#so here's a new and improved version C;

[lovelybee666]

FLUFF ALPHABET DOGDAY

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

I already published it in one of my first writings but so that they don't bother to see it, they both play hide and seek, tag, maybe truth or dare, etc.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

He thinks everything about you is beautiful, from your eyes to your your toes (if you even have toes or feet).

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

If you are sad he tries to cheer you up either by giving you physical or verbal affection, drawing, talking, watching something, whatever cheers you up.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

It sounds strange but he would like to have a family (he knows he can't 😞) he would like to see you and him with his little children but since he can't, he use his stuffed version as one and depending on how you are, you will play along or try (don't even think about telling him that it's stupid of him or I swear I will come to your house with a gun 👹 /j)

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

He's in the middle 👍 there's not much to say honestly

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Look, I don't know what happened but it was probably your fault😒(just joking) their arguments probably don't go beyond a few raised voices, the second the discussion ends there are two options, the first is that he run to you and apologize or that he is lecturing himself with his tail down.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

He is VERY grateful and even thanks for things he shouldn't(I'm sorry this is short, I couldn't think of anything)

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Imagine there is a door, that door symbolizes honesty now look at Dogday's door that door is so open that the door flew away and the frame too.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

I'm already doing a hc of him jealous so this will be more summarized and shorter, It's difficult for him to get jealous since he trusts you TOO much but if he is jealous he will try to get your attention hugging you and saying your name over and over again.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

The first kiss was okay although he had never kissed so at first it was a little awkward, as time went on his kissing skills improved(he definitely didn't ask Bubba, Cickin and Bobby for advice☺️ DEFINITELY)

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

He was nervous, he asked Catnap if he could come and support him, he complied as a good friend and he was a little far away but behind you with a sign that said "YOU CAN DO IT, DOGDAY!" or said what Dogday was supposed to say because he probably forgot(I promise to make a more detailed version soon in the not too distant future).

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

He wants to marry you but since you and him are toys you can't but still in some creative way you got married, they used a fabric that they found with the help of Crafty and they got married, it was actually something funny and adorable to see (YOU DEFINITELY WORE THE SUIT AND DOGDAY THE WEDDING DRESS‼️‼️) by the way, the ring was some donut-shaped gummies.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

I already made a post about it but I wanted to make a little update here by adding "angel" and "star"

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It's VERY obvious, just watch him for a few seconds and you'll see how when you're close he moves his tail and seems happier, he stops what he's doing and comes to greet you giving you a hug while his tail moves at a thousand miles an hour, he's not sure if he's in love, he confuses his feelings and thinks maybe he just loves you as a close friend (spoiler, it wasn't)

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

He's a big fan of PDA and even once probably shouted from somewhere quite long how much he loved you(a worker or Miss Delight scolded him because the children were supposed to be sleeping at that time), He loves to hold your hand and kiss your nose, he probably emphasizes 24/7 that you're dating him, he is very proud to know that you are dating him, If you are not a fan of PDA, he respects it and when you are alone he gives you a lot of kisses on the cheeks and hugs you.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

There's not much to say but technically you're second in command for dating the guy who's the leader👍 IDK MAN

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

He is cliche AND creative, He likes to do very cliché but very creative things at the same time, They are going to have a date with red petals and candles, yes, but instead of candles they will be candles with fun shapes, the petals will be daisies (clearly I don't get them from a destroyed Daisy) and the chairs are chairs of frogs, he likes to do the same things that are romantically cliché but at the same time add things that have nothing to do with it or make it chaotic.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

ABSOLUTELY YES, it will help you in anything, believe 100% that you can achieve any goal you have.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Every day he do something new with you, one day you are looking some ants working and the next you are creating a base to protect yourself from a non-existent deadly virus that he created with you.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Depending on who you are, he probably knows a lot about you and is quite empathetic (I couldn't think of anything here, I'm sorry)

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

For him you are the most important thing in his life, his top is probably

3. Humans

2. His friends

1. You

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

When you give him the cold shoulder after an argument he goes to Catnap and Catnap has to deal with his best friend crying because you don't listen to him

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Y E S He is very affectionate although obviously there are days when he is less affectionate.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

He will be looking for things that remind him of you and hugs them while waiting for you to appear.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

He is willing to do almost anything for the relationship, his only limits are attacking or killing someone for obvious reasons.

I FINALLY FINISHED THIS, now I will have to do other pending things

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Y'all enjoyed the comparison post of the Before & Afters of HGTVs Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge, so much, yesterday, I thought you'd like to see what it looked like BEFORE the Barbie transformation. They looked at 50 houses before they chose this beige one.

Here come the designers with pink sledge hammers. I'm also including this link to an article about how the neighborhood thought it was a nightmare: https://www.theringer.com/tv/2023/8/17/23834446/hgtv-barbie-dreamhouse-challenge-renovation-project-neighborhood-nightmare

Apparently, it was never meant to be livable. (Ah, but it is! I would definitely live here with my Barbie collection. It would be the jewel in the crown.)

Seriously, I hate the dated oak. And, HGTV paid $1.75M for it?

It was plain. Nothing special at all, but I guess they chose it b/c it has nice swirling walls, stairs and balconies.

Wow, they put in these great floors, only to be removed again, and replaced by wood flooring. This rainbow ceiling went right back to white.

I still can't believe they turned it into a white, gray and black version of the same dull house.

The kitchen was so dated and missing a fridge. They used such high end reproduction appliances that they kept them and they actually make the new modern kitchen look ugly.

Seriously, I don't like the way the retro appliances look in the new improved kitchen. They're too retro for the modern look.

Boring family room had no personality.

What a disappointing primary bedroom before. They really dressed it up- love the sparkly ceiling.

They kept the wall fireplace as a focal point.

The en-suite was big and bland.

The only room they kept was Ken's den but they got rid of the disco floor. Come on.

Barbie's office got built-in shelving, which they also kept.

Barbie's closet was eventually eliminated and turned into another home office.

And, now, with it's new white & black transformation, it's been sold. The neighborhood is happy, the new owner is happy, all the neutral lovers are happy.

https://www.businessinsider.com/before-and-after-photos-of-hgtvs-barbie-dreamhouse-2023-7#the-designers-also-wanted-the-room-to-feel-distinctly-like-barbies-office-45

[chiscribbs]

Updated Future Donnie Concept Art!!!

So, I've been hesitant to try my hand at designing an Apocalyptic Future version of Donnie for a while, for a number of reasons - mainly that I just didn't have a clear idea of him in my brain yet and the thought of attempting to update his already pretty perfect design was highly daunting - but I finally caved and decided to take a crack at it. A couple months and several revisions later, I'm actually genuinely happy with the result. I'd still consider this "concept art" more so than a final design, elements of it could definitely be improved, but I really do like the concept as a whole - I think it could work!

The main goals I had in mind while working on this were: A. Must fit the character/look like something Donnie would canonically wear and still be easily recognizable. B. Must work in the Rise world & style (i.e. not be overly detailed or have too complex a silhouette.) C. Must fit in with the other (canonical) Future Rise designs.

I was also thinking about what problems Donnie might be trying to solve, which is what inspired the belt (more info on that below). All-in-all, although there might still be a few kinks to work out, I think I managed to come up with a pretty solid base design for my favorite Warring Warrior Scientist (Jr.)

Some additional character tidbits under the cut.

Also, I can't draw mechanisms to save my life, so just pretend those vague ninpo-gun-things make sense lol

Donnie has a mechanical prosthetic leg. How'd he lose that leg? Up to interpretation - my working theory is that it was a minefield accident that occurred when he was trying to blow some Krang dogs to Timbuktu. Naturally, since it's Donnie and they are in the midst of an alien apocalypse, he designed the leg to do a whole lot more than just help him stand without falling down. It's a multifunctional tool that contains a plethora of secret uses - including, but certainly not limited to, sawing off ugly Krang faces. It's essentially his new tech bo.

Bonus leg tidbit: Casey Jr. saw him deploy the saw blade in battle once when he was little, he then proceeded to beg for a saw-leg of his own to fight the Krang with. Donnie, realizing that amputating a perfectly healthy child's leg is probably not that most morally acceptable option, instead made him his own "sawing stick"(AKA, his motorized hockey stick)...which the others then made him wait until Casey's 10th birthday to give him.

The belt that Donnie's wearing here is a prototype of his latest invention. Its intended purpose: to deflect the Krang's mystic-blocking attacks, allowing them to use their ninpo in close combat. It took a lot of risk-taking to collect the necessary information to create such a device, and he experienced a number of way-too-close calls (one of which may or may not have resulted in that large gash across his plastron), but he finally managed to crack the code and pinpoint the frequency of the Krang's sound waves. He's testing it out right now to make sure that it works and is safe to use, but once it's out of beta, he plans to mass-produce them for every mystic-wielder in the Resistance to use in battle. He believes it could turn the tides of the war...unfortunately, the device never makes it out of beta, as he dies before its completion.

Donnie's gloves are fashioned after the ones his dad used to wear in his Lou Jitsu days (with some modifications, for comfort and to make working with screens a little easier and less annoying.) The material they're made out of is far more durable, of course, since he's working with them near-constantly and under varying conditions. But maybe he designed them to look like this as a way of keeping his dad's memory close, similar to Leo's sword hilt?

Ironically, Donnie uses his ninpo probably the most consistently out of all the brothers (even though Mikey uses his to the greatest extent, hence his rapid aging). He's constantly using it to check on the base's security status and multitask while working on other projects. Because his ninpo takes a good deal of brain power to operate, it puts a significant amount of strain on his nervous system and this causes frequent complications. Seizures, spasms, and blackouts become a semi-regular occurrence - especially in the latter part of his life. Donnie does his best to manage them, but the workload makes it almost impossible to do so properly. Mikey is able to help with these attacks when they happen, but Donnie - not wanting his brother to overuse his powers any more than he is already - usually opts to just ride it out and save the mystic healing for people who need it. The exception to this rule being when he's in the middle of an extremely important procedure and can't stop long enough to let the attack pass naturally, then he has no choice but to accept Mikey's aid.

This is probably needless to say at this point, but much like Leo and his other brothers, he is a giant. Equal in height to Leo (if not slightly taller, even without the goggles.) The doodle in the top-left corner of the sketch page where he's next to April is meant to be them sitting, so don't take it as anywhere near an accurate representation of their height comparison. It is not, he dwarfs her by several feet, lol.

[diversestardewvalley]

Diverse Stardew Valley 4.0 is officially here!

DSV 4.0 is a pretty different beast than 3.0+, and it’s bigger & better than ever 😆 The biggest difference is that we’re back on NexusMods and we’ve returned to an all-in-one download: the changes we made for 3.0 was the best move for the DSV team at the time, but things have changed in the last couple of years and we’ve updated accordingly. 

DSV 4.0 also overhauls the interior of the mod with a shiny new C# engine, DSV Core, coded by the amazing KediDili. This should improve performance and make it much easier to configure DSV to your liking!

It’d take too long to list everything that 4.0 adds or changes, but here’s a quick summary:

Added over 250+ lines of variant-based dialogue

Added new additional variants which can be used alongside other variants:

Nonbinary Abigail, Sebastian, and Emily

Aro-Ace Gus

Jewish Mullners and Elliott

Hard-of-Hearing Haley

Added new small cultural map edits for modded variants

Re-added Marigold, Linus's service dog (this option requires Sprites in Detail, Custom NPC Exclusions, & Anti-Social NPCs) with improved higher-resolution sprites

Added new minor config options:

Mermaid Pendants - Rival Hearts & Canon Couples

Flower Queen's Crown Immersion Mode

Vanilla Beach Style

Enable Variant-Based Dialogue and individual dialogue toggles for each character

Abigail Goth Makeup

Elliott Helix Piercing & Ear Piercing

Penny & Pam Dynamic Outfits

Penny Freckles

Shane Punk Accessories

Marnie Dynamic Outfits

Clint Beard

Reworked character art for modded Pam, Black Haley & Emily, and modded Sikh and non-Sikh Harvey so that they have brighter, more accurate skintones

Clarified cultural backgrounds on the DSV website for several characters:

Romani Haley and Emily are of the Lovari vitsa

Black Haley and Emily have Ghanaian heritage

Indian Sandy is Deccani

Native Leah is of the Haida nation

Black Elliott has Jamaican heritage

Updated many outfits

Added compatibility with many mods

We also have a non-seasonal version for anyone who just wants the diversity edits (although it also contains some small tidbits for vanilla players such as improved beach art) and an add-on pack so that Always Raining in the Valley NPCs Sterling, Mia, and Henry can become Flower Queens through DSV’s Flower Queen’s Crown feature.

The DSV website has also been updated with visual guides to all of the new options, so please check it out! For any translators or mod authors interested in adding compatibility, there's also a new page with detailed instructions to help you out.

Thank you all for supporting DSV! 💖

[anim-ttrpgs]

I was interviewed on Storyteller Conclave!

You’ve probably seen several posts on here about how I’m going to be on Storyteller Conclave talking about Eureka. If you haven’t, you’re going to, because there’s still some in the queue and I’m not going to remove them.

But, that happened, and it was a great time! You can listen to the episode here, here, here, or here!

I wasn’t on my A-game the whole time unfortunately, I had some mic trouble for about the first 20 minutes, along with some other distractions on my end that kept me from focusing early on, but luckily I had team member @ashweather to support me and help me out.

If you can bear with the rocky start, there’s a lot of good insight into the design of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy in this podcast, and a lot of it goes into stuff that we haven’t really covered on this blog, especially the themes.

We talk about the realistic and simulationist nature of Eureka and how this serves its gameplay and themes, we talk about how it takes inspiration from John Woo films such as Hard Boiled, its pretty unique approach to the concept of HP, how it approaches and flips the concept of "winning", and its deeply character-driven nature.

Of course we also talk about Eureka's unique and awesome rules for investigative gameplay, and how it improves upon games that did investigative gameplay before it. How it trusts the players' intellect, but also won't leave them totally twisting in the wind after a bad roll or two!

My favorite thing we talked about, near the end of the show, was Eureka’s approach to monsters, disability, and its sympathy towards “bad people.” I’m actually going to be writing a whole essay on this topic hopefully before the Kickstarter ends on May 10th, but you can get a really good gist of it just from listening to this episode of the podcast.

Oh and on that subject, the hosts, two veteran Vampire: The Masquerade players, said in the show that in many ways, Eureka does vampires better than VTM. Like, wow, that’s high praise..

Here’s a reminder also that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is kickstarting from right now until May 10th, 2024. Back it and get yourself a copy plus custom artwork or the chance to get your blood sucked by vampires as an entry on the random victim tables for playable monster PCs! With every stretch goal we meet, the game gets better and better. Tons of beautiful new artwork, new options for gameplay, and even two entirely new playable Monsters could be added to the book, so visit the Kickstarter and secure your copy today!

If you want to try before you buy, you can download a free demo of the prerelease version from our website or our itch.io page!

If you’re interested in a more updated and improved version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy than the free demo you got from our website, subscribe to our Patreon where we frequently roll our new updates for the prerelease version!

You can also support us on Ko-fi, or by checking out our merchandise!

Join our TTRPG Book Club At the time of writng this, Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is the current game being played in the book club, and anyone who wants to participate in discussion, but can’t afford to make a contribution, will be given the most updated prerelease version for free! Plus it’s just a great place to discuss and play new TTRPGs you might not be able to otherwise!

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[shinjisdone]

If it's possible can I get a f!mc with Riddle? As in the events like how you did with deuce. Take your time.

Choosing this one first since Ive been dealing with quite a few things recently and this is the easiest one for me.

The Thorfinn one is gonna be next

Excellent cuz I actually thought about making a Riddle Version ^^

Might have gone overboard so pls treat this as another part of the female!MC and friends series and as a request ^^

tried to focus on the 'female!MC' part but lotsa things ended up pretty neutral...

TW: Mentions of Riddle's strict diet introduced by his mother and his hesitancy to eat food as well as counting calories in the 'When He Cooks For You...' Part

Female!MC and Friends - Riddle Rosehearts

Oh, the upright and feared Riddle Rosehearts.

Let's not talk about his first meeting and overblot 'cause there he was just c r a zy.

It's after a while after things and he have calmed down where he can even approach you and properly 'meet' you for the first time. Riddle cannot believe how careless he was that he noticed only just now that you are a girl in an all-boys-academy - the only one here probably as well.

His first thought was: 'This breaks a rule.'

But he is quick to scold and correct himself. This kind of thinking earned him the most embarrassing and stressful meltdown he has ever experienced. Clearly no one got out happy with this kind of thinking.

Not Riddle. Not his dorm. Maybe only his mother...

In secret, there were some rules he didn't like...

He likes to have milk in his tea. He likes chestnuts in his sweets...and he would like to have free time to spend with his friends...

He is sure you would like to have that, too.

When You Are Invited To The Unbirthday Party...

Well, this most likely happens after the overblot, as an apology.

It is also the first Unbirthady Party you have been invited to.

It will most likely go as it did in the game...and Riddle is apologizing to you too, since you got dragged into his mess as a bystander.

As a new student! You just got here at NRC and have had to deal with his mess, his problems.

You also helped Ace make the 'apology' nut tart...so you definitely deserve an apology.

There might be a bit of confusion within the normal Heartslabyul dormmates who do not know you...they might also notice that you are a girl.

There might be a few whispers in a group on what you are doing here. It can be hard to notice if someone is magicless on first glance but it can be easy to notice a girl, if you present yourself as such in a way.

There is a sliiiiight chance you are gonna get asked about or talked to about this. If there are some negative claims or responses to you being at NRC or at the party, Riddle will be sure to correct them quickly.

"Do not disregard anyone here! She is still a guest!"

Riddle will go back to his old habit and the students will nervously ask if that is a rule.

"No, not a rule," He softens his voice, "It goes without saying that no one shall be misjudged or disregarded, no matter who they are!"

Continuing his apology, he will treat everyone for a bit. He will ask what tea you like (you can have any tea, no matter the rule!) and if you'd like to play with the hedgehogs (he can turn a blind eye for that one today).

You can take advantage of it like Ace totally did/would. Or you could be considerate of his...weird overblot situation.

At the former he will be annoyed but allow it ONLY FOR TODAY, and for the second one, he will be perplexed but decides, yeah, he should gracefully accept your kindness.

Riddle will make sure to treat you equally, in and out of Heartslabyul.

But, if he finds himself fond of you, favoritism might follow...

When He Cooks For You...

Cooking is...hard.

Riddle truly wants to improve. If he likes you, he could try cooking for you to taste-test his dishes. He doesn't wanna go through the oyster-sauce-situation again...

Depending on your own skills, he might ask for a liiiittle bit of help. What is this spice? How much is a 'spoonful'? What do they mean when they say 'cook with love'?

You will quickly find out that he is a terrible cook. You could be a chef or someone who wouldn't be able to cook to save your own life, but at least you'd still be better than Riddle.

So when he starts asking these small questions...you can expect to give him full on lessons.

He...feels weird being taught by another student but grows to appreaciate it. He will remember your instructions and use them wisely (as he literally states after each explanation) so you can expect a delicious dish!

Nothing is perfect at the beginning but the more he tries, and the more he learns from you (or Trey), the better he gets at it! He lets you try it and once he has made something actually tasty, he will be quite proud!

He never knew how nice it is to see someone enjoy the meals you make...especially with a smile such as yours.

He might make more for you - just for fun and not to learn. Just for you...

B-But as th-thanks, of course! For what other reason could it be?!

If YOU make HIM something, he will be...confused...then realizes...and then feels touched...and then confused again.

You...made him a meal? Just like that? Why?

When he does it for you, he does not question anything. But here the roles are reversed and it's strange to him...

Riddle hesitates a little. This meal was not planned for today and he might not follow exactly as his mother intended his diet to be...but you made this for him.

He eats it...and no matter the taste, he will thank you. Eating slowly as he digests (literally and figuratively) this gesture of yours.

No one has ever done this for him. It was all his mother, who noted down the calories instead of thinking if he'll actually enjoy the dish or not.

If you make him a STRAWBERRY T A R T oooooh man, expect some silence.

Riddle is. So. confused. But. In a good way.

But also in. A. Perplexing way.

You...you did this to please him, right? To make him happy?

There cannot be any other explanation as to why.

Out of every little thing, you decided to make him his favorite food...he will stare at it in awe...and actually ponder if he is even allowed to eat it.

One, because of old habits. Two, because it looks so nice. And you baked it for him.

You went out of your way to get the ingredients, wash and cut the strawberries, knet the doe, put in the oven...

He calls out to you midway and will mutter with a flustered face that he will gladly eat it. Would you...like to accompany him? It could be like an small, unofficial, Unbrithday Party...a private one.

Riddle feels so weird eating the tart. Its great and he loves it...but it's not from a bakery, it's not made by Trey for everyone - it was made by you; For him.

Riddle will thank you with flushed cheeks.

When He...Proposes To A Ghost!?

Oh boy. Ghost wedding, huh?

Well, strange and weird, but nothing Riddle cannot manage!

It is fake-proposing anyway and he was to a lot of parties when he was younger. Perhaps he even witnessed a proposal in one of them!

Safe to say, someone as gentleman-ly and sophisticated as Riddle has a high chance of winning a bride's heart - even if it doesn't beat anymore.

Riddle prepares himself perfectly and has the confidence to suit it to. He doesn't believe he is flawless but knows that his attempt will at least help get Idia out of there.

You could aid him though he doesn't think he needs the help.

But if you want to propose to Eliza as well? Certainly you know that makes you two…uh…rivals?

He doesn't like the thought of that even if it is just fake proposing.

To impress the bride you must wear something formal. No matter if suit or dress, Riddle will feel flustered seeing you like this.

If you wear a suit, expect him to scrutinize you. He is very familiar with wearing suits and look at that, your tie is crooked again! Is the jacket even ironed? And those colors don't align…

He will fix every little thing until you're presentable. This just won't do, you know?

Might realize later that he helped you have a better chance at getting the bride? That's bad. RIDDLE is supposed to be the groom for one. And second…he…doesn't want you to become her wife.

If you wear a dress however, Riddle will definitely feel flustered. He doesn't know much about how dresses are 'properly' worn…and you look nice in it, too.

Are you sure you want to compete in general actually? Riddle got this, you know? You don't need to put yourself out there!

The thought of you winning and becoming a bride yourself? Its…so unpleasant.

Will keep telling you to not worry about this. Don't participate…Riddle is the dormhead and he can take care of this. You can help him if you want…

Or maybe dont. Because rehearsing his proposal and gifting you a bouquet of RED ROSES (he knows they mean true love!) And looking at you with one knee while YOU DRESSED LIKE A BRIDE IS

ITS NOT OKAY HE DECIDED.

NOPE DONT HELP HIM! IN FACT, DONT BE HERE AT ALL, RIDDLE WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS!

DONT HELP HIM OUT AND DONT BE ANYONE'S BRIDE! JUST;;;STAY OUTTA THIS!

OH? HE SAID HED TEACH YOU HOW TO DANCE AT A WEDDING?

YOU KNOW HE SEEMS TO NOT RECALL THIS ANYMORE

Before all of this, he would have gladly taught you…but here, he finds himself too flustered to do it. His eyes barely make contact to yours as he sways you in a waltz and even HE starts to make mistakes.

Perhaps he'll show you another time, yeah?

When You Are Stranded On An Island Together...

Wh-what is this? First he's staring into a book and now here he is with you on a beach?! With a...strange, blue creature...

Suddenly being stranded on an island can already be a stressful situation for anyone but for Riddle, it is outrageous. There are no rules, no etiquette, no order...and they left the campus without saying! Sure, it was in accident and sudden and through magical means, but still!

But well...if you two are already here (with that Stitch thing), might as well try to make most of this situation.

Riddle will be a bit at loss when making a cot or a tool or anything like that...but he will get the hang of it eventually. Magic still exists in any case of emergency.

Not being able to freely follow the rules of the Queen of Hearts (how ironic), leaves him a bit anxious and he WILL ALWAYS try his best to follow them. However, he realizes the situation he is in and will not be hard on himself when he cannot do so well or perfectly.

He also would not expect you to follow the rules (maybe Ace though).

Riddle is not used to the beach or vacation itself. Since he is so used to rules and etiquette, you might have to show him how to relax. Swimming, building sand castles, collecting sea shells...anything really.

It's strange...but nice. He slowly finds enjoyment in simply doing unproductive things.

With such casual and revealing clothes, he might feel a bit unsure. Though, well, this is proper 'clothing' for a vacation so...

The dormhead might look for you for any direction on how to...'properly' wear vacation clothes. But! If you were to wear revealing clothing fitting for the beach or heat as well (let alone a *gasp* swimwear or a bikini!) Riddle will turn a bright red. What are you doing wearing that?! No, wait...you're doing it correctly, right?It's fitting for a beach...sorry then...but he will still be as red as a goldfish (in Floyd's words) just not out of rage this time. He's flustered seeing you like this.

It doesn't help that you get into the water...

In a swimwear obviously all of your....feminine ways are showing! (In his words. He just doesn't have the gall to say it outright). Don't you...? He means doesn't this...?

Ugh. He gives up. Too embarrassed to communicate his thoughts and Ace is laughing at him.

Yet...this might be a good opportunity to try out this 'relaxing' with you...

When You Dance At A Masquerade...

An activity Riddle is quite familiar with!

It is an honor to be invited by Noble Bell College, so as a dormleader Riddle will do his utmost to leave an perfect impression from beginning to end.

He will be quite sociable and set his 'rule above all'-mindset aside. He is a guest after all.

You will find yourself asked for a dance by him. He is quite confident in his dancing skills and, regarding the ghost wedding (and Helloween if you partook in it with him), this isn't the first time you have danced together, so there isn't really a reason for Riddle to be nervous.

Even if it was the first time, he'd still assure you that he will show you the ropes.

If you are knowledgable in it yourself, he will expect a good perfomance. Especially if he was the one who taught you.

Riddle quite likes the aesthatic of the masquerade. It has such an mysterious vibe to it and he admits to himself that you seem quite charming and intruiging with that mysterious mask on.

Even if he knows that it's you.

Will act a bit more playful and like a 'prince from far, far away' as he asks you for 'the honor of a dance'. If you laugh and oblige with a bit of playfulness yourself, you scored 100 points.

No matter what you wear, Riddle will compliment your get-up. Do compliment his as well. In fact, it suits him and his personality perfectly! With how sophisticated Riddle is, nobody else could pull off the entire 'masked-prince' aesthatic!

He will blush and clear his throat. Although he will agree with you.

Would truly like to have your first dance but if he does not get the chance, he won't complain. But he will be sure to be on look-out for you to get at least one dance.

If you are??? Very much enjoying the dancing??? With giggles and laughter??? OH man, he doesn't know what to do.

On one hand, he tries really hard not to scold you. This isn't proper etiquette for dancing, you aren't supposed to have f u n. You have to be graceful and impressive and elegant and...

But on the other hand...you have so much fun. You're like a shining sunflower princess blooming amidst these other flowers as if you had seen the sunlight for the first time...he cannot take that fun away from you.

Uh-oh, did he just really think that?

Though his face is blooming just as much in red, he keeps his mouth shut and twirls you as much as you like.

It's nice seeing you enjoy yourself so much. Riddle enjoys himself too.

Yet besides the dancing, he doesn't know what else to do...seems like he does not need to uphold a reputation all the time through the festivity, so he will seek you out for some guidance but also because he enjoys your company.

If you ask him out of curiousity and fun what it means to have 'proper ballroom etiquette', he will gladly tell you but be confused that you might find it fun? He certainly didn't as a kid.

If you, again, play around like some kind of noble or princess, he is biting his tongue. You are just playing around...and it's just for tonight. As long as you don't embarass yourself (or him) then...be as much of a princess as you want.

Ah, to have some tea and dance all night...it would be nice.

Only if you were there though.

[writeyouin]

Lucifer (Hazbin Hotel) X Male-Reader - Sinless Sinners - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - A Day With Alastor

A/N – Well, it took a while but I finally felt up to writing a bit. There’s still a lot of sadness at home right now, but I’ll try to keep writing.

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

TAG LIST: @lxkeee @moonieper @sle3pyh3ad2 @gomib0 @mixplara @ica1 @loser-monologue @blackbeautyiloveyouso @equkki @literalzxmbie

FEMALE VERSION HERE

GN / NB VERSION HERE

You woke up in Angel’s bed. The previous night, you two had laughed, danced, ordered pizza and stayed tucked away in the safe haven of his bedroom. In that time, Angel had been reminded of how much his life had improved recently, and how precious his new friends were, and you had allowed yourself to relax, once again reverting to your previous human appearance. Yet, after revealing how you had died twice in a night, the change to look human felt more like a choice rather than the repression of painful emotions; you still had no love for your Demonic appearance, but you felt it wouldn’t be so terrible if it was seen among friends, or if you wanted a break from the low thrum of energy it took to keep your human façade in place.

You groaned tiredly as you pushed yourself up, never having been a morning person, and upon looking through the slats of the shaded window, you saw that it was very early indeed.

Angel had already left, and you made a mental note to call him in the evening when you knew he would be done with work. Despite the fun respite the two of you had shared, Angel would undoubtedly have a terrible day as Valentino’s plaything.

Stretching, you got up and headed downstairs for breakfast, surprised when you didn’t see anyone at the breakfast bar. Technically, the breakfast bar was just the regular bar, but since Husk typically spent his mornings sleeping in, everyone had adopted it as the breakfast bar and so there were always boxes of cereal on it until noon.

Thinking about it, you realised that since Charlie and Vaggie weren’t there to greet you, Angel Dust had likely talked them through the previous night and reassured them that everything was going to be okay. It had undoubtedly been a tearful reunion for Charlie. Angel Dust would have laughed and played it off like it was nothing, though he would have secretly been touched that Charlie cared enough to cry over someone like him, and Vaggie would have been left to care for Charlie and steer her in the direction of her daily duties.

Absently, you reached for a box and began pouring yourself a bowl of Glutton-O’s. There was a thunk in the bowl as a dead cockroach pinned to a cheap ring of plastic fell into it. You hummed at Nifty’s idea of a breakfast prize, though you didn’t scoff at it. Instead, you opted to wear it, just in case the psychotic little maid was around. If she was, you would make her happy, and if she wasn’t, you could always throw it away when you were far from the Hotel.

Despite claiming the prize, you opted not to eat the tainted cereal, getting up to leave instead.

“Ah, (Y/N), good morning,” Alastor greeted you energetically as if he had only just spotted you when in reality he had been waiting patiently for you to awaken and head downstairs.

“Morning Alastor,” You replied warmly, used to his sudden appearances.

“I didn’t know you were back in our wonderful home. Tell me, was it trouble in Paradise with Lucifer?” His head lurched to the side and his grin became more malicious as he mentioned his rival’s name, though he was back to his default expression a moment later when you replied.

“Christ on a stick, Al. You make it sound like we’re a couple or something.” You shook your head, chuckling, “No, everything’s fine between me and Charlie’s dad. I just came over to visit last night. I’ll be going soon though.”

“Going? Oh my. Well, I can’t let you go without first ensuring you’ve had an enchanting day out. How would you feel about joining me on my morning constitutional?”

You smiled and got up, straightening your crumpled clothes. “Sure, I could do with a walk.”

“Wonderful!” Alastor stamped his cane to the floor, and your outfit transformed into one more fitting for a trip to Cannibal Town.

“Oh,” You hummed, glancing down at the new outfit. You weren’t offended; Alastor liked his travelling companions to look their best and to be honest, you had needed a fresh change of clothes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my dear,” He replied brightly.

Then, Alastor offered you his arm, a rare gesture seeing as he didn’t liked to be touched, and after escorting you out of the hotel, the two of you separated, walking side by side.

You had been to Cannibal Town only twice in the past. The first time was because that was where you arrived upon your death. The second time, you were running from the carnage caused by some loan sharks wherein you had been caught in the crossfire. At the time, you had been dressed so poorly that the inhabitants of the elegant town had chased you to the border, trying to take a bite out of you.

Since then, you hadn’t been back. However, seeing as Alastor was escorting you and since you were now dressed to match the high standards Cannibal Town held, you felt safe in going there.

All those who passed by you and Alastor stopped to bow or tip their hats in due reverence to the Overlord.

“So…” You started, “Is this your territory?”

Alastor threw back his head and laughed, “Ha-ha-ha, my territory? No, no. This wonderful patch of Hell belongs to my good friend, Rosie. Now there’s a fine Lady, if you’ve ever met one.” He hummed happily, “Indeed, they don’t make them like her anymore. I’d introduce the two of you, but I have it on good authority that she is currently away attending business.”

With that, Alastor led you to some of the finer boutiques of the Town. He snapped his fingers and the attendees rushed to his side, crowding him, and pushing you out somewhat. You shrugged your shoulders and began looking around at the many wonderful clothes surrounding you.

You had seen old films wherein boutiques like this once existed, with attendants and fine boxes tied with perfectly curled ribbons. Until now, they had seemed to be a thing of the past, but one good thing about Hell was that the past was all around you, and should you want a taste of something more modern, you could always catch up with a bit of Vox-tech, ensuring the best of both worlds.

You heard the sharp static screech that meant Alastor was offended and turned to find him gesturing at you.

The salespeople who previously crowded him were suddenly surrounding you.

“Alastor, what’s going on?” You asked uncertainly.

“Well, my darling,” He grinned devilishly, “Call this my treat. It’s rare that I have someone travel with me so willingly and I do find it ever so nice to have a passion project these days. So, these fine people are ready to bow to your every whim. Clothes, pearls, a bottle of the finest Champagne, you name it and they will bring it to you. In fact-” Alastor clapped his hands lightly and suddenly a tiny imp rushed to his side, struggling under the weight of the ice bucket he held above his head.

Alastor waited as another hired imp hurried over to pour two flutes of Brut Imperial Moet & Chandon Champagne, handing one glass to Alastor and forcing the other into your hand.

Alastor took a sip and smacked his lips together, eliciting a satisfied sigh, “Ah, 1911, a fine vintage. So, a new wardrobe then?”

“Oh, Alastor, I- I couldn’t,” You said sheepishly as a Cannibal Tailor began taking your measurements, holding a tape measure against your leg.

You tried to walk back to Alastor but were restrained when the tailor hooked the tape around your waist.

“Nonsense, I insist.” Alastor chuckled.

“No, really. I didn’t come here to get anything from you.”

“Exactly! You don’t want anything from me, and that’s precisely why you shall have everything. I do ever so enjoy gifting my friends, especially those humble enough to try and deny me my eccentricities.”

You tried to argue further, but it quickly became an exercise in futility. No matter what happened, you would not be able to convince Alastor to change his mind. So, you gave in, and in doing so, you ended up having one of the best days of your afterlife.

That day, you felt like you were a part of a movie montage. You were rushed about into changing rooms to try on several outfits tailored to you, your face was peppered with makeup, attendants were constantly by your side, gushing over you and offering mimosas or whatever else your heart desired (though, you avoided the finger sandwiches filled with actual human fingers, or any other food, seeing as you were afraid of what might be in it.)

Overall, you knew that this kind of attention would be too much if you were constantly plied with it, but for a short while, it was fun, and you were happy to let yourself be spoiled.

Finally, Alastor decided he had given you enough and offered to take you out for afternoon tea, which you happily agreed to as long as there were some non-cannibal options.

Alastor rested a hand over his heart as if offended, “Oh, you non-cannibals don’t know the kind of flavours you are missing, but if you insist, I promise to take you to one of the tamer venues in town.”

He waved the attendants away, leaving your new belongings to a Demon who would have them transported directly into your room.

When the two of you sat down outside of the Insani-Tea tea house that overlooked the pavilion in the central plaza, Alastor sighed contentedly. He picked up his cup and swirled it around airily, taking a look at the scenery as he changed the topic from the previous ones about the hotel, “This has been quite a lovely day if I do say so myself.”

You smiled happily, resting your hands around your tea cup and relishing the gentle warmth, “It has. Thank you, Alastor. I needed a nice day like this.”

“Hm? So, life with our all-powerful Satan hasn’t been all you imagined.”

You chuckled as Alastor caught your eye, “Well, it was all Charlie’s idea, and you know what she’s like when she gets a thought into her head.”

“Indeed. A very determined young lady.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“You’re not happy, then?”

You took a moment to contemplate the question, “Honestly? I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in a very long time. It’s… hard sometimes to be in such a new place when I felt so at home in the hotel, but I think that Charlie might be on the right track when it comes to Lucifer.

Granted, her methods are… Well, she’s a real ballbuster when it comes to her ideals on friendship and the like, but I think that if her father could see what she’s trying to do and make a connection with people like us then he would see that Hell isn’t just one big punishment and that he and his family did manage to build something sort of good here.”

At the mention of Sinners as a Collective, Alastor’s grin became darker and more sinister in nature, as if he didn’t approve of your placement of him and the other Sinners on the same level, though, distracted as you were, you missed his disapproval and sense of superiority. He however didn’t miss the way your smile softened when you mentioned Lucifer’s success.

It wasn’t love. Of that, Alastor was certain, but if he nudged you in the right direction, you could probably fall for that blonde idiot, and if that happened, and if Lucifer somehow also found feelings for you, Alastor could use you to manipulate Lucifer.

Like all of Alastor’s plans, this would take time and a lot of work, but the reward would be great. With time, he would be the new ruler of Hell, and that was a day he sorely looked forward to.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that our darling Charlie was right in her hunch,” He said genially. “You should continue to work with Lucifer. I’m sure it would be beneficial for everyone.”

 “We’ll see,” You agreed, taking a sip of your tea.

Lucifer paced back and forth in the Pride Parlor where you usually spent your afternoons. Where were you? You had been missing all day.

He folded his arms tightly against his chest as he paced. Had he upset you the night before? What was he thinking? Of course he had! You had told him how you died, and now… Now, what? Had you run away? Should he call Charlie?

Lucifer didn’t know what to do. He didn’t own you, and while you had claimed him as your friend, he had never reciprocated in kind.

The sound of the door opening caught Lucifer’s attention and he looked up hopefully, but it was only Spick closely followed by Span, each of the snakes holding feather dusters and getting to work cleaning the room. Lucifer watched as Span dusted the fireplace mantle, his eyes travelling upward to a portrait of him and Lilith together; it was one of the earlier pieces he had commissioned from an awful Sinner, Salvador Dali; the artist’s punishment for selling his soul to an Overlord had been that whenever he was commissioned, he wasn’t allowed to paint his beloved surrealism art and could instead only paint portraits.

In the painting, Lucifer was staring intently at Lilith, admiring her for everything she was or ever would be since her potential was limitless to him. She however was looking straight ahead, a demure smile upon her face.

When Lucifer thought of you, he couldn’t help also thinking of Lilith. Granted, you and he were only friends, but Lilith had also disappeared and now she had been missing for seven lonely years. Lucifer would hate to think that he had driven the only other person to live with him since then away too.

Anxiously, he twisted his wedding ring from side to side, feeling more miserable than ever.

“Hey boys,” Your cheery voice greeted as you entered the parlour.

Lucifer spun around to find you eagerly smushing Spick and Span’s faces like they were puppies or something equally as pettable.

“(Y/N)… You’re back,” He murmured quietly.

Mistaking his quietness for indifference towards you, you wilted somewhat, “Yeah, but I can uh- I can leave again if that’s what you want.”

“What I want?” Lucifer repeated listlessly. He held up his hand as if he was going to touch you, but let it drop again, “I’m… I’m going to my workshop.”

You nodded, your brows furrowing at the strange exchange, “Okay, I’ll- I’ll be in my room.”

Lucifer passed by you to leave the parlour first, then he seemed to change his mind, if only for a moment.

“It’s good to have you back,” He said softly before heading out.

You smiled to yourself, relieved. “It’s good to be back.”

You thought that Lucifer hadn’t heard you, yet as he walked to his workshop, a small smile reached his lips; it had been a long time since he’d considered anyone new to be a friend.

[her-acts-of-cruelty]

huge rhrn spoilers!!

this is my review. :3

if you spot any mistakes, let me know! curious to see what other people thought

this is long btw... and broken into sections in no particular order.

1. marketing

i, like many other fans, saw the teaser dropped and assumed the movie wouldn't be out at least until the end of the year, as par the tradition with most movies. However, this isnt movies, in fact i think forge released this movie at the perfect time for a couple reasons. the first beingo that the release date was on Litha, also known as the summer solstice. the reason this is significant is that many ceremonies for this holiday include celebrations with large groups, something that RHRN provided. I felt like this really added to the aspect of attending a "ritual". another reason forge was quite smart for this is that the hype for people around the world to see what happened at the Kia Forum hadnt died down yet. this worked in his favour, considering this sudden drop brought up the attention again.

i really liked that they used Father Jim Defroque as a marketing tactic. Especially considering it connected festival goers at Download to feel connected with fans that weren't there. The use of Jim's posters at download was very fun too, and fitting they got vandalised due to non-ghost fans assuming it was a real priest. for me that added to the authenticity that he's a real person that is very serious about protesting this movie!!!

i also liked the experimentation going on, even if it doesnt go to plan (problems with the jim video drop), the fact that these new mediums are being tested out allows room to figure out kinks and try them again in the future. it added to the interactive element, and made me forget tobias existed, and that this was a very real band and there were very real things going on that i had to be weary of.

2. Music

One thing i did notice is the improvement in quality compared to their previous live album, Ceremony and Devotion. Obviously theres a big change in vocals, i was very surprised that Copia's vocals seemed a lot more high pitched than what i had remembered.

the easiest comparison i can make that's accessible to everyone right now here Rite Here Rite now's Absolution, and Ceremony and Devotion's Absolution. most notably for me was the backing vocals and the presence of this growling and sinister tone, that i really enjoyed. the overall quality is definitely there too, i'm not certain on the specifics but i know for a fact there was a very different set up this time around, compared to C&D.

if you have ghost live, was such a haunting moment. theres many little elements, the backing vocals, the gorgeous piano, and the incredible cello players had a huge part in making this version sound the way it did. the amount of passion and emotion here reflected the message of the song, there was a sense of unity that i felt really stood out.

Its also worth talking about The Future is a Foreign Land. oh my god i cried when i heard this for the first time. this song really encapsulates that sort of bond-esque era of music, undeniably it had that 60s ring to it. It did also remind me of Magna Carta Cartel (more so than subvision, i dont think subvision has quite the same sway as this specific song). i know some others have pointed this out and i'm glad.

from a story point, this song is really interesting. considering we previously had no context of how nihil responded following the events of kiss the go-goat, it was kind of cathartic to know that he did genuinly feel bad for his actions. more about this in the use of animation though.

For tobias forge, this song was really interesting. i felt like it was a bit too blatant having the mention of 2024, i guess it felt like it was implying that from that moment nihil knew that thqt was the year copia would take over as head of the clergy, or at least that seestor would die. which wouldnt make sense? i dont think? idk comments are on, share what you want.

3. Animation/mixed mediums

i wasnt sure how the animation element would tie in with the movie when i first saw it announced, but honestly i think this was the best way to do it. while i was a bit disappointed to see nothing new from liz fenning and justin andrews, the decision to lean into the comments of ghost making scooby doo music and using that artsyle was very fun.

i also felt like this was a time effective way of explaining the events post kiss the go-goat. seestor's idgaf attitude was amazing, im so glad that this didnt fall back on letting nihil get the girl in the end. characters dont have to get back together, and im glad they didnt. this felt more real and more personal, the two of them only sticking around to work and to make sure their children grew up to serve their duties.

the overlay during year zero was so fucking cool. i think its clips from swedish black comedy "Häxan" but i could be very very wrong. this made me very happy though, i wasnt expecting this and was a nice way to throw in some references to swedish media, especially one that also enjoys making fun of the fear around witchcraft and satanism,

4. the ghouls!!

suspiciously well behaved. did not expect that. i was a bit disappointed that we didnt see that much of them and that they were so well behaved??? what happened to my feral creatures???

as per usual, their perfomances were amazing. the backing vocals sent me to heaven, i think best example of this is during mary on a cross, or kaisarion. Seeing Phantom and Dew show off their silly skills was very fun, love me a man that can become a pretzel while he serenaded me with songs of satan. while i am upset that we lost Aether, im glad his replacement is bringing some silliness to his role and seeing his growth with the band had been really rewarding.

i will say cirrus's reaction to seestors death did get me. like damn. youre right this is sad. i think also seeing someone die is actually quite shocking, we dont really know much about seestors relationships with the ghouls so theres not a whole bunch i can add.

im so glad they werent unmasked, i feel like that would've ruined the mystery of what ghouls look like. and i mean not as performers but as fictional creatures. everyone has their own version, similar to how Vessel from Sleep Token keeps on his mask to allow the audience to project onto him.

hearing rain's voice scared the shit out of me. i forgot he knew how to do that.

5. the off stage segments

i am so glad this is how the movie was broken up. what comes to mind for me is copia and nihil in the box just before if you have ghost. this was a gut punch of a moment for me, for a deadbeat parent to just decide they want to be there all of a sudden, because your other parent is bothering you? i did appreciate that big drop of "oh yeah actually i had three songs oops anyway deep breaths loser youre on"

the sudden drop of something like that is insane, and nihil being so smug about it, knowing that he's been keeping that quiet for so long just aaaaaah. but also i get why it was kept quiet, considering how personal the Future is a Foreign Place is to him.

it was at this point i began to cry. and i did not stop crying at this movie, even past the credits.

i did love that there was like no real chemistry between copia and Ashley. like yes, she has a job to do, and copia is known for being useless around women. and also like, theyre co-workers, they dont need to have romantic relations. i liked that!!

i am going to jump to the ending. post encore after the hot air balloon scene. i will not be spending much time on this because my dumbass really believed that copia would just float away into space and thats the movie over.

seestor's death was so unexpected. but i think it made sense. i have mixed feeling about her, mainly the whole "lol yeah i told my 55 year old son i was his mum last month and now ive decided to parent" but thats mainly it. she has a job to do, and she does it well. shes also just the baddest bitch in the world.

i was crying at her dying. and then hearing Copia's pathetic cries had me choke at the emotional whiplash as my friend laughed at me. and i laughed at copia because what the fuck was that noise bro.

AND SHE DIED IN HER HEELS??? girl is serving cunt in the afterlife thats C-U-N-T spells CUNT

finding out copia has a twin (?) was also very shocking, id always assumed he was named Copia becauses hes a copy of his dad, not because like... hes one of two??

Post credits had the entire audience gagged. firstly, seeing copia out of his red tracksuit and wearing his fancy new suit that came with being promoted to Father Imperator (or frater imperator, as some have dubbed him which makes sense and is fair) had me yeowling like a cat being dragged to the vets. Tears were over by this point, i was so proud of him. and happy that forge didnt lie, copia dient die he just now is the real one in charge.

the does also shine a light on how papa doesnt actually have any power, he's just a pawn for the clergy (secondo spitting out im a marrionette??? hello??? he knew full well that he was never the one in charge which is insane. but also fitting for him as a person).

if you're still reading i am very impressed. heres where i put the conclusion;

in conclusion, for Forge's first movie, this was AMAZING. For a band that was originally meant to be scary, its nice seeing them be silly and lean into the things people joke about. they're self aware, and they're fun. i really hope there are future installments and that we get an expansion on the lore (tv show when???)

thank you for reading, here's to Papa V and making new memories!

[lulu2992]

So I watched the Director’s Cut versions of Rebel Moon Part One & Two, respectively renamed Chalice of Blood and Curse of Forgiveness, exactly one week ago, the day they were released.

As a person who generally doesn’t enjoy the idea of watching films that are over 2.5 hours, really isn’t a fan of gore, and thinks sex scenes are uncomfortable and unnecessary 95% of the time, I was rather apprehensive, to say the least, since those three things are precisely what the two movies promised. Still, I managed to watch them on the same day even though the fact it was hot outside and consequently almost 30°C in my room probably didn’t help me not to feel unwell for a good portion of my viewing experience :’)

However, there’s a fourth thing the new version of the films promised, and this, on the contrary, is exactly what I love and probably what kept me going: more lore. I won’t go into too much detail so as not to spoil major plot points here, but I think Chalice of Blood and Curse of Forgiveness kept all their promises.

Some characters get a proper introduction (notably Aris and Nemesis), or more screen time so we understand them and what they do (mostly the Priests, Hawkshaws, and Jimmy), or a better, more satisfying, sometimes more emotional ending. We also get completely new scenes and characters, and that too greatly helps the narrative, whether it’s by adding more backstory, taking the time to explain someone’s motivations more clearly, revealing how some people reacted to certain events, or detailing how something works.

Also, some of the “mistakes” viewers complained about, for example the spaceship being powered with coal or somebody not missing any teeth after we clearly see them get knocked out, are fixed in the Director’s Cut. It turns out those things were not illogical, they were just censored for the PG-13 version…

As for the sex scenes, while they weren’t indispensable, I have to admit they do serve a purpose. The two “main” ones have a character in common, so we can see how different that person feels and acts with each of their two partners. The scenes need to exist together because they’re only really interesting when you compare them, but that’s how they tell a story. Never in my life had I been so happy to see someone successfully remove a bra, haha! There’s also, of course, the one that involves tentacles, which was–thankfully–milder than I thought it would be, and another unexpected one that happens off-screen but was a rather nice and cute surprise, in my opinion.

And, yes, aside from giving us more blood and more sex, we also get… more wheat! I really don’t mind, though. In fact, this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I’d watch one hour of the cast (actually) harvesting crops in slow motion over just one minute of heads exploding any day :’)

While they’re still not perfect, I think Chalice of Blood and Curse of Forgiveness are improved versions of A Child of Fire and The Scargiver. I still like Part Two better than Part One, but overall, as promised, we get more information about the world, the characters, and their stories in the Director’s Cut. Sometimes, it’s just a new line of dialog or a short interaction that’s added here and there, but it really does a service to the films and makes them, although they’re much longer (especially the first one), feel more coherent, more compelling, and less rushed.

At the end of the day, I think what I most appreciate about Rebel Moon is still that it was brought to life with a lot of care and passion. The two art books, Wolf: Ex Nihilo: Cosmology & Technology and Wurm: Ex Materia: Heroes & Monsters, confirm how painstakingly made and well-thought-out everything was, and I will always love and respect this about this project.

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Qu Alt Stage 4* Card Story

chapter 1 -starless hallway-

saki: Oh, Qu-san, that outfit…

qu: Pretty, isn’t it? It’s my Valentine’s Day costume from a few years ago. I was reorganising our outfits and couldn’t help but want to try it on again. I feel as though costumes with such vibrant colours like this one are unique to our seasonal performances.

saki: Now that you mention it, that’s true. I think it really suits you, Qu-san.

qu: Thanks, I’m happy to hear you think so. I kind of want to pull out a couple more to wear now.

-time pass, break room-

saki: Ah, you changed costumes, Qu-san.

qu: Yes, this one is from our ‘Daydream’ performance. It’s a pretty recent costume, it’s quite unique, isn’t it?

-time pass, starless office-

saki: Oh, another lovely costume!

qu: This one’s from ‘Red White’. Its colours really have that New Year’s vibe. There’s still so many more costumes too, I’m honestly surprised at how many we’ve accumulated over the years. I also found one that’s very nostalgic, I’ll be wearing it next.

saki: Uwah, I’ll be looking forward to it!

qu: Fufu, then meet me in the rehearsal room later.

-time pass, saki peeking into rehearsal room-

saki: Qu-san? Am I here too early…?

qu: No, you’re just on time.

-saki steps into rehearsal room-

qu: It’s my stage costume from when I used to be on Team P. Fufu, it really is nostalgic wearing it again.

saki: It stands out in a different way compared to your Team C outfit.

qu: What do you think? Does it still suit me now, I wonder?

saki: Yes, perfectly! You look great.

qu: I’m happy to hear it gets your seal of approval. In that case how about I greet the guests wearing this today?

saki: Huh? In your P costume?

qu: Fufu, I’m only joking. It might cause problems for Team P. If I were to walk out wearing a different team’s costume without announcing it beforehand I’m sure it’d shock the guests.

saki: Then, it’s only something I’ll get to see now hm? Thank you for showing me. It kind of makes me want to see you perform with Team P again one day.

qu: Yeah, maybe someday. Since five years have passed I feel as though I could show you a new and improved version of myself compared to back then.

-

chapter 2 -shopping centre-

saki: Oh? Is that you, Qu-san?

qu: Saki? What a surprise it is to run into you here. It’s a happy coincidence though, would you happen to be free right now? I’d love to chat with you whilst I shop.

-time pass, different part of the shopping centre-

qu: I think I’ve bought a pretty good haul. I wanted to try buying some eyeshadow colours that I don’t usually wear. I’m thinking of pairing it with my stage outfit. I’d like for you to see the finished look and get your opinion, is that ok?

saki: Yes, of course. There are mirrors all over the rehearsal room so you’ll be able to see it well too.

qu: Oh right— Here, take this.

saki: Ah, would you like me to carry that for you? You can give me the larger bag if you want.

qu: Oh no, that’s not what I meant, I’d never make you carry my bags for me. Inside this paper bag is a present for you. I thought it would look nice on you, it’s that new lipstick from the brand we were looking at before. It’s one of their limited seasonal shades, think of it as a thank you gift for coming shopping with me.

saki: Wha, are you sure?

qu: Of course. I’d love for you to use it. It’s a colour that should be easy to pair with everyday outfits too.

-time skip, rehearsal room-

qu: Sorry for the wait, Saki. Ah, just let me put on my fishnets.

-cg

qu: I was so fixated on the new makeup I bought that I almost forgot to put my stockings on. I usually wear gold eyeshadow, but I tried some warmer red hues for this look. What do you think?

saki: It has a different kind of impact compared to your usual makeup. I think that it suits you just as well. The red hues make it very eye catching.

qu: Red is known to be a seductive colour. I wanted to try entice you with it.

saki: Huh!?

qu: Fufu, I actually ended up liking this colour combination more than I expected. It brings the whole ensemble together.

-cg gone

qu: I wanted to try some more looks but— In the end I think I should keep up my usual look on the stage. It’s what highlights my face best.

saki: I see, is that so? You sure do consider a lot of things before making a decision. Stage makeup is pretty complex.

qu: Whether I change it up or not depends on the vibe of the show.

saki: Fufu, I’ll be looking forward to seeing what new things you come up with.

qu: Thanks. C’mon, it’s your turn now. Do you have the lipstick I bought with you? I’ll apply it for you. Here, part your lips slightly and raise your chin for me, ok?

saki: Like this—?

qu: —Yep, there we go, it looks great. Take a look in the mirror.

saki: …Wow, it’s so different to what I usually wear. So this is what the shade looks like applied, hm?

qu: You look super cute, Saki. And it’s not just because of the lipstick I chose.

—end

[contentloadingandstuff]

Fluff Headcanons - Spooky gaming with the genshin characters!

A/N: The fluff version of the Halloween special, and a bit of a new format. I hope you enjoy!

C/W: Modern AU, swearing, game-typical violence.

Alhaitham

This year, Alhaitham wanted something less conventional. Something that would really engage his mind with interesting commentary about society and the world at large, but still retain some of that spooky vibe. 

Cruelty Squad easily caught his attention with its assaulting graphics and interesting premise. It clearly begged for attention, and he was willing to humor it. 

It was precisely what he was looking for, and what an answer it was. Alhaitham had no trouble adjusting to a more corporate mindset.

Alhaitham: The super AI emerges from an extremely pornographic ultra hyper suck and fuck…

Kaveh: Um… What? What are you talking about?

Alhaitham: You don't understand, Kaveh. Everything that surrounds us? It's Gorbino's Quest. The Gorbino's Quest... of life.

Ganyu

The poor little cinnamon roll isn't that much of a horror fan. Violence and death generally unsettles her, but Ganyu still wants to feel some of that holiday spirit. 

After a lengthy deliberation, Ganyu chose Little Nightmares. The graphics are quite pleasing to the eye, it is horror, but not so horrible and violent. At least that's what she heard.

Ganyu: Oh, look! It's a Nome, right? And it's offering me food… How nice of it! Um… Oh n-no! Why would you d-do that?!

Amber

The great outdoors with a horror theme? Count her in!

Amber made sure to avoid spoilers to have the full, unprecedented The Forest experience. The landscape is so serene and peaceful… The freedom of movement, the sounds of nature and the survival elements are so fun and relaxing!

True, there are some hostile people on the island, but they seem harmless enough.

Until the night falls…

Amber: Wait… What's that? That doesn't look human… Did it just birth out… Ew… Yikes! It's coming at me! 

Suffice to say, Amber stuck around until more or less the moment when you have to chop up bodies and make effigies out of the parts.

Beidou

Alcohol, hard rock and murdering demons with big guns is how Beidou plays on Halloween, so she'll gladly hop on Doom Eternal.

There's nothing better than impaling a snake demon's head with its own broken arm, right as the beat drops. 

Beidou: Life has enough undefeatable horrors. Let's just have some fun tonight!

Ningguang

The old ones are the good ones! Ningguang doesn't play a lot of video games, but she did like a few titles back in her younger days. 

On this special occasion, Ningguang got a box of her old possessions to dig through, and found the original Dungeon Keeper on CD. 

Everything is just as she remembered it was. 

Ningguang: Oh, these imps… They are the perfect workers, aren't they? They don't eat, sleep, need vacation, have a social life, and they work harder when you slap them. Ah, if only I had them as my subordinates…

Keqing: *narrows eyes*

Kokomi

Another fan of the retro side of games, Kokomi enjoys a good tactical challenge - developing the ability to conjure small scale plans is as important as improving the grand ones.

Her pick is Myth II: Soulblighter. It’s a brutal, unforgiving RTS with a distinctively dark atmosphere - just perfect for the season at hand.

Even when Halloween comes to a close, Kokomi will find it hard to drop the game. The insanity that is Legendary is quite addictive indeed…

Kokomi: You here… You here… And now the crescendo!

Game: “Move here move there…”

Game: “Catch!”

Game: *explosion*

Game: “Casualty.”

Kokomi: Oh. Change of plans, I guess…

Yae Miko

Upon hearing of the wonderful possibilities for tormenting the other party, Miko didn't hesitate to bring out the Mora for Dead By Daylight and all of its DLC. 

Though it was quite fun at first, the ugly nature of the game soon surfaced. As none of her friends were brave enough to delve into this swamp, she was forced to join up with random people, who frequently threw the games. 

Such a combination was enough to make even such an ancient and wise kitsune lose her absolute cool.

Ei: Why are you crouching behind that tree, Miko?

Miko: The killer has caught one of my teammates, and I will release them by ambushing them with a flashlight! 

Miko: Come on… Now! You didn't expect that, did y- What?? Lightborn?! Again?! Who even plays it nowadays?! Oh, you daft, blind motherf-

Ei: Miko!

Miko: Oh… Hm. Sorry. I got a little carried away. But that's sooo unfair, isn't it? Why would they add a perk that cancels a whole mechanic? I can't believeitthegameissokillersided…

Xiangling

Xiangling absolutely didn't look forward to Halloween, especially with Hu Tao around. She just can't take horror, at all, of any kind, ever. Especially jumpscares.

She still couldn't believe that she agreed to play a horror game, let alone one suggested by the director. The one and only Five Nights At Freddy's at that.

Much to Hu Tao's amusement, she didn't even make it past Night 1. Xiangling was thoroughly spooked, and after being jumpscared once she completely refused to keep playing. 

Seeing Xiangling so terrified made Guoba very upset, and Hu Tao quickly apologized to avoid being roasted by the angry god. 

Hu Tao: So he killed the kids, but then! Their souls escaped their robot prisons and made an old spring lock suit crush him to death! WoOoo~

Xiangling: Ah! Hu Tao! No more! 

Guoba: Nane na! Grr…

Hu Tao: Oh, don't fret little Guoba! I'm just joking!

Zhongli

Morax always had trouble catching up with the latest cultural and technological trends of the humans. Sure, he can use a computer more than well enough, but he finds third and first person video games confusing. The gameplay is most often too fast and rapidly changing for him to be up to speed with it, let alone enjoy it. 

Throughout all of his exponentially long life, nobody was as persistent in including him in the festivities as Hu Tao. She tried to convince Zhongli to play something horror-related, but he was assertive. So, the director decided to find a game that would suit his liking - an indie title. 

Her pick fell on Water Womb World - it's simple mechanically, is quite disturbing and has an interesting concept. 

Much to her surprise, Zhongli thoroughly enjoyed his fifteen minutes with the game, even if he didn't find it very scary.

Zhongli: Ah, I agree with the message of this title. The blind belief in deities can lead to fanaticism, which breeds regress rather than progress. I do think that a more healthy and critical approach to Rex Lapis' rule would be beneficial to our current day society. Especially that the age of gods draws to an end…

Hu Tao: Aiya! Do you have to turn everything into a lecture, Zhongli? You're not my grandpa, are you?

Hu Tao

An avid enjoyer of the spookfest, Hu Tao decided to pick something hitting closer to home this year - Mortuary Assistant.

The gameplay loop feels great! Just like in her line of work, just without the smell. She's having the time of her life preparing the corpse for burial. And hunting the demon. That's also quite cool!

Hu Tao: *hums while wheeling the corpse into the crematory* 

Game: "Are you sure?"

Hu Tao: Yup! I know your tricks more than well. Aiyaya, you could try something more interesting next round! Furnace time~

Game: *sounds of fire and demonic screaming*

Hu Tao: Toodle-oo~

Bennet, Noelle, Fischl, Razor

A few weeks before Halloween, Bennett mentioned a game night, since he couldn't be there in person. Noelle, diligent as ever, picked this up as a cue to start looking for something. 

Luckily for her, Phasmophobia was on a large and affordable discount, so after proposing the idea and organizing a money pool, they all got to proving the existence of ghosts.

Lisa lent Razor her personal computer for the night, on condition that she could take a little peek every now and then at their session without interrupting - and what an amusement it was, as none of them are especially acquainted with horror.

Noelle: "The ghost responds only to people who are alone." Somebody has to go in to talk to it… 

Razor: Razor won't go! Ghost scary!

Bennett: I would go, but with my luck, the ghost will eat me right away…

Fischl: Hmph! Although yes, I, Fischl, The Prinzessin Der Verurteilung and the founder of The Immernatchreich possess the courage to face demons and spawns of darkness alike, I…

Everyone: So you'll go then?

Amy: Um… N-no! You m-misunderstood!

Furina

The Great-And-Grand Archon of Fontaine played and saw every horror game and movie, and never once got scared. Or that's what she claims, at least.

That's why Focalors decided to prove her excellence with a true, dark challenge she could easily overcome, thus proving her gaming capabilities for all to see!

In hindsight, Darkest Dungeon wasn't the best of choices she could have made… It did amuse Monsieur Neuvilette, however. 

Neuvillette: I think you should retreat. Your heroes are close to dying. 

Furina: I appreciate your advice, my dear Iudex, but your worries are misplaced! My Crusader will deal a critical hit, thus ending the pig-man's miserable opposition, and granting us treasure galore! Watch and marvel at my skill!

Game: "A singular strike!"

Furina: Ahaha, see? I told you it would be fine~ Wait… It's not dead yet…?

Game: "Mortality - clarified in a single strike!"

Furina: Um…

Game: "There can be no hope in this hell, no hope at all…"

Game: "And now the true test - hold fast, or expire."

Game: "Those who cover injury find it in no short supply."

Game: "As life ebbs, terrible vistas of emptiness reveal themselves."

Furina: Ret- T-tactical withdrawal! 

Game: "Cornered, trapped, forced to fight on!"

Game: "This is no place for the weak, or the foolhardy."

Game: "More blood soaks the soil, feeding the evil therein."

Game: "Perched at the very precipice of oblivion."

Game: "More dust, more ashes, more disappointment."

Game: "Another life wasted in the pursuit of glory and gold."

Game: "Wounds to be tended. Lessons to be learned."

Neuvillette: Lady Furina, if only you had-

Furina: Silence.

Shenhe

Shenhe never gets scared. The most terrible of monsters or existential terrors are no match for her training and resolve, no matter how unexpected they might be. She might not get scared, but she can get startled, right?

Who else would pose that question but Hu Tao, the mistress of horrors herself? It was always her objective to get some sort of reaction out of the adepti disciple, no matter how insignificant and small it might be. Many things were attempted - scary movies, troubling situations, body horror, cosmic horror, existential horror… But none of them ever worked. Shenhe remained stalwart.

Out of desperation, Hu Tao was forced to reach for the ultimate weapon. The bane of those unprepared. The myth. The legend. The game.

The Scary Maze Game. 

After plugging in an old spare monitor, she invited Shenhe to “test her precision”, and stepped a few safe meters back. 

The monitor ended up skewered with her polearm, but Shenhe did yelp - much to her delight. 

Not all was fun and games though, as Hu Tao got the mother of all lectures from Cloud Retainer. Something about Shenhe’s red ropes breaking, but the director didn’t pay much attention, and just nodded along.

Hu Tao: Heya, Shenhe… You don’t mind the little scare I gave you back on Halloween night, do you…?

Shenhe: Oh? Well, as much as I was upset during the moment, I must admit it was quite… cathartic. I never experienced anything like that. I do not hold any grudge towards you. Actually… Thank you for that, director Hu Tao.

Hu Tao: Phew! And I was here thinking I’ll share the fate of that display!

🎃Happy Halloween!🎃

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I was so excited to see this 1892 Victorian b/c of the round turret. But, I am in shock over what they did to the home. I never expected this. Located in Goshen, New York, it has 5bds, 4.5ba, and they want $995K. I wouldn't give them $9.95. Look at how they completely stripped it of all character.

There was no point in showing the center entrance hall, b/c it's been stripped of everything. Instead of 2 sitting rooms, there's a modern living room and a dining room across the hall.

This was sitting room #1.

And, here's the dining room, which was probably the reception room. Why did they leave the original exterior intact? What was the point? The should've put up vinyl siding.

The original dining room was turned into a dinette, I guess. The windows. Wonder if that rectangular one was stained glass.

I have never seen anything like this. Usually, they'll paint the original woodwork white, or leave a little something original. Every piece of millwork was removed.

The new guest powder room.

Oh, lord, whatever beautiful original railing there was has been replaced. They just gutted every single bit of Victoriana and left nothing. I wonder if they at least sold it to an architectural salvage company.

I'm certain that they removed the fireplaces from the bedrooms. They even modernized the windows in the bump-out. Crown moldings are gone, everything's gone.

Blech.

There were probably lovely doors to a terrace, but they've been replaced by modern glass doors.

The new, improved terrace. I'm picturing a quaint covered porch that might've been here.

Modern bath.

They left a fireplace in the primary bedroom, but it's modernized and has a deep window in what was once the chimney.

Could this be any more bland?

This must be their version of a modern clawfoot tub.

And, it's in the round turret that I was so excited about.

Note that instead of allowing us to see right to the top, they constructed a weird frame for an overhead fixture and blocked it with a disk. They say that it has a turret- this is no longer a turret. I pictured brick walls and an amazing cozy little room, but now it's an angular tub room thanks to wall board and wallpaper.

The bedrooms are a waste of time and so are the baths.

And, we are in the finished attic on the 3rd level.

There's nothing anyone can do to fix it. It's ruined. The corner lot is 0.4 acre.

[loving-n0t-heyting]

finally finished pokemon black & white 3: genesis, a romhack of crystal version by azurekeys (github repository) (assuming theres not remaining postgame i havent discovered yet). its a sequel storyline with new protags and several new npcs (including a bare midriff mean girl rival that i think might appeal to a large segment of the site population here), and is set a few yrs after B2/W2 in unova

the painstaking recreation of unova in the crystal engine is superb, not least of all bc the "down"grade from the uncanny semi-3d graphics of gen 5 to the soothing blocky 2d of the crystal engine is a clear visual improvement. compare the rendition of village bridge between routes 11/12:

for me, at least, this scratches the same pleasant spot in my brain as careful miniature recreations of cities in model train setups, or reconstructions of whatever setting in minecraft. this ofc also involved a reworking of several later gen pokemon (and moves and items &c.) as sprites, which i think was mostly executed wonderfully. check out the games rendition of sylveon for example (yes ik, shes from gen vi, but then so is fairy type generally; would you really not include fairy type?):

anyway, if this sounds like yr sort of thing, you should go check it out!

[averagewriter777]

ghost/tall masked reader?

Oh gosh this was so much fun. Sorry it took so long!

For those who don't know, a corporal is a higher rank than both a captain and lieutenant. And sometimes, with wars raging, you have to go around and help where you can. Oh- and not everything is knowledgable to the military... in this case at least. There is also no gender for this reader :)

You hated hearing it. The same sentence every time you enter a room or a new situation. Your reaction was the same each time too: a big eye roll and a rough ‘thanks’ or ‘fuck off’. It was either being in line or out of line for this.

“Jesus Christ, Price. You didn’t tell us we’d be having a fucking skyscraper on our team.” You didn’t really like Sergeant MacTavish, for several reasons. He acted too loosely around serious matters, even in missions, apparently. And in your specific line of work, you’d like to take everything seriously.

Price pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Soap. Shut up. You’re supposed to make them feel welcome.” He turned to you, shooting an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, Corporal Riley. It’ll get better. Usually around here, rank is ignored in situations as such.” 

That didn’t make you feel any better, especially considering how you looked. You stood at a whopping 6’11” and weren’t afraid to show the muscles on your skin. A metal skull mask covered the bottom half of your face, where nasty scars littered across your chin and lips. Heavy bags were painted under your (e/c) eyes too. Long story short, you scared several teams… Laswell said you’d do good on this one, because someone by the name of ‘Ghost’ did roughly the same thing you did… scare people, that is.

You’d seen him around, but hadn’t gotten the chance to personally speak with him. By the looks of it, Ghost was a private guy and didn’t like to be bothered. You weren’t about to poke the bear with him until he came to you first, even though you should be going around introducing yourself.

Currently, you were speaking with Price about some training exercises to go through. Some stuff from old teams- unlike what they’d been doing here. “This course has improved efficiency within men in the past. I understand Task 141 contains the best of the best, but there’s nothing wrong with challenging them.” You were showing him a much more complicated version of the weapons training course. “But you call the shots here, it’s your team.”

Price set his cigar between his fingers and out of his mouth, about to speak- but the door to the office opened without a knock. You frowned under your mask while Price simply let out a sigh. “Ghost, you need to learn to knock now. The Corporal and I could’ve been having a serious conversation.”

“Sorry,” Ghost apologized quietly. His eyes bore into yours, narrowing and widening for a second, then he looked at Price. “Sir, I need to speak with the Corporal for a second. I don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet either.” 

The Captain brought the cigar to his lips again, looking at you. You shrugged. “I’ll give you a chance to look over, consider everything. I’ll be back, John.” You set down the paper you’d been showing him and followed Ghost out of the room. He led you to a small corner that was out of ear shot from everything. “Right then, Ghost. I’ve been here three days, why the sudden meet-up?”

Ghost looked around, which meant moving his head around your body, to make sure the coast was completely clear. He took off his gloves, shoving them into his pockets. On his left hand, revealed a tattoo’d ring on his ring finger. Your eyes slowly widened as his mask came off next. “(Y/n), I’d first like to say I’m sorry for not telling you--”

Your hands went to his cheeks as you smiled under your mask. “A skull mask… I couldn’t recognize you when you had it on. Even with your pretty blue eyes…” The tension in Simon’s shoulders slowly released as you spoke. “They didn’t tell me you’d be here, but this is nice. It’s good to see my husband still alive after not seeing him for five months.”

Two years into your marriage and the longest Simon had ever been gone was a couple weeks. But after everything with Shepard, his time of deployment increased. You’d had a heavy heart about it, especially considering how lucky you’d been as well with your own assignments. Simon, or Ghost in this case, hadn’t gotten the chance to call, email or write to you at all. The 141 was on their toes all of the time.

“Didn’t mean to scare you, darling.” He removed your hands from his face, reaching for yours. Usually, you’d flinch if someone touched the metal mask- but he’d always been different. “You can see how busy we’ve all been. I would’ve loved to contact you in any way…”

You stopped his hands from unattaching the mask. You looked down at him, sad he couldn’t see the large grin that had crossed your lips. “You didn’t scare me, love. Just worried. Why don’t we go catch up? My room is just down the corridor.”

Simon blinked a few times. “Sure, the mask is coming off, right?” He looked up at you as he put on his own. The familiar glint in your eyes gave him the answer. “Fuck.”

“Indeed.” You grabbed his left hand and rushed both of you as quickly as possible to your room. The new training exercises could wait.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Show Questions from the Storyteller Conclave Episode on Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

During the show we were on, which you can listen to here, here, here, or here, we didn't have time to get to all of the audience questions on-air, so @ashweather and I went and answered them in the discord server.

Here they are.

Remember, the kickstarter is still funding until May 10th! We need your help to hit those stretch goals! Tell your friends!

If you want to try before you buy, you can download a free demo of the prerelease version from our website or our itch.io page!

If you’re interested in a more updated and improved version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy than the free demo you got from our website, subscribe to our Patreon where we frequently roll our new updates for the prerelease version!

You can also support us on Ko-fi, or by checking out our merchandise!

Join our TTRPG Book Club At the time of writng this, Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is the current game being played in the book club, and anyone who wants to participate in discussion, but can’t afford to make a contribution, will be given the most updated prerelease version for free! Plus it’s just a great place to discuss and play new TTRPGs you might not be able to otherwise!

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[a-random-pillow]

2012 Donatello adopts Rottmnt boys

So, during the space arc Donnie randomly gets thrown threw a portal into the 2018 AU.

So now Donatello is in a weird AF New York and oh look at the year it’s 1999. Despite him being in another universe Donnie is pretty sure his brothers will be able to save him soon. So, he moves into the sewers and sets up a very temporary home base.

A week later and you know Donnie is getting a little home sick, but he is sure his brothers will be here soon. Anyway, the dumping/trash laws in the universe are a lot worse so he can get a much of better/new materials so while he waits, he can work on a lot a cool projects in his down time.

1 month he really hopes his brother will get here soon because he is starting to go crazy. He managed to re-build Metalhead but you know not talking to anyone other than yourself for a month is kind of a lot for a turtle.

5 months, he isn’t growing. Like he has been studying his physiology and in 5 months he should have grown at least a little bit. This brings some worrying prospects, like time not passing the same between multiverses. He decides to make his base slightly more permanent, just in case.

1 year, Donnie is pretty sure he’ll be stuck here a lot longer then expected. He hasn’t even fully aged a day since he got here. Luckily this doesn’t affect his healing or else a paper cut could easily kill him.

2 years, he has been growing his lair since it’s something to do and he doesn't want to focus on his predicament. He kind of hopes someone will fall down here soon so he won’t be alone but he doesn’t think he’ll meet April or even Casey for like ten years at the soonest. Of course, he could just go find them but that might mess up the universe and he isn't sure what the consequences would be.

3 years, he meet his father and his brothers. Well this universe’s version. He found them in the sewers very lost, and yeah he couldn’t just leave them. So now they live with him, they are some very notable differences like A. Red/Rapheal is the oldest!! It kind of seems like Raph and Leo swapped but who knows at this point. B. All the turtles are different species, most importantly he is a soft shell. C. Splinter has much worse mental health. He regularly sees the man crying and has to comfort him. This universe is very strange. Red/Raph 2, Donnie/Purple and Leo/Blue are 1 while Mikey/Orange is few months old.

4 years, life is stressful but getting better. It’s nice having people around again, even though it sometimes hurts to see them. The little turtles have dubbed him mom which he doesn’t mind. He now has people to make inventions for again. Metalhead is the Defacto baby siter/protecter whenever Splinter and Donnie are busy. The issues of naming the turtles is brought up and Donatello becomes Tello and gives his name to his counterpart.

5 years, Splinter finally feels ready to move out. But they aren’t going far it’s only a three minutes' walk to their lair. It a gamble which lair anyone is sleeping at each night. Tello has been encouraging Splinter to improve his mental health, it’s an uphill battle given that the Hamato clan in his universe made horrible decisions, but they’ve made progress. He knows this Splinter sees him as a friend, but Donnie can’t help but look up at the man (Despite this Splinter being so short).

Year 6, Tello will never admit it to Leo but he’s been slacking on his training, so he decides to start practicing again. Of course, he trains where the boys can see and as expected they start to copy him and with Splinter’s permission, he starts to train them. Acording to the boys he is like 'Lou Jitsu' who is a action star in this universe, his skills seem to have some actual basis, so he doesn't stop them.

Year 7, it seems the turtles of this world were created very differently, he doesn't recognize this Draxum but from what Splinter says he's bad news. Mikey is 4, The twins are 5 and Raph is 6. Donnie has started to take an interest in tech as expected and Tello allows him to act as his Lab Assistant until Donnie can build own lab.

Year 8, April'o'Neil falls into their life and sticks to the turtles like glue. She is similar to his worlds April in her fire but that around where the similarits end. She's more of a sister then a friend and he is happy about that since he makes that hellish love tringle less likely to happen. When he gets back, he really needs to apologize to her for being so obsessive.

Year 9, Raph has started sneaking out, Tello sends metalhead to follow and protect him but doesn't stop him. The boys have been coming along well in there training but he can't teach them everything they need to know about there weapons. Luckily Splinter can fill in the gaps.

Year 10, he hasn't seen his family in a decade it hasn't really suck in how long he's been stuck here. He is still 16, at least physically, his meatal Deveopment is still 16 but he has 26 years' worth of life. He has grown a lot personally, helping to raise the turtles has let him see more of his own flaws and he lost that crush on April, but he still feels 16. Splinter never once asked how old he was, Tello isn't even sure how he would answer.

Year 11, Mikey is 8, the twins are 9 and Raph is 10. Tello feels more comfortable leaving the lair territory given that the boys are old enough to mostly understand the rules. Now he has started setting up safe houses around the city, just in case. He has been looking into their regular villains but the only one he can find is Stockman who apparently runs a supermarket and has a son???? He's keeping an eyes on them.

Year 12, Tello has been trying to learn new weapons, just to add more verity to his skill set. So as a training exercise he has each of the boys try to each him their weapons. Raph is the best, follows by Leo and the Mikey. Donnie gets out of this lesson by virtue of them both using the Bo. He ends up learning the Sai first.

Year 13, Tello makes himself to tech limb enhancements, they are made from high grade titiume. The act as amour and give his limbs more strength. For Christmas Donnie gifted him tech bo and Tello cried. These boys are more his sons then his brothers, he doesn't hate it.

Year 14, Mikey is 10, The twins are 11 and Raph 12. He knows that the boys have limited time before there lives hit the fan, he worries. He and Donnie make protective gear for them but he is always scared it won't be enough. A least he finally (relatively) mastered the Sai, next on his list were Leo's Katanas.

Year 15, he is pretty sure the Kraang don't exist in this world, he can't find any evidence of their existence. The Foot Clan is also elusive, but he has found evidence of their existence.

Year 16, Tello has officially been in this world an equal amount of time he had been in his world. The idea of going home is a lot less appealing now that he built his new family, of course he misses is brothers and father and always will but he has kids to protect.

Year 17, Donnie made S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. as a counterpart to Metalhead. Where Metalhead was more or less a tank that packed on hell of a punch S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was fast and much more tactial. Tello finished his garage with an array of motorized wounders inside. The Shell Rassier 2.0, The Stealth Bikes 2.0, and his new favorites the Hover Boards (Think the skateboards form Shredder's Revenge).

Year 18, he knows it's started. He can see it in Raph's heightened focus on training, in Leo increase in terrible jokes, Mikey's new hidden sketch books and Donnie's increase in secret projects. He never pushes them though.

Until one night he comes home to a trashed Shell Raiser and a frantic Donnie. The turtles tells him about what happened to the Shell Raiser, something about Meat Sweats? Tello carefully gets the whole story. Apparently, they were already fighting the foot clan, but no sigh of Shredder. Tello calls the other boys in and tells them he isn't angry but says they now haft to tell him who they fight and call him for backup.

He meets Draxum during the Big Mama Fascio and the Yokai is hella confused but the mutant turtle who he 100% didn't make. Like he clearly isn't a Yokai but form the dialogue it sounds like he's been a turtle for years.

[Insert most of the series]

He is shocked to find out Oroku Saki is actually good and not a complete bastard so yeah. ALSO KARAI IS HIS GRANDMA AND SHE JUST ACCPECTS HIM. HE EVEN GETS MAGIC POWERS!! They free the soul of Oroku Saki. The fuck do you mean Casey was raised by the Foot! Well he has another child to care for now. That brings him to seven children

Year 19, he's been making progress with Casey and everything has been relatively chill but he knows this isn't the end. Like the Rat King or Kraang are bound to show up soon. He enjoys the down time though. Draxum dose ask about how he came to exist and Tello eventually tells him about is alternate timeline predicament. (Drax is the first one to find out). He agrees to keep it a secret for now.

Then Casy Jones Junior shows up he says Master Tello was dragged through an unknown portal two years after the Kraang invasion. He assumes it's his brothers finally coming to get him and after the events of the Kraang invasion comes clean to everyone about his true origins. They are all in a mix of awe and horror.

Year 20, everyone has been trying to make Tello's last years with them count. Mikey makes a bunch of art with him, Donnie learns how to run Tello's network of labs, robots and cameras, Raph watches all of Tello's favorite movies with him, Leo glues himself to Tello's side and dose everything with him. Draxum gives him a cloaking brooch so he can experience so bits of human life, Oroku Saki teaches him how to fight in/against Shredder amour, Karai gives him therapy, Casey Jones Junior lets Tello teach about everything he can think of and Cassandra trains with him daily.

It's the best and worse year of Tello's life, he is sure he could come back to this universe but doesn't his world need it's Donatello? But these kids still need him. His brothers need him they'll be so worried but his sons will lose him. He's going to miss everyone here, even Grandpa Saki!

He hasn't seen his family for 20 years, he has been in this world for 20 years.

It's a normal Sunday when he is suddenly ripped away form his lab, Donnie screaming next to him as he is ripped back to his original? home? Universe.

His brothers and family stand above him looking worridly down at him.

"Woah Donnie, nice gear!" Says Mikey noticing all his new tech

"We gotta get out of here, the Kraang will becoming soon"

He is hoisted up.

Day 1, all he can feel know that he is home, is numb. His name no longer belongs to him and the whole world seems so bland. It's only been 2 days here, he hasn't been able to speak a word. Fugitoid says it's muitverse travel sickness and he just needs time. They both know the robot is lying.

At least on his family members is in his room at any given time

Leo who is way too serious to be his baby blue

Raph who is too angry to be his sunshine

Mikey the most similar but just off enough that it makes him sick, he isn't his little artist.

He feels so old compared to them but they can't see the diffence.

"20 years" are his first words to his brothers after two decades.

Day 2, he can't say here. He's dying, the , mystics that are apart of his soul are searching for others but there nothing here. Tello hears them yelling

"20 YEARS!"

"2 DAYS!"

There in the room next to him.

April to his suprise is the first to say it

"We should send him back"

Everyone else is outraged but now the idea of him going back is out there.

He opens up to Leo first

"I didn't think you were coming, I-I I have a family there Leo"

After that the flood gates open and he breaks, his brothers as he sobs and tells them about his world.

Day 3, he wakes up with his brothers in a turtle pile and he can finally breath.

Later Leo tells him with a warm smile

"We'll work something out, we'll get you back to your boys!"

Fugitoid says they build a permeant gateway on earth. The robot also notes that the timelines have likely sunken up due to Tello's roundtrip. Which is a relief, he didn't want to go back, and it be 30 years there.

Now he has a goal, something to shed blood for and invent for.

It takes 3 months for Tello to stabilize his universe. Tello has had 20 years to train and improve his craft, he learned how to fight Shredder form Oroku Saki himself. The villains of his world didn't stand a chance. His brothers seemed mildly terrified, but Splinter got it. raising 4 turtle gremlins changes you.

3 months after he arrived a door had been opened back into his boys universe.

Raph nearly crushed him with the strength of his hug, Donnie cried, Leo went full medic mode and Mikey stuck to him like glue. After the enisle excitement of his return all the counterparts introduced themselves and in a very turtle fashion, ordered pizza.