#so I'm now in a position of like. trying to coordinate some time off for myself so that I can take a break

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[itsukismoon]

Yumekuro Artbook - Q&A (Yume Tsumugi)

>>> tsukiwatari ver. - magia seminar ver.

Canaan

Introductions: Canaan, the ring-maker. What I like are sweet sweet foods. …Ah. I’m silently sneaking out of the workshop right now, so please be quiet so they don’t catch me 🎶

MC first impressions: “Such soft cheeks”. Squishing them would calm me and give me motivation… I like them. However, I underestimated her tracking abilities… no matter where I go to slack off, she finds me pretty quickly. Hehe.

Bezer first impressions: Professor Bezel is super passionate. It’s amazing. I guess I’m surprised he’s that attached to me. I think it’d be good if he slacked off sometimes… wouldn’t that make him a better teacher, that understands his students’ feelings?

Meister you’re close with: Hmm, I don’t know. I don’t know if we really get along, but Volks always makes me behave. It’s like he’s always keeping an eye on me. It’s annoying, so I think I’ll seriously try to run away next time.

Adel

Introductions: I’m Adel, tailor for the royal warrant guild, Yume Tsumugi. I’ll tell you immediately: I only makes clothes for people I approve of. No matter how important their position or status. There are no exceptions.

MC first impressions: I was exasperated at the arrival of such a rookie. When she chose to speak, the content of her questions, everything was unpromising. Or so I thought— the speed at which she grows and her competitive spirit are not bad at all.

Jin first impressions: Jin, huh…. That one is so impatient there’s nothing to do about it. He quickly succumbs to his desires and indulges in as much pleasure as he can. At first, I thought he was knowledgable and with a good eye— though at least he has the good sense to be ashamed of himself. I’ll just have to wait and see how long he can keep up his self-control/abstinence.

Meister you’re close with: …unfortunately, there is no one up to such title. By the way, just to be on the safe side, if I you ever find me excessively praising the Meister named Merryrose, it’d be because of his powers, not because I truly mean it, alright? You better remember it.

Volks

Introductions: I'm Volks, a gems appraiser belonging to the royal warrant guild Yume Tsumugi. In addition to appraising gemstones, I’m also the guild leader and coordinate the royal family's activities. I look forward to working with you.

MC first impressions: I felt that she had the skills to be a winged guild keeper (TN: guild keepers have a wings shaped badge and Emma has it, idk if all guild keepers or only some of the best ones have it), and I was also drawn to that hidden charm of hers. I felt the need to make that brilliance shine even more beautifully by polishing it with my own hands. I got a little carried away.

Mel first impressions: I do not believe the time spent talking to Mel to be an unpleasant one. His knowledge and insight are remarkable, and above all, he is a diamond in the rough that is worth polishing. I plan to continue enjoying interacting with him in the future.

Meister you’re close with: I often eat meals together with Gastronomy’s Oscar, and we have a good relationship. I empathise with his greed in pursuit of fine cuisine. Whenever I entertain him, deciding on the menu is quite stressful.

Merryrose

Introductions: Dream perfumer, Merryrose. I belong to the royal warrant guild Yumetsumugi. The flowers on my arm? Don’t worry, don’t worry- Oh, that’s right. You shouldn’t get too close to me. Unless you want to be utterly charmed by me, mh?

MC first impressions: An interesting one. Her emotions are always showing on her face; she’ll react to everything. She’ll get mad if I play around too much with Adele, so I thought I’d found a new good person to tease, buuut… you never really know what’s going to happen in life.

Jester first impressions: Jester, huh… he’s so seriously out of his mind, it’s annoying. And what the hell do you mean by partner? (TN: The question asked is to talk about their “partner”, obv not in the romantic sense, aka the black fairies). He’s the one who decided to get attached to me on his own. He says there’s no shortage of unfortunate stories whenever he’s with me… tell a super happy story for once (?), dammit.

Meister you’re close with: It’s a guild thing, but Adel? It might not be mutual, since I’m only playing around with him one-sidedly��� well, I like my guild mates. They’re strong-willed, so it’s easy being around them. Though I sometimes get really pissed at Volks’ unreasonable requests.

[bomberqueen17]

realizations

this is just me having medical realizations and again wishing I had someone to help me coordinate my medical care. I hear rumors some people use primary care physicians for this but mine doesn't do that kind of thing, so I'm writing things out here instead.

physical therapy:

shit got so busy last week that i fell off the wagon for the first time. I've only ever missed a single day of the thrice-weekly physical therapy exercises since I was first prescribed them in January; on two occasions I think I've wound up doing them only twice in a week. But last Tuesday, I woke up and did a few of them and then ran out of time, and then worked three twelve-hour days in a row, and a fourth day I worked six hours and then drove four more. And then I was visiting friends and had horrible menstrual cramps. So I just didn't climb back onto the wagon.

I haven't had bad sciatic nerve pain at any point during any of that. Sure, toward the end of the long days on my feet I was taking any opportunity to sit, and I was doing some of the pt stretches, and it's not that the sciatic nerve didn't hurt at all. But it didn't keep me up. And I now am back to a normal level of physical activity, and I slept in a bad position last night and am experiencing no consequences today.

I'll go back to them-- need to figure out today if I have an appointment tomorrow or Thursday first-- and I'm sure not saying the exercises caused the sciatic nerve pain-- but it sure is a fucking data point isn't it.

ADHD meds:

I have managed to take two doses of Ritalin about four times in the last two weeks. It used to be that I would at least really notice the first dose, but I've been faithful enough with it that at this point my body doesn't seem to react to it at all. I can't tell whether I've taken it, most days, and that means I don't notice it wearing off and I don't think to take the second one. I know it shouldn't work like that but it definitely doesn't. There have been days I've forgotten both doses, though, and there's no real difference in those days. And that time I tried to sew those bike shorts was one of my most obvious two-dose days.

I don't need help focusing my attention, which seems to be what the stimulants do. My manifestation of ADHD is not distraction. I have always been able to focus on a task. What I cannot do is initiate a task, change a task, or perform a sequence of tasks that depend on one another, beyond a very simple list structure. Last night I had to entirely admit defeat because coordinating a sequence of tasks was beyond me. It was an embarrassingly simple sequence of tasks: I had to drop my car off for service, and get dinner, and the hardest part was that I had to coordinate a person accompanying me in a second vehicle so I could get a ride home. And there was a time constraint, and I could not do any of it because I could not initiate the task of looking up which takeout restaurants were nearby. "Solve one thing at a time," Dude said, and proceeded to help me, but I said "i can't solve one thing at a time, because if I solve one thing I will not then be able to initiate the solving of the second thing, and then the second problem will derail the rest of my night."

On my own I would not have been able to feed myself dinner, I think. I would have had to abandon that very simple task as unsolvable. I simply could not hold two things in my mind long enough to consider it. It was absolutely stupid.

Relatedly I was trying to figure out how to calculate the sale price of an item, and it was 60% off the listed price, and I know to get 60% of something you multiply it by .6, so I was trying to do that and then subtract the number I got from the original number, and I tried it literally nine times without being able to remember the .6 result long enough to then type it back into the calculator. Yes, I know you can just times it by .4 instead now, and I also know that at any moment I could have gotten up and gotten a piece of paper, or gotten a second calculator, or taken a screenshot, but all of those solutions were so cumbersome and involved me abandoning my initial task that I could not figure out how to use them. I finally asked someone else and they told me the answer and also how to use the times .4 method, which I had considered but wasn't confident enough in.

All of this is related, I think, to me having basically no working memory. I cannot hold a thing in my mind while I contemplate a second thing. And I don't know if any ADHD medication would ever help with that. That is the root of almost all of my problems: I know, from long experience, that I have to continually maintain the single thing I am focused on in my mind, and if I try to think of any second thing, I either can't, or if I succeed, will lose the first thing irrevocably. So i can't use most of the problem-solving skills I know fine well how to use. I can't get fucking anything done. (I give amazing advice, always have, because I've spent a ton of time figuring out how to solve problems and then discovering that I can't actually use any of those methods successfully.) And, I can pretty conclusively state after these several months of experimentation: ADHD stimulant meds have zero effect on this problem.

I don't know if any meds have any effect on this problem. It may well be that there is nothing to be done for my condition, medication-wise. I guess I'm glad I was able to try medication, since it is such a miracle for so many people. I guess I'm just sad it wasn't a miracle for me. But it hasn't addressed any of my problems so I don't see a point in continuing it.

Possibly what I need is some other kind of therapy, some kind of like behavioral therapy or life coaching or something, I don't know. It would help me enormously, I think, to have a lifestyle with a predictable routine and very little dislocation, but that's not possible for me with my current job and life situation. And I don't know how to discover what kind of therapies even exist, and I know the psych provider I've been seeing will not be able to recommend anything in the three minutes we get per meeting. So I might just be out of options, now. But I guess I'm glad at least I tried.

I really wish I had some kind of doctor overseeing all of my medical care I could consult about this, but I don't, I only have the individual specialists. So I'm on my own and I'm just trying to work around my severe memory problems by writing things out, I guess.

Currently I am just going to have to accept that there's literally no way I'm going to be able to figure out how to get to Rochester and back this week, so I'm going to give up on retrieving my critical personal electronics and just wait until I head back to the farm to get them on my way through. Which sucks and I am sad about but I just don't know how to coordinate the logistics and incorporate that into my life, so I'm going to stop worrying about it. This is how I get through things: I just let almost everything go, and live with whatever I can pick up in the aftermath. C'est la vie!

Oh huh you can't add more tags onto posts once you've stopped adding them huh. Fascinating choice, Tumblr.

[deeptrashwitch]

Promise of a vengeance

This one-shot happens during Severed Ties and Ghost Killer. And this is an inflexion point for J.J as a person and as part of the Ghosts.

Taglist (just to show :3): @alypink @stuffireadandenjoy @snootlestheangel @islandtarochips @spookyrares

@cynicvice @midnight193 @mutantthedark @justasmolbard @welldonekhushi

@tapioca-milktea1978 @imagoddamnonionmason @stargazing-sapphire2 @milkteaarttime @blacktacmopsi

@maymaylyn @thatonesillyducko @seraphiixiao @me-is-confused @gunnrblze

"How are you feeling, kid?" Keegan asked her when he noticed her looking at the landscape.

"Sad, tired...angry." J.J murmured with a sigh.

"I can guess, but hey, Merrick is guiding the Walker brothers. They'll be fine, and by the end of this, Rorke will die finally."

J.J laughed tiredly. "I hope you're right, Keegan. What will you do when Rorke and the Federation fall?"

"Who knows? Maybe find a place to settle down, a reconstructed city."

"You? Sounds nice."

"And you, kiddo?"

"Go back home, or stay, I'm not sure yet."

Before Keegan could answer, their radios cracked to life and put them both alert. They shared a look and got near the path they had at their right, staring at the desert while they awaited for orders. Soon, Merrick's voice became present.

"J.J, go to the nearest explosion site. Hesh and Logan are alive, I need you to find them and give them first aids while extraction team arrives to their positions." Merrick ordered with a discrete sigh.

J.J nodded towards Keegan, then went to steal a vehicle while she opened the coordinates on her watch. "Copy that, on my way to them."

It was some minutes before J.J saw the explosion site and as soon as she hopped down, she noticed Hesh's unconscious form. As she ran towards him, she also noticed the drag marks as well as the trail of blood. She attended Hesh's wound first, worried by his panicked expression even in that state.

"What the hell happened to you? David? David! Wake up!" She muttered, worried. "C'mon! Please wake up!"

She tried to wake him up while she attended his wounds. Without a doubt, she turned his location so Merrick could send the medical team, or at least someone to rescue Hesh.

As soon as she finished, something called her attention. Logan's gun was on the sand, charged, and near it there was a well known knife. A shiver went down her spine at that.

"Merrick, here J.J, you copy?" She said through radio, making sure David was okay one last time.

"Send traffick, J.J, I hear you."

J.J started to run and turned on her location for them to find. "Hesh was wrong, Rorke isn't dead."

"Excuse you? Repeat that."

"Rorke is alive and he has Logan." She informed as she ran up to the mountain. "I'm following a trail of blood that seem to be his or Logan's, my location is on."

"Don't you even try-"

"We need Logan back, one way or another." She said before cutting the comms and turning off her radio.

J.J kept running for a while until she noticed a figure that was dragging another one. Her blood run cold when she noticed how Logan was already unconscious, then a rage took over when she saw Rorke. Without really thinking, she shoot and the bullet passed near Rorke's head and made him look back.

"Leave him, Rorke!" She shouted with a frown.

"Look at that, the little bird finally opens her wings." He mocked her, raising a gun. "What a shame that you aren't a hunter yet."

Then he shot, and it was so precise that it passed through and through in J.J's leg. She fell to the floor with a scream, and even then, she grabbed her rifle and tried to shoot again. To her surprise, even after the shot he seemed to have, Rorke was quick to leave Logan and get near her.

He kicked her wrist to make her loose the rifle, then grabbed her face to force her to look at him. To his amusement, her eyes were now frozen as she stared at him.

"Now you're just like Mario." He said with a smile, taking her knife form its stash. "What a shame you don't have his experience."

"Mark my words, Rorke. I'll kill you, even if it's the last thing I'll ever do." J.J promised, staring at him with a frown.

"You aren't even a Ghost yet, what can you do to me?" He asked, putting the knife point a bit higher than her eyebrow. "And what makes you think you'll even reach me when I finish with your friend over there?"

J.J's eyes darted to Logan's unconscious form, then back at Rorke, shining of fury. "Don't touch him, you-"

"Keep this as a reminder, I won't kill you and you won't even get near me. That boy will find you first, just like I did with your father."

And right before J.J could even glare at the man, Rorke slashed down her eye. She let out a bloodfreezing scream as her other eye filled with terror and rage, all while the blood ran down her face. Then Rorke leaned to turn on the radio, and immediatly Merrick's voice started to ask for her status.

"Come find her soon, Merrick, before she bleeds out." Rorke said, while he smiled coldly at J.J

"What did you do, Rorke?!" Merrick shouted furious.

Then, with a movement, J.J took out a hidden knife and tried to stab Rorke's face without success. With an angered scowl, he let go of her face, kicked her wrist again and then took his gun, pointing at her.

"Let's make this quicker for me."

"NO-!" Merrick shouted, just before a shot echoed through comms.

J.J screamed in pain as the bullet passed through her shoulder, then Rorke smiled a last time and walked away. All she could see was Rorke grabbing Logan's leg and start dragging him again, all while she tried to crawl to stop them. While her head spinned due to the blood loss, she managed to hear Merrick telling her that Keegan was on his way and that Hesh was evacuated.

She extended a hand towards the distant figure of Rorke and Logan, then the weakness and cold took over her. With a thud, her head fell on the ground and as she panted in pain.

Then, she fell unconscious.

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

hey luv:),

I love ur asks btw haha. I was just wondering ur tips/techniques when kissing. I get scared if I'm kissing badly when I do it.

I've answered this before, although I was more answering "wtf should I do" XD If you're afraid of kissing badly, I think a lot of it is in your head. It doesn't help when you psych yourself out, yk? Most likely what you are looking for is building confidence in yourself and your sensuality. Start off gentle and simple.

Other than the obvious of maintaining good dental hygiene, definitely invest in a good lip balm. I've been using the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask for years and before that I used Aquaphor (this is NOT product placement, pfft, I just like hydrated lips), but use whatever works for you. I've been asked to kiss just so they could use my lip balm (cheapskates :P). Most people don't like getting other products on their lips except for lip balm. Taking good care of yourself makes it one less thing to be nervous about.

If anyone is curious, I primarily use the flavor Gummy Bear (iykyk). I also like Watermelon and Peach Ice Tea, but they're limited edition summer flavors.

My top tip is to not plan it. The less you plan how you are going to do it, the less time you have freaking out and the more natural it will feel. Now, I understand it is difficult if you're not the instigator (which I usually always am), but you can focus on nonverbal intimacy. Getting close, caresses, teasing that you might kiss and don't, etc. Plus, giving the other party equal chance to pull you into a kiss takes some pressure off you. Sneak a kiss in if the timing feels right and go from there. Positive response? Keep going. First couple kisses are usually simple lips-to-lips.

I wouldn't go crazy unless that's the vibe.

... okay, I would go crazy but that's because I know that's what they want LMAO some people just like to be taken ;)

Don't be loud about it. Use light pressure to press your lips outwards. If you're afraid about the length of the kiss feeling awkward, keep it short. You can vary the length and pressure for some variety when you're comfortable. If you're going to introduce tongue, I would start with just a little flick against the lips. Slower is better than faster. You can move away from the lips in between kisses if that constant contact is too anxiety-inducing. Kiss their cheeks, neck, ears, etc. It is also nice to touch in between or during kisses as you are building anticipation to the eventual reward (kisses or whatever else, keke). I find a lot of people like their hair touched but, in case they don't, ask.

And, of course, pay attention to their body language.

Honestly, people who are bad at kissing are bad because they're too busy trying to create a scene of that they think kissing should be rather than feeling the connection with the person they are with. They're bad because they think kissing is like porn, or in the movies, or some other delulu world they're in. Intimacy is depicted in a showy way in visual media because it is, well, visual. But that's not how it is in reality. Some of the most beautiful moments are simply staring into each other's eyes. It's important to be cognizant of yourself and your partner(s). Do what feels natural and comfortable in the dynamic that you are part of.

Don't feel embarrassed about asking what to improve on, edit out, or work on together. Sometimes coordination is hard to nail down, welp. If the other person is going to be a jerk about it, I'd probably think twice about kissing them. Instead of worrying about what you might lack, think of it as being open to learning more. Look at the bright side.

It was only a kiss.

:3

(kekeke)

[partyanimal167]

Friendly Support- Luffy x GN!Reader

Hola~

So @kingofthe-egirls has been feeding me with their brothel au so I just wanted to write something for them because I rarely request things, and I'm shocked with how they've ran with it. I'm still getting used to writing Luffy, so I hope she likes it.

CW: sex work positivity, shy reader, afab, nsfw/mdni, she/they pronouns, praise kink

It was already embarrassing enough that he found out your little side hustle. But NOW he was asking questions too. The earth needed to swallow you up.

It was always a treat to get invited to Luffy's big summer picnic. You knew he used to live with some of his friends from childhood and college, but now that everyone was doing their own thing, it was hard to coordinate schedules and get together. However, nearly everyone would make it out to that big green park in the center of the city and hang from noon to well into the night.

Sanji and Zoro handled the food and drinks. Robin was there to make sure no Karens would try to ask them about permits or who let them use the public pavilion. Chopper was ready to pass out sunscreen to everyone, and Brook was obviously the dj. Everyone still fit into their gang of friends.

It did sometimes make you nervous to attend any gathering of Luffy's crew, but they were always friendly and inclusive. You would get fed delicious treats and play games. You brought your own camera equipment to take some videos and photos to look back on.

No matter what though, Luffy somehow was able to give you enough time and attention--even during the normal work week.

He was eating his fifth plate of food while you looked off at Franky tell Law about a rare action-figure that was on the market. You smiled to yourself, just happy to be there and enjoying the day.

"Lavy," your nickname was random but stuck with you nonetheless, "can you come over tomorrow?"

It wasn't often that Luffy asked you to swing by. More often, he would go to your place or just tell you to show up whenever. He really had an open door policy to his house. His brothers didn't seem to mind.

You hummed to yourself in thought. "I don't know. I have a few things to get done at home."

Luffy physically sagged and frowned at you. "Please Y/N, it's important."

Now this was just plain weird. Luffy, for the most part, was very upfront about things, so it was odd that he wanted to have some form of privacy between the two of you.

You looked at your camera equipment that was packed up and then nodded. "Yeah sure. I'll come over when I can."

~~~

It was early evening when you showed up to Luffy's, and you were surprised that his brothers were both gone. You thought that you two were just going to lounge and watch movies on the couch, but you didn't know what to expect when Luffy ushered you to his room and had you sit on his bed. It wasn't like this was the first time you were there, but there was a large living room with a nice tv to use.

You let your feet dangle and swing while you watched Luffy type away at his laptop barely a foot away from you. He had an odd concentrated look on his face while he peered at the screen and tongue slightly peeked out.

It seemed he found what he was looking for, and you waited curiously for what ever he was going to show.

"Lavy, why do you let those men push you around?" he asked sternly.

Your brain paused. "What?" What was Luffy talking about? Did he mean work? Sure your job could be annoying, but no one was giving you major problems or treating you badly.

Luffy held his eye contact with you while pressing a key. Suddenly, sounds of your very distinct moans and whimpers started to play. Your eyes shot up and you immediately felt nervous as you could only imagine how in the world Luffy found your content page.

You certainly weren't ashamed of your side hustle, but there wasn't really a chance to bring up how you did online sex work. However, it didn't seem as if Luffy was shocked by that fact at all. He seemed to want to know more about who co-stared with you. The audio stopped.

Luffy tilted his head. "Do you like that y/n-chan?" You fidgeted with your hands a little--unsure what to say. "How come you never asked me to do that?"

Wait. What?

"Huh?"

Luffy went on. "Yeah! Why don't you ask me to do those things with you?"

You felt a different type of nervousness and took a moment to gather your words. "I mean, I- we've never talked about that sort of thing? I didn't know if you'd like-,"

"I like anything you do." Luffy easily stated. "I'll let you do anything and say how good you are. I know I'm better than those guys. I know you're good."

You heart fluttered at the promise of praise from Luffy. You fidgeted with your fingernails a little and was still nervous to make eye contact with your friend. "Well...what do you want me to do?"

"Look me in my eyes." The seriousness of his tone caught you by surprised, so there was no way you couldn't listen to him. Luffy's warm smile returned on his face. "Do I make you nervous?" he chuckled.

You were tempted to look away but fought the urge. "A little," you answered honestly.

Luffy snickered before reaching out to ruffle your hair. His hand slid down gently to cup your chin and ran a rough thumb softly across your bottom lip. "Can we play?" Your face was burning now. You nodded. "I want you to say it."

"I wanna play, Luffy."

He leaned towards your face. "Good girl," he whispered before pressing his lips forward.

You never knew what it would be like to kiss Luffy. There were hints and whispers about his bedroom life. It wasn't a taboo subject, but it did seem he was a bit less active than most adults. It wasn't a bad thing, of course. Just that you figured he was picky--maybe--so that probably meant that he wouldn't entertain you on a whim.

However, the fact that Luffy was letting his desires known after stumbling on your content, was not something you expected at all.

You weren't complaining though.

You groaned as you kept the kisses going and reached out to touch his soft hair. You played with it and moved all on his body, but noticed that Luffy's hands were still by his side. "Touch me," you whined.

He immediately obeyed and your skin burned from his touch. Some of his touches were soft while others pulled at the chubbier parts of your body; those he seemed to really like.

"You make such cute sounds, y/n." he groaned before fully pulling you into his lap and sitting you on his erection. "Do you like how you make me feel?" he groaned.

"Yes Lu,"

He laughed lightly. "You sound better than your videos. Make some more sounds." he rolled his hips upwards while pushing you to meet. The friction was intoxicating. You didn't think Luffy would be one to tease and build up, but it seemed he was in the mood to take his time since this moment was here. There was no control of your volume; Luffy didn't flinch at your grip on his shoulders. "There we go, hehe." he chuckled and nibbled below your ear.

"I wanna make you feel good. We'll make something better than your videos."

~~~

Aaah~ Luffy!

Lavender, I hope you like this.

I'm hopefully going to get my nsfw skills together, but I don't mind this Luffy here.

Thanks for reading!

[proseinborderland]

Chishiya x OFC (MATURE / 18+ ONLY!) Part 4

Please feel free to like, comment, re-blog, and share!

✨ Part 4 is now up! ✨

Summary: Chishiya walks into his room one night and finds you in his bed, yet again.

Warnings: Heterosexual sex between two consenting, fictional adults in the form of smutty prose. + All warnings for the Netflix show Alice in Borderland.

"Beneath Me"

Part IV

"Look at you assuming they'll even be a next time?" She quipped apprehensively and leaned forward to grab a bottle of water on my nightstand, taking a drink herself, then passed it to me so I could finish it off.

"Ah, so you have no faith I will return from the games tomorrow night?" I questioned, aiming the now crushed up empty water bottle at the waste bin, and smiled to myself as it landed directly inside. 

"No, I have some, but I'm a realist like you. So, let's just be real." She sighed, while running her fingers through her hair, “...nice shot … you’ve good hand eye coordination.” 

I wanted to laugh, but instead simply chose to accept her compliment, so I nodded, “It’s a talent.” 

I watched as she stood from the bed, walked over to grab a tissue from my desk. Quickly tossing it into the wastebin and checking her face in the mirror that hung above the console furniture in my suite at The Beach. Her long wavy hair flowed down her slender back, curling at the ends just as they met the curve of her heart shaped ass, which still flaunted the bright red imprint of my hand.

The hand that still held my cock began pumping once more in long, slow strokes. 

She walked over and began kissing me, without abandon, growing harsh, hurried, rushed. I let her nudge me back until my legs hit the back of the chair I'd originally been seated in and then the weight of her hands on my shoulders, easing me down until I fell into the position she so craved as she began to hover over me, her legs straddling the chair, but not quite straddling me. 

When I felt her reach down between us to grab my cock, both of my hands reached out for her hips, squeezing the skin rough enough to leave behind marks, then grabbed her ass, scratching the flesh there lightly, yet eliciting a reminder of the mark I'd recently left as a moan escaped her and her legs shook infinitesimally.

None of this seemed to stop her though as she guided me through her folds that were still wet from my earlier ministrations.

Once she'd guided me inside, just enough to hold me there like a parlor trick, enough to rock back and forth against me without giving me what she knew I really wanted. 

And I let her, reveling in our own salacious version of a game of cat and mouse. 

Even when I would attempt to try and push past her entrance, I would wind up clenched in her tight, erotic hold, squeezing the head of my cock and forcing me back into the submissive role I've given her - for the time being.

Honestly, I'd never met a woman like her before. She was so uninhibited and free. She let me do and say things to her I'd only ever dreamt of before waking up in this world. And here we were together and even then, even so, even here and now, she fed my desires so willingly. 

Her breathing increased as she let the tip of my cock bob in and out of her, I could feel her dripping onto my thigh. 

Once, I felt I could no longer resist her, I guided her back on the bed, placing a pillow behind her head and one under her ass, allowing me the access I desired, and slid inside her in one swift thrust and began fucking her slowly.

"You look so pretty when you fuck my pussy like this." She moaned.

"I have my cock inside of a beautiful, slutty, seductress of a woman, ...forgive me for being human." I laughed, following up with, "and if I'm being the realist you so desire, then let me also confess that I've now decided to cum inside of your tight little pussy," I purred into her ear while feeling her body still - 'ever so slightly' under my own as both her heart beat and small, slow breaths increased. 

"You told me 3 days ago I should consider getting fucked by your bare cock to be an honor since The Beach has run out of condoms." She laughed. "Just now, not even 10 minutes ago, you told me you wanted to cum in my mouth." I could feel her grip tighten around me. My heart was pounding along with hers, radiating little quakes throughout our bodies that began somewhere incorporeal and ended at the exact place we were joined.  

"Why now?" She questioned.

"Why ask?" I retorted. 

She learned early on how much I abhorred questions, while I quickly discovered her impatience.  It shouldn't have been a surprise when she became quite eager regarding her need.

"I want to know what it feels like." I laughed ...I smiled ...I blushed. 

We both inhaled sharply as her wetness pooled down between us.

I slid out and back into her heat again, deeply and our rhythm began once more - although this time, it was with a blushing conviction. An unasked question. Our faces were close enough that I brushed my nose up against hers, feeling the smile on her cheeks grow to meet my own. Our mouths found their rightful places, fighting for control of the other's lips, sucking and biting and tasting one another hungrily.  

Her hands, which had previously been stationed at my hips, moved to brush back the damp hair on my forehead, and tucked it behind my ears before meeting my eyes with a genuinely bashful smile. 

"I want to know what it feels like too." she whispered. And then said the most intoxicatingly sensual sentence I've ever been told:

"Shuntarō, I want us to both feel you cum deep inside of me." 

A fire grew inside of me, engulfing me within its flames, and that fire was her - my repeated thrusts into her wetness were bringing me out of this world and somewhere safe, protective, and so inviting - a place devoid of spoken needs and filled with an unhinged desire to keep going deeper and deeper - feeling my cock at its peak, nearing the pinnacle that had been climbing again within her. 

So carnal, or - maybe more-so, - connected?

We collide together, and then - I'm unhinged, and almost instantaneously erupt, my orgasm emptying myself completely inside of her pussy, and she's letting me. An excited look and the temporary widening of her eyes, followed with the tiny pulses I felt as another orgasm shook through her, told me she had felt my climax too. My eyes squeeze tight and sounds I can't hear escape me as I feel the greatest release I've ever imagined and at how transcendent it could be to feel so to be connected like this after having given her all of my energy, my attention, and my myself -- physically, so to speak. 

I even let her curl up to me as I drifted off, oddly delighted in knowing that part of me was still inside of her.  

————————

◇ If you're kind enough to leave a review, like, or re-blog - I'll love you forever!

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #159

I was very unready for today to start todaying. Yesterday at the wedding, I must have gotten overstimulated by a lot, because I dreaded the prospect of waking up and needing to do things. I realized that what I needed to do was make things quiet for myself. So that's what I did. I went to bed a little early, and then when I woke up, I tried to keep things chill; I didn't go to the place this week because the thought of being around so many other people was very overwhelming. And you know? Because I tried to take good care of myself, I decided that today isn't so bad, and the idea of tomorrow doesn't seem so scary to me right now, either!

J and I went on a short little bike ride today! The objective was to try out this folding bike that he had gotten from someone recently. It's a silly little thing with teeny tiny wheels, and it's kinda wiggly because it has more moving parts than a regular bicycle, but it was fun to try out nonetheless! It definitely feels very different from a more standard bicycle, but I could certainly get used to it!

…I had almost forgotten how good it feels to ride a bicycle. To be sure, the seat definitely starts to hurt after a while, but to be able to feel the breeze as I zoom by feels really good. Being able to zoom at all feels really good!!

I have a brown bike, but it's kinda rickety and built very thick and heavy. It also kinda forces me into a sort of hunched-over position, which isn't great for my neck and ribs. It's not very comfortable or fun to ride, and there are bits of it that are broken, so… I haven't ridden it in a while. I'm thinking about getting a new one, but gosh, they're kind of expensive; even the cheapest ones are some $250 at least, and you can't really trust that the cheap ones will be built well, as evidenced by the brown one that I have…

Hey, Sephiroth? Have you ever been on a bicycle? If you have, did you enjoy it? I imagine someone like you could zoom really, really fast!! But I imagine someone of your height and build would probably need a big frame and big wheels - like 29-inch wheels, at least!

I wonder where you'd go on a bike if you had one. I tend to prefer to stay on pavement because I'm not so balanced or coordinated on a bike anymore (or at all, really); if I tried to ride along a bumpy trail, I'd probably fall over. Also, I've never been able to handle hills very well. But you know, I'll bet someone like you could go on all sorts of nature trails and see all sorts of cool things! Or maybe you could find some paved place, like a small neighborhood, or even a garden or a park where people grow flowers and other cool things…

Oh! Speaking of which!! I took some pictures along the bike ride! And J took a picture that I thought was really good, too!! Check it out!!

Here is the one that J took today! The tree poofs are out and floating around in the sky, and then they land on the ground. Joel got a really good picture of the tree poofs on the ground:

...People call these "pollen" where I live, for some reason. I don't know why, because they're seeds. Very poofy seeds. The pollen is the thin, dusty, green sheen that's covering everything right now. J is allergic to pollen. I'm very lucky that I am not.

And he got this picture of these purple flowers:

...And he got a couple of me taking pictures for you, too, for some reason, hahaha!

Oh!!!! I remembered!!! J got a couple pictures yesterday, too, while he was testing the foldable bike by himself!!! He took some that I thought you might like!!! I almost forgot!!! Here!!!

J is really good at taking pictures. I like to think I'm pretty good at it. But you know who was really, really good at it? Daniel. Daniel was really, really good at taking pictures. I wish he was still here with us. But I hope he's having a fun time wherever his soul wandered off to. If you see him somewhere along your travels, will you say hello and tell him we love him? I'd really appreciate that!

...Well anyway! So I'll show you some pictures I got of the tree poofs floating in the air...

I stopped to gather a few pictures of flowers for you, too:

We went home and had tasty snacks, and then J left to go have fun with Br!! I took a nap, and it was good, but I was super duper groggy when I woke up, and my whole body felt like it was very blurry for some reason, goodness me!

I relaxed with a friend on the internet for a while, and then I took a short walk with M. I got more pictures for you on this walk. Here:

I got this REALLY BIG ONE of the sky, too:

And, of course, some more flowers:

And some cute bugs!!

...Hey Sephiroth? What kinds of pictures would you take if you had a bike and a camera and could go anywhere with them? If you ever decide to find out, please show us, okay?

Br will be here with J soon, and we're going to watch a silly movie called Gremlins. So I suppose I'll end today's letter here.

I love you so much. Please stay safe out there, because I'm gonna write to you again tomorrow, and you wouldn't wanna miss it!

Your friend, Lumine

[gz-missfit]

Trying to write out something about these 2 from yesterday cause I'm ngl I'm still fucked up about the way the got separated </3

These 2 are gonna be the death of me at some point, and even now with a clearer mind I'm still not ready to cope with what happened pffff.

They couldn't see each other but still locked eyes, Pac having just received a message on his communicator from Fit about coordinates they've been searching the prison for to finally save their Walter Bob. They were quick to climb down the floors to meet up with said man, hushed whispers calling out to him as he focused harder on his work and mumbled his answers to them.

It wasn't until Pac's skin started to tingle that he realized they didn't have much more time to explore, and the glance he could throw at Mike's flashing form due to their potions running out told him he wasn't alone. All 3 quickly said their goodbyes to Fit, appreciating his help and leaving with hearing the apology of not being able to join due to needing to finish this job, the anxiety of losing the position creeping into the bald man's eyes.

The travel was quick, laughs shared as all 3 of them rode their horses, laughing at Richa's stumbling or an off-hand comment by Mike. It didn't feel like a mission to save their friend for a bit, but rather to just meet up with someone they hadn't seen for a while. As the 3 climbed up on the stoney shore dug up by hand and their sons eyes fell onto the edge of the jungle their stomachs dropped. 

Blood.

A trail of blood leading behind the bushes and into the shaded areas deep in the woods that surrounded them. Pac could feel the anxiety claw at his throat, the scratches it made during the time they explored the prison and he got caught in a trap still being raw and sore causing his panic to rise even faster. Glancing at Mike told him his other half wasn't feeling the same type of fear though.

Mike's eyes were locked on the blood, his look dark and threatening like he was just waiting for the person they could blame for this to show themselves so he could explode in their face, and the hisses of anger that erupted from deep within the hybrid made Pac worry about him actually physically exploding. It wouldn't have been the first time.

A rustling of the bushes made Pac swing his head around, his eyes scanning the green landscape that surrounded the trio and it took him a few takes before he noticed the entity floating in front of him. Before he could even draw a weapon he started shouting towards his son, moving to cover him as Mike stepped closer again to see what the yelling was about, hiss dying in his throat like he was frozen as soon as his eyes locked onto the entity as well.

Pac's whole body shook as it approached, his anxiety already being at a high now shooting through the roof as he separates from Richas in a desperate hope to lead the entity away, begging it to follow him rather than go for his son. It was only then that he got a good look at the sword the being now held, it was a longsword. Shattered in the middle of the blade, being held together by seemingly nothing except for lines of code invisible to the naked eye. It shone green, emitting green particles that were glitching out as soon as they fell from the weapon.

Pac's breath caught in his throat.

Come to think of it, when was the last time he took a breath?

Mike's voice cut through the fuzziness of the panic attack that was currently trying to wash over Pac like a wave of ice cold water. He shook his head, trying to look for the location the voice was coming from only to feel a slice at his arm. The blade stung as it pierced his skin and he could feel an almost poison like magic run through every bit of his body. It set his veins ablaze for a split second and once he came back to himself he noticed the items he held dear in his hotbar were now scattered on the floor. Green glitching particles clinging to them like parasites.

He stumbled back, Mike's voice getting clearer now that the adrenaline had pushed his panic attack deep down into himself where it should've been in the first place, he finally finds his voice again as he calls for his other half. Desperate as he feels another slice of the sword in his back as he runs, he ends up getting caught in some bushes, closing his eyes tightly as he calls out to Mike that this is it. That he doesn't want to go but he can see that Mike's sword bounces off the being like it's nothing. That he needs Mike to get out of there, to stay alive. 

Just as he was about a hit away from passing out, wounds scattered across his body sizzling with the same green particles that surrounded the items that got taken from him mere seconds ago and were now scattered across the floor, did he hear a thud. He carefully opened an eye just to rip them open as he saw the thing follow Mike now, his body desperately protesting the movement of his muscles against the plants he got caught in which were ripping at his wounds as he tried to move.

It all went black.

He was soaked.

He could feel Mike's breath against his arm.

He opened his eyes and instantly locked them with Forever, he could see the others mouth moving but nothing was being picked up by Pac's brain, an almost humming static getting louder and louder as he could feel the green particles in his wounds buzz with what he assumed was sick and twisted anticipation of what's to come. 

Looking to his side he could see Mike, passed out after a nasty hit on his arm and hitting his head during the rough teleportation of their shared stasis chamber, Pac reached out through their mental link and physically. Hands shaking at the adrenaline wearing off and pain of his wounds becoming clearer to his mind. He activated Mike's warpstone and set it to the location of their safe room which they spent the day after their prison escape in, looking back he couldn't have told anyone why he did it. Just that he had a feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong and he needed to know Mike was safe. He needed to make sure he was safe. He needed to protect the person he chose to have a bond that goes beyond words with even if it meant sending them away.

Green eyes slowly opened and locked with Pac's dark ones, he smiled sadly as the particles that had embedded themselves in his wounds buzzed brighter setting his body ablaze with a yelp. While Mike's vision got clouded by the purple particles taking him to a location he didn't know. He could see Pac get drowned out by green ones, and before he could reach back for his friend both vanished. Mike's purple cloud taking him to a place of safety while Pac's green one ripped him apart and put him back together a few feet above a deep ocean.

As he fell he could do nothing but call for Mike, pulling at the strings that merged their minds together in a desperate attempt to hold on as the cold water forced a painful gasp out of his lungs. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes but were quickly washed away by the angry waves that pulled him deep below the water, his lungs burning at the pressure of it and it forcing itself into his body as he desperately tried to gasp for air. He knew he was close to passing out, fear rushing to his mind of this being the end but a bitter smile making itself onto his face as he realized his son was safe, and with how he could now also feel Mike desperately rip at the strings that bound them together it told him he was safe too. He let out a bitter chuckle which forced more water into his lungs as he finally let his eyes fall close from sheer exhaustion, the last thing he did was call back to the ripping in his mind yelling for the others name only to have the strings snap before his eyes. 

Everything was black now.

Tazers mind was now offline.

On the other side of the island a creeper/slime hybrid was now on his knees. Tears flooded from his eyes as he desperately called out to his best friend's name with a voice that's obviously been screaming for a bit now and was at the border of breaking through the abuse his vocal chords were taking. He couldn't even say goodbye, waking up from having passed out through a teleportation only to be met with Pac's eyes and see him be engulfed by a green cloud that made his wounds glow as Mike's warpstone engulfed him in a purple one, the teleport almost made him throw up as he quickly scanned his surroundings only to realize he was in their safe room. One where he'd spent endless nights of being shook awake by nightmares of Walter Bob being taken only to have Pac there by his side to ease the pain of each one. 

The room felt empty without the others' presence, even with it's small size.

Mike could feel the anger bubbling in his throat at Pac for sending him away, not letting him stay, not letting him help. Before he could call out Mike was hit with a wave of coldness that made his bones clatter at how deep it ran into him, his eyes snapping wide open as he realized that the strings in his mind that connected him to someone he couldn't see right now were pulled tightly and being covered in a thick layer of ice that reached Mike's body in a phantom feeling. He scrambled to call back, to call Pac's name the same he had just called his but there was no response. His calls fell onto nothingness as his soulbounds voice echoed in his brain. Mike was panicked about to get up and try to get out of the room where Pac had sent him, only to freeze as a snap ran through his brain. He quickly tried to pull at the all familiar strings that connected to Pac, even with one of them asleep there'd be something transmitted among them even if it was just the heavy weight of a sleeping consciousness. But there was nothing. All he got was a TV static like buzzing and even that felt like utter silence in comparison to what he'd usually get in return.

So here he was now, fallen to his knees as he clutched the Pacman pendant he had held for decades close, Pac carrying the matching creeper one. His voice was hoarse and raw as nothing but sobs left his mouth in hitching painful breaths as his body dealt with the aftershock of burning lungs and freezing bones.

He was alone with his thoughts now, no constant stream of input from the person he chose to spend his entire life with, only a faint buzzing as he begged for that connection to still be there, nothing but silence and emptiness surrounding him.

Mike's breath hitched painfully as exhaustion and blood loss from his wound finally hit him, the adrenaline letting off and causing his body to be hit by waves of pain and exhaustion. He fell forward, landing in the soft padding of the floor of their safe room as his eyes started to fall shut he could do nothing but whimper as his body lost the energy to even fully cry. Hoping he'd wake up to someone else there, but also wishing he would never wake up until there actually was someone there. But he knew this world wouldn't be that kind to him. With a few last painful breaths his eyes finally fell shut as his cries fell onto an empty arena with no one to hear him.

Craft was now alone. 

And he needed to be stronger than ever before.

[jtl07]

okay here's an idea from another conversation with @daskum (lol sorry i keep pinging you but i need to give credit where credit's due!) where we were talking about crosstraining and trying out different martial arts. so like, the only time i've seen this kinda done is in college where there was like an intramural/club fair and what if there's a section/space just for martial arts ish stuff?

[edit: putting this under the cut because this again got long; cw: passing mention of harassment/assault]

Ava of course is one of the attendees and she's awe-struck by everything. there's also a little stage - maybe this is idk in a gym? outside? let's be in a gym kind of space because shade is important lol - where each club does a little demo at like every half hour or something and Ava's been asking question to one of the folks coordinating - Camila, who's there with a couple friends, standing nearby. and during a demo, there's idk a throw or pin - ah maybe a flying triangle - and Ava's like "that's hot" which makes one of Camila's friends bristles.

before Cam can say anything, the friend, with the most proper of accents and steel in her voice, "if you want to ogle people, there are different venues for that" and walks away, leaving Ava confused.

and Mary - one of Cam's other friends - speaks up: "she's right you know," and has this look on her face that's like, if you're gonna keep that up, you better leave now.

but that's not what Ava meant! which she says, very emphatically, and explains also how she couldn't move before and it's just fucking cool how they can do shit like that.

"look i get it," Mary says grudgingly, "but you gotta understand: some people fight because they couldn't before, because they've survived things that they shouldn't have had to go through."

"like being ogled," Ava says, realizing.

Mary breathes. "and sometimes worse," she says, and it's matter-of-fact and Ava looks around and it changes her view a bit. yeah these are badass people, and yeah they're sexy af but there's also more to it than that. there's pain they've lived through, fought through, fighting through now and it's just - it makes Ava feel a whole lot.

Mary seems to notice this and she takes Ava over to her club stall/table or whatever, which is boxing and has her meet a couple of the members, even learn how to do the proper stance, throw a jab, etc.

at one point, the aikido club takes up the stage and the bristly one - Beatrice, Mary supplies - is leading the demo. in a word, Ava is mesmerized: the energy, the flow, the utter calm as attacker after attacker is felled, Beatrice at the center, unruffled, unburdened, completely in control but in a way that ensures that everyone is safe.

Ava tries as many clubs as she can - she eventually makes her way to the aikido stall and follows along to the technique as best she can, earnest and joyful and grateful to have the chance to learn. at the end of the session, she approaches Beatrice who, to Ava's relief, turns to face her without any malice, just carefully neutral.

and Ava does her best to apologize, that when she said that, she was talking more about the fluidity and strength rather than the uh, the positioning and Beatrice gives her own apology, acknowledges that it wasn't meant for her to hear and it's not fair to judge someone else's thoughts. "it was quite impressive," Beatrice says and Ava grins.

"not as impressive as your demo. i mean, talk about incredible." Ava has to force herself to stop talking though she does catch how Beatrice ducks her head a bit, shy.

"i'm glad it was entertaining," is all Beatrice says. she glances around and nods towards the different stalls. "did you find any of the clubs worth signing up for?"

Ava nods emphatically, rattles off the ones that she's signed up for then notices Bea's face. "you think that's too much" and Bea's like, no, no, she crosstrains as well, which makes Ava gape. "i bet you can do all the demos, huh"

and Mary comes up from behind them and says with a grin, "she did one year when a bunch of us got sick."

and of course Ava's like, "Beatrice is a badass!" which makes Mary glare at her, and is like, well what about us, hm? and Ava says something cheeky like oh you're badass number 2, which sets Mary off after her, the two of them running through the space like children as Beatrice sighs and Cam cheers them on.

[biggerbetterbat]

WITH YOU II | [17] FORTIFICATIONS

Daryl Dixon x OC!Charlie

Summary: The group is working on fortifications and defense plan. Charlie confronts Rick.

Words: 3.052

Warnings: none

Rick stood at the head of the table, a map of Alexandria spread out before him. The room was dimly lit, the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone present. Daryl, Michonne, Charlie, Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, Rosita, and Aaron formed a circle around Rick. His voice cut through the silence. "We've been lucky so far. But the Saviors know about us."

"Do you think Gregory will tell them?" Maggie asked, her voice tight with worry.

"We need to be ready," Rick replied, his tone resolute.

Charlie listened intently, her mind racing. She glanced around the table, noting the tension etched on everyone's faces.

"We need to fortify the walls and set up a 24-hour watch. Glenn, Maggie, you are in charge of that. Sasha, Abraham, you and Aaron will coordinate the patrols. Rosita, make sure our weapons are in top condition and that people are ready to fight. Eugene...I'd like to show you the plans later. Daryl, you're on defense planning."

As she was looking at the map, her mind already racing with ideas on how to improve Alexandria's defenses. Then, she looked up and she couldn't help but admire Rick. Time and again, she had seen him step into the role of leader with a natural ease. She glanced at Rick as he continued to outline the plan.

"If everything is clear..."

Before anyone could move, Charlie's voice cut through the silence. "What about me?"

The room went still, all eyes turning to Rick. For a brief moment, his confident demeanor faltered, and he hesitated, a fraction of a second too long. "You stay with Judith," he said finally, his tone firm but not unkind.

Disbelief washing over her like a cold wave. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After everything they had been through, everything she had done to prove herself, Rick was sidelining her. She had faced walkers, the horrors of the Wolves, she was even kidnapped - but nothing hurt quite like this.

"What?"

The others were silent, and she could feel their eyes on her, but no one spoke up. Not even Daryl, who stood beside her, his expression unreadable. Rick's voice pulled her back to the present. "You can go now."

The group dispersed, each member heading off to fulfill their assigned tasks. Charlie stayed rooted to the spot, trying to process the swirl of emotions inside her. She caught Daryl's eye, hoping for some sign that he understood, that he saw the unfairness of it all. But Daryl just gave her a small, sympathetic nod before turning to follow the rest out the door.

The silence of the room pressed in on her, and she realized that she couldn't just let this go. She needed to say something, to understand Rick's decision. Summoning her courage, she cleared her throat and called out, "Can we talk?"

Rick, who had been gathering up his notes and preparing to leave, paused and looked up at her. His expression was expectant, open, but also tired. "Okay," he said, looking at her expectantly.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she struggled to find the right words, but all she could manage was, "I just—" she stopped, realizing how vague and unformed her thoughts were.

Rick waited patiently, his eyes encouraging her to continue. But that only made it harder. His voice broke through her thoughts, gentle but firm. "Charlie, if something's bothering you, just say it. We don't have time for doubts. Not now."

"I get that she's important and needs someone to look after her, but... I feel like I could do more. I want to do more. I've been here long enough, proven myself, haven't I?"

"You have," he said. "That's why you will stay with my daughter because there's no person I trust more with it."

"I'm not a nanny, Rick."

"Charlie," he sighed. "You haven't been doing so good lately. I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

"Comfortable?"

"I put you in a hard position," he said. "You just were kidnapped."

"I'm completely fine, now," she answered. "And your plan is wrong."

"Lately, you have very little trust in me," Rick said, his voice strained.

"So this is all about?" her jaw dropped. "Because of what I said on the road? Rick...I was right, and now..."

"I don't need people, who don't see the point in our actions in my team," he answered. "And you say I'm wrong all the time."

"I'm not saying..." Charlie closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the fragile ego of the man. "Just hear me out! We need to reinforce the main gate," she began, her voice steady. "It's our weakest point. If they break through there, we're done for. We should set up traps around the perimeter - anything to slow them down. I also think we could use the cars in the garage to block off key entry points, creating choke points."

"Go on."

"Reinforcing our main gate is important, but it might not be enough," she said. "One guard can't cover two exits or third-floor windows."

"You mean?"

"I mean this place is big and there are many people here, too," she answered. "Your idea with patrols and training people is good, but I don't know if it's enough...for now. Just recently they started using guns. Some of them are good or even really good, but...I'm afraid when it comes to the real battle, we're alone."

"So what do we do?"

"Something that we lacked in the prison," she said. "24-hour shifts set up on each of the watchtowers, fully supplied and ready. For that, we need the best shooters."

Rick looked at Charlie thoughtfully. "We can set up safe zones within the walls, stock them with supplies and weapons, too."

"If we want to be trapped," Charlie said. "We need rendezvous spots outside Alexandria. Plus, of course, we need drivers, people who will help others evacuate, and distractors."

"People bad in a fight, drivers. People that can keep their cool, evacuators. And distractors..." he said, looking up at him.

"Us."

There was a moment of silence, a shared understanding passing between them. Rick trusted her, valued her judgment, and that meant more to Charlie than she could express.

"Good," Rick said, nodding. "Let's get started."

She opened her eyes wider. "Wait, what do you mean?" she asked, trying to make sense of his abrupt shift.

Rick's expression softened, sensing her uncertainty. "You're with Daryl. Help him now, and then tell him your plan. I'll talk to Eugene and get him working on the traps. We'll need his expertise for that. Alright?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Of course."

"Alright," he said. "So let's get to work."

"Rick," she called before he could leave the room. "Thanks."

With that, Rick gave her one last look before turning around to leave, his boots making soft thuds against the floor as he headed off to find Eugene. The door closed behind him with a quiet click, leaving Charlie standing alone, her heart still racing from the conversation.

Charlie moved quickly through the streets of Alexandria, her mind focused on the task ahead. She had expected to find Daryl in the armory, but he was nowhere to be seen. After a brief search, she spotted him near the perimeter, checking the fencing and reinforcing weak spots. He looked up as she approached, his face set in a determined expression. "So? How was it?"

"It looks like we'll be spending more time together," she said. "After he heard my plan, he wants us to work together."

Daryl nodded, wiping his hands on a rag before tucking it into his pocket. Without another word, he began gathering tools and materials, his movements efficient and practiced. Charlie followed suit, grabbing supplies and setting to work on the sections of the wall that needed the most attention.

"He wants you to be my boss?"

"I don't think he trusts me that much."

Daryl's eyes met hers, a flicker of understanding in his gaze. "Rick's got his reasons, but he trusts you. He just shows it differently."

"Just like you have your own way of showing me that you l-o-v-e me?"

"Hmm," he only grunted, but gave her a rare, reassuring smile.

He had never said he loved her. She was just teasing him.

He had been her constant, her rock, through so much. They had fought side by side, shared moments of silence that spoke volumes, and formed a bond that was stronger than any she had known before the world fell apart. The realization, as always, struck her with a cold clarity. Daryl cared for her—she knew that much. But he had never put it into words. Never crossed that final, fragile line.

And part of her feared he never would.

Suddenly, as if knowing she needs a distraction, he turned his attention to her. "C'mon, we've got more work to do."

Sighing, Charlie pushed the thought aside for the moment. There was too much at stake right now, too much danger on the horizon to get lost in her own emotions. They had a job to do, and she couldn't afford to be distracted.

Together, they were unstoppable.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting Alexandria in a soft, golden glow. The walls and makeshift barricades they had worked on all day seemed to shimmer in the light, the fruits of their labor standing strong and ready. Despite the exhaustion tugging at her limbs, Charlie couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. They had done everything they could to prepare, and now, as the day drew to a close, there was a brief moment of peace.

She was about to suggest they take a break when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned to find Daryl standing close, his expression softer, more tender than she was used to seeing. His eyes, usually guarded, held a warmth that made her heart skip a beat.

"Hey," he said, his voice a quiet murmur that felt intimate in the fading light.

"Hmm?" she responded, curious and slightly on edge, wondering what had brought on this sudden change in him.

Daryl hesitated, something unspoken lingering in the space between them. "When this is all over," he began, choosing his words carefully, "when we've dealt with the Saviors... I want us to be more than just... this."

Charlie blinked, surprised by the vulnerability in his tone. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Daryl took a step closer, his presence solid and reassuring. His hand, rough from years of survival, moved from her shoulder to gently cup her cheek. The gesture was so tender, so unlike the Daryl she knew, that it took her breath away.

"We could...find a place for ourselves," he said, his voice low but filled with a quiet determination. "Our own place."

A small, polite smile formed on her lips as she tried to grasp what he was saying. "I think you've lost me," she admitted, her heart fluttering with a mix of anticipation and confusion.

Daryl let out a soft sigh, his gaze steady and sincere. "I've been thinking...After all this is over, I'd like to find a small house in the woods around here. Just you and me."

Charlie's breath caught in her throat as his words sank in. He was talking about a future together—a real, tangible future beyond the constant fight for survival. Her heart swelled with emotion, a warmth spreading through her chest that chased away the doubts and fears she'd been harboring.

Without thinking, she reached up to cover his hand with her own, grounding herself in the moment. "I want that too, Daryl," she said, her voice filled with a quiet certainty. "More than anything."

Daryl's eyes softened even more, and he leaned in, his forehead coming to rest gently against hers.

The weapon cache in Alexandria was a hive of activity as everyone prepared for the inevitable confrontation with the Saviors. Shelves lined with rifles, pistols, and boxes of ammunition filled the room, the metallic scent of gun oil hanging heavy in the air. Andy worked diligently, organizing the supplies, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. But his thoughts were elsewhere.

Every so often, he would steal a glance at Rosita, who was standing a few feet away, methodically cleaning a rifle. Her movements were precise, almost mechanical, but there was a tightness in her posture that hadn't been there before. Andy had overheard the fight she'd had with Abraham, the breakup that had left a visible crack in her.

He had always admired Rosita, the way she carried herself with confidence and resolve. But now, there was something different about her—something vulnerable that made his chest tighten with a mix of empathy and affection.

Rosita, aware of his gaze, felt a wave of irritation rise within her. She could tell Andy knew about her breakup, and the last thing she wanted was anyone's pity. It was bad enough that people were talking about her behind her back; she didn't need them feeling sorry for her too. As Andy continued to glance her way, trying to muster the courage to speak, Rosita could feel her patience wearing thin. She slammed the rifle down on the table a little harder than necessary, the sound echoing through the room.

"Got something to say, Andy?" she snapped, her tone sharper than she intended.

Andy flinched at her sudden outburst, but he quickly recovered, meeting her gaze with a nervous but determined expression. "I, uh... I just..."

"I'm fine," she said curtly, picking up another rifle and turning her back to him, as if the conversation was already over. She knew Andy was just trying to be nice, but she couldn't help the defensive edge in her voice.

"Rosita, I'm not trying to pry," he took a deep breath, pushing down his own insecurities, and took a step closer to her. "I just... I know things have been tough, and I wanted to... I don't know, be there for you, if you need someone."

She paused in her work, her hands stilling as his words hit her. She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Look, Andy, I appreciate it, but I don't need anyone's help. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. You're one of the strongest people I know. But it's okay to not be okay sometimes."

There was no pity in his voice, just a quiet understanding that made her chest tighten with something close to guilt. She had been pushing everyone away, refusing to let anyone see the hurt she was carrying, but Andy's sincerity was hard to ignore. She sighed, her defenses crumbling just a little. "Andy, I'm not looking for anything serious. If that's what you're after, you're wasting your time."

Andy smiled, though it was tinged with sadness. "I know. I just... I wanted to let you know that if you ever change your mind, I'm here."

She stared at him for a long moment, searching his eyes for any sign of ulterior motive, but all she found was a quiet, hopeful determination. She shook her head with a small, incredulous smile. "You're really something, you know that?"

He grinned, a blush creeping up his neck. "I've been told that before."

Before she could second-guess herself, Rosita leaned in and pressed her lips to his, surprising both of them with the suddenness of the gesture. The kiss was brief but filled with a mix of emotions. When they pulled apart, Andy looked at her with wide eyes, as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Rosita smirked, trying to mask the confusion and warmth bubbling up inside her.

"Don't get any ideas," she warned, but there was no real heat in her voice.

He nodded, a hopeful smile playing on his lips. "No ideas. Just... whatever this is."

"Just keep that in mind." she said, but she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips.

As night fell over Alexandria, the once-bustling community grew still, the weight of the day's efforts hanging in the cool air. The people, weary from the day's work, began to settle in, their hearts heavy with anticipation for what was to come. Along the walls, guards took their positions, eyes sharp as they scanned the darkened landscape beyond the safety of the gates. Every rustle of leaves, every distant animal call, was enough to set nerves on edge. The Saviors were out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows, and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they made their move.

Rick Grimes stood in front of his house, his silhouette framed by the faint light of the moon. His eyes were locked on the horizon, his expression hard and resolute. As the leader of this community, he felt the weight of every life in Alexandria on his shoulders. They would be ready. Whatever came, they would face it together.

Not far from where Rick stood, Daryl and Charlie walked side by side, their conversation quiet, their steps in sync. Charlie found herself smiling, despite everything. She laughed, the sound light and genuine, and for a moment, it was as if the weight of the world had lifted. Daryl glanced over at her, his expression softening in the glow of the nearby fire. He didn't say much, but the look in his eyes said enough—she was the reason he could still find these moments of peace amid the chaos.

On the far side of town, Andy hesitated at the entrance to Rosita's house, his heart beating a little faster than usual. Rosita stood at the doorway, her expression unreadable in the shadows. She didn't say anything as she looked at him, just held the door open, a silent invitation that made his pulse quicken. With a deep breath, Andy stepped forward, his earlier nerves returning in full force.

The night grew darker, the stars coming out in full force overhead, as if to remind them all that there was still beauty to be found, even in the midst of darkness.

And when the time came, they would be ready.

[weebsinstash]

HONESTLY just male concubine being obsessed with Empress gives me life. Like he takes one look at her wardrobe and hires a seamstress so they can coordinate matching outfits, he escorts her by the arm wherever she goes when the Emperor isnt around to do it himself, wants to take fancy baths together, brushes her hair, likes to have sleepovers... And the Emperor is like See?? Why would you treat him so coldly leaving him in the rain like that, he absolutely adores you >:( oh he punished a servant? He must have had a good reason, he only has your the Empress best interest in mind.

OOOH BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE. Like yk how in some manhwa concubines can be given as gifts to establish good diplomatic relationships? Imagine if a foreign sovereign sent a male concubine but for the Empress. And like. Its not like they can straight up refuse the gift, because that would be seen as extremely rude/hostile, but it is clear that as soon as they come in with a handsome dude saying he is for the Empress the temperature in the room just DROPS. Male concubine literally goes from 😊 to 🙂 to 😐 and the Emperor is FUMING on the inside. Ofc they accept the gift and the new concubine is put in the Empress palace, but now Male Concubine needs to think of a way to solidify his position (ummm.... baby?) without being found out by the Empress, cause he would hate if she got angry at him again, and just turns into even more of a menace along with the Emperor who all of a sudden has time to visit the Empress every single day and night.

And imagine if the new concubine is just an overall sweet guy :( like maybe the Empress doesnt necessarily like him in a romantic way, but he is a breath fresh of air as she can feel at ease with him, laugh with him, etc. Oh that would drive them insane.

I meant to swing back to this ask much sooner because it has such supreme drama potential 🤌 because really, I'm starting to wonder if I feed off of the satirical toxic energy lmao (also this ask can refer to the Saintess Reader/Emperor scenario with or without specific characters but I answered this as the bakugou/izuku thing people have been sending asks in for out of habit

So what I've considered before is, is, having our gifted male concubine be either from a specific culture or be practicing a certain religion where he holds the Reader who is the Saintess in extremely high regard if not an outright holy figure, like Reader is basically the Pope except you know she can actually perform miracles. He's essentially devoted his life to the concept of serving the Saintess in every way possible that his body has to offer ( 😏 ) and considers it his duty. And to round out our main protag trio I thought, it would be pretty appropriate to have this concubine be Shoto (can literally never remember if it's Shoto vs Shouto vs Shōto). Maybe Shoto even has extra privileges or protections: perhaps he's not just a gift from the ruler or leader of the land he hails from, perhaps he's even a prince, making him even more immune to any potential threats or dangers

I just imagine Bakugou being initially dismissive, kind of laughing at the concept. A man to be akin to a handmaid to his Empress? He might as well be a lowly slave, or a dog. I wonder if he'd be so full of himself that he doesn't even consider Shoto any sort of threat until a certain lil marimo boy is whispering paranoid suggestions in his ear

Really though, the drama would be absolutely dripping from Izuku and Shoto, because you have an obsessive clingy needy dweeb who wants to devote himself to you vs someone ALSO in his own way much more subtly obsessive and clingy and devoted to you AS A LIFESTYLE. I can just picture so many different scenarios where the two of them go head to head. Like, can you imagine that Shoto notices you're looking stressed and tired, and he encourages, no, insists that you lie down and take a rest, and who else but the green embodiment of so many of your troubles is trying to barge into your palace right after you've finally fallen asleep? You wake up to the pair of them basically trying to slug each other out in the courtyard because Izuku refuses to leave and Todoroki refuses to let him inside

Then there's the added drama of "is Reader or isn't she allowed to sleep with him?" Or if they decide to risk it for love or lust or what 👀 you're just all extremely stressed and bent out of shape and Shoto consoles you, and he sees you and hears you and you feel so understood and he comforts you, and you start feeling like he's literally the only person in this awful country you can trust. I can only IMAGINE the chaos if, even if Reader was allowed to have "connections", if Reader sleeps with Shoto and Izuku finds out, full on barging into your bedroom to find the two of you naked if not still in the middle of the act outright. Izuku just rushing to the Emperor in tears because, it's terrible, you'll never believe it, he can't even believe someone would do something so terrible as to DEFILE you (even if he wants Bakugou to do the same and also maybe himself as well), can't you do something Katsuki, Shoto is DIRTY and WRETCHED and he will TAINT YOUR HONOR obviously

It really has it all. You've got the potential angst for Bakugo just outright having Shoto executed (maybe he's perfectly innocent and just a good friend, maybe he's another yandere), you've got Izuku and Shoto being catty and trying to backstab each other and get the other in trouble, you've got drama between Reader and Bakugou as an arranged marriage couple/"I actually do love you but I'm emotionally constipated and fucked up and can't communicate without being a raging prick"

Deadass, I bet Bakugou goes from maybe seeing you once or twice a week to, once Shoto is in your palace, every single day if not multiple times a day. Obviously he has to keep an eye open in case that stupid monk tries anything with you or tries to trick you into something. You're so soft hearted and nice and stupidly naive that of course you need someone rough like him to balance you out and keep you on track (or so he rationalizes). This is just... a temporary setback! Clearly you love him, and you're HIS wife, no one else's. You're just being a brat and throwing a tantrum for some reason he hasn't figured out yet, but he'll sort this out and get you back on his side, even if he has to kill your new friend to do it. You'll come around. After all, you've stuck with him this long haven't you?

[sburbian-sage]

Ah shit man if you needed food all you had to do was say, kinda shit texture but i made a fuckton of freeze dried foods and vacuum sealed them and they should be heading your way and arriving around the same time you get this message

(one of my coplayers was a farmer and entered with a whole ass farm, livestock and all) so theres gonna be some powdered eggs, freeze-dried beef and chicken, powdered potatoes and i think i managed to get some freeze-dried tomato powder as well, as well as some powdered milk, and also some canned corn

Honestly there were very few actual aspect abilities used to send you the box of candy which was a kind of test

Sent em over with a jury rigged telepad thing that i rigged up with a lot of bullshit, a bit of denizen magic, and also the mini-paradox skaia off the kings staff that i stole, using your posts as a kind of beacon with my space aspect (witch of space baby)

Tried making a cool infini-tele-staff thing but my alchimeter exploded and killed me so thats probably not gonna work

Honestly ive been just dicking about since I'm pretty sure this is a doomed timeline cause all my coplayers true deathed a while back

As far as I'm aware my denizen says I'm supposed to use this thing to send back some stuff but never bothered to tell me what i was supposed to send and then went and died so who knows

... Man, I feel bad now.

I didn't actually receive any of the candy the other guy sent. In fact, I didn't actually know until just right now that there was an authentic attempt to send me anything. I read "*uses my space powers to teleport a box of candy onto your ship thing in front of you*" as being in the same genre of post as "sends u internet hugs", AKA a nice message that doesn't actually come with any real hugs. I pretended I received the candy so I could play along and make a joke about thinking it was a Saccharine Doppleganger scare. I briefly considered saying "you teleported it outside of the ship and it has tentacles now", but I thought 1) that was too cynical 2) I could segue the joke I did end up using into a fun Knowledge Tidbit. But the consequences of this joke is that two people just teleported two care packages into who-knows-where and I just made everyone in this situation look like an asshole, especially myself.

I'd also advise against any attempts to do this in the future. I'm in the Furthest Ring, which is essentially a non-Space (and I don't think Time works correctly either) the deepest reaches of which do not "exist" in any particular Session. Space abilities can't directly access it (the best they can do is fling stuff in there, as in you're literally throwing them), and technology like Sendificators and Appearifiers can't really have their coordinates set out here, partially because I think they're bound to the universe they exist in and partially because I don't think euclidean space is really "a thing" out here so the numbers wouldn't even work. The fact that the Ring Servers can exist out here and provide a pan-Session online network is nothing short of miraculous, and it's mostly because their existences have been bargained for with the Others (so it's actually demonic power if anything, heh). To put it another way, if you could teleport something from your Session to my position in the Furthest Ring, you could do the opposite, and if you could do the opposite, I would not be here.

Either way, I don't mind that the packages didn't arrive and you shouldn't either. I have a stockpile of "real food" that isn't just staple crops, the Cookalizer does a good job of making them taste like something, and I do have a Alimentator, but I try not to use it too much because that stuff isn't free-use and I can't exactly gather any Grist or resources out here, same reason why I've mostly been saving my Alchemiter for air filters and other low-cost "maintenance" needs. I will survive. You should focus more on your own survival, particularly the "I might be in a Doomed Timeline and if I'm not then I'm the last survivor" and "my Denizen empowered one of my items and asked me to do something important with it" parts.

Also, congrats on the farm. I'm pretty sure those farm animals are Doomed because they're homeworld-originated non-player entities, so enjoy them while you can (as in "they're probably going to get wiped out with a meteor or something dumb and contrived). If you really want to help people with your food, I'd get into Alimentator hacking. Basically you can upload the food you make as a digital .ali file that other people can download and use a jailbroken Alimentator to turn it into actual food. It's really sick, but I know how to do that about as well as I know how to actually cook (and I'm not really in a position to begin learning considering the scarcity of resources). Luckily the Alimentator/Sburban Cooking community might be as big if not bigger than the Gamebreaking community, so there's a lot of resources out there that will help you get started. If you do end up getting into it (and not dying because of your current predicament), once I land in an actual Session I'll be searching through your .ali file upload for my first meal.

[steellotus54]

A devpost? It’s about time for one of those.

I’ve put this off for too long, but I have some free time for a minute, so now’s the best moment to finally unveil my first project! So, without further ado, I hereby announce..

RETINA

A puzzle-platformer metroidvania about memories, letting go of the past, and finding oneself; RETINA is now in development!

From here on out, I’ll be cataloging the development of the game as it happens! In this first (technically 0th) devpost, I'll go over my progress so far and an overview of my rough plans for the game.

RETINA Development #0 - You Gotta Start Somewhere

Over the past couple weeks, I've been busy trying to get some basic movement and animations working. That has been substantially more difficult than I thought it was going to be.

In hindsight, this makes sense, given that I'm still relatively new to using Godot and GDscript. In any case, I've managed to get basic running and jumping working, as well as a rudimentary dash ability and test level; which you can see here:

The dash is pretty janky in its current state, though: The vector is added to the player's current velocity, which is technically how it's supposed to work, but that means it only nudges the character a bit when they aren't moving. The dash vector is also determined by the cursor's global position, which is what allows it to work in the code currently, but that causes a player intent issue - the direction the character dashes in sometimes won't match the one the player wants them to. Unfortunately, I'm still not entirely sure why this is the case. Using coordinates in relation to the viewport (the camera, effectively) would fix this, but that has its own problems I need to work out. Additionally, the velocity issue means that it's possible to gain speed theoretically infinitely by just dashing along the floor. Oops!

Once I fix the dashing issues, my next goal is to implement crouching, sliding, and/or climbing walls. After that, I intend to start working on adding a grappling hook mechanic.

A Roadmap(ish)

Since RETINA is the first game I plan to release publicly, I'm trying to keep it relatively small in scope. That said, I've found that I'm rather incapable of keeping the ambitious side of me in check, so we'll have to wait and see.

Currently, RETINA is planned to be split into several distinct zones, of which two are currently in progress at the time of writing. I don't have a concrete final number of these zones in mind, but I want to aim to have a minimum of 4 in the final release. At the time of writing, I also have an idea that would necessitate having there be a variation of each zone - I'll talk more on that later in development.

When it comes to the narrative of the game, I'm aiming to convey the plot with no spoken words - some non-diegetic text will be present that will give you hints as to what's going on (The text on a game over screen, for instance), but otherwise no dialogue is present. I also plan to make a number of animated cutscenes - These are probably going to be the most ambitious and time intensive parts of the game artistically. I want there to be at least two cutscenes for each area, totaling to a minimum of 8, but the final number will depend of a variety of factors, including the scope.

Speaking of cutscenes and narrative, I also intend for RETINA to have multiple different endings. Currently, I'm aiming for three - One acquirable from the outset, one for finishing the game, and a secret "true" ending requiring finishing the game under certain conditions.

With regards to releasing the game, I currently only have plans to make RETINA available on PC for Windows and probably Linux. Mac support sounds like a pain in the ass (even though I'm using an engine), and I don't have a Mac to test on, either. I'm highly unlikely to publish it on consoles seeing as though this is my first release project, but I might consider porting it to Switch in the future when I've got more experience.

Moving Forward

All in all, this is a highly ambitious project. I can't promise a schedule for these devposts due to permanent extenuating circumstances, but I'm hoping I can at least get around to making a devpost once a month. Furthermore, this game is going to take a really long time to make. I can't promise a release window of any sort, and RETINA is likely going to be a multi-year project. Real life sucks, we unfortunately all have to participate in it, and it takes more of my time than I'd like.

Having said all of that, thanks for reading! I hope you're as excited about this game as I am, and I'm looking forward to going on this development journey with y'all!

[arcplaysgames]

If the Fortune Arcana is literally a fortune teller, I am going to slash some tires. Especially since, like, the point of the fucking Wheel is that you are not in a position to see where it will turn.

Some journalist I've seen for like five minutes makes a deal with Reverie. She'll give a name of the criminal running the scams in Shibuya but she wants access to someone at Shujin who suffered under Kamoshida's abuse.

Which is a shitty deal, so calling it: Devil arcana.

Morgana suggests Mishima for the deal, so, uh

I hate Mishima but this feels terrible. 8C Come on, he's gonna think it's a date and instead someone is gonna ask him about the volleyball coach beating him. This sucks, Persona 5 Royal!!!! I hate this!

And Ryuji gets accosted by... drag performers??? Or are they just queer people? I am literally looking through my screencaps of this scene and I frankly don't get what it's trying to imply here???? I feel like it's a joke at my people's expense but I'm missing context, so. SHRUG.

Kaneshiro's palace seems to be the entirety of Shibuya's central street. Which made me think they just didn't want to make new assets but I'm proven wrong in a bit.

Seeing people as walking ATMs doesn't make sense to me, like, you withdraw from your own account with ATMs, not from the magical ATM fairy. I don't get this metaphor. Whatev!

TURNS OUT THE ACTUAL PALACE IS A FLYING BANK. Alright. That's sure a thing.

I feel like this was an incredibly valid question. Unfortunately, Morgana cannot turn into non-car things. Which really begs a lot of questions about why he can become specifically a van.

Ryuji when was the last time you were useful, homes, you are the one who got us into this fucking mess with Makoto because you kept screaming about being a Phantom Thief, you absolute dunderfuck. Don't insult Morgana.

Dinnertime at the Nijima Household.

This is a totally inappropriate reaction but I started laughing in disbelief because like. This turn is SO hard and SO sudden and came out of nowhere???? Sae, bruh, what the fuck, are you having a bad day?

OH MY GOD SHE IS LMAO THAT'S HER EXCUSE. And then she says she's going to stop coming home for dinner from now on???? Holy shit?

lmao as the main caretaker of a very frustrating person who drives me batshit, I am judging Sae so fucking hard right now. Remember the halcyon days when we first met Sae? God, I barely remember. Now she's interrogating our card collection and making Dojima look like Parent of the Year.

The Thieves meet up to talk about how to reach the Palace and Makoto just invites herself along again, and Ann happens to call her "useless" and oh my god is this like her trauma trigger?

ATLUS

WHO THE FUCK WAS YOUR SCENE COORDINATOR FOR THIS SEQUENCE

AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY?

YOU JUST FLASHED BACK TO A SCENE THAT LITERALLY JUST HAPPENED 40 SECONDS AGO.

Makoto completely loses her shit and is like "okay fine I will go find you Kaneshiro" and storms off

Gets shoved into the back of an unmarked car by two thugs

Everyone very reasonably flips their shit too and chases after her, including Ryuji throwing himself into the path of a speeding car to make it stop

which: is the most Chariot shit any Chariot has ever Charioted, but also if he got hit doing this, I would have deleted the game in a rage-blackout, i'm so furious with Makoto

and oh she leads them to Kaneshiro! and he immediately snaps a photo of them all for blackmail purposes. he wants 3 million yen in 3 weeks.

HEY YUSUKE?

THANK YOU

Everyone gets a shot of sympathy for Makoto because she's like super sorry that she flipped her shit and ran off and confronted some mafia dudes and got in their car and wound up needing a rescue and then got everyone on the hook for 3 million yen, which is about what I make in a fucking year (roughly)

whatever, they bring her into the Metaverse, she pops her Persona, it's a motorcycle, which is way more fucking cool than she deserves

you know what, same here. same here.

I think I feel comfortable saying, yeah, this is worse than Ryoji. If anyone is hoping I turn on Makoto later, do not hold your breath, because this is a staggeringly bad prolonged introduction to this character. I am to a point I want to sit down with the writers and just ask them to explain to me what impression they intended to leave on the player, taking a character who has thus far only been a stalker and harasser of the protagonists turned outright blackmailer turned into oh now someone else is blackmailing us bc of her? and then handing her off like "here's a new teammate"

what

the actual

fuck

thank you and good night. I'm going to bed.

[ajcgames]

Placements

I had a burst of inspiration to do some work on the placeables this morning, and managed to get a big chunk of the work done.

Since I need to create some kind of end-to-end hook up for the conveyor belts, I needed something that could generate items (which will ultimately be a factory input of some kind), and also something that could consume them.

Needing two structures necessitated creating two basic placeholder models, and coming up with some reasonably robust build placement code.

The build ghost of the factory input machine

I needed to ensure that it was clear to the player when they are building something. So, for the short term I opted to just use a brightly coloured proxy object as a 'build ghost'. To help the player understand the difference between inputs and outputs, I used arrows as part of the model (I'll remove these once you place / connect up the machine eventually).

A machine that does some kind of 'work', with a slot for item input and another for its output.

Once I'd created the models, I turned my attention to the code.

The game uses a state machine to determine what logic is being run during play. So far, the running states of the game are like this:

IDLE Nothing is being done, the user can only move the camera around and look at things.

BELT The player can lay out belts using LMB, and delete existing ones using RMB. Mouse wheel also controls placement belt type when you're not 'painting' belts by clicking and dragging the mouse.

BUILD The player is placing a machine down in the level somewhere.

The latter BUILD mode is new. When you enter this mode, the game creates a build ghost of the currently selected placeable object. As the player moves the mouse, the placeable is snapped to the nearest grid cell.

Every time the build ghost position changes, I create a small coordinate map of all of the cells currently occupied by the build ghost. Every time this changes, I scan the existing placed objects in the world and see if it intersects with any. If it does, I can flag up that the space is occupied and prevent building of the object. Nice and neat.

Two placed machines - one factory input (left) and a work machine (right).

Once you click, the placeable object is created properly and added to the list of machines in the level. This list of machines is iterated over during runtime to make sure they update themselves where needed.

I was considering a whole bunch of optimisations at this stage to handle thousands of machines, but it's not really the kind of game I'm trying to make. There are easy optimisations to make even later down the line, so I'm not really fussed about this for now. I want to avoid adding additional work for the sake of it, as that usually throws me off track.

You can see in the image above how this looks like when hooked up. I still need to do some additional belt code that detects if you're adjacent to an input / output of a machine and maybe coerce it to use the appropriate belt type, but since using corners as inputs would be perfectly valid - this may be more tricky to implement than I'm thinking. I may leave this for a while.

Presently, items on the belts will just stop and stack up next to the input side of a machine because the code to handle that isn't in there yet, so let's talk about that quickly!

All aboard

Each machine can perform some work. This is highly dependent on the type of machine, of course, but there is a common factor: time.

A machine will perform a specific task which will take time. During this time, a machine may be able to fill up its input slot with incoming items. I will likely restrict the maximum number of items that a machine can hold at any time, which is part of the whole logistics management fun, so you would expect some belts to back up eventually.

Ultimately, a machine will consume an input item from its input slot, perform the necessary work, and output the resulting item on its connected output belt (if present).

I have to be careful how I implement this feature, since I want to make sure I allow for machines to only accept certain items in its input slot. That doesn't mean that a machine can only use one type of input, but it may mean that I restrict 'stacking' of items in the input slot if the machine can take all different kinds, to save having to develop a full internal inventory for each machine. Although doable, it's much more work and requires additional UI development that will simply be a headache to build (I'm not a fan of building them!).

Either way, my next steps are reasonably clear now. Finalise the 'machine' concept in code, allow machines to accept certain inputs, and add the 'perform work' code, then produce an output item to the relevant belt.

More to come soon I'm sure, but for now here's a quick video of today's developments in action!