#she did a great job of making me not like her

[daizymax]

@sugaurora @syllviere i meant to read this so long ago, i'm so sorry. i finally did though and i... have... some... thoughts...

first of all, who wouldn't want to wake up to a shirtless seokjin carrying them to bed? *dreamy sigh* though the way the reader thought she was dreaming for so long was really well done, you did an amazing job of writing that, K. part of me was like girl snap out of it already he's real and he's RIGHT THERE. but another part of me was screaming over her being so bold only because she thought she was dreaming. also, the thought she had that "dream seokjin's" lips were so soft she'd probably just wake up to one of yoongi's cardigans smashed against her face was PRICELESS lmao i adored that part, seriously.

the way she was jarred out of the "dream" was also really well written. a great crash back to real life. and idk why exactly, but seokjin saying "you don't taste drunk" is going to stick with me for a long time.

their history together is so real and so fleshed out. the connection of the reader helping seokjin get into running and how it eventually led him to his career ... the connection you made there is so well put together and brilliant and it tugged my heart! (and sidenote, this description here: you laughed air through your nose - yes! those are exactly the words for how i've been trying to describe that sound!!)

idek what to say about the fucking SMUTTT. all the, ahem, bodily fluids... how did you get into my head to make it the hottest shit ever?? god damn. seokjin was a gentlemanly dirty talker and i loved it. his characterization was amazing.

i know yoongi was only here briefly but his characterization was also amazing. i actually get why he wouldn't want his best friend and his sister to hook up... at the time. but i love that he's supportive of it now. and how did i not see the ending with jungkook coming hahaha BRILLIANT.

i'm always in awe of your writing K. it is always striking and it always touches me and i'm so glad you're a writer.

Dream Come True

Since your brother had warned you years ago that his best friend Seokjin was off limits, you’d only allowed yourself to safely fantasize about him in your dreams. You’re not sure why tonight his lips feel so much softer and his hands so much warmer than usual, but you’re also not about to complain.

Pairing: Med Student Seokjin x Plus Size Female Reader

Genre: Brother’s Best Friend; Friends to Lovers; Smut

Word Count: 16,800+

Tags: Profanity; Explicit sexual content; unprotected sex; Seokjin is a soft, sweet, gentle guy and I’m so gone for him, big dick seokjin, inexplicable amounts of cum???, dirty talk, cumplay, breastplay, oral (m and f), fingering, of course they kiss a lot because that’s my brand, brief blood mention, wound redressing

If you enjoy my writing, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi!

Crossposted to AO3 and Wattpad

Writing Masterlist

“Oh! Y/N? I didn’t know you were here, love.”

Ahh, there he was again—the man of your dreams. And you had to be dreaming because, thanks to the rules, Seokjin could only meet you alone inside your dreams. You heard him loose a light groan of frustration, his voice so close by you should have been able to reach out and touch him. The world of your dreams was still dark though, the always breathtaking vision of him not yet fading in.

“Your brother would kill me if I let you sleep here all night.”

Dream Seokjin was right. Your older brother, Yoongi, had laid down his law years ago: his best friend was off-limits. No dating. No kissing. And definitely no fucking. Understandably, he didn’t want anything coming between him and the bestie he’d had since kindergarten, especially not a sour relationship with his little sister just in case things went south. So the only times you found yourself alone with Seokjin were here inside your unconscious dreams. Thankfully, your mind was kind to you and let him visit often. Unthankfully, it was so kind that seeing the man during your waking hours was sometimes a little torturous. It was why, even though Yoongi had given you permission to crash in Seokjin’s bed tonight, you’d ended up on their uncomfortable couch instead. Better a stiff back than the torment of smelling your one true temptation all night long.

Keep reading

[smutoperator]

Could I challenge you to a short writing challenge?

20 mins to write a piece involving the 3rd idol on your Tumblr Dashboard, inspired by the first thing you see when you look at your window.

3rd idol in my dashboard: Nana (well more of an actress these days but whatever)

First thing I saw: the neighbor's window.

Photoshoot Imaginations

Im Jinah (Nana) x Male Reader

Tags: anal, choking, couch sex, dream, facial, filming, intense positions, model, painal, rough sex, quickie

Word count: 1190

It was just a regular day as you woke up and looked outside your apartment window. However, your eyes clearly set sights on a beautiful tall woman taking a photoshoot right by the window.

You picked up a binocular and zoomed in on Nana's beautiful body as she followed the instructions of the photographer. Instantly you had fallen in love with her and wanted to be the guy taking those pictures of her.

Nana went to the dressing room, switching to a black lace lingerie that made you go crazy, lying on the couch as she prepared for the next round of the session, staring at you with fuck-me eyes.

It was far from Nana's first time in that situation. "You want to fuck me, don't you?" she asked. You were embarrassed to answer, trying to keep it professional, but Nana knew she was right. "No need to answer; I can tell you do," she said.

"Sit here," Nana said. As soon as you sat on the couch, she started grinding on your lap, grabbing your camera and making sexy moves. "Wow, I look so hot in those photos; you did such a great job," she said. "And for that, you'll get what you want," she continued, quickly ripping your clothes. You tried to slow her down, but to no avail, as she quickly stripped you fully naked and started sucking your cock.

Nana knelt on the couch, letting you fuck her face for a tease. She grabbed her phone and started filming herself choking on your dick. "I look so pretty with your cock in my mouth, don't you think?" she asked as she bobbed her head on that shaft and sloppily gagged on it. As soon as she was done, you ripped her bra off and tossed her on the couch, taking every single piece of clothing off her body in a snap and diving into her pussy. "AHHHHH SHIT, YESSSS," she moaned as you buried your face in that mommy cunt.

Just a few seconds later, you were already pounding Nana's perfect pussy in a pile driver position, using her long legs as a support. you fucked her pussy really hard from the start, Nana stretching her arms to film herself getting pounded like crazy. You groned like an animal and made her body shake. "AH, FUCK BABY," she screamed as you grabbed her long legs and pressed them against her body while she kept getting plowed in that couch.

You violently choked Nana as you drilled her cunt, and she fingered her clit. "Oh, I fucking love that shit; don't stop, don't stop." It was all she could say as your cock kept hammering her pussy nonstop. Her eyes rolled, she moaned and screamed. You tossed her body in the couch and gave her an animalesque missionary fucking, getting on top of her to the fullest and pounding her pussy many more times.

But Nana showed she could fight back, flipping you around and positioning herself to sit on your cock. "God, you're so fucking hot and sexy," you said as she got herself on top and started bouncing on your dick, making loud noises as her body hit her hips at full speed. But you quickly regained control, grabbing her neck from behind and thrusting upwards into her pussy. "Oh my God, I love your balls smacking into my clit," she said. Both of you now dueling to see who was leading the ride, as Nana quickly countered and picked up more speed, you took her phone to film her ass bouncing on your cock. "That ass is beautiful," you said as she used it to make moans in your cock and clapped her cheeks against your crotch.

However, you quickly wanted to be in control again, grabbing Nana's long legs and placing her in a full nelson, manhandling her pussy, and grabbing her clit and tits from behind, making her cum all over your cock as she got pounded. You turned her around and drilled her pussy hard again, pushing her body in your direction as you choked her really hard. "Look at me, bitch, you're gonna do whatever I want, just like in that photoshoot," you said. But not before Nana made you a final request.

"Put it in my ass, please," she said. You put her body in the couch sideways, shoving your cock up her butt while grabbing her phone to film it. "Spread that ass for me and keep playing with that cunt while I fuck you, bitch," you said, spreading Nana's legs as you enjoyed her playing with her wide-open pussy.

"Take that fucking cock, you horny bitch," you said, drilling her butthole and making her scream. "Come here, get on all fours," you said after you were done putting your cock back in Nana's asshole.

Nana felt the pain as you thrust into her asshole like a madman. "AHHHHHHH," she screamed in pain as your cock destroyed her asshole, her face turning red as she got drilled harder and harder in an animalesque doggystyle position. You spanked her ass and treated her like an anal fleshlight, showing no mercy for her increasingly sore butthole.

"You like being spanked, don't you?" you asked Nana, beating her cheeks like a drum. "Bet you like being topped too, you fucking bitch," you continued, mounting on top of Nana and stretching her ass in a crazy prone bone position that made her body. "OH MY GOD, IT FUCKING HURTS," she screamed, but you just didn't give a shit, only pushing hard as soon as she said those words. You were determined to make her unable to walk for a while, drilling her butthole harder and harder as the time passed by, stomping on Nana's pretty face and choking her as you turned her asshole into a massive crater.

You tied Nana's arms behind her back and kept pushing deeper and deeper in her butthole. "AHHHHHHH," she screamed, only making you push deeper as she lost her breath and her cheeks kept getting clapped and spanked. Nana clung to the arms of the couch and rolled her eyes, but your cock is now just an unstoppable force meeting the unmovable object that was her asshole as you fully topped her.

Such intense sex meant it didn't take long for you to cum. Nana's amazing body had meant you were close to draining your balls just 15 minutes after starting pounding it. You needed to end this in a perfect way, and you knew it had to be by unloading in that pretty mommy face. "Give me your face, you slut," you ordered as you pulled out and shot ropes and ropes of cum in her mouth, eyes, nose, and neck. Nana smiled as she enjoyed being glazed with cum while you took a picture of her to save for posterity and then said.

"Clean yourself, bitch; the photoshoot has just begun."

But as soon as you said those words, you woke up from your fantasy, the walls of your bedroom painted with cum. You then looked at the window.

The woman was gone.

[waywardstation]

PLA PORTAL AU

I’ve had this AU in my head for a long, long time, but I didn’t start to develop it until around November, when some really cool people were willing to discuss it with me and help me figure out some concepts with their great ideas! Thank you @ingo-ingoing-ingone , @blueisquitetired , @the-digital-pen , and @fraymotiif !

In this AU, an Aperture-like facility was attempting to construct a new legendary Pokémon (think Mewtwo, or Type Null/Silvally). So the facility developed the RKS (Reactionary Knowledge System) pseudo-living program. This program’s job was to put participants — both people and Pokemon — through tests, monitoring them to make sure they solve it, and download their thought process data through chip implants. RKS would use that data to create algorithms, and configure thought processes and behaviors for the bio-engineered legendary.

However much like Portal lore, RKS destroys the facility and everyone as the data it’s trying to filter constructs unstable behaviors. The damaged and abandoned facility is left to rot, and the lower levels are subjected to deterioration and plant overgrowth. All participants from different controlled testing groups are put to sleep — two of which are Ingo and Emmet from the co-op testing group.

However as time passes, RKS wakes Ingo up as a sole participant to test and gather data from. And for a period of months/years, Ingo is forced to participate in this indefinite testing, the sole test subject collecting data for a project that will never be finished.

However, that changes when Ingo is put into a testing chamber that requires two people to complete it. He is finally given a partner — despite hoping it would be Emmet, RKS purposely gives him a random test subject instead; Akari.

—————

INGO, AKARI, AND EMMET

INGO

He’s grown rather pessimistic and jaded due to indefinitely enduring RKS’ constant apathy and belittlement towards him. Akari’s kinder company softens him again.

He remembers who Emmet is to him, and wants to escape the testing chambers and get down to the lowest levels to find him and wake him up. Does not remember most of the finer details of his brother.

Has worn the same clothes and used the same equipment since his first day testing. Blech.

AKARI

Unlike Ingo, RKS’ antagonistic behaviors don’t wear on her; she’s rather optimistic, and the system’s insults harmlessly slide right off her. This attitude builds Ingo’s own resilience.

She is still getting used to being awake after being in cryosleep for so long. She doesn’t remember much about anything other than her own name at this point. She needs lots of help to get up to speed, but she is a very quick learner.

Unfortunately, she cannot swim well. It makes her terrified to do any water-based tests. Ingo tries to make sure she never lets RKS learn that. It may only be a matter of time, though, seeing as it will eventually collect her thought processing data.

EMMET

After RKS Akari’s constant sassing towards them has begun to embolden Ingo as well, the system decides to get back at them both by taking Emmet and putting his consciousness into a busted core. The test subject wants his brother back so badly? He can have him like this, and it’s Akari’s fault.

Emmet’s core unit is badly damaged, and when RKS leaves him for Ingo and Akari to find, he cannot say or do much. Ingo is very careful with him — he’s scared of what further damage can do to Emmet.

Ingo and Akari, once breaking out of the chambers and crawling through the lower levels, look for core repair stations to gradually replace and fix Emmet’s parts. They’re able to entirely fix him eventually, but they still need to get Emmet back into his actual body, which is still asleep.

Emmet is almost certainly the train facts core. He can tell you so much about trains. Did the damaged core unit have all this info loaded into it already, or did Emmet already know this on his own? Ingo can’t remember enough about him to know.

RKS (not final design)

Built to look like Arceus — that is where the similarities end.

It has participants test with portal guns and jump boots to help gather data more applicable to the legendary’s own powers and abilities.

The damage to the facility and the bio-engineered legendary’s unit that RKS is connected to has destroyed the program’s ability to recognize the project’s end point, leading it to fall into a cycle of endless testing. It will never be satisfied with the amount of data it has.

The facility was not as careful with monitoring its participants’ temperaments and mentalities as it should have been. Filtering data from so many varying (and somewhat dangerous) personalities and behaviors and thoughts overrode the program’s pseudo-living deep learning processes. It all clashed as the algorithms it was creating was more connected to its system than it should have been, and the unfinished thought processes drove it insane before it could perfect and unify it.

Over time this behavior had smoothed itself out and developed into a generally apathetic and uncaring personality, who is quick to be hurtful if it feels it will mold others’ behaviors to do what it needs. When Ingo was first woken up, he had to deal with the scarier, less developed and unpredictable personality.

—————

I am excited to do more with this AU! It’s been fun to develop ^^

[project-sekai-facts]

The saki glue theory isn’t true?!

I mean it is just a theory… A GAME THEO-

Okay, I’ll stop. But I do wonder why you think that especially since that theory is incredibly popular.

The Saki glue theory, at least from what I've seen, says that if Saki died in middle school it would mean that none of the units in the game would form. The things is, it literally makes no sense if you think about it properly for more than a few seconds.

Of course Leo/need wouldn't exist, because it's not Leo/need without all four of them, and Saki was a key player in mending their friendship. As for Tsukasa, by middle school he was already a theatre kid, so he's not just gonna drop that because his sister died. Yes he would be greatly affected by it but he also wouldn't quit (it's during this point that he actually pushed aside and forgot his original motivations, so he doesn't associate Saki with his dream here). And Tsukasa would still encourage Toya to rebel against his dad, so Toya still meets Akito and they still form Bad Dogs and eventually VBS.

When it comes to MMJ and N25 it becomes really obvious that this theory is grasping at straws. The main explanations I've seen as to how Saki could possibly affect them is that Shiho and Honami become depressed, so Shizuku quits idol work to be there for Shiho, and Honami never becomes Kanade's housekeeper so doesn't call an ambulance for her when she collapsed of dehydration, and Kanade dies.

It just doesn't make sense at all. Yes, Shizuku loves Shiho and would obviously be there to comfort her, but she isn't just going to quit being an idol for that. Shizuku is her own character with her own complicated feelings towards said idol job. She isn't going to drop everything for her sister. And while I think Honami would still become a housekeeper, if she didn't Kanade would just have another housekeeper who probably would've found her the exact same way Honami did. Also at least some people who push for this forget that Shiho and Honami already were not in a great place mentally when Saki was in hospital in middle school. We already have insight into how they coped with losing Saki (not in that sense) and MMJ and N25 still exist despite this. Yes grief is different, but you get the idea.

The Saki glue theory is just a cheap grab at angst rather than anything that actually considers how Saki would impact other characters and their relationships. Yes she does affect some characters but she is not going to drastically rewrite the narrative if she dies nor will everyone close to her become too depressed to function. If we're being really, really, honest, you can kinda tell this theory probably exists partially to give pointless angst to her brother, which is a whole separate issue.

Like, Saki is important to some characters don't get me wrong, but she's only important to the narratives of four, those being the other members of Leo/need, and Tsukasa. She absolutely does not affect every character in the game, even by proxy. Chart:

I'm not saying angst in fandom is a bad thing, and it can be interesting to explore darker and more negative themes/emotions with characters who don't get to experience these a lot in the source material, but within this fandom there is an issue with pulling out nonsensical explanations for dark stories, which like 50% of the time involve killing off the chronically ill character. And a lot of those are to write angst for her brother and ignoring what actually is written in canon about him and his relationship with Saki. Ableism and misogyny with one move. Real nice.

[room-surprise]

This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart, but I'll try not to write too much about it right now. Elf gender studies indeed!

I go into this to the best of my ability in my giant Dungeon Meshi Essay (Real World Cultural and Linguistic Influences in Delicious in Dungeon) and there will be more detailed discussions of the subject as I complete each chapter. You can except a more comprehensive section on the subject in the chapters about the dwarves and the elves, with some minor mentions in other upcoming chapters.

Right now I have a very brief overview in chapter 3, in a section titled "GENDER, MAGIC AND SOCIETY IN DUNGEON MESHI."

Gender presentation and society is a topic that comes up in many small ways in Dungeon Meshi, despite never being directly addressed. It's difficult to discuss sometimes because a lot of it relies on:

Knowledge of gender norms across multiple real-world historical societies, and how gender norms have changed between ancient times and the modern world.

Lots of small clues Kui has left us.

Things which we must intuit from Kui telling us what isn't normal or good, without telling us what the actual socially desirable behavior is.

Cithis is a particularly fascinating case, and @dunmeshistash hits on multiple key points in their answer that I'll discuss once I get to the elf chapter. Sorry it's taking me so long to finish 😂

Before I go, I'll just throw this out there: these two outfits are considered unisex by the elves. These outfits are also very much like a "ethnic national costume," and other elven fashion seems to be based from this starting point.

To the elves, these tunics are like a plain T-shirt and denim jeans are to us today. Most likely every elf has one of these, and many elven outfits are built on a base that starts with this, including the Canary uniform.

Kui intended for the Canary uniform to be unisex, and worried that it came across as looking too feminine, but I think she did a fantastic job of designing an ancient world military uniform that doesn't just look exactly like something that exists in the real world, while still feeling plausible and grounded.

Ancient world clothing will always look feminine to modern eyes, because modern ideas of what makes clothing masculine or feminine is rooted in the cultural divide between the Greco-Romans and their barbarian adversaries, the eventual gendered division between dresses and trousers, and The Great Male Renunciation, where western men's fashion began to exclude the wearing of bright colors, patterns, and many other elements of fashion, which all then became associated with women's clothing.

The most masculine, macho dudes of the ancient world would look like "guys in weird dresses" to many of us today.

I would actually say that the feature that's the most unusual about Cithis and Misyl's clothing is their modesty. Kui tells us elves don't wear a lot of clothing, to the point that the queen goes around nearly naked at times. This suggests that Cithis and Misyl are counter-cultural rebels who wear their clothes in an unusual style. Cithis also wears much, much more makeup than any other elf, which makes her stand out as someone who doesn't care about what elven society thinks of her appearance. She's being different on purpose... And unlike Benichidori, she doesn't care if people see her without makeup. She's not trying to hide anything, she's trying to communicate something else.

I would say that Cithis' presentation, to elves, probably seems like a cis woman doing female drag. She's emphasizing her feminine qualities in a way that elven society might find tacky or distasteful - too much, too far. It may also be designed to target and appeal to other races, who have a stronger sense of gender binary... Since the Canaries do travel outside of the elven empire and deal with non-elves regularly.

So then, the gender-swapped Cithis is also dressed "modestly" for a male elf (knee-length tunic), and presenting himself in a more stoic, stern way. This may mean that Cithis is presenting an "overly masculine" male elf, like a cis man doing male drag. Stoic and aloof might be some of the things elves consider attractive in a man.

But because elves have such strongly unisex gender presentation, most likely the traits overlap, and many elven women also present themselves as stoic and aloof, and many elven men probably present themselves as smiling and coy. I imagine somewhere in the middle is what is considered "ideal elf-like behavior" for both genders, and deviating too much either way is seen as weird.

Anyway, time for me to get back to work 😊 I hope this is helpful for you, though.

cithis's overtly feminine presentation is so fun to me... the long dress and the cleavage window and the makeup and the fact that she's the only one who changes super noticeably in the genderswap is just . Idk its cool, esp with how androgynous all the other elves are

It is very cool! Cithis has a very overt gender presentation that we don't really see in other elves, even Otta who makes a point to present as male doesn't read as super masculine to the level of "hyper-feminine" that Cithis is

Elves seem to have their own fashion preferences independent of gender (from what we can tell from the gender swap)

Which makes sense, Lycion himself wears a very feminine hairstyle even in the original, so Pattadol also keeping the same hairstyle while she's a man is consistent! Meanwhile Cithis seems to be way more conscious of her own gender when dressing?

I wonder if presenting more feminine is more common than presenting more "masculine" for elves? Would a male elf dressed like Cithis be strange? I don't think Cithis is completely unique in how feminine she is cause we do see a few other elves with similar traits. Flamela has a exposed cleavage, Mysil has a long skirt, Daltian clan "Aunt Uranesse" seems very feminine with makeup and adorned hair, Cithis has it all at once but the pieces aren't unique I guess is what I'm saying

They say that for the most part there isn't much difference between male and female fashion but even here we have an elf in what we would call a "feminine" looking long dress

I wonder if those are things that male elves could wear without other elves finding it strange too 🤔

I wonder if there's an equivalent for "very masculine" in elf fashion, tbh I don't know what that would even look like, male Cithis just wears a very average looking version of the uniform (minus the boots and arm armor) even the neck piece is on instead of her choker. Otta does "dress like a man" to the point other elves get her gender wrong tho so there must be an equivalent? (besides the fact she wears the male uniform) Or maybe is her behavior along with the fashion that makes them read her as masculine and the fashion alone wouldn't?

Anyway it is very interesting!!! But I have no idea what to make of it!!!! Elf gender studies when

[ur-local-wizard]

A Lucky Christmas

A seemingly innocent and thoughtful gift turns out to have an unexpected surprise.

heheh more fluff! (Can you tell its my fav to write?), love triangle, lots of impulsivity, slight(?) drugging, mattheo and theo being absolutely whipped, mattheo riddle x fem!reader, theo nott x fem!reder

w/c: 1k

masterlist

a/n: so sorry this took forever to post! got sick and barely got time to sleep between puking sessions, much less write.... ANYWAY, shout out to @leona-hawthorne for proof reading for me!

Mattheo didn’t know how he got himself into this situation. He knew he and Y/n were staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. He stayed at school simply to avoid his father, but she refused to give her reason why she decided to stay. The whole thing was weird, especially because she usually looked forward to going home and spending time with her family. 

A few days into break, Y/n wanted to help the house elves decorate the Great Hall, and somehow she and her irresistible smile got him to come with her. So imagine his surprise when Theo, of all people, walks into the hall, ready to help her out too. Mattheo didn’t even know that the Italian was staying as well. Did she ask him to help too?

This girl just has the two of them wrapped around her little finger, and she’s so oblivious to that fact that it’s almost infuriating. 

So now, the three are scurrying around the huge room, hanging tinsel and putting ornaments on the huge tree. Y/n is occupied with draping garland made of popcorn and cranberries across the evergreen’s branches, with the help of some house elves. Mattheo and Theo got stuck with the job of sorting through old ornaments, with the instructions to throw away any broken baubles they might find. However, a wooden one caught Mattheo’s eye. It was engraved with y/n’s favorite flower, and it was just the perfect gift to give to the girl. 

“Psst, Theo,” the brunette hissed, looking around to make sure no one else was within ear shot. Theo turned around, an eyebrow raised. He hummed inquisitively. “You think we can give this to Y/n? She would like this, right?” Mattheo asked, passing the trinket. “You’re better at all the sentimental stuff than me.”

Theo inspected the ornament, nodding. “I think she would. Good find.” He nudged the brunette’s shoulder before waving a house elf over. 

The elf assured the two boys that they never use the ornament anyways, and so Theo shoved it in his pocket. “I’ll go put this in our dorm. We’re almost done here anyway, so you guys shouldn’t miss me much. If Y/n asks, just tell her that I’ll see her at dinner, yeah?” 

Mattheo noded, and the rest of the time spent decorating flew by. He ended up regretting his decision to help, solely because he didn’t get many chances to be with Y/n. He figured the elves must’ve loved torturing him.

By the time Mattheo got back to his dorm, Theo was pacing around. The Italian had the wooden trinket in his hand, holding it in a vice-like grip. 

“You good?” Mattheo asked him, to which Theo responded, “Yeah. Fine. Just jittery. Where's Y/n?”

The brunette gave him a questioning look, but responded nonetheless. “Don’t know for sure, but I would assume her dorm. She said she was tired when we left.” Theo nodded in response, and set the ornament he was holding down, quickly racing out of the shared space. He looked jittery and oddly excited, uncharacteristic of the Italian. 

However, Mattheo decided to shrug it off. He picked up the trinket, turning it over in his hands to examine it. This compulsive curiosity began to morph into a full-blown exploration, his mind focused on the girl this gift was meant for. Suddenly, an abrupt wave of confidence washed over him, making him feel unusually warm and tingly. 

He set the bauble down, eyes flitting toward the door. Maybe he would go and talk to Y/n too, just to have a little chat. Or better yet, he could admit how he feels. He’s had a thing for her for forever, his mind never failing to wander to more romantic places when in her presence. 

His feet moved on his own, carrying him through the castle and to her dorm; and before he knew it, his fist was knocking on her door. It swung open, and he was greeted by a fond smile spreading on her lips when she saw him. He stepped inside, and wasn’t surprised when he saw Theo standing in the room as well.

“Are you here for what I think you are?” Mattheo asked the other boy, to which Theo nodded. “Mhm. I just told her I love her.” 

The other boy’s bluntness surprised Mattheo a bit, since indelicate and direct comments were usually the brunette’s forte. It must just be an odd day. 

“Well,” Mattheo gently took Y/n’s hand, getting her attention, “I feel the same way about you that Theo does. I love you, darling. You’ve been such a bright light in my life.”

Her eyes went wide with surprise, and she went still. Mouth floundering a bit, the girl struggled to form a response. The boys noticed and chuckled, Theo reassuring her. “I'm not sure about Mattheo, but I know I’m not going to make you choose. I just want a chance.” 

Mattheo nodded in agreement. “God no, I wouldn’t dream of putting you through that stress.” Y/n relaxed a bit at that comment, but she was still a bit weary, due to their odd and overly impulsive behavior. 

“You guys are always a bit reckless, Mattheo especially.” She gives him a little nudge. “But what’s up with you two?” 

They both shrug. “Dunno. Just got you this present, which made me think about you a ton. I guess thinking about you so much made me want to tell you?” Theo guesses. “I felt the same way. Hey- did you get that weird rush when you held it too?” Mattheo queried, now invested. 

“Weird rush? What, was it laced with liquid luck?” Y/n asks with a laugh, albeit a slightly apprehensive one. Her comment earned shocked looks from the boys, quickly followed by laughter. 

“That’s it! I didn’t think much of the weird giddiness, though I should have,” Theo said between laughs.

“Nor of the sudden rush of confidence,” Mattheo agrees, his shoulders shaking with amusement. “We should get her a new gift, huh?” 

Theo nodded in agreement, and the group laughed about it for a while. The boys certainly didn’t hear the end of their accidental potion mishap for quite some time, Y/n teasing them about it relentlessly.

Thank you all for your patience while I've been sick! I'm not too happy with this, but I needed to get it out lollll <3

tag list: @ilovejamespottersomuch @mattyriddlesbitch @valenftcrush @sturniolover13 @paankhaleyaaar @thereeallink

©ur-local-wizard translating, republishing, copying, or claiming my work as yours is not permitted. all my work belongs to me and me only. thank you!

[thewayitalknj]

Since a few of you kindly asked for a Part 2, here you go! Thanks for the love!

Warnings - reader feels a bit insecure for a split second! Word Count - 2.6k

Part 1 | Part 2

You stare at him, cold blooded. So he did figure it out? You shut the door behind you and reach for the silk robe hanging on the back of the door. 

“Aw come on don’t cover up because it’s me-”

“Eddie, what the fuck are you doing here?” 

He makes a silly dance move, trying to be funny but definitely not helping. “What do you mean? I came for a private dance.” 

You finish tying a bow and cross your arms. “How did you know I work here?”

He gets up and walks towards you. He moves your robe off to the side and points to your birthmark. “This. I noticed it while you were dancing.”

You sigh and look back up at him. He stifles a laugh, “Ed, this isn’t funny.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a fucking dancer?”

“Oh yeah, because that’s a great conversation starter-” You notice him looking you up and down. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” 

“Like I’m hot or…some shit.”

“Well, I mean-”

“Look, I get off at midnight. We can go back to my place to chat afterwards if you want. But for now, you can hang in the dressing room. We won’t be back there until we close up anyway.” You open up the door and motion for Eddie to leave.

“...does this mean I don’t get a private dance?” You give him a stern look this time, “yes ma’am.”

As you enter your front door Eddie goes and takes a seat on your couch as you head to your bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. When you take a seat next to him just a few minutes later you explain everything to him.

You have been working at the strip club for over a year now. As much as you loved working at Family Video it just wasn’t paying enough. Bianca was a regular at FV with her family, and you grew a work-type friendship with her. One day she came in by herself and asked if you wanted to come to a charity event they were holding at the club. She immediately made it clear how odd it sounded about having a charity event at a strip club but assured you it was always a hit ; how the money went towards good causes in the city and the toy drives were always overflowing. You wanted to show your support so you went and had a fun time. Bianca introduced you to everyone, from her boss to her coworkers to regulars. It was a strange family-oriented work environment you never imagined. When Pam, the owner and boss, asked if you were interested at all in working for them you turned it down. But when bills started piling up and the holidays were around the corner you thought earning some extra cash would be helpful. So you went back, and was hired right from your interview. 

Pam explained how the club was run by women for women only. Everyone took you through training, first just as a waitress. You learned tips and tricks, and also had to come up with a fake name for security and privacy.

“Wait, so what’s your ‘fake name’?” Eddie asks using quotation marks.

“Lilith.”

“Why Lilith?” 

“It means ‘belonging to the night’. It’s also associated with meanings like ‘demon’ or ‘spirit.’”

“Well that’s badass. How did you come up with that?”

Look down at your lap. “Um, in one of your D&D books. The one you gave me about character building.”

“No shit.”

“Yeah…so anyway. I didn’t even think about dancing but Bianca asked me one day if I wanted to try it, so I did. Everyone thought I did a good job…I was on the next night and it just took off from there.”

“Why haven't you told anyone?”

“Because when Bianca asked me to come to the charity event I didn’t really know what to think about her being a stripper. I didn’t want to judge her, and I didn’t want people or colleagues to judge me. I really enjoy it. I have this new built confidence when I walk through those doors. We all really care for one another and root each other on.”

Eddie shifts himself closer to you. “What do you mean ‘new built confidence’?”

“Let me answer this with a question for you. How do you feel when you’re DM’ing at Hellfire?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, like I’m taking charge. Assertive. I know what I’m doing and I like how I make people feel afterwards.”

You reach and put your hand on his leg. “That’s exactly how I feel when I’m dancing.” You smile, shake your head, laugh to yourself.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just hilarious that we both feel the same way about two completely different scenarios.”

“Hm, true.”

“Can I ask you a question though?”

“Sure, anything.”

“...What did you think…about the dance…on your birthday?” You gulp.

“Psh, don’t you remember the way I was talking about you when I came here the next morning?” You nod. “Everything I said was true. I couldn’t get you out of my head. And then when I figured out it was you I just…had to tell you I knew. Couldn’t live with that secret, it would have driven me nuts.”

“How did you ask for me anyway? You didn’t even know my name.”

“I asked for the devil from the night before. The women who led me to the private room recognized me from when I was called up for the dance.”

You pondered, “Was she dressed in all silver?”

“...yes?”

“That’s Jade. She gave me a bit of a pep-talk, I almost asked her to go out instead of me.” 

Eddie looks at you muddled, “why didn’t you want to dance for me?”

“Because you're Eddie, you’re one of my closest friends and it just felt…I don't know, awkward.”

“Well, if I’m being honest your friend is very beautiful but,” he takes your chin and lines you up with his eyes, “I’m glad it was you.”

You smile, “I’m glad it was me too.” 

You stare at him for a bit, melting into his touch and his eyes ; and when your lips touch just seconds later without even realizing how close you were, you feel like you died and went to heaven. It was when his tongue slipped its way into your mouth that that confidence you talked about earlier started to kick in. You kick yourself up and straddle his lap, bringing your hands to his shoulders to steady yourself but never breaking the kiss. His hands find your hips, rings digging deep into your shirt, bringing them along to the slow steady pace as he starts with his own hips grinding up. You follow his rhythm and hum, starting to feel way too good.

And even though that confidence was built up for a few moments, your insecurities came rushing through. You part and separate yourself too quickly and mumble “no” ; Eddie looks upset as you stand up. “What’s wrong? Did I take it too far, I’m sorry-”

“No no it’s not you it’s just..me. I’m sorry.”

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

You stutter, tears beginning to paint your cheeks. “It’s just-you never did any of this before. And-now you find out I strip and we’re suddenly making out on my couch. I feel like I’m in some stupid rom com where I took off my glasses and suddenly you see me differently.”

“Hun, I can promise you it’s nothing like that.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude Eddie but I think you should go.”

“But-”

“I just need space, if that makes sense? Can I call you tomorrow or sometime later this week?”

“Yeah of course, whatever you need. I know this is a lot for you.”

“Yeah-yeah it is.” 

He walks over and kisses you on the top of your forehead before leaving. 

“And that’s basically what happened.” You swirl around in an office chair, disappointed in yourself. You were a mess, you spent the whole next morning thinking about Eddie and what happened. Today is even your day off, but you felt like you needed company so you made your way to the club for some hopeful reassurance you weren't taking this too far or overthinking.

“I think it’s sweet he’s giving you space, he understands your concerns and he’s respecting it. You don’t see that a lot nowaday..” Your other co-worker and current security cam watcher Leah has been listening to your rants all day. She just came back from maternity leave but wasn’t ready to dance, so her shifts have been bartending and security watch, mainly the private rooms from the cameras. When you arrived at the club no private dances were happening, so Leah took you to the security room for privacy. “I’m kinda glad you came though, I want to show you something from the night he was here.” She holds up a VHS tape and puts it in the VCR. You watch with bated breath as Eddie shows up on screen.

“What does-”

She puts her hand up, “Just listen.” You watch the footage, as Eddie paces the private room waiting for you to arrive. 

“Hey so, I’ve kind of liked you since high school and…no I can’t start with that.”

>>FF>>

“Finding out about dancing? That is just a perk that will come in the soon to be hopeful relationship…no that doesn’t sound right. Steve is a fucking idiot for coming up with that line.” 

>>FF>>

“So…wanna go out on a date? Bowling, dinner? …What am I, 14?”

>>FF>>

“Alright Munson, you got this. Just tell her you figured it out and that this doesn’t change how you feel.” Then he plops down on the couch and lays back just as you found him.

Leah stops the tape and looks back to you.

“He…likes me?”

“Guess he does. So much for your negative thoughts huh?”

“I can’t believe this. He’s never shown any signs of…anything.”

“Pft, guys are weird. It took my husband years to ask me out on a first date but I waited! Here we are three years later with a new house and baby. It was all worth the wait, and I’m sure this will be for you too.”

“But how can I make this right? I feel like I screwed it all bigtime.”

“Why don’t you invite him to our charity event in a few weeks? It’s how your story started. Maybe it’ll be a new chapter for him too. Show him instead of talking to him to make things right.”

You smile wide, “...Has anyone told you you’re a genius?”

“And I thought Mom-Brain was getting to me already. But I’ll take the compliment.” You give Leah a hug and head out to make a very important phone call.

Eddie (of course) agreed to attend the charity event, and even offered to pay full price instead of the family and friends discount. You went in a few hours earlier to help set everything up while Eddie arrived when the event began. You introduced him to your co-workers ; some already knew about what happened but for your sake played it off like they knew nothing, which you greatly appreciated. Eddie took a seat at the bar, wishing you luck for your performance later which he was secretly looking forward to. Just before heading to the dressing room you stop by the DJ booth.

“Hey Cassie, here’s my tape for my dance. It’s Track 8, and I go on at 11.”

“Got it. Thanks love!” She looks at the cassette and ponders to herself, “huh, who’s Corroded Coffin?”

Your turn couldn’t come soon enough. Eddie was only two drinks in, constantly looking at the clock waiting for 11 to strike.

“You okay babe?” Leah, (or in tonight's case since she’s working, Carmella), comes over to check on him.

“Huh-yeah. Thanks.”

“Of course, she’ll be on in a few. Excited to watch her?”

“Ohyeah-yeah,totally.Can’t wait.” He takes a large sip of his drink.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“Can I be real with you for a second?”

“I’m a bartender, I’m here to lend an ear to your problems.” Leah leans in, “talk to me.”

“I’ve liked her forever, I’m just stupid and have never asked her out properly. And I don’t want her to think I’m asking her out now because of all this,” he motions his arms around the room.

“Well maybe she won’t think that.”

“But she does, I know she does. And I just feel like a fucking idiot.”

“Eddie, I can assure you by the end of the night you’re not going to feel that way.”

“How do you-” Just then the lights dim ; Eddie looks at the clock ; 11:00. 

Cassie takes the microphone and introduces you, “and now ladies and gentlemen one of our veteran and favorite dancers, Lilith!”

You take the stage ; back turned towards the crowd, grabbing onto the pole ; a beautiful black outfit snug to your body ; and your music hits the stereos, a loud guitar solo opening the song. 

Eddie thought his eyes were going to fall out of his sockets, immediately recognizing the solo as his own. ; And when you turned your head to face the crowd making eye contact with Eddie and giving him a wink, he knew he was done for.

He watched you in awe, he couldn’t believe someone in a strip club was dancing to his song. But in this case it wasn’t just anyone, it was you. Someone he’s known almost his whole life, someone he’s been trying to ask out for way too long but had doubts because of his own stupidity. When your performance was over he whistled from his seat and immediately turned to Leah, “are any of the private rooms taken?”

When you exited the stage and headed back to the dressing room you were met with cheers and hugs. Everyone loved your dance and gave you your praises. 

After a few moments of celebrating and thank yous, Leah came in, a smirk across her face ; more or less as a ‘I told you so’ look. “Room #2. Go, now” The girls all gave a collective “ohhhhhhhhh”, as you rolled your eyes and left.

Eddie is standing in the middle of the room this time. You shut the door and lean up against it. You're the first to speak up ; “So,” you start to walk closer, “what did you think?”

“Don’t come any closer.” 

You stop, baffled at his words. “Why?”

“Because if you come any closer I’m going to lay you on this couch and do unthinkable things to you.”

You blush, hard. “You sure you wanna do that with a security camera in the corner?”

He looks up at the camera and waves, “free entertainment, no?”

You chuckle, such a typical Eddie answer.

“Well-”

“If you wanna know what I thought, I’m seriously never gonna get you out of my head now. How the hell am I going to ever perform that song without thinking straight?”

You look down shyly, rocking on your heels. 

“And as much as I would love to give your friends some content, I do want to do this whole thing right.” He brings himself to stand right in front of you, “let me take you on a date, a proper one. Pick you up, dinner-”

“Maybe…bowling?” He brings his head to the side, giving you a bewildered look.

“I mean, if you want too-”

“I’m joking, but dinner would be great.”

“Cool-cool. Can I pick you up tomorrow at 6?”

“Sounds like a date.” You stand more on your heels, placing a small kiss to his cheek and leaving him alone in the room.

Quick Notes - Didn't expect this to get as much love as it did so thank you again! Reblogs are appreciated! :) also yes I have an idea for a Part 3 but we'll see!

[five-rivers]

If you are still taking Prompts, I would love to know how Danny's Delivery went in your fic Delivery in your Grandfather Clock's series. Like, I'm just imagining him getting shot (not seriously) and Clockwork fussing over him even while he congratulates Danny on doing a good job.

"Okay," said Sam, the minute Danny's parents and the doctor went out into the hallway to talk. "Spill."

"It pretty much went how I said it went," said Danny, shrugging. "I found that guy's notebook and decided to bring it back to him. The Guys in White were there with their stupid ultrasensitive targeting system. I set it off and they shot me."

"Yeah, you're helpful, but you're not that helpful," said Sam. "You'd normally have handed it off to Jazz, since she's got some classes there."

That was true.

"You've done it before," said Jazz, crossing her arms. No help there.

"Okay, you're right, but you have to promise not to get mad," said Danny.

Sam and Jazz looked at each other. Danny would have liked Tucker to be there, just for the sake of Guy Solidarity, but Tucker refused to get anywhere near a doctor's office unless someone was actively dying.

"Go ahead," said Jazz, finally.

"Clockwork gave me the notebook and told me to bring it back," said Danny. "Because, he said, the Guys in White would lose a lot of recruits and that'll be important in the future."

"He sent you somewhere to get shot at?" asked Jazz.

"I knew I was going to get shot at, and I did it anyway. That's kind of what I do every time I fight ghosts, too."

Jazz made a face. "That's true."

"So, it was time agent stuff," said Sam. "That's still working out for you?"

"Oh, yeah, it's great," said Danny. "Clockwork is great."

"I'm glad, but still... I don't like that he sent you to get shot at on purpose."

"But I'm fine."

"And remember what he was like during the snake thing," said Sam.

"I wasn't there during the snake thing," said Jazz. "Because you didn't tell me about the snake thing until after."

"Oh, yeah. Well, he was completely doting on him. Like at the, you know, at the party."

"You can say deathday around me, I'm not going to freak out."

"I know, I know," said Jazz. "We all like Clockwork, it's just that with Mom and Dad... You don't need someone else who cares more about work."

When it came to ghosts, things weren't quite that simple. He didn't think things were quite that simple with his parents, either.

"Yeah, but it was about making me safer in the future."

Jazz's expression softened further. "If you're sure that's what's going on, okay," she said. She sat down in one of the chairs. "But maybe give me a heads up in the future? You nearly gave us a heart attack."

"Mostly you," said Sam.

"Mostly me," agreed Jazz.

"Time out," said Clockwork.

Danny sat up straighter on the examination table. "I didn't mess anything up, did I?"

"Not at all," said Clockwork. "You did wonderfully. Everything is as it should be." He held out a hand. "May I?"

Danny nodded and slid the paper examination gown to one side so Clockwork could see the burns more easily. They weren't serious, and he was already healing quickly, but they were worse than what a regular human would have gotten from those weapons... Which had, at least, made the doctor and his parents that much more angry at the GIW. Although, who knew how long that would last or what excuses the GIW would come up with.

Clockwork adjusted one of the watches on his wrist and passed his hand over the burn. Danny watched as another couple of days of healing passed in front of his eyes.

"I need to learn that trick," said Danny, putting the gown back into place.

"I will be happy to teach you," said Clockwork.

Danny blinked at him. "Really?"

"Really. Time in."

[creating--memories]

Hi y’all this is my first attempt at a pazzi one-shot. I have been reading for a while but this is the first time I’m posting. Let me know if ppl like it :)

——————<3——————

Paige Bueckers sat on the edge of the bleachers, her knees pulled to her chest, her eyes glued to the court where her best friend was making magic happen. The gym echoed with the rhythmic bounce of basketballs, the sound of shoes screeching against polished wood, and the collective energy of players giving their all. But none of it distracted Paige. Not the game. Not the crowd. Only Azzi.

Azzi Fudd was on fire that night—her moves were sharp, her shots clean, her confidence undeniable. As usual, she was the one to steal the show. Paige had been with Azzi through thick and thin. From late-night practices to long bus rides, from moments of frustration to their shared victories. They had seen it all together. But tonight, something felt different.

Azzi’s eyes met hers across the court after sinking a three-pointer, a quick, knowing smile passing between them. That smile always did something to Paige’s heart, a flutter she couldn’t ignore. They had been best friends since they were both kids—two young girls dreaming of playing college basketball together, maybe even on the same team someday. But these feelings… these feelings were new. Uncharted territory.

“Great shot!” Paige called out as Azzi jogged over to the bench, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“Thanks, but you’re the one who’s always telling me to follow through.” Azzi’s voice was warm, teasing.

Paige smiled softly. She didn’t have to think twice about the advice she gave Azzi—it was the same advice she would give herself. But lately, she was starting to wonder if she needed to take her own advice when it came to her feelings.

Azzi collapsed next to her on the bleacher. “You look like you’re in deep thought. What’s going on?”

Paige shrugged, trying to act casual. “Just watching you play. You’re on fire out there.”

Azzi chuckled. “I’m just doing my job. You know, helping the team win. But you’re quiet tonight. Something on your mind?”

Paige’s heart raced. Azzi’s brown eyes locked on hers, and for a moment, Paige felt exposed. She had always been good at hiding her emotions, but this was different. There was no hiding this.

“I don’t know. I guess…” Paige started, then trailed off. “Do you ever feel like you’re really close to someone, but you don’t know how to tell them something important?”

Azzi raised an eyebrow. “Important, huh? Like… what kind of important?”

Paige bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She wanted to tell Azzi how she felt—how her heart beat faster every time they were together, how the small touches, the shared laughter, the way their friendship had evolved—it all felt like something more. But could she risk everything they had? Could she risk losing Azzi?

Before she could say another word, the coach called for both of them to head back to the court for the second half of the game. Paige stood up, shaking her head. “I’ll think about it later,” she muttered more to herself than to Azzi.

——————<3——————

The night wore on, but Paige’s mind kept returning to that moment—the moment she almost said something to Azzi. It was hard to ignore how much she cared for her, how much more she wanted from their friendship. But after the game, when they were both exhausted and walking back to the dorms, Azzi finally spoke.

“You know, we’ve been best friends forever, right?” Azzi said, her voice unusually quiet. She glanced at Paige, her eyes searching.

Paige nodded. “Of course.”

“I was thinking…” Azzi hesitated, glancing down. “I think I might’ve been feeling something more lately, too.”

Paige’s heart skipped a beat. Her throat went dry, and she stopped walking. “What do you mean?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Azzi turned toward her. “I mean, I’m not sure when it happened. Maybe it’s always been there, just under the surface. But lately, I can’t stop thinking about you. Not as just my teammate, or my best friend, but something… more. I don’t know if that’s crazy or not.”

Paige felt her breath catch in her chest. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt like she could exhale. “It’s not crazy. I feel the same way.”

Azzi smiled, that same smile that had always made Paige’s heart race, but now it felt different—charged with something more. Something real.

For a long moment, they stood there, a comfortable silence settling between them. The cool night air wrapped around them, but it wasn’t the only thing that felt electric. Azzi’s hand, which had been hanging by her side, brushed against Paige’s. It was small, but the touch sent a ripple through Paige’s body. Slowly, almost instinctively, Paige reached out, threading her fingers through Azzi’s.

Azzi didn’t pull away. Instead, she squeezed Paige’s hand softly.

“I’ve been wanting this for a while,” Azzi whispered, her voice barely audible.

Paige’s heart hammered in her chest. There was no going back now. With a breath, she closed the distance between them, her hand still holding Azzi’s, and tilted her head slightly, her eyes searching Azzi’s for permission. Azzi’s eyes were wide, but her lips curled into a soft, encouraging smile.

And then, without a word, Paige leaned in.

The kiss was gentle at first, tentative, as if both of them were testing the waters, afraid of what might happen next. But when Azzi responded, pressing closer, Paige deepened the kiss, her hand sliding to the back of Azzi’s neck, pulling her in. The world around them faded—the bright lights of the campus, the soft hum of distant voices—until all that existed was the two of them, tangled together in the most unexpected but perfect moment.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathless, their foreheads leaning against each other as they stood still in the quiet night.

“I think this is just the beginning,” Azzi murmured, her voice low, full of promise.

Paige smiled, feeling lighter than she had in a long time. “Yeah,” she agreed softly. “I think you’re right.”

And from that moment on, they didn’t need to say more. They were more than teammates, more than friends. They were something new, something stronger.

And as the days turned into weeks, they learned how to navigate this new chapter of their relationship—one that, like their basketball careers, felt unstoppable.

[tangledinink]

Hi 👋

I just wanted to tell you that your art and au's make me smile 🩵✨ what's your favorite work of art that you've created this year?

thank you so much! ; w ; that makes me happy! and i think maybe my favorite thing was the swanatello finale? / just the au in general! i didn't make the entire thing in 2024, but i did finish it this year, and it felt absolutely insane (in a mostly good way...!) to actually finish the project... i miss it a lot sometimes, but i'm really happy with how it ended and would much rather give a story a satisfying conclusion than drag it around like a popular tv sitcom on it's 11th season, if that makes sense.

thank you!!!! ; w ; this makes me happy and i'm glad you like it!!!!! i need to make more clover crown content... soon... it's coming... i promise... @arelenforyadarlin

thank you! ; 0 ; i'm very glad that i did it justice! i am pretty forgetful due to my adhd, but i also tried to do a lot of research along the way about more pervasive memory issues more akin to what donnie was dealing with, so i'm very happy that it all came across well...!

you guys all have permission to stab gemini!big mama if you ever see her <3 also thank you!

i work at a 3D printing company! i do all the silly administration and paperwork stuff, and, despite failing math in high school, some of the accounting stuff, too.

i KNOWWW, they're stealing my fucking brand :/// feels legally actionable to me tbh. they'll be hearing from my lawyers... @thejade-forest

THE GEMINI TWINS CAN DO IT AND THEY BELIEVE IN YOU-- YOU CAN DO IT, TOO!!!! also shaking ur hand re: period-related medical issues and suffering. also training in MMA is incredibly badass?! :000 NICE.

Technically speaking, no. However, the Hidden City Police did find the twins just wandering around the city-- and since she's got, like, 80% of the police force on her payroll, she of course heard about it right away... @serendipitous-posts

GOOD JOB NAILING THE PRETEXT :D I'm glad my silly lil AU was helpful, hehe :3c

I'm originally from Massachusetts! My favorite color is pink and I've been making art for most of the my life. One of the main things driving me is that I just really love stories and characters and wanna force people to pay attention to all the silly lil situations happening to make-believe people in my head. Don't think I could pick a favorite fanart, since they are all so beloved... ; w ; Any version of Donnie is my favorite. I wanna go live in the Pokemon World, I think I try to find a healthy balance between 'doing my own thing' and 'is there an audience for this content?' Also! Great question! Uhhh... for TMWN, what truly started me on that road was that I Didn't Wanna Have To Draw Turtles. For the Gemini, I was very much inspired by the Even More of a Disaster AU! And for Swanatello, as I've stated in the past... I just wanted to make a silly donniesona with a pun for a name... and then things got out of hand... @sweetnsoursinger

nooo don't ooze my tortoiseeee i'm not ready to be a parentttttt i don't wanna live in the sewerssssss noooooooooooo-- @thebloodyheartgirl

emd two is way less insufferable than one--

(it's more like... two and donnie have a lot of common ground with science and mystical studies, so they are capable of getting along pretty well...! and leo automatically feels some sense of protection and affection for two just because... well... he's a version of donnie!

but. uhhh. one... not so much. it is... complicated...)

it was FINE... i mean. it SUCKED, he didn't LIKE it, it took the whole ass day and was painful and exhausting and scary. but there were no huge medical scares or complications or anything, so in the grand scheme, it went pretty smoothly? not that they had much to compare it to...

leo's went WAY smoother though, much quicker and easier than donnie's, (plus just one egg!) and donnie was so fucking annoyed at him for it. @jollycrowntragedy

It's based on their actual genetic/physical ages, for the most part! For Mikey and Venus, Draxum already knew exactly how old all of the turtles were when he got them, (he's a scientist, for goodness sake,) so he could roughly translate that into their 'post-mutation' ages, with Mikey being a bit older. For Raph, Leo, and Donnie, it was a lot more guesswork based for their respective caretakers... The fact that Donnie is the 'older twin,' for example, is completely arbitrary.

Jeni joined the Draxum family at a later date than the rest of the turtles and wasn't present during the original mutation process. She was mutated and 'adopted' as an infant about two years after the initial mutation event-- when Mikey was around three and Venus was about two. @kingofgemini

I do! Here's a post I made previously about the comic making procress for Gemini-- some things have changed a little since then, but most of it is pretty much the same...! If you're looking for the textures specifically, I'd check out the link I've got in the bottom for True Grit Texture Supply, which is where I got a bunch of my brushes. (If you sign up for their email list, then they'll send you a bunch of brushes for free, including a lot of the ones that I use in my comics!) @avisminutia

THANK YOU... ; _ ; THIS MAKES ME VERY VERY HAPPY... I AM GLAD...

[nadinescholtes]

Q&A

About sending Asks:

-No NSFW, AI, NFT stuff

-don't send me pictures of your Ocs, it’s very sweet of you to want to show them to me, you are doing great! But my ask boy gets easily full of them. Same with if my OCs would meet/befriend your Oc. Don't DM them to me too, they are full!

-I don't do requests! You can always commission me if you want me to draw something for you. Responding with art is something I do on my own.

-If you ask something that was asked already many times I will most likely not respond.

Can I draw or write something about you Ocs or Oc's universes?

Go for it! Just add credits please, and tag or send links to me so I can see them.

Why don't you answer my asks or DM's?

Sometimes Tumblr is weird and Asks just disappear even though my Inbox says there is still something in there, but doesn't show up. My asks or DM's can be too full and it takes time to respond to all of you. Or you ignored my Ask rules.

Do you write fics?

Not really, I do write stories but not in the way you're used to fics. They're like scripts because I write those before I do comics.

Can I repost your art?

No, even if you credit it! You can reblog here on Tumblr or Bluesky. But I will not allow it because of Art theft!

Can I use your TSBS or Laia comics for Dubs?

Sure, but please ask first and use credits! Even if you make a Dub of an already dubbed video of my comics and that creator gives you permission, ASK ME TOO PLEASE! And send me links I want to see it. But don't use comics like Cool Uncle or from other books!

Can I use your art for AI or NFT?

HELL NO!

What is your gender identity/pronouns?

I'm a woman. My pronunciation is she/her, but I'm also comfortable with they/them. (I actually don't care about what pronouns you use for me)

What do you use to make art?

-IMac that is over 10 years old and can't handle much anymore.

-Cintiq UX21

-Clip Studio Paint

-Krita

Do you do livestreams?

I wish and I tried but my old computer gets easily overheated.

What is your job?

I'm an independent illustrator (but still part job hunting). I draw commissions to pay the bills and hold my head barely above the water. And no I don't earn money with the TSBS comics, they are drawn with the little free time I have. (or in the middle of the night, because I can't sleep)

Did you study art?

Yes, I made my graduation in arts and a bachelor of arts in communication design. But to be honest I learned how to draw on my own.

What books did you work on?

You can find them in my portfolio. I had many book/comic commissions and a few of my own like Cool Uncle.

When will the next page of Cool Uncle come out?

I know, 12 pages are left for me to draw, but commissions come first. And right now I have a strong obsession with TSBS and work on those in my free time, so I will work on Cool Uncle when I have the motivation again.

Are you neurodivergent?

Yup, I have Autism and a learning disability. And other mental health issues I won't go into depth here.

How old are you?

Old...

You have so many websites, which are you most active on?

Tumblr and Bluesky, the others are just for dumping my art, and will most likely not or late respond to the comments and Dm's there.

Do you have Kofi?

Kofi, here you go! I also have a Patreon but I post there rarely...

[serene-sabo]

some thoughts on sonic 3 (no spoilers, i promise!!) I NEED TO GET THIS OUT BEFORE I EXPLODE 😳😫

- so i saw it on christmas eve!! i REALLY really loved it, it was SUBLIME. STUNNING. PEAK CINEMA. I NEED TO REWATCH IT SO BAD. IT WAS LITERALLY SO GOOD

- but it felt a bit rushed 🙈 imo it needed more steady pacing and natural build up 🤭

- i feel like they focused too much on the robotniks when that screentime could have benefitted shadow, or even our other main cast

- SHADOW WAS INCREDIBLE. idk what else to say besides he was amazing, super badass, angry yet super cute >:3 i expected nothing less tbh - they handled his character with A LOT of love and care!!

- MARIA WAS AMAZING TOO!! i feel like she's spoiler territory so i'll just say i absolutely LOVED finally getting more maria content!! before dark begginings and shadow generations, she was just "shadow's friend" and we didn't know much about her... the movie further gives her more individual character outside of that, which makes her more sympathetic and shows how much she really means to shadow ;w;

- all the character interactions WERE SO GOOD. team sonic, shadow & sonic, shadow & maria, the robotniks, tom & sonic (i wish they had more screentime together, they're such a cute duo 🥺)

- AND ESPECIALLY THEY DID SHADOW & MARIA SO DAMN GOOD. THEY HANDLED THEIR HEARTWRENCHING STORY AND THEIR INTERACTIONS SO WELL

- the entire final act of the movie was INSANELY good, i still cant believe what i watched 😫💦

- there were several gasp worthy moments that made me LOSE MY MIND and shook me to the core, and days later im STILL thinking abt it. this movie did a great job at evoking emotions omfg

- i feel like the movie was a tad TOO humorous this time around, maybeee even more so than the first two films, which stole from a couple few serious/heavy moments. but when it REALLY mattered, they did a great job at keeping a serious tone and breaking my heart 🥲🥲

- i liked gerald and he's def very different from his game counterpart (as expected from the trailers) but in a good way! but also, i feel like he could have benefitted from being less goofy and more serious 😅 overall he's an interesting character

- i loved the drama and angst throughout the movie sooo so much PERIOD

anyway that's all for now!! i do have some more pros and cons about the movie about specific spoilerly moments, but i'll wait to scream abt those later! i'd say this is like a 8/10 for me, maybe 8.5/10 😼 ALL HAIL SHADOW

[hiraizyo]

here we lay once again.

synopsis — unspoken tension between you and chaewon causes the relationship to near an unwanted end.

established relationship, angst, swearing, somewhat of a breakup (?), hurt no comfort, flashbacks in italics.

now playing: void in blue, glare.

a/n: i wanted this to be kind of an open ending tbh and i also wrote this kind of rushed cause i needed to vent my feelings lol (late night feels)

there hadn’t been a moment since the start of yours and chaewon’s relationship where you felt like it was passed it’s due date. after all, you wanted the two of you to last.

sure, there were fights, all couples had them. but lately, they were more frequent. anything would set either of you off. be it your jealousy, or chaewon’s habit of giving you the silent treatment. of course, you’d talk things out and find yourselves back into the rhythm of the five year long relationship.

that couldn’t be said for the last two fights.

the news from the company you worked for came a couple weeks ago. they’d wanted you to move business up in america, become an important figure within their newest branch.

it wouldn’t be the first time you and chaewon would be doing long distance, but what they were asking of you didn’t sit right with her.

“are you going to take it?” she asked you one night, while you finished up your routine.

“mh, maybe.” you shrugged, wiping your hands on a hand towel. you switched off the bathroom light, turning to face chaewon where she lay in the shared bed. “it’s a great opportunity, and i’ve wanted this since i started out.”

“i know, but…” she hesitated, shuffling to sit up against the headboard. “don’t you think it’s a bit extreme? they’re asking you to move your whole life up there.”

“chae…” you sighed, getting into bed beside her. “i get it, but we’ve done this before, have we not?”

you looked at chaewon in a way that made her contemplate her words. she didn’t want to say anything that would lead to a fight, but the feeling had been gnawing at her like a dog would a bone.

chaewon set her hands on top of the duvet, pressing out the creases in them. “that doesn’t make it any less painful.”

“i know, my love.” you told her, leaning in close until your lips were pressed against her temple. “sleep. we can talk about it in the morning.”

chaewon let out a deep sigh. you could tell by the sound this offer weighed heavy on her heart, as it did to yours. she mumbled a good night, and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed.

that was three nights ago.

now, facing her in the living room of your home, you felt as if the fight had finally reached it’s peak. words that went unsaid fell from your lips like water dripping out of a tipped bottle, while chaewon had anger brewing deep in her chest.

“can we not do this again?” you tilted your head back, trying to stop tears from escaping.

chaewon stood opposite you, looking as if she was ready to go to war. her eyebrows furrowed together in fury, but her short statute made it rather difficult for her to get her point across.

“we can’t keep avoiding it, yn!” she yelled out, hands waving around as she gestured. “at some point, we have to face it.”

the house was silent, safe from the cries of hurt and outrage between you and chaewon. your voices could rattle the walls, the hours of all the yelling laying over the both of you like a cloud, hovering above, reminding you and her that this fight was none like the others.

“i already said i’m taking the job, can we leave it at that?” you shouted back. your body was tired from the countless arguments up until this moment, emotions all over the place.

chaewon scoffed, her arms folded across her chest as she spat out her words with venom. “you’re a fucking asshole.”

you looked at her incredulously, eye twitching. “what do you want me to do? this is my life’s work!”

the korean ran a hand through her head, taking deep offense to your words. she wanted to pull her hair out from all the frustration she’d been feeling, and the tension between you and her wasn’t making it any easier.

“so your work is more important than me?” she accused, the unshed tears gathering at the bottom of her eyes.

“that is not what i meant, and you know it. but this is my dream job!” you told her. your throat felt sore from all the yelling, but it seemed the only way you and chaewon could ever communicated lately was like this.

she wasn’t far behind on raising her voice even more, the cry she let out had you flinching. “i also know that we promised one another we’d stick together. was that all a lie, then?”

your reply was immediate. “of course not! but chaewon, we’ve done long distance before, we can make it work.”

chaewon’s tears finally leaked from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks in a slow stream. she walked around the room, feeling her heart break in her chest at the memories of trying to catch one another on a call, the difference in texts due to the time zones, all the moments of you and her wishing that you were together.

“are you serious?” she chuckled bitterly, “i don’t know if you remember, but that was hell! for the both of us!”

her body was aching all over, the emotional pain suddenly being felt in every muscle. her voice was firm, but the way it broke towards the end felt like a stab to your gut.

“don’t make me go through that again.”

all logic went out your head at her words, suddenly feeling like you were being attacked. chaewon wasn’t the only who’d been in pain during your first time in a long distance relationship, and while you hated it, you couldn’t pass up this opportunity for your career.

“i can’t believe how fucking inconsiderate you’re being right now.” you retorted, body feeling hot all over from the wrath that coursed through your mind.

“i’m being inconsiderate?” she pointed a finger to her chest, looking at you in disbelief. “i’m not the one who wants to move halfway across the fucking world.”

you shook your head, leaning your weight on one leg. tears seeped from your eyes, making your vision blurry. “you know, i really thought we loved one another enough to make this work.”

chaewon looked defeated, “me too.”

the silence that took over was choking you, feeling like your throat was being constricted. you swallowed the lump in your throat, but found it difficult to do so. the korean stuck her tongue out to wet her bottom lip, her own tears now never ending.

the room suddenly felt cold, all the memories you’ve created now felt like a harsh reminder of what you were giving up.

you opened your mouth to speak, before closing it again. then, you took a deep breath, trying to steady your voice. “where does this leave us?”

“i think we both know the answer.” chaewon replied, and her heart squeezed at the thought.

“no.” you stated, striding over to her in rushed, hard steps. “no! don’t say it, please.”

your vision blurred once more, and you wiped at the tears, but it was useless as they began to flow again. the thought of you and chaewon ending had your stomach feel ill.

“what other choice do i have?” her voice croaked as she shoved your arm away from her. chaewon’s eyes were red by now, she sniffled softly.

“look at me,” you whispered, tenderly. you could see the hurt in her eyes, it made you feel even more sick. “just— just tell me what i have to do! but i’m begging you, don’t say those words.”

your hand reached out to wipe away her fallen tears, rubbing your thumb over her cheek. you pleaded with her, feeling like cold water had been splashed over you at the realization that this could be the end.

“stay.” she placed her hand over yours, cupping your wrist and gripped it, her thumb now ran across the skin.

“stay with me— here, in our home.”

the salty tears wet your lips and you licked them away. she looked at you desperately, but as the silence dragged on she knew her pleas were fruitless.

chaewon moved in slow motion, her hand held your wrist as she pulled them down and she walked off, until all that was left the ghost of her presence. it lingered with you, while you stared off into the distance and the pain set deep in your heart, etching itself there like a wound that would never heal.

i wasn’t sure how to end this, but angst as never been my strong suit so yeah :/ apologies for any typos x

[helluvapurf]

Welp, after a long... loooooong road of S2 to sift through in HB, here's my official review of the "Sinsmas" finale to wrap things up (*no Christmas pun-intended lol*):

NOTE: My thoughts below will contain some obv spoilers so you miiiight wanna skip this post if you haven't watched "Sinsmas" yet; also like with all my past reviews these are just my personal opinions alone (+fair warning that I'll be getting a bit rant-y later too), so... do remember to keep things civil if you disagree with anything here (and if not, welp... yall are free to block & move on, I guess lol 🤷‍♀️), thank you 🙏🙏

Loona continuing to show more appreciation & excitement around her dad/I.M.P. is great to see, and about time we finally got her joining in on an assassination gig again (which I don't think we've had since S1's "Spring Broken"?). I like her new Hellhound friends shown towards the end too, they look chill~

As much as I've lowkey grown a bit... disinterested in M&M these past few episodes (not to a hate-level or anything but they just don't really... "spark" for me, OTP-wise?), it is nice to see a return to their bloodthirsty-based couple fluff (aka: their lil Sinsmas-based playfight at the beginning), bringing me back a bit to the og pilot days (ex. "Oh Millie" ❤️). -Buuuut dang, who would've thought things would escalate to Millie turning out pregnant?? .o. I know there's been some controversy for Millie's less-than-happy reaction about it towards the end; but honestly I absolutely don't blame the poor gal if you consider: 1) She's a proud fighter & trained assassin who's always been passionate about her current line of work, and (depending on how imp pregnancies work) having this potentially putting her out of a job for a long while would make anyone stressed out imho 2) Imps are considered the lowest-of-the-low ranked species within Hell as it is; with not a whole lot of access to good paying jobs + medical coverage (given Blitz's struggle to get Loona her vaccinations). Imagine you were someone who found yourself expecting a child with a good chunk of Hell not considering you "high-up" enough in the food chain to care... wouldn't you get freaked out too? 3) Lastly, and this being among the biggest points to me personally... did her & Moxxie ever talk about having kids before? Given the implication that they rushed to get married so soon after dating (+Millie not even knowing about Moxx's mafia background til WAY after), I... can't say I'd be surprised if Millie's fear is partially based on how Moxxie would react (for better or worse). Kids are by-far among the biggest dealbreakers for any relationship, so while I don't necessarily think this'll cause something like a split between M&M... yeaaaah I wouldn't be surprised if this still caused some lingering-tension either way, regardless of if they go through with this pregnancy or not 🤷‍♀️ (On a side note; loved seeing Sallie May popping up to give that well-needed support to her sis on the phone, aww 🥺)

The side-story with the "karen" sinner and her ex-drama was... weird, all things considered? .x.;; Like, yeah I can see the importance of how this plays into Blitz's relationship woes & such... but, am I the only one who found it weird the writing going all "moralistic" with Blitz NOT going through with the job, solely cause he imagined his idealized family in Stolas (whom I'll cover in a sec btw-) upon spying on the target + his partner & kids? 🤨 Like... I know I've seen some argue that this is "character development" for Blitz, which I normally wouldn't mind seeing... but mind you, this is the SAME dude who was all-too-fine killing a bratty kid, a wife & her happy (albeit cannibalistic) family, a whole bunch of random college kids on spring break (all for the sake of some parking spot drama with Verosika btw), and not even two shorts ago some horny fangirl got met with the same fate by his hands (mostly due to getting caught up in her own fantasy world... and thats it lol). So I just... have a hard time buying into this being some grand "change of heart" moment for Blitz tbh, cause with this whole episode taking place during the winter holiday season (an already money-draining time irl as-is), I... can't help but find it a lowkey dick move of Blitz to rob his fellow employees of a chance to have some more cash on-hand (esp. after the events of "Ghostf**kers" and him draining the company's finances over his Stolas mope-fest, like come on dude-🤦‍♀️). Heck, if he really-really didn't wanna do it (and this target family seems innocent enough to potentially escape Hell if-killed)... couldn't they have just lied to the lady that they did the deed & take her money anyway (-instead of Blitz immediately punting her out the window 'cause she was bitching about Stolas' writing😑)? Again, this IS Hell we're talking about, so a bit of dirty-dealing doesn't seem far out of the realm of normal there lmao. Buuuut idk, that may just be me... 🤷‍♀️

We're back again with Andre leading the story as the "main" bad guy, and I'll admit his final confrontation with Stolas & the I.M.P. gang was pretty kickass~ From Stolas throwing the first punches at his smug-ass face, the action-increasing with the ice dragons & Loona going "feral"-mode, and even Octavia coming in to defend everyone from her uncle (with her own personal magic) was pretty rad! 🤩👏👏 One thing that's bothering me about it all though... where tf is Stella during all this going on?? 🤨I know the show's pretty much committed atm to making her as one-dimensionally dumb & evil as possible (not even giving her much substantial dialogue after her repeated "hiLARRRIOUS MUAHAAA~" lines 😒 ), but surely someone like her wouldn't miss the chance to see her ex (+affair partner) smacked down by her brother?? Especially once Via arrived, just imagine the juicy drama potential of seeing Stella having to force herself (+Andre) to call off their attack to appease Via (further adding in salt to the wound for her later decision to walk away from Stolas). Hhhhh Viv, why must u be so allergic to developing Stella (antagonism-wise)... 😔😔

Now, as far as Stolas himself is concerned... *-sighs-* I know I'm gonna get some flack for saying this, but I caaaaaan't with his dude anymore🤦‍♀️ Yes, I get he's going through a tough time losing everything + adjusting to a simple life now (along with implied-withdrawal symptoms from the lack of "happy pills"). But just... the way Stolas kept getting MORE & more whiny/unappreciative of Blitz (after all he's done to accommodate Stolas, defend him against other imps, giving him a job at I.M.P. on top of everything-), then never uttering a single "thank you" for Blitz's efforts frustrated tf out of me 😑😑. You expect to buy that these two are these "deep destined soulmates" at the end of the day, to the point of Blitz practically becoming a giddy cheerleader to boost Stolas at every turn... ...and yet, at the same time you're telling me Blitz has never asked about Stolas' eating habits before, nor Stolas ever asking about Blitz's love of horses?? That outside of their failed date at Ozzy's, they never once tried to actually talk, share a meal or hangout aside from their once-a-month hookups (pre-"Full Moon")? Sure, the show implies that Stolas has asked about Blitz's day before (via-some throwaway lines + blink-and-you'll-miss-it texts)... but if the audience never actually sees those friendly gestures on-screen, how am I supposed to buy them being in-love now?? -_- Like, to take a note from "Swan Princess":

Taking away their childhood memory of playing together for a day, the sexual chemistry, the grand gestures, them both having goth angsty daughters... what else IS there for Stolas & Blitz to love about each other, truly? Its one thing if you wanna show them starting over as friends first (awkward roommate-vibes aside), then hell yeah I'd be down to see their rebuilding bond as a more balanced, genuine pairing down the line (making moments like their big kiss + balcony dance 10x more impactful imo)!👍

...But, with how things are now with Viv & crew rushing to go full-romance mode already (regardless of either character's emotional well-being in the story), I... don't think I can see myself joining the Stolas/Blitz ship hype tbh, regardless of what's to come in the next couple seasons...🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Now, to cap things off regarding Octavia in all this... She. IS. A. STAAAAARRR😭🌟👏👏By far the best thing to come out of this finale IMHO; just seeing Via standing her ground as strongly as she did, both in-defense of her dad AND against him... goddd, that was powerful q-q💜 And before anyone mentions it, no I don't think Via was in anyway "wrong" for her reaction to Stolas (regardless of his efforts to reach her by the end). Imagine you're in her position; the product of an loveless, toxic marriage forced upon by a rigid society, living your childhood blissfully unaware & happy until everything comes crashing down in your teen years (through your father's public affair + your mother's rampant rage). All you thought was true is now a confirmed lie, you're stuck in an emotional mess dealing with your parents, and your beloved dad is constantly putting his booty call (+marital drama) a bigger priority over you (albeit unintentionally, but still-)...

Time & time again, Via's been let down by Stolas, the one parent she's always been closest to since the beginning... and to top it all off? Several episodes later, she's watching her father live on TV willingly ready to be executed in Blitz's place (without so much as a single goodbye message to Via, mind you-), effectively breaking his promise that he'd never leave her...

...So, really, how can anyone blame Via for simply being done with her dad, by that point? Stolas may be "trying", I know... but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter that he didn't "mean" to hurt her. What matters most is that... well, he did. More than he can imagine... 💔

------------------------------

...weeeeew okay that was a bit lengthy my bad- lmao. As a whole, I'd say "Sinsmas" was an... ehhhhh-kinda finale? Like yeah I enjoyed the Via focus we got (+her song💜), the ice battle & the improved M&M + Loona writing... buuuuut oof, am I just exhausted by the Stolas/Blitz-melodrama at this point, oml >>;; No shade to those who did enjoy the finale regardless though, yall are more than valid! 👍👍 Maybe later on I'll give my overall thoughts on S2 (+the overarching story of HB) further down the line if I'm up for it... buuuuut yeah, hope yall enjoyed reading & thanks for sticking around my page~ (for any newer/older Hellaverse fans alike)!👋✨🌙

[itsbenedict]

Games I Played In 2024 And Whether Or Not I Thought They Were Good (Part 1/?)

It's that time of year again! I wasted far too much time playing videogames, but at least I can tell you which of those videogames were worth playing and which ones weren't. Again!

(2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

The Roottrees are Dead

It's... the comparisons that leapt to mind immediately were "like Her Story, but also like Return of the Obra Dinn", which it turns out were the two direct inspirations so that makes total sense. Your job is to piece together a huge, sprawling family tree, identifying the names, faces, relationships, and occupations of everyone therein. How? You've got a search engine you can enter search terms into, and bring up various webpages and documents detailing the lives of the Roottrees. As you fill in the blanks and make guesses, the game will confirm them in batches, Obra Dinn-style.

This core gameplay is already really engrossing, but along the way you'll pick up hints of a mystery underlying the Roottree family history, and figure out a bonus objective on top of just filling out the whole tree. It's extremely cool and unique, and The Fluteknees are Bread.

Bounty of One

This one was recommended to me by my kid brother. It's... fairly brainless? It's a roguelike where you're in an infinite empty desert, enemies come in from the sides of the screen to try and kill you, and if you shoot them you get powerups and money for upgrades. The character auto-aims at the nearest enemy while not moving, so all you have to worry about is dodging and selecting upgrades.

It's pretty fun! Lots of different toys with synergies that let you snowball in a few different directions. I find it great for like, putting on to give my hands something to do while I'm watching a show or listening to a podcast or something. Not too much else to say about it.

Misericorde

There's been a murder in a convent in 1400s England. The abbey's anchoress, the only person with an alibi (due to having been locked in a room her entire life), is tasked with covertly investigating by the Mother Superior, who believes the rest of the nuns are keeping secrets from her and covering things up.

She doesn't know the half of it.

Misericorde, currently unfinished, is chapter 1 of an episodic mystery VN, which is the only reason it's not my game of the year. It's got several strengths:

A great sense of atmosphere, with an extensive D&B-infused soundtrack that really gets across the protagonist's unease without being unpleasant to listen to.

Exceptional character designs, which manage to be distinctive and full of personality despite being in black and white and having every character be a nun wearing the exact same outfit the exact same way.

A dedication to historical accuracy, not flinching away from the realities and attitudes that would be present in a medieval English convent. Hedwig, our protagonist, is the stuffiest and most pedantic theology nerd of them all, and is constantly astonished by the irreverent-to-downright-debauched behavior of her "peers", largely forced into this life by circumstance. A really unique, harrowing, and sometimes hilarious perspective.

Despite this, impressively gay.

Good writing. Like good writing good writing. Not just structurally but on the prose level. Very important for a game that's 90% reading.

I'm not entirely sure how well the mystery aspect of it will shake out, since it's still in the setup phase and the whole thing isn't out yet, but all that aside, it's a joy to read anyway. Also Darcy is in it.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC

Yeah, I know. I shouldn't be rewarding Game Freak for their shitty business model and half-baked games. And you know what? You shouldn't either. These were bad.

Gameplay-wise... total nothingburgers. You know how Paldea was this ugly empty wasteland of airbrushed textures with no rewards for exploration, sprinkled with random pokémon spawns and trainer battles? They did another one of those. Two of those, kinda. The second one's Blueberry Academy map had a little more visual variety but ultimately was exactly as empty and unrewarding to explore as before. Zero-effort design as always.

The base game of SV had, I think, the best story a mainline pokémon game has ever had. They broke out the "dramatic legendary stuff", "fight an evil Team", and "do a Pokémon League journey" components into their own parallel things, and managed to make all of them more compelling than they've ever been.

The DLC... uh, doesn't, really. There's a couple fun new characters- Carmine and Kieran are entertainingly fucked-up- but Carmine gets sidelined almost immediately, and Kieran is the only thing the game has going for it storywise through the whole DLC. His story's kind of effective, but it can't carry the whole thing, and all the stuff about Ogerpon and Terapagos is underbaked and disjointed and anticlimactic. You're not really missing anything if you skip it. So skip it.

Cluefinders series

Did anyone else play these edutainment point-and-click adventure games as a kid? Sort of... Indiana Jones by way of Scooby-Doo? These were my jam back in the day, and I went back to them to see how they held up. And the answer is... uh, there's a surprising range of quality!

I ended up having way more to say about these than I thought I would, so here's a separate post about them. Overall, I don't know that I'd recommend any of them, unless you're an actual elementary schooler who needs to learn math and stuff.

And if you are- hey! You should not be reading my blog! This is not a website for children! I say swear words on here! Kind of a lot of them, actually! Your mom's gonna be mad at me, and neither of us want that!

Project Killdance

This was a... kind of cool tactics/action game? It's kind of Superhot but a deckbuilder, and that's... not really to its benefit. Copy-pasting my review from itch.io:

This is really polished and has some super cool moments, but I'm kind of hung up on... the core mechanic of it being at odds with the rest of the design. The tense action where you have to decide moment-by-moment how to not die that turn is great, and the action economy is a good abstraction for it... but ultimately, success or failure hinges almost entirely on Did You Have Enough Basic Moves In Hand. The overriding concern is always "is a bullet about to hit me?", and the answer is almost always "yes", and the solution is always "play a move"- which means, if you don't have one, all the rest of your planning doesn't matter, and you're dead.  Other deckbuilders have this core problem, of course, but they usually smooth over it with a health system that gives you a certain tolerance for failure. When it's an iterative system, building your deck properly you can lower the chance of being forced to take hits on your turn, and the outer game loop is about managing that risk. But... in a game like this, where a single failure means death, any significant random failure rate is a feel-bad. And the failure rate varies with the level design: the less cover, the more movement you need to be doing, but the incremental deckbuilder thing locks you into a certain proportion of offense to defense, forcing you to mulligan over and over to find viable hands. I do like the action economy aspect- keeping an eye on your AP and moves-in-hand to ensure you don't get stuck taking a breath at the wrong time is a good tactical challenge. The question is how to preserve that core challenge- making the most of limited and unpredictable options- without creating as many situations where all roads lead to dead. Maybe... separate decks for moves and attacks? Or the ability to slash enemy projectiles out of the air? More cover options in the level design? I'm not sure exactly what the right solution is, but I think you want something to cut down on "a big guy with a machine gun is immediately firing at you turn one and your opening hand doesn't let you move, RIP" moments. (Also- is there any significance to those Corrupted cards that sometimes show up in longer levels? I thought maybe relying on them gave you a bad ending, but I played through twice without using Corrupted cards the second time, and got the same outcome. Just a catchup mechanic for if you find yourself in a stalemate, or is there something else going on there?)

It's very short and manageable (and free), though- I think this is like, a prototype of something larger they're working on? Its length mean its flaws don't really get too annoying, and it's very stylish and fun when it works.

Pokémon Infinite Fusion

This was fantastic. This is the best Pokémon game, I think. The concept: You can take any two pokémon, and fuse them. Into one of two new fused pokémon, depending on which is the base and which is the head. It gets extremely wild extremely fast.

But more importantly, the game is very good. It's got so many QoL features! They've got HMs, but every HM in the game has a sidequest associated with it that earns you an item that substitutes for the HM- so you get the sort of teambuilding and moveset tradeoffs, but they're temporary, encouraging you to try out new stuff instead of locking you into the stuff that runs the HMs you need. And there's a proper speedup function, and there's these sidequests with really nice rewards in every town...

It's also hard to overstate how many custom fusion sprites there are. There's a huge community filling out a dex of the things, and more often than not there'll be a custom graphic for whichever unholy combo you come up with. The odds have presumably only risen over time, as the game's been continually updating since I played it. The stuff you can make is crazy cool.

My favorite is Honchvire. He is going to kill you to death.

Spiritfall

It's sort of... Hades meets Super Smash Bros. It's hard to come up with anything more to say than that, mechanically- that's exactly what it is. The combat system is a Smash-style platform fighter, but it's a roguelike where you acquire synergistic boons from different gods over the course of the run, and unlock different weapons with different movesets (and slight upgrades to said weapons) through the metaprogression.

And it works! If that concept sounds fun to you, then hey: it is! It's gorgeously animated, well-balanced, and has lots of optional challenges. It didn't really need to innovate- it smashed two known formulas for success together, executed with care and polish, and bam, the result is successful. Fun Video Game.

(Story's kinda nothing- a few months later, I literally can't remember if it had one. Some vague thing about souls and a sealed blight and you have to save the world or something? Didn't seem to be trying too hard, and didn't really need to.)

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I got, um... 23 more games on this list, so I'll talk about the rest later.

[izzy140105]

The most gorgeous man you've ever seen... And then she's just there 😒