#so maybe i can tweak it so it's more natural to how names work in the story now

[wordsgood]

i think i'm going to have to change jat's name. AGAIN

[virginsexgod69]

Hi!! I love ur work for Daryl. I was wondering if you could write a daryl dixon oneshot where maybe him and the reader find an abandoned tattoo parlor while out on a supply run and reader gives him a tattoo and eventually that leads to smut! 🩷

❝ Inked ❞

pairing Daryl Dixon x F!Reader

cw established relationship, smut, unprotected p in v, pet names, pussy eating, needles (for tattoos), idk how to do tattoos so i apologize in advance for any inaccuracies

note omg i had a jolly good time writing this! tysm for the request =] i did lowkey tweak it slightly, but nothing major, i pinky promise

2.1k words

“I don’t think there’s anything else we can get outta this place,” you commented as you placed the only can- a can of cranberry sauce from who knows how long ago- into your backpack. You looked around, only seeing more bare shelves and Daryl. You smiled, a natural reaction you had whenever you saw him. He wrapped his strong arm around your shoulder, pulling you close before placing a kiss to your hairline. 

“We should take a look a’ these other stores ‘fore we start headin’ back,” he suggested as he guided you out the store, arm still wrapped snugly around you. You nodded your head in silent agreement, following beside him. It was hard to tell what most of the other buildings were since they were all dirty with broken or boarded up windows, but one in particular caught your eye. 

“Hey, look! A tattoo shop,” you pointed at the building, “Let’s go check it out!” You hurried toward it, semi-dragging Daryl with you. 

“The hell we gonna find at a tattoo shop?” He asked, seeming genuinely confused at why the hell you’d wanna go. 

“Hopefully more than some nasty ass canned cranberry sauce.” He couldn’t disagree with you there, so he fell in line with your fast paced steps toward the shop. 

 You both entered the shop with knives drawn in case any walkers decided to stumble out of the shadows. Nothing came when the two of you made noise in an attempt to draw them out, so you sheathed your knife and went all the way inside, Daryl in tow. The shop was small, which allowed the sunlight shining through the window to fill it. The walls were covered in framed pictures of tattoo designs, although they were covered in dust. The shop itself was in fairly good shape, considering. You and Daryl split off in different directions in search of anything that could be brought back to the prison. You couldn’t find anything that wasn’t tattoo related, which wasn’t surprising since this was a tattoo shop. What you did find, though, was a lot more exciting. Everything that you would need to do a tattoo was all there, right in front of you. 

“Find anything?” Daryl asked once he found you again. 

“Yes and no?” 

“Wha’s that s’pose to mean?” He asked. 

“There’s still everything here to do tattoos with, isn’t that cool?” 

“We gon’ get matchin' tattoos or somethin’? He teased. 

"Not a bad idea, Dixon," you mused. You patted the seat and he sat down after setting aside his crossbow and got comfortable. You thought about what to put on him. You had so many ideas that you may as well have had none. 

"Wha's goin' on in there?" he asked. It was something that he'd say whenever he noticed you deep in thought. 

"I don't even know what to put on ya," you admitted as you traced lazy lines on his bare arm with your finger, "or where to put it."  Your face brightened when an idea finally passed through your head. You grabbed his arm and turned his hand to face upward before wiping a spot on his wrist clean with the alcohol wipe you got lucky enough to find. You unpackaged a needle before dipping it into the ink cap. Since there wasn't any power, you'd have to do a stick and poke. You were vaguely familiar with them from a time of experimentation during your teen years. With your non-dominant hand, you stretched his skin before getting to work on your design. You could feel Daryl trying to take a peek at what you were doing, but you purposely blocked his view with your head each time. You worked slowly and carefully, doing your best to make something cute despite not even being an amateur. 

“Okay, you can look now,” you muttered timidly as you handed him back his arm. You weren’t sure if he’d like it or not and were starting to regret not finding a pen and making a sketch to run by him for approval first. But, it was too late now and all you could do was hope for the best. He brought his wrist closer to his face to get a better look. It was simple, a small love heart with his first initial plus yours. It looked like something a girl would doodle in her notebook while daydreaming about her crush. 

“S’cute,” he said as he admired the tattoo with a small, but genuine, smile on his face. His bright blue eyes looked up at you, filled with all the love and adoration in the world. “I love it.” You couldn’t help but smile at him. “You wanna gimme a matching one?” You joked, referencing his earlier comment. He glanced out the window, the sun was setting and it was likely you and him would have to spend the night here if he and you stayed for one more tattoo. Some privacy with you, alone, away from everyone at the prison sounded like heaven, and matching tattoos were a bonus. 

“Sure.” He got out of the seat and you got in. 

“You wan’ it in the same place?” 

You thought about it for a second. “I want it somewhere special, in a place for only you to see.” The rosy tint that blossomed on his cheeks wasn’t missed by you. You found it endearing how he sometimes grew flustered at your flirtation, despite it being nothing new. 

“Yeah? Where’s that?” He asked. 

“I dunno, Daryl. You pick,” you insisted with a smug look upon your face. He made quick work of unbuttoning your jeans and you lifted your hips to assist him in pulling them down all the way to your ankles. He stepped away and grabbed a new needle and ink. With another alcohol wipe, he cleaned a spot on your inner thigh before comfortably situating himself on his knees between your legs. You felt the small, frequent pokes of the needle as he got to work on the tattoo. Seeing him on his knees between your thighs made your stomach flutter. You knew that was his favorite place to be and having the tattoo there seemed like he was marking it as his own. As he was working, his hand accidentally brushed against your clit, eliciting a whine from you. He paused his work and glanced up at you, struggling to hide the smirk that tugged at his lips. You avoided his eye and he got back to work, but his hand bumped your clit more often. Each time left you desperate for more. You so badly wanted to close your legs and rub your thighs together or reach down and get yourself off, but you had to stay still. His hand brushed against you once more, causing you to squirm a little. 

“Keep still.” 

You glared down at him. “I’m trying to, but you keep-” He did it again and this time you were one hundred percent sure it was on purpose. Grumbling under your breath, you leaned back against the seat and did your best to keep still as he finished up. Once he was done, he wiped off the excess ink. 

“We should probably secure the place since we’re gonna be spendin’ the night here,” he suggested. 

“But Daryl,” you whined, “you can’t just leave me like this. You knew what you were doing earlier!” 

"Wha? Givin' you a tattoo?" You huffed and rolled your eyes and reached down to pull your pants back up, but he stopped you. 

"I'm jus' playin' darlin'. Sit back." He gently pushed you back into the chair before getting back on his knees. Slowly, he pulled your panties down to your ankles with your formerly discarded pants and yanked them both off over your shoes. He firmly gripped your hips and pulled you to the edge of the seat and placed your legs over his shoulders. Feeling his hot tongue lick up and down your soaked slit had you gripping the arm rests for support. With his thumb, he rubbed slow, teasing circles on your hard clit. His tongue was a welcome intrusion in your soaked entrance. You gasped and moaned out his name and your hands flew to his hair, your fingers getting tangled in his soft locks. This motivated him to rub faster circles on your clit, earning more gasps and moans from you. His tongue thrusted in and out of your dripping cunt as he tasted all of your juices, refusing to let any go to waste. You tugged his hair as your thighs involuntarily clamped around his head and he moaned unexpectedly, the vibrations from it bringing you closer to the edge. Your walls clenched around the pink muscle as he focused it on that one spot that always did things to you. 

"Daryl, please! I'm so close," you whined, desperate for him to bring you to your orgasm. If he weren't trapped between your plush thighs, he would've talked you through it, but instead he moved his lips to your clit and started sucking on it while prodding the bud with his tongue. You squeezed your eyes shut as the white hot waves of pleasure overtook your body. Daryl worked faster once he felt you tense up and your thighs convulsing around his head. Your fingers tightened in his hair as your toes curled. You could the vibration of his pleasured grunts against your soft flesh. 

"I'm gonna-" your back arched and head fell back as he pushed you over the edge, immersing you in a world of pleasure. He continued to lap at your pussy as you rode out your orgasm. Once you came down from that high, you relaxed and slumped against the chair. Daryl reluctantly freed himself from between your thighs since he needed to catch his breath again. His dick was straining against his pants with how hard he was just from hearing your sounds of pleasure and tasting your pretty pussy. And now, just seeing your fucked out face made him want to cum in his pants. 

 In one quick swipe, he cleared a nearby table of all its supplies. He picked you up from the chair with ease, tossing you over his shoulder before gently laying you onto the table. He made quick work of freeing his erection from his pants and stroked it a few times, causing precum to bubble up on the angry red tip. He lined it up with your slit, rubbing it up and down your slick folds teasingly. 

"So wet fer me, baby," he groaned as he lined himself up with your needy hole. You wrapped your legs around his hips, desperate for him to fill you up. Your body welcomed him as he slid in easily. 

"Yer takin' me so good, sunshine." He leaned down and connected his lips with yours. You moaned as you tasted yourself on his tongue. His tongue danced with yours as you kissed each other passionately. Large, rough hands palmed at your clothed tits as he started thrusting into you. Frustrated with your shirt, he hurriedly pulled it over your head before attaching his lips to your neck, roughly sucking and biting your skin. His tongue slid over your carotid artery, feeling how fast your heart was beating. You clumsily tugged at his shirt and vest, a silent plea for him to take them off, which he did. When he was with you, his insecurities were non existent. You tightly gripped his shoulders, nails digging hollow indents into his skin as he increased the pace of his thrusts. 

"Feel so good," you slurred. He kissed open mouthed kisses down your body, occasionally leaving marks in his wake. You squirmed and moaned beneath him, your second orgasm approaching fast. He was close too, you could feel it in the way  his cock twitched inside you and his pace became slower snd less rhythmic. 

"I'm boutta cum, baby," he groaned. You wanted to tell him you were, too, but your mind was a jumbled mess that was drunk off his cock. When your second orgasm came, your walls tightly hugged his shaft, squeezing him closer to his own climax. He quickly pulled out and stroked himself the rest of the way. His mouth fell open and eyes rolled back as he shot white hot ropes of cum all over your naked body. 

 He collapsed into a nearby chair, panting for air. You slid off the table and joined him in the chair by sitting on his lap. Both your bodies were coated in the thin sheen of sweat as you held each other close as exhaustion took over your bodies. 

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[panlight]

A few minor tweaks that would have made Twilight a more cohesive story:

Don't kill Victoria in Eclipse; her gift is evasion, if anyone could escape, it's her! Actually, don't kill Laurent either. He dies off screen, it wouldn't really change anything. He can get his original happy ending with Irina.

Make the "Riley" Mike Newton, or Eric Yorkie, or Tyler Crowley. Someone Bella knew, someone local. In the book we don't meet Riley until his death scene so why should we care about him? The horror and tragedy of one of Bella's schoolmates being used and corrupted by Victoria would be much more narratively satisfying, and would give the human kids like, a purpose in the story other than existing to love or be jealous of Bella.

Tempted to do something similar with Bree, but it might be overkill to have two kids from Forks end up in the Seattle newborn army. So EITHER make 'the Riley' someone Bella knew, or 'the Bree' but maybe not both.

If we must stick with the basic Breaking Dawn outline, then Victoria living to the end of the story keeps the flow of the original antagonist. If the "Riley" survives he can be the one to report Renesmee's existence to the Volturi (as he did in Forever Dawn), if not, Victoria can get someone else to do it.

Name drop more of the Breaking Dawn visiting vampires earlier in the series. The only ones we had really heard about before were Peter & Charlotte and the Denali 'cousins.' I don't know about anyone else, but my impression from the first three books were that these were like, the only people willing to put up with the weirdo Cullens. Them suddenly having loads of friends willing to risk their lives for them felt like it came out of nowhere. It was fun to meet Peter & Charlotte and the Denali because we had heard of them before; everyone else felt like they came out of nowhere. Maybe when Bella is getting a tour of the house there can be gifts from other vampires ("is that . . . is that an Ancient Egyptian canopic jar?" "Oh, yes, a gift from Carlisle's friend Amun), or name them specifically in Eclipse when they are trying to find people to help them after the Denali refuse.

Have a few more vamps (other than Garrett) go vegetarian in the end. There's this whole big speech about about how special this diet makes them and then like . . . no follow up at all. Whatever you think of the premise of vegetarian vampires, it's just unsatisfying that it doesn't really go anywhere. The only convert is Garrett, who does it for Kate, not actually because he was inspired by the Cullens or whatever.

Okay this one isn't minor but: JACOB! FIGHT! THE IMPRINT! That seemed to be what his character was set up for. He's the one to champion falling in love the normal way. He's the one who resents choices being taken away from him. Him fighting an imprint and winning seems like a much more natural arc for him than becoming supernaturally obsessed with a half-vampire baby. The shifters and vampires reluctantly working together in Eclipse to protect Forks/La Push was much more interesting than them being forced to because of Jacob's imprint.

[lemonadecandy103]

Psycho Pass Providence — The Re-introduction of Kougami Shinya

Still working on a general review on Psycho Pass: Providence and also a Shinkane/KouAka post. But I had so many thoughts on Kougami after watching the movie twice that I had to document them while they were still fresh. This is a follow-up to a post I made about Kougami prior to watching PPP: some of my impressions did change while others stayed the same. It’s a lot so keep reading if you’re interested in what I thought about Kougami’s character in Providence. WARNING: Spoilers!!!

I’ll begin with the scene in Dejima where Kougami and Saiga are drinking together. There’s one particular line that I felt could’ve been made smoother: Saiga says “the girl is neither a saint nor a bodhisattva, screw around too much and you’ll end up getting enforced. Apologize while you still have the chance Kougami. Take it from an old timer like me.” and he raises his glass with a smile. I watched both the subbed and the dubbed version and the line is very similar across both. I can’t help but think that line could’ve been improved slightly. Maybe it flows more naturally in Japanese so I can’t speak on that matter. But if I had the liberty of tweaking it even just a little, it would go as follows: “the girl in neither a saint nor a bodhisattva, screw around too much and you’ll end up losing her forever.”

And I don’t mean to necessarily press for him losing her as a love interest, but even just a trusted friend or at least a colleague who always had his best interest in mind.

Ultimately, not exploring the more emotional (and by extension���the romantic) aspects of Kougami’s character was a missed opportunity for Providence in my opinion. He’s the second main character in this installment and we got very little inward reflection from him this time around. The last 15 or so minutes of the film is what really impressed me with respect to his character. Seeing him exit the isolation facility, looking back, and then looking ahead, declaring “I swear, I’ll come back for you,”  with such ardor reminded me that he’s still a hero in this story, however unconventional he may be.

It was clear that Akane and Kougami’s relationship had to change in this installment. After 6 long years, they are both different people now and cannot go back to the same relationship dynamics as in Season 1. More on that in a different post. Consequently, the portrayal of these individual characters had to evolve in order to match this change. Initially, when I watched the promotional clips, I was put off by his bluntness—especially towards Akane. But there were instances where we saw the caring Kougami seep through. He smiles once in the film. And this is when Saiga tells him: “I don’t work with the PSB, I work with Akane Tsunemori.”  I don’t know if he smiles because he still finds it funny that Saiga is cooperating with the government or if he smiles at the mention of Akane’s name or even some matter of pride at how much Akane is respected by Professor Saiga. Either way, it was nice to see this moment.

The other less noticeable moments from Kougami were two times when he showed what I can interpret as a combination of grief and frustration. From my observations, his eyes were animated to have this glistening/“quivering” motion, similar to this gif, minus the actual tears — there were no tears in Kougami’s case:

It’s very subtle but please let me know if anyone else also noticed this. The first time his eyes did this was when after Saiga died and he called Shion to consult Saiga’s psychological profile of Tonami along wirh Akira’s poem. Shion mentions how horrible it was — what happened to the professor. Kougami pauses and adds “Yeah”  but the tone is almost as if he had to force it out of himself. I couldn’t help but feel like he was holding it together for the investigation, but deep down was grieving the loss of his dear professor. After all, he told Akane to keep it bottled up until the end of the case. The second time I saw this effect of his eyes was while he was reading Akane’s letter in his isolation cell. He gets to the part where she writes about being glad to have seen him again and that he helped her find the answer. He calls her a bakayaro, and his hands grab the letter so fiercely that it kind-of crumples while he throws his whole body into a defeated hunch — since he’s stuck in his cell and can’t even do anything to stop her.

I had read some early accounts by Japanese viewers that he was crying while reading her letter: this effect in the eyes may have been what was mistaken as crying.

Although it was nice to see Kougami go through these moments in PPP, I can’t help but feel like there could have been more. However, Providence is a very dense film and I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that with all the action sequences, Akane’s iconic scenes, and the supporting cast all getting their own memorable segments, Kougami’s development just wasn’t a priority. If Shiotani, Fukami, and Ubukata intend to make an SAD spin-off as they’ve expressed in interviews, I would hope that they explore possible romantic or other intimate human feelings on Kougami’s part — similar to how he learned to be a father figure to Tenzing. In fact, I would argue that after Providence, it’s likely that they’ve backed themselves into a corner with regards to Kougami’s interpersonal relationships. The tension between Kougami and Akane was essentially the secondary conflict of the film and it ended with some resolution midway but also a shift in Kougami’s disposition once he read Akane’s letter, realizing the impact he had on her life. If there’s further content on Kougami as a person, we almost certainly need to at least confront his relationship with Akane and even Ginoza (was somewhat addressed on the boat scene and we see them on good terms in Season 3/PPFI). The other route is just watching a 007-Misson Impossible Kougami getting into knife fights and performing crazy stunts, but I think the PP fandom in general agrees that this option would be dull and a waste of a character who had such an artful inception. Now I know that PP wants to go for a more shōnen look and are cautious of depicting romance between the main characters. It was pretty obvious with Arata being introduced as the new main character and the fact that Yuki Kaji was brought on board to voice him (he’s done fantastic work on many popular shōnen characters including Eren Jaeger). But, showing how love could affect Kougami and how him giving love could present new angles of his character would undoubtedly be exciting to see. We know he wants to protect people. We know that he’s decided to work outside of the law in order to do that. He’s made peace with his revenge and he’s learned that he wants to protect people without any reserve or obligation. Saiga warned him about potentially becoming a killing machine like Tonami if he keeps letting people use him as a hunting dog, and he agreed that he doesn’t want that. I expect that he could follow the same thought process as Ginoza did in SS Case 1 where he ultimately just wants to help people with his detective work, without much care for who’s judged to be good or evil. On this note, it would be beneficial for Kougami to understand his heart a bit more. Maybe visit his mother too? Maybe actually value his own life instead of running into a fight like he has nothing to lose? He’d already prepared Akane for his death way back between S1 and S2. Would he fight differently if Akane were expecting him to come back home alive?

Hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on Kougami’s character. Still love our chaotic spikey-haired gun-slinging emo cowboy. And I’m looking forward to what the creators might do with his character next.

[s-che]

simplicity in design is a virtue, you cretins

i'm rereading Avery Alder & Ben Rosenbaum's Dream Askew / Dream Apart in preparation to finally do some serious editing of my game of intimacy, liberation, and faggots at sea Beneath Pirate Flags. among the billion other small things i'm reconsidering as i go over the bob/ndnm fundamentals, i'm really struck by how simple both these games are — elegant in a way i think i really failed to capture in the first public versions of bpf.

i have a theory about this, and it has to do with why i think the sprawling "always another sourcebook" approach taken by a lot of dungeons & drasprawling, commercially successful ttrpgs is fundamentally weak design — but first, here's one of them fancy 'keep reading' buttons you can click on to keep this post from being six and a half miles long.

hey, welcome back. lets get into the details:

bpf makes a critical break from the original ndnm games in the way its environmental playbooks work. mine are things like "the fort" and "the map" (see images) — individual iterations of broader concepts, much like the character playbooks ("legend", "dandy", "monkey" etc) are iterations of common pirate types. there are, almost certainly, multiple "monkeys" in one world — much as there are almost certainly multiple forts.

this contrasts with Askew / Apart's setting books — things like "varied scarcities," "society intact," and "goyishe world." these are intentionally broad environmental pressures. although "society intact" may be encountered different times in different places — with different names and different faces — it is, fundamentally, the same force.

2. this isn't necessarily a thing i want to change (although there are tweaks i'll be making to just about all the playbooks) but it is real interesting to think about how bpf got here, from a design perspective. the story is simple: bpf didn't start from playing either dream. it started with me reading wanderhome, and this design is borrowed (nearly) directly from there.

wanderhome, like bpf, has players create new environmental elements again and again over the course of a campaign — from the smallest kith to the largest citadel, you might be doing generation multiple times in a single session. wanderhome handles this by simplifying, simplifying, simplifying — a trait has one picklist, a nature two, and so the process of generation is quick and nondisruptive, and you're quickly able to create a populated world without losing yourself in any particular moment of generation.

(che, i hear you shouting, you baited us in with an inflammatory claim about d&d's bad design. get to the point already. ok. i will)

one of the things i like most about possum creek games as a whole (ha, got you again) is the way they can become sprawling without ever overwhelming players. this has been talked about a lot in advance of the yazeba's release — but it's true for wanderhome, too.

where both dream askew and dream apart have just six setting elements, wanderhome has (even if you disregard the seasons and holidays) a whopping forty-eight traits and thirty-six natures. it is — despite seeming small in the shadow of yazeba's — a sprawling game, and it's only through a tremendous efficiency and elegance in design that the whole thing doesn't come bursting apart at the seams. some of that is thanks to the ndnm token economy as a whole and some of it is good writing specific to wanderhome, but none of it is possible without an ethic that prioritizes simplicity — cutting the building blocks into their smallest fundamentals, so they can fit into something huge and, more importantly, comprehensible.

this all stands in sharp contrast to what seems to be the tendency in dice- and percentage- based games (told you i'd get there eventually), who — out of a need for a bespoke, simulationist tool for every situation, maybe — have a tendency towards appendices, supplemental books, and a proliferation of minutiae. i am talking about d&d here, although i don't think it's the worst offender — i still have nightmares about the hand-to-hand system from top secret, a game my dad only recently admitted he was "basically only pretending to understand the rules of" when he ran it for my friends and i when we were kids. i'm not saying all crunchy game design is like this — honestly, i think crunchiness is a totally different spectrum from rules-complexity — but i do think that, sometimes, in an effort to feel sprawling and more importantly substantial, games become inefficient and more or less illegible. it is hard to play d&d. it is hard to hold all those rules in your head. by comparison, dream askew, dream apart, and wanderhome can held pretty easily in your head. you could probably even reconstruct some of the playbooks from the design fundamentals (act weak = gain token, act strong = spend token, evocative picklist). the most important thing about these games is that the rules are evocative and they let you stay in the fun part of play for as long as possible, interrupted as little as possible.

let me make this totally clear: the fun part of a game can absolutely be tallying numbers and consulting armor ratings, but i don't think that's the reason some of these games get so big. the real answer is: cutting shit is hard! eliminating systems is hard! saying "this is not helpful, let it go" is really tough, especially when you're left with a design document that was shorter (and by extension, whispers the awful voice in the back of your head, worth less) than you were expecting. still, it's important to remember: 'good system design' is not the same thing as 'filling as many pages as possible.', even if that's hard to accept in an industry that feels like it has to be prices and paid by the page.

how does all this affect beneath pirate flags? well, that's simple — pretty quickly in my recent playtesting, i realized that pausing mid-session to create new maps, forts, ships, and so on sucks ass. it's fun to brainstorm with friends, but the environmental generation throws off the pacing of sessions in a way the wanderhome kith stuff just doesn't. why? there's too much shit in my environmental playbooks! wanderhome has two picklists per nature and one per trait. askew & apart have just one per setting element — and you only have to do it once per campaign. beneath pirate flags has five. five! it sucks! and cutting out that unecessary shit — even if i do want to straddle the middleground between dream askew & dream apart's simplicity and wanderhome's sprawling growth — is going to be the hard first step on the long road to getting this game where it ought to be.

[fandombead]

Sanders Sides human AU where they’re all camp counselors at some backwoods Alphabet soup upstate summer camp—

Camp Sandside

Also locally known as Camp Mindscape

C!Thomas is the newest camp director trying to keep the camp funded and running every year. He advertises and keeps in touch with people who help everything work out each year.

Logan is head of schedule and morning role call. He makes sure camp has an educational side to it, so they have something to take away. He enjoys accompanying on the nature hikes and takes their slightly older campers stargazing. You can find him usually hanging out in the camp archives and he can answer any question about its history.

He coordinates camper activities with Patton, who is the poster child for Campy Dad-Counselor™️. Patton knows every campfire song ever how to make 477 different crafts from sticks and rocks you can find in the forest. He is good at wrangling the kids and making any activity fun so everyone gets included. He’s excited to be there every day. He’s been there the longest and has dappled in every other job as needed.

Remus runs all the sport activities and Roman throws together a little theater group production for the parents at the end of the summer. Both twins help each other out for those activities depending on whose day it is. They also keep up the Canteen and craft workshop. They tell the best campfire stories. (Fun fact: they went to this camp as kids and are working here now during college)

Virgil’s shadowing Patton with first aid as a trainee nurse and handles safety protocols/checks. He’s just stressed out trying to keep everyone alive till the end of the summer. He particularly sticks around at the sport fields, lake, and obstacle course. He barely sleeps and runs on caffeine and spite. He enjoys playing guitar for the kids at campfire time. He makes sure everyone wears sunscreen, is drinking enough water, and that no one wanders off from the group.

And not least of all, Janus, who is the mental health counselor and resolves incident cases between campers. He also is someone the other camp counselors can confide in because the job is draining. He makes sure everyone is taking care of themselves and not doing too much, short-staffed as they are. Camp has run much more smoothly since they added him to their team and everyone is happier for it after getting used to the changes.

They all really enjoy the work and each other. What started as an interesting, versatile summer job that let them hangout together turned into a fun tradition they were quite invested in. Every summer is a memorable one and they look forward to it every year.

I just think it’d be a fun story setting, a series of glimpses at camp life with chapters dedicated to silly or fun happenings at the camp. For some reason all that are coming to me is chapters that sound like history event logs and just imagine it’s because the twins hijacked Logan’s documentation of them and rewrote them with more flair and drama. The Hiking Disaster of 21’. Battle at…Vine Lake (okay maybe not the name but I WILL work Vine in somewhere—maybe that’s the name of the theatre). The Kayak Wars. Surviving the Storm. Bear-ly Active.

(Actually half the chapters will be puns and you’ll know Patton had a hand at assisting the twins’ shenanigans for those retellings~)

Depending on the number of campers, they might also each be head of a cabin and in charge of 3-5 campers specifically on top of everything else that they manage to make good connections with even the most unlikely campers by the end of the summer. (I mostly thought of this just because I wanted an excuse for Logan to be head of the ‘Crofters Cabin’ bwahahaha)

I want Campy adventures!!!

Side notes expanding on the AU bc I have tons of scattered ideas:

I also had the alternative (/prequel? With a few tweaks) idea where some or all of them are campers instead and they meet at the summer camp years before they decide to work there~ ^^

I think that’d be a great story too, where they become lifelong friends in the end and grow to be glad they got sent to this weird old camp for the summer and just have a great time after getting through a few challenges. And they go back every year to see each other again.

Patton calls the campers “saplings” and other nature/tree related nicknames

Their camp shirts have a white star border in black incorporated on the front with the Camp Acronym and everyone styles theirs differently (example: Remus cut the short sleeves off of his)

I imagine they have a rival camp too that every one of them is personally invested in beating yearly, as you do in Camp media. (Alt version where it’s “light” vs “dark” sides camps)

Logan got stuck up a tree once as a kid camper and they still haven’t let him live it down. There’s a photo of it in the archives he keeps trying to get rid of but someone keeps replacing it every year. They call him Pinecone and Lookout 🤣 (Forest Watch)

Janus was someone they never expected to see again. He came to camp in their last years of being campers and joined the group through Remus and Patton. After some getting used to him (Roman and Virgil kept butting heads with him), they were tentatively friends…Roman saved him when he fell in the lake and Janus came in clutch and saved their team at the camp games! they kinda took one step back when he joined as counselor, but they worked it out eventually for good that time~

The twins have a fun rivalry they try to drag their friends into every year…even as counselors now 😂 there’s always some sort of competition going on with them, especially when they start being heads of their own cabins and take pride in their little campers destroying the other teams (but especially each others’)

I think each cabin has a little flag the campers remake every year hanging out front, featuring the animal trait and color of each counselor in charge. Tentative Ideas:

Logan’s Cabin: Team Crofter (of Discovery Cabin). Campers have dark blue bandannas/necklaces

Patton’s Cabin: Team Friendship (of Amity/Compassion Cabin). Campers have light blue bandannas/bracelets

Roman’s Cabin: Team Braveheart (of Ambition Cabin). Campers have red bandannas/necklaces

Remus’s Cabin: Team Chaos (of Endeavor/Spontaneity Cabin). Campers have green bandannas/bracelets

Virgil’s Cabin: Team Storm (of Vigilance Cabin). Campers have purple bandannas/necklaces

Janus’s Cabin: Team Serpent (of Accord/Cunning Cabin). Campers have yellow bandannas/bracelets

They collabed on these name ideas themselves~ The twins’ cabins also relate to one another.

Roman’s theme is having goals and dreams and Remus’s theme is trying ways to reach them, not giving up when it doesn’t work the first time. Together they encourage campers to find something they wanna try that’s new and going for it~

You can probably pair Virgil and Logan’s cabins + Janus and Patton’s in a similar way of their themes relating or balancing each other.

Every year you return to camp, you get a charm to add to your bracelet/necklace (typically all moved to whatever cabin color you are for the current year’s summer). Represents the overall theme of that summer, received at the end.

[quibbs126]

So some days ago, I was trying to draw/redraw these guys, and today I got around to drawing the rest of the page. Mostly while waiting for my first class to start, and then after that

Anyways, so if you remember, these guys (above) are these guys (below)

Mercury, Venus and Saturn are all siblings, Ariel and Salt are their parents, and then there’s their uncle Erik, who’s mostly just here because Ariel’s albino, so you can’t really tell what colors she’s passing down

I will admit, I’ve considered the possibility of cutting out the middle man and just having Salt and Erik be yaoi together, but also the kids get their weird powers from their mom, not him, and also he has his own kid, so I’m not sure. But I can maybe try to have more gay pairings this time around, considering I originally made these characters when I was 12 and didn’t understand how gay people worked at the time

Anyways, their hair was my main concern this time around, since I think by the latter two of these old sketches I figured out how I wanted to draw their hair. And yeah, I think they look much better here. Ariel might need a bit more tweaking on her hair though

Admittedly, I did just slap on some outfits, especially with the latter three I drew today, but I also don’t think they look entirely bad. I do need to at some point finalize their designs though

I also need to flesh out the details of their world. Like, I say Ariel and the kids have weird powers, by which I originally meant psychic but with some added non-specified weirdness, but I also don’t know how weird psychic powers should be in this world. Originally everyone had elemental powers, but I don’t know if I should continue that. Like, magic still exists, but does everyone just naturally have it? Are they elemental or just random? Also what’s the country they’re living in, and what government is Mercury working for? Because I don’t really want to keep my old ideas for it. Also do they have last names? What do I do for those?

I’m gonna need to figure out proper worldbuilding again. Well, I’m not sure how much I knew it prior, but still

But anyways yeah, have these guys

[duckymcdoorknob]

Might I perhaps request a small iced tea with light ice for the event? Id love some brown sugar on that! The names on the order are Asta and Noelle!

I know you said maybe on writing for her, so feel free to deny this request if it doesn't seem appealing! Thank you!💙

I love how I always say I don’t like a character and then they get a redemption arc

Anyways YES

NOELLE IS MY DARLING NOW MY LITTLE BABYGORL SHES SO PRECIOUS TO ME SHE NEEDS A HUG

I WOULD LOVE TO WRITE FOR THEM

THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST MY DEAR ANON

CW UNDER THE CUT: This do have some tickles in it ngl.

♫ -ᥕᥲі𝗍ᥱr, ᥕᥲі𝗍ᥱr, ⍴ᥱrᥴ᥆ᥣᥲ𝗍᥆r- ☕️

It was official. The I’s were dotted, the T’s were crossed, her name was signed in flowy ink at the bottom of the page. There was no going back now.

Noelle was just about ready to kill Asta.

Now, she wasn’t going to kill him literally, but she could kill him for not listening to her.

She nagged him to go to bed, but the boy didn’t listen. Instead he trained from dusk to dawn, refusing to get a wink of sleep that night.

And oh how Karma had now come to bite him in the ass…

Captain Yami was giving another lecture on the importance of mission successes. He explained the star system, and how the Bulls were record setters for their negative stars.

Asta tried his damndest to fight the inevitable sleep that was threatening to overtake him. His head lolled forward with every passing moment as his eyes repeatedly closed.

The royal took notice of his barely conscious state. With a swift scooch to her right, (which when asked, she blamed it on a bug) Noelle sat directly next to her teammate.

“Asta,” she hissed. “Wake up.”

The ash-haired boy opened his eyes with a light gasp and a jolt. He looked at Noelle with panic in his eyes, but relaxed when he remembered where he was. “Oh, hi Noelle.”

The water mage sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Asta, I told you to get some sleep,” she spat in a hushed tone.

“Was busy,” the boy replied, a yawn ripping from his throat. “Had to train, then do chores.”

Noelle frowned lightly in sympathy. She knows what it’s like to have sleepless nights, albeit for different reasons. Her nerves keep her up for nights on end, and Asta is always there to hold her and stay with her until she feels safe.

Naturally, she decided that it’s only fair that she helps him as he does for her. She just wondered how she should do it…

The water mage had little time to plan, however, as she noticed the anti-magic user drifting off once more. His head lolled around his neck as it became as heavy as a brick. “Hey,” she muttered. “You’ve gotta stay awake or else Captain Yami will kill you.” she gave a gentle squeeze to Asta’s knee.

What Noelle wasn’t expecting was Asta to jump with the slightest squeak. “H-Hey… no’do that,” he slurred. “Tickles.”

‘Tickles, eh?’ Noelle thought to herself. Perhaps now she knew how to keep her teammate awake. She sighed as she wrapped her arm around the sleepy boy’s waist, resting a hand on his hip.

The plan was working well. If Captain Yami looked their way, she would give the ash-blonde a ticklish squeeze, instantly waking him up for a few seconds. Eventually, Asta was more alert, and giggling slightly every time he was squeezed.

“N-Noehehelle… plehehehehease.” The anti-magic user whimpered, a yawn following after. “Ihihim awahahahake. Ihihi swehehear.”

“Shhh, pay attention.” The girl soothed, bringing her hand up to squeeze just under his bottom ribs.

A choked yelp echoed as Noelle realized she may have just tweaked a bad spot. Eyes fell on them, and she felt her face heat up.

“You two wanna stop playing and pay attention? Surely you can wait five minutes to torment your teammate, Noelle.” Yami’s gruff voice cut through the awkwardness in the air. The girl could do nothing but nod in reply, embarrassment hit on her cheeks.

Yami returned to his lecture, and the attention left the pair.

“Hehe, that’s what you get!” The boy teased.

“Asta I will torment you for the next ten minutes if you don’t shut up. That I promise you.”

“Is that a threat? I bet you wouldn’t carry it out,” the magicless Bull teased.

Game on, Asta…

The girl simply smiled, adjusting herself to sit behind her companion. She placed her hands on his lower ribs and waited patiently. She leaned in close to his ear. “You don’t have a single clue as to what kind of monster you’ve just created.”

The ash-blonde’s face flushed as he squirmed a bit in her hold. “I-I was kidding. Don’t HNGH- D-D-Don’t ti-hihickle mehehehe.”

Noelle smiled evilly as she began to softly tweak the ribs under her fingers. “What do you mean, Asta? You need to stay awake and listen to captain Yami.” She replied in a hushed tone.

“N-Noelle.” Asta replied through gritted teeth, “I promise I’ll stay awake.”

“Are you sure? You look a little tired…” the water mage gently raked her fingers up and down the boy’s back.

Asta fought to keep his laughter in, only light giggles escaping him as his Noelle listened to Yami’s explanation with innocence.

Noelle kept Asta on his toes, opting to switch between pinching his hips, and prodding at his ribs. The ash-blonde boy could barely maintain his composure, weakly grabbing at Noelle’s wrists. His tired state weakened his reflexes, and he finally fell backwards against her and giggled quietly.

After another three minutes of Noelle’s agonizing touches, Yami broke the group from their meeting. The girl smiled with a ring of menace and moved her hands up to the top of Asta’s ribs. Finally, his true laughter came pouring out.

“Nohohoehehelle!! Hehehey!” The anti-magic user whined, arching away from her fingers. “Nohohot fahahahair!”

“Plenty fair! This is what you get for not going to sleep. And what about me not being able to carry it out?”

“Okahahahay! Ihihihi gihihive uhuhup! Nohohoho mohohore!”

It’s a fond smile, Noelle lifted her attack and gently rubbed at the spot she had just been touching previously.

The magicless boy went quiet, his eyes closing against his will. Relishing in the foreign feeling of contact, Asta was quickly out like a light.

“Okay, now you need to go to sleep,” the water mage reported. “I doubt that you’ve slept for more than 24 hours.”

No reply came from Asta, leading Noelle to exhale fondly. “Okay, let’s go, you big lug.” With a great deal of effort, she managed to place the boy on her back and trudge off to his room. Noelle laid him down on his bed, and attempted to leave.

However, a big resistance pulled her backwards. Looking downward, she noticed Asta’s arms wrapped around her waist, and pulling her back toward him. It’s a blushing face, she sat down next to him. He effortlessly pulled her close to him, resulting in a yelp from the girl.

Noelle sighed as she began to run her fingers through Asta’s hair.

Maybe a little nap wouldn’t hurt.

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————

[ragsy]

Part 2 of 2 from this list of OC questions! These ones are for meeeeeee

(part 1 here)

A) Why are you excited about this character? Mark: I've had him since 2007 and he is my specialest boy Sloane: Dream woman Kenny: What if we took a sweet kind uncle man and cracked him open like a geode Dewlap: Never had a tabletop guy who was an absolute asshole before !

B) What inspired you to create them? Mark: Uuuuuuuh well I made him for a spies/secret agents RP when I was 13 Sloane: Dream woman Kenny: He was a haunting-the-narrative bit character in his previous iteration and there were some interesting ideas there that I wanted to explore when I got the chance to play him as a full fledged player character! Dewlap: He came to me in a flash of divine inspiration after watching an episode of futurama

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story? Mark: No, he was pretty natural for me to follow the threads of the implications of what his deal is. Sloane: A bit, but mostly because my design process with her was so aesthetics-first. I just need to play her more! Kenny: At first! But since being able to explore his history and relationships, it's all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Dewlap: Yes and no. I made him specifically for the campaign he's in, so there was already some groundwork set with the setting, but also I didn't have a solid backstory for him until like the week of the first session lmao sorry sid

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look? Mark: well he had blue hair when I made him originally. And then I made him blonde. And then I gave him glasses. And then I made him a dog Sloane: She's always pretty much looked the same, maybe I've made her jaw a little squarer and shoulders broader each time I've drawn her Kenny: He's looked like a completely different guy every time I've drawn him RIP Dewlap: Still figuring out what he looks like, so jury's still out

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you? Mark: Yeah, I think we could chill in an alone-together kind of situation. Sloane: She might actually annoy me a lot, but it's fine, I can only hope she thinks I'm funny Kenny: The running bits we would do together at the dinner table would drive anyone mad 💕👍 Dewlap: No he sucks

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)? Mark: YIPPEE Sloane: lust Kenny: clamping him in my jaws and shaking him Dewlap: entertainment

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most? Mark: Not big on thinking through his actions Sloane: Contrarian Kenny: Willful ignorance Dewlap: [gestures at all of him]

H) What trait do you admire most? Mark: Loyalty Sloane: Big arms Kenny: Genuinely interested in the goings on of others Dewlap: Kooky cartoon character coded

I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe? Mark: No. Spiderverse his ass Sloane: She's my go-to when making characters in video games and tabletop oneshots, so she's already been everywhere Kenny: I've toyed with putting him in a fallout AU, but so much of what i find compelling about him is his relationships to other people's player characters, so he's hard to adapt to other universes. Dewlap: I'll probably AU him eventually, but I've barely scratched the surface of his canon universe.

J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character? Mark: He’s been through so many iterations that there's always something to tweak or adjust to get him where i want him. For example, I rewrote the mechanics of his curse and the nature of his bad relationship with his Ex, among other things Sloane: I guess she started out a Lot more gruff? I made her a lot more of a jokester in the end because she needed to be charismatic enough for my players’ characters at the time to want to work with her. Kenny: A Lot of him! The only things i really kept between his previous iteration and his current one was his name, age, occupation, daughter, and the fact that he got trapped in a parallel dimension at some point. Dewlap: Nah, he started off as a pretty blank slate so I've really only been building onto him rather than editing him.

[ember0666]

So I've decided I might try posting more Reality shifting related stuff on here. I don't post often but I'll try to more often though we'll see how that goes knowing me 🤣

I wanted to explain my current dr (desired reality for those who are new) because it makes me excited talking about it!

Right now I am shifting to Demon slayer or Kimetsu no Yaiba.

On this dr I am a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

My name is Akira Kimura

19-20 years old

5'7 the same height as I am here

Female she/her occasionally they/them

My breathing style of Rage Breathing which I found online but tweaked it a little bit to fit more myself. I haven't worked out the forms yet but the gist of them is they make me stronger and faster than normal and if I get angry it gets even stronger. I also have a form that speeds up my body's natural healing. My own regeneration ability lol. But because it just speeds up the natural healing process it can make me tired or fatigued.

both of these were found on pinterest they're not line

This is my hair and eye color but tinted more red than pink because Reds my favorite color.

My hair is a gradient from a light red/magenta color and gets darker or black the closer toy get to the ends. I also have some streak of white that are also black at the ends.

My eyes are a darker red/magenta color but while fighting they'll either glow their natural color or turn red.

My possible s/os are Rengoku, Sanemi, Tengen, and maybe Akaza as well? They're might be a few others but these are my current favorites.

I'd love to hear about anyone else's drs! especially Demon Slayer because it's what I'm most interested in recently lol

Though I'm also shifting to

- My hero Academia

- Jujutsu Kaisen

- Angles of Death

- Undertale

- Security breach (possibly)

- Creepypasta

- Overwatch

If your like to chat I have discord. Pm me and I'll give you my username and we can talk! I prefer discord over talking on tumblr anyways 😅

[teddybeartoji]

hello this is me rambling about monkey man (2024)! LONG story very short it was very very good i loved it very very much. a lot of good action a lot of blood a lot of me smiling. spoilers under cut!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

oke oke deep breath in and a deep one out. i will try to make this as understandable as possible but i feel like i'm genuinely tweaking a little bit rn. from the film and also from the new meds so yk bear with me also wait this is incredibly incredibly biased bc i love fighting and i love action hehe

anyway. this was dev patel's directorial debut and uuhhhhh. well. he fucking did it. i. there's nothing bad to say. it's very obvious that he loves films; loves being in them, loves watching them, loves learning them, loves making them. it's clear that he did his homework for this. he mentioned in an interview how he's been an action lover ever since he was a kid but he was just never offered the right role. he talks about how he got scripts for just being the side-kick, the tech guy yk some random guy who just gets A Moment. but he knew he had way more to offer and fuck yeah he did.

so idk who happens to be reading this fuck ass review but if you by any chance don't know who dev patel is by name, maybe you've heard of slumdog millionaire (2008) or lion (2016) or the green knight (2021). point is that he's really fucking good and he deserves more recognition. blabla i'm not actually doing a review i will be going insane now.

i LOVE when mc's fucking suck ass. i love when they get beat. i love when they're weak it's just sooooo fucking boring when they're immediately some untouchable god. it feels good to watch them learn how to control their need to just go apeshit bc that simply... won't fucking work lmao. i love when the mc's are nervous, are just so determined to go through with their plan even though they're obviously in over their head. it's delicious and it's my favourite trope. honorary mention to indiana jones my favourite fucking nerd loser who gets into fights and then groans and moans and sweats and man he just wants to ramble about his little artefacts.

i loved the first big fight!!!!!!!!!!! it's between the mc with the shaky hands and the police chief who very obviously knows how to fight. (the mc kind of does too he does boxing matches for money but he's kinda bad yk). it's super bloody and it gets soooooo fucking messy. a random person happens to be there too and now the mc has to deal with two people and well shit. he's just now fucking doing well. he's getting beat, he's getting stabbed, he's being choked, his gun is fuck knows where and yeah everything is just bad.

though in my head i kept thinking about how i wish i could see the fighting a bit more. the scenes were short, cut after cut after cut, the camera moved around and it was placed at weird angles (IT'S WASN'T ACTUALLY BAD THOUGH THIS IS JUST ME BEING REALLY PICKY RN) but i wasn't too upset bc messy fights are also very fun, not every fight can be a dance and that's completely fine. so it was very fast paced, a lot was happening but it did all suit the situation - adrenaline filled mc fights his big ass nemesis in a public place - ofc it's gonna be messy.

also when he tries to finally escape the situation he decides to jump through a window to get into the main room - the glass doesn't break and he just falls down to the floor. 5+ i love that shit so much.

and thennnnnnn. just when i was again thinking about how every fight can't be beautiful blabla it's only natural etc etc - he enters his little training arc. btw i thought the training arc was made very well (overall the film had a lot of the so called Cliches but i thought they all worked perfectly and i had no complaints abt them).

anyway... the thing he learns is Rhythm. i almost made some sort of a noise when i realized this okay i got very giddy. he starts learning about how fighting isn't just throwing punches like he has been doing but it's about flow and rhythm and focus - a dance. while he's practicing his punches, a guy at the temple starts setting him a pattern with his drums and through that he learns how to make his movements smoother, sharper, how to lose the unnecessary steps, how to stay more clear headed, so he wouldn't just go in thrashing but with an actual goal in mind. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafuck i loved that soooooooooooooo much

and it made a change. during the next fights, the camera stood still more, the shots were wider, you could actually see what he's doing. it's was messy only in a sense of that blood was being splattered everywhere but the fighting itself did turn into a kind of a dance. FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK YOUUU IT WAS SO COOL OKAY I'M GEEKING RN I'M TRYING SO HARD TO STAY FOCUSED HERE

YOU KNOW A PERSON IS AN ACTION FAN WHEN THEY KNOW HOW TO GET CREATIVE WITH IT. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. deep breaths deep breaths. it's not only about guns and knives (although i do love my guns and knives) - it's about pots, pans, toilet seats, trays, walls, furniture, the ground itself. everything can be used in a fight and i fucking love it. another honorary mention just bc i want to and this one goes out to atomic blonde (2017) where the female mc has to fight multiple men and she too uses just about everything that's around her - the fridge, a hose, a pan, a glass table; later in another fight she uses a corkscrew, she uses a ministove etc etc. it just makes the fight sooo much more interesting and you can play around with it sooooooooooo much you can literally do anything. i'm soooo normal right nowwwwwwwwwww my hands are shaking.

speaking of cool moves i'd like to point some out from this one too. the mc is fighting in an elevator against two guys, it's a knife fight (btw i am very obviously veeeery geeked abt this too bc i love when the fighting is happening in a small closed space wahh it's so cool). he kills one of the guys and then he's pressing his knife at the other guy's neck right. he doesn't have much power bc the guy is pushing against his knife hand and he's using his other hand to hold the guy against the wall. he manages to press the knife in a little bit and then... he leans closer... and bites the handle... and pushes it inside the guy's throat with his mouth. his teeth? you get my point. IT WAS FUCKING SICK AS FUCK THE BLOOD SPLATTERED EVERYWHERE AND HE LOOKED INSANE AND I THINK I MIGHT'VE ACTUALLY GASPED OUT LOUD AT THIS I WON'T EVEN LIE

have to also mention the Axe Fight. very fucking cool i'm sorry i don't have any other words in my vocabulary rn but it really was cool. an axe is such an interesting weapon to go against bc it has the range and it has the weight. it's very hard to stop right? like you can't just fucking parry that shit lmao + the shape of the blade is a little too fucked for that. but it does have it's downsides - since it's heavy it can get stuck very easily - it gets stuck in the walls and in the floor, giving the mc a moment to counter back. it has the range but lacks in speed - for you to really do any damage you have to take the second to give it momentum which also gives your opponent time to strike. bonk now i'm just yapping about axes apparently are you still here i love you

OH WAIT BEFORE I FORGET I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE MUSIC THEY PICKED FOR THIS FUCKING FILM FUCKED SO HARD. SO DAMN HARD. I WAS BONERED UP JUST FROM THAT WHEWWW.

another cool little thing was that they mentioned john wick hihihii. that was fun i like the little show of appreciation for other films in films. i think it's very cute. like omfgg yeahhh i fucking loved your film i need to mention it in my own one!!!! yeahhhhh!!!!! very lovely

oke i have one more cool move to offer and it is theeeee knife through the hand move!!!!! everybody cheers!!!! the mc already has a knife in his stomach and the super evil bad guy is going to stab him with another one but the mc takes the hit with his hand and it's wwwooooowwwwwwwwww sooo sexyy!! so cool!!! and he then ofc manages to turn it around and stab the super evil bad guy with his own knife!!!!! everybody cheers even more!!!!! shaky hands and all but he still does it!!!!! and he looked very good while doing it. yum

since i'm already just Mentioning shit i am also going to mention the fact that they made the police chief like a sexy evil man. wheww. yeah. he's like awwwwwful and very very bad but man.. why he kinda hot. this is just about appearance i think we should make more hot bad guys.

scar mention. bad guy had a cool scar.

woman mention. very beautiful lady gets covered in blood while in a beautiful beautiful dress. a+ would watch again

okay i think this is it for now thank you for reading. go watch the film. or don't. a lot of action and blood and it might not be for you but it most definitely was for meeeeee hihihihih love you mwah

[popculturebuffet]

Sam and Max: Bad Day on the Moon Review (Comic and Cartoon, Comissioned by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy freelance police. 54 years today a bunch of brave explorers took one small step for man one giant leap for mankind. And sometime in the 90's a dog and a lagomorph decided to take another step and also do some bloodshed on the side. Today we honor these brave men and whatever max is with a look at Bad Day on the Moon. Yes folks it's time for the moment i've been waiting for since this project began: a look at the comics that spawned the games and tv show. Sam and Max started as a comics trip Purcell did in high school and then college. Years later when a friend needed a second title for his comics imprint, he asked Steve for help and thus sam and max lept to the page, eventaully leaping to screen as Purcell started working at LucasArts. He made a total of four issues which were collected in "Surfin the Highway", a 90's collection that now goes for around 150 dollars.. as does the reprint from 2008 which Kev has, but unlike other times he's sent me stuff to review, he had.. shall we say ENTIRLEY VALID reasons for not sending me this. Why Skunkape hasn't tried to do a reprint yet I do'nt know, but i'm hoping they do and i'll be first in line. Thankfully the internet exists, so I could still get my greasy mits on these stories.

As for why this story in paticular out of all the comiic stories there's a few reasons: the first is later today (or tommorow if all dosen't go well) we'll be looking at "Bright side of the Moon" the duo's second trip to the moon, and it only felt right to do the first. The second is that it's the ONLY story out of the four (All of which I intend to cover at some point, don't fret), that got adapted for the cartoon. Yeah weirdly despite being an adaptation they only did this one story. Are the others too inapproriate or did they just have too much fun making up their own stories? did they just not fit?

Having only read this story I can't answer that. What I can tell you is that i'll also be looking at the adaptation, hence the comic and cartoon in the title. Since the plots are near identical with simply a few little tweaks in presentation here and there i'll primarly be following the comics version, for the nifty and easily accesiable visuals, while pointing out what the cartoon changes or how it presents certain scenes. Finally this story is notable for being the only one from any other medium refrenced in the telltale games, so to hearld the end of the first of that trilogy , it only felt right to get the story behind that picture in the office. Though honestly continuity wise.. I just consider all three versions in the same canon. There's nothing really contradicting it other than this adaptation and since bad day goes about the same way, we can just say the comic happened and the animation is just a pared down version of the actual events.

And yes Darla's absent, but she likely jsut went to college, is doing some goverment work or got tired of her adopted fathers weird shenanigans and while still sending them a postcard and a father's day card now and again, moved to michigan to work in peace. Maybe something for me to pick up on someday. For now let's see why this day's so bad and maybe if we laugh at it it'll go away.

The opening of BDOTM is the biggest change between mediums. In the cartoon it's a pretty simple but fun cold open: Sam and Max are chasing a perp, the perp turn out to be a rat named Sticky who stole a popsicle and this being sam and max they naturally come at him with a tank.

The Comics version is a tad more complicated, with them taking Sticky back to the ice cream man they stole some. Tragically it's not clint howard so when the rats show up instead of ending up in ice cream treats and woefully outclassed, the guy is HEAVILY implied t be dead. OUr heroes decide to nope out of this by threatning the rats with horrible experiments. The experiment gag is a little chuckle, but I really loved their pitch black interactions with the ice cream man afterwords.

I will NEVER get tired of these two bloodthirsty weirdos. NEVER. Point and click gameplay yes, this no. I can see why the intro was cut down as it's just not as funny without the corpse, much like Weekend and Bernies: The Animated Series, and honestly.. I prefer the shorter version. The Ice Cream Man jokes are funny.. but their only two panels. The protection racket rats, while neatly wearing various garbage (and my faviorite wearing a whole tomato), as their disguises , are just kinda there. And as much as the cartoon got away with including gay marriage, tones of pretty horrifying subtext and max really being just as deranged as ever, a dead body is asking a LOT. And the tank gag is simply punchier, quicker and acomplishes the same stuff. A nice extra the comic does have though is Flint Paper, the duo's neo noir roomate. It's essentially if Dirty Harry had an office next to IMP.. which given how he lived his life is not only probable but entirely canon now in my head. We get our ususual phone call shenanigans with Sam just.. standing on max this time, hilaroiusly, and we also get my second faviorite gag of the comics version

It's simple. Flint Paper also casually stabs a mailman. Geee I can't imagine why he never showed up in the cartoon.

From here the plot and MOST of the jokes become the same for both versions: Sam and max gather some junk food and assorted doodads, then take the desoto to the moon somehow.

And on the moon their protected by some really fun looking penny concious moon gear

Though eventually Max, being max just takes his off, Sam ends up following suit, and they can just breathe on the moon, likely because Purcell either didn't want to draw the penny concious moon gear the whole comic.. or he just thought it'd be hilarious to set up them needing it.. only for max to just take the bag off and be fine

We also get Max's brilliant theory as to WHY no one found this out sooner

Our heroes soon get picked up by a lunar lander driven by two mysterious greasers wearing a gorilla mask and a zebra mask

They appricate the lift but not so much the two punks holdling up a convience store.. said hold up does reveal something of vital importance

My sentiments exactly fellas. As you can see just from what bits i'm showing, the humor here is every bit as good, and it honestly surprises me: mostly indy comics take a second or two to really become what the franchise is known for, and while I can't vouch for the first story, this one still seems pretty early on yet is just as fully formed as the cartoon or telltale series. It's telling that the only changes needed to make this an episode.. were simply toning it down slightly. It's also my biggest guess as to why they didn't do more: it's not tha thtey couldn't it was just more fun to do weird shit that fit into the cartoons structure better than reuse the comics and have to deal with all the rigamorle needed to compress it into 11 minutes.

There's a minor joke change here or there, but like I said the plot is mostly the same. Since our heroes succesfuly foiled the robery, the shopkeep figures they might be able to help them and takes these two strange spacemen to their leader. We also get what is EASILY not only the best joke of both versions of this story, but one of my personal faviorites across all three versions of sam and max

It's a nice simple visual gag, puncuated perfectly by Max not letting go of it expsite it not affecting him in any way, that helps move the exposion along.. and honestly ends up overshadowing it. I also love how both versions have a great take on it. Here max never lets up about it but ti's done more casually till the explosion. In the cartoon the gag is longer, but every bit as good as they go through some beauitful moon vistas in the city this time including a people mover.. while max asks every few mintues for him to put his arms down. The ending is also diffrent in both versions: in contrast to the above the cartoon has max's shouting back the guy into a fountain.. where he Still dosen't put them down. I honestly prefer the cartoons version for it's pacing and ending, but the comic's is still plenty funny.

So as it turns out rat people have gone missing, so their big floating head in charge tasks our heroes with solving this crisis, but to do so they'll have to head to the DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!

With that our heroes head to the dark side.. and find something truly horrifying

Yeah i'm not fond of roaches on a good day. I will give the comic credit though for making them both bigger and more realistic and thus more horrifying. As for what their doing...

Again the cartoon tones it down.. it also left out the horrifying mouse bran muffin. Me I think the horror adds to the black humor of them just, lik ea human, casually using these poor beings, while still keeping the horror aspect. Naturally max gets them chased, but our heroes manage to escape.. oh wait no for once only SAM does, max gets vaporized but someone managed to latch his soul onto sam who makes him into a nifty handpuppet.

Yeah that's the trouble with reviewing sam and max.. sometimes all ic an say is that's funny or in this case

One of the only diffrences left between the two narratives is that the big head comes to pick sam up in a limo in the cartoon and they simply go back to the castle he's at in the original. The rats are able to reconstitute max, who we find out is also considred more of a mineral, and Sam already has a solutoin to the roach problem.

So cut to... the roaches being celebrated with a parade on earth as they'll help with earth's garbage, in echange for leaving those rats behind, still getting their creature comforts. We also find out it wawasn't flint who stabbed the mailman but a roach who didn't want them going to the moon because he's a xenophobic little shit. Our heroes thwart him, Sam sings a horrible tune and max either joins in or merficully ends our suffering depending on the medium. Happy day. Bad Day on the Moon is a pretty good sam and max tale. The only real place it lacks polish is the ending which just kinda.. happens and in the comic loops the roach in because. It has probablyt he thinest plot of any of these. What makes it work so well though is the barrage of great jokes. THe plots one of the weaker sam and max plots i've seen but jokewise this comic has so many bangers i'ts hard to keep track and easy to forgive the weak third act when you have greatness like "You can put your hands down now". All in all a solid recommendation Next Time on Sam and Max: I'll be wrapping up save the world as our heroes have ot head back to the moon, alice, to save the world from Hugh Bliss and his space cult. Stay tuned and thanks for reading

[animehouse-moe]

Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22-26

So, the second volume of Fujimoto's short story collection has arrived (for me), and it was perhaps an even more interesting read than the first volume. Most interestingly, it has a very strong theme throughout. As with the first volume I'll be tackling this in the order that they appear in the volume.

Mermaid Rhapsody

So, to cut to the chase, this short story is about a boy who's mother was a mermaid. To feel closer to her he's taken to playing the underwater piano near his home, when a young mermaid girl shows up, and the two grow closer to each other.

I'd say this is my favorite short story of the collection, by a decent margin. It's concise, it has motivation and a unique approach that doesn't rely on gimmicks, and it cuts to the heart quite quickly. It's a story that revolves around the concept of a forbidden love, one that's engrained in this young boy's very being. But in line with that love, he also has to overcome fear. With that in mind, it enters into a battle of inner turmoil of natures and willpower.

Would I call it forbidden love? Maybe, but there's a better answer that I'll give towards the end. Regardless of the overall purpose of the story, I think the characters mesh very well together, but there's a bit of an abrasive and almost childish film that coats a lot of it. Not that it's bad, but that there's a lot of latent potential just within the story itself if there were to be a few tweaks.

Take the awkwardly implied harem type-ending, for example.

It's a silly piece that doesn't add much of anything to the overall appeal of the short story, and bogs down the entire concept of finding a way to get closer to someone that is considered dangerous by many. Where is the tension if everyone comes out of the woodwork to immediately glom onto the kid?

Though that's about my one major complaint, aside from that it's just a lot of Fujimoto's idiosyncrasies appearing and influencing the story in interesting ways, and producing one of the more "normal" entries to his works.

Woke-Up-As-A-Girl Syndrome

Personally speaking, I'd rank this one as the worst when it comes to this short story collection. I think it has solid ideas, but translating them from pen to paper they end up muddied and sensationalized, much akin to my complaint about the childish aspects of Mermaid Rhapsody but on a much larger scale. The gist of it is that a boy (who has a girlfriend) wakes up as a girl, and no matter what will always be a girl, so they have to figure out how to proceed in their relationship while tackling this new issue.

I think it had great potential for speaking to the challenges and dysmorphia of gender identities and roles, and sexuality, but ultimately ends up narrow in scope and misses the mark. The struggles of being confined to a body that you want nothing to do with, that affects your entire outlook on life, is expressed rather succinctly, but wavers before being washed away by some of Fujimoto's earlier vulgarity. I'm not sure why, but it quickly changes pace to become sexual harassment over Toshihide's (they share the same name as the prior one-shot's protagonist) change.

For how quick a beginning, and distasteful a middle, the end finishes quite strong. It strikes a strong chord with being true to yourself and despite adversity or disgust or fear, that the only path is forward. Undoubtedly it would have hit harder if the middle was less... vulgar, but I think on its own it stands rather well, if not a bit folly in succumbing to "being a man" (a line uttered by a side character to spur on Toshihide). The sentiment is between a rock and a hard place considering the context though, so I'll so I'll let it slide.

Nayuta of The Prophecy

This (along with the next one-shot) are pretty neck and neck for second place in this volume. Both have solid approaches, but both are just missing that one little piece to take them to the next level, like the thing that can knock it back into place is just out of reach.

Anyways, Nayuta of The Prophecy is the story of Nayuta, a young girl whose birth was foretold to bring ruin to the world. In spite of this, she was still birthed and raised, and has become an object of fear and spite for all those aside from her brother (both parents have died by the time the story gets going).

Nayuta only talks in violent words, and is overall somewhat of a nuisance to her brother, but no matter her antics she still loves and cares for him, taking on part time job after part time job to make ends meet for the pair of them.

I think more than anything, this story is endearing. It shows the lengths that a brother will go to for his sister, even if they can't really communicate with each other and he was afraid of her in the beginning.

It doesn't have any grand ideals or "climactic" moments, but instead opts for a slippery slope and a casual realization. At the point of exhaustion, at fearing for his sister's life, he realizes that she was never a burdening him with her antics, but trying to help her brother out in her own way.

It's a rather straightforward story, which is part of where it misses the mark, but it's approach to finding a way to protect and love his sister properly is quite moving.

Sisters

I'll just get it out of the way really quick, I think Sisters had incredible potential as a story of jealousy and sisterly love, arguably enough so that it could stand on even footing with Mermaid Rhapsody quite easily if there were a few tweaks to it.

Of course, this a story that absolutely cannot exist separate to Look Back, which Fujimoto himself acknowledges in the afterword for it, saying, "This piece is foundational to Look Back."

So what makes it good? Well, the whole idea is that the story is told from the perspective of the older sister, who has effectively been ostracized by a nude drawing her younger sister made of her. Rather ridiculous in reality, but as a concept it's a solid catalyst for what's to come.

Hatred boils within Mitsuko, who has always been stuck with her little sister right next to her, challenging her ability, refusing her the ability to stand out on her own. Despite being the older sibling, she gets left in the younger's shadow and can't stand it.

Behind the jealousy and hatred though there's admiration. From her younger sister's perspective, she's chasing after Mitsuko's shrinking back, trying to stand alongside her and share her admiration. It's just, as is common with younger siblings, they're impossibly bad at expressing those feelings in a normal fashion.

So far I'm making it sound like a home run of a story, so what's the catch? Well, one of my largest pet peeves, show-and-tell. When you're dealing with complex emotions, it's impossible to encapsulate them effectively with words. Instead, much like the image above, directing towards the true answers is far more effective at conveying the sentiment. I wouldn't say the whole story relies on show-and-tell obviously, but it uses it as a crutch more than a handful of times via monologuing. In the end though, it's a pretty great story that establishes a happy but not perfect end.

So what's the theme? Well, in two words: Fear, and Love

Mermaid Rhapsody is centered around the fear of a mermaid eating you, but the thrill and love that Toshihide feels being alongside Shiju, and with people that remind him of his mother. Woke-Up-As-A-Girl Syndrome tackles the fear of being different than who you want to be, and still standing up to declare your love in spite of adversity. Nayuta of The Prophecy is about overcoming the fear of a girl that's able to end the world, and being able to truly love her as your little sister. Sisters is about pushing past the jealousy and fear of inadequacy to deepen your love for your sister.

All of the stories involve overcoming some form of fear to experience love despite the challenges imposed by the individual and world, and finding peace and happiness within the path they chose. I think it's really interesting to see Fujimoto probe a single concept so much with so many different angles, especially considering how they manifest in other series, like Nayuta with Chainsaw Man, or Sisters with Look Back.

I'm really quite curious to see why he was so infatuated with love at this point in time to explore it through overcoming negative emotions to appreciate it at its fullest. At the same time though, you can tell how much Fujimoto explores sexuality in various formats, some explicit, other implicit, and even some that end up rather vulgar.

This collection just cements how much of an enigma writers like Fujimoto are to me. What are they thinking when they create stuff like this? Are they considering the most minute details possible, or are they just thinking, "Man, I want to write a story about love"? Am I anywhere near correct? Can I truly understand such idiosyncratic creators through naught but tangential thoughts to their self? It's arguably more enjoyable than breaking apart their longer running series because there's so much variation and exploration. If you see someone do math day in and day out, all you'll know is that they either enjoy math or they're good at it, but the more subjects you add the more moving parts there is. It becomes a spider web of connecting the dots. They spend more time on chemistry than math, do they like chemistry more than math or are they just better at math than chemistry so they spend more time on the latter?

The Devil is in the details, and when there's more of them, it becomes harder to discern it's true shape, and I find that endlessly exhilarating.

[parksprout]

Sprout Journal 11/3/24

Hey Tumblr! There's some stuff I wanna talk about today, so I'm going to do a lil journal entry. I was doing journaling at home with pen and paper, but frankly my handwriting is so bad and I use my hands like that so infrequently that I was cramping before I got even close to writing all of my thoughts out each day. So I decided I'm going to put my thoughts that I can share out like this, it can be somewhat of a log of my own self growth! And also keep me a lil sane if I'm struggling again.

Today has been a really good day, actually! So I was on a really successful diet for about 6 months during which I got a 3rd of the way to my overall weight goal and built a bunch of muscle. Then, when I started college full time, I basically stopped altogether. I didn't gain any weight back, but I have been plateaued (least favorite word to spell omg) for a looonggggg time. This week, I've been finally eating how I want to again. My go to breakfast has been

Overnight oats: 1/2 cup of unrefined dried oats 1/2 cup of 2% milk 1 whole banana cut into thin slices 1 tablespoon of honey

Honestly I had it on like the 29th without any banana or honey and that SHIT WAS ASSSSSSS. It was so bland, but I hate wasting food so I downed that slop anyway and felt siicccckkkk ough. Honestly it's been really hard to eat lately due to my current tweak out sesh (breakup stuff) and forcing myself to down that was terrible ToT. This new version with banana and honey is AMAZING THOUGH LIKE ITS GENUINELY TASTY?

After I ate that I went to work and... honestly? As much as I hate my co-workers? It was really good to see them today. They may be bad people, but they are all really attached to me. I have been giving them all life advice for so long because I thought I had it all figured out, and it's very funny being on the opposite end of things now. I specifically asked them if they think I was being silly for reaching out and breaking no contact with my partner (they are my ex but... ugh it doesn't feel right to say that, it makes my stomach hurt). I explained to them why, how, and when I did it and... they actually supported me, they are the only ones in my life who think that reaching out was anything but a mistake. I probably asked 12 people about it and only those three felt like... maybe I'm not wrong for trying to continue the conversation more than we did. Either way, they responded yesterday and we've been talking a lot today. Us talking naturally doesn't mean we're automatically back together, but it might be a new beginning of sorts regardless of what the end looks like. I'm feeling hopeful that we might be able to talk things out and heal, but I can't say anything for certain for now and probably won't be able to for a long time.

I can say that... I found out today that they were thinking about me too. When they started replying to my texts today I snuck out of work to sit in the back of my car and just... take in what they were saying, and respond. They took a picture at work that had my name on it... that made me cry real, fat tears for the first time since this happened. It's strange how I had been sobbing but my cheeks stayed dry, but the moment I talked to them and saw a glimmer of us in their life I started bawling in the back of my own car.

Today is also the first day I've rested instead of heading to the gym after work since this all started. Oh my god my body is so sore. Right now I'm planning out the rest of my night and physical activity is NOT on the agenda.

- After I post this I'll give myself a bit more time to rest and relax - Then it's time to work on homework! First I have to practice for an oral exam I have tomorrow in Spanish class. Then after that, I have both a presentation and another project in Archaeology due on Friday ToT I also have this re-write of a short story for creative writing that I need to work on a second draft of - Then I want to work on OC stuff? I have some ideas for a sleep token OC that I wanna work on, and also I think I can refine my OC's for DnD, my personal writing projects and more somewhat? I think it'd been neat to try and draw them myself sometime soon - besides that I don't think I have plans. Maybe some video games or reading if I have extra time!

Thank you for listening tonight tumblr, you're the realest <3 if anyone sees this, I'm still looking for more mutuals! I wanna learn more about people who share my interests, don't be a stranger :3

[bwela07]

Octonauts - A new Generation

Chapter 3

Stella’s temporary guardian

Tweak’s pov

All of the little ones have settled down in their room now. The Octonauts had spent the rest of the morning giving them a tour of the Octopod. Tweak proudly showed them all the new upgrades and extra rooms that have been added. Now the kids are unpacking their bags in the rooms she had added for the junior Octo-agents while they’re in training. Now she’s standing in the HQ with the Octonauts, discussing how the rest of the day should go. Peso was going on and on about important medical conditions of some of the kids, making sure Tunip pays close attention to all of the food allergies he’s mentioning. Tweak takes a peak out of the window into the wide, open ocean. The rest of the crew all have close relationships with at least one of the kids. Even Kwazii, who isn’t related to any of them, has formed a close relationship with Pinto. Tweak is the only one that doesn’t. Knowing that, she misses her home and her father even more.

“…Shellington with Periwinkle, Tweak with Stella and Kwazii and I will be with the twins. Understood?”, the captain’s naturally loud voice cuts through Tweak’s thoughts when her name is said. Everyone each says their form of agreement before going wherever it is they’re going. Not really knowing what to do, Tweak decides to go find Stella.

Arriving in the girls’ room, Tweak finds Dashi already helping out Koshi. “Do you need any help Stella?”, she asks. The fox lifts her head and looks her straight into her eyes. After a moment of her staring at Tweak, she finally replies: “Kind of. I need help re-folding my clothes.” Tweak walks over to her, kneels down and begins folding her clothes and putting them in her assigned wardrobe, a great silence upon the two of them. From the left side, Dashi and Koshi can be heard talking about mystery books. From the right side, Ursa can be heard telling the captain about everything she’s been up to in the North Pole. I should probably try and start a conversation with her. I’ll be her temporary guardian for a while after all.

“So what do ya like to do in your free time?”, the bunny asks. “Reading, writing, studying, helping my uncle with his work, watching the fresh snow fall, watching the sun set…”, Stella starts rambling on about the beautiful sights in the arctic. Wow, she seems really passionate about her home, Tweak thinks to herself. She can’t really blame her. There is no other place quite like home. After some small chat, Tweak starts noticing how Stella shoots a few glances at her every now and then. “Is there somethin’ wrong?”, she asks, “You have been givin’ me weird looks for a while now.” “I-It’s nothing. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. It’s just that…I have never seen a green rabbit before”, Stella tries to explain. It takes a while for Tweak to process what the fox just said. No one else has ever questioned her strange colour before. Maybe they just didn’t want to be rude. This fox one the other hand, can’t hide her curiosity. Tweak grins at that thought. “Yeah, it’s an unusual colour indeed”, she says with a smile. She looks over to Stella, who seems to be shocked by her answer. This just made Tweak smile wider. She put away the last piece of clothing before getting up and ruffling the pup’s hair. Stella shrieks in response. Tweak is starting to like this pup already.

With Tweak’s suggestion in mind, the two girls make their way to the game pod. Only to find Kwazii and Orson already there, playing ping pong. “Maybe we could do something else”, Stella suggests, “We should get to know each other more anyway.” “Good idea”, Tweak says, trying to think of where they should go. Maybe I should take her to the launch bay. I could show her how to play my video games and then we could talk while playing, Tweak thinks to herself. Leading the way, Tweak shows Stella where her room is. “How come all the others get a proper room, while you have this open space in the launch bay?”, is naturally Stella’s first question. “Don’t get your ears in a twist. I want my room to be here. Wouldn’t have it any other way”, with that, Tweak takes a bite into a carrot that she pulled out of nowhere. The pup tilts her head in confusion as she lets Tweak’s words sink in. “Okay…”, she finally answers, her voice portraying confusion and concern. “C’mon, let me show ya how to play”, she said, making hand gestures towards her gaming console.

An hour of more small talk, gaming and solving riddles later, Tunip comes in to let the two know that lunch is ready. Tweak gets up from the bed, looking back to see if Stella’s following her. Instead, she sees the girl’s head tilting once again, as she observes Tunip. “Did I say something wrong?”, Tunip chirps confused. That’s when Tweak realized that, other than the Octonauts, no one else knew much about the Vegimals. Looking at the curiosity portrayed on Stella's face, Tweak starts laughing. “This here is Tunip. He’s what Shellington calls a Vegimal. He and his crew are the ones in charge of cookin’ our meals. He may not necessarily speak out language, but he can still understand us”, Tweak explains. Tunip chirps happily while waving at Stella. Stella returns the gesture. “C’mon, let’s go see what the Vegimals have cooked for us today”, Tweak says while heading towards an Octo-shoot.

Tweak observed Stella throughout the whole meal. Stella, just like Periwinkle, never spoke unless spoken to. They both gave awkward and shy vibes. It’s obvious to everyone that they aren’t the best at socializing. Tweak has learned quite a lot about Stella and has gotten quite fond of her. She now worries that Stella won’t be able to make friends her age at this rate.

After dessert, the kids are told to get to know each other more. Orson, Ursa, Squirt, Koshi and Pinto enthusiastically go down an Octo-shoot, leaving Periwinkle and Stella behind. “Go on Peri, it’ll do you good to make friends your age”, Shellington said, trying to motivate the young sea otter. Tweak opens her mouth in an effort to speak, before getting interrupted by the captain: “You should do the same Stella. It will certainly calm your uncle’s nerves to hear that you have made some friends. That is one of the reasons why your uncle brought you here, isn’t it?” The captain’s voice is much more softer than it usually is. It sounds soothing, calming and reassuring. It’s not often that Tweak has the opportunity to hear his voice like that. Stella sighs and joins Periwinkle on their quest to make new friends. Tweak can only hope that all goes well for them.

Other chapters

[drvitaltips]

10 Essential Tips for a Vibrant Lifestyle

Man, the last few years have been something, huh? I know my life looks totally different than it did before the pandemic. Between working from home and all that time indoors, it feels like healthy habits have been a lot harder to stick with. And that whole "pandemic weight gain" thing? Yeah, turns out that's real for a lot of us!

The thing is, those extra pounds don't just affect how we look. They can sneakily lead to way more serious problems like diabetes, heart issues... the list goes on. That's why figuring out how to stay healthy is super important right now. Ready to Take Charge? Here's How! Here's the deal: there's no magic bullet, but building small, sustainable changes into your day-to-day life makes a real difference. No crazy diets or hardcore gym sessions – just smart choices that add up over time.

1. Keep an Eye on Your Weight

Okay, I know stepping on the scale can be daunting, especially if you've been noticing your clothes fitting a little tighter. But regular weight monitoring, also known as weight tracking, is a valuable tool for staying on top of your health. It's like checking the gas gauge in your car – it gives you a heads up if you need to make adjustments to stay on track. Here's the key: Don't obsess over every single pound. Weight naturally fluctuates throughout the day and week. Instead, focus on tracking your weight consistently, maybe once a week at a similar time of day. This way, you can see the bigger trends and identify patterns. If you see the numbers creeping up for a few weeks in a row, that might be a signal to make some tweaks to your diet or exercise routine. Weight tracking tips: - Choose a reliable scale: A digital scale with a clear display is easiest to use. - Track your weight at the same time of day: This helps account for natural weight fluctuations. Morning before breakfast is a good option for most people. - Weigh yourself in similar clothing: Don't worry about being naked – just wear something light like pajamas or underwear to keep things consistent. - Track your weight in a journal or app: This will help you see trends over time. Remember, weight tracking is a tool to empower you, not discourage you. By keeping an eye on your weight and making adjustments as needed, you can reach and maintain a healthy weight for the long term.

2. Focus on Good Eats

Forget boring diets or super restrictive eating – it's not sustainable! Instead, let's think of healthy eating as a way to fuel your body and feel good, both inside and out. Here's the lowdown on what to put on your plate: Protein: Your Hunger-Busting Hero If you want to feel full for longer and avoid those mid-afternoon snack attacks, protein is your pal. Great sources include: - Lean meats: Chicken, turkey, lean beef – these are all winners. - Fish: Salmon, tuna, cod...delicious and packed with healthy omega-3 fats too. - Eggs: So versatile – omelets, scrambles, frittatas, you name it! - Plant-based power: Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh – perfect if you're vegetarian or vegan. Fiber: The Key to Good Digestion (and Feeling Full!) Fiber is amazing for keeping things moving smoothly (if you know what I mean!) and also helps you feel satisfied after a meal. Get your fix from: - Whole grains: Think brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and whole-wheat bread. - Fruits: Snack on apples, berries, bananas – nature's sweet treats! - Veggies: Load up on broccoli, carrots, spinach, bell peppers...the more colorful, the better! Healthy Fats: The Flavor (and Fullness) Boosters Don't be afraid of fat! The healthy kind adds a ton of flavor and helps keep you feeling satisfied, reducing cravings later. Here's where to find them: - Avocados: Guacamole, toast topping, salads...the options are endless. - Nuts and seeds: A handful of almonds or walnuts is a perfect snack, or sprinkle seeds onto salads. - Olive oil: Fantastic for dressings, sauteing veggies, or drizzling over roasted goodness. Nobody eats perfectly 100% of the time. That slice of birthday cake or those fries with friends? Totally okay! Just focus on making those whole, healthy choices the majority of the time. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Michael Pollan

3. Considering a Multivitamin

We all know that eating a balanced diet packed with fruits, veggies, and whole foods is the best way to get those essential vitamins and minerals. But let's be real – life gets hectic! Sometimes, it's hard to make sure you're getting absolutely everything you need. That's where a daily multivitamin can come in handy. Think of it like an insurance policy. It's that extra layer of support to make sure you're not missing out on any of those important nutrients your body needs to thrive. But remember, food comes first! A multivitamin shouldn't be an excuse to eat poorly. It's more like a backup plan, especially on those days when your meals aren't as balanced as you'd like. Things to Consider: - Talk to your doctor. They can help you choose the right multivitamin for your age, health conditions, and diet. Especially important if you're pregnant, have dietary restrictions, or take other medications. - Don't overdo it. More isn't always better! Taking megadoses of certain vitamins and minerals can actually be harmful. - Look for quality. Choose a multivitamin from a reputable brand, as these supplements aren't all created equal. Fact: Not all vitamins are absorbed equally well from food and supplements. Vitamin D for example, is much better absorbed when taken with a meal containing fat.

4. Water is Your Best Friend

You've definitely heard the "drink more water" thing before, right? Well, there's a reason everyone keeps nagging you about it – because it's seriously important! Staying hydrated isn't just about feeling less thirsty, it benefits your whole body. - Energy boost: Feeling sluggish? Dehydration can be a major culprit. Sipping water keeps things running smoothly and helps fight fatigue. - Clearer skin: Water helps flush out toxins and gives your skin a healthy glow. - Workout support: Staying hydrated optimizes your workouts and helps with muscle recovery. - Improved digestion: Yep, water helps keep things moving along nicely (if you know what I mean!). Tip: Don't love plain water? Add some lemon slices, berries, mint leaves, or cucumber for flavor. Sparkling water with a squeeze of citrus is refreshing, too!

5. Get Moving (However You Can!)

Regular exercise is one of the absolute best things you can do for your health, both physical and mental. But it doesn't mean you have to become a gym rat! Here's the thing: It's less about how "hardcore" your workouts are, and more about finding something you actually enjoy doing and making it a consistent habit. - Think outside the gym: Love to dance? Put on your favorite tunes and move! Enjoy the outdoors? Go for bike rides or brisk walks in nature. - Short and sweet is great: Even 10-15 minute workouts add up! Aim for moderate-intensity activity most days of the week. - Make it fun: Exercise shouldn't feel like a chore. Find activities you look forward to, and it'll be way easier to stick with. Benefits of Regular Exercise: - Weight management: Helps you burn calories and maintain a healthy weight. - Mood booster: Reduces stress, improves your mood, and helps with sleep. - Energy levels: Fights fatigue and gives you more get-up-and-go. - Disease prevention: Reduces your risk of serious diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

6. Break Up With Your Chair

Okay, maybe you don't need a full-on breakup with your chair, but all that sitting for long periods? Not so great for your health! Even if you exercise regularly, too much sitting can still increase your risk for things like: - Weight gain - Heart disease - Back and neck pain The Fix: Get up and move regularly! Set a timer on your phone to remind you to stand up, stretch, or walk around every hour or so. Even small breaks are better than sitting for hours without moving. Ideas for movement breaks: - Walk around your office or home for a few minutes. - Do some simple stretches like reaching for the sky and touching your toes. - Put on your favorite song and have a quick dance break! - Do a set of squats or lunges.

7. Sleep Is Your Superpower

Ever notice how those healthy habits seem harder when you're tired? Sleep deprivation makes us crave unhealthy foods, skip workouts, and feel grumpy. On the flip side, getting enough quality sleep helps with: - Weight management: Studies show that sleep-deprived people are more likely to be overweight. - Mental clarity: You'll make better food choices and feel more motivated when you're well-rested. - Mood boost: A good night's sleep helps ward off stress and irritability. Aim for 7-8 hours: Most adults need around that amount for optimal health. If you're struggling, try winding down an hour before bed with relaxing activities like reading or taking a warm bath.

8. Cut Yourself Some Slack on the Alcohol

Look, there's nothing wrong with enjoying a glass of wine or cocktail with dinner or out with friends. But it's easy to mindlessly overdo it, and those empty calories add up. Plus, too much alcohol can mess with your sleep and motivation to stick to healthier habits. - What's moderation? For women, it's up to one drink per day, and for men, up to two. - Space them out: Alternate alcoholic drinks with sparkling water or regular water to hydrate and slow down your pace. - Choose wisely: Go for options that are lower in sugar and calories. Fact: Alcohol can interfere with your body's ability to burn fat. Consider those "mocktails" for a change!

9. Stress Less, Feel Your Best

"Chill out," "Don't stress"...we hear those all the time, right? But when it comes to our health, managing stress isn't just about feeling better, it also affects our bodies in major ways. - The stress-weight connection: When we're under stress, our bodies release a hormone called cortisol, which can promote cravings for unhealthy comfort foods and make it harder to lose weight. - It messes with other healthy habits: Feeling stressed makes it way harder to find motivation for exercise, stick to healthy meals, and get good sleep. So, what actually works for de-stressing? Here's the thing: It's different for everyone! The key is finding what helps you feel calm and centered. Some ideas to try: - Mindfulness magic: Meditation or deep breathing exercises can bring a sense of peace, even for just a few minutes a day. Apps like Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/ or Calm: https://www.calm.com/ are great for this! - Move your body: Exercise is an amazing stress reliever – even a quick walk can lift your mood. - Nature therapy: Spending time outdoors in green spaces has a seriously calming effect. - Find your zen: Maybe it's yoga, listening to music, taking a warm bath...find the things that soothe your mind and soul.

10. Tech to the Rescue

Fitness trackers and apps aren't for everyone, but they can be seriously helpful in boosting your motivation and helping you reach your goals. Here's the deal: - See your progress: Tracking steps, calories burned, sleep patterns – it allows you to see the results of your efforts, which feels awesome. - Challenges and goals: Many apps have built-in features to set goals and even compete with friends. - Staying accountable: Just knowing you're logging your activity can keep you on track. Fact: Studies show that wearing a fitness tracker can increase your daily activity...even if you don't set any ambitious goals! "The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." William James Popular Apps: - MyFitnessPal: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ – Great for tracking food and exercise. - Fitbit https://www.fitbit.com/us/home – Popular trackers and app with tons of features. https://youtu.be/6ajmuRg2o3Q Extra Things to Keep in Mind - If you have a chronic health condition, talk to your doctor. Getting professional advice is absolutely key! - Celebrate the small wins. Lost a pound? Nailed your daily walk? Those victories deserve some high fives! - Be kind to yourself. Change is hard, and slip-ups are gonna happen. Don't give up – just get back on track with your next meal or workout. You Can Do This! Taking care of yourself – especially in a crazy world like ours – is absolutely worth celebrating. It's not about being perfect; it's about making choices that add up to a healthier, happier you. I'm rooting for you!

Helpful Resources - Tips from the American Heart Association on Healthy Eating: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating - The CDC's take on the importance of physical activity: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/index.htm Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions about your health. Read the full article