#tari talks books

[oppsiedoo]

Happy holidays from China! How about presents?

@grinnames : AHHHHHHHH WTF-

(You got Opp! The best gift in the world!)

@bear-boi-5 : Sick…..

(Those cool glasses that can change eyes depending on mood! Just be careful if you get too angry they’ll explode prolly)

@its-a-me-mango : *Sipping hot chocolate*

(A magical book that summons the 3 Ghosts of Christmas! Opp was actually trying to get you a pair of PANTS but they were all sold out of the grinches…)

@michealscorneroftheinternet : The hell?… OI!- WHY’D I GET THE LAMEST THING-

(You got!-…. A Uhm.. bottle of liquor. But hey! It’s brewed by yours truly; OppsieDoop! At least you can forget about your troubles like the sad pathetic souls we are!)

@tiredsmashbros : *Sighhhh* I love wholesome pictures of Tari secretly taken of her at her most vulnerable of times ….

(We don’t talk about how Opp got it)

There’s more like these coming soon for new years!! Will refinery be late like a week but whateva

[midnight1nk]

EPISODE CONCEPT #7

What if... SMG4 takes a vacation?

[more below cut]

For context... c'mon, can't a guy catch a break? :) Time for a vacation! Also available on Wattpad - [link]

Let's hope Four doesn't waste all the bajillion dollars I just gave him. Am I right, @bowlolol? (yep it's part 2 of concept #5 - link)

"No regrets."

Four zips up his suitcase with an exhausted yet satisfied “hmph”. He sat the case up to its wheel, facing the Crew.

SMG4: “You guys have always been telling me to take a break from editing, especially because of WOTFI and Marty months ago. It’s about time. Besides, I just finished editing the video I’ve worked on for the past week.” [*pulls out his phone and presses publish*] “And…there, I should be good for the whole vacation. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a 10-hour complication of Kermit clips!” Mario, on his knees: “SMG4, please take Mario with you!” SMG4: “Sorry, Mario, but the giveaway only had one ticket to give out. It was such a good deal too!” [*points over the pile of empty Rizz soda cans in the corner*] “Totally worth it.”

While Mario was pleading Four sneak him in his suitcase, shaking him, Meggy was on the phone.

Meggy: “Thanks again, Auri, for being SMG4’s guide. Just make sure he doesn’t lose his suitcase like I did.” Auri, giggles: “Of course, anything for you, partner! I’ll be sure to meet him at the port. Guy with the blue “S” cap, right?” [*Meggy nods*] “Alright. But I hope his ship gets here before the storm does, heard it was going to be really rough.” Meggy: “Yeah, SMG4 can get a bit seasick. Well, we’re just about to drop him off by the docks. I’ll talk to you soon, Auri!”

After Auri says goodbye, they hang up and Meggy turns to see Mario being dragged around by his grip on Four’s ankle.

Meggy: “Ready to go?” SMG4: [*thumbs up*] “You bet!”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

The Crew waved Four farewell as he did the same as he was on board the ship heading towards Port Aurora. Once the ship was out of sight, they all went back to what they were doing, content with the fact that Four wouldn’t be in front of the screen all day. Well, everyone except Mario, who was staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom out of boredom.

Don’t get him wrong, Mario is happy for Four. Ever since the ‘perfect’ incident, each of them were secretly weary of Four spending too much time editing a video. Not that they could stop him completely, he’s a YouTube content creator after all. So, they would occasionally go up to him and ask him for something or straight up to take a break. Mario remembered he did it one time, when he asked Four for milk. Sure, it wasn’t the most solid plan but it was at least something that distracted him for a bit. What other plan was there anyway?

Ask him for a cup of sugar? Pfft. That’s pretty lame excuse, even for Mario.

Mario groaned, getting off from his bed. Four finally takes a break but without him around, the poor plumber was left alone, bored. There wasn’t really anyone to go along with his funny shenanigans. So, he tried it with his other friends.

Luigi ended up having to clean up the mess he did at the flow shop. Melony was busy working on her second book. He got bored listening to Boopkin’s stories. Three was also busy, running the cafe and streaming. Saiko was in band practice with Kaizo.

Then, there was Meggy. From what he could tell, Meggy was unsure if she could keep her red beanie. Unsure what to do with her life anymore. He couldn’t blame her, after Western Spaghetti and what Mr Puzzles did. It was a lot to take in. It’ll be best to give her some space, away from his silliness.

So, he tried doing stuff on his own, like reacting to some Nintendo memes in the game room. But it didn’t feel the same. Tari was also there, focused on a gaming session with Belle and some other online friends. However, seeing how Mario drooped in his chair, Tari paused her game.

Tari: “Sorry guys but I need to do something real quick. Be right back.” [mutes herself and goes over to Mario] “Hey, Mario? You feeling okay?” Mario: “Mario was just so bored. Wish SMG4 was here.” Tari: “Oh, Mario, it’s only been a couple of hours. He won’t be back until after 3 weeks.” Mario, eyes shot open: “ONLY A COUPLE OF HOURS?” [*shakes Tari by the shoulders*] “Tari, someone is messing with the time gods! It’s the end of the world!” Tari, reassuring: [*grabs his hands*] “You really miss him, huh?” Mario, calms down: “He is Mario’s best friend, we have done a lot of stuff together.” Tari: “Hmm, do you want to hang out with me?” Mario: “Thanks, but it won’t feel the same.”

She takes a moment to think, pointing a finger on her chin, until an idea comes to mind.

Tari: “Why don’t you send SMG4 a video postcard?” [*Mario looks at her curiously*] “I’m sure SMG4 misses us too, so maybe you could send a video of our friends. Around the Showgrounds. You could ask him to do the same in Port Aurora. That way, you guys will still be in contact.”

Mario’s eyes sparkled, jumping with enthusiasm. He shakes Tari’s hand, thanking her, before running out of the game room. With a camera in hand, he goes around recording everything he can and the first person he went to was Luigi, of course. Mario apologized about the mess but he is willing to make it up to him by helping out doing some labor. Luigi was happy at the offer.

While Luigi handled with customers and arranged flower arrangements, Mario was going around doing deliveries. It was the best part, after all, steering the wheel while making airplane noises. Nearly crashing into several cars, y'know the usual. But then he passed by Meggy’s house. Wanting to cheer her up, he asked Meggy to come along.

Meggy: “I don’t know, Red.” Mario: “C’mon, it'll be fun! Certified Mario promise.” Meggy, still unsure: “Well, okay…”

Mario let out a “yippee” and dragged her to the delivery truck. As Mario drove, Meggy was reading off the list for him since he’s not a fan of reading.

Meggy, stopping at a particular address: “Wait, ‘Wright’? As in, Phoenix Wright?” Mario: “Oh, yeah. That was the lawyer guy you’re a fan of, right?” Meggy, excited: “Can we go see him?”

Mario was surprised by her sudden change of attitude but he smiled, gladly changing the route for her. Stopping at a tall office building, Meggy and Mario went in and searched for Phoenix Wright’s office. At the reception desk, they saw the man himself, talking to two younger lawyers in red and yellow. The secretary, seeing the duo, called out to Phoenix.

???: “Ooh, looks like someone got a nice bouquet!”

Phoenix, seeing the familiar faces by the desk, excused himself from his co-workers before greeting the M&M duo.

Phoenix: “Hello Mario, Meggy! It’s been a while. Do you guys need more legal help?” Mario, holding out the bouquet of red roses: “No, Mario's just here to help Luigi out.”

Phoenix grabs it from his hands and examines the card attached. From reading it, he grew a fond smile on his face.

Phoenix: “Thanks for the delivery.” Meggy: “Um, actually, I could use some advice. Between friends, if that’s okay.” Phoenix: [tilts head, then nods] “Sure, why don’t we take a walk?” [turns to the secretary, handing the flowers to her] “Truce…” Trucy: “Don’t worry, I’ll let them know. Just be back before we need to meet for lunch.” Phoenix, chuckles: “Oh, yeah.” [*impersonating with a mid-Atlantic accent*] “Wright, I reserved this days ago and you’re here drenched in rainwater. This is what happens when you’re late.” [*back to normal*] “Alright then, take the wheel. We all know how Apollo was last time.” ???: “HEY! That wasn’t even my fault!”

Phoenix and Trucy shake their heads. He guides Mario and Meggy out, and to a nearby park. Mario had some packages to deliver nearby so he left the other two to walk alone.

Phoenix: “So, what’s in your mind?” Meggy: [shrugs] “It’s just…” [sighs] “A lot has happened.”

Meggy goes on to explain what happened after the Nintendo lawsuit. The ‘It’s Gotta Be Perfect’ incident, Western Spaghetti. Mr Puzzles, Leggy. With the Crew, every day is another adventure but it’s starting to take a toll on her sometimes.

Meggy: “Everything I am was because of One-Shot Wren. Splatfest, Desti. I idolized him so much that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I get where he was coming from, I do. But he hurt my friends, me. It’s like I lived through a lie, my entire life. I just don’t know what to do anymore.” Phoenix, nods understandingly: “I see. Y’know, you remind me of a friend. He, too, idolized someone, put them on a pedestal. I think it was because he knew what he lost, and he wished he could have it back. Like you, he pursued the same career his idol had, following every guideline to a 'T'. When he discovered his idol was nothing but a cruel man, he felt lost. What else can you do when you are just a pawn in someone else’s game?” [*pulls out a locket from his pocket, clicking it open*] “So, he went to rediscover himself. What it means to be a prosecutor, was what he told me. He found that answer, pursuing the truth. He taught me a lot of things, and I guess I did the same for him.”

Phoenix hands the locket to Meggy, to finally see what was in that locket. It was a small family portrait: Phoenix, another man around the same age, one girl with a raven black ponytail, and another girl that Meggy recognized as the secretary she just met. What caught her eye was the gold rings both men wore.

Meggy: “Wait, you’re married?” [*hands the locket back*] Phoenix: [*laughs*] “Not a lot of people suspect the infamous Turnabout Terror being married to the city’s Chief Prosecutor. Yes, before we got into law, we were childhood friends.” Meggy: “Ah, well congrats! You seem to have a nice family.” Phoenix, hums: “I do. And don’t think we don’t have our hardships. The point is, Meggy, it’s not too late to rediscover who you are. If you want to continue with Splatfest, do it. If you want to continue doing law, do it. But do it for yourself, not to prove something to anyone. Like I said, the truth can help you a lot when you want to find it.” Meggy: [*nods in gratitude*] “Thanks, I really needed this.”

Mario comes back to get Meggy, both saying goodbye to the lawyer. Meggy soon learned about the postcard idea Tari proposed and wanted to help Mario out, thinking it was a great idea. After the deliveries, they went along filming postcards for everyone.

Luigi and Shroomy preparing a giant flower float of an incoming parade. Melony and Swag presenting the publishing gathering of her newest book. Boopkins having a friendly hangout with Hatsune Miku, talking about anime. Tari and her friends in a gaming tournament. Bob trying, and faliing to get rich at a nearby casino. Saiko and Kaizo performing in a live audience.

After gathering all of the film, Mario went to go edit them in Four’s room. Four, being a content creator and all, would surely have the best editing software. Pulling the app up, Mario noticed Four left a project open, labeled “video3_draftdraft(unfinished)”.

Mario, skimming through the video: “Huh, a 10-hour compilation of Kermit clips…” [*shrugs*] “Ah, classic SMG4, he forgot to save and close out.”

Mario went ahead and save it, dragging the file to the ‘Complete’ folder Four had. The outlier, the rest of the files in that folder were either labeled “final” or “(ready)”.

Mario: “All done.” [*does a thumbs-up*] “Now, time to do the postcard.”

Editing the videos into a single one, Meggy came to check in on how he was doing. Overall, it looks awesome. Except for one thing…

SMG3, annoyed: “What do you want?” [*points at Mario*] And what’s with the giant camera?” Mario, with a comedically large camera: “We’re gonna send SMG4 a video postcard!” Meggy: “It’s almost complete, we just need something from you.” SMG3, changing to amused: “Well then, I’ll gladly make a clip all about me!” Meggy: “SMG3, be serious. This isn’t time for you to gloat, you can do that any other time. It’s more than a postcard, it’s to show that we care about SMG4 as his friends.” SMG3, mixed expression of bashfulness and denial: “Friends?” [*looks away, crossing his arms*] “Uh, no. No, we aren’t friends.”

Both Meggy and Mario shared a suspicious brow. Yeah, sure.

Mario: “So, can we film?” SMG3: “No.” Mario and Meggy, surprised: “What? Why?” SMG3: “Because I said so.”

Knowing Three, perhaps too well, Meggy knows he’s hiding something.

Meggy: “Well, if you want to, you can just film it yourself and send us the clip. We’ll leave you be, c’mon Red.”

Three watched as M&M duo walked back to the Castle before being back in the cafe. Nearby Eggdog barked, warning him that it was almost time for his stream.

SMG3: “You’re right, thanks Eggdog.” [*pats Eggdog on the head*] “Pfft, sending a sappy video to SMG4. As if!”

He went ahead to stream Mario Party for tonight, the usual routine. After thanking the chat for the subs and donations, he logged off and pulled out his notebook to write about the day. Just as he turned to a blank page, his finger stopped at a particular page and he stopped to see what it was. It was the drawing he drew at the end of WOTFI 2023, of him and SMG4 sharing a coffee together. Three’s face softens.

It’s such a phenomenon, isn’t it?

Rivals, friends, none of it matters when it comes to Four and Three. They would always cross each other’s paths, bounded by a cosmic link. And yet, the roles they play were already set in stone the moment they landed in the Mushroom Kingdom. Good and bad, light and dark.

Two sides of the same coin.

It was always one pressing the other, to keep on their toes. Three supposed that was the thrill of it all, his life ever more exciting. He always wondered if Four felt the same way. If he suspected that it was the case, then it would be even more proof that they can keep up each other’s pace. Three knows Four, and Four in return. It’s what essentially saved Four from the ‘perfect’ incident.

Other than Four, no one else could truly understand. Even with Four, there are secrets Three hoped they would never see the light of day. It was the role he was chosen part, and the show must go on. If he revealed all of himself to the rest of the world, surely people wouldn’t be happy about it. Hell, people already despised him for not being threatening anymore. How far was he truly going to go for them? For Four?

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he supposed he could do a clip.

Indeed, take after take, he tried to make a video he was satisfied with. But no matter what he did, his words weren’t right. His silence wasn’t right. Naturally, he was frustrated at that fact but he pushed himself to give one last take.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Looking over their shoulders, Three’s eyes chased after the mouse cursor. He already sent the video to Meggy, trusting her more than Mario. Three already knew Mario would tease him for what he essentially said to Four. Regardless, he kept an eye on the M&M duo editing the video, occasionally warning them to not look at his clip. To not even think of listening to it.

After saving the video, Meggy exported the final video to Mario’s phone.

Meggy: “And, I think we’re done!” [*shares a high-five with Mario*] SMG3: “You better delete my clip from your messages, Squid.” Meggy: [*rolls eyes*] “Don’t worry, I got it.” [*shows her phone screen as proof*] Mario: “Yippee! Mario can’t wait to see Four’s reaction!”

When Mario send the video to Four, a warning pops up on the screen. “No signal.” Mario shoves the phone to Meggy.

Mario: “Meggy?” Meggy, looks over: “Hmm, that’s strange. There should be signal in the island, let me call Auri.”

It took a couple of rings but Auri finally responded.

Auri, concerned: “Meggy! I’m so sorry.” Meggy, shocked but quickly reassured: “Auri, calm down. What happened?” Auri: “I promised I would find your friend. But when the ship arrived, I was running late and he wasn’t at the port when I got there. I tried looking everywhere, but I’ve lost him.” Meggy: “Hey, it’ll be alright. Maybe he went off on his own.” SMG3: “I’ll call the hotel.”

Three pulled out his phone and dialed the number Four gave to them.

Receptionist: “Hello, this is Hotel Aurora. How can we help you?” SMG3: “Hey. Listen, we’re looking for a friend who booked a room in your hotel. His name’s SMG4.”

A pause, the muffled sound of the keyboard typing in the background.

Receptionist: “Sorry, sir, but we don’t have anyone under the name SMG4.” Mario: “What are you talking about? He was the winner of that giveaway the Rizz soda company had.” Receptionist: “What giveaway? We hadn’t received anything from any company about that.”

Meggy, Mario, and Three all looked at each other, their eyes widened at the implications. Where in the world is Four?

The Showgrounds went into complete chaos. The Crew tried contracting Four with no response. They contacted the cruise that took Four over sea and according to their logs, Four never got off that ship. Meggy asked Auri for a team to search the island.

Waiting was agony. But what else could they do?

Mario apparently did, suggesting to use the tracker on Four’s phone. It worked last time when Mr Puzzles planned with Puzzlevision. After contacting the phone company and requesting Four’s last location, they couldn’t believe what they heard next.

Four’s phone was in the Mushroom Kingdom. As if he never left.

The Crew immediately contacted everyone they knew to create a search party. Bowser, Shroomy, the military, FM & X, Wario, Waluigi, the Anti-cast, all of the Mario recolors. All of the volunteers as well as the Crew gathered outside the SMG4 Castle while Meggy stood on a stage with a megaphone.

Meggy: “Alright, everyone. SMG4 could be here in the Mushroom Kingdom but the tracker couldn’t pinpoint where it is! We need to split up to cover more ground. If anyone finds him, contact us and tell us where he is.” [*scans over everyone’s worried faces, taking a breath*] “Just be careful out there. We’ll get SMG4 home.”

The crowd scattered, each going their own way, but Meggy pulled Mario aside.

Meggy: “Red, I know it might be impossible but there’s a place I want to check out.“ [*hold up her Splattershott*] “Want to be my backup?”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

BOOM

Meggy and Mario busted in through the office door, a trail of unconscious patients on the floor behind them. Ugh, the Meme Rehab. They didn’t exactly had a choice but it was better to be safe than sorry. They glared at the man who’s now cowering in the corner of the room. Meggy goes over and picks him up by the collar.

Meggy: “Alright, Mr. Niceguy, where’s SMG4?” Mr. Niceguy, confused: “SMG4? But I haven’t—” [*Meggy slaps him*] Meggy: “Don’t play dumb! Tell us where you’re hiding him!” Mr. Niceguy: [*screams*] “I swear I don’t know where he is! I swear it on my mother’s ashes, please don’t hurt me!” Mario: “Uh, Meggy.” [*points at all the containers filled with other patients' lobes*] “Mario thinks he’s telling the truth. No SMG4 lobe here.” Mr. Niceguy: “The red guy is right, I would’ve done another lobotomy on him if he came back. I swear that he didn’t, though.” Meggy: [*sighs, letting the doctor go*] “Great, another dead end. I’ll let the rest know then.” [*send a text to the search party group chat*] Mr Niceguy, mutters: “He was such a great patient. Well, if he wasn’t so weird.”

Mario and Meggy shared a confused look, then to the doctor.

Meggy: “What do you mean by weird?”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Hearing a ding from his back pocket, Three saw Meggy’s message of Four not being in the Meme Rehab. As much as it seemed uplifting, It only made Three’s concerning suspicions grow larger. Walking down the path, he spotted something familiar. He ran and picked it up, it was Four’s phone. Turning it on, he saw the dozens of abandoned calls and messages, dating all the way back to the day SMG4 supposedly left for that vacation.

Looking ahead, he saw a figure on the horizon, a dot of blue, and his blood ran cold. He begged each and every star, hoping Four wouldn’t be back here. But he was. Three sent a quick text to the group, telling them that he found him and where, before he ran towards that dreaded place.

Four was standing by the edge of the Pit of the old Castle ruins, looking down at the demonic gateway.

Once Three managed to get closer, he slowed down his pace to a halt, afraid that one wrong move would scare Four into falling in.

SMG3: “SMG4?”

Four doesn't say a word but he slightly tilts his head, listening.

SMG3, confused and frustrated: “What, you’re not gonna say anything? Where the hell have you been? Everyone has been going around like headless chickens, they thought you got kidnapped! I thought…” [*stops himself before genuine worry rises within*] “What are you doing here?”

A beat. A rumble of thunder coming overhead.

SMG4, unusually calm: “You guys shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions. I’m fine, SMG3. I actually had a great time during my break. It helped me with a lot of things.”

Three approaches him slowly. There was another ding from his phone but he shut it off. Light rain started to drizzle.

SMG3: “C’mon, let’s just get out of here.” SMG4: “I’ve been thinking back at all the stuff I did. What I’ve chosen.” [*shakes head*] “No matter what I do, everything goes wrong.” SMG3, arm stretched out: “Four…”

Once Three’s hand was hovering over Four’s shoulder, Four gripped his arm. Within a blink, Three was flung into the air and slammed, the impact causing the ground to crack. Three groaned, thinking that Four might’ve broke his back, until Four picked him up by the throat. Three’s hands immediately tried to pry himself free but Four’s grip was firm. With enough strength, Three looked at Four and he felt his heart sink.

Four’s eyes, they were pink.

A familiar goo enveloped his eyes, the pink plunging into the dark void. His expression was blank, before it suddenly formed new eyes. Jagged and irregular, glowing white. It wasn’t Four anymore. He wasn’t even human. One eye was shaped like a triangle and the other was circular. After a blink, a wicked grin crept on Four’s face.

SMG4, voice growing an echo: "I should've saved the USB over you. It would've made things a lot better, wouldn't you agree?” SMG3, choking: “Four… don’t…” SMG4, snapped: [*eyes cycled to different ones*] “You have no idea how many hours, weeks, I sacrificed for that perfect video! And then, you had the audacity to say we’re friends, you just wanted to save your own skin.” [*back to the initial set*] “But that’s about to change, and everything will be perfect.” [*holds out Three over the edge*] “Goodbye, SMG3.”

The unnatural strength gathered in his arm, Four tossed Three into the pit, and with that, time seemed to slow down. From the corner of his eye, Three could see the satisfaction beaming off of this man. It isn’t Four.

But it was too late. There was nothing Three could do other than to meet his demise.

Suddenly, a force grabbed him by the side, and was pulled out of the way to solid ground with a thump. Three placed a hand over his head and sat up, to discover that the force was Mario. The red plumber looked exasperated, more of worry than anything else.

SMG4: “What?”

There was a flinch in his eye, as if it was sensing something from behind. Then, when time slowed once more, he dodged the paintball that raced towards him, missed by a hair. The paint, along the goo covering him, were gone. Four spun around, a trail of pink light from his eyes shimmered like a comet, until he landed into a defensive stance. He moved like a glitch. As the trail faded away, he growled at his newfound threat.

The terrified Crew ran over the hill, Meggy leading them with her Splattershott.

Meggy: “SMG3, get away from that thing!” [*takes another shot*]

Effortlessly, Four manages to dodge that shot as well. He glared at Three, a silent promise that he’ll be back, before escaping. A clash of thunder strikes the ground and the Crew lost sight of him. As Mario helped Three up, the Crew finally reached to them.

Mario: “SMG3, did SMG4 look different to you?” SMG3: “Yeah, his eyes were pink. The goo.” [*shakes his head, starting to get frustrated and lost*] “Can someone tell me what’s going on?! Why the fuck does SMG4 have that goo from incident?”

The Crew looked at each other, unsure what to say to Three. What can they say? Meggy, mustering up the strength, took a step forward.

Meggy: “There’s something you should know.”

Recalling everything from the interrogation in the Meme Rehab, the surgeon explained that during the lobotomy, he discovered something unnatural in Four’s body. It looked like goo. When he tried poking at it, the goo grew eyes and screeched. He felt like his ears were about to bleed so he quickly finished stitching Four’s head up. His curiosity, however, got the better of him.

Taking a sample of Four’s blood, he examined it under a microscope and observed tiny black specks plaguing the red blood cells before consuming them. Becoming one.

Meggy: “It never left. That goo has been taking over SMG4 this whole time, reacting to his emotions. He said that, at the rate that it was going, there won’t be anything left of him.” SMG3, still confused: “Wha…what are you saying?” [*she hesitates*] “Meggy.” [*she refuses to look at him and he grabs her by the arms*] “What are you saying?”

Meggy takes a breath, her mind trying to find a way how to put it delicately for Three. But in every way she sliced it, it just wouldn’t be fair for this man. She had to tell him, the way it has to be.

Meggy: “SMG4… is dead.”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

He wanted this to end. Begged for it. He wanted someone to shake him by the shoulders, to wake him up. From his nightmare, from this sick joke. This level of cruelty, he wanted it to stop.

This was no nightmare.

It has been a week since the Crew last saw “SMG4”. It was best for it to stay that way, but they knew that thing would stop at nothing to take its vengeance. While the rest of the Crew was preparing the Castle for a grand meeting with the search party volunteers, Meggy was on the other SMGs. Other than the Crew, they were on an expedition and the first to receive the news. Currently rushing back to the Mushroom Kingdom from essentially dropping everything immediately.

SMG1: “This storm is affecting us a lot more than what we were expecting. But, we promise you that we are on our way. Just stay put.” Meggy: “Okay then, bye.” [*she hangs up, her hands holding her head*]

Tari, noticing Meggy’s distress, walks over and brings her into a side hug.

Boopkins: “Well, what now?” Meggy: “Once SMG1 and 2 are here, they can handle it.” Bob: “And do what? Use their meme powers to scare the goo away?” Saiko: “Bob!” Bob: [*pointing at Meggy*] “You said it yourself, that goo basically went full ‘Venom’ and took over SMG4! If he is dead, it’s going to find a new host.” Boopkins: “Bob, you’re not suggesting…” Bob: “Oh, I’m very much suggesting.” [*pulls out bazooka*] “It’s time to obliterate that son of a bitch.” Meggy: “He’s right.” Everyone else, besides Bob: “What?” Meggy: “Now that I thought about it, SMG4 hasn’t been himself ever since the incident. It’s more than just trauma. Sometimes he’s strong out of nowhere, or how he got good aim back at WOTFI. He’s been acting strange this whole time, I just couldn’t see it.” [*the rest start to feel a bit guilty as well*] We managed to save him the first time but…” [*glances at Four’s door*] “It was because Four was still in there.” Melony: “And, what if…” Meggy: “No. He’s really gone. I think, to save everyone, the goo has to go. For good. That’s what he would’ve wanted.”

The room filled with silence, it was almost suffocating. Four’s behavior, the debate was did they see or did they wish not to see? Either way, this was the price and they agreed that death would give mercy to Four’s soul from the pain and suffering he had to endure.

Without anyone noticing, Mario slipped into Four’s room, he needed to talk to him. The room was dark except for some sunlight peeking through the closed curtains. Just like outside, it was silent here. Other than Mario was Three, curled up in Four’s bed, refusing to face the door. His hair was in a loose and greasy mess, and he wore a light gray hoodie. It was one of Four’s.

Mario walked over to him, passing by plates of food pilling up on Four’s desk. Untouched. He sat on the edge opposite where Three laid, who was unfazed by the mattress shifting by the weight.

Mario: “…SMG4 isn’t dead.” [*a beat*] “Mario doesn’t know how, he just does. SMG3, you’re his partner. You guys are cosmically linked. You must’ve felt it if it broke, right?”

SMG3 stayed silent in response. Mario took a breath, steadying himself on what he was about to say.

Mario: “They’re planning to go after him and…” [*his voice starts to quiver*] “They can’t kill him! I can’t! I didn’t ask to kill my best friend, SMG3. I… don’t think I can.”

Silent, once again. Mario lets out a sigh and stands up.

Mario: “Mario just doesn’t want to lose another friend.”

He leaves Three alone in the room, the soft click of the door closing behind him.

What Mario couldn’t see were the silent tears that rolled down Three’s face. The news of SMG4’s death. The world completely changed, like someone pulled a rug from under his feet.

And nothing was the same again.

The minute they returned to the Castle, Three had beelined to Four’s room. Perhaps because he was still in denial, he tidied the room up. Four was never exactly an organized person anyway. Three made his bed, dusted his shelves, threw out the food takeout bags. He held on to that hope, that Four was gonna come in at any second and be normal again. That everything will be fine again.

That he’ll be back.

Even when tears started to form in the corners of his eyes, he refused and refused and refused goddamnit. He’d known Four for years, he had been his long-time rival for meme’s sake. Four was stubborn, resilient. The sight of his determination shined brilliantly in Three's eyes, it blinded him as a rival but admired it as a friend. So, why? Why was this the thing that stopped Four?

Those thoughts spiraled in his mind as he folded up one of Four’s hoodies. From its touch, Three remembered when his partner wore it, that tender smile on his face. It was always reserved for Three. One memory was all it took for Three to terms with this undeniable fact, breaking into an uncontrollable sob and burying himself in the hoodie. Back then, when he had control over the YouTube Remote, he asked to replace SMG4.

This was what he asked for. And there he was, a complete mess.

After that, as the rest of the world was, he went numb. His friends came and go to check up on him. Food, condolences. They begged to say something, anything.

He didn't.

Sitting himself up, he looked down at what he clenched in his fist. It was a small USB that appeared identical to the pod Four landed in the Mushroom Kingdom with. Blue and white, fashioned in a bracelet. Ever since their pods flew away, these USB keys were left behind. During the confrontation at the Pit, Three somehow yanked it off from Four’s wrist.

Being isolation, it gave him time to think and one question remained, where did this goo even come from, before the ‘perfect’ incident? That keyboard, it must be a lead. It doesn’t matter how many precautions he had to prevent something like this from happening, he needed to find answers. He already failed Four once, this was the only way he could make it up to him.

With what Mario just told him, he was running out of time.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

“Hey, Gary. I know this is out of the blue, but I need a favor.”

In the depths of the Dark Web, a light passes through the underground labyrinth. Three, a flashlight in one hand, fidgeted with the drawstring of Four’s hoodie. No one must know where the realm’s Archives are, much less that he was one of the Meme Guardians who had access to it.

“Is this about your cafe of yours?”

At last, he reached to a stone-bricked door, moss creeping through the cracks, and his hood was pulled off to allow himself to be scanned. With a confirming beep, the door rolled itself open and a computer covered in dust awaited for him inside. He swiped some of it off with a sleeve to find a small rectangular keyhole.

“No, not this time. I need you for a mission, you’re the only one in the Dark Web I can trust.”

Taking it off around his neck, Three held his black and indigo USB key, strung as a pendant. He inserted it into the keyhole and twisted it. The room suddenly awakens in light, rows of digital manilla folders circled at the ready.

After Three pressed a couple of buttons and scanned his photo, the database became a hurricane, narrowing down from millions. Only a few dozen closely matched the input he put in. He picked up each and every folder, his eyes skimming past unnecessary details until it came to one.

A folder, dated back years ago, long before he was a Guardian, perhaps held a start…

CLIENT NAME — Winston [REDACTED]

AGE — [REDACTED]

PRODUCT — Failed Lab Subject #18

He read through the shopkeeper's notes, how a man asked for a transmutation device that is compatible and adapts to biological matter. “The new evolution” was what he said. The buyer claimed that was a personal experiment on plants, Three highly doubts that it was.

From one file to another, Three chased a lead of this "subject #18" into a spiraling rabbit hole. A laboratory, unsanctioned experimentation. A weapon. All to lead to one name:

Project Horus

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Everyone in the Castle stood around the table, a sense of mourning settling in. Who knew it would have to come to this?

Tari: “How did the goo even get to SMG4? I thought it went down with Peach’s Castle.” Luigi: “Someone must’ve brought it back, maybe the keyboard wasn’t needed.” Saiko: “Well, SMG1 and 2 better be here soon and fix this mess. Forget the kingdom, the whole world will be in danger.” Swag: “As if they were there the first time.” [*pulls out a grenade*] “I’d say let’s blow that goo to smithereens.

Then, they all started to jump in with their own suggestions, shouting over each other that their idea was better. Bowser offered his airship, Steve his buckets of lava, the military their tanks. Bob with his (illegally-obtained) weapons, Saiko her hammer.

But when the question came of who was going to the one to finish Four, they beat around the bush.

Mario looked at all of them in disbelief, a pit forming in his stomach. It just couldn’t be real. His best friend, one he known for years, was gone. And here they were, debating how to kill the shell that was once Four. Meggy could feel his pain and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Meggy: “Red, I’m…”

The doors of the Castle burst open, distracting everyone from their argument.

Everyone, surprised: “SMG3?”

Indeed it was. Three, abandoning the hoodie and loose hair, marched in with a fresh new look. He wore a purple belt holding his black overalls, and his iconic gloves inverted in color. On one arm, he wore a red and white checkered band while the other had a simple stubbed black band. Gary was close behind him with a cart full of weaponry.

SMG3: “None of those are gonna work. That goo mutated from too many experiments that it's practically invincible.” [*walked to the table, leaning on its surface with his knuckles*] Bob: “How would you know that?” SMG3: “The goo was created by a secret government experiment to explore and survive in the Great Beyond. Or am I wrong, Chris?”

They all turn to Chris, then back to Three. Bewildered but it was clear that they demanded an explanation.

Swag: “Hold up, you can’t just accuse Chris of anything! Besides, there’s no…” [*he looks at Chris, who looked tense*] “Chris?” SMG3, to Swag: “I’m not accusing Chris of anything, don’t worry. He might’ve known about the experiment but he didn’t do any of the lab testing himself.” Chris, sighing in defeat: “It’s true. I remember when the whole base was in total chaos when the subject managed to break out of its containment chamber. Project Horus.” SMG3: “After that, it got captured and experimented on twice. A lab in the Dark Web, and Mr Puzzles.” [*the Crew freezes with a note of recognition in that name*] “We’re not going to be here all day pointing fingers on who’s going to be the one to kill the goo. I’ll do it.” Meggy: “SMG3, I don’t think…” SMG3: “I was SMG4’s Meme Guardian partner. It’s only fair that I'd be the one to take it down.” [*looks over at Mario, lowering his head apologetically*] Chris: “If the government couldn’t even control it, what makes you think you got a chance at this?” SMG3: “SMG4 was the one who gave it to us.”

Gary tosses him a black and red rifle. The Dark Web lab’s weapon, dubbed “The Ultimate Virus”, has a single “bullet” powerful enough not only to kill any entity, but it erase their existence entirely. This includes erasing any memory of it from everyone who interacted with said entity, in this case, the goo since it’s all that remained.

Why remember the monster that killed Four?

Though, it is useless by itself, without two particular keys. Well, except if you happened to be lucky. Inserting his and Four’s USB in their designated slots on each side, the rifle sparked to life. Its miniature lights glow red, ready to fire in Three’s command.

SMG3: “Whoever wants to join, prepare yourselves because there will be no coming back.”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

There were a few who would know about this place. Passing from the Showgrounds and through the woods, there is a flower field on a nearby cliff, overlooking the sea. It’s quite calm, the only company other than oneself was the sound of the whispering breeze and the waves kissing the rocks below. Right above, there was a spectacle of stars.

Three twirled one of the white lilies between his fingers, his cap laid next to where he sat. As expected like an old friend, the wind blew through his ponytail that was tied with a long white ribbon. A finger delicately trailed on its petals, his face in utter turmoil and loss.

“SMG3, are you sure you’re up to this?”

Four was the one who brought him to this place. Three had a nightmare one time and was brought here to help with his nerves. Ever since then, this has been their secret spot. At least, it used to be theirs. Now, it all belongs to Three.

“My partner is gone, Gary. If I can avenge him by killing Horus, then I won’t regret anything.”

The goo, “Horus” was the name the Dark Web lab gave, was the one who took SMG4 away from him. Three could put the rest of the blame onto Mr Puzzles. Or Winston, whatever his damn name is. Perhaps, in another timeline, he would’ve given Mr Puzzles a chance to redeem himself. Three used to be like him, after all. But to go this far, this has to end. He has to end it.

He had contacted Gary for a favor, to bring in the best of the best of his inventory for his friends to defend with. With the material strong enough to withstand Horus, they’ll be fine. However, there was a doubt, lingering in the back of his mind. One he wasn’t willing to show to the Crew.

SMG3: “SMG4, if you’re still in there somehow, show me a sign. And I won’t shoot, I promise.”

He let the wind take the lily from his hand and watched until it flew far, far away. After putting on his cap that hid his ponytail, he got up and walked back into the Showgrounds. The Crew needed a leader for tomorrow, after all.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

His pink eyes stared above, fascinated by the stars shining ever so brightly. You get tired the same old red tentacles roaming around in this pit. Not that what was left of Peach’s castle helped his boredom either. But the stars, he didn’t know why he was so captivated by them.

Horus supposed this was the consequences of waiting in one place.

Suddenly, he spotted some movement and narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what the object was. Though it was impossible, he thought it might’ve been a falling star. It didn’t seem to present any threat. He curiously waited until he was able to catch it. It was a white lily. His eyes flashed blue.

SMG4?: “…Three?”

But he shook his head and dropped the lily, eyes returning to pink. No, he needs to focus on what’s important. The host must live.

.

.

.

[ END OF PART 2 - PART ONE ]

That's right, my dear fellows, this was part 2 of Concept #5 all along [*insert villain laugh here*]

[occidentalavian]

Something I'm always fascinated by are the minor mundane things that exist in Exandria. Little objects and inventions here and there that don't play a major role in the stories but just kind of exist in the background.

Early machine guns: Yes, Percy's invention of guns was a major plot point in Campaign 1, but what I'm talking about is how they've changed since then. Percy's guns were flintlock, but by Campaign 3 the guns that Bells Hells encountered in Marquet are caplock, only 30 years later. And because of this, this has allowed for the invention of the Kshatriya Special, Exandria's equivalent of the Gatling Gun!

Phonographs: Called the Audiomatic by its inventor Hazel Copperpot, it uses wax cylinders to record and play back audio, such as her reading of Tary's books. Invented by 826 PD, conceivably these could exist in a more widespread fashion 10 years later by Campaign 2.

Electric lights: Another one of Percy's inventions. Using the acid pits that Ripley left beneath the castle as a battery, Percy was able to create a grid of electric street lamps to light up Whitestone.

Soda: This one's my personal favorite. There's mentions of root beer and sarsaparilla in Campaign 2 that could be chalked up as only jokes, but Explorer's Guide to Wildemount also lists a drink from the Menagerie Coast called Queen's Water as a "soft drink", which often refers to carbonated beverages. Finally, the Ruby of the Sea cocktail from Exquisite Exandria, a book that canonically exists in-universe, uses tonic water!

Theoretically, Percy could go to a cafe in Whitestone at night, order a sarsaparilla, and sit in the outside dining area lit by electric street lamps while the cafe plays a recording of "Jordan, Fetch my Whiskey" on their audiomatic.

[mxxnlightwriting]

Writemas Day 2

Thanks to @agirlandherquill for hosting this challenge!

Tari's Note: Oh, I had so much fun writing this yesterday, and I'm doing it again today because now my brain has ideas™ and I must write them down (I've missed this feeling). This one is technically a continuation from Day 1, but it's a different POV so you don't need to read Day 1 to enjoy this one (I'm trying to keep them all connected). Also, please excuse any typos! I’ll be writing these directly here so they’ll have minimal editing. Thanks for understanding.

Writemas Day 1

Prompt: The smell of a bakery Synopsis: Rae's day goes from bad to worse when she realises everyone in her town already knows her ex is back in the old cabin. Genre/age group: adult contemporary (I’ll turning this into a sapphic romance just so you know) Warnings: Swearing (once) Word Count: 0.7k

Rae dug into her third slice of blueberry pie of the day, ignoring the worried glances her brother and best friend threw her way. She was grateful none of them asked her what had gotten into her because if one of them asked, she'd probably combust right on the spot.

Just thinking about it made her nostrils flare. Fourteen years. Fourteen years of no messages, no phone calls, no contact. After fourteen years, she should've been over this, no? She should be a well-adjusted woman in society, not someone who apparently couldn't function at the sight of her first love.

You're so embarrassing, Rae, she thought as she shoved some more pie inside her mouth. She leaned back on the leather booth, crossing her arms over her chest, taking in the slow movement of her brother's bakery. Most people stopped by to get a final order or to take some of the remaining pies for dinner.

She inhaled the sweet scent of baked goods and tried to relax in the only place in this town that didn't remind her of Emily. At the thought of her, she massaged her temples, trying to get the image of her at the door out of her head.

"Everything alright?" Ginny asked. She had her curly hair in a low ponytail, her golden skin flushed from the heat of the bakery. "Do you need another slice?"

Before she could answer, the bakery's bell rang as Mrs Mueller stepped inside at a fast pace, her eyes wide.

"Henry!" she yelled as she walked towards the counter, out of breath. "Where's Rae?"

"He's in the kitchen, Henrietta," Ginny said, looking at the woman over her shoulder. "And Rae's here."

Some of the panic faded from the old woman's features and she joined Rae in the booth, her eyes glancing at the empty plate and then at her.

"So you already know," Mrs Mueller said, nodding to herself. She patted Rae's hand, hers cold from the weather outside. "You have nothing to worry about. I'll talk with my book club friends and we'll find a way to send her away. Now that her grandfather's dead, they'll probably sell the property anyway!"

"Henrietta!" Ginny said as if she was reprimanding a small child. "Don't speak ill of the dead!"

"I'm not speaking ill of the dead! I'm speaking ill of Emily. That girl is trouble."

Tell me about it, Rae thought. Whenever Emily was around, trouble was soon to follow.

"Just let her be," Rae eventually said, trying to seem casual about the whole thing. "And I doubt they'll sell the property."

She stood from her chair and grabbed the plate from the table, disappearing into the kitchen area, where her brother sang under his breath to the radio as he finished cleaning the counters.

"What did Henrietta want?" he asked, lifting his eyes to look at his sister. "Was this about the furniture in the driveway? I told her you'd take care of it."

"I took care of it." Rae dropped her plate and fork in the industrial sink. She gripped its surface and pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to speak the words out loud. She couldn't. "Emily's back."

Saying her name out loud was like someone punching her in the gut. Seeing her in person was ten times worse.

"Oh," was all Henry said for a while. "And Henrietta was here to tell you that, is it?" Rae nodded, feeling her brother's gaze on her. "But you already knew because she was the one responsible for the furniture in the driveway. Wasn't it?"

Rae looked at her brother. He nodded in understanding when their eyes met.

"I told her it was nice to see her again which was obviously a fucking lie." Rae let out a bitter laugh. "And now Mrs Mueller is set on telling her book club friends her master plan to drive Emily away from town."

"And do you want that?" he asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Rae leaned on the sink and hugged herself, keeping her eyes on her brother as she said, "What I want doesn't matter, Henry."

"Right," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Keep lying to yourself, sis. You won't get closure that way, though. And we both know you're in dire need of it."

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© mxxnlightwriting 2024 All Rights Reserved. Copying, reposting, translating and/or modifications of my work are strictly prohibited.

[eggo-da-axolotl]

chapter 1 of Opposites attract <3

Thursday morning a certain blue meme guardian woke up feeling.... Happy ? No that wasn't it and he brushed it off and started cleaning the castle because his friends and smg3 were coming over! He checked the calendar and it was the 23rd of May so he started to clean and what not and his phone started to beep and he opened the group chat with his friends!

*****************************

DA COOL GROUP

=============

Fish🐟: My cousin’s doing a back bend while watching little bus

Squid🦑: Good for you boopkins

Gamer girl🎮: What

Maryo🍝: GUS I CEE DAT PIZLE GIY

Ex-enemy🟣: Guys what is Mario talking about-

Everyone: idk-

*****************************

Smg4 chuckled a bit then put his phone down and continued cleaning and after a bit he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and saw.... Smg3....?

3: hey Smg4..?

4: hey 3 your um here early?

3: wdym I thought u said 3:30-

4: it's 2:30-

3: what. Oh crap my clocks one hour behind I'll just go-

4: no it's OK you can stay

3: really-

4: yea u can help me set up

3: sure!

4: your so tsundere smg3

3: s-shut up baka!

Smg3 and Smg4 were cleaning while a certain.. TV host.. Was in his studio...

Mr puzzles: UGH I GIVE UP ON THESE 5 STARS

He would throw papers against the wall in rage

Mr puzzles: I think it's time I get a job...

He would go on his computer and look for places hiring.... That won't be important

Right..?

Anyways let's go back to the ga- I means guys

3: crap I forgot my gift for the white elephant

4: go get it I'll finish cleaning and the others should be here soon

3 would leave and the others would starts arriving...

Boopkins: hiya smg4!

Meggy: Hey guys

Tari: hello!

Melony: hi!!!

Bob: WhAtS uP gAnG

Mario: HEY ES M GEE 4

Saiko: こ��にちは(hello)

4: hello everyone! Meggy: um smg4 isnt someone missing

4: oh yea smg3 said he'd be here any minu-

Smg3 would arrive

3: h-hey guys

he'd be out of breath from running

Everyone would say hi

4: come on giys lets go to the gamimg room and we can start the white elephant!

They would all go to the gaming room and there would be 9 gifts in the middle of the circle

4: ok guys pick a number from the hat and thats the order your going in

They woukd all pick numbers from the hat and the order would be

1 mario

2 meggy

3 bob

4 boopkins

5 melony

6 smg4

7 saiko

8 tari

9 smg3

4: let's start!

Mario would open a gift and there would be spaghetti..?

Mario: OMG I GOT A RESERVATION AT SPAGHETTI PLACE!!!

Meggy: um mario its says an italian restaurant but ig they have spaghetti there-

meggy would go next and get a beanie

Meggy: aww this is so cuteee

After a while bob would get a manga book which he was mad about boopkims ofc took the book from bob then bob got another gift and got a gun, melony would got a pokemon plush and then it would be smg4s turn amd he would get a... Mysterious pink potion..?

4: what is this-

Boopkins: i took some potion making classes!

4: what does it do..?

Boopkins: idk

4: Uh- anyways lets continue anyways Saiko its your turn!

Saiko: ああ、かわいい桜のピン(aww cute cherry blossom pin)

Tari would get a duck and smg3 would take the last one and would get a hoodie.

After a few hours everyone except Smg3 had left...

3: i bet u 20 bucks u wont drink the potion

4: wanna bet

3: bet.

Smg4 would grab the potion and start chugging it and would be empty in a few seconds.

Unknown to smg3.... smg4s eyes would have a hue of........ Pink?

3: dang i didn't think you would actually do it-

Smg3 would be getting his money out when smg4 would stop him.....

[mooshy333]

Idk why but Mr Puzzles seems like the guy to just bust a move lol

So the movie and the live stream was really fun :D I loved so many parts and details: the Titanic scene, and the plushie scene, I was crying of laughter, the epic villain song, (it's in my playlist) we got content of 34, Meggy and Tari, Bob and boopkins too, I loved how much angst was in there, especially right before Mr puzzles song, they were in 4D AAH they looked so good, and the details of Meggy hyperventilating from remembering her traumatic experience with Wren, and how Four looked down in shame from IGBP, I wanted to hug them honestly. They deserved it. I did expect Mario to show up more than he actually did, but what he was doing the whole movie was also funny and the final battle was AWESOME, and when Four did the final hit on Mr puzzles— bro- it was so cool :D and WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT LUIGI? For a few seconds I was actually debating he was about to die, but idk if he's going to be a hammer for the rest of his life- and how he went straight to Puzzles to attack him as a hammer- *smacks lips* perfection just like the other arcs/ movies in my book.

[chimkin-samich]

How would like if I dew sun, moon, and tari as dragons (that’s my favorite mythical creature, also just curious; have you read wings of fire and have you seen the how-to-train-your-dragon movies/tv show?!)

also I love your art, I JUST WANT TO HUG TARI, SUN, AND MOON SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😫😄

Oh that would be so cool! Please feel free and give us a tag! We love seeing your guys art!

And we have read wings of fire (I read up to book 5 and feral up to book 2?) but I’ve been wanting to read the rest, we have to ocs! My raingwing Gecko and ferals night/sky wing hybrid Helix!

We absolutely love HTTYD as well we have both rider and dragon ocs! We have mine an albino night fury and feral has sandwraith/night fury hybrid as for our riders Feral is named Birka but known as Roaris “Lionheart” Cromwell, Shes a sky pirate that’s rides a stormcutter named NightFall and the go around stealing from other pirates and freeing dragons and sea beasts

My oc is named Torben, a feral dragon man that lives amongst dragons and acts like one, he ride a night fury/skrill hybrid named Typhoon, Torben can barely speak (didn’t speak for years just “speaks” like a dragon) he can say words here and there, but he can communicate through writing he also goes around freeing dragons and sinking trapper ships which is how he and Birka meet!

That’s not even to mention all the dragon ocs and other ocs we have lol, we have tons of Aus and ocs even have Eragon ocs as well!

Yeah sorry for the ramble tho 😭 I really love all our ocs and Aus we make of ourselves but I only get to talk about it with feral, not sure if y’all would like them but even for the boys we make tons of Aus that we haven’t brought up, not to mention all the little stories we make of alternate scenarios for the original AU or even other Aus we have of them DJFKF

[thefandomtrashpit]

What's sad about MD ending is not that it's ending

Putting a read more because like a lot of my other text post, this one got long

Welp, by now I'm sure the majority of the fans have heard about the trailer for the 8th episode of Murder drones, and how that trailer is called the 'Series Final.' Of course, this is upsetting in itself. This story about these weird little robots, the world that the live in, and how this 'big bad eldritch abomination of a code error' feels like it is ending way too soon what the show has built up in its run time. There feels like there's still to many questions that are going to be left unaswered, and too many mysteries that are going to be left unsolved...but at the end of the day, it's also better to leave a series in a high note then to continue banging it out and watch it become a mess of what it originally was.

Yes, I am sad that after waiting for so long, I hear that something I was looking forward to is going to be ending with an episode that's coming up in a few weeks at this point in time. Much like a lot of other fans, I was holding onto the hope and the copium that Murder Drones would be getting a second season after Glitch finally released the awaited 8th episode. And I was very much disheartened with seeing the episode trailer being called it's series final and just the season final. But I can except than the book for this crazy little story has to come to a close. I now just hold out hope that the time the people working on the show has put into this episode will leave all us fans satisfied with where this crazy and wonderful story we all stuck around for ends.

But now it time to get into what I put in as the title. As sad before, the series coming to an end is going to be sad, but I personally don't think that's going to be the saddest part. No, I think the saddest part is going to be slow death of the memory of the show. Why I think this...Well, it's what happened to Meta Runner. This was the first show of the Glitch Productions channel, and we barely see anything about it getting talked about. Glitch didn't even so much as tweet anything about Meta Runner on the anniversary of the show, all the past merch was put under the 'Glitch Classics' section of the store, and said merch is forever sold out as no more of them are being made. Sure we got a little Tari figure in the new 'Glitch Inn' that the company is doing, but that really is only because Glitch acknowledges the fact that some fans still remember Meta Runner. Tari on the SMG4 channel has just become than just a 'quirky' background character to the other characters on that channel, her purpose of advertising her show long gone by. What was once the driving project for this indie show company has been reduced to getting nothing more than fun little call backs.

Eventually, the same is going to happened to Murder drones. The merch is going to stop being made, when the last of it gets sold that's it for it all, and it is even possibly going to be moved under the Classic section of the store to make room for whatever other projects Glitch does to be one the front page. Kevin and Luke aren't going to be talking much about the show, as there's not going to be a reason to with it being over. And eventually the projects they do after the show is going to push the shows playlist on the channel down. There is going to come a time when we look back on what happened and think 'Wow, this show only exists in references now.'

So yeah, those have been my thought about what sad about the show coming to an end.

[magicalyaku]

Why is it October already and why am I still talking about books I read in April?! I'm like half a year behind in time than the rest of the universe. So let's make this quick, eh? The theme of this part is Gay Adult Fiction series, my comfort food. uAu

The Prince's Assassin series (Ariana Nash): I picked this up on a whim, at the end of April when I was in a slump, and then I read all 3 books and the novella in about a week. It's good! In the beginning, it has quite a few parallels to Captive Prince but I didn't mind and it quickly becomes its own story. There's magic and elves (who are very different from what you usually imagine as 'elves') and some dark themes. I liked reading it a lot and I enjoyed Nico as a character. That he actually walked away from Vasili when it got too much. And that just when I thought "how often will you repeat this?" they worked it out. :D

The Paladin's Shadow & The Sword-Witch's Heart (Radiance 2+3) (Tavia Lark): The easy-going ones, here they are! Not much different to say from the other books I read by this author. Enjoyable adventure, romance that works, good world-building. For the third book, I was very apprehensive to read about the second protagonist because I didn't like him when he appeared in the second book. But suprisingly, he got better and I ended up liking book 3 a lot more than book 2. The series got new covers recently btw. These look a lot better than the old ones. :'D

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen & The Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books 1+2) (KJ Charles): Omg, so much fun. I loved reading the first book, so 4 days waiting for the second volume to be delivered was testing my patience really hard. yAy It's fun and at times suprisingly dark (as in people die) and I really like the portrayal of the marsh, as a place, as a home. That was the one piece I missed a little in the second book, but otherwise I liked that one just as much. Can't go wrong with KJ Charles. :)

Running Close to the Wind (Alexandra Rowland): As it turns out, we started with the darkest and end with the funniest book. :'D This one is not exactly a series, but set in the same world and slightly connected to the events of the author's previous novel A Taste of Gold and Iron. This one took me by surprise. It's hugely different than its predecessor but so much fun! It's a comedy, really, and a smart one at that, despite it consisting 70% of dirty jokes. (There are no explicit scenes, though!) I enjoyed reading every second of it. It's just great. Good characters, smart writing and dialogue, adventure, absurdity. Highly recommended.

There's still 4 more books on my list but I just decided that I don't to need to talk about them much, so have one (or three) sentence(s) for each and then be done with it:

Snow Boys (Simon Doyle): Cute, contemporary story with coming out drama and family drama. Why does it change covers so often?

A Spark of Magic (Tari Riley): Self-published fantasy story with a budding romance between a teen witch and an accidental merboy, first book of a series, was pretty okay. The only thing that irked me was how they were constantly grabbing things (instead of taking them or picking them up or fetching them ...). :'D

Only Mostly Devastated prequel novella (Sophie Gonzales): Of course, I've already forgotten everything about the main story except the main points and that I enjoyed it, yet it was easy enough to get into the prequel.

The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa): I didn't like it, because it's not about the cat but the usual Japanese teenage manga protagonist, but because it's a novel instead of a manga suddenly it's great and serious? My ass. It makes some good points about our modern reading habits but is very simplified, and if you let me talk any further, I will only rage about every single point that annoyed me, so I stop. :)

[gachawolfiebloom]

Two Hearts In The City of Love

Chapter 8: No Power Means Nothings is Okie Dokie

Everything seemed slow today. Luigi had nothing planned and everyone just wanted to relax. They were all staring at their phones, except for Mario, who was rolling around on the couch and complaining. "Mario is soooooo bored!!!"

Three looked annoyed as he pointed to the TV behind the stupid Italian and said "Then go watch some TV and stop bugging us!" He threw the remote over to Mario, who instantly cheered up. "Yippee! Mario is gonna watch teletubbies!"

He switched on the TV and started flipping through the channels. Bob was watching some kind of weird thing that Birdo was doing when a notification came on that his battery was at 10%. "NO! HONEY! STAY WITH ME!" He grabbed a huge plug and starting jamming it into a nearby outlet. "HELP IS ON THE WAY! HELP IS ON THE WAY! HELP IS ON THE-"

"Stop jamming it in like that Bob! You might make the fuse go out!" He didn't listen to Meggy as he took the other end and plugged in his phone. "THERE! NOW I CAN GET BACK TO MY BOOBY TIME!" He turned back on whatever gross thing he was watching and just a second later, the battery died. "WHAT THE HELL?"

He tried unplugging and replugging his phone several times, but it wouldn't charge. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS THING!?" Mario was enjoying his TV time when it shorted out into static and shut off on its own. "Nooooooo!!!!" Mario started running around crying and Bob kept throwing a fit. "Shut up you kids!" Three yelled and both unexpectedly stopped. Not because of Three's yelling, but because the lights had gone out.

Four immediately jumped out of his seat in a panic and started shaking nervously. Tari looked just as terrified as she clung onto Meggy. "Relax you two! The power just went out!" Four didn't believe everything was hunky dory as he said "Remember the last time we had a power outage..."

"It will be fine guys! I'm sure this will be cleared up in a few hours!" Three narrowed his eyes at his two idiot friends and said "What did you guys do?" Bob pointed at Mario and said "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! TALK TO HIM!" Mario stuck his hands out and replied back "Mario was just watching TV!" There didn't seem to be any damage to the outlet or the hotel TV and there wasn't even a storm outside.

"Strange..." Three tapped his chin in thought. This mysterious reason of what caused it made Four even more unsettled. "I don't like this...it doesn't seem normal for the power to just go out like that." Three could sense how distressed Four felt. He held him in his arms and said "It's alright Four. I won't let anything happen to you." He rubbed Four's back softly as he told Meggy "You should probably go talk to the front desk or something before Four and Tari have a panic attack."

Meggy nodded and said "Yeah. I'll go right now. You want to come Tari?" She was still clinging tightly to the orange haired girl. "I guess so...just please don't leave me alone!" Meggy smiled and said "Of course not!" She told the crew that they would be back in just a moment and went up to the front desk. "Hi! We were just wondering when the power was going to come on."

They were expecting a response of reassurance like "The power will be on in an hour or so" or "Don't worry, we have handled blackouts before" but the lady at front desk said something that was certainly not what they had hoped for. "I actually don't know ma'am. We've never had the power go out on in the middle of the day. We don't even know what caused it."

Tari began to quiver more in fear. Meggy tried to rub her hand to calm down and said "Oh...well thanks anyway." Tari whispered to her as they walked back "This is getting scary. Why would the power just go out randomly." Meggy shrugged and tried to encourage her that everything would be fine.

"Mario's bored again." He sat upside down on the couch while Luigi read a book. Bob just bullied Boopkins to entertain himself when he threw a pillow at the fish and that gave him an idea. "HEY MARIO! WANT TO BUILD A SICK PILLOW FORT!" Mario was on board right away as the two began grabbing pillows off the couches and stacking them on top of each other. Meggy approached the crew with Tari. "So...the front desk said they aren't really sure when the power will come back on. They don't even know how it happened."

Four felt a sharp pain of distress and became even more concerned. "I knew something wasn't right here! We've got to get out of here right now before-" He tried to make a run for it, but Three stopped him. "Calm down Four. Just take a breath."

Four rambled on "But why else would the power go out suddenly! I can't take this! It's too much!" He wondered if anyone cared about what was at stake. If he struck again then...

Three hated seeing Four like this. He tried to think of something to take their minds off this when the perfect idea entered his mind. "How about a game of Uno? I know how you like to win." Four actually stopped shivering.

He didn't say anything as he slid down onto the floor and held his knees while burying part of his face. "That would be nice..." Three smiled as he told the girls "You find a way to fix this while I keep an eye on these goobers." Meggy gave Three and thumbs up and went down the hall while he went to go grab the game.

"Now...where can we find a power box?" Meggy pondered as she heard a guy screaming from around a corner. They both peaked their heads around to see some kind of maintenance guy yelling "I'm not going down there! Find somebody else to go down and investigate the power surge because I QUIT!" He stormed off past the girls while Meggy had a smug grin. "You thinking what I'm thinking Tari?"

"N-No...?" She pointed over to the room that led down the hotel's power source and Tari collapsed on the ground from shock. Meggy began dragging Tari across the floor as she went up to the guy at the door and said "I heard that you need someone to go down there and investigate the blackout! Well me and my friend humbly volunteer!" She pulled Tari back on her own two feet as she waved nervously.

"Oh thank you! Nobody has wanted to go down there today and they keep hearing strange sounds down there." Tari went and hid behind Meggy as she asked "Strange how?"

"They say it sounds like static noises?" The girls glance at each other, wide eyed before the man handed them some flashlights and said "You'll be fine though! Let me know what the problem is and i'll fix it up in no time!"

Mario was trying to stack pillows, but they just kept falling over. He grunted angrily and said "Mario's pillows are broken!" He decides to check out how Bob's fort is coming along and his face turns to shock as a castle, made entirely from pillows, stood in front of him and almost reached the ceiling. Bob looks out from the balcony and says "BOW DOWN TO YOUR KING AND GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY!"

Mario immediately gave up on his fort and asked Bob "Hello! Can Mario come in?" Bob's eyes furrowed and he yelled "AMBUSH!" He started throwing pillows in Mario's face as he got knocked into the wall. Mario rushed behind his sad pile and started angrily throwing pillows back.

Three sat down in front of Four and started dealing out cards. Four tried to forget about the dark, but this awful feeling just kept him paranoid. Like an old foe was waiting for his return. Three takes the first turn and places down a card. "Ooh yes a 6! Best that Smg4!" Four shakily looks at his cards and places down a card of the same color instead of a power-up that he had.

After a while, Smg3 won and his competitive nature made him gloat. "YES! You suck! I'm the best!" Four didn't say anything and breathed heavily. He kept glancing down where Meggy and Tari went. Three stopped his overly excessive ranting and said "Hey...I didn't mean to make you feel worse. You usually win when we play. What's bugging you?"

He used his hand to move Four's face towards his. "I'm just worried about Meggy and Tari. They've been gone for a while." Three sighed and sat down next to Four. "Hey they're okay. The power will come back on soon."

"But what if it doesn't! He's going to take them and then he'll get us and-"

Three pulled Four into his chest and whispered sweet things to make him feel better while Four clung on tightly. "Nobody is going to get taken. Everyone is fine. Just calm down." Four whimpered while Three brushed his hair with his fingers. "Shhhh..." He pulled out his phone and asked "Would you feel better if I texted them if they were alright?" Four softly nodded as Three smiled and went to Meggy's contact.

Meggy and Tari walked down the basement with the clunking sound of their footsteps, but no static. Tari pointed her flashlight at any suspicious thing that made her jump. Meggy listened to her surroundings and said "I'm not sure what that guy was talking about. I don't hear any static noises."

She then shone her flashlight to a light switch in the corner. "Hey! Now we're getting somewhere!" Meggy flicked it on and the lights on the ceiling burst. "WHAT!?" She tired flipping the switch on and off multiple times, but the lights were dead. "Well Tari, looks like we'll have to-" The blue haired girl was nowhere to be seen. "Tari?"

"O-Over h-here..." Tari waved from behind some boxes stacked up randomly. Meggy calmly went over and knelt down next to her "You okay Tari?" She shook her head and said "This is too scary. I don't do well in the dark."

"I know, but our friends are counting on us. Don't you want to turn the power on?" She nodded and pointed further down the hall. "Just find the generator without me. I'll only slow you down." Meggy looked shocked and yelled "Are you kidding!? NO WAY!" She stuck her hand out to Tari and said "We're going to find that generator together and if something scary does show up, we'll beat the crap out of it! You've faced your fears several times. Are you really going to let a dark basement undo all that hard work?" Tari blinked serval times before looking down again.

She put on a brave face and grabbed Meggy's hand. "You're right! I can do this! Let's go find that generator!" Her phone then dinged as she saw it was a message from Smg3.

Smg3: How's it going on getting the power back on? Smg4 is freaking out and wondering if you guys are alright. 😏

Meggy laughed and sent back a message that everything was fine and they should find the generator soon.

"THE TYRANNY OF WAR IS UPON US!"

Bob and Mario were flinging pillows at each other. Any time one of them got hit even once, they would make sure the other regretted it deeply. Boopkins started to see that this was getting out of hand and said "Should we do something?" Luigi looked up from his book and wondered "Wasn't Smg3 supposed to be keeping them under control?"

He looked over to where the two boys were sitting. Three rubbed Four's hand and said "Meggy just told me that her and Tari are fine. You're worrying about nothing." He noticed the fish and Italian looking at them. "Can I help you?" 

"Uh...Bob and Mario are fighting." He pointed to the pillow forts behind them and Three rolled his eyes. "And...can't you see we're busy here!" Truth be told, Three couldn't bother to intervene because it felt so good to embrace Four like this.

"STAND DOWN MARIO!"

"Mario will never surrender!"

Boopkins got in the middle of their war and said "Can we please stop fighting! It's not nice!" Bob scoffed and said "OUT OF THE WAY BOOPKINS! THIS IS WAR!" Luigi tried to stop his brother. "Wouldn't you like to read a nice book with me instead Mario?" His brother laughed and said "Silly Luigi! You know Mario never learned to read! Now get out of Mario's territory!" He grabbed a pillow and hit Luigi in the face when he got a wonderfully, awful idea.

He went up to Bob And yelled "You hate these suckers right!?" while pointing at Boopkins and Luigi. Bob slanted his eyes as he said "YES?" Mario smirked and told him "Mario offers you a truce! If we team up, we can pulverize them!" Bob thought about it for a second before he nodded and said "OKAY!" A pillow drawbridge opened and Mario rushed inside in excitement. "YIPPEE!"

Boopkins and Luigi sighed in relief. "Yay! They made up!" Luigi said "Yeah! Now we can-" They stopped in their tracks as multiple cannons came out of the pillow castle and aimed directly at them. Bob and Mario laughed evilly from the top while high-fiving each other. "WAIT! I thought you guys made up!"

"WE DID, BUT ONLY BECAUSE WE CAN'T STAND YOU!" Mario pressed a button and millions of pillows rained down on the two of them.

Meggy and Tari kept shinning their flashlights around, looking for anything like a generator. "Y'know this isn't the first time we've been in these situations before." Tari looked quizzically at Meggy and asked "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, we've faced at lot together. It makes me think that we've grown into really good friends." Meggy smiled at her and Tari agreed. "Yeah! We have! I love going on adventures with you Meggy."

The orange haired girl looked like she wanted to ask Tari something until she pointed and said "Look! We found the generator!" There stood a lone box in the corner that held the hotel's electricity. Meggy complimented Tari on her skills and they went up to check the box. Meggy flipped a switch and the power was turned on after what felt like forever!

The girls cheered for the success of their mission when Meggy looked confused. "Wait...if the generator seems to be working fine...then what caused the power to go out?" The girls pondered that question until something started echoing in the basement. It sounded like...static? The girls went to investigate the noise, but when they found out what was making that sound, they instantly froze. In a mad rush, Meggy took out her phone and started texting Smg3.

Meggy: Please help! It's an emergency! You have to come down to the basement immediately!

The two boys were still cuddling while Boopkins and Luigi were buried in pillows. The lights went on and Four finally managed to calm down. "See? Now what did I tell you. Everything's going to be-" Three suddenly got a text and he quickly stood up. Four asked "What's wrong?" He noticed the concern written all over Three's face as he started at his phone.

"Meggy says there's something wrong. She wants us to come down to the basement!" Four started freaking out again as he whispered "No...not again..." Three went over to the others and said "Party's over! We need to go check on Meggy and Tari!"

Mario brushed it off and said "Mario is sure the girls are fine! They're probably cuddling with each other like Smg3 and Smg4!" Three blushed like crazy and yelled "WE WERE NOT CUDDLING! NOW GET DOWN NOW!" He took out a bazooka and shot down the pillow fort.

"NO! MY IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS!"

Three dug out Luigi and Boopkins and sternly said "We're going to get our friends!" Luigi and Boopkins quickly followed, very worried while Bob and Mario just looked annoyed. The basement was the last place that Four wanted to go, but he knew that he had to go save his friends just like they would do the same for him.

Everything was dark as they searched through the basement until they heard a weird static noise and the girls were staring at something. "Meggy? Tari?" Three went up to them as they had horrified expressions on their faces. When the others finally saw what they were looking at, Four's blood ran cold. "He's back..." A TV box sat with a glitchy screen and familiar bent antennas on top.

Everyone looked shocked and appalled. How did he come back? Wasn't he destroyed? The only one who knew that this had to be his doing was Four. "Mr Puzzles..." The last thing heard was a small chuckle before everything went black.

Who's ready for the next show...?

Chapter 9: Miraculous SMG4

[drelmurn]

If you're coming from TCW/Rebels/Mando to SWTOR and expecting similar lore, the Mandalorian lore they're using in the game is actually a little different. SWTOR predates the Disney canon reset, so it operates on the old EU/Legends lore that Filoni built on for the TV side of things a while after the game started. And while it added a lot to the history, it's never really 'updated' itself to the current canon version of Mandalorian culture, just taken bits and pieces here and there starting from 7.0 onwards' storyline, and that's a ways out from where you are in the game.

But to answer some of your other questions: them calling the Mand'alor Mandalore is more or less the Basic version of the title, and it's what they add an honorific to. The Mandalore from the Bounty Hunter storyline is Mandalore the Vindicated. If you're heading to Taris you're about to learn a smidge more backstory for him and the game's Mando lore in general, but you get adopted into Mandalore's clan, Clan Lok. I don't know why they never really specified it until... I think the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion? in passing dialogue with the Mand'alor? It's weird. Anyway. The house system (and the Protectors) is something Filoni created for Rebels a good 6/7 years after SWTOR's base game launched, so they don't use the house system or the Protectors, it's just the clans.

There's absolutely no reason not to headcanon an amalgamation of the Legends/canon lore as you play if you want, though, that's what I do! I didn't mean to infodump and sorry if this came off as condescending or anything, truly just wanted to help!

Haha I figured it was something like that. I saw something that said they don't really change voiced lines in the game. I was going to add something about just how much the fandom had changed in the perception of Mando'ade. A lot of the fanfic writers I follow got pretty into Mandalorian stuff in the Prequel trilogy era (even ones I followed from different fandoms haha), so I'm pretty used to that.

I've gone through the smuggler's storyline up to finishing knights of the fallen empire, so I'd met Torian Cadera. When I saw him while I did the right of passage to get introduced to the black list people, I was sure he was going to be my companion.

Even without that though, it feels janky? Like, me accepting becoming Mandalorians and then not being told anything about the culture or maybe getting like an intro book made it feel very gang like.

On them calling the Mand'alor Mandalore, I get that it's the basic version, but the way they use it is what feels weird. Like for one thing, they sprinkle in a bunch of other Mando'a (another trip pronunciation wise - I wonder if they hadn't settled that yet), so having them use the Basic word feels weird. But it's fine, we're talking in Basic and it doesn't really matter. What I felt was weirder was the fact that they use like a name. You don't go around calling kings "King", it's "King Such-and-such". You can use a style without the name - like "your majesty" or "your highness" - but just the title itself not really? Like, they don't even regularly call him "Mandalore the Vindicated", it's always just Mandalore. Which is weird.

[maladaptive-ninja-returns]

It’s The Avengers (04x07)

Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)

Season 4 Episode 07: My Ride or Die

Series Summary: Living in the Avengers facility post-apocalypse in a better timeline   Tony Stark has decided to capture every moment by pulling The Office on the Avengers. All of the housemates are pretty used to the idea except for you, who had just come here to finish her degree, and the newest member- Loki.

Warnings: that there is no fluff content...just an ominous sound of some mystery

Word Count: I know it’s a small chapter but I wanted to wish @tarithenurse a happy birthday and thought of putting this up as a birthday gift? I hope you like it Tari. I love you!

MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)

The camera recorded the silence looming in the private jet with all the Avengers present in that small space. One could hear the clinking of ice with the glass that Ned held in his hand with his pinky out. Half of them slept; Pepper and Tony enjoying a cat nap while holding hands, Bucky snoring in his seat at the back, Wanda dozing off on Vision's shoulder, Bruce murmuring something in his sleep while Natasha softly patted his head with what one would dare say was a hint of a soft smile. Scott and Pietro were out cold, never even budging when the jet hit a little ten-second turbulence. Clint slept like a 'dad'. Arms crossed, head bobbing in and out of sleep, popping his eyes open at any foreign sound.

The other half were busy in their own world. Peter and Ned were sipping their ice water with their headphones on, binging the latest episodes of One Piece. Vision watched Cocomelon. Natasha put on a crime documentary. Steve kept looking out of the window and clicking pictures of whichever cloud he fancied. Sam was lost in his copy of They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall.  And you. You were reading something on your phone. The null expression on your face was not giving away anything. Nada. Zilch. Loki sat next to you, finally getting to adjust his legs, sliding down in his seat and letting out a big sigh before closing his eyes. The camera seemed to settle just there, with you and Loki in the frame, as if waiting for something. You would wriggle your nose, take a deep breath in between and adjust yourself in your seat, scratch an itch on your arm or neck, but you never looked up from your phone. The camera panned in a little. Loki's arm, supporting his chin, went limp and fell in his lap. His head kept shifting to his right to fall on your shoulder eventually. Your body jerked just the slightest. You looked away from your phone and into the camera lens with eyes a bit surprised. You did not move even an inch, frozen in that position in your seat, your face looking like it was trying its best not to scream. Or cry.

Half Hour Later- On the Airport A shriek of 'Oh My Fu****g God!' came out of the ladies' washroom and a minute later you walked out from that direction, refreshed. Your legs did seem a little wobbly though.  The camera pans out and zooms in on a very shaken Steve standing in the back with a hint of worry.

The SUVs all had their dashboard cameras recording the avengers getting in. The vehicle you were in had Scott, Loki, Peter and Sam- who was still buried in his book. All three cars left the airport for a scenic view back home. Your face was stuck on the window, smiling at something only you knew.  "Oh-" your eyes caught something outside, "a big wheel!" Everyone turned in the direction you were looking. "Must be a local fair," Ned chimed in, looking at the big wheel and balloons floating in the air. You hummed. "I've never been to one of those." Without wasting a second, Scott leaned forward and switched a button. "Hey, Tony. Y/N says she's never been to a local fair."  A screech of tires came from the front before the cars in front started to turn towards the fairgrounds.  "Everybody go stretch their legs. We'll leave in about an hour or so." Tony had not finished talking when the camera caught Scott running past him. "I call dibs on the bumper car driver seat!!" he yelled, still running straight for the gate. You, Peter, Ned, Bucky, Pietro and Wanda looked at each other for barely a second before dashing in Scott's direction, giggling and screaming. The camera focused back on Tony, who was disappointed but not surprised.  "Oh, come on! That's not fair!!!" the camera could hear Scott yell in the background.  Tony looked straight at the camera while Natasha joined him. "Tony, I don't think they know they have to buy tickets."

Inside the Fair Grounds The grounds were relatively quiet, giving the people present there a sight to remember- the avengers walking about casually, wondering which game to play first.  You squealed, running towards a stall with toy guns kept on the counter and three sections made at the back. One with balloons, the other made of moving animated targets and the last one a pinwheel with a bunch of heroes and villains painted on them. "I want to try this one," you stated excitedly, taking the toy rifle in your palms. "What do I win and how do I win it?" The camera saw Loki and Clint follow you towards the stall, standing behind you as the man at the counter explained you'll win a stuffed animal for making seven shots out of ten. You nodded with sheer thrill before tilting your head a little. "And how do I shoot from this?"  The camera saw Clint breathe in to start with his in-built instruction manual to help teach you a thing or two about guns.  "Aw, let me teach you, babygirl." A voice came from next to you, beating Clint to it. A well-built white boy with a snarky smile showing unsettlingly white teeth took a step towards you and grabbed the rifle from your hands. "Just know that you're learning from the best marksman here," he chuckled and moved closer to you. You looked in confusion towards Clint, mouthing 'best marksman?'. Before he could plant himself behind you, the camera caught Loki grabbing the back of your shirt and pulling you away from the boy and towards himself, letting Clint gladly take your place. "Come," Clint declared with a smile, wrapping his hands around the rifle and never looking away from that boy's stunned face, "I'll be your baby girl."

The Roller Coaster "I'll pay you seven dollars to whoever rides this coaster with me," Ned declared at the entry gate of the ride. Scott high-fived him and walked in with Bucky right behind him. Sam followed, the book still in his hand as he seated himself in between the two.  "I'll take it!" you announced. "Woah!" Peter tried to stop you. "I thought you suffered from nausea whenever you got on one of these." You nodded and smiled. "But I need seven dollars to visit the ghost house and buy a laser pointer." Peter blinked and stared at you with disbelief before looking at the camera. 

Peter: You are the daughter of a Billionaire, Y/N!! *raises his hands in disbelief* The camera pans out to show you standing right behind him. Y/N: *whispers close to Peter's ear* Tell that to my traumatised childhood  *Peter lets out a shrill scream before jumping away from you*

Four Hours Later Your cackle filled the Facility grounds as everyone walked through the concrete path to get to the building. "Yeah, I think Bucky enjoyed the Pendulum the most," Natasha declared. The camera cut to the footage of Bucky screaming in the pendulum, calling out for Steve as the teens sitting next to him looked at him in awkward silence. Everyone burst out laughing. "No-" Clint tried to complete his sentence through chuckles- "but he got nothing on Scott in the haunted house." Another footage plays of Scott jumping into Vision's arms when the Nun from the Conjuring franchise jumps out at him. The ant-man proceeds to cry for a few seconds. "Should we go back, Scott?" Vision asks. "No," Scott wails, "keep walking. I want that candy at the end of this house." The guffaws and giggles echoed through the night sky. Javier's camera noticed you pressing an inevitable smile as you looked at the God walk at the very back of the pack, smiling with the others. "Now, now, Natasha. That does not mean we'll forget you almost burned down the Chilli Station," Loki purred and everyone else howled. Wanda nodded and high-fived Loki for reminding everyone of that incident.  The camera caught your smile again.

You: How was today? *tilt your head* *smirk* Surprising. The footage of Loki falling asleep on your shoulder plays. Thrilling too, I'd say...

The frame cuts to Loki sitting next to you on the roller coaster and letting out curses the moment your ride reached the top of the track. "You okay?" you ask him in a whisper.  He is breathless at this point. "Loki?" You put your hand on his knee, jerking him out of a trance. "Huh? Yeah. I'm fine. It's just that I forgot how much I despise heights and...and falling down." Without giving it much thought, you shook his sweaty hand away from the support in front of him and wrapped your fingers around his. "Hey...I'm here with you. If at any point you feel like it's not going well just teleport your way to the ground. Easy as-" "And leave you in this death machine alone? I'd rather die," the God objected in a single breath, stopping yours for a moment there.  The rest of the ride seemed to go in slow motion as everyone screamed and cried around you, as Loki cursed the Norns and the Midgardians; and you just looked at the face of the entity who made sure to rest a hand at your end of the cart to prevent you from falling off (if that ever were to happen).

And...um...it was beautiful too *you licked your lips*

Javier's camera saw you waste fifty dollars on the rifle game to finally win the biggest plushie on that counter- Ice Bear from Bare Bears- and sneak to the back of the stalls and text someone.  A few seconds later, Loki came to your spot, only to be handed the Ice Bear to him. "Hug him, you'll feel better," you advised, pushing the plush into his arms before running away to join Wanda for a ring toss game. Loki stood there, perplexed.

The frame came back to you sitting in the recording room trying to hold back moisture in your eyes by smiling and cursing a bit. You: *rubbing your face with your hands* I can't hold it in, Javi. I have got too much love bubbling inside me now. *inhale* *lock eyes with the camera* I'm...I'm gonna confess my feelings to him, Javier. A sound comes from behind the camera. The lens captures your expression going from a tender lovestruck fool to a concerned friend. "What's wrong?" you seemed to be looking behind the camera in Javier's direction, tilting your head to get a better look at him. A sniff can be heard now. You are slowly getting up from your seat, brows furrowed with concern. "Javi, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Late Night Snores of tired Avengers could be heard from the dorms to the Lounge. Friday's lounge clock tick sweetly on the wall while one single camera sat on the kitchenette island and recorded Sam sitting on the sofa turning to the last page of the book. His bloodshot eyes bore into the final page, reading the lines over and over again till he seemed to absorb whatever emotions they were meant to tickle in him. Closing the book, he gently kept it on the coffee table and brought his palms to his lips, sitting there like that for the next three minutes before finally letting out a crackled, "Holy f*****g shit!"

[littlebunnyman]

Midnight craving

Percy is curious. Percival indulges him.

featuring another Merlin/Critical Role crossover, vampires, and smut

Read on Ao3

Beginning under the cut

“You’re alive.”

Percival looks up from his ale. A delighted smile curls around his mouth. “Percy! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Have a seat. How have you been?”

Percy doesn’t move. He can’t. Percival is alive. He truly is alive. He’d thought- The scry spell had failed so long ago. He had been getting used to the fact that he would never see him again, had come to terms with Percival’s death. He hadn’t believed it when Vax told him of Tary’s book, even when he read the relevant pages himself, dedicated to a married couple flirting with Tary, one of them described as a large, broad-shouldered man talking like Percival. Percy had thought it too good to be true, had tried to smother the hope blooming in his chest.

“Were busy, huh? What are you doing here?”

Percival sits at the bar of a tavern in a small village near Emon. It took a while to track him down but as soon as Percy did, he told Cassandra he had to leave on urgent business. She didn’t question him.

What is he doing? He can be glad Percival recognizes him, that he doesn’t have to awkwardly explain who he is. Has it been nearly a year already? That night has become nothing more but a ghost, haunting him with the sound of Vax’ moans, how his eyes fluttered shut, the way he held on to Percy. That he wanted him, once.

He gestures to the empty stool next to Percival. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“I guess I was waiting for you.” Percival grins though it is short-lived. “Is everything alright? You seem troubled.”

Percy perches on the seat and waves to the bartender. “An ale, please.” He slides a silver piece over the counter when the bartender places the tankard in front of him and turns to Percival. “Did you witness the attack of the Chroma Conclave?”

“Those dragons that attacked Tal’Dorei? I heard of what they did to Emon, yeah. Nasty business.”

“So you had left Emon before the attack?”

“I was quite lucky. Mordred had needed me elsewhere and I’d left just a few hours before, if I remember right.”

“I thought you had died.”

Continue on Ao3

[enola6]

An Interesting Mind

(Vector Hyllus/Reader)

Alderaan was not full of blitheness, nor was it serene.

It was elegant.

It was lush.

At the same time, however, it seemed hollow and lifeless to her. Under the guise of riches and luxury, Lady Thul was miserable. And though she was miserable and bored, she became entertained by an offworlder. Having captivated the attention of a Coruscanti journalist assigned to the task of covering politics off-world. And though she had once believed Coruscant to be the epitome of corruption and grief, she was certainly proven wrong by the Alderaanians—at least by the Thuls.

They were a people paranoid of their enemies. Even Urtel Moren, Lady Thul’s usually stoic bodyguard, illuminated an aura of fear when Jedi and politics were mentioned. The journalist followed him outside, notepad in hand.

"Miss (y/n)," he turned around while being followed in the palace gardens. "May I assist you in anything?"

The Coruscanti took note of the naturalness of Alderaan. Hills that never seemed to stop growing, rills that held water that would never stop flowing. A sky so clear you could see the stars at night and the shapes of clouds during the day...

It was everything Coruscant was not, and yet she yearned for her home.

"I have finished my report on House Thul." She stated, standing straight as if the Sith intimidated her. He waited for her to continue, confused as to why she was speaking to him. Being from offworld, she was only permitted to speak to her host family, not to anyone else, in fear of slander regarding the imperials on Alderaan.

"So you will be leaving us soon?" He inquired.

"No," Her answer startled him, yet he was not surprised. "I wish to explore this planet’s wildlife. Remember that man who visited the house when I first arrived? His eyes the colour of cinders, and he spoke using the word ‘WE’ instead of ‘I’".

"Yes, I remember the Joiner."

She found his tone welcoming and stepped closer to him, showing him the notes she had taken in her notebook. Scribbles as well as random words observed by the journalist graced her singular page dedicated to the man. She was quite embarrassed, to say the least, but the man and his talk of killiks intrigued her.

"I wish to research his condition... I want to venture onto Killik grounds."

“Lady Thul will not permit such an endeavor from someone she is hosting. Your safety will be at risk, Miss (y/n).”

“I know, my Lord. That is the beauty of it.” Thrantas flew above them, creating a gust of wind to close the pages of her book. She placed her book on the latch of her belt where it had always hung, sometimes hitting her legs. “On Coruscant I was given menial work, nothing of importance and seldomly allowed to investigate topics off-world. Now that I have the chance to investigate this… anomaly…”

He sensed her curiosity and recognized it as something dangerous. Journalists have the power to spread news of the war, they also hold the power to change it.

“If you do not offer me directions to their hives, then I will tell the lady of the house about your reports.”

She knew it was wrong, and her heart sank while she spoke to the sith. The enormous derelict camps on Taris reminded her of the jedi. She remembered a child, cradled in his mother’s arms, slowly transform into a rakghoul. She remembered returning to the camp, and her droid detected no human. There was the Barsen'thor, in the capital and when she begged she did not investigate.

Taris was no longer the planet of great civilization , and she blamed the jedi and sith and their stupid war.She however, also knew about his mission. That child was born with knowledge of sith legends , something the bodyguard was ordered to retrieve by the emperor .

“Do not fool me.”

His body softened and the clench he held in his fists was loosened. The redness of his robes created a soft breeze upon her skin as he turned around and began walking down the concrete , white path. From his steps, she thought she saw his footsteps illuminate red, but then again she shook her head and it was gone.

“Tomorrow morning before the sun rises , you will meet me here.” He turned his head around and spoke to her through telepathy, a skill she hated from the sith. “You will bring the coordinates but if you are lying then I will find you and strike you down. Don’t think Republic-ridden Coruscant will save you.”

Bright stars in the sky kept the curious journalist awake as she leaned on the pillows on her temporary bed. A bed she would know no longer.

It was bright and early, too early for (y/n) to comprehend her thoughts in the cold breeze of the mountains. Stupidly , She had not dressed for the cold, believing the weather to be warm and soothing, the perfect temperature for an adventure . A cold nip bit her cheeks , making her cheeks rosy and puffy. Ice stuck to her boots and she almost sprained her ankle on a rock which stood in her way. Urtel Moren took large strides , it was hard for (y/n) to keep up.

“My Lord” She called out while trying to keep his pace “my Lord!”

“Slow down, my Lord!”

He stopped in his tracks and didn’t bother turning , for he sensed her struggle behind him and let her fall on her face.

“There is no need.” He spoke calmly .

“This is … “

“Yes, miss (y/n), this is Killik territory . Feared by many , except the simple.”

She noticed his eyes darken.

Darken as they would around jedi.

Darken as they would around enemies of House Thul.

It was all too soon, he reached for his lightsaber and all she saw was the gleam of red haunt her vision with its overpowering force. Thoughtlessly, she instinctively stepped back, retreating from the looming danger of the sith. In her haste, she stumbled and fell into a hole, a refuge of desperation. Her heart raced as she landed, and her back collided with a jagged rock. Pain surged through her body, and the impact was enough to force her into unconsciousness. Once again , she hit a rock , forcing her to become unconscious as she heard the eerie sound of the kiliks. The world around her grew distant as darkness enveloped her, leaving her fate uncertain in the face of the menacing threat.

Her senses slowly abandoned her,as she was no longer aware of the looming threat of the red lightsaber or the haunting figure who wielded it. Instead, her unconscious form lay still in the darkness of the hole…

The killiks' delicate antennae brushed against her motionless body, as they communicated silently with one another in their distinct language . In their intricate and collective way, they assessed the intruder, unaware of her purpose . The unconscious woman remained at the mercy of these enigmatic creatures, her fate uncertain as they probed and examined her in the cold, unforgiving darkness.

They gently lifted her from the cold, rocky ground, their coordinated efforts carrying her with surprising care and precision. In their collective intelligence, they recognized her as something of interest, a puzzle they wished to solve.

Their joiner would know more about the strange woman.

Slowly and silently, they made their way through the intricate tunnels, guided by an unseen force—their hive mind working together to transport their newfound discovery. As they navigated the labyrinthine passages, (y/n) ‘s unconscious form was brought closer to their destination.

Finally, they arrived at the nest where Vector Hyllus, the joiner, awaited. He was standing, surrounded by a soft, bioluminescent glow emanating from the Kilik nests. The Kiliks approached, their intricate chittering signaling their discovery to the human. He understood them and studied the unknown woman with interest.

A Killik stepped forward and handed Vector her belt. The belt seemed small in the insectoid creature's grasp, but the creature recognized it as useful and important.

With a mixture of curiosity and gratitude, he unzipped the pouch attached to the belt carefully and found the journal inside. The journal was filled with meticulous research notes and observations about Joiners and the enigmatic Kilik species. Vector's own history as a Joiner, someone bonded with the Kiliks, made this discovery even more intriguing.

“(y/n) (l/n)...” he whispered as he traced his finger over the title page of the journal.

He looked upon her once more and came to the realization that she was a woman he recognized from house Thul. He remembered her pheromones of curiosity and the way her eyes never left him.

As he flipped through the pages, his eyes widened with understanding and interest. (y/n) had dedicated significant time and effort to studying the connection between Joiners and Kiliks. Her research could hold valuable insights into the intricate relationship between the two and potentially reveal new aspects of their unique bond.

“Take her to a private area. She means no harm, just curiosity.”

In the darkness of his own private room, Vector’s black eyes examined the journal with such delicate ease, afraid to damage any pages from the thoughtfully crafted journal. As he examined the woman's journal and the intricate research she had compiled, his senses picked up on an unusual scent, a subtle and intoxicating fragrance that was carried in the air.

These were not ordinary scents, but rather pheromones, biological signals that held a profound and instinctual significance to the Kilik species. Pheromones were a powerful form of communication and connection for the insectoid creatures, and they conveyed a range of emotions and intentions.

Vector's unique bond with the Kiliks heightened his awareness of these chemical signals. As he inhaled the subtle, alluring scent emanating from the unconscious woman, a surge of instinctual emotions and thoughts flowed through him. He was aware that this was not just an ordinary human response, but a deep and primal connection to the Kilik hive mind, intensified by the woman's presence.

In that moment, a complex and unconventional bond began to form in Vector's mind, a connection that went beyond mere curiosity. He recognized the woman's pheromones as an invitation, an offer of unity with the Kiliks in a way that was both intriguing and unsettling. However, Vector was still a diplomatic and open-minded individual. A part of him was still human.

With these thoughts in mind, Vector Hyllus closed the journal, his mind filled with a mixture of fascination and uncertainty. The discovery of the woman's research and the presence of her pheromones had opened a new and uncharted chapter in the complex relationship between Joiners, Kiliks, and (y/n).

When she awoke some time later, her hair amess and out of the many braids she had twisted them in. She reached for her belt, she had packed a silver blade before she had ventured , not trusting the sith in his full capacity. However, when she reached down she felt nothing but empty belt loops that held no leather, and no notebook.

(y/n’s) senses slowly returned, and she found herself in the presence of Vector Hyllus and the Killiks. Confusion clouded her thoughts as she attempted to make sense of the situation. It was what she wanted , and for the first time she wished to be back at her office on Coruscant.

That was when the Joiner entered the room, causing (y/n) to turn around.

She said nothing as she made eye contact with the joiner. Her gaze shifted, and she suddenly noticed something unusual. His striking, pitch-black eyes met hers, and the sight sent a shock of surprise through her.

“You’re…” she began to stutter.

“We are Vector Hyllus ,” the joiner began to speak “Dawn Herald of the Oroboro nest. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss (y/n).”

“How do you know my name?” (y/n) moved hair from her eyes, looking fully at the man before her.

“We examined your journal. Just a precaution to see if you could be trusted.” His voice was deep and soothing , but one could hear the eusocialness radiate from his voice. (Y/N) didn’t have time to think of accents or tone. Instead, she jolted back when killiks entered the room with their menacing height and fangs.

“What frightens you?” he integrated.

“I cannot speak,” the woman began to compose, “For I am fearful of the creatures that stand in the shadows behind you.”

And though she was tired , (y/n) managed to stand and point at what was behind Vector with her ring catching his eye. It shined in the minimal light that was present in the cave. The only light seemed to be the gleaming light that radiated from the unfriendly aura of the killiks.

“These are the killiks, but you seem to be already knowledgeable about their unique anatomy and character. We have lived with them, worked with them and became them. So , Miss (y/n), what do you wish from us?”

Knowledge , research , the permission to record the hive. She would have answered that only hours ago .

“ forgive me, sir,” she began to speak “But I admit I am frightened by the eyes of black that you proudly bear. You have read my journal and know what I know…” she took a recorder from her jacket and pressed the bright red button on the top of the lip , “so tell me what the world does not for your kind is so interesting that I yearn to enlighten the world about your condition.”

They sat down and he began to speak.

For days she slept on the bed kindly offered by Mister Vector Hyllus and wrote her report, refusing to return to Coruscant without it.

But another thing made her stay. Sometimes, she would peek behind the tall walls of the cave and stare at him with complete fascination.

He would look back.

And she would blush.

Vector observed the blushing, skittish woman with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. Her dedication to understanding the Kiliks and her unyielding determination to learn more about their bond fascinates him. He admired her. Her courage , her intellect and her beauty.

He one day caught her packing her bag. She had discussed with him the night before on her departure , how she would leave him and never see him again. That is what he feared.

“(y/n)” He called to her.

“Vector!” She loosened her shoulders and moved some hair from her face. “I haven't seen you all day. Where have you been?” she stepped closer to him, her pheromones becoming more and more present , almost intoxicating him with her unknowing spell. In the midst of the cave, a flower had bloomed from its hidden petals and became the only jewel in the room.

“(y/n) there is something we must discuss with you. We do not want you to leave.”

“Vector … I do not understand”.

“We have felt something since you’ve arrived . A sweet sensation that does not leave. It is strange we have never felt such…”

“Mister Hyllus,” She noticed his red cheeks in the darkness of the cave. “I believe you are trying to say that you like me… romantically .” she then thought of ways to convey her message to his hive mind , “in the way mates do.”

He looked down almost shamefully . No, that was the wrong word, for the feeling he felt held no shame.

“We believe so , (y/n)”

“Well , Vector,” she let her bag drop and walked closer to him. She twiddled her fingers and tried looking anywhere but him. The flustered state that they both shared seemed to be oh so contagious. “I don’t want to leave either.”

And that was her way of letting him know that she had also grown feelings for him.

“Leave the hive, just for a moment.” She whispered into his ear. The black of his eyes disappeared and a human was in front of her. A man.

“Let us enjoy ourselves…”

(y/n) did not leave for Coruscant that night.

[mxxnlightwriting]

🎹 One Last Show Cover Reveal 🎹

Click the image to see it in better quality!

A massive thank you to @.catarinabookdesigns for her incredible work on this cover. She's super talented and amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better book cover or a better way to introduce you (visually) to Emma and Dylan.

It's my first time getting an illustrated cover with people on it, and let me tell you, what an incredible feeling. There's nothing like your characters coming to life in this manner. I look at this cover and can't stop smiling at how these are my characters and this is their story.

This cover has a lot of easter eggs that tell you a little bit about the book and the story at first glance. You have Dylan with his bleached hair holding a baseball (he plays baseball), Emma with her dark purple hair holding a paper sheet (is it song lyrics? You decide). There's the stage, the piano in the background (which is a character in its own right), and the atmosphere and colours bring it all together.

I love this cover. I hope you love it, too.

I can't wait to properly introduce you to Emma and Dylan and to share more about this book with all of you. I can't believe we're already less than a month away from release.

A quick note: I'm still looking for ARC readers, so if this cover makes you want to read the book, you can find the link to apply in my pinned post!

🎹 One Last Show Blurb 🎹

Emma and Dylan used to be best friends. Now, they barely talk to each other.

Emma Hoffmann knows what she wants: to get selected for the local newspaper internship. Emma also knows what she doesn’t want: to join the school musical organisation as a songwriter. That’s in the past, much like her friendship with Dylan.

Dylan Williams needs a sense of direction in his life. After dedicating his entire life to baseball, he’s starting to question all of his choices. When he comes across the school musical audition call, he decides to give it a try for old-time’s sake. This might be his last chance to step on a stage, and he doesn't want to miss out on it.

Against Emma’s better judgement, she joins the school musical organisation committee. Against Dylan’s expectations, he gets cast as the male lead. Now, three years later, the two ex-best friends find themselves in close proximity again, but they never felt more distant from one another.

Is it time to close the curtains on their friendship for good? Or are Emma and Dylan only in need of a change of script?

One Last Show is a YA coming of age novel about two ex-best friends who find themselves working alongside each other to bring their school musical to life. Will they rekindle their friendship or call it quits for good? If you enjoy High School Musical and Heartstopper, then this book is for you! It'll be released on December 19, 2024. Follow me if you don't want to miss any updates regarding this release!

Until next time, Tari 🌙

[blorbologist]

💥💥

EYYY <3

💥 yknow everyone kind of. Forgot. That Gwendolyn was in Percy's study, totally reading a book, while the Hells had Laudna's body Right There with them. And she's ludicrously sneaky. I like to think she caught onto and saw more than her parents know. That she thought Laudna was pretty, and Ashton was shiny like when Momma used her blessing, and FCG looked like toys uncle Tary made her. That she was scared, when her daddy got angry, and didn't fully get it, but got some things together to try and make him feel better, like he'd do for her when she was upset. Maybe cornered him and tried to tell him to take deep breaths and count to ten, and remember to say sorry, Papa, and I love you. (She doesn't fully understand, but it’s nice to see her Papa look both stronger and kinder, after. And the guests meant plenty of dessert to steal from the kitchens!)

💥 Gwen had a Phase where she decided her horns were branches, like the Sun Tree, and she had to learn everything about it and eat sunshine and dirt like a plant. Anyone who still had reservations about a tiefling de Rolo were quickly swayed when Wolfe would try to rules lawyer his lil sister out of eating mud, or when Vex had to get Gwen and Dan down from the Sun Tree's boughs (trying to sound Not Happy while dying of laughter), or when she and the Voice of the Tempest sat amongst its roots so she could talk to it. (Leona will never let her live down Tree Gwen)

Hey people! I'm trying to finish grading lab reports and need motivation!

Send! Me! Some! Asks!