#still going through the update. this seems to be the main new thing? though i'll look around more

[smile-files]

this is terrifying??? what the hell??????

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

CityBoy_Log: Blurring the Lines Between Fiction and Reality.

I was doing my daily scroll through YouTube one day when a thumbnail (this thumbnail) caught my eye:

Now, at first glance I'll admit there's nothing exceptional about it. In fact, it's so perfectly run of the mill that I actually thought it was a vlog from a new K-pop band that I hadn't heard of before at first. The name, the picture they chose, the title.... all of it checked out and I had no reason to be suspicious that it was anything other than it seemed.

Anyway, I was bored, it had been a while since YouTube had recommended me anything K-pop that wasn't a group I was already subscribed to and I was feeling nostalgic for a good K-pop vlog.

It was only 5 minutes

What harm could it possibly do?

So I clicked on it.

And then I feel down a rabbit hole.

CityBoy_Log: The Drama

So it turns out that "CityBoy_Log" is not, in fact, a K-pop group's travel vlog series, nor is it a vlog series at all...

Well, it is...

But not really.

It's actually an 11 episode BL drama.

Summary:

Idol Lee Jae Jun, model/actor Lee Ji Han, actor Seo Byuk Joon, and rookie model Ahn Hyo Sang start a vlog channel about their trip to Okinawa, Japan for a photoshoot. The four meet for the first time (aside from JaeJun and Byuk Joon, who are longtime friends) when they learn they will be sharing a home during the trip. Though Ji Han's introduction caused some tension within the circle, the group's feelings towards each other start to change and grow as they keep vlogging. The vlogs show how their individual friendships develop by the end of their stay and after coming back to Seoul, some even beyond just platonic. (Mydramalist)

On the face of things, "CityBoy_Log" is a pretty straight forward drama (some might even call it mundane). Four friends navigating their relationships with each other on a trip. There's a main couple and a side couple and plenty of pining and love squares to keep the audience and the characters on their toes. Really nothing standout in a world where Semantic Error, Love for Love's Sake, and Eighth Sense exist, right?

Except the format.... the format is something else.

Because when the summary says "the vlogs", it really means the vlogs.

"CityBoy_Log" is a BL drama told entirely in character.

Like your typical k-vlog, the majority of the content comes from hand-held cameras carried about by the characters, only occasionally interspersed with aesthetic shots from their "camera crew". The characters talk openly to the audience, updating them on what's going on and what they're thinking and feeling; transitions between scenes are choppy and periods of time are missed due to "unfilmable" moments that we either only catch glimpses of or are told about later (or in some cases, have to fill in the blanks ourselves); dialogue is choppy and sometimes even awkward (especially as they're still getting to know each other) and voice cracks, nonsensical lines, and awkward pauses are all over the place.

It is feels messy, lightly edited, unscripted, and, for the most part, very very real.

Blurring the Boundaries Between Fiction and Reality.

Seeing how far the creators of the show have gone to make this drama feel realistic is fascinating. All the episodes are posted as vlog episodes on the show's YouTube Channel, they post additional shorts that follow the latest trends, and even have celebratory lives where they talk to fans. And all of this is done in character.

They also have an Instagram page and on MDL there is very little information about the actors (who use their real names for their characters) and no information about the team behind the scenes (although I suspect they're linked to whoever made Semantic Error because that show gets name dropped a lot and they even "audition" for the upcoming drama made by it's creators) .

Given how much effort has gone into making "CityBoy_Log" pass as real it shouldn't be surprising that there are quite a few people who believed it was real for a time.

Now personally I am a huge fan of innovative storytelling techniques and "CityBoy_Log" has really hit it out of the part creatively (it reminds me a little of SKAM in that respect). I applaud the actors for just how realistic their characters feel (I actually can think of anything harder than having to pull off "act like you're not acting" and they do it flawlessly at least 90% of the time) and whoever came up with and executed the show really did something special too. It's an incredibly compelling watch (I binged it) and I immediately felt connected to all the characters in a way it normally takes a drama a few episodes to set up.

Do I have my doubts about how wise it is to blur the lines between fiction and reality so much? I won't lie, yes, especially as this show is rooted so heavily in 2 fandoms where those boundaries are already heavily blurred but for now I'll trust that they know what they're doing (perhaps more so than many other shows that draw heavily on fan service). It does seem like, at least for now, while everything feels real and in character, that it does exist in its own little bubble and that the actors involved are able to leave it behind when they get off work.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it progresses, given that a second season has been confirmed and there was.... a very interesting reveal at the end of the last episode. I'm looking forward to how they continue to play with the format and getting to spend more time with Jae Jun, Ji Han, Byeok Jun, and Hyo Sang

🔗Here's a link to the channel if anyone wants to check it out:

https://youtube.com/@CITYBOY_LOG?si=CKqz8QdfzySCqRyL

CityBoy_Log: The Vlog

Team Hyo Sang all the way. All this puppy wants is for his hyung to notice him and he is adorable about it.

Tagging @lurkingshan @twig-tea @respectthepetty and @rocketturtle4 because I don't know if you guys have seen the show yet!

[jamiekb]

Exploring the new Welcome Home Update

So here's my journey through the new update and the little details that it has, this will be a very long post and of course full of spoilers.

Look at the new design for the loading screen, so Christmas-y! I particularly love the antlers on Home's chimney.

Looking good Wally! And now we have new little doodles that seem to go with the holiday.

Ok so according to the admins no more bugs so wonder what will be different this time. Onto the news page then

Also I'm really digging the new background

Ok starting the FAQ now and some questions and answers are interesting. So they've been receiving more material covered in goop. They kinda adress in universe the move of the website, due to malicious material and in the code of the page.

And there is one new hidden message in the answers (I think) "The numbers are so hard to read. Sometimes I can't see them" So do we have to look for numbers now?

Took a detour through the stickers and they have new ones! There is Wally making a Home out of snow, sleeping Julie, I think Frank singing Carols to a butterfly, Poppy with a Jello thing, Eddie with a ton of presents to deliver, Howdy with some relatives, Sally as the star of a Christmas tree and Barnaby with a snowman.

Also with the "Welcome Home" banners two are a bit more desaturated now. And now that I think about it there are some stains in the main banner too

Neighborhood

Anyway unto the Neighborhood! Looks so cute although I'll be honest the clock tower is a bit weird and the trees feel a bit more intense at the edges or maybe that's just me

Eddie seems quite normal though now apparantly he has a mother, I'm confident that didn't use to be there. Is it weird that other than Wally hes the only one that didn't add anything new to his home for the season?

I think Howdy's description also changed a bit but nothing alarming. His store now seems to have signs welcoming his family for the holidays.

Checking Barnaby's description they seem to all have a bit more background info, since he apparently left his farm life to come to Home. Ok what does "Barnaby’s middle initial was often rotated in terms of what it stood for" mean???

Poppy is so cute! Is she holding cupcakes decorated like the characters or did she already do that? Ok but her new details feel very interesting: she claims to be able to fly but it's never shown and she never leaves her house to the point of being excluded from some events (like Wally's Homewarming party I guess)

Sallys is fine. She's besties with Poppy I guess and she can shine??? How do you make a puppet shine?? Were they roommates maybe?

Oh Julie got quite a backstory. Named siblings, she has paws and used to live in the forest on the outskirts of Home in a cave with her family. And she hibernates that's too cute!

Great my dear Frank still gets no background info (which is very interesting) but he goes get forced heteronormativity.

Ok and Wally is kinda similar, no background info just very dedicated to Home. And I''l see about coming back to the As above so below page since I can't seem to click it, might just be me. You can still see the goop at the doorstep though

Merchandise

Ok so first off the Merchandise page has a different background to the rest, some colorful static and took a bit to load.

oooh they even changed the layout for the phone since you could hear Wallys call, that's such a cool detail

Maybe I'll go back and see if Eddies or Sally's stories have been changed in the audio or transcipt but I'll stick to the new stuff for now. Now that i think about maybe Sally's doesn't have the bit where the transcript couldnt understand it.

Finally reached the wish book and I love it so much, this is so much work all around! My favorites are the Frank and Wally pillows, Eddie Dear Lil' Mailman's Kit, the Home Clock and specially the tree skirt! I now have to make those cute neighbors

Oh my god the record has the perfect Santa voice. And.. interesting that the ad cuts off when we get to Eddie. I'm not really surprised thought it would do something when it got to him or Frank, still suspicious.

Homewarming Story

The sound editing for all this new items is amazing!

I love the bit of the characters tripping up the narrators, this one just hasn't been able to get it right.

Hey is it me or in this one they've been a bit more insistent that Frank is a bit too literal but in a not so good way, not that much more intense but can't help but notice it. Seems a bit meaner

The return of Walliford!

Good to know Home uses he/him I guess

excuse me the fuck was that sound distortion???

and then it ends kinda abruptly, so that's that...

Where's my Eddie by the way, they didn't ask him and didn't find him while out on the town. I better hear him at some point or I will riot.

We have a code!

Ok so I was skimming the rest of the material before choosing what to listen to next and saw the cereal and craft at the back! So I guess now I have to find all the little drawings in the page and see when come from that

So I did listen to a few more songs, nice to see Eddie and Frank interacting as always, and noticed that in the transcript pages there are some entries for Mistery Audio, which are actually three of the previously hidden videos so that's interesting

Also not all the pages have four drawings some only one, so I've been trying to keep track which symbols i found where in case it matters. Still don't know what they're for just going around collecting them

Ok nvm I was doing things out of order and now that I got to media can see they are mentioned there

So after finally getting all the little things and going back to tumblr cause honestly I didnt really get what to do, I'm guessing it leads to a website, since one of the pages just has www as the code, so I'll try that I guess since I saw that there is a secret website somewhere. If it takes me too long I'll just look it up

Secret website

Nvm I'm too impatient at this point and I think i was missing a few letters so I just looked it up

Ok so that's interesting, so this person is kinda like the one behind the scenes talking to us along with whatever had infected the website before. They mention how the curator got sick (???) but is better now and that they'll try to update this website with the weird things they find

So the phone is one, like the weird glitched audio from Wally. This audio is interesting cause it plays out technically in real life but Wally speaks as if they are living out their lives...

And then moving on to the commercial they are speaking again of being compelled to know more, to see and wait. I'm sure some is curiosity but that can't be all

ohmygod this is more than 20 minutes long, the effort it must have taken Clown and team is monumental

that little animation is so cute!!!

fast forward many commercials and we have Eddie!!! And even a whole hand helping Poppy or something.

god the tobacco comercial of course they would have one

My poor Eddie boy is so anxious and depressed, why is no one talking to you bud? Like not getting him a present is a thing but not even Julie called him to play... and now is he's spiraling and even mad, that's unusual for sure. Also what's with the perspective of his videos, everything is a commercial or in the case of the secret videos it's interactions with other neighbors. This is more like the secret videos that we're seeing from someones POV, but not even that, we're observing him not looking through his eyes

Oh my poor Eddie is certainly going through it, who let them expose him to The Horrors? The horror aspect of this ARG sure has started to pick up speed, even I picked up some anxiety from that last segment

Also I did notice that Frank eventually dropped the Mr Dear for Eddie when he got more worried, almost like hes more worried than for an act that he has to put up huh?

So that was the newest Welcome home update. I can say it was everything I hoped for and more!!! The team behind it really gave it their all. From VAs for the audios to all the visual and graphic artists for the commercials its all so wonderful

[bamber344]

Prologue - Birth

next

masterlist

Finally going through with my promise to actually write this superhero living weapon whump story. Updates will probably be pretty slow and sporadic as finishing draft 1 of my book is my current priority, but once that's done i'll definitely focus on this during the downtime before editing starts. Also the series itself doesn't have an actual name yet but shhhhh i'm working on it

it's in 1st person pov for the main character as i felt her perspective would be more interesting from that pov. Other character povs will likely be 3rd person when we get to those.

this is just a prologue to get you situated in so it's pretty short but i hope it gets you excited for what's to come! let me know what you think! story begins below the cut.

CWs: Medical whump (technically), female whumpee, non-sexual nudity, confused whumpee, male whumper, blood mention, manipulation of a vulnerable person, living weapon whumpee, mysterious medical procedures, language barrier

The first thing I remember feeling was warm. It was all-encompassing, surrounding and pressing in on me. I was completely weightless, floating around in some infinite black void. Nothing existed but myself and the warmth, gently cradling me, lulling me to sleep. I let it take hold, and sank into the emptiness.

—

I opened my eyes for the first time, and discovered that the universe was Green. Like the warmth, it was all around me, clinging to my skin, suspending me in itself. There were shadows, flickering about somewhere deeper in, moving back and forth, tempting me. I wanted to go to them, but movement eluded me, and all I could do was reach out, uselessly grasping at the Green. It was then, with my arm stretched out in front of me, that I saw myself for the first time.

My bones were small, and my skin was translucent. 

That didn’t seem right.

Something inside of me started thumping quickly. I heard my very first sound; a shrill, high-pitched beep, piercing through the Green in time with the thumping. The shadows began moving quickly. Something was wrong. Something was wrong! I needed to escape! Get out! Get out get out get out get out getoutgetoutgetoutgetout get out get… out…

Calmness washed over me. My eyelids grew heavy. I closed them, shutting out the Green and returning to the dark.

—

COLD.

The Green was gone, replaced by blinding White. The warmth was a distant memory, torn apart by an all-encompassing cold biting my skin, now opaque as it always should’ve been. My whole body shivered and a terrible pain lit up inside of me, my limbs flailing limply against the hard surface I was pressed up against. I convulsed, and Green spilled out of my mouth, making way in my lungs for my very first breath.

Air rushed in through my throat and filled my chest. It still wasn’t quite enough, though. Another few coughs and it seemed like most of the Green had been expelled, leaving me panting and gasping for more precious oxygen, now that room had been made. It made me feel Awake. It made me feel Alive. It gave me the strength to lift myself to a seated position, curiously interacting with the way this new Universe worked outside of the Green. I was no longer suspended; I had to use my body to move, and to do that, I needed to learn how things worked.

The blurriness in my eyes cleared, and I discovered that the Universe was not entirely White, either. Yes, the White was abundant, but there were exceptions to it, like the things standing around me, observing. They had bodies of a similar shape to mine, with two legs and two arms and a torso and a head, but where my skin was bare and visible, most of theirs was obscured by more White, soft-looking wrappings and covers. They held things in their hands, and were making noises with their mouths, but none of it meant anything to me, so I moved on.

Something unexpectedly touched my shoulder and I spun, sweeping my arm out in alarm. There was a flash of Black and a splattering of Red and suddenly all of the things around me were screaming. I scrambled backwards as best I could, pushing and kicking my limbs off of the slippery floor to move myself away. The things moved away from me as well. That was good. I decided I didn’t like them.

My back hit a wall and I curled up, ready to lash out at any more of the White things with the Black that came out of my arm. It was still there, staining my usually tan skin from my hand to my elbow, with a tendril hanging from my wrist. I focused, and the tendril disappeared into smoke along with the remaining Black. Curious.

Enraptured as I was by my own strange ability to cover my hands in Black, I failed to notice the new figure approaching until they were right in front of me. My first instinct was to fight, to get the strange thing away from me, but when I looked upon them my body was filled with a strange sense of calm. I didn’t know how I knew it, but I knew that above all else, the thing in front of me was safe.

Their pale body was hidden by a blocky, navy blue covering, and their face was covered in wrinkles and divots. They reached out, cradling my cheek with a warm, calloused hand. I leaned into it, filled with an overwhelming feeling of safety. This was where the warmth I was missing was, ever since I left the Green.

The thing was making noises at me. I couldn’t understand them, but they didn’t seem to mind. They put a hand to their chest and repeated a specific noise, over and over. They sounded it slowly, making exaggerated movements with their mouth. Their teeth on their bottom lip; an open exclamation; their tongue between their teeth; and another, slightly less open exclamation. Compelled by my curiosity, I attempted to repeat it.

“Fffff…” I tried. “Fah…” My voice was raspy and weak in its first use. My tongue was thick and unresponsive. The movements of the thing were difficult to replicate, but they were patient as I practised, getting the hang of it. “Fah…ther. Father. Father!”

The thing smiled, and it was the greatest sight of my short existence. At that point I knew that I would do absolutely anything if it meant getting to see that smile directed at me again.

Taglist: @steelandblood @sapphicwhump @urnumber1star

Hope it wasn't too confusing! Obviously the protagonist currently doesn't really know what's going on at all, so I tried to translate that feeling through the prose. It won't usually be like that, so dw if you weren't feeling it. feel free to ask for clarification tho! Happy to answer any questions that don't spoil anything

feel free to reblog ;) it helps a lot!

[steviewashere]

Return to Sender

Slaps you in the face with this chapter of my new fic, Return to Sender. Which I will update every Saturday, or at least attempt to. Different first meetings, strangers to friends to lovers to strangers (and then endgame). Hope you enjoy, I'll add tags when necessary.

Characters: Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove (A Warning in Itself), Eddie Munson (E.M.)

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

General Audiences (May Change, but Will Not be Explicit)

Tags: Pre-Season 2, Rewriting Canon, Though Keeping to Main Canon Events (i.e. Steve getting roped into finding Dart, Billy smashing in Steve's face, The junkyard, etc.)

Expanded from This Post!

Next Part is Out! ------>

Enjoy <3

------- Steve picks up a little piece of paper that somebody shoved inside the grates of his locker door. It's folded, crumpled, creased and stained. He glances around. If the messenger just left this, they must still be around, right? At the bathrooms, nobody stands. Or at the narrow opening that floods into the main hall of Hawkins High. Or even peeking from under the stairwell. He runs his thumb over the paper. It's soft, most likely worn down from being held onto for so long. From being in somebody's pocket. Pressed up against the radiating warmth from their naked thigh. Possibly held between their fingers, twirling and folding in the gaps.

Does he open it? He's curious, he should. But what if it's another one of Tommy's pranks, which have increased tenfold since they stopped being friends. What if it's Carol giving him a fill-in on gossip he no longer wants a slice of? Or...What if it's Nancy apologizing? He shakes his head at that. What does she shave to apologize for, he questions himself. If anybody should say sorry, it would be me.

Basketball practice is in ten minutes. He's got his sweatbands on. Retied his sneakers. Changed into shorts and a particularly revealing muscle tank. Slathered on deodorant, lip balm, and baby powder to prevent chafing on his thighs. He's ready to go. Gotta go, he hastily thinks.

But...

The note. Somebody left it just for him.

Oh, but what if it's to tease him? To poke fun at the fact that he lost his girlfriend to somebody the whole school deems as his rival. To laugh at the new cut near his hairline, pink and puckered, laughing at his inability to fight back (parents teach their kids the damndest things). From that insufferable guy, Billy, that's barreled in through town from California and shoved him on the spikes of his King Steve crown. From that band girl with choppy strawberry blonde hair that's always too observant. From somebody else...somebody who wants to see him bend over, gasp for air that's too sharp and fleeting, and cry with nothing else to do.

He blearily thinks, Fuck it. He thinks, Men don't cry. Though the voice is his father's and they're almost the same in intonation, does it matter who's ridiculing him? He thinks, I just want to go home and rest.

It unfolds without him willing. The paper still soft, not yet agitating his palms. Gently torn around the edges. Blue pen glowing up at him. He takes a breath and reads.

"You seem haunted. But you're lovely. I hope you find peace soon, Steve. -E.M."

Steve's watch beeps at him. Time to shoot some hoops. And all the while he will think, Who the hell is E.M.?

---- He's at the three point line practicing his free throws. Back wet with sweat. Hair drooping over the sweatband around his forehead, the prickly ends threatening to stab his eyelids. The ball is in his grip just under the tip of his nose. He gives it another couple dribbles for luck. Poises to shoot.

Just as his arms flex, he goes tumbling down to the ground. A thump across the waxed gymnasium floor. His head misses, thankfully, but the rest of him is in a gigantic sore heap. Limbs splayed out around him. The basketball bouncing off somewhere to his right. And the impact scared him into shutting his eyes. Opening them, blearily and blinking fast, he realizes he's now nose to calf with that asshole, Billy Hargrove.

The guy—broad, tall, muscular with an ugly shaggy mullet and a permanent sneer to his lips—has been consistently knocking Steve down. Whether it be on the court, as it is right now. Out on the track in gym class. In the hallways, slamming Steve's left shoulder into the closed locker doors, enough he swears it dislocated at least a couple times. Even once in the parking lot; leaving a ding on the trunk of Steve's BMW. It's one of the nicer things he owns and it made him see red the way the metal was dented in. He'd tried to fight back against Billy, but that ended up with him and a blood nose. He's retired all efforts in making this guy leave him alone. Too pussy to be the first to throw a fist. Too smarmy to confront a teacher.

Steve groans and tries to sit up, but is promptly shoved back down by the bottom of one of Billy's sneakers. He hears from above, "Fucking stay out of my way, Harrington." And then his presence is gone. Footsteps, heavy and quick, making their way away from Steve's supine, sweaty, adrenaline leaking body.

He successfully sits up with the next groan and gasp from his lips. Rubs a firm hand on the small of his back. And decides, Fuck this. Rising from the ground is no ambitious feat. And choosing to barrel past his coach, give him the finger, slam the locker room door behind him, take a quick hot shower, and reclothe himself in a usual school outfit—none of that is ambitious either. It's freeing, in a way.

Sure, he loves basketball. Loves gym class. Loves working out in general. He's been on a basketball team every year since he was seven years old. Watches games from the middle cushion of his parent's three-seater sofa. Skims through Sports Illustrated every chance he gets. Has assisted with little league teams and the junior varsity tryouts annually since freshman year—always there to encourage and uplift nervous players, because he had been one once, so he gets it.

But, also, the amount of running up and down the basketball court. The amount of watching from his peripherals. Dodging and very nearly hiding away from other players. It all just reminds him of...Of that stupid flower-faced motherfucker that tumbled through the Byers' place. All the trouble for wanting to apologize. Now he's more scarred than a pink eraser some distracted kid uses in math class—puncture wounds in his brain where the images of blood, snarling saliva, and twirling some weaponized bat are permanently flashing. All the time. In his waking existence and in his sleep.

Playing on the sports teams also comes with expectations. Not from his peers. Or friends. Not even the coaches. But, rather, his parents. And damn it, if being bullied off the court is a way to try and get them off his back, then he'd fucking take being roped by his ankles and shook like a can of pop for his lunch money. He thinks, Fuck what they think. Fuck what the coach thinks. And fuck Billy Hargrove.

When he's finally out of the locker room and back at his everyday locker, he notices another little white paper making a minor appearance. It's a fresh piece. From the way it's bright in the light and sharp around the edges in his hands. Even the blue pen marks are smeared slightly, as if the person—E.M.—was in a rush to get away. To not be caught.

It reads now:

"I'll charge that dickwad more for his weed. It's fucking stupid that he thinks he rules the school now. Hargrove gave one of my friends a swirly last week. Tried to dump my lunch earlier today. Don't worry, Steve, I'll drain him for more than he's worth. -E.M."

His hand falls away, note still gripped, and slams against his thigh. Runs a hand down his damp face. And becomes dizzy with the implication of the last line; or at least, his interpretation.

Now, Steve's smoked before. Came home one time from the quarry smelling like it and knew what it was like to be caught by a ring on the face when he'd walked through his front doors. But...that had been weed that Tommy's cousin brought around during the summer they were in town. Steve isn't aware of anybody in Hawkins who would be dealing. And, if he's honest, marijuana isn't a top choice for unwinding. He prefers a beer or a cigarette, something that won't leave a trail of evidence behind.

So, now he's aware that somebody—a stranger—is watching him from a distance. Somebody who goes to school with him. Somebody who deals drugs, maybe even does them. And...their initials are E.M.

He almost wants to shout out for the person to make themself known. But the mystery behind it all is intriguing, to say the least. Like they're playing hard to get. And, Steve doesn't usually go after people that make anything—friendship or romantic relationships—hard on him, but the lack of info, the observance, the knowing somebody has their eyes on and out for him...

Well, that makes something stir in his gut.

And he doesn't know what that says about him. To be swooning, slightly, for somebody without a face. Somebody who could be a stalker if he thinks about it. They're protective, though. And that's not something Steve usually gains from somebody else.

It's frustrating, though, not knowing who this person is. Maybe if he can ask around, maybe get Billy to slip up about his smoking habits.

He wants to put a face to this mystery person.

Wants to...see if they're just as attractive as their instincts.

--------

Next Part is Out! ------>

[quizicalgin]

Confusion and minor speculation

So, it seems that the launcher refused to install the file as it is currently. Plan B was install the doll as a package and try to place it, and that made the game immediately crashed.

So it's still somewhat behaving as I expected. However, I'm assuming people could still use the doll to some degree, or did it just crash whenever they tried to use it?

Did it just attach itself to lots at random, even in that state? Or were they still usable back then, were placed as decor, and then spread before people knew it was the cause of their game breaking woes?

Scarily enough, the most recent report of an infection I can find is one in 2023 from the exchange. It seemed to still effect their game the same way as previous reports?

This leads me to wonder if I do need to roll back my game to the earliest versions in order to get it to "work", if it won't install or function with the latest version.

That aside, here are some things I do know from the files:

The original doll was made with tsrw version 1.0.12

The updated version that was released was made in version 1.0.14

The files I found included the C# code for the dolls "talking" function, and while I'm not the best coder, I can read enough of it to say that there doesn't appear to be anything in it that would make it behave maliciously. I may need a second pair of eyes to look at it for absolute confirmation of that, though. Considering how talented Rebecah was, and how much more advanced many of her other mods were, I find it highly doubtful the fault is in the code here.

This gives me new speculation as to why the doll would attach itself to lots on its own. How does anything become attached to a lot in the sims 3?

That is something I have admittedly never fully understood, how CC could be shared through lots or sims that way. Mainly because when I would save sims to share them they never had the CC go with them from what I remember? But that was over 10 years ago the last time I made one to share, and I would have to look at my old sim DLs to see if my memory is lying or not.

Getting back on track, the game has to have something in it to make it randomly assign the doll, right? New children in the worlds have to get teddy bears somehow, and since both doll variants were cloned from the bear, perhaps it spread that way. Only problem is that doesn't line up with the reports of people that claimed they received it from tattoos or other item downloads. The doll isn't flagged as anything but a kid's toy, so it wouldn't just randomly attach to anything else.

The main theory, as rude as it sounds, is that I think the people that said that weren't aware of just how MUCH they downloaded from the exchange. Maybe it wasn't a spree, but they may have DLed a sim, or a home, in addition to those items, or an item that was used as storage, as we did get storage units in WA that had released around the same time as the doll. The only reason I still want to double-check that though is due to a couple of the reports coming from respected people, and I can't imagine what they would gain lying about it.

Although they could just as easily fall under my theory, but that's why I'm trying to dissect this thing.

It could very well be, depending on your pc and QOL mods installed, that the doll may not be a threat anymore. I'll be making a trip back to the exchange, since it seems that perhaps the files I have might not be sufficient to infect myself.

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Insinuation 2.2 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

While I wouldn't say any of the word count is wasted, per se, I do think that for all that 1.6 million words is impressive... did it really need to be 1.6 million words? 2.1 felt like 75% space filler tbh.

The go-to place for news and discussion on capes was Parahumans Online.  The front page had constant updates on recent, international news featuring capes.  From there, I could go to the wiki, where there was information on individual capes, groups and events, or to the message boards, which broke down into nearly a hundred sub-boards, for specific cities and capes.  I opened the wiki in one tab, then found and opened the message board for Brockton Bay in another.

There are many advantages to letting your characters properly use the internet.

I had the sense that either Tattletale or Grue were the leader of the group I had run into.

Tattletale, really, seems like.

“This article is a stub.  Be a hero and help us expand it.” 

*snort* Jesus christ, that feels too real.

The only new information for me was that her costume was lavender.  A search of the message boards turned up absolutely nothing.  There wasn’t even a hint as to what her power was

And yet sometimes even the internet fails in the face of people just not being worth noticing yet.

 Rachel Lindt had never made any real attempt to hide her identity.  She had apparently been homeless through most of her criminal career, just living on the streets and moving on whenever police or a cape came after her. 

I am somehow both shocked and not at all surprised she's managed to pull this off.

Monsters the size of a car, all muscle, bone, fang and claw. 

Half the time fanfics seem to almost imply the end up with Scales and shit too?

At the very bottom of the page was a list of links that were related to her:  two fansites 

Bitch has Fansites? Why am I actually surprised?

He was estimated to have forty or fifty thugs working for him across Brockton Bay,

I feel like this is an issue of Wildbow not having enough sense of the scale. The Bay has three main gangs, E88, ABB and the Merchants, and 40-50 seems way too small to be a player.

but Lung had made it a mission to conquer and absorb every gang with Asian members and many without.  Once he had the manpower he needed, the non-Asian gangs were cannibalized for assets, their members discarded.  Even though there were no more major gangs in the east end of town to absorb, he was still recruiting zealously.

And yet... he still only has 40-50?

He could teleport, but when he did so, he didn’t disappear.  As he teleported, his original self, for lack of a better term, would stay where it was and remain active for five to ten seconds before disintegrating into a cloud of carbon ash.  Essentially, he could create another version of himself anywhere nearby, while the old version could stick around long enough to distract or attack you.

One thing I love about Worm is that even when someone has a 'normal' power, like teleporting, they can't actually have a normal power. it's always some extra level of bullshit. :rofl:

 By all rights, I should have been angry that Armsmaster took the credit for the fight that could have cost me my life.

I mean, you did tell him he could. And really, it's more complicated than that.

Buuut, on the other hand... yeah, I get it. She's still just 15, and 15 y/os are allowed to bounce their perspectives around.

I was given pause by one post that asked whether Bakuda could or would use a large scale bomb and the threat of potentially thousands or hundreds of thousands dead, to ransom Lung back.

That, I think, is called Foreshadowing

If it happened, it would be the responsibility of heroes better and more experienced than I.

Who are you and what have you done with Taylor "I'll take over the city and run it RIGHT" Herbert? :P :rofl:

It was meaningful, though.  I couldn’t interpret it any other way; Tattletale had found a way to get in contact with me.

Probably because her power suggested it was likely you'd check PHO

[anexperimentallife]

Life/Health Update

The thing we've been most worried about is the damage to my heart from COVID and anti-inflammatories. BP has been slowly going down over the past few months, so that would seem to indicate that at least SOME of the damage to my heart is healing. Let's hope. Need to get all those tests done again to know for sure, but for now they've taken me off one of my BP meds, so that's promising. (This was the main thing we were considering trying to get back to the states for, so I could use my medical benefits.) The rest of the stuff impacts quality of life, but isn't directly life-threatening, so if the other issues have to wait, they have to wait.

The hole in my throat still needs closed up. That will probably be the priority once we get my mouth issues (below) sorted. This one is kind of dangerous, as food, medication, and liquids often get stuck in there, and can throw off med dosages and sometimes cause me to choke. Been lucky so far, I guess.

One place in my jaw still pokes through inside, and another is threatening to. If those places don't start reabsorbing within the next few days, they'll have to open up the inside of my mouth AGAIN to file them down. So I'm gumming my food for at least another eight weeks before we can do anything about new teeth.

We're able to get the eye drops that take down the swelling in my retina fairly regularly now, so here's hoping that if I keep using them for three more months they'll have some kind of permanent effect. Probably still need surgery on that eye, though. Sucks that this happened to my formerly good eye--it used to have 20/10 vision. Temperature seems to play a role in the amount of fun-house-mirror-vision, but we live in the tropics, so not much to do about that. (We live in the mountains, so it's not as bad as the lowlands, but AC is rare up here.)

I don't think the cataract in the other eye has gotten too much worse, but that's obviously going to need surgery eventually, as well. If I can come out of this with one good eye, I'll consider myself lucky.

Brain fog (combination of long COVID, ADHD, Autism, and a traumatic brain injury) is still bad, but not as bad as it was. Nothing to do about that but wait.

My spine injuries are still an issue, with occasionally arm cramping/paralysis that used to be JUST in my right arm, but now sometimes spreads to my left. At least the cramping keeps the muscles toned? (Trying to look at the bright side here.) Neck exercises and stretching help with that, as does ice. (I mean, yeah, there's the constant pain, too, but that's the least of my concerns.)

Still need that second foot surgery, because the cauterization didn’t completely take from the last one; not only am I open for another infection (like the two-year one that an infectious disease specialist finally cleared up for me), but walking is pretty painful, too, even if I’m not talking about joint injuries.

Joint injuries... Hoo boy. Definitely gonna need a hip replacement eventually, and probably both knees.

I have chronic fatigue now, plus every pre-existing condition and old injury I had has been exacerbated by long COVID. It sucks. My stamina is improving little by little, though.

Treatment for all of the medical stuff has to wait for one thing at a time to be affordable. My health was stable until COVID, but now... Damn. Unfortunately, COVID came around around the time we found out we were having a baby, and four bouts of COVID have left my health completely fucked and exacerbated all my old injuries.

(If you're new here, you may not know that the licensing contract to convert some of my old fiction to a game--which, fortunately, did not count as "work income" for social security purposes--got canceled just weeks after El was born, meaning our income dropped way down, and that a snafu with Eleanor's birth certificate made her stateless, which took every bit of our savings plus the proceeds from a fundraiser to correct. If not for the combo of COVID and El's birth certificate snafu, we'd be fine both medically and financially.)

I'm working on plotting out more Quiet World and Alex And stuff, which I'll be shopping around, but frankly, even if it sells, it probably won't be much. (If you were here in 2013, you may remember that I had just started to have success selling my fiction to pro markets when my sons died, which threw me for a loop for several years, so I have to start over building a reputation.)

We've considered a move back to the US to use my medical benefits, but a) that'd be expensive af, and b) the US may be on the edge of becoming a military dictatorship, so even if we had the money for it, we'd want to wait to see what November holds.

So yeah, that's what's been going on with my health and our finances. As always, @thesurestthing and Baby El bring me joy, and my sort-of-adopted niece @geniussheepworld is a great help to all of us.

With so many people in the world suffering so much, I am reluctant to post a funding link. We are MOSTLY financially stable--it's just that we have to save up for my medical stuff while we work to finish paying off about 11K USD of debt from El's paperwork thing and all the medical whammies (and thank you to everyone who has helped already)--but if you want to help with that, the best link is either our paypal donation link or Ko-Fi.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

Wow, I'm mad at myself for being late to the favorite fic subject coming up /j

Personally, I'm a huge sucker for cya and have itysg as a second(however, if we decide to count your other fics then... itysg would be third while your smile makes me smile would be second). I think it's the amount of world building that makes it so interesting for me along with the fact that it takes place before the archon war. Like, there hardly passes a day where cya doesn't just... scoot right over into my thoughts making it kinda hard to reread cause it know it so well </3.

I am sad to say that I haven't checked out BitA yet. When I first saw it while looking for some other fic of yours to read, I didn't really like apocalypse stories much. I might check it out though cause I'm a lot more open to those kinds of stories now. I also remember starting every good intention, but I don't remember why I stopped... I think I had to get off my phone for a bit and just... forgot to continue? Idk I really should check those two...

You really get me Sprinkles- those murder mystery fics are so good! I remember reading one of genshin that was also mixed with a time loop and I just ate it up-(it was sadly discontinued and then deleted from ao3, but not before I managed to download it for future offline reading-) I'm honestly interested in those wriolette ones you mentionned, may I have a few recs if you don't mind? I need more wriolette in my life.

i do in fact have some wriolette murder mystery / cop mystery recs

A Match Made in France by oooohscar - not a murder mystery per se but it does contain mystery investigations. it's basically furina trying to matchmake neuvillette and wriothesley and she quickly discovers they work well as investigation partners? and so she starts trying to get them to investigate things together, but then shit gets out of hand. it's so fucking good and so fucking funny. like it's pre-reveal furina but i can forgive the mild ooc and- y'know, furina portrayal pre-trauma-reveal (?) just because it's so well written and hilarious (and also she's not portrayed entirely as a brat, i find her more absurdly histrionic than anything). also it's not just furina pov, it switches between all of them. it's incomplete but updating, and absolutely worth a read

The Gambler's Debt by Marsrevale - much more serious than the one above, this one is a murder mystery through and through. the mystery is still only starting, so it probably has a long way to go, but i'm patient so i'll keep up. it's basically neuvillette and clorinde going to investigate a series of murders in the fortress of meropide (this is a sort of modern au so meropide is a gambling house / hotel i think) and wriothesley is the main suspect, but there's also stuff going on between neuvillette and wriothesley bc they knew each other long ago but only wriothesley recognizes him. idk how else to describe it, it's really intriguing so far, i hope the mystery pans out nicely

Hold my hand, never let me go by Jinnmi - also a proper murder mystery, this one is about what is essentially a branch of fontaine's police force for criminal investigation led by wriothesley and the many interconected cases they have to solve. neuvillette is sent as a consultant to keep an eye on them, but ends up basically joining the team as they all try to solve a big case that seems to threaten the country whole and is also somehow connected to wriothesley's past. this one is very good, the murders might be a bit too gruesome for sensitive people? but still, really nice. i love the unsettling vibe of whatever the one behind this all is planning, the suspense is also really good. still updating and i rush to it every time a new chapter comes out, it had me in a chokehold when i first found it.

hope those sound interesting!

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Most Annoying Reprieve

So I stepped out and picked up the big pain meds, because dear gods did I need them, and came back to an issue that on one level has freed me from overtime today but on the other hand has ensured that my weekend will be a living hell.

See, I left my machine locked down but turned on, because the time it takes for that annoying piece of plastic to boot up is not to be borne. But when I switched it back on, I noticed that Google Chrome (the browser I pretty much have to use on my machine; no one's letting me install Firefox, apparently) had switched itself off ... and the icon was missing from the desktop. I clicked onto where I had it pinned to the taskbar and got, "Sorry, this .exe has been moved or deleted. Do you want to delete this shortcut?"

...wut.

So I did a restart, which did nothing. Then I went hunting in the start menu ... and there was a Google folder, but no .exe, and I wasn't even allowed to open the error log folder. So that was a bust. Now, of course, the stupid machine does have Microsoft Edge on it as default, so I decided to try that. So it accepted my credentials, but then said, essentially, "Sorry, but you're not allowed to access this site with this browser".

......WUT.

Tried the version of Chrome on the remote desktop where our transcription software lives, but I got the same basic thing. So apparently it has to be through the main desktop, and through Chrome, or I'm not allowed to access it. And Chrome vanished without trace for no apparent reason.

This is apparently a thing, though. Having searched here on my main computer, one suggestion is to restart the machine four times. I guess I'll try that while I type this. But the likelihood seems to be that I am getting a reprieve from overtime tonight, with a view to even worse overtime tomorrow, Friday, and possibly over the weekend. Why do I say "possibly over the weekend"? Because yet again, everyone's leaving the long shit for me to deal with, and working unbelievably slowly. Goblin was in for about half the day today and she took all the short things that people put into the queue between 2-3pm yesterday afternoon, leaving all the Monstrosities from the Breast Guy, the Placenta Guy, this new woman who is absolute shit at GI reports, and several others that were put into the queue between 11:45 and 2pm. Goblin left those. New Girl left those. Scruffman left those. Even Milady, who's usually better than that, left those. Temp still isn't in, but she would have left them too. And I am so. Very. Tired of being left with all of it.

Honestly, I'm just tired in general. We have 375 items in the queue right now. Most of that seems to fall on me, and I am fed right up. Also I hurt. And the restart upon restart upon restart doesn't seem to have done anything so it's going to be up to IT to reinstall or fix whatever update bullshit caused this mess. So while I at least don't have to near-on kill myself typing tonight, I have to sit with the sure and certain knowledge that tomorrow, and Friday, and possibly the weekend, are going to be worse. Because no one in that fucking office is going to even try to get us onto an even keel except me.

I swear to the gods, I read through that fucking competency assessment form that we're apparently self-assessing, and realised how much they fucking shouldn't be. There was a whole section on prioritising in chronological order except for urgent cases, and nobody does that shit but me. Worst part is, not only is it very clear they know that, but they take advantage of it to stick me with the bullshit. (I understand with Scruffman, I admit - he's having to do the manager work too and can't afford to be stuck in a ten minute Monstrosity from Breast Guy when an urgent call comes up needing him to browse away from a half-done document to look up a case on the system. The rest of them? The rest of them are just awful.) Anyway, summary is that their self-assessment is all going to be, "We're fine; we know what we're doing" when they FUCKING DO NOT. No wonder they get away with murder.

So I've replaced working myself to death tonight with stressing myself to death tonight over probably having to work myself to death for several more days upcoming, and probably having to cancel my Saturday D&D afuckinggain, because no one in my office seems to give much of a fuck that we are dealing with patient's lives here. I know it sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not. Another part of the competency assessment was "Hey, you do realise that if you screw around or fuck up, it could cause serious damage to the patients' lives, right?" And they're all going to answer, "Yep, I totally understand" and then just ... continue their lazy-ass way through this, and leave me as the only person in the office who understands what we actually do.

Sometimes I wish I still drank. I technically can, but that hits too hard with my meds, so I don't. I guess hot bath, sort out something about dinner, maybe see if the hurt stops enough to do anything but slump in a chair? I typed this mostly in the spirit of, "If I don't vent, I am going to punch a wall" ... and while that would at least give me a break, we can't afford that right now, and it would hurt, and I play games with those hands, so...

[mads-weasley]

Legacy Pt. 7: Broken Promises

tfatws!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Main Masterlist

Series Masterlist

A/N: HI!!! It's been soooo long since I added to this series...and I mean like a YEAR long. Sorry to all my wonderful followers who were waiting on this update. Life got crazy and this series got pushed to the bottom of the barrel, but the good news is... LEGACY IS BACK, BABY!! And as always, I don't own any characters except (y/n). Enjoy!

Summary: While (y/n) was recuperating at Sharon's, Bucky makes a decision and breaks a promise he made to her, putting strain on their newly labeled relationship.

Warnings: mentions of injuries, sibling death, car accidents (not graphic), drunk drivers, just sad

When we finally got to Sharon's building, Bucky helped guide me through her art gallery. As usual, he and Sam were bickering about the paintings that filled her showroom, but I tuned them out. Bucky's arm around my frame was the only thing keeping me from falling over right there. I heard Sharon quickly cut them off.

"Come on. You guys need to change. I'm hosting clients in an hour."

"Alright, alright," Bucky starts. "Where can I take (y/n)?"

She gestures to follow her with a jerk of her head. "This way."

Following her into a nearby room, my eyes widen at the size of it and what it contains. There are multiple couches, a full bar, and a rack full of formal clothes; designer, I assume. Buck seems to be surprised too but soon breaks out of his stupor, guiding me to lie down on the couch. Even though my headache is very slowly going away, I still feel like I could pass out if I didn't get to sleep soon. 

Gently, he crouched down in front of me.

"How're ya feeling, doll?"

"I'm okay, just super tired. At least my headache is going away, though." I say softly.

He starts to lightly rub my hand that rested on my thigh. "Good. Get some rest, okay? I'll come get you when we have a lead."

"Okay. Thanks, boomer."

The laugh that escaped him made my heart flutter. After a few seconds, he got up and grabbed a blanket and pillow from another one of the couches before returning and placing it behind my head. Once I was comfortable, he draped the soft blanket over my body. As I started to snuggle into it with closed eyes, a soft smile grew on Bucky's face. 

~

Bucky silently watched (y/n) start to doze off, and he was so thankful that he had her in his life. Even though she felt terrible, she accompanied him to Selby's just to make sure he was okay. No one had put him first for as long as he could remember. At one point he thought Steve would have always done so, but even he abandoned him in the end. Sharon's piercing voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Bucky. You need to get dressed." She said, gesturing to the coat rack Sam had gotten his outfit from.

He nodded, looking back at (y/n). Although he didn't want to leave her, he knew they needed to follow this lead if they were going to stop the flag smashers. Leaning down and kissing her on the forehead, he whispered something to her. She shifted positions and whispered something back, but it was really just a sleepy slur of words. Bucky felt his heart melt as Sharon once again called out to him.

Frustrated, he crossed the room looking through the rack. There were some very, well, interesting outfits on it, but he decided to stick with a basic black suit. Slipping it on, Sharon continued to talk.

"So what happened to (y/n)?"

He sighed, "The flag smashers. That's what happened."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked the question Bucky had been waiting on. "When did you two start...whatever you've got going?"

"Few days ago." He says before walking away to sit on the couch next to the one (y/n) was laying on. 

Luckily for him, Sharon started talking to Sam, giving him a break from her questioning. Their conversation soon led to her explaining that she had a way to find Wilfred Nagel, the doctor who Selby had given up. He too, worked to the Power Broker that neither Sam or Bucky knew much about. 

Soon after, Sharon's guests arrived and they were led out into the "client showing" she was hosting, which was more like a rave. The music began to blare and Bucky hoped that (y/n) was still asleep, unbothered by the electronic sounds. He was reminded of Zemo's existence when he saw him pumping his fist at his side to the beat of the music next to the bar. With a scoff, Bucky turned away from the unique sight when Sharon tapped him and Sam.

"Hey, guys. I found him."

As they began to follow her, his promise to (y/n) that he would come to get her if they had a lead, floated in his head. Even though he did promise her, he knew she needed the rest. Things had been non-stop for her, and with her injuries, she really should be on bed rest if not in the hospital. Even though he knew she would be mad when she woke, he decided to leave her be on Sharon's couch.

Peeking her eyes open, (y/n) was met with Bucky's smiling face before her, shaking her gently.

"Time to get up, doll. We've got a lead."

(Y/n) blearily looked around her, noticing she was still on the couch in Sharon's apartment. The main difference, though, was that daylight shone through the curtains, illuminating the once-dark room.

"Buck, what time is it?"

He sighed, knowing exactly where this was going. "It's morning. I know you needed it, so I let you sleep."

"Wait," she paused, a look of betrayal on her face. "Did you follow a lead without me?"

"(Y/n), sweetheart, liste-" he started, but was cut off.

"Don't "sweetheart" me, James. You told me you'd come to get me if you found out anything."

Sitting up abruptly, her hand shot to her temple, wincing at the sudden movement. Instinctively, Bucky lurched forward towards her, offering his help, only to have it batted away.

"I'm fine. Let's just go."

Before he could protest, she got up and started walking out of the room. Bucky had to force his eyes away from the way her hips swayed in the dress she still wore. Sighing, he got up off the couch and followed after her.

"You might want to change into something more comfortable!"

"Danya Madani. She's a refugee, yeah," Sam spoke, on the phone with Joaquin. "Okay. Call me if you get a hit. Thanks, Torres."

He plopped into the plane seat with a sigh. (Y/n) could tell all of this was starting to weigh on him.

"You okay?" She asked, eyeing Sam from where she sat, refusing to look where Bucky sat cleaning his arm.

Sam turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through."

"Yeah," the woman whispered, thinking about what they all went through on the run.

Bucky and Sam continued the conversation, but (y/n) couldn't stop a particularly hard memory from resurfacing.

Germany, 2018

"How much?" (Y/n) asks in German, holding an apple at a local market. The bright fruits and smells of freshly baked bread brought her a sense of home she hadn't felt for a while. Her basket was full as she made her way back to her, Sam, and Steve's temporary apartment. After traveling around Europe, they finally came back to Germany for a short stint.

Unlocking the door, she threw her keys on the kitchen island before placing the basket on the counter and placing its contents in the cabinets.

"I got a good deal on some oranges. Sam, I know how much you love to make fresh squee-"

"(Y/n)," Steve interrupted softly, approaching her slowly. She was no telepath, but she could tell something was majorly wrong by his tone alone.

Tears involuntarily filled her eyes in anticipation. "What is it?"

"It's your sister, Sophia," he whispered, holding your arm gently. "She was in an accident. She didn't make it, (y/n). I'm so sorry."

She heard his words but they wouldn't register in her mind. Sophia? Accident? Didn't make it?

"What?" The woman croaked, feeling her heart clench as the words began to process in her mind.

"Sam got a call from a friend. She was hit by a drunk driver. It was instant."

Looking over his shoulder, she noticed sam for the first time. He was leaning against the doorway with a somber and sorrow-filled expression.

"She can't be gone," she paused, shaking her head. "She's supposed to graduate next month."

Just as the first sob escaped her lips, Steve pulled her into his arms, taking all her weight when her legs failed to hold her up.

"I'm so sorry, (y/n/n). I'm so sorry."

Sam was able to find out the date of Sophia's funeral, so they could at least watch from a distance. Although it was a hassle to get an inconspicuous flight back to the states, they were more than willing to do it for (y/n).

When the time came, the trio watched from afar with heavy hearts as the 18-year-old Sophia (y/l/n) was buried, her sister unable to grieve with the rest of their family. Being so close to her loved ones, (y/n) was tempted to run to them, pull them into a loving embrace, and talk about all the good times they had with their beloved Soph.

As soon as the service was over, Sam and Steve went to the car, leaving her to grieve alone. Even though she felt like crying and screaming at the world for taking her sister from her, all that poured out of her was a single tear.

(Y/n) was thankfully pulled from her memory when Bucky gently rubbed her knee, leaning forward in his chair.

"You alright, doll?"

Blinking, she realized a tear had leaked from her eye. She wiped it away quickly, clearing her throat. "Yeah. Just thinking."

He moved his hand to hold hers gently. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

Remembering she was upset at him, her emotions hardened and she pulled her hand from his. "Just how you lied to me, James."

"Please, (y/n/n)," he sighed "When will you believe me when I say I'm sorry?"

"When you include me, no matter what is happening, and regardless of how we feel about each other."

With a nod and a soft, "yeah," he leaned back into his chair just as Sam's phone began to vibrate.

(Y/n) was lucky she changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt before they left, or she was sure he'd be able to see goosebumps that littered her skin from his touch.

"They found Madani," Sam announced mournfully. "Dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea."

An all too familiar accent made an appearance, "I have a place we can go. I, for one, am looking forward to coming face-to-face with Karli."

(Y/n) scoffed, recalling the damage Karli had done to her when they'd first met. The thought seemed to awaken the deep ache in her bones, especially her arm, in which she had not been following the doctor's orders and wearing a sling.

Sensing this, Bucky leaned forward again. "How're you feeling? Need any pain meds?"

Although she could've used some, the (y/h/c) shook her head. "I'm good."

She could tell he didn't fully believe her but didn't push the subject either.

"Ozenik," Zemo called. "We're changing the course."

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[modern-inheritance]

Update (and thoughts on what I have read so far of the new book)

Yeah yeah I know. I haven't finished Murtagh. Work gets in the way, when I get home I just want to eat and sleep and not put my brain to work, and weekends are me trying to fix up the house, play DnD and video games to relax.

I'm going to say spoilers here because though I'm being very vague I still don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

I will say that what I have read so far (~250-300 pages) has been very good. My main complaint is that we know this entire book is focused on Murtagh and Thorn, but there's still a hell of a lot of 'you could loop in Eragon and Saphira and Arya and Firnen, it would make this not only easier, but safer for the entire region and could lead to a better outcome.' "No they're busy/we're traumatized/everyone hates us/they won't care (this one is the worst imo)/insert-other-very-questionable-reason-here." It's clear that yes, Murtagh and Thorn are traumatized and it manifests in their actions, so I'm very happy with that acknowledgement and continuing consequences (poor word choice on my part here), but it's also pretty clear that they both are, much like Eragon and Saphira, very young.

It's nice to not have Eragon being ultra wise and whatnot. That step after Eldest where he seemed to have completely transformed (not just physically) from a somewhat flailing 15 year old kid with way too many responsibilities to a young-but-wise Rider with a ton of understanding and a penchant for philosophy felt so rushed and sudden to me. Murtagh and Thorn are not given that weird elf training and it shows. They don't feel or act wise and worldly and it's a very good thing.

I know none of them show up because this is indeed Murtagh and Thorn's story, but I wish we got more info on what's going on with Eragon and Saphira and Arya and Firnen. It's probably the MIC bleed through, but when it was said at one point 'it takes more to rouse a queen' when it was clear there was some really, REALLY fucky shit going on, my eyebrows went up to my hairline. Arya's probably going absolutely stir crazy at this point, and it was mentioned that there was equally fucky shit going on with the elves. She'd probably jump at the chance to go out with Firnen and actually have Dragon Rider duties to use as an excuse to get out of the forest/political bullshit.

I will say that I have read the last couple pages. I am pleased.

Alright, that's it. I'm currently tinkering with a few different versions of the Scars short with Arya and Islanzadi, but it's very choppy and won't be ready for a long time yet. I do spend a lot of my time at work mentally going over stuff so maybe yall will get a bit of MIC sooner rather than later, but for now I'm focusing on getting everything settled in with work/life balance.

Cheers you lot! I'll be back on with more stuff after I finish Murtagh.

[the-white-soul]

*Flowey doesn't hesitate to wrap his stem around Chara’s in a nice flower hug.*You're really brave, Chara. You're so awesome. *He lets go and smiles a little at them.* I'm glad you want to stay with us. Well… not that I'm your Asriel, but still. I feel as though we're family.

*Suddenly his eyes darken in a mixture of dread and hatred.* If what’s left of your biological family tries to kill all monsters like he threatens, I’ll just wipe out double the number of humans in half the time.

If he stayed long enough for me to warn him, he'd know it’s not an empty threat.

*Flowey sighs.* The main problem for now is that we still lost the case. Dad is going to be executed if we don't do something about it quickly. I wish people were paying attention as all we spoke. What do we do now?

(Chara) "I know what we could do. I just don't know if everyone would be with me."

(Kara) "What?"

(Chara) "We storm the prison and run away with Asgore."

(Noelle) "How the flying fuck are we going to do that? You do know that monsters are weaker than humans, right?"

(Chara) "I didn't say we'd do it now! I have an idea though. *Their phone updated* Huh, it says we've got 2 months to do this. Could they come?"

(Kara) "Who?"

(Chara) "Frisk! Hold on. *Started ringing a BTS song.*"

(Noelle) "You like K-pop?"

(Chara) "Uh... *whispered* yes."

(Frisk) "*Frisk picks up. Their audio seems to be on an airplane. They seem to have been in Mettaton's plane. They sigh and start talking* Hello there. This is a new number for me. Can you speak so I know this isn't another death threat. If it is, I'll report you."

(Chara) "It's me!"

(Frisk) "Oh, it's you! Don't worry, I know you're on Asgore's side now. I was watching the court case through my phone."

(Chara) "Can you come here as soon as possible? Asgore might be hanged or worse but I think I've found a strategy to get him. I can't say any more because the phone could be tapped if the government spies on us. They most likely do though. Anyway, you think you could come?"

(Frisk) "One second, *Starts screaming* hey Metty! I need to go to Britain imminently!!! Can you cancel one of your concerts so I can go!"

(Mettaton) "You always are getting into trouble, my little potato! Do you have..."

(Frisk) "Asgore will die if I don't."

(Mettaton) "Oh. PLANE RIDER GO TO BRITAIN NOW!!!"

(Pilot) "Sure thing boss."

(Frisk) "I'll be there ASAP."

(Chara) "Good."

(Frisk) "While I'm waiting I've heard you made some friends! I knew you could do it! May I talk to some of them?"

(Chara) "Of course. Anyone who wants to speak with Frisk alone do it now."

[ddwcaph-game]

Hi! It's super late, and I should probably be sleeping right now! I wanted to wait until I played through EVERYTHING (and I do mean everything. I'm trying multiple playthroughs and different paths to try and see all the different traits, secrets, and extra scenes I can find). I'm not sure if it counts as spoilers now, but I'm giving a heads up just in case. SPOILERS

@hypr-nova First off, sorry for the very late reply! Second, thank you very much for sending this in! I really appreciate it. ❤️ I hope you don't mind that I split up your ask so it's easier to answer.

So far, it looks like the story the twins' mom told them was true! And the power of the lockets?! Rosie almost got hit by a truck - but we can rewind time to make it so that didn't happen?!

I wouldn't say that it's rewinding time exactly (it'll make more sense later), but that's a very interesting idea, since a full day reset was one of the main plot points in the older versions of the story.

Also, it was a school bus, not a truck. That detail is very important. 😛

And the conversation with Rosie's parents, about the mystery man who dropped her off with them than disappeared? Is he also from that other world? Seeing as the story "we" as the main characters choose to write has some bearing on our traits, dies that mean we (including our friends) have repressed memories of the world we cane from previously or is our imagination effecting the real world in some weird inverse reality type thing which makes the impossible possible?

Hmm, I can't answer this properly without spoiling stuff, but some of your questions will be answered if you read IAC! 😉

I do find it weird that a good portion of our friend group is orphaned or missing a parent (like, they just dropped of the face of the planet like the twins' mom).

Yup, Wayne also pointed this out in Chapter 2, and there's a plot-relevant reason for it. I wouldn't say that's what happened with Maggie though (since she still calls the twins every so often), but that's sort of true with MC's dad and JM's mom.

And what's up with JM's stepmom and the weird conversation she was having with (I think?) JM's dad?

Yup, that was JM's dad. You'll get some extra information on the convo if your MC has [Enhanced Senses], but if not, it'll be easier to get the trait from the new Ancestry Traits in the next update. Either way, he is very suspicious, isn't he?

And I'm pretty sure this was in the last update, but I just realized Paddy said they didn't know about us until we got there. Like, before that they had never heard about us and didn't even know his mom had a sister. So, does that mean they're not actually? And what about what Paddy's parents were hiding? Are they also from the other worlds?!

No, Maggie and Julie were just estranged from each other, and they didn't want their kids to ask where their aunt is. So now you have to wonder what happened for Maggie to ask Julie a favor and leave her kids with her.

As for what Julie's hiding... I'll just say that she has a cameo appearance in IAC. 😉

Wait wait wait - and Ma'am Bianes said she was going to be working close to the twins' mom! OMG IS MA'AM IN ON IT?! IS THE PLACE THEY EVEN LIVE IN REAL?! ARE THEY EVEN ON EARTH ANYMORE?!

Hehe. I'm really excited to write Chapter 8 now. But yes, they're technically still on Earth. I think. Maybe.

So is this like a pocket dimension and that's why odd things are starting to happen? Like the weird weather and our weirdly smart dog?! - AND WAS THAT ACTUALLY MY DOG I SAW IN THE RAIN OR WAS MY CHARACTER MISTAKEN?!

Okay, I don't think this counts as a spoiler, but all the weird things happening are because of the "plot hole" that's mentioned in the title.

And I dunno, why do you think MC's pet has a "Secrets Discovered" section in the diary? 😛

I'm sorry if I'm rambling! I have more questions, but I think I'll let you answer these first, lol. One of the things I love the most about this IF is how it seems like a light-hearted slice-of-life game, there's actually things to uncover if you're paying close enough attention. I know it should seem obvious since we can gather secrets, but despite some of those secrets seeming childish at first glance, I feel like they might actually be leading to something bigger. I definitely had to take a second look at them. Even the treasure might be pointing to something - I'm looking at you hairclip/barrette in my favorite color!

Hehe, don't worry! I'd say rambly feedback is the best kind of feedback to read. This was a real delight to read the first time. 😄

And yes, that's why I hesitate to call DDWCaPH! a kids story. It just happens to have kids as the protagonists.

Anyway, whether or not you choose to read IAC, I'm very much willing to answer any other questions you have! There's a lot of hidden details and foreshadowing scattered around the story. 😉

(Also, I don't think there's anything suspicious with the hairpin. It's probably wise to keep a closer look at some of the other trinkets though, hehe.)

[michaelmyersofficial]

31/03/2024 Sunday Afternoon

I haven't posted in awhile but I do have some general updates. No real news on the disability front. They did send me a letter that I got over the weekend asking me to confirm my details, but I have to call them on Monday since they got my phone number wrong. Other than that, there really hasn't been any movement. My family is returning home from their vacation without me. I don't mind not going because it means I will get to see my brother. On the other hand, it would have been nice to be able to go somewhere else. I really hate where I live. Speaking of visiting my brother- I almost lost the ability to go. They changed my airline tickets without informing me (good thing I checked!) and I would have missed my connecting flight and been stranded in Amsterdam. To be fair, this would have been on the return flight and not the flight to visit, but if I don't have a return flight set up, I wouldn't be able to go anyway. It took 5 hours on customer support to fix it, because they were trying to tell me my only options were to cancel, to pay $800 to change airports, or to wait and take a new flight 4 days later (I wouldn't have a place to stay in that time). None of which worked for me, but since they were the ones who changed the flight I knew they had to find a fix that actually worked. However, after about 4 hours of back and forth I was ready to give up and take the cancellation- even though that meant I probably wouldn't be able to visit my brother, and it's entirely possible I wouldn't get a second chance. Fortunately the last person I talked to come through for me, and got me a new flight that worked. So I am still able to go, but I have to set up seating yet. I also have to buy a suitcase and new headphones, so that will probably be the main mission for the week. I'm pretty close to finishing Sistersong- I'll post an update on that later. But I haven't really gotten anywhere in Red, White, and Royal Blue since my last update. I ended up reading the first volume of Yuri Espoir (recommended by Ena) instead. While I probably won't finish Sistersong today, I should be through it relatively soon. Originally I was going to pick back up in orv, but I promised my brother I'd be reading Eye of the World on the trip over so I might do that next instead. I haven't quite decided. My aunt will be starting her business up in May so I will likely be helping her out with it again this summer. This mostly just gives me something to do, as I am free labour for her and she doesn't have to pay for a laundromat. But it's not difficult to wash and fold laundry. I haven't been able to finish catching up in my games, but I feel like today has been a little more productive than usual on that front, so I do think I'm getting somewhere. I know the Zenless Zone Zero sign ups have started but honestly I'm not sure if I will play it or not. I have a friend who plays nearly every gacha in existence and whales on them too. They started playing Love and Deep Space recently which seemed neat but upon looking into it really isn't free to play friendly and I can't drop money on gacha like they can. Talking about friends- I have a friend who has feelings for me. I honestly am not mad about it or anything, and I'm not seeing anyone, but I really just think they don't understand me very well. Also like, my feelings around romance and love and sex and everything related are not very clear. I tried to explain this to them, but I think they didn't take it very well, either. I think honestly my feelings on these things could be their own post so I won't go into detail, but it's something that could be an issue in dating someone, so I think it's best to be upfront about that. Also more than just that I'm not sure they understand me as a person very well, I think they rely on what they think about me more than what I actually say, and when I say something that contradicts their thoughts, they just ignore it. Maybe I'll make another post talking about this, or about my feelings about romance.

[hot-take-tournament]

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

NEW SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE

So you've probably noticed that despite submissions officially closing on Friday, it is now well into Saturday.

Let me explain.

Originally, I decided to make the hard deadline midnight Pacific Standard Time, since I know based on when activity peaks on this blog that a lot of you seem to live on the west coast, and wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to put in last minute submissions. But then I stayed up tumbling down the Fate rabbit hole, and because it's a Saturday I overslept until noon. Also, someone asked me what my pronouns were a while back, and despite that being a one-word answer for reasons I can't explain that answer ended up being 2500+ words, and then I fell asleep in the bathtub and forgot to put out the announcement clarifying the new deadline, or queue any overnight polls.

So this is the NEW deadline.

Submissions will now close at MIDNIGHT, PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, FOR REAL.

...until I oversleep and forget to close it again, so it will probably still be open after that. But when I do wake up, I'll close submissions INSTANTLY. But if you do manage to sneak in a little in overtime, I won't blame you, and they'll still be eligible for the bracket.

But this is officially your last call - so please, feel free to send in as many submissions as you like! Remember, this is your last chance!

Thanks for sticking with me and my bullshit guys. Every single one of you is a treasure, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

I'll be updating the master post with this information.

There are three other things I want to update you on.

Firstly, a lot of people have started submitting takes through asks - do not do this. Yes, I might make a poll on it, but it will not be eligible for the bracket. Please use the form.

Secondly, yeah, I forgot about the PFP poll again.

The struggles of being an airhead.

The winner of the poll ended up being Hellmo - but I've decided that I can't bring myself to change it. As stupid as it sounds, I've unironically grown so attached to this Astolfo avatar that I genuinely can't bring myself to change it; now that I've gotten so used to it representing me on this blog, the idea of changing it now is heartbreaking to me.

It doesn't help - and I'm being 100% serious - Astolfo was unironically my actual idol when I was a teenager, despite me knowing absolutely nothing about Fate. There's some backstory there which I won't get into now, but I was secretly overjoyed when someone actually suggested them as an avatar, even though it was in literally the weirdest way possible and didn't even relate to 'hot takes' in any way. I didn't say any of that because I didn't want to influence the results, but I will admit that secretly I was really hoping they would win, as unlikely as it was - which is why I decided to use them as an avatar for the short time I had left before the poll closed, knowing they would be swept and that I would be devastated when I did have to change it.

So, I know I said I would abide by the results of every poll, no matter what - it's literally one of the main rules of the blog - but just once I am going to break that rule.

Instead, I'm going to make the Hellmo picture the blog header - I really hope you can at least understand why I'm doing this, and I'm genuinely so, so sorry for letting you guys down like this. I know I've let you guys down before, and I can't apologise enough.

Secondly, I know I've massively overshared on this blog before, and now that I know it might happen again - sometimes I start writing and the words just keep pouring out onto the page - I've decided to start using the tag #h-t-t backstory for those posts if I ever do make another. Those posts might relate to mental health and similar issues, potentially including substance abuse. And I know a lot of you guys don't want to see that, so absolutely feel free to block that tag.

That's all for now - again, thank you all so much, and keep putting in the submissions! <3