#surely I can justify an extra $3 a month...

[avelera]

do you think the amount of time jayce spent in the cave was necessary? I know a lot of people share the sentiment that jayce needed to be humbled & that it was needed for him to fully grasp how close his world was to an at least 300 year long apocalypse, but isn't total isolation one of the most damaging things to the human psyche 😭 what good would've jayce been if he ended up taking extra time to set his leg or build the brace and went crazy as a result

I think it's an absurd question? These are fictional characters navigating a narrative.

But the question really has two answers:

Doylist / Out of Universe - Yes, Jayce needed some sort of humbling moment. He made a lot of mistakes in S1 and arguably going into Act 3 where the main villain of the whole show was the result of his innovation of Hextech, which he was told repeatedly not to do by wiser characters, he needed something dramatic going into that act to justify him turning against it.

The way Jayce was forced to face his past mistakes, grow, have a long night of the soul, and return reforged to face the final challenge could have taken many forms, sure, but this one was very effective. He's also, like, not a real person so it's not like a real person was getting hurt here, bruh. A principle of screen writing is tearing characters down to their bare essence before building them back up again, which that stint in the cave did expertly for Jayce.

Watsonian / In-Universe - If we pose Wizard Viktor as the author of Jayce's suffering and that after seeing all timelines and all possibilities, he knew this was the only way for him to stop Viktor, then Jayce needed to be able to tell Viktor:

"You're perfect as you are, and I choose you, not out of a rosy view of you but out of as full an understanding as a person who loves you possibly can if they come into this knowledge as an adult, after undergoing 3-6 months of absolute Hell in which I gained a limp and need for a leg brace, gained what is possibly a terminal illness, and had to both literally and symbolically climb my way out of the depths of the undercity, alone, in order to reach the highest point of Piltover and my own salvation."

Without that suffering, Jayce's words would have rang hollow. I'm sure in every other universe, we can assume Wizard Viktor tried to spare Jayce going through that and as a result, Jayce couldn't really get through to his Viktor because he couldn't truly understand him and everything he's been through, all the suffering he's endured.

If we trust the in-universe narrative, then anything less than what Jayce went through wouldn't have been enough to save the world.

[werepuppy-steve]

if i ain't got you

steddie | wc: 1,425 | cw: none | songfic | ao3

have some hurt/comfort, cj style. happy thanksgiving even though it's already 1am my time <3

The kitchen is so thick with tension you could cut right through it like butter. Eddie’s washing the dishes and Steve’s putting away the leftovers from dinner. They haven’t spoken a word to each other the entire night, not since that afternoon when they were screaming at each other.

Other people would say that they don’t remember what or who started the argument in the first place, but Steve knows exactly what happened. All because he let his dumb mouth get ahead of his brain. And it’s not like he hasn’t tried to apologize—he tried the second the words left his mouth and then five more times after that but Eddie wasn’t having any of it.

Which is fine, he’s allowed to stew in his hurt feelings for as long as he likes, but Steve is worried that this might be the first time they go to bed with one of them still mad, and he doesn’t know if he can handle that.

He shuts the fridge and turns around to lean against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, letting out a quiet sigh. Eddie’s back is turned to him so he can only see the movement of his shoulders as he scrubs the dishes harder than he ought to.

He’s still pissed, then.

Steve lets out a quiet sigh. He’s the one that started this whole mess so he’s got to be the one to fix it. He needs to come up with something to get Eddie to at least look at him.

He stands there for a few more minutes as he thinks but then the light bulb in his brain flicks on and he leaves the kitchen.

Eddie’s probably washed this bowl three times already but he doesn’t care. He’s still worked up from his and Steve’s fight earlier, he could drop the bowl and it could shatter in the soapy water and he wouldn’t even blink an eye.

How dare he, Eddie thinks bitterly, rinsing the soap off and placing the bowl in the dish drainer a little harshly. How dare he think he has the right to even insinuate.

All he wanted was to spend the extra little bit he’d had left over from his paycheck on some new mini’s he’d seen down at the bookstore and a couple of books that had been on his list for ages. He made sure to put back enough to cover his half of their rent and bills. He was careful.

But Steve still had to go and open his stupid rich boy mouth.

Eddie feels the familiar prickle of white hot anger on the back of his neck and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. It’s not his fault that he grew up poor. Wayne did what he could to support the both of them on his single paycheck every month, but that money only went so far. There wasn’t enough to spare to open an account with the bank, so they just went without.

Unlike the Harrington’s, who apparently had accounts open across multiple cities and even a couple overseas.

Steve’s father had drilled the importance of wealth management into him from an early age and made him use his first allowance to open a savings account at the age of ten. His boyfriend had a goddamn retirement account by the time he was eighteen.

So when Steve goes and assumes that Eddie doesn’t know how to handle money just because he wants to splurge for once and buy something he enjoys, Eddie thinks that his anger is a little more than justified.

Eddie’s eyes sting with oncoming tears and he blinks them away with a shake of his head. He doesn’t need to cry right now.

As he reaches for another dirty plate, music suddenly fills the kitchen from the Bluetooth speakers on the counter, soft piano trilling and the melodic humming with an R&B beat.

He freezes when arms slowly circle his waist from behind and Steve rests his chin on his shoulder.

Some people live for the fortune

Some people live just for the fame

“Dance with me,” Steve murmurs, pressing a gentle kiss to Eddie’s shoulder.

Eddie suppresses a shiver and the instinct to lean back into him. “I don’t-”

“Eddie.”

Another kiss, this time under his ear. Fingers gently trace along his arm.

Some people think

That the physical things

Define what’s within

Eddie’s walls crumble like sawdust when Steve laces his fingers between his own soapy ones. He lets Steve pull him away from the sink and they slowly sway in the middle of their kitchen. He can see straight into the living room, where they’ve already set their Christmas tree up in the corner by the window, fully decorated even though it’s still November. They’ve got a hodgepodge of decorations and knick knacks already set on various shelves and tables with Christmas lights strung in almost every doorway.

As they dance in a slow spin, their cheeks pressed together, Eddie thinks back to how much fun they had setting all of it up. How Steve held the mistletoe above his head every chance he got just to be able to kiss him. All of his remaining anger slowly melts away and he’s left with the overwhelming feeling of how much he loves this man.

Some people want diamond rings

Some just want everything

But everything means nothing

If I ain't got you, yeah

“I’m sorry,” Steve says, and he sounds like he means it. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier, when I said you should be more responsible. You were right. It’s your money and you’re the only one who gets a say in how you spend it.”

Eddie sighs and tightens his arms around Steve’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, too. I got defensive, but I shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did. I should’ve listened to you when you tried apologizing the first time.”

Some people search for a fountain

Promises forever young

Some people need three dozen roses

And that's the only way to prove you love them

Eddie pulls back a little and looks at Steve for the first time in what feels like ages and is flooded with emotions that make his chest tighten when he sees the soft smile on his boyfriend’s face and the love in his eyes.

Eddie cups his cheek and leans in to press a soft kiss to his equally soft lips before resting his head on Steve’s shoulder with a soft sigh.

Some people want it all

But I don't want nothing at all

If it ain't you, baby

If I ain't got you, baby

“Are we really slow dancing to Alicia Keys?” he asks after a moment. Steve shakes with silent laughter and Eddie gently smacks him in the shoulder. “It’s a serious question, Stevie. I need to know if it’s a contender for our wedding playlist.”

It’s Steve’s turn to freeze now and Eddie can’t hold back his giddy smile when he pushes him back by the shoulders and gives him a wide-eyed look.

“Wedding playlist?”

“Well, I was planning to wait until Christmas to pop the question, but. Yeah. I even got a ring.”

Steve gapes at him like a fish before yanking him in for a kiss by the front of his shirt. It’s more teeth than lips because they can’t stop laughing long enough, but they eventually get a hold of themselves when Eddie wraps his arms around Steve’s neck again and presses close, thier lips slotting together seamlessly.

“So I take it that’s a yes?” Eddie asks between kisses.

Steve nips at his bottom lip. “Only if you learn to stop kicking your socks off in your sleep and leaving them under the covers at the end of the bed.”

“They twist around my toes, Stevie,” Eddie pouts, trailing kisses along Steve’s jaw. “Makes ‘em feel like pigs in a blanket.”

Steve tilts his head back to give him more room, the music completely forgotten. “Then don’t wear them to bed at all.”

“But then my feet will get cold. Do you want me to put my icicles on your legs, Steven? Would that make you feel better?”

Steve throws his head back for a completely different reason and groans. “You’re going to be even more difficult once we’re married, aren’t you?”

Eddie grins against Steve’s throat. “Absolutely, oh husband of mine.”

Some people want diamond rings

Some just want everything

But everything means nothing

If I ain't got you, you, you

permanent taglist:

@yournowheregirl @steves-strapcollection @thefreakandthehair @stobinesque @vecnuthy

@tboybuck @flowercrowngods @starryeyedjanai @matchingbatbites @corrodedbisexual

@theheadlessphilosopher @patchworkgargoyle @sentient-trash @wormdebut @legitcookie

@corrodedcoughin @steddieas-shegoes @wynnyfryd @sidekick-hero @simplebtromance

@tangerinesteve @stevesjockstrap @steddie-island @spectrum-spectre @pearynice

@worstsequence @devondespresso

[azzandra]

I have made a Patreon

So, I finally found out that I'm only going to lose my job at the end of May. This is not great timing, because I also have zero savings at this time, and I was hoping to start slowly building them up again this year. Not sure how long it's going to take to find a new one. Kind of a bummer, but I think things will work out eventually. All that being said, I've decided it's time to get another stream of income.

Therefore, a Patreon!

I'll be posting two new WIPs on Patreon, as well as miscellaneous other writing. For an explanation of the schedule, you can refer to this post on Patreon, or check under the cut below!

Currently, the first two chapters of the novel I'll be updating weekly are up and public, so people can judge whether they would like to support or not.

Either way, I appreciate everyone who has ever read and enjoyed my work, whether they choose to support me on Patreon or not. We live in financially hinky times, so I am not even sure what to expect at this point, but ultimately, every little bit helps. Accordingly, I've set the tiers relatively low.

I have also had a ko-fi for quite some time, but haven't used for much so far.

Anyway, here's what you can expect from me on Patreon:

1. Grievances to Grave (Fantasy/Ghost)

Summary: Amaris takes a job as head servant in Plumgarden Manor with the understanding that there's something strange going on in the household, and that more servants have been leaving than being hired. The problem presents itself quickly: the first wife, who died tragically young, is haunting the household and regularly tormenting her former husband and his new wife (promoted from mistress).

This wouldn't bother Amaris as much if the servants weren't getting caught in the crossfire of this--quite frankly--completely justified haunting. She's going to do something about it! Unclear what, but she'll improvise.

Update schedule: One new chapter a week on Patreon, every Wednesday. Chapters will be published publicly on Ao3 at a later time.

2. Unlovable (Fantasy/Transmigration)

Summary: At the age of 15, Iris Denmoore was meant to be taken over by a transmigrator. The transmigrator did arrive, but instead of possessing Iris Denmoore, she was dropped into Iris' bedroom in a body that was completely identical to the original, except for one catch...

At the age of 25, Iris Wellyn (née Denmoore) is revealed to her husband as a transmigrator. All her secrets unravel at once: the original Iris Denmoore is still around, stashed away in the countryside, but she is sick and convinced she is dying. And the transmigrator Iris is tied to the original by a bond that makes her experience all of the original article's physical hurts and ailments, up to and including death.

For the sake of the transmigrator they'd all learned to love, Iris' entire family gets caught up in the uncomfortable process of trying to convince the original Iris she must live.

Update schedule: once a month, Patreon exclusive

3. Tidbits of writing, some meta, extras, cut content, previews of future things I'm planning on writing

Update: sporadically

[zayne-s]

if i ain't got you

steddie | wc: 1,425 | cw: none | songfic | ao3

have some hurt/comfort, connor style <3

The kitchen is so thick with tension you could cut right through it like butter. Eddie’s washing the dishes and Steve’s putting away the leftovers from dinner. They haven’t spoken a word to each other the entire night, not since that afternoon when they were screaming at each other.

Other people would say that they don’t remember what or who started the argument in the first place, but Steve knows exactly what happened. All because he let his dumb mouth get ahead of his brain. And it’s not like he hasn’t tried to apologize—he tried the second the words left his mouth and then five more times after that but Eddie wasn’t having any of it.

Which is fine, he’s allowed to stew in his hurt feelings for as long as he likes, but Steve is worried that this might be the first time they go to bed with one of them still mad, and he doesn’t know if he can handle that.

He shuts the fridge and turns around to lean against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, letting out a quiet sigh. Eddie’s back is turned to him so he can only see the movement of his shoulders as he scrubs the dishes harder than he ought to.

He’s still pissed, then.

Steve lets out a quiet sigh. He’s the one that started this whole mess so he’s got to be the one to fix it. He needs to come up with something to get Eddie to at least look at him.

He stands there for a few more minutes as he thinks but then the light bulb in his brain flicks on and he leaves the kitchen.

Eddie’s probably washed this bowl three times already but he doesn’t care. He’s still worked up from his and Steve’s fight earlier, he could drop the bowl and it could shatter in the soapy water and he wouldn’t even blink an eye.

How dare he, Eddie thinks bitterly, rinsing the soap off and placing the bowl in the dish drainer a little harshly. How dare he think he has the right to even insinuate.

All he wanted was to spend the extra little bit he’d had left over from his paycheck on some new mini’s he’d seen down at the bookstore and a couple of books that had been on his list for ages. He made sure to put back enough to cover his half of their rent and bills. He was careful.

But Steve still had to go and open his stupid rich boy mouth.

Eddie feels the familiar prickle of white hot anger on the back of his neck and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. It’s not his fault that he grew up poor. Wayne did what he could to support the both of them on his single paycheck every month, but that money only went so far. There wasn’t enough to spare to open an account with the bank, so they just went without.

Unlike the Harrington’s, who apparently had accounts open across multiple cities and even a couple overseas.

Steve’s father had drilled the importance of wealth management into him from an early age and made him use his first allowance to open a savings account at the age of ten. His boyfriend had a goddamn retirement account by the time he was eighteen.

So when Steve goes and assumes that Eddie doesn’t know how to handle money just because he wants to splurge for once and buy something he enjoys, Eddie thinks that his anger is a little more than justified.

Eddie’s eyes sting with oncoming tears and he blinks them away with a shake of his head. He doesn’t need to cry right now.

As he reaches for another dirty plate, music suddenly fills the kitchen from the Bluetooth speakers on the counter, soft piano trilling and the melodic humming with an R&B beat.

He freezes when arms slowly circle his waist from behind and Steve rests his chin on his shoulder.

Some people live for the fortune

Some people live just for the fame

“Dance with me,” Steve murmurs, pressing a gentle kiss to Eddie’s shoulder.

Eddie suppresses a shiver and the instinct to lean back into him. “I don’t-”

“Eddie.”

Another kiss, this time under his ear. Fingers gently trace along his arm.

Some people think

That the physical things

Define what’s within

Eddie’s walls crumble like sawdust when Steve laces his fingers between his own soapy ones. He lets Steve pull him away from the sink and they slowly sway in the middle of their kitchen. He can see straight into the living room, where they’ve already set their Christmas tree up in the corner by the window, fully decorated even though it’s still November. They’ve got a hodgepodge of decorations and knick knacks already set on various shelves and tables with Christmas lights strung in almost every doorway.

As they dance in a slow spin, their cheeks pressed together, Eddie thinks back to how much fun they had setting all of it up. How Steve held the mistletoe above his head every chance he got just to be able to kiss him. All of his remaining anger slowly melts away and he’s left with the overwhelming feeling of how much he loves this man.

Some people want diamond rings

Some just want everything

But everything means nothing

If I ain't got you, yeah

“I’m sorry,” Steve says, and he sounds like he means it. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier, when I said you should be more responsible. You were right. It’s your money and you’re the only one who gets a say in how you spend it.”

Eddie sighs and tightens his arms around Steve’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, too. I got defensive, but I shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did. I should’ve listened to you when you tried apologizing the first time.”

Some people search for a fountain

Promises forever young

Some people need three dozen roses

And that's the only way to prove you love them

Eddie pulls back a little and looks at Steve for the first time in what feels like ages and is flooded with emotions that make his chest tighten when he sees the soft smile on his boyfriend’s face and the love in his eyes.

Eddie cups his cheek and leans in to press a soft kiss to his equally soft lips before resting his head on Steve’s shoulder with a soft sigh.

Some people want it all

But I don't want nothing at all

If it ain't you, baby

If I ain't got you, baby

“Are we really slow dancing to Alicia Keys?” he asks after a moment. Steve shakes with silent laughter and Eddie gently smacks him in the shoulder. “It’s a serious question, Stevie. I need to know if it’s a contender for our wedding playlist.”

It’s Steve’s turn to freeze now and Eddie can’t hold back his giddy smile when he pushes him back by the shoulders and gives him a wide-eyed look.

“Wedding playlist?”

“Well, I was planning to wait until Christmas to pop the question, but. Yeah. I even got a ring.”

Steve gapes at him like a fish before yanking him in for a kiss by the front of his shirt. It’s more teeth than lips because they can’t stop laughing long enough, but they eventually get a hold of themselves when Eddie wraps his arms around Steve’s neck again and presses close, thier lips slotting together seamlessly.

“So I take it that’s a yes?” Eddie asks between kisses.

Steve nips at his bottom lip. “Only if you learn to stop kicking your socks off in your sleep and leaving them under the covers at the end of the bed.”

“They twist around my toes, Stevie,” Eddie pouts, trailing kisses along Steve’s jaw. “Makes ‘em feel like pigs in a blanket.”

Steve tilts his head back to give him more room, the music completely forgotten. “Then don’t wear them to bed at all.”

“But then my feet will get cold. Do you want me to put my icicles on your legs, Steven? Would that make you feel better?”

Steve throws his head back for a completely different reason and groans. “You’re going to be even more difficult once we’re married, aren’t you?”

Eddie grins against Steve’s throat. “Absolutely, oh husband of mine.”

Some people want diamond rings

Some just want everything

But everything means nothing

If I ain't got you, you, you

buy me a ☕?

[whoblewboobear]

I feel like dropout is the wrong comparison to make with watcher tbh? Dropout started out of necessity because college humor went out of business. Dropout offers a lot more variety and has a more varied roster of talent to fill out a full weekly schedule.

When watcher launched their new channel, it seems like that was always the goal to have bigger roster of shows that eventually featured different personalities. But in the past 4 years they’ve been independent, not all of the shows have worked and the shows that didn’t feature Shane and Ryan and to a lesser extent, Steven, really failed and never got brought back. A majority of people aren’t excited for Worth It to come back either and that being one of the selling points is kinda.. I’m fully biased, I haven’t ever been much of a Steven fan and the episode of here’s what you do where he said he’s still close friends with people that are homophobic/racist left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t watch his shows. Which isn’t a huge deal, but with how Watcher’s release schedule is, they’re airing one show at a time, weekly updates til the season ends. So if you don’t like the show currently airing you’re kinda out of luck. If that changes to them pumping out 2-3 shows or more at a time, then it could justify the price. But I don’t see how that can happen either when the shows people want to see are mainly Shane/Ryan/Steven. It would be unsustainable for them to be shooting that much to keep up with a schedule like that. They mentioned that from now until May 31st will be a trial period but a lot of people really aren’t willing or cannot afford to be a company guinea pig right now.

This is very ambitious and a big ask for a lot of fans right now, there’s no way around that. It can work, it reminds me lot of how Noel Miller and Cody Ko moved away from Patreon to launch their own streamer. They still post on YouTube, but the draw of TMG Studios is that you get an extra hour of bonus content along with other shows. You have the option to choose which shows you’d like to support and opt out of at different price points. Hell, even Rhett and Link still post on YouTube while having a streamer of their own with the Mythical Society and the major draw of that is seeing what the crew is up to. In both of these cases, both TMG & Mythical took their time before making a leap like this. I believe TMG took 7 years and Rhett and link have been in the game for even longer.

I’m not familiar with the watcher crew, they don’t have a lot of other front facing people on the team outside of Ryan/Shane/Steven making shows at the moment. I don’t want them to fail and I’m sure they will be fine, but it’ll be a rough transition to start and I hope they survive it. Completely leaving YouTube does not feel like the move though. I feel like you need a lot of balls in the air and plates spinning to keep drawing people to a new subscription service. Whether that’s YouTube, TikTok, instagram, etc, if no one knows what you’re up to outside of 1 episode of a new show/season hitting the YouTube channel you abandoned every couple weeks/months then it’s a tough sell.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for using my moms money to buy games?

The title sounds bad, but I'm not sure how else to word it. This is also going to be a weird one as, in advance, I know the other party isn't an asshole, however I think it's a similar situation im tone and I really need some feedback on this.

I'm 22 and live with my mom and cat. I've lived with her my whole life, and continue to due to disability. My mom has 2 jobs that she mainly works on weekends, and I'm unemployed. Ever since covid it's been incredibly difficult for me to find work because it is still very much a thing despite what people want to believe, and I can't be in contact with random people physically due to immune issues and the chance of getting sick. Online jobs are apparently very hard to find (my mom has tried) and many ask for a payment beforehand. I do however get social security income that pays most of our bills/utilities, and we're also on foodstamps for groceries.

My family has never been well off. I wouldn't call us dirt poor, we've never had to go hungry, and I always had toys to play with/clothes as a kid. But my mom has had to manage funds well and we've never had a lot of money for leisure or frivolous purchases. My mom will buy herself things like some new clothes, a phone charger, roku set, etc smaller things like that when she gets her paycheck but extra expenses such as furniture have to be planned out probably weeks/months ahead of time. We also moved recently and ever since then our budget has been more difficult, the down payment really screwed with my moms expenses.

Because of our situation, I never really had games growing up. I remember we had maybe 3 big family consoles during me and my sisters whole childhood (with like 3-6 games on them each, most of which were guitar hero which my mom and sister loved to play), and I would get a new handheld for myself every few years. I never got to play the new exciting games people were always talking about, and my gaming experience has really been limited to like. Animal crossing, the sims, and cooking mama.

I played a bunch of roms as a kid so that helped, but I was always kinda sad and felt left out that I never got to experience gaming the way other people did. I really wanted to try the "classics" people talked about but didn't have any way to. People (especially as I got into my 20s and started following streamers + nintendo direct for example) would always talk about the New Thing coming out and playing it the day it dropped, all the excitement and community people had around that, but if I really wanted that kind of game, I'd have to wait a few years before getting it and trying it out, and by then no one was playing it anymore anyways.

As time went on things got a little better. Especially because of my moms new jobs, both of which she genuinely loves doing, though it's still work, we have been a bit better off. It's only been recently we started struggling more again.

Recently I've been kind of asking for things from my mom. Mostly it's steam games. I found I've gotten much more into gaming as a hobby as I've gotten older, and I have a long wishlist of games that I really want to get into, but of course have no money to myself. I should also clarify that NONE of these are those big triple A $60 titles, as I still can't ever justify paying something so expensive for one game. So sometimes lately I've been asking my mom "hey, can I get this/these games?" And use her money/card to purchase them. I don't do it constantly, or even super often, but I feel like it's becoming more often and it makes me feel really guilty.

I have done this before, around high school I started asking my mom for certain things I wanted around the house, and usually she had no problem buying them for me. This also wasn't large stuff, nothing ever over $30 and usually only up to $20. But when I'd find something I *really* wanted, especially if it was a time limited thing like merch drops from a favorite content creator, often yarn for my knitting or art supplies I wanted to try, I would ask her.

I've pretty much always felt guilty about this. I would ask for something despite my better judgement, and for the most part my mom would say yes, and that it was okay, whereas I was the one apologizing and asking if it was "really alright". She has told me she has no issues buying things for me as long as I ask her. She says the social security I get is "technichally my money", and that she wants me to be able to use it. (Obviously we don't use the actual ssi to buy random shit, but her giving me spending money is the next best thing).

Every time I've asked my mom for something like this, I've told myself that it would be the last time, that I would get my own job and own money and not mooch on my mom anymore, but both with the stress of chronic illness and depression I never seem to get around to it. I try to do dishes and keep my room clean, take care of the cat etc as ways I can help without working, but for some reason the money really weighs on me. I know that it's really my fault, I haven't even been looking for jobs and I could always take art commissions again, but somehow a mental block always stops me.

I feel like I have a bit of an impulsivity problem when it comes to spending. The money I got from my one summer job and commissions would never last long, and honestly I couldn't even tell you what I spent it on for the weeks I had it. I have issues taking money from people, but when I realized that I may not have had the stuff I wanted as a kid simply because I never asked for/communicated that I wanted it, it made me more bold to actually ask my mom for things.

I never pester my mother about this. I'll ask once and if she says no I'll be dissapointed but won't continue. Sometimes she says that we don't have the money for it then, or that I'll have to wait until xyz thing is paid for, which is always fine. I also have *never* bought anything with her money without asking first. I get pretty much all the steam games I buy on sale (usually that's what prompts me to ask about them, actually) as personally I can't justify getting games for their asking price for the experience I'm going to get.

I feel bad as I feel like I'm wasting our money, mooching off my mom and not putting in the work to have spending money myself. I also worry that sometimes when she says it's fine, it's untrue and she's really just trying to make me feel better. I also sometimes don't play the games as soon as I get them, I have a sizeable backlog of games I have gotten but haven't "got around" to playing as I was excited to get them at a low price at the time, but then haven't felt like I'm in the right mood. This also makes me feel worse because I feel like I'm not being appreciative enough of her buying for me.

So am I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[yoonyia]

ok guys, is anyone's favorite enderverse book children of the mind

because I'm reading it and it's just

bad

like the writing quality is slightly worse

like the wording and structure itself

but also I feel like im talking to an AI

it just remembers stuff wrong and then like rehashed everything ever so slightly but not in a subtle recon way its just flat out stating information that's contradictory

like in the first 2 chapters I nearly died of a stroke because miro said "long years spent with a crippled body" or something along those lines

and I'm sorry if I'm getting the timeline a bit wrong here

miro got hurt at the wall

then got treatment for a few days or months (let's say 3 months to be generous but it really just sounded like 4 to 6 days)

then he stopped getting better

and let's say he spent another 3 months being crippled with his family (which he didn't, he said he didn't but let's just say he lost track of time) then he left on a 3 week space trip then he came back and the time between when he came back and when he got his body back is probably about 6 months (or less cause the pacing of orson Scott's writing, if there isn't a wide jump in time over weeks usually goes rather slowly or like day by every other day)

so even being incredibly generous it couldent possibly have been years, plural

giving him what I think is an extra 6 months still only makes it 1 year

and I know that even a year can be long and it can effect you completely yes but the writing is making it sound like when miro got his body back he also got back his youth??? (which I guess is true cause he said he had the body of a 90 year old and there was stuff about Jake having the build of a 20 year old so when orsonscottcard is referring to youth it isn't just age) but it's framed as if he reversed several years of his life???

not so much in xenocide, in xenoxide it sounded like he's having the worst few months of his life and is being an angsty adolescent about it (which he is and boy is he justified for it)

but in children of the mind it sounds like he got jaded and was fundamentally changed to be miserable?

he was always not very happy I dont know where this sudden simplification of his character came from

all the characters feel like 2 steps removed from what they actually are (except for ender but I'll get into that)

valentine being so uncomfortable with this child version of her also feels off

like I get it, it's supposed to be weird but her first reaction and her continued reaction has such a disconnect that dosent feel like a development and more like a sloppy paste over that's being stapled on top of the old and holding on with hopes dreams and memory loss

because her reaction initially was "ender you poor soul, you kept with you the one thing no one in this world could ever be, perfect morality that you compared you me and everyone against it" and ofcourse she was weirded out but it felt more weird because she was perfect rather her being a val

like she felt sad about it sure but less betrayed and disturbed and more sorry? sorrow? disappointed? understanding?

and like that can develop into being disturbed sure but we don't see that?

and it feels out of character for Val to be so disturbed while saying she's not

there's so much telling

but like yes it's showing us she's shuddering yea but it's like shoving "she's scared" down your throat with people EXPLAINING why she would feel that way

I remember when I first speedran through the series that I felt the children of the mind was the weakest (mostly because I couldent remember shit from it) and while reading children of the mind thought the writing degraded starting from xenocide

but I think for xenocide the writing didn't actually get worse at all it was just a complicated book with a lot of moving elements that just makes it harder to write and read

and reading back on it it was done pretty well even while being a lot of things all at once, it felt like I was actually in the crisis situation with everything slowly pulling together

but children of the mind just feels wrong

like it was slapped together

it feels like it was orson scott card loosing interest in the story and doing all his favorite story beats and relationships he wanted to happen and rushing them in

but then he kept talking and found out he had more to say so it's just awkward

there's so much romance in this book that's such a sudden shift to the duo and partnership aspect when it so far have been

children in a school, soldiers

a family

a community of ramen

duo love interests???? (with a love triangle in there for miro??)

like the entire series so far have been focused more on the collective and how 1 person effects them

and as the books go on that one person gets less important then eventually he's not needed anymore which make the story less decentralized, WHICH SHOULD MAKE IT MORE EXPANSIVE BUT IT DOSENT it feels like we got to a point where the issues are so big and complicated that no one person can solve it and we have to give everyone the attention and then we're sucked back into a centralized perspective between like 3 groups

it feels like a simplification

there's nothing inherently wrong with it it just dosent follow the message or the flow or the plot of the other books

it kinda grabs you by the collars and shoves it into the plot of dirt and hope you don't realize it was actually sand before

before the issue felt real

even if one thing was solved there were a hundred other things that needed to be finished

and when smaller things or huge things get solved the tension eases a bit (which it should) but I feel like the urgency disappears

like there is still a time limit (rather artificial one but it does add tension to the story) where they can't take all the humans off of lustania before the fleet comes

but there's no impending doom there was before

yes there Is a shorter list of things that needs fixing

but there's also an ever closer deadline and the big problems that most people or worried about aren't solved yet

but the story dosent have the urgency to make it feel real

I love peter and Wang mu in an isolated bubble

but in the story they kinda go a bit off the rails and kinda deus ex machina things

and Wang mu dosent care about the people in lustania enough to share the impending doom and peter 2 is stressed out and miserable but he's that always so it dosent show a heightened sense of anxiety or tension

he was also born yesterday I feel like the book thinks it has to explore what he us before putting him in a proper contextual emotion or motive

which it does but it's but it could have been done better

it feels like a first draft

I'm working on the rewrite now because I genuinely want to (not make the story better persay) but atleast more consistent within themselves because it's getting disjointed

I dont know tell me your thoughts

[mrsdarkandyandere7]

Hey I hope your day is going good! Would you ever write for Peter quill in the future? Cause it’s so funny to think he’s the type of guy to fall head over heels, kidnap you, and then proceed to say it’s water under the bridge after you suddenly you wake up on a space ship thousands of miles away from your solar system with a shirtless Peter lazily spooning you, kissing your neck in his sleep. And in his mind it’s completely justified cause now your 1, safe, 2, with him, 3 you guys go on cool dates all the time (he has a lock on your ankle, but he says it’s fine because you look cute as hell in it) — and if your feeling homesick he can totally drive extra slow outside of your solar system every once in a while or something. He’s a thoughtful guy like that. But at end of the day, He fought for you fair and square after all, and that’s what you do when you love someone! The guardians put up with it because you’ve been the only thing he’s talked about for the past few months and he also hasn’t slept in a week. And to rub salt in the wound he doesn’t even lock your guys pod door because you barely know how to operate the vending machine they have in there, let alone take control of an entire ship and actually.. get anywhere. Some days you consider going into the airlock without a helmet as you deal with a constantly dtf Peter and the endless void of space looming outside your window.

I feel like my marvel phase is kinda over 😅 but I really this idea cause I also liked him as a yandere.

And the worst is that he's not completely a bad guy, y'know? He's attentive (sometimes, a little too much) about your likes and dislikes, takes care of you (in his own delusional way) and in his mind the two of you were always meant to be, only you didn't know it.

He doesn't beat or hurt you, the worst thing he'll do is scold you a bit too exasperatly, sulk and avoid speaking to you for a few hours and also the lock on your leg.

But he also gets a bit too annoying cause he's always breathing down your neck. Always keeping an eye on you, peeking into the room if you stay there for too long. Knocks on the bathroom door a few times to make sure you're alright and well.

If you try to move from one division to another, he immediatly asks where you're going. And it bothers you cause where the hell can you go? Not like you can leave the ship, right?!

Is overly touchy and cuddly - which may irk you at times.

But the possibility of you controlling the ship or even going outside in a suicidal attempt is off limits cause Peter makes sure to have some extra safety mecanisms to limit your permissions around the ship.

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

An extra entry this time, plus I am leaving off the 3 first episodes we watched on Anime night of Rokugo, Bang Bravern, and In/Spectre until we get more into them. I'm also watching Revolutionary Girl Utena and Last Week tonight though I took a hiatus from both these last 2 weeks.

- Sk8 The Infinity OVA (Anime) - Super cute and wholesome little side adventure featuring the main characters just chilling on a standard day. Reki, Langa, and Miya playing games with Reki's siblings was my personal favorite segment, it was cute and lively, it's nice to see Miya make friends with Reki's sister and to see how familiar Langa is with them, always nice to see bilingual centric jokes, and Langa and Reki carrying each other was very cute and gay especially considering they definitely did not have to do that lol. For the villains the split screen joke was pretty funny, Shadows interactions were cute enough, and while Joe and Cherry's high school rivalry was my least favorite it at least suited them pretty well. Overall a fun addition to the show.

- Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty (Anime) - Still liking this more than I expected to. The 4 central band-mates have all been introduced and are all solid, Lilisa obviously being the strongest with the most focus and Tina being surprisingly cute and timid is neat. The sessions are reminiscent of sports anime matches in how their framed as high stakes push and pulls within the band itself as well as against rival bands which is quite fun, with the music itself also being surprisingly good. I hope the show can keep the tension up now that the band is more or less cemented, and that it continues to get more gay.

- Wind Breaker (Anime) - I standby that it's strange to set an arc in the red light district given the general wholesome tone and literal high school age characters, but aside from that the last few episodes have been fine with the usual great fight choreography and cute character moments. Not much else to say aside from that, I do like Tsubaki.

- To Be Hero X (Anime) - Welp we've slipped into fully 2D for this arc which I do prefer even if it's less unique. The more lore we find out about this universe the stranger and more interesting it gets, though it's mostly hidden in the background rather than being fully featured within the character stories. Without the resolution I'm not sure where I'd rank this arc overall yet, but I do think Lucky Cyan is my favorite protagonist so far, her design and luck based powers are interesting and becoming a cult icon was a wild move I didn't see coming. What really sold me on her though was the montage of her playing the guitar and singing for weeks on end to earn money after her power stopped working, her resilience in the face of trauma and failure was very charming. The last seconds of the last episode was a bit out of nowhere so I guess we'll see how that goes, but I'm really respecting this series thus far.

- Squid Game (TV) - Honestly Squid Game season 2 had no right to exist given the original was a perfectly good single season with well executed months and themes, but shockingly it managed to be quite good anyway and a worthy sequel to the original, likely due to the amount of creative control the original script author was given. Jack Saint has a video that I largely agree with laying out it's strengths far better than I could, but as a whole I find the new characters and their stories quite compelling and the addition of the split cash and continued vote a great way to raise the tension and create unique scenarios and conflicts that still follow those same themes of exploration, societal created poverty, and the self-justifying depraved wealthy that the first season started. Adding Inhun as a dark reflection of Gi-Hun was a great move, not only because the "I was once a good man like you but continued tragedy reshaped me into someone who no longer has faith in humanity and now I must corrupt you as well to prove we are naturally superior and that the majority of humans are unworthy of sympathy or else acknowledge that I have let myself become a worse monster than them" thing is always a good dynamic, but also because it provides a very entertaining push and pull between the two while also adding to the theming of the wealthy engineering scenarios to prove their worldview. Cho Hyun-ju was also a favorite of mine such that I almost wish she was the main character of the season, and I hope against all odds that she makes it through season 3. I'm honestly really impressed, glad we watched this just in time to catch season 3 in real time.

- The Wild Robot (Movie) - Very cute, pretty, well made movie that I watched with my parents. I liked the unconventional structure of the movie even if it's themes were a bit obvious, as well as the various robot designs. The dark humor was surprising though pretty funny at times, and I do think some of the emotional moments hit as intended, they do make you care pretty quickly about this robot and her relationship with her son and weird queer platonic fox co parent. In terms of 2025 animated movies I do think I still prefer Flow a bit more for its more unique presentation, context clues post apocalypse, and profound themes, but The Wild Robot had plenty of it's own strengths, from it's stunning animation, also intriguing world, likable family group, and overall good sense of humor. While it had some pacing issues and a rather weak supporting cast outside of the central characters, no movie is flawless and I'd still say I'd recommend it to most.

- Baki (Anime) - *Sigh* Well my friend who only likes 3 anime has dictated that she will only show up to our weekly anime nights if we watch Baki, so if she shows up it is Baki we watch. And man it sure is...a show. On one hand the show is very (intentionally?) ridiculous so it's definitely fun to react to and mock the crazy weird stuff that happens. On the other hand I also find the show very viscerally unpleasant, from the absurdly incorrect anatomy of bulging pulsating muscles to the very wet and fleshy sound design it's an uncomfortable experience. I'm not squeamish so the bits of gore don't bother me, but it is a bit gross which does. Plot wise it's an absolute mess, not helped by us apparently starting with what is essentially the 3rd season and thus having no context for the 27+ new characters they introduce every episode. Every episode is 'random way too muscular guy you just met fights other way too muscly guy you just met interspersed with way too long exposition flashbacks describing to you how absurdly strong guy A is only for guy B to imminently pummel him showing that guy B is even MORE unrealistically strong'. Sometimes it's JJBA style weird enough to be entertaining on its own and sometimes its just kinda bad but at least in a way that's funny to mock. The show did recently drop some absurd Alpha male podcaster ideology of Brawn being superior to brains stuff that I'd be annoyed at if the show was something to be taken seriously but since no one is doing that it kinda just adds to the absurdity of it all. I'm certainly not excited to see more but I'm mostly not having a bad time.

- One Piece (Anime) - OP is a series better suited to binging than watching weekly, but the weekly stuff has been pretty interesting lately with Kuma and Bonnie's backstories. I really love this new animation style which is pretty and bright and dynamic, it really suits the show. And of courses Kuma's story is intricate and full of powerful emotions and based around the dehumanization of the poor from the corrupt upper class, it is One Piece after all. Excited to see baby Bonnie soon.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - New Monstadt event was fun though a little strange, the idea they would take accusations that a member of the knights killed people so seriously when the witness didn't actually see what happened and no one was reported missing is a little insane, especially when it was known that said guy has a evil imitator floating around earlier like come one guys. Also I kinda thought a lot of you didn't care that much about murder anyway, don't you literally have an assassin on payroll? Whatever the game play was fun with flying around the city and it was nice to see so many characters again.

- The Apothecary Diaries (Anime) - Insane this didn't win more awards at the Anime awards but whatever, everyone still knows how good this series is and this arc has been no exception. The sisters are both interesting and well designed characters and Maomao being in a new high stakes environment is quite cool, while having more Lan clan interactions and Jinshi having to wield his political power is neat as well. The shows definitely moving from episodic medical mysteries to full scale epic drama which is cool though I hope the medical mysteries continue to play a role, which so far does seem to be the case. Now to convince my mom to watch it.

Listening To: EPIC the musical (all), I Hate Everything But You from Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Clueless by Beach Bunny, Too Far by Anna F, Ain't It Fun by Paramore, Lemon Boy by Cave Town, Headlock by Imogen Heap, OctaHate by Ryn Weaver, Buzzcut Season by Lorde, Villain by Stella Jang, Red Wine Supernova by Chappell Roan, Colors of The Wind by Judy Kuhn, Happiness by Taylor Swift, Inertia from TBHX.

[vaffancazzo]

the longer i think about the switch 2 pricing, the less hyped i get for it. i was so hyped for years. i was in my "everything is bad but the switch 2 is coming and that will save me" era literally since early 2023. stayed up last night and made popcorn to watch the direct at midnight. i was so so hyped, until abruptly this morning when i checked the prices

sorry i need to ramble about this bc this is important to me

but geez... games that are 50% more expensive, or more on top of that if they are premium... ($60-70 switch 1 -> $105 switch 2???? or $115 for mario kart?????????) i was really looking forward to animal crossing eventually coming out again but i don't think my not-nintendo-adult friends are going to end up getting it at all. even my gamer friend that i grew up playing nintendo games with might not end up getting it. that lightning in a bottle will not strike again, and i don't want to play animal crossing if my friends aren't all playing it.

i am like, honestly tossing up getting the console at all. i have already saved up what i anticipated it would cost so i could get it early, so I'm not actually out of budget that much for the console... and in the bundle, digital mario kart is a reasonable price too... given that I've saved for it ahead of time i could still get the console just as a bigger screen switch where the joycon connection works (because that's stopped on my switch). they have confirmed ring fit will work if you use the old joycons, which means i could use the new one entirely instead of my old slightly broken switch. and for fire emblem and pokemon when they come out (my favourite gaming franchises ever). (can you see how much i am trying to justify to myself that the purchase is the right move, even though i literally put aside 80% of the cost for it already over the last few months so it's not about the cost of the system itself) (im honestly not sure i want to get the console actually)

i don't want to buy it for more money if public sentiment indicates a price drop might come, reggie was the driving force behind the ambassador program for 3ds in the west and now he's gone, if they do drop the price, then I'd have just paid extra for it. and i don't know how willing they actually would be to drop the price.

with the switch 1, i did eventually get the big name games like mario odyssey, botw, smash, mario kart, etc. even if i wasn't hyped or anything and didn't get them on launch. they were fantastic. and solid games at $60-$70. the equivalent on the switch 2 is the new DK adventure game which looks like good fun - which i would probably play through eventually but not for $105!!! what!!! hitting the $100 mark is actually insane for video games. one major game i will play for more than 100 hours every 3-4 months at $100 is tolerable - i did buy baldurs gate 3 and metaphor at that price and have about 500 hours between them - but not for every non-major nintendo game are you kidding me!!!

i bought a gaming pc about a year ago, and at this point I'm regretting not having gotten a steam deck instead bc i love the handheld form factor. games are just so much cheaper and there are such good deal finding websites for steam. when i bought the pc, i was counting on the switch 2 filling the handheld niche for me. i was also hoping to be able to move back to consoles for triple a games, especially now that so many of them are gonna be on the switch 2 finally. i hope indies are still affordable. i hope the next coffee talk is will be affordable. i hope deltarune will be affordable. i am a single adult, no kids or pets, with a decent paying full time job, and i'm being priced out of buying myself nintendo games??????

thank god tomodachi life is coming for switch 1, thank god pokemon za will have a switch 1 edition that hopefully will have the upgrade path available to it if i do ever get the console later, thank god all these jrpg inspired games coming in the future are still targeting the switch 1, if they had announced a new fire emblem my hands would be tied here but i can probably wait it out

.

on a personal note like for real i cannot express how much of my time over the last few years was spent hyped for this thing. how intensely i followed the rumours. i had a google alert set for switch 2. i stayed up late to catch every single direct in hopes of any crumb of information. i was following leaks and manufacturing reports

that excitement is honestly just gone now given that i am priced out of games at this price point. i feel a bit empty. excitement for the switch 2 was one of the small things keeping me motivated as my life has gotten worse. fuck economic conditions

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuiling - Selene and Elio (Alt)

I took a break from Masters for six months. During this time, they released a few things that caught my attention. One of them was that Nihilego was finally added to the game. With Selene. I'm so mad about it. It should have been Lusamine.

Anyway, because I wasn't here, I figure it's a good enough time to talk about the pairs I missed, and whether their rerun is worth the investment.

General Overview Selene is a fascinating sync pair. Her main move is a two-turn Buddy move with big damage, but mercifully, it fires instantly if you have a Circle active on the field. That's great! In addition, she has Acid, which seems to be a sure-poison, with a sure -2 Sp Def with AoE effect. To make her life better, she's Strike/Tech, which is delightfully explosive damage.

The killer for Selene is that she's completely reliant on a Circle for her two-turn move to fire. Her own Circle takes away from her setup time, and more damning still, her animation involves (1) the Buddy move intro and (2) the animation to set up, then the animation of the attack, all at once. This is, as far as I can tell, the single longest animation in the game. Your Circle's time on the field is limited. You're getting maybe two shots. Maybe a third at 5/5 with extension. But even with Extension 3, which is laughable, she's not making it through sync, which is her 90% multiplier. And of course, her setup off of Acid still takes a full sync cycle to get foes bottomed out. Add in that the only other sources of Rock Zone are physical, and she's in a very tough spot on the whole. Special Rock just struggles.

Elio, by comparison, is her intended support partner, providing his own Circle effect, and Rock Zone off buddy move. His trainer move is a nice heal for the team with application of Gradual Healing, with two MP and MPR on grid. Elio also, uniquely as far as I can tell for a Circle Support, just gets MPR on the thing. Which is excellent. His skillset is great, giving him +6 to both defenses when he uses his Trainer Move, then +1 to both offenses for the team per application of a field effect. Despite his Buddy move's requirement of "max defense," Impervious makes this a guarantee. In addition, he can reduce damage further under Rock Zone, or boost either (or both) offensive stat each time he takes a hit, depending on grid layout. Team Sharp Entry also gives him just that little extra.

The cons for Elio are largely on who he's helping. Unlike many such defensive supports, Elio cannot boost defensive stats of his allies, instead relying on the reduction effects of the Circle. Offensive ramping is also slow, so he's not doing many favors there either. Predictably, move gauge is also a slight issue just because he's fairly slow. Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the kid. He's got some nice traits for Rock, which is his main focus. He takes a lot of rotation pressure off of SS Diantha, and can top off earlier pairs like Olivia well thanks to Team Sharp Entry and Pinpoint Entry. Alola's a bit rougher. While some powerhouses like SS Hau and SS Lusamine just need the +1 crit he offers, a lot of earlier pairs need full crit support, so he's not exactly pulling up the baseline.

EX, Role, and Superawakening? Selene is very justifiable for both, thanks to Strike/Tech being such a potent combination, especially backed by high single-target DPS. Elio gets Support/Sprint, which is the de-facto best for supports. Both are well justifiable. At time of writing, Selene does not have Superawakening. Elio, however, does, and it's not very good. Head Start is fine, Team Impervious under Rock Zone specifically is very restrictive and overlaps with his default passives. Setting Rock Zone on sync is pretty solid, especially with Support/Sprint. It doesn't get extension beyond his 3/5 grid, but that's not a bad combination.

Champion Stadium Selene is a gun, she will do excellently. Elio has the good combination of Support/Sprint for DPS pairs, though I admit, I feel like a lot are more about their sync than their DPS.

Obviously, both work well with each other. Selene gets along well with C!Blue, as the other special Rock-type damage dealer, but otherwise picks partners based on weakening Sp Def or setting up circles. I admit, I do not have a comprehensive list of Circle setters, but Elio is the only one under Rock I'm aware of that doesn't conflict with her. Elio, by contrast, gets along very well across multiple types thanks to his Alola support. SS Diantha is arguably his best partner, since he takes pressure off of her need to set Zone, and their Extension effects on grid can stack. He's also good with SS Lusamine for Psychic and fast-ramping, or SS Hau and SS Wally for Hau's offense. He will have a harder time against modern CS, given the love of spread effects.

Legendary Gauntlet Outside of Terrakion, Elio offers very little for gimmicks. I feel like he's not particularly well suited to the task. Then again, neither is Selene, whose only other gimmick is Poison, the worst status for this mode.

Damage Challenge Elio has nothing of particular value for burning turns here. He'll offer nothing. Selene, however, has at least some potential given the Strike/Tech combo for 3v3.

Battle Rally Regrettably poor showing from the both of them. Selene is dirt common as a combination. Elio has Sprint, but so do a lot of supports, there's going to be a lot of overlap.

Ultimate Battle Potential Nonexistent. Elio offers nothing of any particular value, and Selene offers even less. The one and only potential comedy I can identify is that Selene may actually help handle Masked Royal, partnered with Oleana. I would be stunned if it actually worked that well, but she does in fact have Sure-Poison on every Acid attack. Again though, I will be stunned if that works.

Final Thoughts Nihilego is my baby, I love it, so I must get it. Rock isn't...really in any particular danger for me. SS Diantha handles things fine. But I wouldn't really mind having Nihilego pick things up for me. Elio actually seems like the more competent of the two. His traits really aren't too shabby at all. I wish his grid had more interesting tools to it, but oh well.

[stories-poetry4all]

Do I have your undivided attention, Ms. Goodacre?"

I snap my focus back to my boss, Ivan Stepanov, who's giving me that trademark look of his—not that I've messed up, but because that's just his default setting.

Truly, he's the living proof of the cautionary tale parents tell their children about the risk of a face freezing in a permanent scowl if they're not careful.

I suppose his annoyance is somewhat justified. Not that he knows it.

He just caught me in the middle of a vivid daydream, where I'm wielding a magical remote with the power to silence his endless chatter at the press of a button. My fantasy escalates to the point where I hit the fast-forward button, zipping him through his lavish office's panoramic windows and into a comedic dive into the bustling streets of Manhattan.

It's hard to fault my daydream; the day has stretched my patience to its limits, and I can feel my stomach growling.

I am thoroughly DONE with jumping through hoops for him today.

I've been at Stepanov Holdings since an ungodly hour this morning, after leaving the office last night at 10:00 P.M. For goodness' sake, I even missed the Season Finale of the Bachelor.

I haven't had a moment's peace today, and now, without having had my lunch at 3:00 P.M., I'm just about ready to call it quits on this devil in an Armani suit.

Without my trusty sidekick—aka four shots of espresso—I'd be a goner for sure.

Yet, even fueled by caffeine, I'm a hot mess express.

I'm mentally face-palming for convincing myself that buying these ultra-skinny work trousers on sale was a savvy decision.

Right now, my legs are on the brink of rebellion, decidedly unhappy about being crammed into what I thought was a steal of a deal. I had to wear an extra long dress shirt to mask my camel toe.

Ivan, meanwhile, is the picture of unbothered elegance.

It's actually unfair how he manages to look like he's stepped out of a magazine, despite being on the go as much as he is.

His suit, his stubble, those piercing eyes—nothing's out of place.

"Ms. Goodacre, you haven't answered my question."

"Oh, right," I manage to say. "Yes, you have my full attention." My eyes dart to my notebook. "The financial report is due to be reviewed by Mr. Thompson in Compliance first thing. Also, new ergonomic chairs for the executive conference room have been ordered, and I'll follow up on the delivery. Your 10:00 A.M. tomorrow is now at 11:30, the 11:30 has moved to 2:15. And for next Thursday's meeting, I've left a note saying—they can, um, 'get lost.' Did I miss anything?"

Ivan raises an eyebrow, a gesture that could mean anything from ‘I’m impressed’ to ‘you're on thin ice.’

"Is there a hint of sarcasm I detect?"

Keeping my expression as blank as possible, I reply, "Not at all, sir. After the incident with the incorrect financial forecast last month, you wanted 'zero sass'. I remember."

"Hm."

That sound, coming from Ivan Stepanov, the enigmatic CEO of Stepanov Holdings, is enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone. I've seen it—a supplier once came in to negotiate a contract and left looking like they needed a stretcher, all because of a single "Hm" from Ivan.

He's not just formidable to outsiders; even I've been on the verge of tears more times than I can count since starting here. And yet, here I am, plotting his remote control demise as a form of twisted self-therapy. What has my life come to?

"And the email I asked for?"

I hand a printed email to the corporate lion.

He looks at me, his gaze as penetrating as a laser.

"I asked for this to be emailed, Miss Goodacre," he says with a voice smoother than a whiskey on the rocks.

"Oh, it’s been sent," I retort, sprinkling just the right amount of sass into my words. "But given its vanishing act last time, I thought a hard copy might stick around longer."

He raises his eyebrow again. I’d bet a million dollars he popped out of the womb with that exact same intimidating expression.

Intimidating and sexy.

It's in fleeting moments like this I find myself admiring just how unforgivably handsome he is. Despite my best efforts. The tall, dark, and brooding thing really works for him. If only his personality matched the exterior.

Wishful thinking.

With the elegance of a maestro, Ivan navigates to his inbox, spots the email, and dives into a reply. All business, no pleasantries.

Then, without missing a beat, he's onto his next demand. "I’ll be having a late lunch from that Mediterranean place on 5th. They're always swamped, just so you know. Please tend to the paperwork on your desk when you return."

Being an assistant to a man who thinks the world revolves around his wants requires a particular brand of insanity.

If I didn’t need this job so badly, I might just have the courage to tell him where to shove his five-star meal.

"Thank you, Miss Goodacre."

Clearly, my time's up.

As I make my way to Medina, the city's rhythm pulsates through the streets, a symphony of honking taxis, chattering pedestrians, and the ever-present tune of sirens in the distance.

Navigating Manhattan's Financial District is akin to playing a real-life game of Tetris, where I dart and weave through an obstacle course of tourists mesmerized by skyscrapers stopping to snap a photo of literally everything.

It’s a dance of waiting, smiling politely, and gently nudging the staff with a reminder that I am there to pick up an urgent business lunch for Stepanov Holdings to get the order expedited.

Upon securing the culinary treasure, I return to Stepanov Holdings Headquarters. The building, much like Ivan, stands tall, imposing, and unapologetically opulent.

By the time I return, holding Ivan's gourmet lunch and my modest salad, he's vanished.

Typical.

As I settle down to tackle the mountain of paperwork he's generously left behind, my desk phone starts ringing off the hook.

My phone becomes a hot potato, passing from one crisis to another with the skill of a seasoned diplomat promising that Mr. Stepanov will indeed return all calls, knowing fully well he won't.

Between bites of my salad and sips of coffee that's already gone cold, I navigate the treacherous waters of high finance by soothing egos and making promises I can only hope Ivan will keep.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

A smidgen of recognition from Ivan wouldn’t hurt.

Some acknowledgment of the tireless effort behind making his life run as smoothly as a well-oiled machine.

As I glance at his untouched lunch, a part of me wants so badly to dump it on over his head. I’ll have to save that vision for my next daydream.

Ivan sweeps back into the office like a stormfront.

"The paperwork, Miss Goodacre," he says, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

My eyes dart between the semi-conquered paper mountain and him. "I didn't forget." I start, trying to keep the frustration from my voice. "Your clients have been calling nonstop, and I’ve been doing my best to keep them from losing their cool."

He fixes me with a look that could freeze lava. “Ten minutes."

I open my mouth to protest, but the look in his eyes stops me—the unyielding demand, the expectation of perfection.

In his world, there's no room for excuses, no space for the human element.

He leans in, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I hired you because I thought you could handle the pressure. Don't prove me wrong."

With that parting shot, he strides away, leaving me feeling about two inches tall.

It's moments like these that I question my life choices.

Anger and frustration bubble up inside me like a shaken soda bottle, threatening to explode. But I refuse to cry, refuse to show any weakness in this high-stakes game of corporate chess.

Instead, I channel all that emotion into finishing the paperwork, my fingers flying over the keyboard like a pianist in the midst of a frenzied solo.

Feeling like I could blow up any minute.

Finally, with the printouts in hand, I march to Ivan's office.

I drop the papers onto his desk with a deliberate thump, watching them scatter forcefully.

He looks up, his expression unreadable as the papers flutter across his desk.

"That’s everything you asked for," I announce, my voice quivering with a storm of suppressed fury. "Now if you don’t mind, I’m clocking out for the rest of the day." The words hang between us, a bold line drawn after a day where every ounce of my patience was tested.

For a moment, Ivan only watches me, his dark eyes giving nothing away.

It's infuriating, like shouting into a void and waiting for an echo that never comes.

Ivan finally breaks the tense silence, his voice as steady and composed as ever, betraying no sign of irritation or amusement. "Miss Goodacre, you’re free to leave," he says, his tone embodying the very essence of professional detachment he has practically made as his signature.

I quietly leave his office, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

I gather my things, pretending to be calm, my hands shaking as I shove my laptop into my bag.

I could totally be fired tomorrow.

I don't look back as I leave, the doors closing behind me with a finality that feels oddly satisfying.

The cool air hits my face, and I take a deep breath, trying to let go of the anger and the frustration.

As I walk, my mind keeps replaying the scene in Ivan's office.

That unreadable look in his eyes, was it indifference or something else?

"The chemistry is off the charts and the characters work well together.

[beesandwasps]

A Freezable From-Scratch Marinara Sauce Recipe For Non-Cooks

Here’s a basic recipe for a sharp, garlicky marinara sauce, which has the following virtues:

Cheap to make when roma tomatoes are cheap

Vegan (although that was not intentional)

Can be put into freezer-safe containers and frozen for months and still tastes good when defrosted (which means you can make a lot at once when you have time/energy and not have to cook again later)

Low in sodium

The downsides:

Takes a long time to cook (because it uses fresh tomatoes)

Even if you love garlic, you may find that cooking enough garlic for a double or triple recipe of this sauce is overpowering (really and truly, I didn’t realize that garlic could make your eyes tear up like onions until I tried making a triple batch to split up and freeze)

One batch makes enough for approximately 8 servings of pasta, depending on how much sauce you like and whether you cook the tomatoes extra time to make the sauce thicker. (If you are making the recipe for the first time and will need 8 servings exactly, it might be worth making a double (or at least 1.5x) recipe and being ready to freeze any excess, to make sure.)

Total time: at least 75 minutes — 10-20 minutes of ingredient prep time, anywhere from 50 to 80 minutes of not-particularly-taxing cooking time.

Ingredients:

~1¼ pounds (~0.55 kg) roma tomatoes (roughly 5 large ones); apparently san marzano tomatoes will also work, but I have not tried them

3 large (or equivalent in smaller) cloves garlic (adding an extra clove, or two if making a double/triple recipe, is not at all a bad idea)

2 Tbsp fresh basil (or 1 Tbsp dried basil)

¼ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil (possibly 3 or 4 if you like a stronger olive oil flavor)

Utensils:

A large saucepan (or, for multiple-batch recipes, a large pot) — do not use a nonstick pot if you can avoid it

A sharp knife

A large container to hold the cut-up tomatoes

A small container to hold the cut-up garlic

A garlic press if you have one*

Some sort of cutting board/plate

A large cooking spoon

Containers to freeze the sauce in if you are going to freeze it

*Note: if you do not have a garlic press, but like garlic, I suggest getting one, because it is much easier to use and clean one than to do a really good job mincing fresh garlic. They’re also relatively cheap, and just one will probably last you a lifetime, so the cost per use is low. This is one of the few single-purpose tools I have ever purchased which has justified its own cost. But if you don’t actually like and use much fresh garlic, forget it.

Instructions:

Wash, de-stem, and cut up the tomatoes into chunks of approximately 12ths or 16ths apiece. (Don’t worry too much about appearances or uniformity — they don’t have to be minced, or uniform in size, they’re going to cook long enough to start falling apart naturally. They just need to be cut up enough to let them cook in their own juice.) Set them aside in a large container.

Peel the garlic cloves and cut off the top stemish part. If you have a garlic press, just set the whole peeled cloves aside for now, otherwise mince them. Set them aside in a small container.

In a large saucepan or pot, heat the olive oil on high heat for around two minutes. (If you are experienced: until it is ready to sauté the garlic.)

Reduce the heat somewhat; if you have a garlic press, put the garlic through it and into the oil, otherwise add the minced garlic. (Warning: if you are making a double or triple recipe, you may find that when it first starts cooking the large quantity of garlic will make your eyes sting and water just like onions, even if this does not normally happen to you. If you have a strong exhaust fan over your stove, turn it on as high as it will go, and in any case don’t sniff at the pot until the garlic has had a chance to cook a bit and the first puff of gas has had a chance to disperse.) Keep stirring the garlic so it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, and stir. Once the mixture is simmering, reduce heat so it remains merely simmering and not boiling. Cook for at least 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have mostly fallen apart, stirring at least once every 2 minutes to keep anything from sticking to the bottom and burning; if you like your sauce thicker, let it keep cooking for 15-20 minutes longer to evaporate more of the water content. (If you are making a double/triple recipe, you may need to extend the cooking time even more.)

Reduce heat again. Add the basil, parsley, black pepper, and salt, stir them in, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you are going to freeze some or all of the sauce, wait for it to cool first and then ladle it out into the freezer-safe containers. Make sure to split it up into individual containers so that one container is enough for whatever size one typical batch of pasta is in your house, because it is not a good idea to re-freeze things repeatedly and you can’t easily split up a frozen blob of sauce.

(Come to think of it, a single side-dish-sized serving of pasta uses about as much sauce as would go in a single partition of a standard ice cube tray, so you might be able to conveniently freeze the sauce that way. I have not tried this so I have no idea if/how well it would work.)

[imperial-nuisance-rudje]

Most of my WoLs will probably be fine as of 7.0, but there's a few that are definitely not.

Shayun, especially, is going to be in a very bad state barring any kind of catharsis about Zenos that I'm pretty sure the game will never give. He's already staying out of most of the 6.x msq content after 6.1 entirely because his cowols can handle things and he just... doesn't want to deal with reminders of a dead man who he has complicated romantic feelings over when he still hasn't recovered from his partner dying in the Calamity, much less his fiancé dying in his arms during HW and Zenos's death being very easily laid at his own feet (not to mention that most people, including his coWoLs, understandably think Zenos being dead is a boon to the world so he has basically no understanding offered to him outside of Fraj and Myste). I don't think he's going to be fine by 7.0 unless they pull some real bullshit that even I will call bullshit on and the excuse plot to get him on-board the idea will probably be that his coWoLs are worried about him and think getting him into an entirely novel environment will at least distract him long enough that he can like, let himself grieve properly instead of letting Fraj take over like in 3.x/early 4.0 and isolating himself without letting anyone else figure it out (granted, it would be much harder for him to do that now bc Fraj is a known entity to at least A'pple and Fraj isn't going to passively accept subtle self-harm like that anymore, but it's not like they know that Fraj wants to protect Shayun first and foremost).

Basically the only reason the MSQ hasn't been the worst half-decadeish of Shayun's life is that he was a Woodwarder and spent close to 15 years trying to deal with severe trauma with his only tools to do so being severe substance abuse and quail/pigeon husbandry.

Momoka's going to be in an odd state because while he also has messy romantically-inclined ??? feelings about Zenos, his biggest problem is more something Zenos left behind.

...Namely, Momoka's going into 7.0 with a toddler in tow because he's not leaving his Zenosbby daughter behind while he goes to a completely unknown continent (because I, like a fool, put my money on declouding Ilsabard for 7.0 when making this choice).

Like, even if he wasn't still processing what happened to her dad and trying to figure out if that means he needs to be aware in case Z shows up again, Kohaku is going to be two at very oldest. She may not even be weaned yet, depending on how long I put for 6.x in his timeline. He's not ready for anything new to happen because he wants to fucking lie down and sleep for a week, because even with the polycule offering several hands to help she is still a very small (and autistic, not that they realize that yet outside of her being super fussy) child. The extra time he gets in the timeline because of her being conceived and born gives him time to heal more from The Worst Month In His Life (endwalker) than the rest and he is in a general Good End AU so he has somewhat less overall msq trauma... but he's still so fucking tired. If they don't rock up with an explicit offer of a vacation it's going to be a pain in the ass to justify for him.

This is of course all assuming I don't end up talking a long look at dawntrail's story and going "mmmmm. nah that didn't happen thanks!!" for the lot but I'm trying very hard to be optimistic even as I brace for BLU 2.0.

From where we sit at the moment, Dawntrail feels strange tonally for my WoL. The one-two punch of Shadowbringers into Endwalker left her broken in many ways, and Alahra is still ultimately the weary wanderer of the Shadowbringers finale, duty-bound to continue on but not always sure that she can. I'm thinking a lot about whether she'll be ready to journey to the New World with the exuberance Meteor displays in the teaser trailer

So a question for all you WoLs out there:

Is your WoL ready for this new adventure? Have they managed to move on from the weight of Endwalker, or do they still bear scars from it?

[saltchipfishshop]

Vegan Passover Pecan-Banoffee Pie: my magnum opus

I set out with a dream. An impossible dream. To create a vegan dessert for my synagogue seder that was also kitniyot-free. Did I have to do this? Not really, my shul allows anything vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian that doesn’t have chametz, and we have a section for kitniyot. Am I vegan? No. Do I even keep kosher for Passover myself? Also no. But, you see, I have an almost pathological need to feed as many people as possible, and I am intractably stubborn, so once I realised how difficult this was going to be it only made me dig my heels in further.

It turns out to be borderline impossible to find vegan substitutes for pretty much anything that don’t contain soy, oats, cornflour, chickpeas, or some sort of forbidden legume. Subsequently this recipe is heavily reliant on coconut milk; luckily for me I live in an area with a large Muslim population and it’s currently Ramadan, so tins of coconut are front and centre of every supermarket display.

It’s taken almost a full month of trial, error and meltdowns in the butter aisle of Sainsbury’s, but I finally did it. I had to cobble bits of the recipe together from half a dozen different sources, so I feel relatively justified in calling this my own invention. The pecan crust is borrowed from a Tori Avey cheesecake recipe, I just swapped pistachios for pecans. I really think the crust is what makes it, to be honest. You could probably skip the ganache layer if you can’t be bothered, I just feel like it helps cut through the sweetness.

Recipe under the cut. Please please tag me if anyone decides to make this! I would be so delighted to see it out there in the world.

Crust

84g (⅔ cup) pecans

84g (⅔ cup) pecans

84g (⅔ cup) pecans

60g (½ cup) matzo meal

66g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar

71g (5 tbsp) Kosher for Passover vegan margarine (Rakusen’s Tomor*), melted, + extra for greasing

Pinch of salt (optional)

Ganache

113g KFP vegan dark chocolate (Lindt Excellence 70%, Green & Black’s 70%, Green & Black’s cooking chocolate are all KFP)

113g coconut cream/full-fat coconut milk

A few drops of vanilla extract (optional)

Caramel

200g caster sugar

100g KFP vegan margarine (Tomor)

200g coconut cream/full-fat coconut milk

Whipped cream

200g coconut cream/full fat coconut milk, kept in the fridge overnight

15-45g KFP icing sugar (check it doesn’t contain maize starch. You could probably omit the sugar and leave the cream unsweetened if you can’t find it, or grind your own- there are recipes for Passover powdered sugar online.)

¼ tsp vanilla extract

3-4 bananas

cocoa powder or grated chocolate to serve (optional)

chopped pecans to serve (optional)

Method

Make the caramel. Place the sugar into a medium / large saucepan. Place the pan on the hob over a low heat. Allow the sugar to melt, this will take around 5-8 minutes. Don’t burn the sugar! Make sure to stir constantly to prevent burning. You can use a wooden spoon or heat proof spatula.

When all of the sugar has melted and is a golden / amber colour, add in the margarine. Be careful, as the sugar is very hot. Remove the pan from the heat and stir to combine. Allow the margarine to melt into the sugar. It might bubble but that's fine. Once it’s combined, it might have a thick consistency. It might look like the margarine isn’t mixing with the sugar, but it should combine once you add the cream. Now add in 200g coconut cream. It will steam and bubble again so be careful.

Add the pan on the heat and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes to help thicken it up.

Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes, then transfer / pour the caramel into a heat proof jar. Place the jar into the fridge. Allow to chill overnight. The coconut cream for the whipped cream should also be kept in the fridge overnight, to encourage it to separate and firm up.

If the caramel separates overnight, use an electric whisk to combine into a smooth consistency until there are no remaining lumps. It’ll be a more custard-like texture but still delicious. Keep caramel in the fridge until needed.

Make the crust. Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease a loose-bottomed tin with margarine and line with greaseproof paper.

Blitz the pecans in the food processor until finely processed. Add matzo meal, salt and sugar and pulse until the entire crust is uniform in colour. With the processor on, drizzle the melted butter into the machine.

Once all the butter has been added, turn the processor off and dump the wet crumbs into the bottom of the lined pan. Using the back of a spoon, press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan (it doesn’t have to go all the way up, just as much as you can).

Place the crust in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges of the crust start to brown a bit and smells fragrant. Leave crust to cool for about ten minutes and then transfer to the fridge to finish cooling.

Make the ganache. Finely chop the chocolate and put in a medium-sized bowl. Put 200g coconut cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute, watching to make sure it doesn’t bubble over.

Pour the warm cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Don't stir yet.

After 2-3 minutes, whisk the chocolate/melted coconut milk until smooth. Add vanilla if desired. Let cool in the fridge for around 30 minutes.

Make the whipped coconut cream. Chill a mixing bowl in the fridge for ten minutes (you can do this while the ganache is cooling to save time). Put 200g coconut cream (the thick white part, not the clear liquid) in the chilled bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with an electric whisk until creamy. Add vanilla and icing sugar and mix until creamy and smooth – about 1 minute. Avoid overwhipping because it can cause separation. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.

Carefully run a knife around the edge of the crust tin and remove the crust from the tin.

Spread a layer of the cooled ganache over the bottom of the crust. Top with a layer of sliced banana and return to the fridge to set for ten minutes.

Add a layer of the caramel, another layer of sliced banana, and return to the fridge for ten minutes again.

Top with the whipped cream (I like to leave the edge of the bananas visible around the edge). Dust with cocoa powder or grated chocolate and add chopped pecans if desired.

*Tomor contains sunflower oil, but sunflower oil is not considered kitniyot in England: https://www.kosher.org.uk/article/sunflower-oil-kitniyot

[lavenoon]

So we know that the boys have claws and tasers, but do they have the more daycare related features? Like temperature detection, or even heating for their bodies if someone’s cold?

Okay this sent me down a worldbuilding rabbit hole while also solving the mystery of Sun and Moon's origin. This is probably gonna contradict a bit of early AU content because I didn't quite see them as daycare attendants in this au, but now. Whoopsie.

So animatronics are established members of society - but that doesn't tell you anything about why and how they're made. Because we're not going the admittedly iconic route of Robots (2005).

When animatronics are made, beyond a rudimentary AI they're basically blank slates in regards to personalities. They're not made with a specific purpose, but after an acclimation period that gives them some time (I want to say a few months to a year, as I don't know how similar to real AI learning tempo they would be) to develop their own minds (and we'll go utopian future vibes so they get free housing and universal basic income) they get to pick from a list of jobs that they'll work at for a while. How long depends on multiple factors, as the purpose is that they pay off the cost of their production. It's a credit they pay off at their own pace, so it can take a long while. There's some interest if they take more than maybe 3 to 5 years, but otherwise they're free to choose how long they take.

The list they get depends on their functions, so it's at least somewhat predestined. If however an animatronic would be entirely unhappy with their choices, they can pick a different job. The cost for suitable upgrades is added to their credit.

This means they already have some job experience when they're entirely free to do as they want.

Sun and Moon I imagine now would have chosen to be daycare attendants as well as security - Sun more the first, Moon more the latter, but both dabbling in either. That's why they have the security functions, but also why those are adapted to Moon. They took just under the time before the interest would have hiked up, because they were costly but ambitious. Their two AI one animatronic situation was somewhat an experiment, with the inbuilt switch adding a lot of production cost.

They stayed at their daycare for a little while longer before they started job hopping, staying for a few months to a year at different places until at some point (years later) Eclipse secured them the spots as agents. In the canon timeline, this is the longest they've stuck with a job since their daycare days - guess they found what they were missing all this time (:

Now to the actual answer to your question.

They don't have the heating - I imagine they usually run between 25 and 30° Celsius (77-86° Fahrenheit), so cozy as any well used but not overheating (non gamer) PC. Heat proofing all of their finer machinery would have been even pricier, and risking burns also isn't something they deemed necessary.

(rest mode of course is at a lower temp)

Temperature is a slightly modified (improved) function of their touch sensors in their hands, pretty easy overall. They could distinguish temperature before already, and adding some sensitivity wasn't too pricey.

Heartbeats I established before however are out, they can feel a pulse better than a human already without their own to distract them!

They can hear slightly better than humans on average, maybe in the top 10% of the hypothetical normal distribution in humanity. That's just something most animatronics do though and didn't cost them extra.

I think for other extras I'll decide on an individual basis as I can't think of other daycare specific functions rn, but the general answer would be Yes! Some, that were worth it, and for the rest they make do.

Honestly, you can treat anything like Schrödinger's feature now - I'm not sure how much of this will come up in canon, so as long as you could justify it to yourself they can have it! <3