#so maybe don't go calling random numbers and bugging people

[frangipani-wanderlust]

Tales From Dispatch, Pt. 33

(call comes in on 911) ME: 911, what is the address of the emergency? CALLER: Hello! This is Devin calling for our valued Americard member-- ME: I'm sorry. You've reached 911. Do you have an emergency? CALLER: ...No. Not calling for 911. I am calling for our valued Americard member-- ME:(realizing that a spam telemarketer has gotten to 911 by mistake) No. This is 911 in Metro County. What is the address of the emergency? CALLER: *hangs up*

[allwormdiet]

Hive 5.1

I just read this entire arc in like an hour, let's fucking go

Wildbow really fucking knows how to set up a location. I know the exact kind of bar this is, I've experienced enough of them in my life at this point, I can fucking smell the spilled beer smell that never leaves

I'm going to take this as my cue to start calling Taylor Skitter when appropriate, now that she's heard the name herself

Also maybe it's just me but I almost feel like Alec and Rachel meeting Danny would at least make things work faster, if not necessarily better

Fucking Nazis. Go back to whatever bunker you crawled out of (and then we can get some Soviets in to do what they do to Nazi bunkers)

Not sure how I feel about the fucking Nazis having the biggest cape game in town, if they're hiring on people from out of town and even out of state it makes some degree of sense, but also just, y'know. Rotten fucking vibes.

Fucking Coil. I know enough of your deal to know I want you the fuck outta here. Scrawny bastard.

Faultline's crew seems cool. Interesting that she's got two people with visible mutations and matching tattoos. Pretty sure I know what's going on there but I'll wait to find out the whole of it.

Aww, Tattletale has a rival, good for her

Also lmao Alec

I looked back through my notes and Squealer was the only one who's come up before, but Skidmark is the one who's taking point as leader it seems like. These are the Merchants? Did they form up during the events of the past week, or did they somehow operate under the Empire's radar for however long? This feels off.

...Also what kind of gang leader gets high on their own supply? Isn't that like crime management number one, don't get yourself hooked on the product bc you need to be sober while making decisions? What the hell

Skipping the argument between Skidmark and Kaiser bc there's no joy to be found there

Fucking random, but okay, sure, definitely no ulterior motives going on here right

So here we have the "unwritten rules" on display, of course. The ABB are on the warpath, and even if they burn out they're gonna make things a nightmare for everyone in the meantime, and nobody wants that so everybody's willing to grit their teeth and deal with the ones who aren't playing the game anymore.

More pageantry, more emphasis on the role of image in this subculture

And, of course, almost everybody's pageantry is just there to hide the ulterior motives at play. The game isn't nearly as honor-bound as people think it is, it's just a matter of being subtle or getting caught.

Current Thoughts

I hate like almost half of the people in this building lmao, fucking Nazis and Coil's bony ass as a "bonus"

Still bugged by whatever the hell is going on with the Merchants, I feel like they sprang out of the streets of Brockton fully formed and here to provide unfortunate stereotypes about drug users. I can't imagine this was just to pad out the roster, the Travelers seemed to do well enough for that, but hell if I can figure out what else is going on there.

[technovillain]

I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT BUNNY BOY (aka Augustín lmaooo-) HE LOOKS SO SILLAY-

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been wanting to share his little story for so long!!

Okay so it starts out like this. Sasha and Milla are called in for a mission when they were just about to take some time off. So they're understandably exasperated and irritated.

Luckily for them, the mission doesn't seem that complicated. Maybe they can still enjoy themselves without too much stress. They have been assigned to check out a local disturbance in a nearby suburban area. There were reports of widespread confusion, possibly of psychic origin, and Sasha and Milla have to find the source of it.

They travel to the source of where they sense the disturbance and find a backyard with the gate left open. It is full of a large number of children and one adult woman, who appears to be their mother. Every person in this backyard is extremely disoriented, to a point where it could be potentially damaging. Sasha and Milla determine that questioning these people at this time is not a good idea. It could only mess them up further. They need time before they try and interfere.

So they go out to investigate what the origin of this confusion could be. Milla notices a trail in the grass that has been singed intermittently, with patterns indicating pyrokinesis burns. They follow the trail all around the little neighborhood to the downtown area.

They entered several buildings and found almost all of them rustled and raided, and the store patrons and cashiers stunned by confusion. "Some sort of psychic thievery, I assume." Sasha says but is interrupted by Milla asking him to reconsider.

"We could be looking for someone who needs a lot of help here." Sasha sees that she is right. Only food is missing. Only candy is missing. He sees a few plastic wrappers on the ground through the glass door of the building. "Or perhaps, someone who doesn't know any better looking for trouble."

They follow the trail of wrappers and random trinkets and trash to a bus stop. It is there where they find their suspect.

They realize it's just a child. Psychic child outbursts were so touchy to handle. Especially if that was his mother that was so disoriented. They approach him regardless, and it sits up. Sasha and Milla prepare to talk to him.

But they suddenly feel the kid trying to break their mental defenses with confusion. It almost catches them off guard. But they resist it. And the kid seems surprised at this.

The two start asking him questions, and he doesn't really talk. But he sort of answers their questions through actions. He shows them the other "tricks" he can do. Like the confusion and the fire. He burns a few bugs on the sidewalk to show how it works. It seems quite pleased with itself for its fun tricks. Sasha and Milla make eye contact and realize that they're dealing with a kid who has no clue what he is doing with his psychic abilities. And this kid needs help immediately. He's potentially scrambling the minds of himself and others from prolonged confusion and needs to be trained...

They extremely reluctantly take him back to headquarters after receiving written permission from his mother, who had no clue what she was signing or even what her full name was.

Check-ins with Gusty's family were highly frequent, including mental checkups. But recovery was very slow and gradual for his town. Gusty isn't an exceptionally strong psychic, per se, but he just got away with repeated confusion over and over due to the stunning effect of the power and that was really damaging. Really, he's only good at confusion and pyro, and eventually at mental projection.

So it becomes one of the "Motherlobe babies" aka one of the few kids whose living situations become increasingly unsafe and have to be taken in to be trained and don't really have anywhere else to go for the time being. The agents take really good care of him for the time being, especially Veranda.

[hearthandheathenry]

Signs Of Contact From A Deity, Spirit, Or Guide

First, not every sighting of something is a sign, but its important to be open to signs the universe may be trying to give you, especially if you're asking for them. Maybe you asked for guidance from your guardian angels or maybe you've asked a deity to help you out. Whatever the case, here's some common signs to look out for in order to receive their contact.

1. Animals

If you see a strange animal you normally don't, or one that is specifically associated with the deity you're on the lookout for, it may be a sign! Common examples may be dogs, cats, birds, butterflies and other bugs, snakes, and rabbits.

2. Numbers

People often associate "angel numbers" with these signs the most (aka 111, 666, etc) but every single digit has a meaning assigned to it as well, and some combinations have different meanings too depending on the spiritual practice. If you're seeing some number or combination of numbers frequently, it doesn't hurt to look them up to see what they may mean.

3. Natural Phenomenon

Most Gods or Goddesses are associated with some type of natural phenomenon like a specific weather pattern or the moon or the sun, but spirit guides may use these things as well like a rainbow or a sudden storm to get their point across, especially if it's seemingly random. If it feels like a sign, it might just be!

4. Emotions, Thoughts, Or Bodily Changes

Have you ever felt a sudden wave of inner peace during a difficult situation? Or had random thoughts keep popping into your head? Or maybe got a random pain that goes away as suddenly as it came on? Although it is important to look out for signs of illness and check your health first and foremost, these also may be signs from your guides or deities trying to get your attention, comfort you, or communicate with you.

5. Sights, Smells, Sounds, Sensations, Or Tastes

If you're suddenly seeing something out of the corner of your eye, hearing something like bells or music, or something else that doesn't make sense for the situation, these all may be signs. As stated before, it's important to always rule out any health issues like hallucinations, but if you're in the clear, then this again may be a guide or deity showing their presence.

6. Divination

Practicing divination or getting a reading done from someone else is a more clear and direct path for guides or deities to send you messages from the spiritual realm. There are many different types of divination, from the more popular tarot cards and runes, to things like tea leaf readings and even egg yolk readings. Almost all spiritual practices have evidence of some form of divination practice, so feel free to experiment with which ever calls to you and see what messages may come through.

7. Direct Intervention Or Response

This isn't super common, but some lucky individuals get direct intervention or signs to happen when asked. For example, asking to find a four leaf clover as a sign from your guides. Or, something turning out okay even if all signs point to failure. Many people claim that when their lives are saved in dire circumstances, it is because of direct intervention from an angel, spirit, guide, or deity.

8. Synchronicities

Ever had a coincidence that just seemed a little too "on the nose"? This may be a sign! As we get deeper into our spirituality and looking out for divine guidance on our path, we tend to notice more synchronicities, whether they be good or bad (but most often they tend to be good ones). These are great times to assess the situation and see what your guides are trying to tell you. If it's a favorable synchronicity, they may be encouraging you, comforting you, or telling you that you're going in the right direction. If it's a unfavorable synchronicity or if everything seems to be going wrong, then they may be telling you to pause, reassess, or that you may be going in the wrong direction.

[nightcityace]

[ SUBJECT INTERVIEW: SUNNY ]

[NICKNAME:]

Sunny: I guess technically Sunny was a nickname before it became official, but I've also been called Sunshine, Sunbeam, Ray of Sunshine… you can probably see the pattern. Interviewer: And what is your real name? Sunny: Sunny is my real name. Just because it might not be the first name I had doesn't mean it's not my real name.

[GENDER:]

None for me, thanks.

[STAR SIGN:]

Misty says I’m an Aquarius. I guess I never really put much thought into any of that, but she really enjoys it so that makes it fun for me too.

[HEIGHT:]

5’ 9”, but some of my boots make me a little taller. No platforms or anything though, I wouldn't be able to walk to save my life.

[ORIENTATION:]

Only interested in men, but I guess I don't really try to define myself often. Just queer in general is probably the best term I suppose.

[NATIONALITY / ETHNICITY:]

That's another one I never really think too much about. A lot of people tend to think my family are Nomads, but we’ve been here since before Night City was Night City. My… (counts on fingers) great-great-great grandparents actually bought our property back when California was still one state, so we’re about as local as you get. Before that I think someone came from New York and before that I don’t really know, all over Europe I think.

[FAVE FRUIT:]

Strawberries, not like synthetic ones or those over priced cloned ones, real strawberries. We managed to get a little section of them growing at home and nothing can compare. 

[FAVE SEASON:]

Probably spring. I love getting to watch everything sprout and bloom, even out in the desert. 

[FAVE FLOWER:]

Sunny: People usually expect me to say something cliche like sunflowers, but I genuinely love dandelions. Especially when they grow up out of cracks in pavement or sidewalks. It's proof there's still nature in the city, even when they try to hide it under all the concrete. They’re stubborn little flowers and they're perfect. Interviewer: Aren't dandelions weeds? Sunny: Only because someone wanted to sell people on the idea of a perfectly sterilized, useless, solid patch of grass which completely destroyed the biodiversity of most yards. They’re yellow, they're cute, I like them. Interviewer: Got it…

[FAVE SCENT:]

This is a hard one to describe, but do you know how sometimes you can kind of smell outside? Not like… exhaust and garbage obviously… but there's a certain smell that gets in your hair and clothes when you've been out in the wind and sun and you can just tell that's what it is.

[COFFEE, TEA, HOT CHOCOLATE:]

Yes please, all of it.

[AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP:]

Probably about 6 or 7 normally. I tend to wake up early after having to for most of my life, but I love going back to bed. I'll usually wake up about sunrise or earlier and go have a cup of coffee and check my plants to see if they need water and if Vik isn't up yet I'll scooch back under the covers and go right back to sleep for a few more hours. Plus naps, naps are great.

[DOG OR CAT PERSON:]

Chickens. Okay okay, I know obviously I can't have them in the city, but the farm is well outside the avian exclusion zone. Seriously, they're adorable. (Pulls out phone to show no less than 300 different pictures of chicks and chickens)

[DREAM TRIP:]

Honestly I don't know. I like being close to my family and being in NC, so I don't think I'd want to go anywhere long. I have some Nomad friends though so a trip with them might be fun, maybe somewhere with actual mountains since I really like climbing around the canyons and stuff we have out in the Badlands. 

[FAVE FICTIONAL CHARACTER:]

Hmmm… I'm gonna go with Bugs Bunny. Both extremely cute and extremely chaotic, I respect that.

[NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH:]

I usually start with one or two, but I tend to run warm so by the time I wake up it's not uncommon for them all to be kicked down to the end of the bed or piled up on Vik’s side.

[RANDOM FACT:]

Sunny: About me or just like… a fact I like? Hm, how about: it's surprisingly easy to get a wild coyote into the front seat of a locked car. You wouldn't think so, but getting it out is actually much harder. Interviewer: Okay... That's slightly troubling... how about a fact about you? Sunny: I know how to get a wild coyote into the front seat of a locked car. 

This was so fun to do!! Thank you @dreamskug for tagging me!

I have a few other tag things I still need to do with Sunny, I swear I havent actually forgotten, I just have terrible time management... >.>

EDIT: oh dang I forgot to tag people D: I think most of my cp friends have been tagged already so I'll toss it to @wraithsoutlaws bc I want someone to have the audacity to interview Dagger :P

[mlobsters]

supernatural s1e16 shadow (w. eric kripke)

(this is a rewatch so spoilers abound)

[i forgot to pick a top image and when i saw this in the screenshot folder i laughed so there we go]

bump in activity on my gifset from this episode with takes that i wouldn't have guessed in a million years got me motivated to finally get this going since it's been a week or two since i finally finished 1x15 :p

quality 00s cool girl fashion here. that skinny sequined scarf, the layers, the baggy cargo pants

had to make gifs of this goofy ass murder of the week. bad cg claymation looking ass

spn s1e16 lorena gale as landlady / the x-files s4e22 elegy as attorney

she's been in 3 xfiles episodes (and the 2008 movie! and millenium) - including xf 1x06 called shadows LOL

ok uh you could make all sorts of drawings out of random spots LOL but for a hot second i was like oh no that's not the true detective spiral is it? no, whew

this bar scene i also used a fair bit in my texas hold em edit so now that's all i can think of.

SAM Did you get anything? Besides her number? DEAN Dude, I’m a professional. I’m offended that you would think that. (SAM gives him a knowing look.) All right, yeah. (He chuckles and holds up a napkin with the bartender’s phone number on it.) SAM You mind doin’ a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?

what i do like and it's something that comes up in different ways, how despite whatever distraction is going on they both will focus on the case and work together smoothly. they don't lean into this like, cliche for a cheap laugh stretching out the distraction. be it from thinking about the bartender's number and banging her, or that sam and dean have been fighting. they really are professionals!

DEAN So, you’ve heard of me? MEG Oh, yeah. I’ve heard of you. Nice—the way you treat your brother like luggage. DEAN Sorry? MEG Why don’t you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God’s green earth.

lol i feel like this is also what certain sam-people were saying about dean in the tags of the gifset. (but in fact sam does have agency, gasp)

also like. sam being all smooth and friendly with meg in the bar when he sees her, and then immediately leaving it was all just an act and he think there's something fishy. he's good at this!

DEAN And what was she saying? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin’ about me to some chick? SAM Look, I’m sorry, Dean. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that’s not important, just listen— DEAN Well, is there any truth to what she’s saying? I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam? SAM No, of course not.

made a gifset of this too, ofc

and of course she hit dean in his perpetual sore spot, which i assume that's part of the emotional flaying himself open to ask for sam to stay later in the episode! why am i using so many exclamation points!

DEAN Well, I bet you’d like to. I mean, maybe she’s not a suspect, maybe you’ve got a thing for her, huh? Maybe you’re thinkin’ a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh? SAM Do me a favor. Check and see if there’s really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can’t dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith’s floor. DEAN What are you gonna do? SAM I’m gonna watch Meg. DEAN (laughing) Yeah, you are. SAM I just wanna see what’s what. Better safe than sorry. DEAN All right, you little pervert.

can't resist an opportunity to bug sam about getting laid

DEAN Well, nobody knows, but nobody’s seen ‘em for a couple of millennia. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff. I think we’ve got a major player in town. Now, why don’t you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram? SAM Bite me. DEAN No, bite her. Don’t leave teeth marks, though, I mean just enough to where—

invested and ready to give tips

i find the trope of women changing, half naked in the city in front of a window with no curtain at night with the light on so ridiculous. obviously meg here has an ulterior motive but it's so common of a trope i'm just annoyed about it anyway :p ESPECIALLY because they have to have sam get "caught" being a peeping tom by the lady on the street. man that reminds me of the very brief effort i made to try to watch You, and in the pilot the woman was jerking off on the couch in front of the window that's visible from the street. what???

i've been avoiding finishing this episode for weeks. decided i wasn't gonna do the recaps anymore, but then as soon as i start watching i'm bubbling over with commentary. 😔

i fear i might need to make gifs of sam climbing for my parkour! series. but it's just slowly climbing up an elevator shaft?? while noisily clanging the gates. not so slick, sam. not that it's not all a trap anyway but theoretically

and so we come to the conversation that made me lose my shit the first time i watched the show. other moments that upon rewatch were impactful didn't hit the same way as this one did for me the first time through. for the tags of my gifset go into why

like soon to be exes-the relationship is clearly over and one flaying themselves open showing their squishy insides trying to make it work but the other is gently shutting them down and saying it's over. wholly lost my shit about this. late enough in s1 where we know this is A LOT of (too much?) emotional vulnerability for dean but also way too early in any show's run to expect this level of emotional vulnerability and guts being strewn about. truly threw me for a loop. but it certainly set the stage for where they would go with sam and dean over the years. dean's little eyebrow raise to the “I'd do anything for you” and sad half smile “could be” just punch me in the gut. and that sweet open expression talking about being together and a family again. ugh. such a rarity to see that on him and sam's “i don't want them to be” absolutely crushing. in the kindest manner. but by the end dean's got his walls back up. oh my heart.

someone again reblogged someone's tags on my gifset today with the, they feel bad for the loneliness of s1 dean because it's the root of all the evil stuff he does to sam later and whew. i know there's camps of people that feel one of the brothers is the abuser and awful and the other is the victim but i just 100% don't vibe with that reading of the show at all. this fandom manages to have so many readings and opinions on this show that i vehemently don't agree with lol

oh hey, i painted this scene

MEG Not very quick on the uptake, are we? (She leans in closer.) This trap isn’t for you. SAM Dad. It’s a trap for Dad.

if i start to think too long about the long game this supposedly is playing into i start going cross eyed. trap dad, later they get dad to trade his soul for saving dean so he'll be in hell, they need sam alive to be lucifer's vessel.. they need someone to kick off the apocalypse in hell by the righteous man giving in to torturing and they couldn't get dad to do it so they went with dean? 🥴

i don't have anything of worth to say about this scene with meg rubbing up on sam while they're tied up other than i don't like it because it's bog standard ridiculous villain behavior :p

alas john shows up and i want to punch him in his little smiling face :P

JOHN It knows I’m close. It knows I’m gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell—actually kill it. DEAN How? JOHN I’m workin’ on that.

does he send them off to find the colt? must be, i don't remember. anyway just tell them SOMETHING. good grief. man refuses to give any details. also jdm is a good actor but i hate some of his choices for john. too much smiling to go with the asshole character he's playing :p

SAM Let us come with you. We’ll help. (DEAN gives SAM a warning look.) JOHN No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don’t want you caught in a crossfire. I don’t want you hurt.

dear transcriber, i beg to differ on that being a warning look. i'm not sure what exactly it is, but it's lingering longer than i'd anticipate

JOHN It’s good to see you again. It’s been a long time. SAM Too long.

like whyyy couldn't he have reconciled with him when he was checking up on him at stanford (so we could have this tearful reunion on screen, of course!) i will always be a john hater :p it's probably one thing i know i lose my objectivity about and will find fault in anything the show does with him

DEAN Wait, wait, wait! Sam, wait. Dad, you can’t come with us. SAM What? What are you talkin’ about? JOHN You boys—you’re beat to hell. DEAN We’ll be all right. SAM Dean, we should stick together. We’ll go after those demons— DEAN Sam! Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there. Don’t you understand? They’re not gonna stop. They’re gonna try again. They’re gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad’s vulnerable when he’s with us. He—he’s stronger without us around. SAM Dad--no. (He puts a hand on his father’s shoulder. DEAN watches sadly.) After everything-- after all the time we spent lookin’ for you—please. I gotta be a part of this fight. JOHN Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you’ve got to trust me, son. Okay, you’ve gotta let me go.

i understand there were scheduling conflicts/not having john be a larger role etc but the reasoning doesn't make a lot of sense to me. i think the demons could use the boys against john with them together or not. even the first time through i always thought it sounded like the limpest excuse, where we're all gonna pretend it's serious and he's right but it honestly always felt like nonsense to me. but whatever! i'm always glad to see john in the rearview :p

i also painted this scene! it was my first spn painting, in fact

thought we had the mushy music theme there for a second but nope. so far the earliest appearance i've seen is 2x1, we'll see if it pops up in s1 at all

again i didn't give padalecki enough credit for his acting in quiet emotional scenes this early in the series, he really is already very good at it

when i was painting that scene i just kept having to schooch them in closer, they are really close. well, i could have gotten a shot where they're even closer!

all right, finally done with that. yeesh

[ghost--trick]

hi I have a lot of thoughts about widget. uhh they're very rambly and long, as it was written at about 2am, so if your confused by any of it lmk and ill try to clarify!!

non-mood matrix/ill call it ‘active mode’

so there's 5 basic emotions that it can't recognize– happy, sad, angry, afraid, and surprised. ill talk about the blank screen later. that's a whole other thing. so when there's multiple strong emotions it picks the strongest, and displays that. pretty simple. why this exists is a different question, though. my best guess is that it was made so that others could understand how athena was feeling when she was younger and less expressive (as said by juniper).

-

mood matrix

there's only 4 emotions here, they mix sad & afraid into what ill call ‘distressed’. (i hc that this is because it wasn't fully completed before ur-1 & they updated the active mode, but hadn't gotten to the mood matrix yet before ur-1.) ANYWAYS. this is pretty much all touched upon in-game but there's a lot glossed over.

the images are caused by athena's inputs and/or memories– not by the testimony itself, so if athena doesn't know something, it's not included in the testimony (this includes location, appearance, people present, etc.) the mood matrixes end on an image that represents the truth that the speaker was hiding.

noise. ough. this is caused when someone's feelings contradict the information submitted– but with emotions that gets pretty subjective pretty quickly.., i think it's based on athena's perspective, because she can sense discord even without the mood matrix active. I think noise & discord are different, wherein noise is when their emotions contradict their testimony & discord is when their emotions contradict themselves, but iirc that's never touched upon in-game.

because noise is measured in percentages, which presumably means that the mood matrix doesn't work/ has no use when there aren't any contradictions..? like trying to perceive someone who isn't lying. the amount that the percentages go down(/up) shows… something. presumably how many contradictory emotions there are in the testimony. but there's…. one example that stands out to me. the phantom. despite the sheer amount of odd/contradictory emotions, the mood matrix puts it (i don't remember what number.., i think it's 90%?) despite there being more contradictory emotions, and doesn't fluctuate despite the emotion fluctuating. maybe it only recognises the fear as genuine? despite picking up on the odd emotions.

basically, noise is super confusing and i have no clue what's going on there

now… the phantom… he's complicated. when he bugs out the mood matrix with the random influx of emotions, it's stated in-game that it's because he has such a control on his feelings that he can artificially create emotion. that the mood matrix picks up on. which means he actually felt all of those flickering emotions during that testimony… i think? because the hearing of emotions is separate from inflection/ how they act. and yet, it's portrayed as only the fear being genuine, especially with what mentioned previously with the lack of fluctuation in the noise? which, if so, were the other emotions not genuine? then how did the mood matrix pick up on it? is it because he runs away from his emotions, and therefore doesn't validate them, therefore not making it genuine to him? but can't fully run from the fear despite trying? im so confused.

-

blurting

this one is vague, but a relatively simple concept. when she thinks something ‘loud enough’, widget will blurt it out for her. what differentiates between what's said and what isn't is beyond me, but i assume it's based on how strong the emotion associated with it is. my best guess is that this function was designed to aid athena in communicating? she was said to be very quiet as a kid so I think it would make sense.

-

blank screen

I think it's an unregistered/unknown input or widget turning off. the program is probably in a constant loop, which checks her emotion each time. there are finite inputs & outputs. if the input is ‘happy’ then the output is the change of the display to the green smiley face. if the input is ‘angry’ the output is displaying the angry face. you get the gist i hope? now, when the input is unrecognized, it either outputs the blank screen as some sort of default, or it breaks the loop, shutting the entire device off. there are slight differences in the two, wherein if it was a default, the code would return to acting like normal once the emotion was recognized again. if it broke the loop, it would require athena to manually turn widget back on.

i personally believe it's the former specifically because of turnabout academy, when athena snaps back from the blank icon & widget displays the angry icon. that being said, this doesn't rule out the other option, as she could've just manually turned back on while the screen was not on her.

(this is different to when filch/sarge takes athena, as it still has a visible face there^^)

-

other theory i have that is a little bit less grounded in reality but still has some reasonings:

widget wasn't originally designed for athena. the reason i think this is because of the mood matrix. when metis died, athena was just 11. she wouldn’t have been able to use it, at least not effectively. also, as seen by athena’s memories, she didn’t receive widget until after her mothers death, which is why she wasn’t wearing it at the time. I think that there are definitely some aspects that point to it being designed with athena in mind, specifically the blurt mechanic, but it would almost make more sense if it was originally designed for metis, and then shifted over to fit athena better?

[lia-life-lounge]

Today I learned...

...what Y2K is. I know. How is it possible that today is my first time hearing that term? Either I've heard it before and somehow filtered it out of my brain, or I genuinely heard it for the first time while watching a random video about a Korean mom learning how to style her Blasian kid's hair.

A lady in the video mentioned that the current hair trend was Y2K. So, of course, my brain went ??? and I just had to look into it... and this is what I found out:

Y2K is also called the Year 2000 problem, Y2K scare, Millenium Bug, Y2K glitch, Y2K error, etc., and although it refers to the year 2000, it technically spans the years of 1997-2005. (The letter K, which stands for kilo (a unit of 1000), is commonly used to represent the number 1,000. So, Y2K stands for Year 2000.)

I'll summarize what I learned so you don't have to go down the same rabbit hole I went down (no surprise there):

So there are two sides to Y2K: tech and culture.

The tech side is what gave Y2K its namesake. There apparently was this widespread fear that computers would misinterpret "00" as 1900 when calendar systems updated from 1999 to 2000, causing all sorts of chaos. Imagine bank systems crashing, planes malfunctioning—the works. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but it apparently had people on edge... hence, the Y2K scare.

Honestly, Y2K is really just what we typically think of when we think of "early 2000s fashion." Think of it as a blend of "The Matrix" and early Britney Spears. Metallics, futuristic elements, low-rise jeans, and bold colors.

...and apparently, Y2K fashion is making a comeback. I don't know who to blame. Maybe the new Barbie movie?

People have mixed feelings regarding Y2K's cultural revival. There's concern that Y2K fashion will also bring back "skinny obsession" and rewind progress on body positivity. I won't go into a deep dive on the topic in this post (although I could do an entire analysis if asked). So for now, I'll leave it at that! 💫 __________

Some discussion questions to consider! What do you think about Y2K fashion? Regardless of cultural implications, do you like or dislike the aesthetic?

Does the resurgence of Y2K fashion carry with it any cultural or social baggage/implications?

How does the Y2K revival intersect with the body positivity movement? Should fashion trends be mindful of social issues like body positivity, or should they evolve independently? And, of course... Have you been influenced—knowingly or unknowingly—by the Y2K trend?

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #334

Plans to go visit Ma today got canceled. He was supposed to call when he was all set for me to come over, but 2pm came and went, and I was feeling weird and sad all day since waking up (likely still reeling from being underslept, underfed, and underhydrated...), and I can't drive in the dark. We would have only had a couple hours to hang out because it gets dark at like 4:30pm at my house now, thanks to “Daylight Savings Time”.

Daylight Savings Time is a ridiculous concept by which people in my country arbitrarily turn the clocks back one hour on some random fucking day in November, only to turn them ahead again by one hour sometime in the spring. It disrupts everyone's sleep schedule, and because of it, we see an increase in things like strokes, heart attacks, and traffic accidents for the next three days after a clock change. It's awful and I wish we'd stop doing it.

I decided that the thing to do was make mac and cheese. So I made a box of mac and cheese, and had it with the leftover pumpkin soup and slow-roasted lamb leg I made. But... and you'll notice this, too, if you've been reading my letters... the packaging for the cheese sauce changed. And so did the noodles. The noodles are slightly shorter and no longer ridged.

I was wary at first; normally when companies change their products, it's not for the better. But... the new packaging was a little easier to squish the cheese out of because when I squished it, the packaging stayed squished instead of opening back up. The sauce... tasted a little better, actually. The noodles were noodles. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that the changes resulted in a better experience overall.

...I floundered for most of the rest of the day. I didn't go anywhere or do anything other than talk to a handful of people. Though the conversation was extraordinarily pleasant with both of the people I spoke to today, I still feel empty and weird on the inside, at least for now.

I'd like to say that I don't know what's wrong with me, but I do. I didn't sleep properly for a number of consecutive days. I haven't been staying hydrated. I've not been eating consistently or in a particularly balanced fashion. I gotta do a little better.

I did look for a pumpkin brownie recipe for ya today, and I found several strong contenders. I gotta sort through and see which one I wanna try first. I also gotta go get the supplies. I'll need canned pumpkin puree, at very least. That, and probably some cocoa powder and some chocolate chips.

...The ribs are really bugging me today. Sheesh.

Oh. I also loaded up the video I took of yesterday's tea. I'm sorry that it took until today for me to post it up for ya. But... well. You're used to time travel by now, I'm sure. I imagine one day's worth isn't too big a deal for ya in the grand scheme of things.

...It's just a silly little video of some silly little tea with a silly little conversation with a silly little Mogwai. I'll probably make another one soon. I think tea swirls are neat. If you wanna hear the “conversation” well, you should plug in some earphones!

...I feel empty today. Like I lost something to me that's very important. I'm hoping that it's just the result of dropping the ball on my self-care, but I dunno. I have this feeling of dread and loss that I can't seem to shake. Maybe I just need more water and sleep...

Hey. I know you can't answer me, but... how are you feeling...? Are you doing any better over there? Have you found a nice place to sleep for a bit? Are you someplace warm and soft? Are you safe...? Are you well fed and well hydrated? Do you have healthy, wholesome, supportive company where you are? Do you get to see something pretty once in a while...?

...I know the trajectory of the third part of the story has been planned out. I know there's probably nothing more I can do for you. But still... I'm rooting for your safety. I'm rooting for you to come back home to us. We miss you, you know. We of my world, I mean. And those of yours, too, I'm sure.

Well. J wanted to hang out and watch me play some Chrono Cross. It'll be nice to see Janus. He killed a lot more people than you, but... still, he's doing pretty well now. Built himself a fulfilling and happy life, without hurting people. Here's hoping you do the same.

I love you. Please stay safe. I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[venomous--fics]

Anon Requested: hi!! could you do a comfort fic for anxiety/trauma relating to an ex? like trust issues type stuff where you had to change your number and make a new acc on everything bc he wouldnt leave you alone. maybe eddie and venom help u w that?

Day 21!

A/n: I hope everything is going okay! And I hope this bring you some form of entertainment! Took forever to post because I kept having to change some stuff, and then the proofreading, etc etc. But, it's here now! And I hope you like it!

It just kept ringing and dinging. It was certainly letting you know that someone was trying to get ahold of you. And you were foolish to think it would stop. It's just kept going, day in an day out. And if it wasn't the phone, it was your socials. Messages flooding in seemingly every thirty seconds. It just would not stop.

How did it get this bad? Everything was so nice for a long time, why now?

Hey I'm around. Wanna hang?

You aren't answering. You okay?

Should I come over?

Same address, right?

Hey you should really pick up the phone.

So you're just going to ignore me?

Hello?

You couldn't take it anymore. It was going to end with you in a straight jacket if you kept dealing with it like this. You slammed the phone onto the counter, tearing through the apartment for anything hard and heavy enough to crush it. You landed on the lone hammer Eddie kept in his desk. Surely, for emergencies only.

You stalked back over to your phone.

It's like talking to a brick wall.

You ever going to pick up? Or do I need to call more?

I know you're reading these.

You can't hide from me forever.

H-

You brought the hammer down as hard as you could. Once, twice, and a third time just to be sure. You breathed a sigh of relief at the sheer quietness that flooded the apartment.

"Finally." You said, sitting on one of the bar stools, "Peace and quiet."

The door busted open and you lifted the hammer, thinking the worst was about to happen.

"I heard banging! Is everything o-...Kay?" Eddie looked from the hammer, to your face, to the kitchen island.

"Oh, it's you." You said, lowering your arm and dropping the hammer on the floor.

"The hell happened here." Eddie shut the door and walked over.

"It just- It kept ringing. It wouldn't stop. They wouldn't leave me alone."

"Hey, it's okay." Eddie rubbed your back, "We can just get you a new phone. I was planning on doing that anyways."

"You were?"

"Yeah, wanted it to be a surprise." Eddie looked at the remnants of your old phone, "So, surprise."

"A real surprise would be showing up to their place and eating them." Venom grinned at the thought.

"You don't have to do that."

"But I want to." Venom protested, "Besides, it's not like anyone would really care."

You sheepishly pulled at the ends of your sleeves, "Could you two maybe, instead of eating people, help me set up some new socials...?"

"I'd love to!" Eddie said, "Man, I've been waiting for you to ask. I love giving random companies all my personal information."

Just as promised, Eddie had gotten you a new phone, and helped you set it up. And he also helped you make new profiles for everything, making sure to block undesirable people in the process.

"I don't like having to use my last name." You said, "I'm sure they'll just keep bugging me."

Eddie took his laptop, "Here, then. Use my last name."

You felt your face heat up as you watched him type out the name Brock. He slid it back into your lap once he was done, "See, that was easy."

You stared at the screen, bewildered that that actually happened.

Eddie leaned over, practically laying on your shoulder now, "Wow, looks nice. And that name? Snazzy."

You felt like you could just burst into flames at any given moment.

"Sir," You said, "That wasn't necessary. I could've thought of something."

"Wouldn't have been as cool as Brock, though. What? Were you use Smith?" Eddie teased.

"Reeves, actually."

"Like Keanu?" Venom asked.

Eddie looked at the symbiote, "How do you know about Keanu?"

"I have hobbies, Eddie." Venom sounded offended, "I like to watch stuff while you sleep."

"Anyways." Eddie waved him off, "I think this looks really good. A fresh start for you."

A fresh start, you thought. Yeah, that's nice and all but Reeves is way cooler than Brock.

[batlingsstuff]

|| DREAM SMP HEADCANONS ||

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

hello! this is my first time doing headcanons, and i just want to clarify some things:

sadly, i won't be doing requests because i'm busy af with school and i dont want to dissapoint anyone, but you can drop some suggestions and i would think about it! it would be really nice :)

also i won't be writing romantic headcanons for minors or those who are uncomfortable with it, but i can do platonic headcanons for them! ^^

i won't be doing nsfw headcanons either, because i'm uncomfy with sexualizing real people and just writing nsfw in general :)

also, please tell me if someone is uncomfortable with fanfics and/or headcanons and i will erase that part as fast as possible, thanks for passing by! - batling

✦ means platonic

✦ characters : ranboo, tubbo, tommy, philza, techno and jschlatt

♥ means romantic

♥ characters: quackity, wilbur, nihachu, dream, george, sapnap, eret, karl, fundy and bbh

keywords:

(y/n) : your name

(n/n) : nickname

(p/p) : pizza place

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” – John Green

┌────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ──────┐

SLEEPOVERS

---

GENDER NEUTRAL

└────── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ──────┘

♥ Quackity

oh boy

i just have two words for this one: pure chaos

he will punch you with a pillow if you try to sleep

and you will be MAD at this

grabbing a pillow and hitting him RIGHT IN THE FACE with all your strenght

he'll probably fake cry about it, saying that you hurt him

after a while of pillow fighting, you guys got tired and plopped into the bed, snuggling into eachother and just enyoing the comfortable silence before drifting to sleep

♥ Wilbur

you two will probably blast hamilton and scream the lyrics till the neighbours wake up and you get angry knocks at your door

and you will laugh at that, lowering the speaker's volume and telling him to lower his voice aswell to avoid your neighbours calling the police

then you'll eat snacks and talk about anything that pops into your mind, laughing at the most silly jokes

he will sing sweet songs to you, making you fall asleep to his calming voice

summary: fluff

♥ Nihachu

you and her will bake pastries at a very late hour

she REALLY enjoys baking with you bc she thinks it's a great way to spend time with you

all this girl wants is to spend her time by your side, doing particularlly anything like streaming, baking, playing games and going outside for a walk and/or shopping

once you finished baking, she will kiss your cheek multiple times. that's her way to tell you that you did a great job :)

you'll spend the rest of the night cuddling, eating your pastries and watching some random movie, commenting about how bad it is and laughing

♥ Dream

bruh

this bitch will speedrun the sleepover

is it possible to speedrun a sleepover? maybe

you'll spend the rest of the night probably playing uncharted 3: drake's deception in his old ps3

after a while, you guys got bored from uncharted and went to his pc to play amnesia: the dark descent

there are 2 options:

you will be scared as fuck and will avoid looking at the screen when you think something bad will happen or when some body will come out from a drawer

or you will be totally chill with it, laughing hard when clay pisses his pants for real when he encounters the gatherer

you named the gatherer 'bob' :)

♥ George

he'll take you to the rooftop

and pushes you so you fall to your death

i mean

he gets blankets and pillows so you can stargaze together

he'll teach you the constelations while pointing them, excited about every single one of them

"look (y/n), that's the ursa major!"

he'll have hot chocolate prepared too, so you don't get cold while stargazing

you try your best to not fall asleep on the rooftop

but eventually fail

when he notices you're asleep, he stops talking about the constellations and carries you to your bedroom, giving you a goodnight kiss and leaving you in your bed so you can have a peaceful rest

♥ Sapnap

hey mamas

i don't know what sapnap will do in a sleepover so i will just improvise B)

you will watch anime together

not any kind of anime, like that romance-comedy bullcrap

no fuck that

you will watch the classy angsty anime like madoka magica

WATCH IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY

you will fucking cry because of literally anything that happens to the characters

"(y/n) why are you crying it's just a show"

'IT'S NOT ANY SHOW SAPNAP IT'S FUCKING MADOKA MAGICA OF COURSE I'M GOING TO CRY'

the last chapter made you fucking cry harder

AUTHOR HERE I WAS CRYING SO MUCH WHEN IT ENDED

yeah you will basically watch anime with him, cry about it and he will comfort you and bring you a glass of water so you don't have a terrible headache after it

I KNOW THIS HEADCANON SUCKED I'M SO SORRY

♥ Eret

KINGG <3

you two will plan a picnic in your yard

yes your yard

he'll bring a ton of snacks and you'll buy a few drinks

you two spend the rest of the picnic talking about your future and enjoying the snacks

then, he'll make you stand up and will teach you how to dance tango

and of course you will mess everything up

and you even stomped on his feet accidentally, making him wimper

but he brushed off the pain and laughed at your concerned face

after calming down his laughter, he gave you a passionate kiss and hugged you tightly

i love eret ok

♥ Karl Jacobs

this man.

this man is the definition of sweet

you'll spend the night cuddling and making cute pet names for eachother

he will definetely give you a great back massage if you're stressed

then he'll start writing love letters full of things he adore of you

and you'll do the same for him

after that, you will share your letters and just snuggle and smile at the sweet things you guys wrote for eachother

he will deffo shower you with kisses when he finishes reading your letter, telling you that you're the nicest person on earth

and that he loves you so so much

♥ Fundy

i'm a huge fundy simp ok

he will bring his piano to your house and you guys will compose a melody together

he will let you sit on his lap while you play the piano/keyboard with him

fundy will basically teach you how to play basic piano songs

you asked him if you guys could play megalovania together

he said no :(

but still you got to play nice songs together without messing up

and when you got the hang of it, he snuggled his face in your neck and kissed you there genly

and when you got tired, he started playing very calming songs and you fell asleep in his lap, snuggling into his chest

he gently carried to your room and will sleep beside you putting a fair distance so you can have a comfortable sleep!

♥ BadBoyHalo

bbh supremacy

he will get rat ready so you can snuggle with her too :)

you guys will mainly play with rat and talk about life in general

he will call you tons of cute pet names

ofc he will call you muffin it's bbh who we're talking about

he will talk about how bad he wants to spend the rest of his life with you

after a while, he will take you to his kitchen and start making muffins together

he will guide you on how to bake 'em though

you guys had a great time making muffins and cuddling with him and rat :)

══════ ∘◦❀◦∘ ══════

✦ Ranboo

tall mf gives the best piggy back rides

when he gets to your house there is a 100% chance he will bump his head on the door frame

and there is a 100% chance you will make fun of him because of that

"(y/n) please stop laughing my head hurts :("

you'll give him some ice to put on his head while you two play minecraft on your ps4

you will bring snacks too and ask him if his head is better

"yeah, thank you (n/n)"

he will pull you in a hug so you can be comfy together while you play good ol' minecraft

because ranboo surely doesn't play anything besides fucking minecraft

stfu that video of him playing spooky's jump scare mansion doesn't exist

✦ Tubbo

SWEET BE BOYY <3

he will gift you a bee plushie

expect a lot of (FRIENDLY) hugs from him

like fundy, you guys will play piano together

you guys are most likely to prank call some random numbers AND your friends

and you accidentally called some random pizza place

"hello! this is (p/p), may i take your order?"

you were nervous and didn't know what to say

UNTIL YOU CAME UP WITH A GREAT IDEA

"hello? are you there?"

'hi yes, i would like to order 7 extra large pepperoni pizzas to (tommy's adress).'

"oh- okay! uhm- they will arrive in a few hours. are you okay with that?"

'yes ma'am, thank you.'

when you ended the call, you couldn't help but burst out laughing, knowing that tommy will be so mad at you guys-

✦ Tommy

like quackity, PURE. CHAOS.

you guys will obviously stream your sleepover

doing a q&a stream :)

tubbo and wilbur will probably crash your stream and start spamming things like 'MEETUP??' and 'DIDN'T GET AN INVITE'

you guys laughed and added them to the call

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU GUYS INVITE ME?" wilbur shouted

'i'm sorry willlll'

you kept playing minecraft with wilbur, tubbo and quackity too since he crashed your stream like an hour later

after the stream, you got up and plopped on the mattress that was on the floor

"tired?"

'yeah'

"okay, good night big (initial)"

✦ Philza

POG

YEAHHH SLEEPOVER WITH THE MINECRAFT GOD

AND KRISTIN'S THERE TOO :)))

and oh god you ADORE kristin

i'm pretty sure she's a total sweetheart

it would be like having a sleepover with your parents

only that it's less boring

you guys will watch a movie together, you will be in one side of the couch eating snacks while phil and kristin are in the other cuddling

you'll eventually bug them about it

after the movie, you fell asleep early and philza noticed, talking to kristin about it too

and wrapped a blanket around you so that you get a good rest :)

✦ Technoblade

mr. blood god teaches you the arts of the CRAFT.

yeah i mean it's techno what else does he play besides minecraft

he will play bedwars w/ u, teaching you how to pvp

"bro you kinda suck tbh"

'stfu techno'

he will comment about how bad you are, but tries to help you get better anyways

and when you do a very poggers gamer move, he praises you

and when he praises you you're all :)))

after awhile, he gets tired from watching you play minecraft and suggest watching anime

fucking weeb

i mean

uh

other thing you guys do together in a sleepover is playing and commenting about pokemon

if you don't like pokemon get tf out of here /J

i was joking please don't leave i respect your tastes

✦ Jschlatt

ooooh boy

get ready for a session of wii training

that's all you guys will do

play wii sports and some other shit like wii music

he will laugh his ass of if you fall while playing wii fit

but he will eventually help you bc outside his funny and shouty persona, he's a really chill guy and a really nice person!

seriously like have you ever seen a theweeklyslap video?

well expect hearing amazing pep talks from him

bc this man is a legend and knows his way to words and is very good at comforting people :)

sometimes you'll rant to him about anything that's happening in your life, and he will listen to you and give you really helpful advice

and you appreciate him so much for that

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

TYSM FOR READING GUYS, i appreciate it if you made it this far :)

i hope you guys really enjoyed these headcanons, it's my first time doing them and aa i'm a bit nervous about posting this but i'll be fine ig

also i'm sorry if there's a grammatical error, english is not my native language and i'm still learning it :) have a nice day/night, drink water and don't fuck up your sleeping schedule!!

[empress-simps]

Strangers (nine)

▪︎Pairings: Kuroo Tetsuroo x Reader, Bokuto Koutaro x Reader, Bokuto Koutaro x Akaashi Keiji and Kageyama Tobio x Hinata Shoyo

▪︎Pronouns: She/Her [Fem! Reader]

▪︎Genre: Angst

▪︎Warnings: Typos and possibly grammatical errors

▪︎Synopsis: Finding out that your soulmate rejected the bond to be with someone else feels terrible.

Note: Sorry for the long wait! I took a break but I hope this chapter makes it up

》 epilogue

》 previous

》 Strangers Masterlist

It was only one in the morning when you suddenly sat up and panted, recovering from a vivid dream; or what you believe is a dream.

You finally realized

"There's no way..." You mumbled slowly turning your wrist and leaning closer to the lamp beside you that's emitting a warm light across your room.

Your wrist that had Bokuto's name in gray vanished. It was a completely blank slate.

You felt yourself grow nervous as a million thoughts ran in your head. "What...? How..? So it wasn't a dream?" You mumbled, eyes still wide with shock as you decided to turn on your lights for a clear inspection.

"I need answers." You nodded to yourself as you grabbed your phone and typed in the search bar your situation. Frantic eyes scanned the article as you fail to notice red lines forming words on your wrist, slowly etching the name of another person.

"...It means that fate has decided to rewrite your destiny by picking someone to be with you.. for good." You read the words aloud, even though the words may be cheesy it still tells the truth. Well what you hope is the truth.

It took some time for the news to settle in your system. You stared the ceiling of your bedroom, pondering as thoughst filled your head.

"What will happen to Bokuto? Will he have a new soulmate too?" You mumbled, then accidentally turning over your wrist to reveal the red ink almost completed in etching the name in your wrist as the vibrant color peaks and pulsitates in your skin.

Once again, you felt your world stop.

Much like what you felt discovering your ex-soulmate. Except this one didn't turn gray nor did you feel sadness or despair.

You felt butterflies in your stomach as the name glowed for a few seconds. You closed your eyes, relishing the euphoria you felt tears drip down your cheeks.

You feel something warm light up inside you, you feel light and you feel like you're... inlove.

This man is the one who truly loves you, the one who filled that missing puzzle piece in your heart that you didn't even notice. He looked past your imperfections and decided to see you in a completely different angle, not the "girl who's been rejected by her soulmate"

Kuroo Tetsuroo, is the one you're really destined to be with.

With shaky hands, you grab your phone and dialed his number. You didn't care if it's in the ungodly hours of night, you know that he's awake too. Call it a hunch or you're just linked to one another now.

"Y/n.." Kuroo breathed, his voice made butterflies erupt in you stomach as you smiled "Tetsuroo.."

"Are you okay?"

"I am. I know it now."

Kuroo chuckled, "Glad to hear it." You quirked an eyebrow, a playful smile clearly evident "Won't you take me out on a date?"

"Tsk. Depends on who's paying for it." He laughed, "Oh Kuroo you know that I'm an independent baddie, how bout 7 pm on saturday? Take me out on wherever, I don't know hangout places in Tokyo." You shrugged, Kuroo had a small smirk on his face.

"Of course sweetcheeks."

You cringed and heared him protest "Excuse me I'm trying to be sweet! It isn't cringy!"

"Wait, how did you even know-"

You both talked for a few more minutes before Kuroo had to end the call to sleep since they have an upcoming chemistry quiz tommorow.

And just like that, you both went to bed with evident smiles on your face.

Bokuto was restless.

Something didn't sit right with him.

Wether it's too cold for him to sleep without a blanket, or too hot for him to be wrapped up in one,he couldn't pin point what really is bugging him.

"Is the air conditioner broken..?" He mumbled as he slowly got up and used his phone as a flashlight to check, "Am I sick?" He mumbled. Once he confirmed the ac wasn't having any malfunction, he checked his temperature as he pressed his hand against his forehead.

"I'm no-" He stopped in his tracks as he looked down on his wrist where your name resides.

The same name where there's a line going across it, almost as if it's marking off. Like it was just a mistake.

He felt sick, is this why he couldn't sleep? Did the fates decided they weren't a match? They decided to do this after making him fall inlove with his soulmate?

Bokuto felt numb as his sunken eyes welled up with tears and an empty laugh was heard throughout his room.

"Is this what I get for hurting the people I love?"

The moonlight perfectly captured his despair as he sat down with his hand on his hair, crying his heart out and letting heart wrenching sobs out his shaking body.

Destiny is cruel.

When morning rolled around, you felt alive. You texted Kuroo a good morning and did your morning routine with a small smile on your face.

What you didn't expect was a disshelved Bokuto standing infront of the door. "Bokuto san.." You mumbled, clearly shocked. Bokuto met your happy and lively eyes, contrast to his bloodshot ones.

"It's Kuroo huh?" He mumbled, looking at the red mark, where once his name was etched in a grey tone. You looked down, "Yes."

"I love you.. I just thought I should let you know." He mumbled, a crack in his voice was evident. You looked at him in the eyes.

"Perhaps you loved me a little too late, Bokuto san."

A pained smile made it's way onto his face, "I can see that. I just hoped you gave me a chance-"

You stopped a scoff that threatens to bubble from your throat. "Bokuto san, you're the one who didn't give me a chance. You're the one who rejected me as soon as the mark was completed." You answered politely.

Every sentence pierced his heart. He knew what you said was right and it was all his fault. If there was one thing Bokuto is feeling right now, it's regret.

You looked down at your watch and checked the time. A rain drop fell onto the glass of your watch and you heard a faint thunder.

"We were soulmates who weren't meant to be, Bokuto. Maybe fate brought us together to learn. Until then Bokuto san, I hope we can become friends." You mumbled, bowing before taking your umbrella and leaving.

And for the numerous times he saw you walking away from him, this one hit him the hardest.

He stood still, slowly getting drenched as he felt the raindrops against him. Your figure slowly leaving his line of vision.

So that's what the both of you were, soulmates who knew nothing about one another. Soulmates who aren't meant to be.

Strangers.

Taglist [Closed]: @decaffeinatedtealover @lulu-102 @whateverfeelz @ginsan-eyes @pluviophilefangirl @bakuhoesbro @aonenthusiast @amecchii @jadasz @random-734 @sleep3deprived @snflwrkenma @archishaya @kissungjae @sakusasimpbot @its-the-aerieljeane @dimsumhomie @jessie9008 @crapimahuman @outflannel @ysatrap @denkibutinsteadofpikachuitspichu @johnnysactualgf @just-a-saltine @nekomavsnohebi @acsycharm @sazunari @baby-jichu @felixsamour

Those who are in bold means tumblr wouldn't let me tag u!

[jiminrings]

honestly i could talk w band!hobi abt numbers all day, like i wouldn't even mind. what are ur thoughts on 27 hobi? i think they a bad bitch. also UM might i request a drabble abt like a film major! yn (that is very enthusiastic abt films and the aesthetics + cinematography and whatnot) w like,,, a theatre kid?? any of ot7 works fine and it's all good if u can't or don't want to! thankyouu 💜

muse of mine

pairing: namjoon x y/n

wordcount: 4k

glimpse: namjoon’s always been a little sensitive to feedback whether it’s positive or negative, y/n’s an endearing type of talker, and smuggled snacks to the theater haven’t ever tasted this sweet :D // gif from pinterest!

notes: i kinda switched it up a lil bit and made them more established in their respective fields bc my mind went berserk on this concept!!! also this is mayhaps my oNLY piece that’s just pure fluff

“27? The number? Hmm. That sounds... sexy.” - band!hobi

this been’s bugging you for the past half hour

this whole experience feels oddly familiar

you’ve been in this theater for half an hour so far to watch this play!!

lmao ur gonna admit RIGHT off the bat that theatre’s definitely not it for you

your slight unfondness for it is deeply-rooted back to university and for four years, you’ve consistently taken dumps on theatre kids even if it’s under your breath

alright it’s possible that you don’t hATE the actual people ( only some of them ;D ) themselves but rather this whole type of cockiness and the “i’m a direct descendant of shakespeare himself. trust me bro. on god” energy that they always seem to exhude

but realistically, maybe this deep-rooted hate stemmed from seokjin

he was the guy you’d share the exact same elective class with him for two straight whole semesters and you’ve been seatmates from time to time

homie took foreign language as an elective?????

the language is korean?????????????????

“wait b-but i — aren’t you — n-no but i really???”

that’s what you first sputtered to him in realization when he took his seat beside you

the two of you have only ever shown each other notes bc the other was dozing off and the occasional sharing of gummy bears that’s already pre-opened to not make any noise

but for some reason, it’s only dawned in you why seokjin’s a god in this class and he answers your questions without even looking at his notes by hALFWAY through the whole semester of foreign language

one day, u are gonna find a way to bodyslam yourself and never recover from it ever again

“mhmm. don’t sweat it, sweetheart. i personally think it’s very don quixote of me to y’know, take something as impractical and amusing as this.”

you snort at his choice of words because honestly!! you barely remember don quixote and jin’s use of it as an adjective jigs up a refresher course on your brain

who was he again?? 

was he the donkey

.. or are you thinking about shrek again because of your film analysis

you sWEAR there was a donkey in that story

it’s good fun to talk with jin even if he keeps sliding bourgeoisie words here and there and you’re a lil confused with all these references that he makes but that’s okay !!!

atleast even him saying it in a long-winded way that he was like someone from the merchant of somewhere, you know now that he pretty-pleased and charmed his way to the registrar for him to take korean as an elective

...

two weeks later, jin sits next to you in class 

in ACTUAL non-elective, non-native language he already speaks class

now that you’re squinting a bit more, jin does look a little uh?? different

his hair that was once a hybrid of lavender and peach and pink and then blonde was now wholly black and it’s probably his original hair color because it matches with those eyebrows of his!!!

his combo of a black bomber jacket with a silk button-up underneath honestly SLAPS and it makes you forget how he used to exclusively wear only knitted shirts and argyle-patterned cardigans

you have ur jaw dropped because you totally would’ve fallen for seokjin jAW-FIRST 

— if only he didn’t strike you as the brother type when he smacked the back of your head because you were falling asleep on class again and uhhh you mUst be forgetting that the two of you were sitting in front

you had no time to reevaluate whether you should develop a crush for him or not 

he’s immediately slapping his hands on his knees, looking at you so intensely before pointing a finger at you with so much conviction, and then scoffing to himself

“switched majors to film. theatre was gonna be the death of me!!! y/n, if you even think about trying to switch to that cheap, amazon-ordered quill and tanning lights for stage lighting major, you’re absolutely dEAD to me-”

you’ve never had a conversation this striking nor long with jin but you genuinely have no complaints at all

seokjin talks pure shit about theatre and theatre junkies and everything in between for the WHOLE day 

trails beside you for every single class you had, which was convenient because he can then sweet-talk his way again (if anybody even dared to question him) that he’s just newly-switched 

sat with you for lunch and him not eating because he just needS to tell you all about it and you trying not to choke on your pasta as you try to reply to him

followed you back hOME and decided to crash the night there

yeah, that. your unfondness for theatre’s rooted on that one

uh-huh safe to say that you’ve become best friends with jin ever since that day

you’re a sponge for your friends and jin’s the closest one you have, so it was only natural that you soak up his distastes and whatnot

not to brag but aha :D

you add salt to the water while you boil pasta so u may be a little bit of a masterchef or somewhat, no big deal :D

he’s absorbed your fascination for all kinds of lights and fixtures that he has about seven different nightlights in the form of squishies or neon and everything else on his bedside table, in which he turns all of them on at night

fun fact: he’s capable of sleeping in the dark

jin’s the whole reason for your stance on this

he’s adamant about his points and you’ve graduated uni four years ago!!!

which is why you DON’T get why jin would give you a scented black envelope, with “don’t come to this” scribbled in gold at the front, carrying a single ticket to this play with a sticky note saying “don’t watch this at 7 pm, wearing your boss lady year-end award show type of clothes, sitting at the ninth row from the back and two seats from your right.”

because of course!! what the hell did he expect you to do? NOT come to this play at 7 pm wearing your boss lady year-end award show type of clothes then sitting at the ninth row from the back, two seats from the right???

OF COURSE YOU WOULD

your goal in life is to do exactly the opposite of what jin tells you. there’s literally nothing else in life you’d want to fulfill

he’s made it quite easy for you to spite him and although you wouldn’t admit it.,,.,., you may be a little petty ok

he’s the even bigger goof out of the two of you and you can never have the final say!! it’s always him and his wit and yOU being the dunce

it’s a lil sus that jin’s basically ASKING for it with his instructions but whatever

whatever it is, this is finally your chance to enact the final say and you’re gonna pull ALL the stops

all you know about theater-goers is that they dress fancy and wear these mini binoculars and that’s about it

there’s not even one film you know that you see anyone in the audience wearing a worn-in cardigan or even a puffer jacket even if the theater’s mad cold

all the people bring are scarves and shawls???? thee thinnest version of a blanket that won’t warm them up against the frigid airconditioning

that whole dress code sounds ridiculous!!! great please ring out this thousand-dollar dress im gonna wear to the theater thank u

you’re a little worried that you’re not gonna blend into the crowd, but after some digging about the invitation, formal wear is most definitely recommended

it’s an exclusive invite-only play which would be later released to the general public later on so yeah the situation dOES call for a gown thank u very much

also how could you forget that jin explicitly told you not to wear this type of attire

if you’re being humble right now, which you always normally are, even if that jUST sounded boastful talking about how you’re humble all the time —

you do look pretty breath-taking :-)

even when the doors weren’t opened and everyone’s just collectively loitering outside the hall, you’d feel glances at you

the sweet security guard did a double-take at you and mumbled a “very very nice evening to you, miss :D” instead of his normal “enjoy the show!” to the other patrons before you

you’re gonna soak all the silent compliments up and try to remember all of them before writing them on your journal later hee-hee

your midnight blue satin dress that’s floor-length and off-shoulder is dEFINITELY in your favor :D

your dress still glimmers even if the spotlight isn’t on you and you wish you weren’t shy to ask a random stranger to take a picture of you

going on self-timer isn’t ideal either when there’s like a hundred other people in the room

they probably wouldn’t even care if you took a picture of yourself!!! but in your head they probably think that you’re laughable so you’d rather not.. do that

the theater’s dark as hell if that wasn’t established

it is literally pitch black in the room and the ushers at each row holding the flashlights that are meant to guide the patrons aren’t exactly helpful

big kudos to them though,, must take a lot of self-control to not wave their lights like it was a rave :D

a flashlight tHAT bright?? whew pls is this what ships feel in the night

the last time you were in a rave, your thirty minutes of fun was cut short when seokjin immediately got hammered and wouldn’t stop throwing a fit if you didn’t drive him home that instant

his energy seemed to compelling everyone that he’s managed to somehow suck the energy out of a WHOLE rave so you took him home for everyone’s enjoyment :(((( except yours apparently

you’re trying hard to focus on the play that’s happening because for the past twenty minutes, all you’ve done is zone out randomly with ideas all of a sudden 

you NEED to listen

....

uh-huh...

UH-HUH......

wait this is actually.. good

you find plays hard to follow and absolutely boring when you don’t immerse yourself in a run-down PRIOR to watching it in order to get

it’s the same analogy as reading the plot of a movie on wikipedia before watching the movie at the cinema.... absolutely useless

it sucks out the fun from something you weren’t supposed to know

watching plays is two hours of you being confused, going home to read the plot and only understand it by tHEN, and never coming to the theater again because you’d waste your money.... watching something cluelessly in the theater..... for a plot you’d grasp at home

but no

because this one

actually this one that you’re watching...

it’s not bad

it’s nice, actually.

within two minutes, you managed to grasp that it’s a story about a never-ending spring between these two lovers

there’s something about the whole setting of it actually that just sucks you in

in some plays, the outfits would seem so forced even in the given context that it reminds you of uh a particular superhero movie

and yes ur aware that stage makeup has to be enhanced so that people all the way to the back row would see

but there’s just something in this scene that’s laid out right-now that actually gets you in awe

it’s of the couple in the back of their pick-up truck and everything about it seems so natural

the background straight up looks like what it’d be if you were to go outside

the guy’s arm around her shoulder seems so natural and in nature that it doesn’t feel like a random cue in the script

the girl twinkles and it doesn’t even feel like a forced type of laugh you’d cue in attempt to warm the audience’s hearts

it’s of a plot where the the guy eventually falls out of love with the girl, while girl gets even more smitten with the guy at the same time

it’s what you take from the past ten minutes that you watch in dead silence, and you don’t even remember in the back of your head that you’re supposed to hate plays

“no way.”

you mumble in disbelief under your breath, head shaking profusely

is your mind playing tricks on you???

you’ve got too used to seokjin sitting beside you that you immediately turn to your right, whispering out your concerns 

“is it just me or is she wearing a different shade of pink?”

you don’t even buffer for one second when you ask the stranger beside you

you’re so concerned that you’re looking at him intently while waiting for his answer that could either console or despair you, a random theater-goer that’s too noisy with her questions for her own good

it’s absolutely dARK as fuck in the theater but after awhile your eyes adjusted slightly

and the first thing you look at after the stage is him

him as in the dude in your right that you just asked all of a sudden

you could only see his silhouette and the faintest features of his face along with his well-dressed suit but god

... you are totally not lying if you say that even the barest silhouette of him doesn’t look handsome

you’re expecting him to tell you off for being so noisy but instead, he’s the one who takes you by surprise

“how did you notice that?” 

:O

“oh my god!” you exclaim almost too loudly that you yourself even jolts, the guy even making you duck with him slightly for a brief second, “im sO sorry!! am i accidentally spoiling it out for you?”

the guy blinks twice, lips slightly parted before shaking his head no

“no, no... this is the first screening — i mean uh, how would you know that?”

oh boy

you’re adjusting yourself on your seat, bum now warm as you try to explain and not be nervous because what if you just made a wrong assumption about this play and you’re sitting next to a goddamn tHEATRE BUFF???

“well i —uh, uhm what’s your name?” you’re flustered and the FIRST thing you ask is what was his name.,.,,

he seems equally as flustered before he adjusts his glasses, “o-oh uhm i’m namjoon...?”

alright! handsome guy is namjoon!

“you see, namjoon — okay it might just be in my head, but i tHINK it looks deeper with the light somehow. but uh...? the spotlight’s not following her and — is it just me or without the light, her sweater looks brown?”

you’re squinting and if u squint even more, maybe your contacts would just crumple by then

hold on a second

“brown, like — oh my gOD LIKE-”

namjoon puts a hand over his mouth before you could even gasp, hand reaching out for your forearm even before you manage to grasp his shoulder to take it in realization

was it under your nose the whole time??

“... fall.”

:D

holy fucking shit

namjoon looks positively euphoric looking at your face of realization, his once-heavy chest about the whole scene becoming completely devoid of weight

“exactly!!”

his confirmation makes you inwardly squeal, grinning as you point at him and the stage back and forth

“i think this is the first play i’ve become ever interested in watching.”

okay what now

his ears perk up at that, your first sentence that you’ve said after your pink sweater that looks like spring also looks brown like fall in certain scene because of the lighting realization

“it is?”

he takes the chance to look at you as best as he could, trying to play his squinting as cool as he can

namjoon’s far sighted and the glasses he’s wearing are nOT up to date with his current grade bc he’s pretty sure his eyesight’s worsened the past month

he can’t make you out wholly, but he does know that you’re pretty

his eyes don’t linger on you because of the snacks you’re fishing from your purse while you talk that are absolutely illegal in this theater house lmao

but instead, his gaze lingers on you because you’re so pretty

the minimal light that’s bouncing off the stage is enough for him to see a faint outline of your features, highlighting your smiles just right and your dress to glint underneath

“mhmm. i actually hate plays,” suddenly, you’re not scared if namjoon happens to be some sort of theatre buff and you’re offending him because honestly, you feel at ease. “crunch?” you’re holding out the mini bar of chocolate out to him, one he politely declines to because his eyes are bulging out the next second

“you do????”

his genuine reaction indulges you, making you grin ultimately that you put off eating snacks for now to focus on him

“yeah! this is my hate outfit :D”

namjoon giggles as if it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard

you automatically scoot closer because this time, it’s yOUR turn to shush him

this is totally for just the reason of talking more discreetly and not distracting anyone and is totally not an excuse to be closer to the next guy and touch shoulders with him then get a whiff of cologne because it’s rare for a guy to be handsome and aLSO smell good

your eyes get used to the darkness and eventually, you could make out features of namjoon beside you

he has the prettiest eyes you’ve ever seen

and the way he looks at you makes you feel safe and even your height difference is visible with how probably lonG his torso is compared to yours, his gaze doesn’t make you feel small

namjoon’s still (unsurprisingly) far-sighted and ur so close that he’s a lil cross-eyed 

fuck it he’s gonna go to ophthalmologist FIRST thing in the morning tomorrow

“then why are you here?”

“my friend seokjin,” you lean back upon realizing the original reason why you’re here, the situation being so ironic that you puff out a smile

your friend’s named seokjin?

cool :D kim seokjin is namjoon’s of his favorite directors eVER!!

second best for him actually though.,., no one could quite compare to his first

your explanation makes him cackle several times, a swell of pride recounting why you hate (it’ll be past tense probably after this one) theatre 

“what about you?”

you turn the question to him, making his dimples disappear effectively that you think you’ve just spooked him

“i uh, well i always wanted to see a story that went like this, so i’m here.”

“you’re a critic? oh god. please don’t tell me you heard all my mumbles.”

no this is even WORSE

namjoon’s not a theatre buff

HE’S A CRITIC????????????

god im coming up

“don’t worry, i also think that the drapings must probably be dirty.”

he breaks out into a smile recounting how you were talking to yourself earlier, a snort escaping him involuntarily 

“RIGHT??? it’s like how do you even clean them?? do they fit in washing machines or-”

my god he’s such a nice guy!!!

in fact, he’s everything you want in a guy

you’ve went through atleast twelve facets of emotions for the past hour and you’re not even dating!!!!!!!

“my thoughts exactly!! and if it’s by hand, how do you even scrub the entirety of it?? or wring the water out??”

namjoon KNOWS exactly what’s up :’)

“is there even a clothesline that’d bEAR the weight??”

the two of you are so happy that you just look at each other laughing, a moment in time before namjoon nudges you to lean back because the ending’s happening

you don’t even question him how he’d know that it’s the ending and not just another opening to a new scene, just listening to him

you’re so happy

the play made you happy but namjoon made you even happier :-)

“if you are a critic, you should probably open up your review with this chatty play-hating girl beside you, then at the end, close it off with how she loves it.”

it’s the parting conversation as you realize and holy fuck you are nOT ready for it

you r gonna drag this out for as long as you could <3

......

and namjoon wants in too <3

“noted. if i was a playwright, i’d even make you the lead. which detail should i include? offering me wrapper-covered rice crispy snacks, or asking how you’d watch it while going thru the bathroom?”

this feels so natural

as natural as the couple in the play you’ve just finished watching :))

“you’re hilarious,” you’re not even the slightest bit annoyed and your restrained smile tells him all about it

yea you may have brought in snacks illegally but you aRE gathering your trash up as you’re a decent human being

namjoon wishes you’d pick up after yourself slowly, standing up from his seat as he has the plan of picking up trash that isn’t even his

“what name should i put then?”

you’re silent and oh god he thinks you found his company stupid and would definitely not give him your name

you’re not ignoring him though!!!

his words are still stuck in your head, realizing it lately with his “which detail should i include?”

“me wanting to turn this into a film, actually.”

you test the words out on your tongue, nodding to yourself after a few seconds that you seem so sure of it

“yeah. i wanna make it into a film.”

the lights turn on after being dim for so long, namjoon’s eyes going wide trying to digest what you’ve just said

“w-what?

.....

no fucking way

HOLY FUCKING SHIT SWFRWFBWRHGBRBVWRV SWBHJSDB SHJAVBHGJDS BWHRGHBSVWBGRH

namjoon’s malfunctioning as he’s looking at you from eye to eye, bottom lip trembling while he’s so keen at pointing at you

“y-you’re miss y/n!!”

....

right

oH RIGHT

he’s a fan of yours??

namjoon’s fanning his face because he’s about to literally burst into tears

how could he nOT???

how could he not be emotional when all along, he’s been talking to his number one favorite director????

you and your films are the absolute gems of his life namjoon’s not even kidding

your films were world-renowned for being so natural and sentimental without loading too much into it!!!! you’re known for being so humble through the multiple back-to-back awards and praise you get!!!! 

he cannot calm the fUCK down when you’re rubbing circles on his back

“you w-want to turn my play into a film?”

oh my gOD

you’re fumbling for the envelope and it’s only nOW that you realize that it’s not from seokjin in the first place

spring day a play by kim namjoon an invite for director y/n y/l/n

“it’s you!!!!”

“no it’s YOU!!”

jin’s plan worked alright :D

he’s just FOUR rows behind you lmao

it was just two weeks ago when yoongi, the executive producer of his film that he was directing, let it slip that he was co-financing a play

he met yoongi some semesters later after he became close with you, and he’s aLSO converted yoongi into hating theatre then he fit right in to your little posse of theatre kid-hating film students

that gave jin the laugh of his laugh and yoongi was not joking at all

“no, no. i’m telling you man. it’s different! i even have the script that i’ll let you read.”

and holy shit it IS different

if you see a couple tears on the last seven pages of yoongi’s copy of spring day’s script then mind yo oWN fucking business

then two weeks later, here he is :D

jin managed to also convert you to love theatre even IF it is namjoon’s play that did all the work

( also coincidentally found you a future boyfriend because he’s tired of seeing you alone and the closest you’d get to having someone is projecting your yearning into writing the scripts for the films you’d make )

he’s also secretly co-financed the whole play along with yoongi and he’ll drop that bomb later on lmao

“and that must mean i looked like a total FOOL beside you oh my god im so sorry!!”

namjoon panics at that, about to cry when another realization hits him when he’s about to put his head on his hands

“then that means the friend who gave you the ticket was-”

SEOKJIN VBFHSBVHSFBVSFHDVBSJFV SFJVJSFVSJVSSV SSV V FS FSV SFBVRBVRSVSWVGU

he cries to your shoulder and you never expected to be hugging and consoling someone you’ve just met two hours ago, a more than fond smile on your face he takes advantage of when he sneaks in the chance to ask you

“do you mean that?”

“now why would i lie to the playwright who’s been listening to me talk shit, then theorizing, then crying for the past hour?”

it’s true though

namjoon’s seen it all

he’s still handsome as ever even when he sniffles, his dimples on display when you return his question

“now did you mean it? writing me into your play?”

why are you even ASKING

:D

he’s the biggest fan of u

namjoon’s made notes of your work, dedicated scripts to your movies, and he’s thinking about how it’s not yet hitting you how your whole epiphany about the pink sweater turning brown on his play,,, was entirely inspired from you and your affinity for lighting in your films

he thinks it’s still a little early to kiss you on the cheek even if you’ve already hugged, instead settling on pinching your cheek with satisfaction present in all corners

“you’ve always been my muse.”

[tyunniverse]

FRIENDS FOR A DAY (2)

pair: yeonjun x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 2654

parts: 1 | 2

· · ───────────── ·.☆.· ───────────── · ·

It had been a long time since Yeonjun felt like this. Sometimes life in general had become too much to bear and the things that used to make him happy weren't working for him anymore. Times spent alone slowly became more frequent for him than times he'd spent with his friends.

He'd skipped the first day, not wanting to go back to that routine life just yet. And towards the start of the day, he would never have imagined meeting you and getting to spend the day doing things that strayed far from any of the schedules he'd previously planned. A breath of fresh air was what he liked to call it, and he had you to thank for that.

Unlike him, everything was new to you; a new city, a new school, new people, and a whole new life ahead. Yeonjun felt a little envious after realizing it when you'd talked more about yourselves during lunch, but after seeing how you seemed to enjoy every single second of your little sight seeing endeavor, he thought that maybe he could also be a part of something new in your life.

Best friends.

You had agreed to be his best friend from today onwards; the pendant around your neck serving as proof. Yeonjun finds his hand wandering over to his pocket, holding on to his old necklace.

Half of a star. He'd bought it a few years back. The necklace had a similar purpose with the one he was wearing now— meant to be worn separately by two different people. In his case, he had bought it as a whole and had decided to keep one half of it still in its case, stashed inside his closet. His reasons for purchasing it never really felt clear even to him but he also wouldn't call it an impulsive decision. Yeonjun liked to think that he'd be able to find a use for it in the future.

"Yeonjun." You call for his attention, pointing at the posters plastered on a random shop's wall. "It says that the annual carnival will be opening tonight. Wanna go?"

Yeonjun grins. Opportunities somehow kept showing up right in front of his doorstep. "Yeah, only if you want to though. Afterall, I'm only the tour guide for today."

"Shut up." You hold back a smile. "Have you been there before?"

Yeonjun repeats the question in his mind. As someone one would consider pretty popular, you'd expect him to be no stranger in hanging out at fun places like an annual carnival, but that's just it. Yeonjun had never visited that Carnival once ever since it opened. His friends had asked him to tag along but something about it just never seemed to make him want to.

"No." Yeonjun answers, scratching the back of his head. "If we end up going then this would be my first time too." The first time he'd actually wanted to go.

"I guess we're going then." You grin and Yeonjun finds himself smiling back. "It says here that the Carnival's just around the corner so it'd probably be okay if we just walked there."

"Yeah."

The two of you make your way to the Carnival. You still had a good amount of time left before it opened so a few quick stops at some stalls along the way didn't do any harm.

· · ───────────── ·.☆.· ───────────── · ·

In all honesty, Yeonjun didn't even know when and how he'd ended up holding your hand, laughing his heart off by the time you arrived at the entrance but it all just happened somehow. Was it the when your ice cream cone almost landed straight on his shoe earlier? Or when his hand nearly hit you square in the face when he noticed a bug flying towards you? It could've even been when a group of old ladies started hitting on him at the handbag boutique and all you did was stand there shaking, wanting to laugh your ass off.

No matter what the reason was, he liked this. Somehow, it just felt right.

The two of you pay for the tickets before heading inside. The place was larger than any of you had ever expected, cleaner too. People of all ages were enjoying their carnival experience to the fullest. Children were running around with their guardians following closely behind, couples and groups of friends chatting along and taking pictures— Yeonjun could swear he saw two old men arguing over who gets to take a picture with the mascot first.

"So, which ride do you wanna go on first?" You ask, turning to him.

"Well, how about that one." Yeonjun points at the viking and you feel yourself getting more and more excited.

"NICE—" Before Yeonjun knew it, you were dragging him around to every single ride at the carnival.

You liked to keep count of everytime Yeonjun freaked out while you went on the rides, and Yeonjun liked to do the same. Despite the thrill of being at a carnival keeping you hyped up, there were a few times when you had overestimated your tolerance with being thrown around. Yeonjun nearly puked twice: once at the twister, and a second time on the rollercoaster. Even you were almost a victim by the rollercoaster's loops.

Yeonjun had claimed he was an expert at navigating haunted house attractions, stating, "I've been watching horror movies all my life. Nothing scares me at this point, tbh." True enough, nothing scared Yeonjun except every single ominous decoration and jump scares the haunted house threw at him. You weren't too fond of horror yourself, but you ended up trying to be the brave one after Yeonjun basically clung to you half of the time. It didn't help whenever you freaked out since you ended up losing Yeonjun after he not so subtly abandons you at the slightest suspicious sound. It was a miracle you made it out in one piece.

"Yeah, so, uh, sorry about that." Yeonjun laughs it off the moment you two got out.

"Sure but you should know that I'm never gonna let you live it down." You tell him, smiling widely as you hold up the photos you received from one of the staff. "I got evidence."

Yeonjun snatches the photos from your hands. "Bold of you to assume these'll affect me— oh." It definitely did.

You watch as he slips the photos inside his jacket as if it wasn't obvious enough that he was trying to hide it from you. "Nice try but," You take out another batch of photos and wave it around. "Boom. Two copies."

"Wow, okay."

The two of you ended up laughing at each other before you suggest in trying out the stalls. They say time flies by fast when you're having fun and they couldn't be more right. There had been an unspoken competition between you and Yeonjun of who can win the most prizes and let's just say you weren't about to let yourself lose. By the time you got tired, you had a total of three plushies and a bunch of candy bars stuffed in your pockets and well, Yeonjun had the exact amount of prizes you had.

"Fine. It's a draw for now but only because I'm tired." Yeonjun holds the plushies tighter. "We should really get a bag for this. I wonder if we can get a huge plastic bag somewhere."

"Nah, we can just put em in here." You take off your back pack, opening it wide. "I'm sure it can fit all six of them. They're small enough." You were lucky that they did, finally leaving your hands free.

"Wait." Yeonjun pauses after putting the last of his plushies inside. "How can I be sure you won't just take my plushies for yourself after we leave? I'm pretty easy to distract so—"

"If you forget to get them back then I'll just hand them to you tomorrow at school. You go to HSU too, right?" You tell him.

"Yeah, but how will you contact me?"

"Obviously, we exchange numbers."

Yeonjun blinks. Of course that'd be the simplest solution but still. He'd been talking about staying as friends even after all this but the thought of exchanging numbers hadn't really crossed his mind. He takes out his phone and the two of you quickly added each other as contacts, somehow feeling a bit closer after the exchange.

"While we're at it—" Yeonjun pulls you in closer as he bends down. Only now that you've felt Yeonjun's warmth close to you have you noticed how cold it actually was outside . It takes you a few seconds to register that he wants to take a few selfies.

You bust out a smile and tried to go along with whatever weird faces and poses he did. "Send them to me later." You say after examining the photos. There's one where Yeonjun mimicked a kissing motion near your cheek, making you smile. Who would've expected you two were total strangers up until a few hours ago.

"Got room for one last ride?" Yeonjun asks as you return his phone.

"Yeah, sure. Which one?"

"Don't ask as if you don't know. I'm pretty sure you left this one out on purpose."

Perhaps unconsciously, you did. In every single movie that involved the two characters going to a carnival, for some reason, they always left the Ferris Wheel for last. It's not like you wanted something grand to happen when you ride it, but more like you just wanted to get a good view of the entire carnival before leaving. It seemed like the perfect final attraction.

Yeonjun notices how you've gone quiet and decided to hold your hand, pulling you along. "Let's go before the place closes."

"Okay." You look up at him, nodding.

· · ───────────── ·.☆.· ───────────── · ·

The Ferris Wheel ride wasn't all you had expected it to be. It looked pretty slow in the movies but right now? You were about to puke.

"Yeonjun, wait." You hold on to Yeonjun who was sitting opposite to you.

The Ferris Wheel was going too fast to your liking and you started feeling dizzy. Getting a good view of the carnival seemed impossible at this point and looking at your partner made you even more miserable.

Yeonjun was having the time of his life. He loved the feeling in his stomach whenever the ride went down, and the fact that you were lowkey suffering right in front of him made him laugh even harder.

The speed went on for a few more rounds until it finally slows down. Your heart and probably everything else stilled once the ride came to a complete stop just as your car reached the top. "Thank God. I felt like I was going to die."

"Well, you're safe for now." Yeonjun grins, leaning back in his heat. "You wanted to enjoy the view, right? We'll be stuck here for probably about a minute or two so enjoy it while it lasts."

"Yeah." You smile back, looking outside the window.

The winds were colder up there, reminding you of how warm it felt when you stood close to Yeonjun earlier. Yeonjun catches you warming yourself up with your hands and chuckles. He takes off his jacket and hands it over to you. "Here, put this on."

"Thanks." You quickly put his jacket on. Usually you'd go for the polite route and turn him down but if you were going to continue this friendship business then you weren't about to suffer in the cold when the dude's practically handing you a solution.

Yeonjun gives you a little smile before you continue to admire the view. Down there, the lights almost looked like a sea of stars. The music around the place didn't really help set the mood but somehow, the mixture of it along with the laughter and delightful screams of the other visitors made it feel right. After everything that happened today, you felt like it was the right decision to end the day with this breathtaking sight.

And Yeonjun couldn't agree more. The lights below reflected in your eyes in a way that made the atmosphere lighter. He could tell you were happy and right now, that seemed to be enough for him.

The Ferris Wheel began moving. Yeonjun snickers as he felt you grab for his hand, worried that the ride might throw you off once more, but it didn't. The way down was slow, allowing you to enjoy the ride in peace. Your pendant started to shine, reflecting the lights. It reminded him of everything that happened, from the moment you two met and agreed on a friendship that would last for only a day, up until now where he held your hand on the Ferris Wheel after deciding to be friends for real this time. The pendant became the sole proof of that friendship and Yeonjun couldn't help but wonder if the ones he bought a few years back would truly be of any use in the future. But what would it symbolize for? Who knows, he might just give you the other half.

Your car comes to a stop and the doors open. The realization that the day has officially come to an end left you feeling disappointed. Yeonjun squeezes your hand, bringing your attention to him. He gestures for the two of you to get up and you do, finally stepping back on the ground.

Both you and Yeonjun felt that the way back to the entrance was too fast. It really did seem like the two of you wouldn't see each other again despite the fact you went to the same university. The thought felt silly but that's just how the carnival experience gets to you.

"I guess this is it." Yeonjun speaks up first. "You live pretty far from here, right? I can take you home if you want."

"It's okay. My cousin lives nearby and I texted her earlier that I'd be staying over." You tell him, not wanting him to worry. "How about you? Will you be alright on your own?"

"Yeah, definitely." Yeonjun reassures, holding up his hands. "Oh, and by the way. Is it okay if I leave the plushies on your bag for now? I can't exactly carry them on the way back. If it's ok with you."

"Don't worry. You can just take them back tomorrow." You grin and Yeonjun smiles back. "Also, I'm keeping your jacket for now. I'll return it after I clean it up."

"I can work with that." He shouldn't feel this happy but he did. In a way, he was able to find an excuse to meet up with you tomorrow without things getting awkward. Maybe this friendship could work out afterall.

"Thanks for today. Honestly, this was the most fun I've had ever since I got here." You say, taking one last look at him.

I should be the one to thank you. "You know, I have a lot of things I wanna say to you right now but I think I'm gonna wait until I feel like it."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I'll text you later." Yeonjun gives you a quick pat on the shoulder before running off to the opposite direction. "See you at school! And don't forget to bring the kids!"

You raise a brow. Did he just refer to the plushies as his kids?

He felt dumb, running away from you. The longer he stayed, the more he had trouble leaving, which was new for him. It's been a while since he actually found someone he'd like to hang out with and he was having trouble controlling his excitement. Soon, you'd be able to visit each other's houses, hang out more freely, talk about your days as if it were nothing, and get to know each other more. Honestly speaking, Yeonjun couldn't wait for that day to come but I guess he'll just have to start with tomorrow.

[jacscorner]

Pokemon All-Stars: A Fan Region/Game/Alternate Universe Idea

I like watching and rewatching Original Pokemon Game/Region videos. Like Mr. Buddy's "What if X was a Pokemon Region" and stuff like that. I wanna make-or, I guess, write-my own. Since Regions are kind of a character all their own and I'm a Wannabe Character Artist, I wanted to try and make one my own.

I've got no skills in coding, pixel arts, or anything, so this will forever be just some kind of dumb fanfic that sometimes incorporates Game Mechanics to justify things if it were able, for some Godforsaken reason, 'stolen' for a game. Cause, in 2021, no idea feels too big or too dumb. And, uh, trust me, this'll be a dumb fanfic of an idea. So be aware for the subpar writing talents of some wannabe writer who doesn't know shit.

Small disclaimer though:

>This region is being made with the intention that every extra feature will be available in it. Z-Moves, Regional Variants, Gygantamax, Mega Evolutions, and maybe some things I've forgotten. This probably won't matter cause it's just a dumb fanfic plot bible with mechanics peppered in. Competitive balancing be damn! Pokemon Fans can create their own balance! That's what the Battle Simulator is for! In fact, if this was a real game, then it'd have a Battle Simulator like Showdown built into it.

>This is an open source Fanfic Bible. You can take this idea and run with it if you want. You can omit all my bad ideas even!

>I won't be making my own Fakemon. I don't like a lot of Fakemon that exists out there and, trust me when I say this: I am no better than them. In fact, I'm fucking worse.

>If this WERE a game, it probably WOULD still have to cut some Pokemon. I doubt that kinda, and I won't get into why I think dexit was dumb personally, cause it doesn't really matter. But, like, my fan game/fanfic will have a lot of shit going on in it. So, like, realistically, there would probably need to be a cut, if not for data, than just cause there's a lot of work to do as is. But, like, again, under the context of a fic, this wouldn't be an issue.

>With THAT said, I'd want this game to have a Gen 2 Sprite aesthetic. My fangame, don't care if ya'll don't like that.

>I'm probably gonna copy a LOT of stuff from other Fangames I've played. My shit memory probably won't allow me to remember what I'm biting from what, so be free to call me out whenever. Cause if I stole the mechanic, I probably liked it the game. And if not, well, I'd like the recommendation.

Fuck, this was long already. The rest is under the cut, so, like, if you're already turned off, you can stop reading. I understand. I'm kind of a windbag.

Okay, so how many of you guys have seen this picture on the internet? It's a picture of a ton of Pokemon regions all...basically stitched together, since not only could this never be canon, but this goes beyond the size of even most open world games today. But this was the inspiration for this project. The map probably wouldn't, and probably couldn't, look like this, but it perfectly sums up what I'd want out of this game. Thus, it'll be our placeholder.

Our hometown of Capricorn Town is home to Professor Chestnut, and you, her faithful assistant, are about to set off on a Pokemon adventure of your own! The Professor is encouraging you to see the region of Sidus for yourself and is even willing to give you a Starting Pokemon!

Starting Pokemon

Now, if I'm not making new Pokemon, which Starter will it be? Well, the game will have the data for all the starters and will randomly select a Grass, Fire, and Water Type for you to choose from. Those will be your starters, with the option of also choosing Pikachu, Eevee, and Riolu, the two mascot mons...and Riolu, who is kind of a mascot mon, but a lesser one.

Let's say for this example, your options are Torchic, Piplup, Rowlet, Pikachu, Eevee, and Riolu. And, uh, get used to the words 'random' and 'generator', those are our keywords.

Anyway, once you get your pick, there'll be some kind of tutorial mission the Professor will send you on. This will introduce you to two very important things;

1. One of your Rival.

2. An Evil Team Grunt.

Rivals?!

Now to start getting into why this game might still be pretty big still be big despite the sprites on modern consoles.

Each of your Rivals would be one kid from each region of the 8 Mainline Games from Kanto to Kalos. How this'll be decided is that each pair of kids will be plugging into a generator and will pick between either the boy or girl version.

Ex. Brendan and May both cannot be in the game. Instead, they'll be plugged into this generator. Let's say the generator fell onto May. She'll be one of your Rival. Repeat this process 7 more times until you have 8 Rivals sprinkled throughout the world, each one given a defined personality and better AI to make them harder trainers to fight.

May will have one of the Hoenn Starters, sans Torchic. Regardless of whether or not Protagonist-San picked Torchic, May will either have a Treecko or Mudkip, again, chosen at random per kid. Whichever Starter you picked, your first rival will have a starter that beats yours. So, let's say moving forward, May has a Mudkip and you a Torchic. The other kids will have random starters of the various regions they originally hail from.

Anyway, your rivals will wander the overworld. If they see you, they'll battle you on sight. If they lose, they'll be gone after the next time you turn the game off. They won't battle you again until they respawn, but you can hang out with them. In fact, you can even recruit them to be in your party for a few days and they'll follow you around and just generally be your friend. It'll make every battle a double battle, but they'll battle you again before their timer runs out, so be prepared!

BANG! BANG! ENTER! Team Wild!

The two of you will have to face off against Team Wild! They have a Cowboy theme to them, using a mix of Ground and Steel-Types, with a few Pokemon being added in for good measure like the Ponyta Lines, Cacnea Line, and Remoraid. Cause...it's a gun.

They're an outlaw gang, they're rough and tough (or, at least, a mild threat) and will always throw down when they spot ya. Something I'm just sniping from JelloApocalypse is that they'll appear sporadically and act as Timed Events across the map.

You and your new Rival beat them and send you packing. I'd imagine May and the other Rivals would mostly be friendly, but I'm sure there's one or two that'll just be jerks to you. Regardless of personality, they'll be pretty tough and programmed to skill with you. Your strongest mon you have on hand when you fight them will be the level their entire team.

With your tutorial done, the world is opened up! Your mom gives you your running shoes, some Pokeballs, and your...I don't know, PokeCelular or something, just the regional gadget that does a bunch of stuff. From holding your map to holding your VS Seeker.

The PokeCelular will also give you notifications on where Team Wild are! You can choose to ignore the events, but if you do, then they'll start to appear in the overworld know and will get progressively stronger.

A Balancing Act

This game will be an open world, 8-Bit Sprite Game for you to explore after you leave Capricorn!

So how do we balance that?

Well, we got our Rival out of the way already, so let's move on. Gym Leaders will have a pretty linear progression. However, regardless of which Gym you tackle first, they'll all be at the same level.

It doesn't matter if you decide to go across the map and battle the Bug Gym, he'll stay at Level 10, just like the Normal Gym. Whe you get the second badge, they'll all jump to Level 15. NPC Trainers will follow the same progression; the higher your badge number, the stronger the number of Pokemon they'll be.

Wild Pokemon will also get stronger. The more badges you get, it'll attract stronger wild Pokemon because they'll see you're stronger and will come out more.

The overworld will also have various dungeons in them that'll be Level Locked. Say, you go through a forest and you're just trying to reach the end of a maze. The Trainers and Pokemon will function the same as I've mentioned before. But, you can decide to go deeper into the dungeon. These Pokemon will be level locked, usually something of a high level, because this is a more dangerous part of the dungeon. But, there'll be some goodies down there, like rarer Pokemon and some kind of really rare and good item like a TM or something.

How will you traverse? Well, first of all, HMs? They're semi-back. BUT, instead of having to deal with teaching Cut to a Pokemon, you just need the move Cut and a Pokemon that can use the move and you'll be able to use Cut. A few other Pokemon that are reasonable candidates, but don't get cut, will be allowed to do this too. Like, Gallade can use Cut. It can't learn the move, but just holding the HM will get the job done.

Controversial opinion, but I think I've always liked the idea of HMs. On paper, they give you a reason to explore the world and go back to areas you couldn't before for goodies and make for a good way to get off dungeons until you get the needed item. Even something like Cut can be used to open up new areas for exploration for your squad of mons.

BUT, well, HMs suck. As moves, they suck save for, like, 2...MAYBE and they're only for, like, a handful of areas. You either hand them out as evenly as possible, forcing mons to take moves you don't wanna use, or you just get an HM Slave or two to use 'em all. But like they, they serve their function and all you need is the Pokemon in question and NOT teach them the move. If you need a Move Deleter just so people aren't stuck having to use Rock Smash for three towns, then there's a problem with your RPG. Imagine playing Final Fantasy and you had to give your Fighter the Bronze Axe to get through a forest and still had to fight with it, even though you got a +12 Silver Sword! It's no wonder people hated these things! But I don't think getting rid of them and introducing Rental Pokemon was a good solution either and adds a different, albeit less intrusive problem.

Gym Leaders

So, how do Gym Leaders work?

Much like your rivals, they'll be randomly generated. Let's say, hypothetically, there's a pool of 60 Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. The game will randomly generate 16 to be Gym Leaders. The generator will have some kind of complicated math (at least, too complicated for me) so that you don't have more than 2 gyms of the same type. (Example: Misty and Nessa might be Active Gyms, Siebold can't be selected for a Gym cause the Water Slots are taken).

As a trade off, some Gyms might have special conditions before you can challenge them. Like, if you got stuck with Koga as a Gym Leader, than he'll only let you in if you complete a nearby dungeon and help his daughter out cause he doesn't trust her to make it back on her own. Or, like, Claire's a Gym Leader, but she won't battle you unless you've collected 7 Gym Badges prior at least.

The Gym Leaders, as mentioned before, will get progressively stronger with each badge obtained. After the 8th badge, you can go and climb Victory Road, face the E4 and confront the Champion! You can keep hunting Gym Leaders, but just remember that the E4 will always be 10 Levels above the strongest gym you beat. And they'll just get stronger with every one you beat until all 16 are slain.

Another handful, let's say 8, Gym Leaders/E4 Members will be wondering around as NPC Trainers. The justification is that this big super region is in some Alternate Universe Pokemon Game that has all the Pokemon and other important trainers in it, hence why we can have a game where Roxanne and Lenora are hanging out at a coffee shop. They're not Rivals, more like stronger NPCs you can rematch and wonder the map. They're not here to be the very best like no one ever was.

I mean, I'd like, like, 10-20 instead of 8 extras, but let's not get TOO greedy...yet...

Elite Four

And now, it's time to flip the script. Cause if E4 members can be Gym Leaders, then who are the Elite Four?

Easy. The Rivals.

All the Rival characters will be put in a random generator as well. The four that are chosen. You can have an Elite Four made up of Wally, Marnie, Hau, and Barry and you gotta deal with it.

This is excluding Brendan and May, Blue, and Calem and Serena. Anyone else is fair game.

Champion

So, the Champion. Who would it be in this? There was a funny idea I had, but this is a Pokemon Game. So there would be two versions. We'll call them Pokemon Dawn & Dusk. The difference between these games is the game Champion!

Benga would be the Champion of Pokemon Dusk, the grandson of Alder! His final Team will include Volcarona, Garchomp, and Dragonite, Pokemon he used in Black and White. I'd also include Scrafty, Rampardos, and Golurk, Pokemon used against you in White Treehollow and Black Tower areas.

Meanwhile, the Champion of Pokemon Dusk will be Zinnia, the Lorekeeper! Her team would include the Goodra, Tyrantrum, Altaria, Noivern, and Salamence she used in her original team, with her plucky Whismur sidekick becoming an Exploud and her ace.

You would've met them in the beginning of the game and would've showed off a bit by helping you with Team Wild before. They'll pop in and out throughout the game, at first amused by your tenacity, but not wanting a rookie like you to get hurt. But if you keep bonking Team Wild, they'll be impressed with how strong you are.

The show up to chat again when you beat 8 Gym Leaders, and will pop in if you White Out to give you some advice. White Out three times and they'll feel bad for you and give you an egg. Benga will give you a Larvesta Egg and Zinnia a Bagon Egg.

EXTRAS

So I don't got a lot of ideas for the Post Game, but there is one idea I thought would be cool if, if after you defeat the champion, they give you a call. They'll tell you that there are strong trainers wondering the Overworld and to be careful.

Because dotting the overworld will be Champions passed and proper! Cynthia, Blue, Lance; all of them are rocking Lv 100 Teams and are out for blood. They won't challenge you, but if you talk to them, there will be no backing out of the battle! You come with your A-Game!

sI'm not exactly in love with the idea of Team Wild. Maybe the Evil Team should go full fanservice and just be Team Rainbow Rocket. Or maybe go half-and-half; having past Evil Team members and leaders walk around in cowboy gear and acting as Team Wild executives.

I'd also would love Tournaments. Like, maybe that could be a weekly event in some town, they'll how tournaments and the characters that aren't designated as Gym Leaders and such will attend. Maybe there's a cash prize, maybe you'll win Pokemon Eggs of rare, guaranteed shines, or maybe you'll get some kind of important quest items.

Yeah, I want quests! All sorts of side quests! And can't forget what I'd do with Legendairs;

If you know Bengal's team, you'll know he's got the Lati Twins. I don't like that personally and would prefer Legendaries to be Super Bosses. Like, you gotta do a lot to find them. And when you do, their stats are boosted and they become an Uber Boss! You catch them in a cutscene after you beat them!

There's also just a ton of characters I didn't get around to or really have a place for. Emma, Looker, N, and the Stat Trainers all come to mind. Overall, I'd want them to pepper the world as well, but don't have anything to say except this: Pokemon has made a lot of memorable characters. Both good and bad. And this is probably my dream Pokemon Game; one where you can hang out with your favorites

[bearpillowmonster]

Horizon Zero Dawn Review

The game that critics have been raving about for years and I just haven't played. I heard a lot of people say "this needs a movie" but they say that about any game that dares to be a little bit cinematic because I personally disagree.

That first part is rough, the story seems so in your face, predictable and bland but I think the problem is that it didn't know how to put in its exposition. I think it naturally builds up as it goes on, getting bigger and broader, it's just those first experiences that can be a slog because you're pretty much learning what style you're going to play in.

I got more or less everything I expected, crafting, a skill tree, various weapons. What I didn't expect though are dialogue options. You can choose normally up to four paths, an intelligent one, a compassionate one, and a straightforward one. You don't have to worry about the stress of trying to reach a specific ending because there's really only one, the only thing that affects it is the amount of people that are in it. So does that make the choices irrelevant? Yes and no because there are different dialogue options and like I said, which means that you can get certain characters to like you more given the option you choose but not in the same way that relationship points work and I definitely felt the draw to do that whenever I came across my first side-quest.

Side-quests are interesting, I love tracking things in games, though it's rare that you actually get the chance to do it and here you have a good amount of opportunities. Is that all though? Far from it. I actually found myself searching for side-quests because the first two were so satisfying. It really only began to show its hand a bit more after those quests. As I mentioned, there are a lot more RPG elements than I first imagined but it starts to send you on scavenger hunts, especially that Dreamwillow one, that one I actually laughed out loud at every time I was turned away. It also starts to gatekeep to where it recommends that you be a certain level which is...odd? I mean at face value it looks like you could rock basically any combat situation that isn't context sensitive. Leveling up gives you abilities but they're more like Deus Ex on that front, where it's just for preference and upgrading, not necessarily strength. The only thing you improve on offense wise basically boils down to having the right materials or units to buy weapons then a matter of finding modifications. Other than that, leveling up seems to just increase your health. It really just depends on the quest too because I'll play one above my level and be fine then play another that's actually under my level and feel stuck.

Now I only played it on normal mode so something like "Ultra Hard" is bound to be more demanding but as far as actual side quest content, I feel like they have potential but just need tweaked, give me more stuff for major characters that affects their standing with me. Rather than having each quest be contained in its own story, have it affect you later in the game, let your actions be shown, give it rewards and consequences. There are some really great side-quests but there are also some crappy ones, it doesn't pass that threshold that most RPGs fall under or anything. However, I did find myself doing side-quests at my own free will and the ones that I didn't like or couldn't do at the time, I just skipped and focused on something else, I felt a lot more freedom with this game, like I didn't feel forced to grind or do a certain number of side-quests or really do anything. It encourages you to explore and play the way you want to play and I respect the heck out of that. Maybe it's different for other players though.

Perhaps my favorite actual side thing was the Cauldrons for those who actually played this, you'll know why. For those who didn't, just know that it's cool and let it be a surprise for when you go to one. You might expect these big set-pieces and bosses like Uncharted or GoW, but it's not really like that. I genuinely think that this is more video-gamey than it lets on which certainly takes up its runtime. One addition to side-quests that I would like to see is one where you don't know it's happening. For example, in this game, you'll come across random hunters who are attacking or being attacked by machines but rather than just going on about your day and them going on about their's, I want to fight off the machine and the person say "You saved my life, my name's Jara, I live in the town nearby and want to repay you." so you go there and there's trouble so it starts up a side-quest. Now don't get me wrong, there are PLENTY of instances of people getting attacked actually being a mission but most of the time someone in town will just tell you "I haven't seen this person in a while, can you go check on them for me?" It's the art of subtlety and also just doing a good deed and getting rewarded for it. It's a conscious choice and split decision rather than just another checkmark on your list to complete.

Now I won't bother listing the characters and rating them but there's a certain aspect that has me really enthused So, Aloy is an outcast and a lot of these side missions and scenarios reflect her, you'll see the way she can relate with other characters, making it almost poetic in a subliminal kind of way. Then they add this tribal and futuristic setting to it where Aloy acts as the medium, there are parts of the game where she questions the tribe because they cut themselves off from technology and just don't know any better and we as a viewer know that but having the main character view things in 'our' lens is pretty genius. To top that off, they give her enough personality to be her own character while giving us enough power to influence her so that we ourselves can REFLECT WITH HER. It's not her character that I'm impressed with, it's the layout of the story.

So, how is the main story? It's kind of like the Flood scenario in Halo if I'm being honest. I'm not going to spoil anything but it's passable, like I said, it's not like an Uncharted and it's not like a movie. The visuals just look good at times (I took all the pictures in this review myself and so much more!). I'd call it a futuristic/tribal mix between Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Skyrim but I see elements of a lot of things. (Also since it's post apoctalypic, you find items that we see in modern day, like how they call keys, "chimes"! They think they're windchimes because there are no more cars! I love that!)

It actually does a pretty good job at being an open world considering that there are tons of things to do on your routes as well as collect but it's not so much so that it seems unfeasible, as I said, I found myself doing a good chunk of the side stuff just because it was fun to do and I'm not even close to a completionist for any game. If you mess up, healing plants will still be there. As long as you save, enemy parts will still be there. A place can be cleared out and conquered so that enemies don't come back. The actual towns are peaceful so you can't get mangled by any bots outside of scripted instances.

The graphics are pretty good but I can see some error here and there, nothing necessarily game breaking but the animations and AI are definitely janky at times. It's pretty obvious from the get-go but I'll do my best to specify and give constructive criticism on what I found wrong with certain aspects of the game. Rost is slow, like slower than walking speed but that's not to speak for all NPCs, some run, some you don't need to follow, it was really just him. I've had NPCs who fight but miss every single time on simple enemies (that might not be a bug, that might just be a funny bit that someone decided to add in). Sabretooths have jumped through walls (granted the walls were kinda broken but I'm not sure if those big boys can fit when they can barely find the entrance) I found myself jumping to a ledge or on a rope but not land it and just drop (it really boils down to loosening the hit box for that). Which to add on to that, I would like more places to climb and jump to in general (other than stupid mountains). I felt like there wasn't really enough that I could climb and the places that I could, could've been a bit more obvious that I could, maybe even make it viewable with your focus if you don't want it to be visually outstanding. There's a day and night cycle and while I like that, I found some of the contrast to be annoying because I could be staring a ladder right in the face and not even know it sometimes because it would be so dark. I'm not going to complain too much about it because I didn't turn my brightness up, I just left it at default and I would assume the PS5 version fixes some of those little things.

Now, this one is kind of a gray area: Hiking up mountains. Skyrim, Fallout, and Death Stranding went too far and gave little to no barriers. They had you looking for sweet spots that weren't there in order to cheese your way through an area either on or off a beaten path. But I would compare this to something like GTA where it's not as bad and does have its limits but might need tightened up some more because I can certainly get to places that lead to nowhere.

I've made headshots that don't make contact or damage while using precision. Part of that problem was that they could be high up in a tower (which have spikes sticking out) and I would hit ABOVE the logs, to make a headshot but since it was in that vicinity, it registered that as the spikes' hitbox so it wouldn't cause any damage and just alert the enemy (same if I was in the tower, looking down). Input lag where I hit up button on the D-Pad to regain health and I have to keep pressing it. If I had to guess, you have to meet the requirements of not taking damage, staying still, etc in order for it to actually work but it doesn't really have a reason to do that and it doesn't "tell" you that those are the requirements (as far as I know).

During the final boss, one of the enemies hit me into a rock wall, trapping me inside of it and the boss was already half health so I really didn't want to have to restart (I also didn't know how far back the checkpoint was) so I kept shooting stuff and eventually the boss destroyed the wall, allowing me to get out (timed section, by the way). There have been a few times where a tree or leaf or something is obstructing a cutscene and sometimes there will be a mech in the background screaming over the NPC talking, which I'm sure is due to the cutscenes being real-time which is still pretty impressive. Now are these errors all the time? No, not at all, I'm just pointing out that some times these things happened and that I felt it needed ironed out but I wouldn't call this half baked or an unfinished product or anything, it's nowhere near that level. I get that there are so many NPCs that it's hard to account for them all with facial animations but whenever they're talking, it seems pretty static and sometimes the lips don't line up. There's this one guy who says that he got lost in a sandstorm but he's standing in snow. Again, little nitpicks in an otherwise great game.

Now, I got this game for free as a Playstation promotion but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be great, I played a little bit of that Ratchet & Clank reboot that was offered and I wasn't impressed, I quit after the first few worlds and was glad I didn't buy it at launch, (despite being a classic PS2 R&C fan) but we're not here to review that. I also played Abzu and loved it but it was short so it was definitely worth a play but maybe not 60$ (I actually think it's 20$ at this point though). With this game, it's the whole complete edition with DLC and everything, it has the length, so it really just boils down to "Would I have spent money on it otherwise?"

I think I would've if I knew more about it because I think it just got better and better after that first part of the game. It's marketed a bit differently than what I ended up getting but I found myself pouring hours into this game and loving it for one reason or another. I actually bought Shadow of the Colossus along with it (which is considered a cult classic) but I liked Horizon so much better, definitely worth its full price in my opinion. (So your promotion worked on me Sony, congrats) It has its problems but the potential is there and I feel like a sequel would probably iron out a lot of my troubles with it, so it's definitely a franchise worth investing into.

If you're interested in what I thought of the DLC alone (if you didn't get the Ultimate edition and are wondering if the extra content is worth it) I have a separate post that goes into that here.