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litrly-justagirl · 21 days ago

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Shed What’s Holding You Back to Build the Life You Want

Remember when we used to play The Sims? There was something so powerful about designing the perfect character—choosing their look, their hobbies, their personality. You could decide what their hair would look like every day, what their clothes would say about them, how they’d spend their days and nights. You’d play out their dreams, and somehow, it felt like magic when those visions started to come to life.

Now, it’s time to stop dreaming in pixels and start creating our own life. The game is over—this is our reality.

you have to let go of the past

It’s time to shed the version of ourselves that’s stuck in the past. Let go of the old narrative. The one that tells you you’re not enough, or that you can’t be who you want to be. The imposter syndrome has had its run, but it’s no longer welcome here. We’ve mourned the past long enough, and now it’s time to step forward.

We’ve been clinging to the old, but now we’re called to something greater. We’re destined to move forward, but we’ve held ourselves back by staying rooted in who we once were. It’s time to release what no longer serves us so we can step into the future God has waiting.

How to Let Go:

Release what God has rejected. It’s not a loss—it’s a redirection.

Resume your responsibilities. Pick up where you left off with intention.

Get ready for something better. God's next is always greater than what’s behind.

The Vision for My 2025

So, if I could build the perfect version of myself for 2025, what would she look like? This is my vision—a woman who radiates confidence, elegance, and a clear sense of purpose.

Wardrobe: She dresses with intention, like every outfit is a reflection of her inner world. She’s effortlessly classy—sensual, grown, and timeless. She gravitates toward eclectic pieces, each one telling its own story—a statement bag here, an asymmetrical top there. Her style is uniquely hers, and it turns heads without trying. Even when she’s dressed down, people can’t help but compliment her. Her wardrobe feels high-end, but it’s the simplicity and comfort that make it stand out. She loves colors—rich hues that pop against her skin, because she knows that her complexion allows colors to literally radiate from her. Red for date nights, black for a touch of mystery. Each piece is chosen with care, because she knows how to blend luxury and ease, making every look an experience.

Work Attire: She’s a force in the corporate tech world, mainly working from the comfort of her home. But when she steps into the office, she brings the same timeless style with a modest twist—effortlessly chic, like she’s walking through a boardroom runway. Every outfit is a statement, without saying a word.

Sleepwear: Even bedtime is an opportunity to feel like a goddess. Her pajamas are silky, feminine, and luxurious. Think chemise dresses—soft, flowing, and sensual—not your grandmother’s nightgowns, but an elegant nightwear collection she can’t wait to slip into. She’s drawn to soft neutrals like whites, creams, blacks, and delicate pinks, with a quiet confidence that she looks just as beautiful while she sleeps.

Makeup: Her everyday makeup is subtle yet stunning—accentuating her features without masking them. For special events, she goes bold: a deep red lip, or a smoky eye that demands attention. It’s always about enhancing what’s already there, never hiding. She knows the power of looking effortlessly put together, whether she’s headed to the office or a night out.

Diet and Fitness: Her body is a reflection of the life she’s building—strong, healthy, and active. She eats a balanced diet, focused on protein, fiber, and fresh greens. Nigerian dishes fill her plate, but she’s learned the importance of balance. She’s gaining weight to build curves, strengthening her body with every workout. The gym is her playground, and she wears colorful, flattering sets that make her feel unstoppable. Wednesdays are her chance to romanticize her life with pink workout gear, a personal touch to remind her that she is branding her life, on and off social media.

Community: She’s surrounded by women who don’t just dream—they take action. They are spiritual, entrepreneurial, and fiercely ambitious. They love Christ and believe in lifting each other up. They’re a community of beauty lovers, skincare enthusiasts, and fearless dreamers. Together, they make things happen. Their support is unwavering, and they inspire each other to live life fully—no holding back.

Home and Environment: She lives in a luxury penthouse with panoramic views that take her breath away every time she looks out the window. Think floor-to-ceiling windows, bathed in natural light, with a view of the city—maybe Dallas, her favorite city in Texas. Her space feels like an oasis—soft neutrals with deep textures, creating a balance of tranquility and energy. Browns, creams, greens, and touches of gold make her space feel alive and welcoming. It’s the kind of home that excites her to be in, a sanctuary for when the world gets too loud. Her furry companion, a little fawn-colored Shorkie, keeps her company as she reflects on her life.

Lifestyle: She’s the type of woman who enjoys the simple luxuries—brunches at her favorite spots, working from cozy coffee shops with the best ambiance, and discovering hidden gems in the city. She’s constantly inspired by the world around her. She takes time to do her devotions, and attends church regularly—on Sundays and Wednesdays—fully immersed in her faith. She wants to be more active, and has joined the women’s Bible study group at church.

Creativity: She’s rediscovering her creative side, embracing the things she once loved as a child—painting, pottery, and exploring new forms of self-expression. She’s letting go of the pressures to conform and is finally diving into what makes her feel alive.

now i want you to try!

Imagine waking up every day in a space that feels like you’ve stepped into your dream life. Your wardrobe reflects your confidence, your energy, and your purpose. You move through the world with intention, shedding the weight of what no longer serves you and confidently stepping into the person you were always meant to be. The path to this transformation is one step at a time, but each step is a declaration that we are no longer bound by the past. We’re building something new, something powerful, something real. So, let’s make it happen. The life you’ve been dreaming of is waiting to unfold—and it starts now. Together, we’re shedding what’s holding us back and building the life we want. Let’s bring this vision to life.

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lukecastellanshandholder · 5 months ago

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You do understand that Luke groomed and used teenagers, also asked a teenager if she loved from when she was sixteen and he was 23…

(I only dislike Luke, I don’t completely hate him, but reading your account description made me wonder…)

*sigh* ok, I’m going to try my very best to be nice and explain Luke’s character. (I only say this because I’ve made countless posts about these things already, but you seem new so I’ll explain)

First of all, Luke himself was groomed by Kronos for about 2 whole years before the events of The Lightning Thief took place. Kronos started coming to Luke in his dreams shortly after his quest to retrieve a golden apple from the Garden of Hesperides. Kronos came to Luke with his offer to help him dethrone the gods when he was upset and thinking irrationally because of his (very justified) anger towards Hermes. After this, Kronos continued to haunt Luke’s dreams, making him think that they both had the same goals.

Luke had always wanted a better life for demigods and for their godly parents to treat them better, he never wanted to hurt other demigods (as is plainly said in The Diary of Luke). While Kronos just wanted to gain power over Olympus again and to reshape the world. However, Kronos convinced Luke that he didn’t want to bring harm to demigods and that he could help Luke achieve his goal.

When Luke started to realize that Kronos just wanted power and that he no longer wanted to help Kronos, Kronos tortured him with nightmares. He was verbally and mentally abusive, driving Luke to near insanity until he broke and became Kronos’ perfect little soldier.

“But Luke groomed and used teenagers!” First of all, what do you think that the gods and Chiron do to all of the children at camp Half blood? They use those poor kids to run their errands and fight their wars under the guise of offering protection from monsters in the mortal world. And Camp half blood had been around long before the Titan Army was established.

Secondly, do you think that the gods are such good parents to their children that they didn’t have other kids who would willingly want to dethrone them? Because we have at least 2 examples of demigods who wanted to dethrone the gods for their own reasons. Ethan Nakamura and Alabaster Torrington. Ethan could’ve cared less about putting Kronos in power, he just wanted minor gods and their children to be treated better. Then Alabaster couldn’t have cared less about Luke but did want to see Kronos in power only because he would treat his mother, Hecate, better than Zeus did. So to say that Luke groomed every demigod who joined is completely ignoring the fact that the gods were terrible parents who have wronged so many of their children.

And third, Kronos was the one who wanted that army to fight against the army that Camp Half Blood had been building for years. Kronos was the one with all of the control, because once a demigod joined they were put under a haze. They were under Kronos’s influence and didn’t come out of it until Luke killed Kronos. So to blame Luke for the use of those demigods is also completely ignoring who had the true power in the situation. The gods and the Titans started this feud hundreds of years ago, Luke, Percy and the other demigods were just dragged into it.

Now about the whole Annabeth thing. I’m 100% sure that when Luke asked her if she had loved him, it was meant as in platonic/ familial love. As we see in The Diary of Luke (the only story that we ever see from Luke’s POV) we always see him thinking of Annabeth as nothing but a little sister or even a daughter. The only person that we ever see him show romantic feelings towards is Thalia when they were on the run together before going to camp. Well, except for Kelli, but I feel like that’s a special kind of situation.

“But Percy said-.” Percy is the most unreliable narrator out there, and he was a jealous teenage boy. Of course when Percy has a huge crush on Annabeth and he hears Luke ask Annabeth if she loved him, that Percy is going to think he meant it in a romantic way! He doesn’t have all of the information about practically anything going on! Now I’m not saying anything against Percy, but again he didn’t have all of the information and was just going off of what he thought he knew.

“But Annabeth said in the Heroes of Olympus series that-!” In this situation, Annabeth is also an unreliable narrator. Think about it, if you have or had a crush on someone and they asked you if you ever liked or loved them, aren’t you going to automatically assume that they mean it in the same way as you do? Aren’t you going to assume that they meant in a romantic way and think that they also had a crush on you? And again, I’m not saying anything bad against Annabeth but, the only time we get to hear from Luke’s POV about Annabeth he’s always referring to her as his little sister. So, are we going to believe what Luke says in his own point of view? Or are we going to believe what two people without all of the information think Luke meant?

So yeah, if you were wondering if I like Luke, the answer is yes! He’s one of my absolute favorite characters because his story is so interesting and intriguing to me.

No, I don’t blame Luke for what the gods and Kronos caused. I don’t think that he’s some evil monster like most of the fandom seems to think he is for some reason. Luke is a victim of the gods and Kronos. He was used just like every other demigod and in the end, died a hero.

I hold the actual villains of the story (Kronos and the gods) accountable for their actions instead of just blaming everything on one of their victims.

#hope this helps #luke castellan #asks #pjo #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians

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championari · 7 months ago

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True Love: Why FifteenxRogue Works

WOW. Man, that Rogue episode, huh? Watching that live was probably the greatest experience I’ve had recently regarding Doctor Who. Not just as a queer viewer, but as a queer media analyst. Fifteen and Rogue truly feel like a relationship written for me to analyze, because there is simply so frickin’ much to talk about. So, allow me, gentle reader, to be your Lady Whistledown of queer alien fuckery, and guide you through analyzing the latest dalliance of our Time Lord extraordinaire with the most honest bounty hunter in the galaxy.

We’ll be covering a LOT of ground in this: the theme of facades/masks, an interrogation of The Doctor’s perception of romantic relationships, and a deep dive into The Fifteenth Doctor’s character overall. So, needless to say, this is going be a LONG LONG piece. Grab a snack, some water, whatever you need, cause we’re going deep on this one.

You’re still here? Fantastic! Then let us begin! Specifically, with the Fifteenth Doctor himself. Because above all else, this episode works as a dissection of his character overall.

I’ve already done two metas regarding The Giggle’s ending and The Doctor’s perception of romance pre-Season 1/14, so if you want more elaboration, go read those here: 1, 2. But in case you don’t, I’ll sum up and expand based on what we’ve learned since.

The Doctor, as a character, has always struggled with commitment and attachment. They never stayed in one place for long and when they did, they had an unhealthy relationship with it (Trenzalore, Darillium, Bill’s University). Romantic connection is a permutation of this larger issue, as every romantic relationship we have seen The Doctor take part in since 2005 either was unbalanced (holding back problems/outright lying) or ended in a really bad way. However, thanks to the 60th specials and a bi-generation, The Doctor went through a massive change, and with it, came a new perception of openness and love. Fifteen is more expressive, and willing to verbally identify beauty. He openly points out how beautiful people are, and talks about previous exploits with pride. But this supposed openness betrays a deeper dishonesty still inside the Doctor. As much as Fifteen talks the talk of openness, he doesn’t often walk the walk when things get tough.

Fifteen’s character struggle is trying to break out of the Doctor’s previous patterns of unstable attachment and commitment while continuing those patterns. He values emotional honesty and encourages it in others yet simultaneously runs from it when the spotlight is on himself, even when he knows it’s beneficial and necessary for him to do so. So, with all of that in mind, let’s deep dive into Rogue (the episode, not the character, but also the character).

The best word to describe this episode is ‘deception’. Setting the episode in Bridgerton-esque Regency-era England was an appropriate choice, likening to a show that is all about facades and posturing to gain wealth and social standing (yes I am oversimplifying, don’t hurt me). Throughout the episode, we see characters who aren’t who they present themselves to be and use all manner of tools or tactics to disguise themselves to meet their ends.

We have the Chuldur, creatures who gain pleasure from cosplaying. They thrive on creating fake entertainment for their amusement, honesty is useless if it can’t satisfy them. While this is meant as an obvious commentary on fan culture and how dangerous it can get when taken to the extreme, it also functions as a darker reflection on The Doctor’s habits. Because think about it: what are Fifteen and Ruby doing in this episode? They are having fun, dancing alongside the other partygoers. They’re wearing the outfits but only to blend in. Ruby doesn’t know how to dance, she has to wear psychic earrings to keep up. She watches the fake fight between ‘Emily’ and ‘Lord Stilton’ like she would watch an episode of Bridgerton. Her fight with Emily later in the episode is set to Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ playing in the background.

What we’re seeing in the villains is The Doctor’s pastimes becoming toxic, taking a companion and bringing them to a culture far removed from their own. But it’s not only a commentary on The Doctor overall, it’s also Fifteen’s philosophy in a darker context. Posing as sincerity and maybe containing it to some extent, but ultimately not completely honest. Through the setting and the villains, the episode is already priming us on a subconscious level to be thinking about disguises and dishonesty, a topic that both The Doctor and the Fifteenth incarnation specifically have a complicated relationship with. And then comes Rogue.

Rogue himself is such a fascinating part of the episode because he is such a deliberate disruption to this cultivated environment of deception. Rogue is the complete antithesis of everyone in the plot. He’s terrible at improvising, he’s socially awkward, he dances without needing psychic earrings, and he never cleans the inside of his ship. Rogue intentionally disrupts the narrative of lies by not being able to play the game. Even when he tries to wear a mask, the mask of an uncaring bounty hunter, He doesn’t wear it well and gets rid of it after the ship scene with The Doctor. Rogue is a character who cannot help but be who he is, he’s a character who not only can’t wear a mask but doesn’t want to. To put it simply, honesty is Rogue’s kink. That’s why the episode is named after him; it’s not just because he’s a central character, but because he provides the counter-argument to the themes of lies and deception. Rogue, the disruptor to The Chuldur’s acts of fake entertainment, and the disruptor to The Doctor’s act of cosplaying with Ruby, and on a deeper level, disrupts Fifteen’s oscillation between sincerity and repression. But we’ll get to that, we have Mount Everest's amount of context to analyze first, starting with their first meeting.

The Doctor and Rogue’s beginning scene sets the stage for the main obstacle in their relationship: their masks. ‘Cause right now we’re operating with two versions of the characters: the facade/mask versions, and the real versions. We get our first look at Rogue when Fifteen looks around for interference on the psychic earrings. He finds him being the most conspicuous while wearing the ‘bounty hunter’ mask: on a balcony (separated from the party physically), not speaking at all.

He is standing out here but only in the way someone who knows disguises would recognize. The Doctor, remember no. 1 liar, of course he’s gonna recognize that. So much so, that he gives Rogue pointers on how to put on a better “brooding” face, literally teaching him how to wear the mask better. Rogue is an amateur mask wearer, going up against the master of mask-wearing. And that’s why Fifteen smiles when he sees him, he’s intrigued by that contradiction and wants to know more.

Rogue meanwhile, is being rude and dismissive to scare him off, trying to keep to the mask he’s built. At this point, he knows that Fifteen also stands out from the rest but right now is assuming that he’s still a random partygoer. Notice what he says to him:

He’s still using language and ideas someone from that era would understand. Where this deviates is this little exchange that felt familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out from where. Until I remembered this:

(credit to @ngatwa for this set, you're amazing)

This is the first instance in the episode where Fifteen and Rogue’s relationship calls back to previous romantically-coded relationships The Doctor has had between companions. But it’s not just romantic subtext, it’s subtext that explains where the two are in the relationship. Victorian Clara was far more than what she appeared to be (a governess masquerading as a barmaid/echo of a companion scattered in the Doctor’s timeline), and the Doctor was more than he appeared to be (an alien who lived in a blue box). In asking those questions, it’s both recognition of the masks and inquiry for the real person underneath. Same thing here: Rogue and Fifteen at this point are trying to figure each other out, trying to see beyond the masks of the uncaring bounty hunter, and the flirtatious partygoer. Where things start to go wrong is that neither party fesses up to who they are. Rogue instantly assumes Fifteen is The Chuldur he’s looking for, while Fifteen assumes Rogue is a regular partygoer looking to…*ahem* create a scandal in the gardens if you get what I mean. This explains why a violin rendition of Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’ plays in the background. It’s not just a Bridgerton reference, it’s contributing to both characters’ perception of each other in this scene: both characters think the other is the “bad guy”. The lead into the scene is deception, we leave it the same way. No breakthrough yet.

Now we’re moving on to the scene in the garden, where both masks of Fifteen and Rogue begin clashing with their real personalities. Fifteen is still being semi-sincere, still complimenting Rogue. And like water, all of it is rolling off of him because he’s still under the assumption he’s talking to a shapeshifting alien. He rudely asks about The Doctor’s info dumping and doesn’t respond to The Doctor’s compliments.

(credit to @klausbens for the gif, you're awesome)

He’s not engaging because he thinks the Doctor is not who he appears to be, and for a character that values honesty, everything Fifteen says is gonna wash over him. The moment this changes is when the two are accusing the other of the murder. Quite literally finishing each other’s sandwiches (C’mon, you know I had to throw a Frozen reference in this somewhere).

This is a very interesting scene given our current context. Trope-wise, this is meant to communicate to the audience the bond between the two characters, they’re thinking the same thing. But the trope is flipped on its head because both characters take it in opposite directions. Both Fifteen and Rogue are in perfect sync, they are being honest about how much they understand about the situation, but that information is leading them to completely different conclusions (i.e. the other person is the Chuldur). They’re slapping more masks onto each other, this time with information they know is true, which leads to them locking in their heels and simply not being honest altogether until later. This scene is a repeat of the previous one, except this time it’s them showing their hands a bit more, making the backslide all the more difficult. Getting close to sealing the deal, then heel turn at the last minute, a classic Bridgerton move.

So, what needs to happen to break this backslide? Well, plain and simple honesty. The scene on Rogue’s ship is when both masks start coming off. What Fifteen is doing on the ship during the scene is essentially trying to figure out Rogue. He finds out the ship is meant to be piloted by two, and he discovers the origin of Rogue’s name, the Kylie Minogue music. Which is a moment I want to zoom in on. Right before this happens when Rogue gives a cheeky response to Fifteen finding out about the name, Fifteen makes a joke and starts emphasizing his Scottish accent. This is Fifteen putting on another mask to make a joke, and Rogue doesn’t appreciate that, given his dirty look.

Then Fifteen finds the music, which he then again uses as an opportunity to joke around and make fun of him (and flirt a little bit with him). Fifteen is removing Rogue’s mask, while he is staying enigmatic and mysterious, which is why Rogue is still stonewalling him. HOWEVER, two can play that game, and Fifteen makes a big mistake in showing Rogue the psychic paper. This is the first time Fifteen is completely honest about his feelings towards Rogue. No mask, no posturing, complete honesty. And we see Rogue responds positively to this:

This is the first time the two are both on the same level, communicating honestly. And that’s where we start to see genuine romantic feelings and attraction.

But it’s not enough, so what does Fifteen do? He pulls out the big guns. He shows Rogue the truth: he’s a Time Lord from Gallifrey and has lived many different lives over hundreds of years. He not only rips off his mask, he quite literally reveals all of the other masks the Doctor has worn throughout the ages. And what is Rogue’s reaction to this?

Complete besotted awe. If honesty is Rogue’s kink, then The Doctor revealing their faces just supercharged it. This is the moment that Rogue falls in love because he’s finally seeing who this mysterious flirty person really is.

Now, I’m gonna pull out another previous Doctor romance for two reasons: One, I’ve been seeing this comparison floating around for a while, and if you know me and my old analyses, it’s that I cannot leave an inaccurate take alone, and two, because I think it applies here. I’ve been seeing comparisons online of this episode to Girl in the Fireplace, in which a new character falls in love with The Doctor and gets the rare opportunity to see their true self. But what makes Reinette different from Rogue is that honesty kink. Reinette was attracted to the mystery of the Doctor, her childhood hero who somehow doesn’t age. Note when he comes back the first time, she focuses on how strange he is:

She learns more about them later, but she was already in love with them before that. Rogue doesn’t want the mystery. In reality, The Doctor wearing masks is a turnoff for him. He only wants the real thing, so when Fifteen reveals the truth, that’s when the genuine romance begins.

(We could also extend this comparison to the discussion of consent: Reinette found out everything without The Doctor's permission, while Fifteen revealed all the info by himself, but whether we can consider this consensual depends on your definition of consent under duress/threat. So I’m not entirely sure what to make of this conversation, feel free to expand in the tags/replies cause I want to hear more about this)

So now we’re moving along to the TARDIS scene. We continue with the theme of disguises with the whole “bigger on the inside” routine, Fifteen riffing as Willy Wonka for a hot moment singing Pure Imagination, and we have Rogue’s momentary slip-up:

(credit to klausbens for the gifs, you're awesome)

This is a great sign of character growth because while he’s maybe not wholly honest about his feelings towards The Doctor, he still is open about his love for the TARDIS, an important part of The Doctor’s life, so big step right there.

I want to pay attention to the heart-to-heart here because watching what Fifteen says and how he reacts is extremely important to getting his view on the situation. Because right now, I wouldn’t say The Doctor is in love with Rogue back. While there is a lot of attraction and hints at a deeper bond, Fifteen is still operating with most of his mask on. Notice that when he asks Rogue about the person he lost, Ncuti Gatwa’s blocking has him leaning on the railing at an angle to the side of Rogue. He’s purposely staying at a distance, yet is leaning on the railings to appear casual.

And when Rogue starts opening up, he moves closer and they’re at equal distance from each other.

We get a really sweet (and allegorical to the queer community) moment about The Doctor’s motivation of living out of respect for the dead, to keep living each day that they lost. And then we get Fifteen inviting Rogue onto the TARDIS. I want to focus on this because he doesn’t seem upset or disappointed by Rogue countering this offer by inviting The Doctor to travel with him, meaning he doesn’t see this as a “take it or leave it” offer. In fact, the compromise Fifteen comes up with, “let’s argue across the stars” and Rogue accepting it, is what leads to the almost kiss. So that prompts the question, what is Fifteen trying to say here?

Well, what Fifteen is asking for is to continue seeing Rogue. It doesn’t matter to him if he’s on the TARDIS or not, all that matters is that he still has him in his life. The choice to see him more. Why does that sound familiar? Because that’s exactly what I wrote about in my dissertation on The Giggle’s Ending:

“In giving Fourteen their own TARDIS, Fifteen is allowing his younger self to have what they always removed from the equation: free will. The Doctor can still go anywhere they want, which makes them even more motivated to stay and fix themself. Fourteen can feel safe staying with Donna, Wilf, Mel, Rose, Shaun, and Sylvia because the option to travel is still there.”

Fifteen’s love language is giving the people he cares about the freedom to express the love they already have within them. He values freedom above all else, and when Rogue accepts that freedom, that’s when we get the almost-kiss. This is the moment where The Doctor falls in love with Rogue back because it’s Rogue being willing to meet The Doctor where they’re at. He’s allowing Fifteen to set the pace and not force himself on him.

Additionally, this willingness to be as slow or fast as The Doctor needs means far more to The Doctor overall than to just Fifteen. Many people have already pointed out the similarities between the line “let’s argue across the stars' and previous lines the Doctor has said to villainous characters like The Master and The Toymaker:

"We can take your games back to the stars."

"We can fight across the constellations if that's what you want".

Now, why is that? It’s because again, The Doctor’s perception of Rogue is evolving in this scene. Remember, up to this point, The Doctor doesn’t entirely know Rogue’s morality. All they know is that Rogue is a bounty hunter, and is not afraid to use his gun when he deems appropriate. There’s even a little line in this scene before the heart-to-heart where Fifteen specifically imposes his own brand of morality on the situation: “Whatever the Chuldur has done, I can’t let you kill it.” Now, we know that The Doctor’s morality and romantic life can conflict: River being a known murderer/psychopath, their longtime situationship, and later attempted rehabilitation of The Master/Missy. This is another feature of The Doctor’s character: while they do act like they have the final say on what is right, they also compromise that morality for people they care about.

Like how The Doctor surprised Rogue by showing all of his faces, Rogue surprised the Doctor right back by not only being honest about his past but by being willing to accept The Doctor’s compromise. This moment is when The Doctor finds out that Rogue is a good person, and that The Doctor doesn’t need to compromise their morality when entering this relationship.

This heart-to-heart is about Rogue not only winning over the Fifteenth Doctor by agreeing with his values of freedom but also winning over The Doctor overall by just genuinely being a good person. But of course, the moral duty of taking care of the Chuldur rears its head in the form of the TARDIS alerting that the trap is ready. The bubble has popped and we still have a long way to go.

(Plus, Fifteen’s facial expression in this shot perfectly captures that trademark “Oh.” moment, realizing you’re in love with someone but then taping it down to focus back on the immediate problem. Love you Ncuti Gatwa, you do great work)

Alright, now we’re at the dance/fake proposal scene. Oh lord, so much happens here with both dialogue and production regarding character, so let’s take this one at a time. Fifteen, Rogue and now Ruby have figured out the big plot regarding the Chuldur, their obsession with cosplay and dressing up to create drama. In response, Fifteen comes up with the idea to essentially beat them at their own game: create a fake scandal to draw them out.

Now on paper and in terms of beating the bad guys, this is a plan that could and does work, but in terms of his relationship with Rogue: THIS. WAS. A. BAD. IDEA. Why? The very idea of masks and faking not only was the leading cause of them not connecting in the beginning but specifically doesn’t work with Rogue. You can see it in how Rogue nervously looks at Ruby and Emily when Fifteen asks him to dance, and even questions the validity of the plan:

(credit goes to @carricfisher for texted gif, you're awesome)

It’s not just that he doesn’t know about homophobia, he just doesn’t like the idea of pretending at all. But the reason why it doesn’t collapse right away is because it’s not entirely pretending. The dance may function on the surface to create a scene, but for Rogue (and Fifteen albeit to a smaller extent) it doubles as an intimate moment between them. This connects to the choice of dimming the lights in an unrealistic way (which btw, as a film student, had me going insane watching it live). We’re seeing a deliberate break in reality, a dishonest showcase of the story being told, that serves the purpose of highlighting an ultimately honest and sincere act of love. Both The Doctor and Rogue are warping the aesthetic of deception in terms of the narrative by fabricating a scandal, and in terms of the production by changing the lighting.

But of course, things start going to hell right there. Fifteen tries to up the drama and Rogue can’t keep up. Rogue overcorrects and proposes to Fifteen, who freaks out and leaves the room. Now, I don’t want to get into the question of whether or not Rogue was playing along by proposing or being genuine (Personally speaking, I think it was both. 70% true, and 30% fake). Instead, I want to clear up why Fifteen freaked out here. I’m sure a lot of the long-time audience could already guess that it was parallel to River Song, The Doctor’s wife, but I think it’s more layered than that. Why would a reference to River scare the Doctor so much, aside from reminding them of a close person they lost? Because the last time the Doctor got married to someone they truly loved, it involved a 24-year stay on Darillium, which he knew would end in tragedy. Note the word choice here:

“Sorry I…I can’t.”

Not ‘I don’t want this’, it’s a void of agency (which connects to my piece on The Giggle’s ending and freedom). The Doctor can’t have that with Rogue, he was fine with them being casual to avoid the possibility of losing him.

But on my first watch, I couldn’t help getting a little bit cross with Fifteen here, because the amount of ball fumbling on display is outright ridiculous; The Time Lord brings himself onto the dancefloor, with a guy he nearly made out with two minutes ago, gets all up in his face and starts shouting at him to “tell me what you heart wants!” and then completely freezes when said guy starts proposing to him. What in the fuck did you expect was going to happen, bud?! What made you think this would go off without a hitch?

I want to preface this by saying I had a completely different reading of this scene for a long time. My original thought was that Fifteen was trying to do multiple things simultaneously. He potentially was trying to lure out the Chuldur by creating scandal and at the same time, was trying to have a serious talk with Rogue about where he’s at emotionally. These lines in particular have fascinated me since my first watch: “You would ask me to give up my title, my fortune. But what future can you promise me?”. It did feel like these lines hinted at Fifteen’s thought process at this moment, he chose those specific lines to use for this moment. Was Fifteen trying to have an honest conversation with Rogue about their relationship while being fake to everyone else? But that doesn’t make sense considering the previous conversation in the TARDIS showed Fifteen comfortable with the idea of them being casual and Rogue respecting that, so it doesn’t make sense with where Fifteen is progression-wise.

But it wasn’t until writing out this piece that I realized I had it all wrong and the truth was far simpler: this is a repeat of their meeting on the balcony, albeit with higher personal stakes. Let’s take a step back here: What is happening in this scene? Fifteen and Rogue are completely missing what the other is trying to say. Fifteen ignored Rogue being visibly uncomfortable over being back to playing with masks, and Rogue is not getting if Fifteen wants him to be genuine or not. Just like on the balcony and the garden, where both sides think they’re saying one thing when it’s the opposite. Before, both parties were wrong about who they were, now both parties are wrong about what they want.

Fifteen is saying complete bullshit here, not true stuff to their situation but stuff that their audience would react to. He’s being over the top on purpose to elicit reactions. Meanwhile Rogue is thinking he’s being genuine. He thinks Fifteen is, through code speak, trying to genuinely ask him these questions. Which leads him to get down on one knee. And that’s a big problem because Rogue doesn’t know that proposing is wading into a gargantuan trauma pool for The Doctor. This scene is a magnified example of the duo’s problem with masks and not being completely honest with each other.

However, while this scene may have been a cause for regression from The Doctor on the relationship part, Rogue on the other hand has an epiphany. In the scene following this one, we get the truly iconic callback of “Run.” and Rogue taking the Doctor’s hand. Why is this important? Well, there are three specific examples that this moment is calling back to:

Nine meeting Rose ("Run!")

Victorian Clara and Eleven fleeing from the Ice Governess ("I do the handgrabbing! That's my job! That's always me!")

Twelve running with River ("Stop holding my hand! People don't do that to me!")

Nine meeting Rose establishes this idea of protection: The Doctor taking care of someone by leading them away from danger. The other two examples are subversions of that idea: Clara and River are now leading The Doctor out of danger. Same principle here, except here it has a bit more context behind it. Clara and River subverting that act of protection made sense given who they were: Clara as an echo across The Doctor’s time stream knew who The Doctor was and what they needed, even if she didn’t know it consciously when the moment happened. River as The Doctor’s wife also knew who they were and what they needed at the time.

By connecting Rogue’s action of taking Fifteen’s hand and running to Clara and River, it not only again connects Fifteen and Rogue to previous romantic relationships, but it also shows Rogue learning from his mistake. Rogue’s mistake in the proposal scene was him not figuring out what Fifteen needed at that moment, it was a major miscommunication. Now, at this moment, Rogue is starting to figure out what he needs to do. He is, to use relationship lingo, "shelving his agenda" to help the Doctor.

And that progression continues through the last leg of the episode, including the moment when Fifteen thinks Ruby is dead. I’ve always found this moment in particular so fascinating because of how loud it is metaphorically for both characters. Fifteen is taking off the mask of coolness and revealing that Doctor™ anger. This is a complete switch-up from what he’s been like throughout most of the episode. Yet when he lets out that chilling line, “Good. That’s a long time to suffer.” Rogue doesn’t look all that scared or mad at him.

The face Rogue makes here looks far closer to a resigned sadness, almost like he knew that he would have that reaction. Keep in mind that Rogue knows nothing about The Doctor at their worst, all that he knows right now is that they lost “everyone”. Compare that with Donna, who was outright terrified of The Doctor when at their worst (for good reason though).

Rogue isn’t surprised by this at all. He’s not asking “What happened to this person in front of me?”, he’s realizing “This is how much he cares about his best friend.” He’s seeing the depth of this person’s love that is inexorably linked to the depth of his grief, and is realizing he can’t allow that grief to corrupt this person he’s grown to love, even if it means endangering himself. Which is exactly what ends up happening.

This is where the theme of masks finally pays off. At the beginning of the episode, both Rogue and Fifteen are wearing their masks (cold, uncaring bounty hunter, and flirtatious partygoer). Those masks started to come down, but that got messed up thanks to miscommunication. Rogue didn’t understand what The Doctor needed from him, causing their trauma to resurface and The Doctor ran away from having to deal with that grief. This final scene is them being completely honest with each other. Rogue asks him “Can you lose your friend to save the world?”, and Fifteen tells him the truth. He can’t, he can’t let that happen again. And Rogue understands that, he finally knows what needs to be done. And so he kisses him. Why did Rogue kiss him? Again, it’s a repeat of a previous scene, this time the dance. Rogue is comfortable putting on a mask/doing something dishonest when there’s an aspect of truth to it. Even if they danced together to serve a lie, it still was a moment powered by romantic feelings. Same with the kiss. Rogue had wanted to kiss him, so he felt comfortable doing something with an ulterior motive (taking the button from him) because it was also something he would’ve wanted to do regardless of the situation.

But why did Rogue do it? The one line that I kept thinking of in summing up the intent behind Rogue's sacrifice was, ironically, from Frozen: "Love is...putting someone else's needs before yours”. Essentially, shelving your agenda, like we’ve been saying. Back in the proposal scene, Rogue’s mess up was not figuring out what Fifteen needed out of him at that moment. Fifteen needed him to play along in faking and instead, Rogue heel turned into a lot of trauma for The Doctor. So now, after seeing how important Ruby was to Fifteen, so important that he was willing to torture The Chuldur out of grief, Rogue is putting The Doctor’s needs before his own and stopping him from having to choose between her and the world. It's also why Rogue wiping away his tears before the kiss was so crazy because that's normally the Doctor's job. The Doctor is normally the one who turns sadness into hope. This time, someone else is doing that for him.

(credit to ngatwa again)

The greatest act of love in the episode was not the proposal, it was the sacrifice.

To close our tale, let us circle back to talking about Fifteen’s character arc. I opened this essay by talking about Fifteen’s main character flaw being a contradiction: both valuing emotional intimacy and running from it. That doesn’t seem to change by the end of this episode, so much so that Ruby forces Fifteen to take a moment and mourn Rogue’s loss when he wants to steamroll forward. But there’s one little detail left: Fifteen kept the ring. Not only kept it but is wearing it in the season finale to the point of even playing with it like a nervous tick.

That bond, that relationship was so important to him that he doesn’t allow himself to ignore it. It’s only after he has that hug with Ruby that he pulls out the ring and chooses to wear it. Rogue is the one thing Fifteen won’t run away from because what they had wasn’t fake. It was real.

Rogue, the supposed bounty hunter who only cared about wealth, loved The Doctor so much that he was willing to give up his life for his friend. The Doctor, the supposed Time Lord who flees from attachment, loves Rogue enough to remember him every day.

I ask you, gentle readers, how could one resist a love story like that?

NOTE: some extra bits I wanted to include that I couldn’t fit anywhere else: I’m such a sucker for color symbolism, and having Rogue wear blue in contrast to Fifteen’s normally warm color palette, as well as blue being the color of The TARDIS…it just makes me feel things, ya’ know?

Also, by not gendering Rogue’s previous partner, only ever using they/them pronouns, it helps add to the relationship in a social commentary way. It subtly shows that Rogue already has experience/is attracted to people who on some level defy gender norms, which helps prime the audience to buy Rogue accepting/liking The Doctor being able to change gender when regenerating.

Essentially, I'm insane over these two, and I need them back on screen as soon as possible.

#text #meta writing #long post #doctor who #dw meta #doctor who meta #doctor who analysis #fifteenth doctor #rogue doctor who #fifteenrogue #fifteen x rogue

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yanderes-galore · 8 months ago

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Would you do a yandere Trixie Lulamoon concept?

Sure! I know Trixie has a bigger role with Starlight in later seasons but I'm not that far. However, I've seen my fair share of scenes and I think I know how to portray her :)

Yandere! Trixie Lulamoon Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Clingy behavior, Jealousy, Sabotage, Stalking, She drags Starlight into it, OOC Trixie portions, Blood mention, Implied violence/murder but never explicit, Dubious companionship/relationship.

Okay, Trixie isn't the most intimidating yandere without the Alicorn Amulet.

In fact, Trixie is someone who primarily just thrives off of attention.

Trixie would want nothing more than to be the center of your attention when she's obsessed.

She's easily jealous and rather demanding when it comes to you.

The moment you befriend her she rarely leaves your side.

She's rather dramatic and arrogant, often acting like she deserves your attention.

Although if you deprive her of it... she's begging for you to give it back.

She isn't really protective, maybe a bit possessive but she doesn't have the strongest magic.

So in terms of harming other ponies, without help she's relatively harmless if not needy.

I can see Trixie doing all sorts of tricks just to keep your gaze on her.

She's a magician, after all, so she would probably look through all sorts of tricks to impress you.

Trixie would definitely lie to impress you.

All that matters to her is your praise and attention.

Which means she plans to do anything to get that.

I wouldn't doubt Trixie would drag Starlight into helping her obtain your attention.

Starlight originally wants to refuse, but you make Trixie so happy.

So maybe she can use her magic to lend a hoof and get you two closer.

Trixie has a tendency to panic, too.

She'd quickly assume you hate her or something if you didn't speak to her for a few hours.

She has a tendency to over think and is easily starved of attention.

Trixie would probably stalk you since she can't take staying away.

You could be busy with a task only for Trixie to show up.

Afterwards she's quickly asking questions, wondering if you hate her or are ignoring her.

In reality you were just... busy?

She isn't intense and is quite harmless.

She's a pony who clings to her obsession and just likes it when you look at her.

Starlight does her best to help her friend gain your attention with new tricks or magic lessons.

Trixie wants to be a better spell user for you.

That way you can pay more attention to her.

Trixie would hate it if you hung around other ponies.

Yeah, sure, she knows you have other friends...

Yet that doesn't change the jealousy that bubbles within the unicorn's heart.

Trixie would try to sabotage your other friends.

Things like ways to humiliate themselves, pranks and small spells to make you think less of them.

She feels only she should have your attention.

If you're thinking murder or over-the-top violence, it isn't very in character with canon.

However, if you want to bend her canon personality a bit...

Trixie might do some brutal things to have your attention.

To take a step away from canon (and allow me more freedom for HCs), maybe she tracks down those you're close to.

Trixie doesn't have many friends except Starlight.

So she thinks you and her should be something special.

Maybe Trixie manages to drag Starlight into her plots, wanting to be your only friend or something more.

Trixie is normally a coward, one who runs at the sight of blood.

But for you... well... maybe she's changed a bit.

Her need for your attention changes the mare.

After all... if she was normal for you... she wouldn't have blood on her hooves, would she?

Oh, she hates the idea of your attention going to somepony else....

Surely you'll learn she's the best mare for you, right?

Poor you wonders where all your friends went.

Meanwhile Trixie comes back to you a changed mare.

You don't have to know what she's been doing, right?

Starlight won't tell a soul, Trixie made sure of that.

Eventually you'll have no other pony friends.

It'll just be you and Trixie.

She won't have to share your attention anymore.

However, you'll find out.

After all, why is only Trixie around?

Perhaps you even learn of the blood she's spilled.

No matter, Trixie's learned a lot through her obsession...

You'll love her... she won't let you neglect her any longer.

#yandere my little pony #yandere mlp #yandere mlp fim #yandere trixie lulamoon

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honourablejester · 22 days ago

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Blades in the Dark Character Concept: A Dockside Gull-Hound

Continuing to play around with Blades concepts, and I’m looking at the Hound playbook. Hounds are somewhat the ranger equivalents, the hunters and snipers, and one of the things they get is a hunting pet, a trained animal that works with them. And. Is this plausible? Possibly not, but. Doskvol is a haunted port city on the shore of an inky void sea. I kind of want a really spooky seagull?

I’m think I’m definitely aiming this character towards a Smuggler crew type. A waterwoman with a beady-eyed, slate-grey scout that ghosts along the canals and rivers and shorelines of Duskwall ahead of her.

So, heritage, I want her to be a local. Akorosi. I want her family to have been in this city forever, to have been plying the waters here since the Old North Port was functional, and even before. Local waters, they’ve been running fishing boats and small water craft, pilot vessels, not the bigger trading ships. She has Duskwall blood. If of a slightly fishy flavour.

For background we’re going Labor. She’s a waterwoman. I feel like pilot boats, guiding larger ships out around the islands of the North Hook Channel, more than the canal boats of the interior, though she’s no slouch on the smaller waterways either. I just don’t think she’s an ex-Gondolier or anything like that. More the sea and possibly the river than the canals. Her family are one of the larger fishing families in the city, but let’s say she had a bit of a falling out with them, while refusing to work for any of their competitors, so the fishing fleets weren’t an option. Piloting was good business for a while, but if you’re already working the near shore, there are more lucrative things you could be guiding around, you know?

For her action dots, she gets two in Hunt and one in Survey as a Hound. For her heritage dot I think we’ll give her Command (her family is old, and used to commanding vessels). For her background, Skirmish. She’s been on the end of a blade or two in this business. The two free dots, we’ll put one in Consort, as she has a web of contacts in and around the docks, and one in Prowl, as she’s slipped sideways into this shadier sort of business.

For her special ability, while Scout would absolutely make sense, I really have to pick Ghost Hunter. Because I’m here for her spooky seagull, and this makes said gull so much spookier. Ghost Hunter imbues her hunting pet with spirit energy, giving it potency when fighting supernatural foes, and also gives one of three possible arcane abilities: ghost-form, which lets the gull go ghostly and intangible for a bit, mind-link, which lets her see through its eyes, and arrow-swift, which lets it outrun any creature or vehicle. And while all of those would be very useful, we are fully going mind-link, so this spooky bloody waterwoman can cast her eyes downriver or further up the canal or across the harbour to see ambushes or targets before they arrive.

For our friends and rivals … I like the look of Celene, as an ally. Celene is a sentinel, a protector of someone or something, and it doesn’t go into more detail than that. I wonder if I’d be let … Say her family has been here since the Old North Port was functional. Suppose they still have links there, even though it’s been abandoned to the Deathlands. Let’s say Celene guards a community with links out there. Perhaps a congregation? Because. Haunted waterwoman with spooky seagull companion. I kind of want our girl to have Faith as her vice? A forgotten god of the sea, perhaps the one called the Lord of the Depths? So Celene might be her friend and her purveyor both. For her enemy … Veleris. A spy. Possibly originally for one of the rival fishing families, someone our Hound knew when she was still working the fishing fleets, but one that got hints of something else her family were involved in. The cult, perhaps. And now that she’s out on her own, Veleris perhaps sees a weak link to cull out and use to gain access to things that could bring her family down.

The vice, again, will be Faith. They’ve got ink and salt in their blood, her family. They’ve been here forever. Others have forgotten certain gods, but they haven’t. She hasn’t. She knows who you leave offerings to if you want to leave the harbour.

For the name … I’m going to borrow a surname from a different setting of mine, Harrow’s Rock, but I think we’ll go with Whitmarsh. For a given name, I feel like Emeline isn’t a bad shout. Emmy, for short. An incongruously innocent sounding name. And the Alias, of course, will be Gully. Because the first thing anyone remembers, if they’ve gotten close enough to see them properly together, is the spooky-ass bloody seagull.

The gull’s name is Cutter. Because it’s bloody vicious. Hunting pets are cohorts, and cohorts get edges and flaws, strong and weak points to them. Cutter’s edge, I think, will be Independent, he can function perfectly well by his lonesome, thanks, and she trusts him, but his flaw is going to be Savage. Because gulls, if they want something, will get it, and they will cheerfully fuck you up in the process. Cutter’s not particularly combat-oriented, he’s primarily a scout, but if you’ve ever tried to defend food from a seagull, you know that they can definitely make your life extremely unpleasant for a minute or two.

(I know, given the name of the playbook, that hunting pets likely are intended to be things like hounds, but I just really wanted the seabird. I wanted a salty smuggler with an avian scout. So, well. Here we are?)

Emeline ‘Gully’ Whitmarsh. A stout, weathered, plain-faced woman in heavy woollens and a waxed greatcoat, both faster and lighter on her feet than she looks, often accompanied by a sharp-eyed grey gull. A waterwoman, a Duskwall native, a daughter of the salt and the ink and the sea. A smuggler and a hound, hunting the waterways of this haunted seaside city.

#blades in the dark #character concepts #hounds #smugglers #waterwomen

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slasherbvnnie · 2 years ago

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Cinnamon and Cigarettes

It's 2023, and on your 18th birthday you received a special letter from a school known as Hogwarts University. A college exclusive to wizards and witches, teaching them how to hone and harness their wizarding abilities. On your first day there, you come across a few friends and foes.

Context: 18+ characters, modern day hogwarts au, hufflepuff reader

Word Count: 975

You sucked down a deep breath, the gentle tapping of your shoes hitting the tiles beneath you filling your ears as the world was muted behind you with every step. You had no idea why this was so nerve wracking, it was exciting all at the same time as well, it just confused you all together knowing the next few years of your life would be defined by this small action. You sat on the wooden chair, feeling it pop and creak into place as you sat. Your hands fiddled with the ends of your clothes as you felt the weight be placed upon your head, making you look up slightly. “Interesting…” you heard a voice murmur, continuing on as you swiped your tongue across your lips as you nervously awaited. “Yes…yes that fits well…Hufflepuff!” You heard the hat call out, tuning back in when you could hear cheering and clapping from one of the tables. You stood, making your way out of the chair and to the table, being greeted by one of the boys who stood by the table, holding his hand out to shake yours. “Cedric Diggory, house prefect, take a seat anywhere and make some new friends,” he said with a smile, you shook his hand and smiled. “Y/N L/N, thank you cedric,” you replied as you took a seat.

It was shortly after dinner when Mcgonagall announced that there was a game for the first years. It was a fun game they had planned, almost like a game of tag. Students were to cast a very simple spell on other students in different houses, each house either gaining or losing points passed on who was tagged and who was the tagger. She announced that whichever house won the game would be able to host the first party back for students as well as make requests for food for the day after. You had met other people in your house, like Hannah Abbott , Gregory Munslow and even the chaser for the quidditch team Heidi Macavoy. When time came to finally begin the game, you were greeted by other students you had met on the train ride. Although now in different houses, they were still friendly. “Would you like to compete together? We can all have a truce to not get each other,” one girl offered as you smiled, nodding your head. “You’ve got a deal,” you agreed, your small group taking off as the professors called the beginning of the games once the other years went back to their dorms.

You all ran through the halls assigned for the game, laughter and shouts filling the castle. You casted the game spell on a few, dodging the attempts at yourself easily. Not all the students were great with spells yet, which you were thankful for, as well as for those without good aim. You heard a cry from your friend group when you noticed one had been tagged, looking back to them as you spotted the girl who had casted them out. She was a slytherin girl from the looks of it, making note as you began to run once again. This time instead of aiming for the other houses, you instead aimed for slytherins only, casting them out whenever you spotted one.

After getting a handful of their house out, you were met with a slytherin boy making his way to you. He towered over you as he walked straight at you, you backed up, eventually being cornered as he approached you. “You’re the little puff who’s been getting my friends out, hm?” He asked, holding his wand to your face as you looked up to him. “Which of them was it,” he questioned, you were silent as you stared at him. “Which one was it,” he pressed on, you were stunned and pointed to the slytherin girl who had been watching with a smirk on her face. He turned to where your finger landed, moving his wand from your face and instead casting the spell on her, making her gasp in surprise. “There, your problems gone,” he said as he turned back to you. “Now why don’t you and your little friend group scurry off,” he said before noticing another girl who was in your group. “And you, wearing a slytherin uniform and not defending your house? It may be only a game but some of us won’t forget you didn’t help stand up for your house,” he sneered to your friend, a more threatening glare in his eyes as you looked over. “Lay off of her,” you said, he sighed as he turned back to you, smirking a bit. “Stay out of it little badger, I know more than enough to get back at you,” he said as you frowned. He looked back at your friend, threatening her with something else before you stepped up, as your friend began to grow more scared, something inside you overpowered your judgement and you swung at the taller. He was surprised and stepped back, holding his nose as a few of the others in his own group snickered. “Beaten by a Hufflepuff, Riddle,” one blonde laughed as the taller looked at you.

Instead of hitting back, he only chuckled as he pulled his hand away, revealing some blood running down his face. “You have a good swing,” he said as he backed away from your group. “Why don’t you come by the dungeons sometimes, we’ll send an owl with the password,” he hummed with a smirk as you scoffed. “As if I would want to be around barbarians,” you said, casting the game spell on him, making his eyes widen as he stared at you. “All my problems gone, right?” You mocked as he wiped at the blood on his face, shaking his head with a laugh as he walked off.

#mattheo riddle #mattheo riddle x you #mattheo riddle x hufflepuff #mattheo riddle x hufflepuff!reader #mattheo riddle x afab!reader #hogwarts au #hogwarts university au #harry potter au

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themattress · 3 months ago

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Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Continued from my last post.

- As I noted last time, as tragic as Jeralt's death is, it's the fall-out of it that I find more interesting and memorable. First off, the entries in his diary are truly haunting ("there's no heartbeat...no heartbeat!"), increasing the mystery and suspense around what Rhea has planned for Byleth given that she appears to have had those plans since their very birth.

- The reactions each of the route's Lords have to Byleth mourning Jeralt's death are very revealing of their character. Edelgard refuses to give Byleth any comfort, partly because it would be facetious of her to do so given that she holds a degree of culpability in Jeralt's death but primarily because she cannot stand for wallowing in the past, saying that "the future is fast approaching" and doesn't wait for one to get over their grief. Dimitri is exceedingly empathetic and comforting toward Byleth, admitting that it's because he knows full well how they must be feeling since he felt it too at Duscur and stating that wallowing in the past can be useful for deciding what you want to spend your future on...even if it's on something dark like revenge. And Claude, while giving a token showing of sympathy for Byleth, puts all emotion aside and is laser-focused on the diary Jeralt left behind and how it can provide clues for what the Church is hiding, what's special about Byleth, and what the enemy's aim is.

- While all routes feature the scene between the Flame Emperor, Thales and Kronya, only in the Blue Lions route are you on hand as Byleth to witness it in person, alongside Dimitri. Unfortunately, the English dub kind of screws this moment up. The Flame Emperor says that the Agarthans will have no salvation in the end given their crimes in Embarr and Duscur, to which Thales says those crimes were needed for the Flame Emperor to acquire the strength they need. Given the blatant disagreement between the two in this exchange, Dimitri reacting as though the Flame Emperor was responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur doesn't make much sense. But in the Japanese version, the statements were more ambiguous. The Flame Emperor merely asks "will there ever be a salvation?" after mentioning the Agarthans' crimes, to which Thales replies "Wasn't it all just for your own gain?"...an abusive gaslighting tactic in proper context, but without context sounding like the Flame Emperor has direct responsibility in what happened and is only placing themselves above it like a mob boss would a hit that they ordered. So in the Japanese version, Dimitri's reaction to what gets said is more logical.

- This exchange always gets me:

Sothis and her bond with Byleth are so precious and pure.

- Both this chapter and the next have a sorrowful music track playing during the Explore section that perfectly reflect the sense of loss Byleth is feeling. It's a perfect mood setter.

- I'm disappointed in Kronya. She has a nifty design and an enjoyably sassy and sadistic personality reminiscent of Larxene from the Kingdom Hearts series, and yet not only could she not have killed Jeralt without Thales' interference but here she sets a trap that everyone knows going in is a trap so it's easily defused, she is ridiculously easy to defeat which leads to her running away like a coward, and then she gets unceremoniously killed off by Solon ripping her heart out and using its darkness in a ritual to send Byleth to the Shadow Realm. And yes, I'm aware it's actually called Zahras, but seriously, listen to Solon describe it:

It's the fucking Shadow Realm!

With that said, we don't actually see it. Not until Three Hopes, anyway.

- Ummmmmm.....

I have a problem with this, but I'll get back to it next time.

- I'm sorry, but I can't take the big Byleth-Sothis fusion seriously anymore. I can only think of:

youtube

- Once again, we have a scene with Rhea that I'm torn between finding exceedingly creepy and exceedingly sad: her cradling a half-conscious Byleth and talking to them as if they were her mother, saying she doesn't wish to let go and promising to watch over them forever. Ultimately, though, my disgust at what her intentions are for Byleth wins out. Lady, you sick.

#Fire Emblem #Three Houses #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison #This has been a PSA

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tetsunabouquet · 6 months ago

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Vampire Knight: Bloggers Headcanon

A/N: This is me speculating what kind of Tumblr blog each character would have.

Yuki - A cooking blog where she saves and shares recipes, roasts those of her father and gives in-depth reviews of the local restuarants.

Zero - A roasting blog where he vents his hatred for Kaname, who he never refers to by name but by things like 'a leech that should be bleeched' and vampires in media. Most of his followers are Twilight haters.

Takuma - A writing blog specializing in detectives and fanfiction (which often has his favorite manga turnt into a detective AU)

Rima - A fashion blog where she, from the sweet comfort of anonomity, talks honestly about the designers she has posed for. Like, which actually serve cheap quality that you might as well buy from Wish, etc. Not everyone in the fasion industry is happy with the popularity her blog has gained, but because they don't know which model is behind it, Rima's job remains safe.

Hanabusa - A scientific blog where he explains complex theories in an easy language so that most can grasp what he is trying to explain. Being a teenager, he knows how to break down these subjects for people his age in a way most teachers can't. Most of the Day Class girls managed to find out that he runs a blog. Some actually stuck around as they enjoy being 'tutored' by him.

Ichiru - A meme blog where he both posts his own created memes and reblogs the ones he likes. Made at least two memes out of photos of Zero.

Ruka - A 'business' blog. She is surprisigly good at sewing rag dolls and sells them as a side-hustle to her school activities. Her blog is where she advertizes her cute creations.

Headmaster Cross - A photography blog where he mostly reblogs photos others have taken. Because his 'cute children' don't want to be posted online, any photos he uploads of his own are cats he meets along the way of grocery shopping. Which is why a lot of his followers are catlovers.

Senri - A 'crack' blog. He loves crackhead humor and collects jokes through reblogs whenever he's bored.

Akatsuki- A fitness blog where he used to post about working out. I say used to, because things took turn once he started uploading pictures. There are some girls in the fitness corner of the internet that aren't afraid to monetize their bodies and go nude. One of them caught notice of Akatsuki and started flirting with him through he DMs. Once he noticed her he was like, 'I'm outta here, Ruka is the only girl I want to see naked'. He's been inactive for months and will only go online to reblog Ruka's posts as a supportive friend.

#vk #vampire knight #zero kiryu #ichiru kiryu #senri shiki #takuma ichijo #rima toya #yuki cross #akatsuki kain #ruka souen #hanabusa aido #kaien cross #yuki kuran

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isekai-crow · 1 year ago

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The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

I didn't go into this expecting much, because you can almost never tell if an isekai is going to be good or not (and all the subjectivity that comes with the term 'good'.)

This looks like it's gonna be hella fun.

Overall Score so far: 7.5/10

The summoning to another world as "Heros" to defeat the "Demon King" is your standard isekai plot. It's not original, but it's a good basis for a story, if that's not all there is to the premise. I'm looking forward to how this will get it's own unique twist.

The initial vibes I was getting from it were a mix of

a bad reminiscence of the beginning of "Rise of the Shield Hero" where I was worried that healing magic would be considered a bad or weak ability, and our main character Usato would be looked down on. AND

The great impression of "Wow, I want the Student President Inumaki and Vice President Kazuki to become a poly ship with Usato." I'm just gonna head cannon that the whole way though, thank you very much, they have great vibes together!

I'm thankful the first didn't come to pass, and that the second is going to be the basis for fanfic I look for in the future lol. But also, I hope the Demon King is fun, and that the fox girl doesn't bring any Loli vibes into this.

The green-haired Rose, a healing magic user who is going to train our intrepid healing hero, is the only Voice Actor that popped out at me. Which makes sense, as going through the other voices, it's a lot of small time or up and coming VAs! They're all doing a fantastic job though.

But Rose.

For a second I thought it was the Headmaster from Season 2 of Ancient Magus Bride, as she have a similar low and husky voice. But no, we have Tanaka, Atsuko - The voice of Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, and where I recognized her from, Hanami from Jujutsu Kaisen!!! She has a very long record of supporting roles in so many anime, and I really like her voice, so I'm glad I get to listen to it here~

Episode 1 Spoilers Below!

Youve got your standard typical kid who is So Normal, and you have the Amazing and Loved By Everyone Student Body Council members, who everyone thinks are dating, and are just So Pretty and Smart and Good At All The Things.

I love how they are both interested in Usato for treating them like normal people, because as we find out, they are just typical high school students. And while they are not actually dating, just spend a lot of time together, I could absolutely peg these two as swingers looking for a third member, and that's all just delusions on my part hahahaha.

Inumaki-sempai, the Student President, is a secret Chu-Ni-Byo, or one of those edgelord kids doing the naruto run and unironically thinks they have special powers to move things with their eyes. It's a phase everyone goes through, even if they won't admit it. But she is SO HYPE to be in an isekai, and I'm right there with her. I would totally react the same way.

And of course, to feed her Chunibyo tendancies, which are immediately spotted by Usato whose image of her is shattered (good, please see her as human), she's gained the power of Lightning Magic. All she needs now is an eye patch and some bandages on her hand, along with manical laughter.

Kazuki, her second in command, seems like a typical Popular Guy, but I love that when he's getting heated over their nonconsensual summoning (despite Inumaki getting hyped in the backgroun), Usato stepping in to calm him down and point out that there is no use getting worked up, is such a good base jumping point for where things will go from here. He's not a particularly interesting character yet, but he's a good guy who wants to protect those around him. It makes sense that he gets Light Magic.

I love that Kazuki has NO IDEA what an Isekai is, and is like - "Light magic... I can blind people I guess???" Has he never even played Dragon Quest? lmao

Usato of course, gets something different, and everyone flips out. He then stops being able to read the room and puts himself in his own situation by mentioning as such in front of Rose, despite the king and magic nun trying to dissuade her from finding out. He's a Super Duper Rare Healing Magic user, because of course he is. He's Protag-kun. But it's fun to see the "tag along" who DIDN'T HEAR THE HERO BELLS WHEN SUMMONED get such a unique skill.

Bless this sweetheart. I hope they can become an awesome trio.

I can't wait to watch episode 2, and see if we get some actual twisted ways to use healing magic to fight.

My hopes for how Healing Magic can be used "incorrectly"

up someone's internal organs with a punch

be able to manipulate their blood or body water content to kill, OR

just toughen this kid up into a fighter who can heal all the damage he takes and turn him into a tank rather than just a support. ZOMBIE FIGHTING STYLE

Either way, I'm gonna enjoy this one!!

ep2 ep3 ep4 ep5 <- these will be links eventually

#anime winter 2024 #the wrong way to use healing magic #chiyu mahou no machigatta tsukaikata #治癒魔法の間違った使い方 #isekai #isekai anime

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thisgirlnamedblusy · 1 year ago

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hiya! i love your works, and the way you write marilyn!! could you possibly write a hurt/com fic where reader begins to distance herself from marilyn because she feels sad over something and isn’t used to being emotional in front of people, but marilyn eventually corners her and reader opens up and it’s emotional and lovely and comforting…sorry if that made no sense - thank you!!

Yess!!! Here it is!!! I hope you like it!!! Sorry about the delay, and the language mistakes!!! :))))))))

Just a hard time

Pairing: Marilyn Thornhill x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Angst, hurt & comfort, fluff

Word count: 3,993

Summary: You're not the happy girl that she thinks, you have a lot of thoughts in your mind, and not a good ones…

N/A: Requests are open!!! Sorry about the delays, I’m working hard on your requests. I love you all!!!

“Have you like it? You haven't told me anything,” Marilyn said, gently caressing your cheek while her legs intertwined with yours.

You weren't thinking about what just happened, your mind was in a very far away place for several days. You simply faked a smile and nodded. Marilyn sighed, analyzing your gaze, and kissed you briefly on the lips.

Your smile slowly faded, while your mind continued to spin over a worry that stalked you at all time.

You were a simple girl, in your childhood you were happy, but your adolescence was like hell to you. Full of ridicule, friendless, struggling to ignore the contempt of your classmates.

But that time has passed. Now you were a 24-year-old girl with a job, a house and a wonderful girlfriend. How someone like you had been so lucky was a question you had ever since you met Marilyn. You weren't special, you had nothing to offer to her, but she still fell in love with you.

You never had self-esteem, but as the years went by, you at least gained some confidence. Lately that confidence was decreasing little by little and every day, every hour you thought about what the reason could be. You couldn't find it. Your life was perfect, but you didn't see it that way at all.

“I really need to take a shower...” Marilyn sighed, yawning. “(Y/N), will you join me?”

You shook your head, snapping out of your troubled world of thoughts. You looked at the woman, who got out of bed, stretching in an exaggerated way.

“No... I think, I think I just want to sleep right now,” you said, turning around and covering yourself with the sheets.

“Oh... Have I exhausted you too much?” The redhead asked mockingly, sitting next to you on the bed and stroking your hair.

“I'm tired,” you answered. The words didn’t express your feelings, they were weak, dull, lacking any emotion. Logically that caught Marilyn's attention, she frowned and moved your head slightly so you were looking into her eyes.

“Honey, are you okay?” She asked, carefully studying your gestures. You sighed and smiled again, trying to look happy, to look like nothing was worrying you.

“Yes, of course. I'm just sleepy...” You said, faking a yawn. Marilyn wasn't stupid, she knew you were lying, but she also knew how reluctant you were to talk about your feelings, so she decided to get up and go to the bathroom, giving you one last curious look.

You breathed calmly when you heard the shower running and turned around again, now looking up at the ceiling. You thought it was just a phase, that this strange sadness you felt would pass, but it wasn't like that. Not even Marilyn's affable character, nor her continuous gestures of love and affection could make you forget your torments.

Your low self-confidence made you ask yourself absurd questions every day, such as what that wonderful woman could have seen in a girl like you. You had no answer. You couldn't find the characteristic that could have caught her attention.

You weren't a bad person, quite the opposite, but you were very introverted. So many years isolated from others made you to close your mind, to not express emotions or feelings in front of other people, or at least the negative ones.

Making those bullies see that their mockery and insults were effective only made them see you weak, that their actions had the effect they wanted.

This is how you formed what would be your current personality. Good, kind, but reserved, confident with your feelings. If Marilyn hadn't asked you for that date, you probably would never have acted, you would never have told her that you felt the same way about her, about that red-haired woman you looked every morning in the cafeteria.

But, even though your life was wonderful, you couldn't stop thinking about the reason for your luck, why from one day to the next, you found someone as good as her, someone who loved you above all, and who does everything for you.

Marilyn was always thoughtful, she covered you with flowers and gifts whenever she had the opportunity. Every morning, she left a note on the refrigerator, a simply “I love you.”

All of this made you feel guilty, feeling like you weren't up to par with her, that she didn't deserve you. And so, wrapped in sheets, with your naked body in the bed, you got to the root of your problems, your low self-esteem.

You felt inferior, a girl who wasn't worth it. It didn't matter how many times Marilyn told you that she loved you, you simply looked for hidden motivations, some dark reason for her to want to be close to you.

You closed your eyes with those thoughts, with ideas that passed fleetingly through your head. She didn't even know about your tormented past, you couldn't even consider being completely honest with her. After two years, you were still a complete stranger, and only you knew why.

The next morning, you played with the coffee spoon, looking at the table, with a serious expression, just looking at the clock. Marilyn seemed strange because of your attitude, she looked at you constantly, under a tense, deathly silence, like the ones you usually had after arguing. But this time there was no jealousy, no absurd arguments. There was only an empty, sad (Y/N), looking for what you could give to the redhead that makes her to want to keep you.

“Hey, (Y/N)...” Marilyn whispered, interrupting that tense silence. You looked up and nodded slightly, finishing your coffee. “I thought that… Well, today is Friday… We could, you know, do something…”

“Like what?” You asked, sighing. Every time you spoke you bit your tongue, regretting using that lazy tone with your beloved. Marilyn smiled nervously, blinking rapidly, sad cause she didn't understand the reason for your lack of spirit.

“Do you remember our first date? You know, the restaurant on the Main Street corner,” she said, getting up from the chair and caressing your back, bending down to speak in your ear. “Do you remember how much fun we had?”

You nodded, smiling sincerely.

“I threw a glass of wine on you,” you said between laughs.

“And I did the same... What do you think if we go there for dinner? Maybe it's a little late to book a table, but we can try...”

You closed your eyes with another long sigh. You remembered that night as one of the best of your life. But at that moment the only thing you wanted was to continue closing in on yourself, you didn't want her compassion, for her to pay for dinner like she always did, for her to shower you with all kinds of affection and comforts that you felt you didn't deserve.

“I... Tonight I preferred to stay home,” you whispered, getting up to wash your breakfast mug. Marilyn looked at you stunned, worried, and approached you, turning you around and cupping your face with her hands.

“Honey, I know something is wrong with you... Please, talk to me, tell me something, let me help you.”

You pulled away without being too unpleasant and shook your head.

“There's nothing wrong with me, Mari... I'm just tired... That's all,” you said, heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

“(Y/N)…” The redhead sighed, insisting. “Please…”

You stopped, ready to say something, to start talking about your worries, but you regretted it at the last moment. You would never be brave enough to do it.

That night…

“I think I'm going to sleep...” Marilyn sighed, picking up her dinner’s tray. “I'm exhausted.”

You nodded, not looking away from the television. Marilyn had been trying to get information out of you all night, asking you what was going on in your mind, but without success. You were closed hermetically, no one could access your feelings, not even the woman of your life.

“Well...” You said, changing channel to channel automatically, without thinking.

“Aren't you coming?” She asked, leaning behind the couch. “I promise you that I will be good and let you sleep…” She said with a suggestive and funny tone.

You smiled and looked at her, shaking your head.

“No, I think I'll stay a little longer. I'm still not sleepy,” you said, leaning back on the couch. Marilyn stared at you, frowning.

“You said you were tired,” she told you, crossing her arms.

You closed your eyes, lamenting how pathetic your excuses always were.

“Yes, I am, but it doesn't mean I'm sleepy...” You said defensively, in a harsher tone. Marilyn nodded and took a deep breath. Her face was serious, stoic. She knew you too well no matter how much you denied it. She knew you were lying.

“It's okay, come whenever you want, no rush,” she said in a whisper, leaning down to give you a quick kiss before entering the room.

The minutes passed and with them, the hours. You could hear the television, but you weren't listening, you only heard your mind making up horrible thoughts, lowering your self-esteem, tormenting you even more. You lay down on the couch, shedding a tear. You were depressed, you were not hungry, you didn't want to do anything, and you weren't even able to take refuge in Marilyn, in the woman who loved you, who means everything for you.

Your eyelids were getting heavier and without meaning to, you fell asleep.

Footsteps on the wood woke you up. You were curled up on the couch, shivering due to the cold. The light emitted by the television was annoying, but you didn't want to move so as not to lose heat. Marilyn approached and you closed your eyes again, pretending to sleep.

That horrible light went out and you felt the warmth of her hand on your head, caressing you gently.

“Baby, if you would just tell me what's wrong with you...” Marilyn whispered softly, trying not to wake you up. You moved, but you didn't open your eyes, you let yourself to be caressed.

Marilyn sighed and shifted, searching for something in the small entryway closet.

You opened one eye to watch what she was doing, but when she addressed you again, you closed it again.

You felt how a pleasant fabric covered your body. A blanket. Marilyn had gone to get a blanket to cover you, not to insist that you go back to bed... Your breathing became heavier while the redhead covered you lovingly, preventing you from getting cold.

That made you feel worse, feeling like you were a horrible person.

“Sweet dreams, princess...” She said, kissing your cheek and returning to the bedroom.

The sun's rays hit your eyes mercilessly. Your back hurt but thanks to the blanket you weren't cold. You sat up, sitting on the couch, sighing, thinking about everything that had happened, about your radically different attitude.

Marilyn left the room, leaning against a wall, looking at you pitifully.

“Did you sleep well?” She asked ironically. You rubbed your back and shook your head.

“Not much...” You said honestly, pulling the blanket away from you and rubbing your eyes. You needed to clear your head, clarify your ideas. A hot shower maybe can help. But your walk to the bathroom was interrupted by a strong grip on your wrist.

“Are you going somewhere, (Y/N)?” She asked without letting your wrist go, with a serious look.

“I have, I have to take shower,” you said, trying in vain to get out of her grasp.

“Oh, no, you're not going anywhere...” She said, smiling maliciously.

“Come on, Mari, give me a break,” you protested, stopping fighting to free yourself.

“We need to talk, (Y/N),” she told you, releasing you. You nodded, getting nervous. You waited for that moment to come, but you were still a coward.

“Great, but after a shower,” you said, walking past her. Marilyn sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Now, (Y/N),” she told you, making you stop. You looked at her, but continued on your way. Marilyn followed you, closing the bedroom door behind her, trying to corner you.

“I don't want to talk now, Marilyn, I need that shower,” you said, avoiding her gaze. Marilyn laughed nervously, facing you, grabbing your shoulders so you couldn't move.

“What the hell is wrong with you, (Y/N)? You, you're not yourself, you haven't been for a long time.” she told you, looking at you pleadingly. You avoided her eyes, fighting back the tears that were beginning to fall down your cheeks.

“Do you care?” You said defensively, without thinking about your words. “Leave me alone.”

“(Y/N)...” The redhead sighed, releasing you.

You closed your eyes.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken to you that way,” you said coldly, passively, looking for some clothes in the closet.

“Do you think I don't care about what happens to you?” She asked. “For God's sake, (Y/N), at least tell me what I did wrong…”

“You haven't done anything wrong...” You responded, letting the clothes fall to the floor. “It's just... It's just that...”

“What? (Y/N), what's going on?”

You took a breath. Marilyn was persistent, you knew that at that point she wasn't going to give up. It was the time to be brave, to express your feelings, even though you didn't know how to do it, even though you would do it wrong.

“Marilyn, why are you with me?” You asked, fixing your eyes on hers. She shook her head, raising her eyebrows at that question.

“What? What's with that absurd question?”

“Just answer...” You said, stopping the redhead from questioning you. “Please tell me what you have seen in me.”

“You're not serious, are you? Tell me you're not asking me that...” The redhead said, confused. You nodded, pushing her hand away from your face.

“Answer me,” you insisted, moving away from her touch, that would distract you. Marilyn sighed open-mouthed, looking around.

“Honey, cause you are the most wonderful girl in the world... Because I love you...” She said smiling, trying to reason with you.

“That can not be possible. You're lying...” You said, wiping away a tear that fell down your cheek.

“Lying?”

“A woman like you would never want to be with me. Just think about it, Marilyn, you're older than me, you could be much happier with someone your age.

Marilyn blinked rapidly, shaking her head.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” She asked, now with a nervous expression, losing her patience little by little. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“You are... You are kind, you give me gifts, you take care of me... You are, you are perfect Marilyn... And I...”

“And you?” She asked, getting closer to you.

“I'm just a loser. I have never been important to anyone. All, all my life I have been insignificant to everyone...” You confessed, moving away from those absurd questions, beginning to open your heart.

“Insignificant? Honey... Why do you say that?” Marilyn asked, caressing your cheek. You were crying, there was no longer any need to be abrupt, or to continue pretending to be upset with her. You were upset with yourself.

“Because it is the truth. When I was in high school, everyone laughed at me. They said I was strange, that I was stupid, that I was ugly... “You explained, letting yourself fall on the bed. Marilyn sat next to you, motioning for you to continue. “Over time I learned to ignore all of that, but I don't think I've gotten over it...”

“Oh, honey... I'm so sorry to hear that...” She said softly, taking your hand. You looked at her, you watched how she caressed your skin. That made you sob and shake your head.

“I know that the life I have is not fair. I have everything I could dream of, I have you... But, no, I don't feel worthy... You are, you are too good for me. I'm pathetic, I haven't even been able to tell you anything of this before... I, no, I don't think I deserve to be by your side.”

Marilyn stirred, sighing in distress, looking at you horrified by your words.

“Do not say foolishness. You are wonderful, honey. I wouldn't be with you if you weren't.”

“It's just a facade, Marilyn!” You shouted. “I seem like an ordinary girl, happy, confident in what she does, but the truth is that I’m not… I have never felt comfortable with myself, I have never felt that I deserve anything I have.”

“Dear…”

“It's the truth. I'm just a girl who grieves alone and pretends to be happy when people are around. I'm worthless, I don't want you to waste your time with me, you should be with someone who makes you as happy as you make me...”

Marilyn didn't say anything, rather she did, giving you a gentle smack on the cheek. You put your hand to your face, looking scared at the redhead.

“Don't talk like that again,” she said with a firm tone.

“I'm not what you're looking for! I'm not a detail keeper, I didn't write you love notes, I don't give you gifts, I'm not good for loving.”

“(Y/N), you're starting to annoy me...” She hissed, squeezing your hand.

“Well, leave me then...” You whispered. Marilyn was going to say something, but she couldn't find the words, she simply got out of bed, wandering aimlessly around the room, shaking her head.

“You don't know anything, do you?” She said, breathing quickly. You did not answer. “I don't do those things so that you do the same. I make them because I like to see your face when I give you something, when you read one of my notes, and do you know why? Because you are the love of my life, because you make me happy, because you have decided to be with me being able to choose a young girl. I feel insecure many times too, (Y/N), but just looking into your eyes, just with your kisses, I realize that I’m in the place I want to be.”

You cried more, looking at the redhead.

“I'm nothing...” You sighed. Marilyn huffed and knelt in front of you.

“You are everything, honey, you are everything to me,” she told you. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, I know what it's like to have a hard time, believe me.”

You nodded.

“That is precisely the problem. I know everything about you, and I had never told you about the high school...” You said. Marilyn smiled tenderly, grabbing your hands.

“I don't care, honey... I'm not angry because you didn't tell me. I just, I just want to help you to understand that you are much more than a poor girl.

“They said I’m not.”

“Do you care what they said?”

“Of course I care. When you've been hearing the same things for years, you end up believing them...” You sighed, avoiding her gaze. You were embarrassed.

“You're not a loser, do you hear me? You are a good, kind girl... You are worth a hundred times more than all of them combined, my love... I have chosen you for who you are, not for what you look like. I like that you have weaknesses, that you are a person, a real one. We all have them. And I’m here to help you to overcome your complexes, to be by your side, to remind you how wonderful you are, and how lucky I have been with you.”

“Marilyn...” You sobbed, letting her pull your hands to stand up.

“Come here, hug me, honey. Let out everything you have inside...”she whispered to you. You lunged into her arms, resting your head on her shoulder, gripping her dress tightly. “Don’t worry, baby…”

You finally managed to vent. You didn't say anything, you just cried, hugging her, hanging on to her clothes.

Little by little you two descended to the floor. Marilyn hugged you, caressing your hair, your back, your arms... No one said anything, she just let you cry as much as you needed.

“Shh... My girl... I'm with you,” she told you softly, pulling you away a little, wiping your tears. “I could never be with anyone but you, my love.”

“Surely you can...” You sighed, settling into her chest.

“(Y/N), look at me,” she told you, lifting your chin. You let yourself to be guided, looking into those eyes that made you fall in love, those sincere eyes that you could now see clearly, without any dark thoughts, without fear, only with love. “The past can be horrible, but little by little it is being left behind. You are no longer in high school, they are just a memory. Don't let something like that get to you, my love. You don't know how much it hurts me to see you suffer, to see you doubt about yourself.

“I have always been weak, Mari… I can't help it.”

She smiled, kissing you tenderly, with love, making you feel really calm, with less and less desire to cry. Then you stood looking at each other like two people who had just discovered each other, as if an iron wall had fallen in front of you.

“Mari...” You said, making her smile wider. “There is still something that torments me.”

She nodded, hugging you again.

“You can tell me anything, honey...”

“It's... The floor,” you said, smiling, pointing your finger at the wood. Marilyn turned away a little confused and looked at the point your were pointing to.

“The floor?” She asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Have you seen how it is? When was the last time we cleaned the dust?” You said amused, running your finger along the wood, showing it to the redhead.

“If I remember correctly, it was your turn this week...” She said, following your joke, standing up and brushing off her clothes.

“That's a lie,” you said, taking her hand to stand up as well. You both looked at each other again and laughed out loud.

From one moment to the next, all your sadness, all your fear disappeared. She listened to you, she didn't let you despise yourself, she didn't know anything about your past, but she didn't judge you. She was authentic, a woman who truly loved you, and who you now knew you could count on on your bad days. Deep down you had always known it, but your bad experiences made you repress that pain, to pretend that your life had been happy.

“Honey, listen to me,” she told you, stopping laughing. “When you feel sad, when there is something dancing in your mind and you don't know what to do with it, please, talk to me. I will always be by your side, no matter what happens to you, no matter what worries you have. Is it clear?”

You hesitated for a moment, but nodded, kissing her now, barely letting her breathe.

“Okay, I'll do it... I'm so stupi...” you stopped when her gaze became dangerous. “I mean... I love you, Marilyn.”

“That’s the way I like it, because if you insult yourself again you will clean the dust for a month...” She told you, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear.

You looked at her threateningly, but laughed, reaching for your phone.

“What are you doing?” Marilyn asked, looking at you curiously.

“Shhh, shut up, I'm calling the restaurant...” You said, putting a hand in front of the phone's microphone.

Marilyn tilted her head, smiling widely.

“Great, thanks,” you said, hanging up and throwing the phone on the bed. “Tonight we have a dinner, Mari.”

“Shall we celebrate something?” She asked with a suggestive tone, grabbing you by the waist.

“No, we're just going to dinner,” you said, putting your hands around her neck. “I think it's better that we celebrate now, in the shower, don't you think?”

#marilyn thornhill #marilyn thornhill x reader #wednesday #ms thornhill #oneshot #fluff

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archive-of-the-lost · 29 days ago

Text

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @glumii

꒰Your match is Niko Ikki!꒱

꒰I꒱— Impression (Their first impression of you)

She's probably like me. He first saw you at the manga shop he frequently visits, so he knew you have the same interest as him as he watched you check out with a new manga volume in hand. He didn't think to approach you at first, he's an introvert after all; but as he saw you at the same manga shop over and over again, the thought of befriending you became more compelling. The problem was that you were always there with your friends, and he was too shy to try and talk to you with them around. Until one day, finally, his chance came.

꒰A꒱— Anecdote (A little story about you and your matchup)

Your first date with him was at a cute, not too pricey cafe. He was really nervous and kept looking down at his lap as he tried to make conversation. You're both the type to let someone else lead the conversation unless it's on a topic you're interested in, so he decided to just ask about what kind of anime you're into a few minutes into talking. The date ended up going well since you both started taking turns talking about your favourite animes, mangas, and games. It's not until he returns home with a happy sigh that he realises he didn't even find out simple things about you like your family dynamic, what future career you're considering, goals you have. Even if he doesn't enjoy small talk, that seems a bit much for a first date...

꒰E꒱— Expression (The one little thing they do that shows how much they love you)

He knows you don't like being alone, so he tries and accompanies you whenever he can. Like when you can't get your friends to go to an event with you, he'll offer to come with you. Same with running errands like going grocery shopping. It doesn't matter how mundane or "boring/tedious" whatever you're doing is. He likes spending time with you, and wants to make sure you have company.

꒰R꒱— Revelations (What did they learn about themselves after getting into a relationship with you?)

It's astounding to him how you can make him come out of his shell almost easily. When he approached you in that manga shop and asked you out after getting to know you for a bit, a big step for him as he doesn't approach others often. How he'll accompany you through new and crowded places like train stations because he knows those places make you uncomfortable, how he'll order for you at restaurants even though you both would rather let others order for you, pushing himself out of his comfort zone so you can be more comfortable. When he talked about his beloved Yu-Gi-Oh! cards then apologized for rambling, but you told him to continue and said you like hearing him talking about something so passionately. You accept him completely and encourage him to be more open around you. It's comforting. He wants to be someone you can take comfort in too.

꒰Q꒱— Question (Who popped the question? How did it go? - Answers to this letter take place after a time skip so the character is aged up)

He was the one to propose. He took you to the manga shop where he talked to you for the first time, even though you both had moved to another city by then. He didn't even try and pretend he had a special order to pick up or something. If you guessed what he was planning on your way there and asked him about it, he didn't answer. There, by the furthest left aisle of the shop where he approached you, he pulled out a velvet ring box and popped it open to reveal a diamond ring. He got down on one knee afterward because he was so anxious, and forgot to do that before pulling out the ring, but he made it look natural like he was planning to do that so you couldn't tell. He's gained more confidence and maturity since you both started dating, but you can still see a glimpse of that nervous boy wanting you to accept his request to go out with him all those years ago in those teal eyes of his, no longer hidden behind his bangs. You see him fully, and he sees you.

꒰Thanks for requesting! Hope you like it.꒱

#♡ love is in the air event #my works #bllk matchup #niko ikki

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sammywolfgirl · 1 year ago

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Okay there was at least one like on the interest post so here’s the pitch-

I’m framing this like I got full creative direction for a cookie run kingdom event, will no limitations like budget, time, or executive interfearence

That being said I’m also pitching this as a ‘give devs creative team an easy update’ since a majority of the things used in this update are already designed in some way so this event could take place before a major event like a major lore drop, big anniversary update, etc.

That being said

Cookie run Kingdom: Jellywalkers attack!

I’ll go over gameplay stuff first.

First off this is a two part update like the moonlight Anniversary update was. So an extra long one.

As for new cookies there will be four new Epic cookies- one released in the first and second half of each update half.

No super epics or legendarys, because god I’m so tired of the special gachas one after another! Instead the ‘special Gacha’ will just be an event costume Gacha.

There will be costumes released in theme with the update but also a special Gacha that give character skins with unique voice lines. But they’re special costumes and not legendary. I will elaborate when we get there.

Now onto the characters.

In the first half of the update we will get Energy drink cookie, an epic bomber class. (Also in this post I’ll be using my gender fluid energy drink headcanon so I’ll be using he/she/they for him.)

Energy drinks skill involves her sending out an aoe attack that puts a defence debuff on the enemies, if his skill is used again they will grand a powerful attack and defence buff on the team. These two skill effects alternate every use. And durring the buffing skill use she will go into that green power up energy mode, and her own attack speed will increase for a short while before returning to normal. Maybe this mode procks after every skill use regardless if it’s the attack or buffing skill phase. I’m open to suggestions on that front

In the first part of the update Twizzly Gummy cookie will get a magic candy. This candy is going to be a bit of a gimic but I think it’ll be fun. This candy will buff the critical hit chance for her special making it stupid easy to get crits. Add in a damage buff and twizzlys skill is a stupid good aoe. My girl deserves to be broken for a while. The magic candy ingredient will be “electrifying wires”

Costume wise in this half we open the special guest costume Gacha which iiiiis, costumes of the band of misfits! Costumes for avocado, mint choco, strawberry, and carrot cookie that give them the appearence of the alt timeline gang, their dialogue reflecting these characters and getting special dialogue when interacting with Twizzly or each other. These likely would be event exclusive costumes so once the event is over you can’t get them but idealy they’d be put in the regular Gacha but made rare after the event is over because I know I’m not the only Twizzly gang enjoyer out there! Also the event would hand out rainbow cubes a lot so pfp players will get a chance to get them. Maybe also some costume chests where you pick one guaranteed would also be prizes in the event because I like being nice.

There will also be a new decor tab themed off those unreleased cookie wars jellywalker decor items. With some added stuff themed around Twizzly too. Twizzly gets a decor set where she powers up a neon sign and cackles about it. And maybe also energy drink can interact with it, where they tag it with a sticker lmao.

For events outside of the story we’ll bring in a new event in the first update part

This event is an endless wave survivor. You build up a team (or three super mayhem style, but at least one) and you put them agains an endless wave of enemies. You gain points for the amount of time survived and how many enemies defeated, earning event tokens to upgrade hp, attack, and defender like the boss events. Though no bosses will appear, at most strong enemies that give a lot of points if defeated. The banner event tied to this gives the usual rewards, but maybe add in a costume if you’re feeling creative. Like Angel cookies jellywalker costume from ovenbreak.

In the second half of this update Wasabi cookie will be released. a cookie decor for her will be released in the second part of the event. It’s a decor that’s themed after her lab. Let her do mad science and look at stuff in goopy test tubes

Wasabi is an Epic rank ambush cookie. And her skill launches wasabi shots at the enemies and dealing major crit damage. Maybe there’s also poison damage as an element because I don’t want to add acid as a new element when that’s just poison but green. (The skill isn’t something I’m super happy with so I’m open to ideas)

Wasabi will get her own bingo card event like Twizzly gummy did when released.

The story mode will be attached to the storybook style thing since I like that and why not. I’ll get into the plot later though.

The second part of the event is when the rest of the cookies release. And also the costumes.

For costumes it’ll be like acid punk sort of dystopian themed costumes, they get their own special pull animations like the star ones and rock event ones. I don’t have a name for these yet but here’s the costume ideas:

Candy diver gets a costume that looks like their head is filed with a mix of the jellywalkers purple goop and energy drinks green potion thing. The rest of the suit taking on a blacklight sort of pallet and adding some grunge to it. The description would basically state that as candy diver is a ghost the jellywalker virus has no effect on them. But best keep that stuff inside the head just to be safe.

Wasabi gets a costume reminiscent of or just straight up her Wasabi overdrive costume. Similar costume description too but reference the jellywalkers more clearly.

Twizzly Gummy gets a blacklight/neon costume and listen I just need her hair up for this put it in a ponytail. Other than that I’d imagine it’s something that’d look good standing next to energy drink (this will be important later) maybe give her a puffy jacket and star stickers idk.

Affogato is a wildcard pick but hear me out. Either his costume is him utilizing wasabi goop or whatever as a poison and give him a neon green blacklight sort of costume reflecting that. OR some sort of jellywalker infection. He tried to use this to his advantage and it bit him in the ass. Not full jellywalker but he is clearly infected and probably a liability in a survival situation. But it’s fine it’s just a costume :3

This half is also when the super mayhem event goes live. It’d work as any other super mayhem event, but the special thing in battle would be some like charge to built up an energy drink blast or wasabi blast idk

And now for the cookies! In the first half of the event, a whole new cookie will be released! I’m uh, still developing this character name and design wise but I got the idea for their theme and stats

An epic cookie, support class. Their skill will give everyone damage resistance and a healing over time. Plus imunity to poison type damage for a time.

In the second half we will get Zombie cookie

Zombie cookie is an epic rank cookie who is an attacker class. I don’t have many ideas for it’s skill right now but I’m thinking something that either summons undead mobs for a time or some sort of gravestone related attack like in the puzzle game. (Their revive skill can be tied to a later magic candy release or something)

Last things of note- voices! I don’t have anyone in particular as a dream casting for energy drink or unnamed new guy but I got ideas-

For energy drink ideally I’d like their voice to be ambiguous enough that it could be read as masculine or feminine, I don’t have a strong leaning one way for another. but it’d be Even better if the Va is actually genderfluid or somewhere on the nonbinary spectrum. We love gender fluid cookie in this house.

For wasabi I sort of imagine her voice similar to Eda from the owl house, so either that va or someone who can do a similar impression. But a bit more mad science because it’s wasabi.

For the new guy all I really got is something masculine and can sound very scared, this cookie is characterized by being a coward in a terrifying situation, but is working to be brave. So something sympathetic but not annoying if people think this guy is annoying it’ll make the character unfun.

As for zombie? Similar route to candy diver. No specific voice actor, just grab someone from the development team who can make the best weird noises and you’re set. This thing can’t talk lean into the weird noises. But be fun about it

Last thing of note- as this is a storybook style event like the dragon city, rock festa, and mermaid tale event there will be a sort of ‘settlement’ level with a few cookies and Catnip the merchant. I’m thinking this is a city going on thr defensive, and the npcs are commenting on how scary this all is or worrying about friends. And catnip does their usual info dump and is like “even at the start of the apocalypse capitalism still reigns!..but I’ll keep the prices fare considering the situation” (In game the prices are the same as always)

Now with all that out of the way! Into the actual story

The plot

I will admit I sort of plan to write some version of this event out so it will be relying on some headcanons, but I’ll try to write out this plot so you don’t need them to enjoy the story.

If I make a fic it’ll be it’s own cannon basically.

Also exact details are vague right now so I’ll get the plot points out.

First half of the story-

It’s a peaceful day at the cookie kingdom when suddenly, a rumbling in the distance. It feels like an earthquake and the cookies are confused. But cut to Twizzly gummy who looks confused and then curious. That felt like a time rift, a rogue one. What’s going on? Something fun for once? Moments later another rift opens in town, and out emerges energy drink, who immediately declares this world is in danger.

The jellywalkers are coming, and if this kingdom, no this world doesn’t prepare defences right now everyone is doomed. The cookies are skeptical until Twizzly actually vouches for her. See the thing is Twizzly and energy drink have history… but it left them on sort of rocky terms so energy drink isn’t all too happy to see Twizzly again. She tries to brush it off and just asks what’s up, he only looks that serious when something bad is happening. And energy drink repeats what they stated before. The jellywalkers are coming.

Something something they manage to convince the cookies to prepare defences, the alchemist or someone going with gingerbrave to send out letters to warn the other kingdoms and settlements. Energy drink asks if any other rifts opened and Twizzly points her in the direction of where she feels the big one opened. Energy drink plans to head out alone but Twizzly stops them

“You playing this solo again? No way, I’m here now so I’m going with!”

“I don’t have time for games Twizzly, these cookies are in real trouble-“

“You think I don’t know? I saw what those things did to the timeline I found you in. I live here so I’m helping. End of story”

Energy drink is quiet, but agrees.

So the two head out, and make a plan. First, they need to find a cookie to make a cure, energy drink already has an outline that can be followed, they just need the mind to make it. And he already has one in mind. Hopefully she’s in this timeline… step two is locate the source of the jellywalkers, the comet and destroy it. That will prevent any new cases so the rest can be cured or destroyed. So the two head out,

In a town nearby where the jellywalkers comet landed, the invasion has begun. Hoardes of zombies attacking and turning anyone unlucky enough to be in their sight. This unearthly purple slime spreading and sticking to whatever it can latch onto. The city is in panic trying to flee, they were unprepared. They couldn’t have prepped enough since the source was so close to them. It’s a disaster. This is where we meet the unnamed new cookie who I’ll be calling uhhhh Buddy for now. Buddy is terrified, his friend was turned and he just managed to get away. He hides in an alleyway, clutching a container of jelly water, (imply it’s a similar ingredient to what they are made from this is relevant) suddenly they hear a noise, it sounds like the groaning of a jellywalker. In a panic they hurl the contents of their container at the monster, yelling about not wanting to be eaten. But to his confusion the being who was just doused stops. Is panicked a moment, but that purple jelly melts away revealing… Zombie cookie! It’s confused, and blinks. Buddy blinks too.

What just happened?

Somehow he realizes this zombie is harmless and also realizes even faster that zombie has declared them its friend and won’t leave his side. Buddy decides for now to flee with zombie cookie, maybe it can help somehow? Zombie is just happy to have a buddy.

Back with Twizzly and energy drink, they fight through jellywalkers, the virus is spreading fast, not good. They need to find Wasabi cookie and fast. Lucky for them they run into her just up ahead. Like the mad scientist she is she’s already been studying and experimenting with the infected zombies, trying to understand what this purple substance is and how to destroy it. So when energy drink asks her to help make a vaccine she’s like “what do you think I’m doing? But the extra help would be appreciated!” And then she cackles like she isnt planning some mad scientist excitements once that vaccine is done. So the trio are now working to gather ingredients. But it’s soon found out they’re missing one last thing. A vital agent to properly dissolve the jellywalker cells. But unfortunately she doesn’t have that and nobody is sure what it is. Because energy drink reveals that this varient of jellywalkers is different from the one in their timeline so the weakness for this is likely vastly different.

Well shit.

And that’s where the first half cuts.

In part two we start again with buddy and zombie. Running for their fucking lives. Buddy is confused why the jellywalkers are attacking zombie and it’s like (shrug emoji) turns out zombie wasn’t with them it has just always been like that. Wack. Anyways as the two flee they bump into energy drink, wasabi, and Twizzly fighting off some zombies, they quickly work together to make an opening and get to safety. Energy drink immediately points her blaster at zombie but buddy is like “NO THATS MY FRIEND!” And very quickly explains that it’s not dangerous and they spilled their canteen on it and the purple goop melted away and-

“Did you say those contents dissolved the jellywalker virus?” Wasabi immediately cuts in. To which buddy nods. “Give me that!” She snatched the canteen which does have more traces of this ingredient inside. She then laughs because AHA WE FOUND IT. Energy drink is surprised. But surly that alone couldn’t have dissolved the virus.

Twizzly shrugs and is just like “maybe zombie here was just Uniquely qualified to not get totally infected” to which zombie just makes a gurgling noise.

Energy drink concludes they’ll worry about that later. Now the gang needs to get to wasabis lab and synthesize the vaccine. That way they can cure the infected after the source is destroyed. On the trail back wasabi learns that the jelly water in the canteen is a similar/the same ingredient to what buddy is baked from and looks at him intently.

Buddy is now scared.

But yeah they get to the lab and wasabi and buddy work on the cure (or well buddy is dragged by wasabi) while the rest of the gang protects the base. After the vaccine is done, it’s time to head to the source.

They go to the meteorite, it’s swarming with that goop and zombies. Buddy wonders why he’s here, this whole time he’s been having an arc about being scared and trying to overcome that fear to help, with the help of zombie. This concludes when energy drink reasures them that they need his help.

Wasabi elaborates, seems that buddy’s ingredient is a perfect repellent of the jellywalker virus, with him around splashing that cleaner the gang won’t get infected. So they can focus on destroying the meteor. He bravely nods, resolved to help.

And then we get the final boss who can be like a giant jelly Walker goop pile with thr meteor as a core, get as body horror as the rating will allow! We got the licorice sea abomination WE CAN GO HARDER!

But in the end the source is destroyed and the rift sealed by energy drink (she has some timeweaver scissors he stole a long time ago) and wasabi is eager to send out the vaccine. Soon the invasion is over and all the pure jellywalker monsters are destroyed and infected cured. Things start to go back to normal.

Zombie decides to stay with buddy who’s now got more confidence in himself. And wasabi seems all to eager to experiment on him and zombie.

Zombie cookie is now scared.

Twizzly and energy drink have one last conversation before energy drink has to leave, after all the jellywalkers haven’t been destroyed across all time yet. He has a duty to track it and protect other timelines from the fate hers faced. Twizzly is like “you’re doing it alone”

“…mostly, but the extra help was nice, I’ll consider recruitment more often next time” Twizzly smiles. And says they can visit any time. She missed them.

Energy drink says not to push her luck. They doubt they can stay friends. Their paths aren’t compatible anymore.

Twizzly says that’s no excuse not to visit for a drink or something. The cake in this timeline is the best after all! Plus the gang missed her. Energy drink says they’ll think about it.

Twizzly laughs and says good enough. So energy drink leaves and things go back to normal as rebuilding begins.

Now for the bonus scene! I’ll do the ‘cannon’ one first as In most likely to be in the game and then my own “my au” version for funsies because I’m shameless.

The bonus scene is at the TBD, croissant cookie and String gummy are watching the last scene on a ctv screen before they talk. Croissant is glad things worked out, but worries about the cleanup. String gummy says he’ll get to work on smoothing things out timeline wise soon. But doesn’t seem all to happy to have to deal with Twizzly (give a nod to the two having a connection, sincd the sibling/alt timeline headcanons are popular from what I can tell) have a bit of banter between the two that establishes they’re fiends. And at the end have timekeeper appear, cloaked in shadow, and question marks on their name. They won’t say who they are in the story yet But if you know you KNOW. They simply say to stay on schedule before disappearing in a rift to the ticking of clocks. String gummy seems upset that they won’t help, but croissant reasures him that this means she trusts them to handle things. And back to work they go.

Only comment voice wise here is timekeeper’s va has to be the same as croissant cookies, but have them do a little bit of a different voice (but still similar enough) and add a radio filter. God please I want timekeeper to sound like she’s constantly talking through an old timey radio, snack crackle pop up in this bitch.

As for string gummy something serious and a little gravely voice wise. But still capable of sounding warm to.

This scene is both to feed the tbd fans who are eager for the place to come to kingdom. (Or just gnawing at the bit for tbd content in general) But also to establish what the TBD is in the kingdom universe and game in general. It’s for the kingdom exclusives who don’t know who the fuck Twizzly is talking about and don’t want to download a whole new game just for the lore(tm)

Now for my purely for me ending that will likely be used for a fic. It’s similar setup but at the Neon hellscape. And it’s Stilton and Moldy Butter pretzel discussing the event. Generally similar banter but the subject is wondering when Twizzly can get back because that’s their buddy. TimeWrender makes a camio and is just being vaguely threatening towards the tbd. Wondering how they can mess with them as they clean things up. Moldy is like “don’t cause too much of a scene. Don’t want them to find out about this place” and wrend giggles.

AAAAAND THATS THAT! That’s the event! Maybe if the brain worms hit I’ll make some designs for the costumes or enemies idk.

Thoughts are appreciated and like I said I want to develop this idea for like a fanfic for my au, because I did not put this much effort into an idea to NOT use it for like a fanfic

Anyways thanks for reading I’m so normal about time cookies Guys

#it me #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cookie run au #headcanons #fake event #energy drink cookie #twizzly gummy cookie #zombie cookie #cookie run oc #wasabi cookie #fanfic #oh I’ve named buddy btw so I’m tagging him #apple cider cookie

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hollowmend · 2 years ago

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Hollowmend Project Masterlist

Hey all! I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately (especially about Red-Handed Robin Redux), so I thought I’d make a masterlist/FAQ of sorts.

Here’s an overview of all the projects I have going on/planned for the future! All of these projects are commercial.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fetch Quest Series

Fetch Quest Remastered - (Comedy, Fantasy, Otome)

[Coming Soon]

Would-be adventurer Flora accepts a job to retrieve a stolen item for a shady bartender. In order to retrieve the item, she'll have to infiltrate a group of notorious bandits by posing as a new recruit. Fortunately, she has the help of two other adventurers. UNfortunately, her companions seem completely useless without her!

According to the strangely vocal narrator, this would have gone more smoothly if everyone had remembered to make their characters beforehand...

A remastered version of my 2019 NaNoRenO game, Fetch Quest!

FAQ

What’s different from the free version?

-With all new scenes and a brand new “true” ending, the script has gone from 13k words up to 20k words

5 brand new CGs

A new original soundtrack

Shiny new UI

There’s an extras menu now, including a CG gallery, music room, and endings list

Can you date Dan?

Nope! Not this time.

However, the “true” ending miiiight just be about him…

~~~~~~~~~~

Fetch Re;Quest - (Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Stat Raiser, Otome)

[Current Project]

After a remodel of their workplace leaves Flora, Dan, Connor, and Todd with a week’s worth of free-time, the group decides to play some games together…

The perfect opportunity to grind some stats!

Can Flora increase her Acumen, Charm, Gud, or Moxie enough to gain the courage to ask out her crush by the end of a self-imposed one week deadline? Or will she chicken out and be forced to pine after fictional 2D men instead?

Fetch Re;Quest takes place directly after the events of the Fetch Quest remaster’s new “true” ending. Here’s some of what you can expect from the game-

A (very) light stat raiser!

One love interest (It’s Dan.)

No DnD this time, but each stat is tied to a particular video/board game the group plays together. Shenanigans ensue.

Go on a cute date at the end

get all the endings for a special beach day episode

~~~~~~~~~~

The Maiden and the Magpie Series

Red-Handed Robin Redux (Dark Fantasy, Otome)

When career thief Robin comes across a boarding pass for the Whirlwind Express, she thinks she's found a literal ticket to freedom. With a case full of stolen jewelry and her loyal bodyguard at her side, she's ready to flee the country in style...

That is, until she runs into her childhood friend turned detective.

Can Robin keep her cool as she navigates a series of magic and mind games? Or will her cover be blown along with her escape plan?

That’s right! Red-Handed Robin is also getting the remaster treatment!

FAQ

What’s different from the free version?

There will be new content and a new canon “Golden End”

New CGs throughout the game

An original soundtrack

A new UI

Extras! In addition to the usual CG gallery/music room/endings list, there will also likely be fandisk-esque extra scenes showing more of the gang’s life before they boarded the whirlwind.

After outlining the entirety of the 3 game series, some details might differ in the Redux version than the free version. The Redux version will be considered the canon going forward!

Will there be a Fletcher route?

Nope! For many reasons, not the least of which is that he is gay.

With the new Golden Ending being canon, will Jay and Wren still get their own endings?

Yep! Those endings are staying in, they just won’t be the canon version of events when you see the trio again in the 3rd game of the series.

Will Robin/Jay/Wren end up in a poly relationship?

I’d like to keep some secrets to myself until they’re revealed in game… but if you follow me anywhere and have been paying attention, I think the answer to this is pretty clear.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Scarecrow Knight (Dark Fantasy, Mystery)

A few hundred years before the events of Red-Handed Robin, a strange traveler, his adopted daughter, and a tag-along who considers himself the traveler’s apprentice unravel mysteries surrounding the ancient curse of witchcraft.

The Scarecrow Knight takes place over ten years, with each of the three acts focusing on a different mystery along the way.

Though events in both games are related, The Scarecrow Knight and Red-Handed Robin can be read in any order.

FAQ

Are Robin/Jay/Wren going to be in The Scarecrow Knight?

Nope! The Scarecrow Knight features Mac, Corbin, and Lark as its protagonists. You won’t see the RHR gang again until the 3rd game in the series.

Is The Scarecrow Knight an otome/dating sim/will it have romance?

Nope. While this game is still focused on relationships, the cast’s bonds are familial in nature.

Will The Scarecrow Knight have a ‘game’ in each act, like Red-Handed Robin?

Yep! In order to solve the mystery presented in each act, you’ll have to navigate that act’s ‘game’.

What are Corbin’s pronouns?

Corbin uses she/her pronouns for the first two acts of The Scarecrow Knight. In act 3, however, he switches to he/him pronouns as part of a disguise... One that he suspiciously doesn’t want to come out of.

~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Unnamed RHR Game (Dark Fantasy, Amare)

Directly after the events of RHR, Robin, Jay, and Wren find themselves in a foreign country, no safer than they were aboard the whirlwind.

Meanwhile, Corbin finds himself in a very strange predicament… Waking up in the apartment of Oliver Tangram and Merle Barrows, two young men entangled in Gales’ occult scene.

This game will wrap up the stories started in both RHR and SK.

FAQ

Is 3rd Unnamed Game an otome/dating sim/will it have romance?

The answer is yes! Kind of! Both sides feature romance, and those relationship dynamics are integral to the plot.

On Robin/Jay/Wren’s side, the game will explore the trio’s dynamic more in depth. Corbin also has his own love interest (Oliver) on his side.

Who’s the protagonist?

The story is told from multiple perspectives, with Robin and Corbin being the most important characters.

Will 3rd Unnamed Game have a ‘game’ in each act like Red-Handed Robin?

Hopefully! That’s the plan anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~

Other Upcoming Projects

Believe it or not, I’ve got even more stuff planned!

If you’ve been following me for otome, I’m sorry to say that The Maiden and the Magpie series will probably be my last one for the foreseeable future. As a queer man, writing queer stories is what gets me motivated.

That being said, my next upcoming project is a BL!

Counter-Side (BL, Drama, Sci-fi, Kinetic)

[Current Project]

A mining facility on the dusty, barren planet of Ikarus is the last place most people would expect to find their true love… But that won’t stop peppy mecha pilot Rosco from trying!

In fact, he’s positive he’s figured it out this time. Sure, his new partner seems bored and dismissive, but this has been Rosco’s longest relationship yet! That has to mean something, right?

Meanwhile, HR manager Rae has just transferred to the facility and is determined to keep any new acquaintances at an arm’s length. Convinced that he is cold, boring, and judgemental, Rae is certain that there is only one person who can accept him for who he really is… and he already screwed that up.

Just as both men feel like they’re at their lowest points, their evenings are brightened by a newfound friendship forged at a cozy bar…

Counter-Side is the result of a writing experiment gone wild– I wrote one character’s viewpoint, and my friend/co-writer @brii-nanas wrote the other! The result is a story seen from both Rosco and Rae’s perspective.

Choose to play through the entirety of one character’s side before starting the other, or pick from either character’s perspective chapter by chapter. Both options offer an interesting way of experiencing the story.

The script is almost completely done (over 100k words!), and we will be working on putting out a demo containing the first 1/3rd of the game soon.

If Rosco looks familiar, it’s probably because I did his sprite for @brii-nanas amare jam game, Under the Skies of Ikarus! This game is set in the same world/facility.

Unlike Under the Skies of Ikarus, which is very wholesome, Counter-Side’s tone is... different, to say the least xD. Rae and Rosco’s relationship is extremely sweet, but they both go through some rough stuff before they get to that point. Which leads me to the...

Content Warning

This game is for readers who are 18+! It contains some heavy subject matter such as:

Abusive relationships (both physical and mental)

Dubious consent

Gaslighting

Anxiety

Sex (Nothing written/shown is super explicit)

Alcohol use

#hollowmend #visual novel #interactive fiction #fetch quest #fetch re;quest #red-handed robin #the scarecrow knight #counter-side #faq

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