I now completely understand why people romance Thane, despite knowing it's going to end in tragedy. Seriously, I keep feeling like Shep is two seconds away from telling Mr. Krios that his body is ready, lol!

(Can't romance him as male!Shep, though, so no worries, we're still staying true to Tali! 😜)

Though that resolve actually came back to bite me when Shep and I were trying to hype Miranda up that she was more than her genetic modifications and looks and biotics and then the game gave me ONLY TWO DIALOGUE OPTIONS: tell her how much we appreciate her body or tell her to stop whining.

Garrus: "C'mon, Shepard, you can't just lead her on!"

Jack: "Wait, I'm running upstairs right now because I want to watch you tell the Cerberus cheerleader to stop whining!"

I told her we appreciated her body, then when she flirted back, I told her I wasn't interested. I felt small, friends. Very small. 🥺

Yep, about that small, as a matter of fact! (I love the "spam" emails we start getting like that, lol! What a realistic touch! 😂)

Anyway, I'm choosing to believe that at some point, Miranda and Jack have this very intense enemies-to-friends-to-lovers thing that happens, so... *waves hands in Jackanda and tries not to feel like such a jerk*

Lastly! Oh yeah, Samara is 🔥🔥🔥 but I was able to spot the dialogue option that would've presumably led to Shep trying to get a romance going. I remember that it's difficult to have enough Paragon points for her to actually agree to that and even if she does, it's still a pretty non-eventful romance (maybe a kiss or even just an interrupted one? Can't remember the exact details). But still! I also remember hearing somewhere that Zaeed develops a crush on her and so I keep pairing them on missions just for RP reasons that amuse me. 😂

I mean, if there was ever somebody that the Justicar would obliterate for not being "just," it would be Zaeed and yet I can see him thinking that's a very attractive trait, lol!

I love that they're alllllmost standing side-by-side in the squad line-up, what can I say? Also, yay, almost got the entire squad! Everybody's loyal except for Tali and I just got her loyalty mission.

OH and I got the conversation from Mordin about how he understands that humans often find him attractive but he's really not interested in Shep that way. But if he was going to try a human, he would try us, lol! That was the funniest thing that I'd totally forgotten could occur and I had to stop to just laugh for a bit over that, lol!

I also got him to sing, yay! I wish that the game would've given me the option to applaud or something other than just standing there, awkwardly staring!

And that's all for now, friends! Hope you had a great weekend and this next week is awesome for you! 🤗🤗🤗

[hum-tittle]

So, Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my favorite movies. And I am currently obsessed with Mass Effect. This is what I think the Squadmates' opinions would be if Shepard put it on for everyone to watch it (many it would be their first time seeing it).

Ashley- She would say she doesn’t like it but it gives her an ✨awakening✨

Cortez- He appreciates it and likes it but isn’t a super fan. He did go to midnight showing, when he was younger.

Edi- She loves it. I think EDI would be a musical girly in general.

Garrus- He’s just kind of confused by it. He supports Shepard liking it but Hot Pootie gets stuck in his head all the time.

Grunt- He doesn’t get it but likes the vibes and violence. He would do the timewarp at parties with Shepard

Jack- She’s already seen it, she even thought about getting the Boss tattoo.

Jacob- He doesn’t really like it and is mildly concern that Shepard likes it

James- He’s an ally himbo so he loves RHPS. He’s trying to convince everyone to do a group costume next halloween, mostly because he wants an excuse to wear his gold shorts (that he already owns).

Javik- He is surprised how much he actually likes it.

Joker-He enjoys it but his favorite thing now it to put on Hot Pootie in the bridge anytime Garrus comes in to get the song stuck in his head, again.

Kaiden- He's similar to Cortez, he appreciates how RHPS helped the queer community 200 years ago but he's not a fan. He did go to the midnight showing once, in costume and learned to never again.

Kasumi- She loves a good time, and that's what RHPS is.

Legion- Understands why humans and other organics enjoy it but movies aren't super appealing to Geth.

Liara- She doesn’t get it and doesn’t like that she doesn’t get it. She ends up doing the research into the nuances of RHPS and the references. She then watches it again with her new understanding and becomes slightly obsessed with it.

Miranda- She likes it until she starts comparing the fact that she built Shepard and she becomes a bit uncomfortable.She becomes extremely uncomfortable when the others points out the similarities.

Mordin- He’s contacting his old Theater group to see if they can do a production of it.

Samara- She understands why others may like it, but it is not her cup of tea

Tali- She thinks it is fantastic! Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me is her favorite song

Thane- He loves that Shepard loves it.

Traynor- Surprisingly she's never seen it before. She really likes it and is debating buying a corset.

Wrex- He thinks it's funny. His favorite part is when they eat ✨️dinner✨️

Zaeed- He played Rocky at midnight showing one summer. It holds a special place in his heart.

[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Rebuild & Restore - Chapter 3

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤ 

All OC Characters belong to me

Series Masterlist

Melvania furrowed her eyebrows as there was a knock on her front door. She looked at the clock that hung on the wall just above the entryway to her kitchen and set her coffee mug down on the counter as she saw it was just after 7 am. 

“Josh?” She asked her baby brother as she opened the door, shocked to see him at her house so early. “What are you doing here?” 

“We need to talk.” He said gruffly. “Can I come in?” Mel nodded and opened the door wider for him to enter her home. 

“Is everything okay?” She asked as she followed him into the living room and sat down on the couch across from the chair he had sat in. 

“No, not really. It’s about yesterday. With Kiyana.” Mel scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“I should have known.” She muttered, sitting back and folding her arms. “Lemme guess, princess couldn’t handle hearing the truth so she sent you here to set me straight?” She scoffed again. “She is a whore and I'm not apologizing for saying it Joshua.” 

“That’s the mother of my kids Mel, whether you like it or not, you will not say no shit like that again while my kids are around.Yes, Kiyana fucked Joe.” Josh paused and clenched his fist together, he was still having a hard time dealing with that. “But I had an affair first, aight. I fucked up my marriage not Kiyana.” Mel rolled her eyes at his little speech. 

“To be completely honest baby bro, I could care less. She hurt you and that’s all I care about.” 

“You don’t have to like her, I mean you never did. But what you will do is respect the mother of your nephews.” Josh said as he stood up from her couch and walked out of his sister's house without saying another word to her. 

Next stop, Kiyana’s house..

“Boys!” Kiyana yelled from the bottom of the steps. “What's taking so long!” She rolled her eyes as all she got back were giggles in response. She playfully glared over at Kairo when he started to giggle in his pack’n’play. “And what so funny?” She teased picking him up just as there was a knock on her front door.  

“Dada!” Kairo squealed, reaching his arms out for Joshua as Kiyana opened the door. 

“What are you doing here?” He handed her the flowers in his hand and took Kairo from here. “Who are these for?” She rolled her eyes at the look he gave her. 

“Who else would they be for? Open it.” She eyed the box warily and opened it, shocked to see it was red roses with the letter K in  white roses. “You like it?” 

Kiyana nodded, “Yes, thank you.” 

“You welcome ba-” He paused and stopped himself. “You’re welcome Kiyana. I’m sorry for letting Mel run her mouth yesterday and not stopping her.”  Kiyana said nothing and set the flowers down on the console table. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked again and Josh sighed. 

“I wanted to take my family to breakfast.” Kiyana nodded and bit her lip.

“Ok, The boys are already dressed. We were going out with my mom, but I guess they can go with you.” She walked into the living room and Josh followed her, shutting the front door behind him. 

“No, Key. Not just me and the boys, you too.”  Kiyana arched an eyebrow and shook her head. 

“No, that’s not a good idea. We’re div-” 

“Divorced, I know.” He cut her off. “You don’t gotta say that shit every time we see each other.” 

“We’re not family anymore Joshua. You and your family made that perfectly clear yesterday.” Josh set Kairo down in his pack n play and walked closer to Kiyana, who stepped back.  

“I’m sorry Key. I was in my feelings yesterday and I apologize. So please, can we take our sons to breakfast?” 

 To Samara 👯‍♀️: Need to get this nigga head checked out… From Samara 👯‍♀️: Who? Lol what happened To Samara 👯‍♀️: Joshua, he showed up this morning w/ flowers and apologizing for Mel.  From Samara 👯‍♀️: …. Girl  To Samara 👯‍♀️: And now we’re at breakfast bc he wanted to take his ‘family’ out.  To Samara 👯‍♀️: Oh and he played our song on the way to breakfast and kept looking at me out the corner of his eyes  From Samara 👯‍♀️: not beauty by dru hill, lmao too little to late josh smh

“Who you texting?” Josh asked and Kiyana furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Samara.” He nodded, surprised that she actually answered him. He took a sip of his orange juice and watched as she cut up Kaiden’s waffle for him. 

“Joe’s back in Pensacola.” He blurted out and Kiyana paused her cutting and looked up at him. 

“Okay..” She trailed off with a shrug. “Why are you telling me.?” Why in the hell is he bringing up Joe? She thought and then swallowed hard as she remembered the text message she received last night. 

“Cause we had a deal, Kiyana.” Kiyana tilted her head at Josh. She then looked at he kids and noticed that they were busy on their I-PADS (yes, they’re I-PAD kids… don’t judge her) 

“Josh, we're divorced. I can talk to whoever I want to.”  Josh scoffed and shook his head, 

“I don’t want him around my sons, Kiyana.” She sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. 

“I do not and will not talk to him. Joshua. Me and Joe have nothing to talk about, okay?” She said, just to get him to shut the hell up. Pleased with her answer, Josh let out a sigh of relief and sent a smile her way. 

“Thank you” Kiyana didn’t say anything back to him, she just sighed and looked out the window, wishing she was anywhere but at that diner. 

A.N/ Kiyana will forever love Joshua, he was her first everything. She did file for divorce first but no matter what she will always be inlove with him.

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