#thanks arlo!!! this was super fun

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

WIP Drinking Game

Thanks @elsie-writes here!

Rules: make a drinking game for your WIP!

Now, I actually did this with TSP a while back. Didn't think I was far enough into SOTL to do it, but whatever, who cares, let's do it! Some of these may not be written yet rip

Take a shot when...

...someone comments about Jack being average

...Tierney is full of static electricity

...a blatant corny reference to a fairy tale/legend/rhyme/etc happens

...Jack genuinely is trying his best poor lad

...fun sibling banter happens

...Tierney blows something up

...Úrsula is confused

...someone is keeping a secret

...there's a height difference trope

...Kristoff is super blunt

...Xue makes a dark joke (two shots if it's about her own trauma)

...the Hogg triplets get into trouble

...Arlo saves the day

...Ruby-Marie acts suspicious

...Gretel snoops where she doesn't belong

...Hofiwi and Lalawethika cause destruction

...Ritchie and Amani geek out together

I think that's enough for now

I'll tag @sleepyowlwrites @the-golden-comet @mk-writes-stuff @honeybewrites @loopyhoopywrites

+ ANYONE ELSE

SOTL intro

SOTL tag list (ask to be +/-): @illarian-rambling @katwritesshit @wyked-ao3

[literalite]

round 1 of the tournament is complete!!! thank u to all voters and propagandists u have made this roughly as fun as i envisioned it being :D. sorry not sorry to everyone who thinks im being annoying as hell but you should just block the #literaliteocfight tag to avoid it!

i put the margins between each of the polls because i just like seeing the differences! obviously it isn’t like super reliable data because of the various amounts of people voting. river vs manny was the most obvious sweep with 70.8% difference while the closest was arlo vs bellona with a tiny miniscule margin of 0.6%

as always you are allowed and encouraged to attempt to sway the vote yourself by farming support or bribery or threats. i will remain neutral as always

round 2 begins soon!

[hummingbellehans]

A super belated AF attack for @horrorlocke

Thank you so so much for your attack on Thistle and your kind words about my art- I appreciate it more than words can say!! 

Bernard is such a cool character, I loved drawing him! And I did listen to Bloodborne boss fight music almost the whole time haha. I'm sorry it took me awhile to finish it, but I had a lot of fun drawing it! It’s my Fallen London character Arlo bringing Bernard some mycological poetry from the Neath!

I'd imagine the exchange would go something like this: 

*cue Bloodborne music*

"My dear gentleperson. What. Are. You. Doing. In. My. Shop."

"Oh, hey there mate! Just brought you some new poetry, figured you don't have stuff like this here! It's ‘bout fungii and stuff- signed by the author n everything!" 

(After which they'd spend a few hours reading the books together and fall asleep in front of the fireplace) 

Thanks so much again, I hope you enjoy it!

[willowmckinley]

Ok, so first off, your fics are AMAZING and completely blow me away. Secondly thanks to having Tuesday’s off, I have spent the whole day binge (re)reading Justified fics and watching Justified (because rewatching through the whole series in prep for City Primeval is totally worth it). And I had a thought that I had to drop into your box because a few of your fics inspired it:

Boyd and Raylan as teenagers who maybe when they’re 15? go on what is supposed to be an few day camping trip (maybe Boyd drags Raylan after Arlo and him got into a really bad fight or something? And he wants to give Raylan a chance to lick his wounds and heal, and calm down himself because he already hates Arlo and if he sees Arlo Boyd might just do something on Raylan’s behalf) But then they just wind up having so much fun being around only each other (because it’s not like they really spend time with anyone else anyway aside from maaaaaaybe Johnny or occasionally Dickie Bennett when Bo, Arlo, and Mags have to discuss business) and decide just to see how long they can live off the land that summer, because this is Harlan and of course there are plenty of places for them to hide and not be found (and they go a little wild) and basically run away until right before school starts back up and a combination of Helen and Mags teaming up manages to wrangle them from wherever they’ve been roaming around. (Because you can’t tell me that Helen and Mags weren’t friends at some point and she has three boys herself that she’s used to wrangling, two half feral ones aren’t all that much harder especially since they’re both partial to Helen…and like her apple pie)

It’s even better if you consider that Arlo and Bo probably tried to find them (and maybe did once or twice) but between Raylan and Boyd they got away and just kept going deeper and farther (maybe closer to the hills?) and at some point they just gave up. Usually because they kept getting embarrassed by their (smarter and half wild than them) sons.

I’m sorry that this is so random and disjointed, I just *had* to share it with someone who likes and understands putting Raylan and Boyd in many different situations. *goes to hide under a rock again*

Wow, hi! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed my fic! I need to rewatch it, too! I want to go into the new series with all of it fresh!

I'm so happy my work could inspire you!! I'm so honored for you have to sent me your ideas!

Ngl, I am super intrigued! I love the idea of Raylan and Boyd having a moment of peace for themselves, hard earned and hard won. I love the idea of them enjoying nature and running away!

I kind of like the southern gothic vibe to it, right? How it seems like the deeper they go to stay hidden, the more eaten up they're getting up by Harlan itself. It's sooo fun!

And you're so right, I looove putting Raylan and Boyd in situations and seeing them situations! :D

[lapinlunaire-games]

Oh also ❝ i’m only doing it because you’re cute. ❞ for mina (if you like) ✨

FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF

Neither of you are speaking, but Mina’s tiny flat is filled with sound: the rushing babble of the street hasn’t quite died down into late evening, so it weaves in with the gurgle of water through the pipes, barely muffled by the thin walls, and Mina’s pen scratches over paper with the ferocity of a steam engine.

She writes, pausing only to rewet her nib or ponder the page for a few brilliant seconds before her pen launches across the page once more, spurred on by the invisible whip cracking behind her eyes. Mina writes, and you watch, and London chugs along outside the open window.

And so the silence of your companionship is deafening.

You rest your chin on one hand and study Mina as she scans her notes. The dark gaze that darts between pages is cupped by puffy, purple skin that looks thin as paper, and there’s a jerky fatigue to her quick motions. She’s hiding it well, but there’s only so much Mina can do to disguise the exhaustion wearing her frame.

She stifles a yawn and that decides the matter for you.

“Mina,” you start as you walk casually to her desk and make your presence just enough of a bother to make her stop writing. “I need your help with something.”

She eyes you quizzically, clearly debating how rude it would be to refuse indulging you. You smile broadly and wait—it’s well-rewarded with the click of her pen meeting the desk and the rustle of papers shifting into a stack.

“And this is something you couldn’t have done while you sat and watched me finish this report?”

She’s (mostly) joking—you can tell—but there’s a hesitant undercurrent of frustration to her voice. It occurs to you that it’s nearly the end of the week, and a new month coming up besides. Rent will be due soon—suddenly, the sheer amount of work Mina has been taking on makes much more sense to you.

A tremor of guilt ripples through you, but the slight sway in Mina’s motion as she looks up at you quashes it; she’s hairs away from fraying out completely, and by the Veil, you won’t let that happen.

“I need you to repeat some things for me,” you say earnestly.

Mina lifts an eyebrow, but nods. Your grin widens.

“I am loved. I am brilliant. My worth is not dependent on either.”

She sighs and fixes you with a tired stare. “I am loved. I am brilliant. My worth is not dependent on either,” she repeats flatly.

You huff and grab the pen before she can reach it. Mina scowls, but makes only a halfhearted attempt to swipe it back.

“No! You’ve been sitting here all day—if I hadn’t swung by this afternoon, you wouldn’t have eaten anything at all! You can’t do this, Mina, or you’re going to burn yourself to ashes.” You stare at her to make your point sink in, careful to really make it a stare and not a glare. “Now repeat after me, with feeling. I am loved. I am brilliant. My worth is not dependent on either.”

Mina’s scowl slowly dissolves, leaving her looking more exhausted than ever. “…fine.” Her eyes cut to you, shining razor sharp and vibrant for one beautiful instant. “I’m only doing it because you’re cute, you know.”

You don’t say anything, just poke her shoulder with a slanted grin. Mina's awfully good at reading between the lines of your reactions. She sighs, but some of the tension has lifted from her shoulders.

“I am loved. I am brilliant and tired. My worth is not dependent on either.”

She laughs when you throw yourself onto her in a hug, and the sound settles in your heart like warm summer sun. “Stop it, you’ll get ink all over yourself!”

“I don’t care,” you announce, and something inside you sings at the sound of more laughter rolling from Mina’s lips.

She rests her forehead in the crook of your neck for a few precious seconds, during which the entire world is composed of the smooth, inky black chignon at the nape of her neck and the sliver of skin peeking out between it and her collar. Faintly heady perfume clings to her, something rich and floral but faded, the memory of a scent more than anything.

“You’re adorable. Now let me get back to work—unless you want to go through my notes.” She waves the notepad with a dry smirk, pages nearly black with tiny lines of shorthand.

“Wait,” you protest, grabbing onto her partly out of persistence and partly out of sheer panic. “There’s more!”

You choose to ignore the warning in the way she says your name—no use swerving when you’re already knee-deep.

You cup her face in your hands and hold her gaze with the solemnity of an oath. Reluctantly, she nods again.

“I am not alone,” you murmur. Mina’s cheeks are very warm in your palms.

She hesitates. Without missing a beat, you bat your eyelashes and pucker your lips out so far it hurts.

“Come on,” you wheedle, “do it for my cutesy wootsy sweet little face?”

“Ugh. Only if you promise never to do that again.” Mina shudders, but there’s amusement hidden beneath the disgust. Her voice drops whisper soft—still steady, but so quiet you have to strain to hear her.

“I am not alone.” Her dark eyes hold yours steady, afraid but forging on anyways.

“I can ask for help,” you prompt her gently.

“I…I can ask for help.”

You beam at her. Words come to your tongue, but none taste just right for the moment. Instead, you lean forward and hug Mina again, pressing everything you can’t say into her body as you breathe in the faded fragrance that clings to her like a ghost.

If her laughter was sunshine, the feeling of her hugging you back is a gentle breeze. Delight suffuses through you as Mina sighs again, this time in contentment.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, and in two words she says a thousand. You squeeze her tighter and press three into her skin with a brush of your lips.

[lesbianjunimo]

im the a6/sorenn anon and while for now most content is on patreon(s), cal's ex info was definitely discussed on their discord, and some of the pegasi info (especially the youngest ones) used to be free to read on aerie's patreon (not anymore i believe. btw, someone literally had to remind aerie of tilaari!mc existence, she edited tilaari!bro one to add their relationship only after that😅😅😅), so im not leaking any behind the paywall info! dw yall are not missing much if you can't afford to be a patron now, their characterization is kind of weird tbh especially compared to the mc's ("traveler was raised as a humble noble" vs "sike bc everyone else wasn't but somehow they are all from the same household"😂😂)

but yeah, not only calderon's ex betrayed him for kmerii, but also his best friend (not sorenn, the other one duh) and im not 100% about this, but there was a free piece (preview, I think) which was heavily hinting he did it for her (aka cal's ex) lol! idk if any of this has changed since then, but man, what a personal life

also, i dont think cal and arlo really knew each other, cal probably just knew of him/who he was from sorenn or when he was in the palace with his mom. arlo prob wasnt even aware of his existence or didn't care asdfgh just still its weird that cal wouldn't know of kit!mc imo

holy SHIT, the fact Cal's gf (I assume Aeriie made it so she was his gf at the time of the betrayal bc that just. makes sense) and his best friend turned on him for the k'merri?? methinks they may have been the ones who framed him based on his in-game dialogue. YIKES, no wonder this man has like three sticks up his ass.

i wanna join the discord for info like this but i've never joined a public discord so i'm kinda scared to LOL, thank you so much for sharing!! maybe i'll muscle up the courage to join but idk.

also i agree with you on traveler making more sense being snobby. the only traveler who seems to have canon reasons for being less of a snob is kit!traveler, because Nikolle was the most well-adjusted of the queens before she got sick, and Sorenn was a pretty nice prince, so kit!traveler had him to look up to. personally i think it'd be super interesting if traveler's mom influenced their personality more. i also think it would be fun to play with the idea of traveler being a far kinder person when they don't remember their past, and then feeling conflicted when they remember their royal lineage because we know through dialogue that they were predisposed to dislike mercenaries already. how would their old personality rear its head? would it at all? just fun things to speculate.

to the arlo point, i went back and played both june and cal's route through episode 6 the other day and tried out every single hobby option on both of them LMAO i have problems. but anyway i believe you're right in that Cal knew of Arlo rather than knowing him directly, i believe he says something like "No offense but he always seemed like a little shit" and Traveler is like "None taken he totally was" LOL.

i can see why cal wouldn't know mc, but also HOW CUTE WOULD IT HAVE BEEN IF THEY SAW EACH OTHER IN PASSING AS KIDS??? UUUUUGH missed potential imo

[vanillaearwig]

(late by 1 day but) HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ARLO THE ALLIGATOR BOY!! 🎉🎉🎉🐊💗

I can't believe it's already been a whole year... I feel like I have had this movie with me forever. I also can't believe how much this movie has inspired me creatively 💕

I've had such a fun time drawing and talking about this silly alligator and his friends. I've also had the pleasure of befriending a small portion of the crew who are all so super lovely and amazing and talented 💕💖

Truly just an amazing heartfelt film that Ryan and the wonderful crew put so much love into, and every day I am thankful that it exists and can be my favorite movie in the whole world !! 🐊❤

[positivexcellence]

aishatyler: Austin TX I 💛🤠 you! Such a great visit with the lovely @jaredpadalecki @genpadalecki sassy mermaid @cadlymack and very good boy Arlo 🐶 Thanks for a super fun day on the lake! Plus I got to sit in the @cw_supernatural Impala so… like… done for the summer thanks 🌞! PS scroll for a cute fam portrait! (BTW we’re all vaccinated tyvm)

[ingenio-academy-if]

just wanted to say congrats on the release mansym!! 🥳🎉

i (predictably) loved all the clothing options! and i really appreciated the range of feelings/reactions in response to the mc being misgendered (all were extremely relatable). i can't wait to get more into gender stuff later in the game <3

also, i don't want to say too much b/c of spoilers, but the route i took when in the mc's parent's office has me like 👀 i definitely need to play again to see what happens on other routes (eavesdropping, etc)

anyway thank you so much for all your hard work, and for sharing the story with us! i hope you have a great day and a well-deserved celebration (or rest and relaxation) post-release 💖💖💖💖

Thank you so much, Arlo!!

The way Mc reacts to being misgendered is going to be super fun! It will definitely alter the flavor of Mc's inner dialogue or reactions when people misgender them (accidentally and maybe even on purpose) I want to explore it!

>:) Please do play again! I would love to hear what you think about the different things in each of the choices!

And thank you so much! Everybody has been so amazing and I am absolutely loving it! I look forward to reading more! After I take a week off first!

[thedevilsruby]

Squeaking and Advice (Clierra NSFW oneshot)

It had been a long day, but the three Rocket Leaders had made it to their hotel room.

Arlo hated the fact he had to share the room with his cohorts, but what was he to do?

"It wasn't in the budget to give you two rooms." Giovanni had told him simply, shrugging.

"Tauros-shit." Arlo snarled under his breath. "You have millions of dollars, you could have just-"

"Arlo? You ok?" Sierra's voice had chirped.

Arlo had looked and saw Sierra already on the bed she and Cliff were going to share in her purple pajamas, looking up at him worriedly. "I'm fine." He replied, plopping onto the bed he had claimed. He cringed at the loud squeak it let out.

"Shit, they need to upgrade these."

Sierra simply shrugged, scrolling on her phone. "Whatever. They have a pool here right?"

"We're here for business, not fun, Erra." Arlo deadpanned, shooting the brunette a raised eyebrow.

"Hey you can't blame me for wanting just a bit of fun." Sierra said, shrugging yet again.

"Plus, she has this new two piece she bought, she would look super sexy in it." Cliff's voice came from the bathroom as he stepped out of it. He was wearing a black tank top and dark blue pajama pants.

Sierra excitedly reached her arms out to him like a child reaching for their parent. He chuckled and climbed onto the bed to hold her. Arlo cringed as their bed squeaked as well. The noise grated his ears.

"They really need to get new beds here." He grumbled, adjusting his own dark red pajama pants.

Cliff shrugged, stroking Sierra's hair as she laid her cheek on his muscular chest. "Take it up with the front desk, Ar."

"Trust me, I will." Arlo growled, taking his goggles off and setting them on the night stand. He pulled the blanket over his shoulders, turning on his side, facing away from them. "Good night you two."

"Good night, Ar." Sierra mumbled, stroking Cliff's chest with her fingertip.

"Night, Arlo." Cliff said simply. After a few minutes of holding his girlfriend, Cliff looked over at Arlo. Arlo was breathing deep, signaling he was asleep.

"Baby...?" Cliff asked, smirking as he cupped Sierra's cheek. He started peppering her cheeks with light kisses.

"Wha-? Now?" Sierra squeaked, cheeks flushing red. "But he's right-"

"We'll be quiet." Cliff said, leaning to kiss her neck. He savored the shiver that escaped her body.

"Oh...I hate it when you're sexy like this." Sierra shook her head. "Makes me want you more..."

"That's the point."

Cliff pulled Sierra's purple top off, throwing it aside. She lets out a whine as he holds her breasts. "No bra tonight?" He asked amusedly.

"I wasn't in the mood..." She says.

"Work for me." He chuckles, taking a nipple into his mouth. She moans pressing her palm against the back of his head.

Cliff moves to straddle her, but cringes as the bed squeaks. "Shit!" He hissed, looking over at Arlo.

Arlo tensed for a moment, but relaxed again, snuggling into his blanket.

Sierra sighed in relief, but whispered into her boyfriend's ear "Maybe try to move as little as possible..."

"What's the point in trying to have sex then?" He hissed back into her ear, before nibbling on her earlobe. "I'll be careful."

Cliff yanked her pajama pants off, admiring the lacy gold panties she had chosen to wear. He purred as he curled his fingers onto the waistband, peeling them off slowly.

Sierra shifted to sit up and let him take them off but winces as the bed squeaks again.

She tugs Cliff's pants and boxers off, sighing. "No foreplay tonight, my love." She says.

"Well, that's no fun."

The couple freezes as they hear the voice. Arlo's.

They slowly look over and see the shorter man laying on his side, cheek leaning on his palm. "I thought foreplay was important in a sex life like yours."

"Arlo, the fuck?!" Sierra squeals, quickly grabbing their blanket and covering both her and Cliff.

"Erra, cut the shit. You're not the first woman I've seen naked." Arlo shrugs, grabbing his goggles and putting them on. "I told you two these beds needed to be replaced."

"Arlo, put your earbuds in or something, pretend this isn't happening." Cliff says, clearly embarrassed.

"Or," Arlo pipes up, "I could watch and give advice."

Both freeze, what did he just suggest?!

"What the fuck-?!" Sierra is about to snarl at him, but he holds a hand up in defense.

"I know a few things that could give you some more pleasure in bed. Make it a little more exciting."

"I can't be rough with her, I just can't." Cliff groaned, stroking Sierra's cheeks, eliciting another blush from the brunette. "She's fragile."

"She's also a woman, Cliff." Arlo said. "She should be able to try new things."

It was Sierra's turn to cup Cliff's cheek, gently making him look at her. She bit her lip.

"Let's try it." She said. "I've always been curious."

Cliff was hesitant, but he nodded, kissing her gently. "If that's what my queen wants."

"Then it's settled." Arlo said, sitting up. "Sierra, make out with him and jerk him off."

While she wished Arlo had used better words, Sierra obliged. She kissed Cliff passionately and start pumping his member with her hand, earning a pleased groan from Cliff's mouth.

"Okay, Cliff, start fingering her." Arlo instructed.

Cliff did as he was told and slipped his middle finger into Sierra, making her moan and buck her hips as he started to pump.

"Ok, good." Arlo said, nodding in satisfaction. "Maybe suck on one of her ladies."

"What?" Cliff broke off the kiss, raising an eyebrow at the shorter man.

"I don't like the word 'breast', sue me." Arlo admitted, an embarrassed look on his face.

"Isn't that cute?" Sierra smirked. "Shorty doesn't like a common word amongst women."

"Shut up and do what I say!" Arlo snapped, a small blush on his face.

Cliff rolled his eyes and took one of Sierra's breasts into his mouth, licking the nipple once more. Sierra moaned louder as Cliff fingered her harder.

"N-Now what?" Sierra asked, opening one eye to look at Arlo.

"Ready for him to fuck you?" Arlo asked simply.

The brunette looked at Cliff and kissed him again, pulling him on top of her. The bed squeaked and Arlo cringed.

"Wait," He said, holding a hand up. Both his coleaders looked at him, curious. "Sierra should top, that way the bed squeaks less."

"The squeaking noise really annoys you, huh?" Cliff grinned as he laid down, allowing Sierra to straddle him.

"Shut up and fuck your girlfriend." Arlo growled.

Sierra seemed happy to oblige the request, positioning herself over Cliff's throbbing cock and slowly sliding it in. She threw her head back, letting out a breathy moan.

Cliff hissed, hands traveling to Sierra's hips upon instinct. Arlo cringed as the bed started squeaking again, but shook it off.

"Dig your fingers into them." Arlo said suddenly.

"What?!" Cliff gasped, looking at Arlo as if he had just grown a third eye.

"Not enough to hurt her." Arlo shrugged. "Just a bit of pressure."

"Do it." Sierra shuddered, starting to move her hips up and down.

Cliff bit his lip but obeyed, digging his fingers into her flesh. She gasped, throwing her head back once more. "Cliff!" She moaned, "That feels so good!"

"See?" Arlo asked, smiling innocently.

Choosing to ignore the shorter man, Cliff groaned in pleasure, leaning his head back. "Sierra..." He sighed.

"Now spank her." Arlo instructed.

Seeing as how Sierra seemed to like this, Cliff obliged. He firmly smacked one side of her ass, eliciting a loud moan from the brunette. "Oh baby, again!" She squealed.

Cliff smirked. Arlo's advice helped after all. Not only was he pleasing Sierra, but he felt like he was in control as well. He decided to take it one step further. "Beg me." He said.

"Oh, look at you, mister macho." Arlo smirked.

"Cliff please, spank me again!" Sierra whined, placing her palms on his chest. A needy look Cliff recognized was in her eyes. "I've been such a bad girl, spank me like it!"

A firm smack to Sierra's other cheek was Cliff's response to that, making her squeal once more.

"There you go. See? She likes this." Arlo said.

"Baby, I'm close." Sierra whimpered, looking right into Cliff's eyes.

Another spank. "I am too. Cum for me, darling." Cliff hissed.

Sierra picked up her pace, making the bed squeak faster than before. Arlo inwardly groaned, they couldn't have just settled for floor sex?

The couple restrained their screams as they released their orgasms. They panted hard as Sierra collapsed on top of Cliff, making the bed groan once more.

"Well, now that the whole fucking hotel knows what you two just did, I'm going to bed." Arlo said simply, like he didn't just watch his two coleaders have sex.

"T-Thank you, Arlo. That was amazing." Sierra slurred, cuddling Cliff once more.

"Yeah, thanks pipsqueak." Cliff chuckled.

"Yeah yeah, if you want anymore advice, just ask." Arlo replied, snuggling into his blanket like before. "Good night for sure this time."

The next morning, he awoke to the bed squeaking in rhythm again.

--

I've had this idea in my head for awhile (thank you @bloodcountessbathory for giving me more ideas for it lmao) and I finally figured I should write it out.

[bubblytarts]

What do you could work well with Pokemon Go?

I’m going to assume this is in response to my last post about Pokemon Go as a core series game. If not, feel free to resend the ask!

OKAY. POKEMON GO COULD CO-EXIST IN THE CORE SERIES GAMES. IT GETS A LITTLE TRICKY, AND DOESN’T FOLLOW THE EXACT SAME FORMULA, BUT HERE ARE MY LOOSE IDEAS:

We are using the SwSh art style. Let’s Go is cute, but this is core series. Plus, I just love the SwSh models. 

The player looks like the original trainer in PokeGo. However, there is character customization later on, so you can pretty much make your trainer like you can in PokeGo.

Not sure if you start the game by picking a team or not, but it would happen pretty early on.

Starter Pokemon is tricky. If you don’t choose a team right away, you probably would get an Eevee so that whatever team you join can get your starter to match typing. 

But if you choose your team immediately, then you get you get the base Pokemon of your team leader’s ace Pokemon (Magby, Swinub, Shinx)

Professor Willow gives you Pokeballs and berries, and then directs you to where to catch your starter.

Each leader helps you with a different skill

Candela is great for leveling up your Pokemon really fast, and can basically be a faster, more fun alternative to normal grinding. Attack and Sp. Attack get sharply raised.

Blanche will tell you the exact conditions you need to evolve your pokemon, and can help you determine which evolution your Pokemon will get if there are multiple evolutionary tracks. Defense and Sp. Defense get sharply raised.

Spark basically can be a fast-paced daycare, and is a shiny-hunter’s dream. The eggs hatch super fast. Speed and Evasiveness get sharply raised.

Team Go Rocket does show up. They are also tough bosses.

Cliff is a tank. You fight him at the entrances to Team Go Rocket’s hideouts. His Pokemon can take a lot of hits, so you need to work on status effects and super effective moves

Sierra is sneaky. She pops up in important buildings to cause trouble. She will stack up status effects, make your Pokemon flinch, and reduce your stats. Take her out fast or the battle will drag on and on.

Arlo says screw status effects. He breaks into your bases to fight. His Pokemon are heavy-hitters, and make you flinch. He’s also fast, so you want to cause damage and block him from hitting you.

Your goal isn’t to complete gyms, but to catch Pokemon and gather research from around the region.

Team Go Rocket is trying to steal your research, because it’s about the locations of the Legendary Birds. 

You get to do double and triple battles against TGR with your allies.

You can fight Professor Willow if you want. He has a Melmetal and is surprisingly strong.

You defeat Giovanni by harnessing the power of your Team’s Legendary Bird. Moltres, Zapdos, or Articuno will fight with you and after defeating Giovanni you will have the option to catch it.

You can catch the other two, but those are optional fights you have to go after on your own time.

When the game takes place is roughly established. Willow mentions Red and Blue offhandedly as Champions, and the team leaders vaguely mention what regions they’re from. General consensus is after Black and White for sure, but not sure about other games.

Story-wise for the rest of it I’m not sure, but since Pokemon Go doesn’t have a huge emphasis on gyms, this game doesn’t either, so there’s the unique opportunity to focus more on the characters than on the battling. 

Give backstory to Candela, Blanche and Spark.

Explain what made Arlo leave Team Valor. 

Professor Willow can talk about Meltan and why no one knew about it until now.

Overall, this response is way too long and it’s all over the place, but I loved talking about it, and if people are interested, I’ll yell about it more! Thanks for the ask, anon!

[nyanyacore]

okay, my last ask for today: what kind of tricks would your ocs play if they don’t get a treat?

this really wrecked my brain so i twisted into something a lil different (haha get it-) so have some voice line-y reactions to them getting no candy and being given some!

though, i think the only oc with a real trick up his sleeve is booger. he will vomit bugs into your candy bucket and not feel bad about it.

• Shriek

“It’s fine...I don’t really like candy anyways.”

“You’re giving me something not sweet? Eh, sour instead? I’ll guess I’ll try...thanks.”

Friendship LVL gained! +1

Bonus +1 ( he feels included!)

• Mako

“Oi, make sure to give a generous amount cuz I’m a big guy. Huh—no treats for me? Should I just eat ya instead?”

*candy gobbling noises*

• Zayan

“Although I’m jealous you’re giving everyone else something, I can say that no treat compares to you~”

“Nevermind! I only want candy if I can taste it from your lips.”

• Wiley

“No treats for me? I thought we partners in crime! Buddies! Amigos! WHAT A WORLD...I’m just messin’ with ya~”

“Wow, all this for me? *whistles* Thanks, pal! I’ll make a song in your honor...RIGHT NOW! 5, 6, 7, 8!”

*gentle guitar strumming*

•Arlo

“Aw, that’s cool if you don’t! Sometimes you wanna keep all that delicious candy to yourself.”

“Woohoo! Y’know, you’re just as sweet as this candy. Haha, I know that was super corny....CANDY CORN-Y!”

•Ives

“I understand. You are not obligated to give me anything. Though, may I ask if you need assistance?”

“I am delighted to receive these from you. Thank you. I shall cherish the sweets until they inevitably go bad.”

•Elliott & Honeydew

E- “No treats? I suppose that given the option, I’ve simply been tricked! How fun!”

H- “Hey, cough up the candy! This is Elliott’s first time trick or treating.”

———

E- “How nice of you to let me have this much...thank you! I wonder which one I’ll try first....”

H- “Just don’t eat all yet, El. We’re gonna have to check through it once we get home. I won’t let you get poisoned!!!

[truthundressing]

thanks so much to @louisisloved for tagging me! 💕

my name is super short but this was fun hehe

English Weather - FEET

Lights Up - Harry Styles

I Like - Arlo Parks

im going to tag @its-amyy @losangayles aand @sunflwerlou only if you want to tho!

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really THAT Bad?

Pixar had a rough time in the 2010s. While they started out strong with Toy Story 3, films like Cars 2 and Brave damaged their reputation and made audiences worry that maybe the studio wasn’t as good as they used to be. In 2014, this, among many other factors, led to John Lasseter postpone the release of The Good Dinosaur.

Perhaps people should have seen this coming; with few updates and a troubled production that led to the original director being replaced, was it really any shock that within a few months from the release they just couldn’t think of a satisfactory ending? Things would only get worse when six months before the new release it was revealed heavy rewrites caused them to scrap the original cast, scrap several characters, and extensively rewrite the script. None of this inspired much confidence, and eventually the film was released to lukewarm reactions at best and outright scorn at worst.

In the years since, it has garnered a bit of a mixed reception. Some prominent reviewers, such as Schafrilass Productions, hate the film; others, such as The Simpsons aficionado TheRealJims, have a more positive outlook on the stories and themes; others, like Saberspark, have a more mixed opinion, where they don’t like it but do find elements of the production fascinating. Still, the general consensus is that this and Cars 2 are the absolute bottom of Pixar’s barrel and just a rather mediocre film in general. There’s really not much of an in-between; aside from a few who have a more positive opinion, the film is either a harmless mediocre mess, or it is an utter travesty that shows Pixar is old news.

But even films this divisive deserve some kind of analysis, so it’s time to ask: is The Good Dinosaur really THAT bad?

THE GOOD

So I think what works best about this film is that, once it gets going on the actual adventure portion of the film, it does have some fun and creativity. This mostly comes in the form of the requisite one-shot characters any road trip adventure film worth a damn has. The standout characters are the T. rex ranchers; not only is it cool to see T. rex as good guys for a change, entirely unambiguous good guys at that, there are few concepts cooler than TYRANNOSAURUS COWBOYS. And as if to drive this point home, the patriarch of this rancher clan, Butch, is voiced by the living embodiment of the Old West himself, Sam Elliot. There are a few other characters, but the T. rex are the ones that stand out the most.

I think the parts of the story focusing on Arlo coming to terms with his father’s death are pretty good, all things considered. The story has solid, if not fantastic, emotional beats here and there, though unfortunately a lot of that is undermined by the weak story. Still, credit where credit is due, there are some pretty interesting ideas.

I’ll also say that the backgrounds, the world that this takes place in, looks especially beautiful. However, this does lead into some issues which I’ll cover below.

THE BAD

I think one of the worst aspects of this film is the character models. The animation, usually a strong point is just… really weak here. The character design for Arlo in particular is jarringly cartoony when compared to some of the other dinosaurs in the film. He and his family are really the only major bumps in terms of the animation, but it’s still really bad when the main character we spend a majority of time with looks like this:

The other dinosaurs do get hit with this to an extent, but Arlo and his family are just especially awkward and cartoonish and just don’t really fit well with the more realistic backgrounds and sets.

The story is a very atypical “A boy and his dog” road trip movie, and there’s just not much done to differentiate this from a million other movies before it. The angle it goes for with a dinosaur being the boy and a human being a dog isn’t really utilized in any interesting ways, and the worldbuilding is generally just bad here, which is an issue with quite a few Pixar movies such as Cars and Onward. There’s literally no reason why the main character should be a dinosaur because it really doesn’t effect the story in any meaningful way.

Compare this to the greatest dinosaur road trip adventure of all time, The Land Before Time. The characters being dinosaurs is pretty essential to the plot, because despite the fact they are given voices and are humanized slightly, they still don’t really do anything a dinosaur couldn’t and they face problems unique to dinosaurs, such as trying to find food or evading predators as they search for the Great Valley. What I’m trying to get at is that you can’t just swap out humans for the characters in The Land Before Time and have the story function the same way. In The Good Dinosaur, being a dinosaur is essentially nothing more than a costume. It would be incredibly easy to swap out Arlo with a human and Spot with a dog and not much about the plot would change. There’s really no good reason for any of these characters to be dinosaurs because nothing particularly interesting is done with the concept. We’re not really shown interesting or unique ways a world run by dinosaurs would function. And unlike Onward, which suffers from a similar issue, the characters we are presented with aren’t really super interesting bar the ranchers.

I guess it really doesn’t help that Pixar has done a lot f these sort of adventure films about odd pairs going out on a journey, going from place to place and encountering colorful characters. Finding Nemo and Onward are probably the closest to this film as they have multiple locales,  but the thing is both of those films do what this movie does far better thanks to more consistent writing and characters. This film just feels really half-hearted and awkward, and sadly I think a lot of that is due to the tumultuous production.

Is It Really THAT Bad?

The Good Dinosaur is, sadly, not a particularly good film. People hold movies like Cars and Brave in contempt among the Pixar filmography, but honestly, this movie is probably the worst of the lot. But here’s the thing: even at their worst, Pixar is at least still watchable. I don’t particularly think this film is amazing, but there is some value to it. TheRealJims honestly makes a fascinating case for this film and its themes, so I don’t think this is a movie that is utterly void of value.

It’s kind of a shame to think what it might have been if not for all of the trouble behind the scenes. What we’re left with is not a great film, and I certainly wouldn’t call it GOOD either… but it’s not unbearably awful. Its current score is a 6.7 on IMDB, and honestly, I don’t think that’s necessarily too far off. I think a flat 6 would be acceptable for this; again, it’s not a terrible film, but it’s certainly not amazing either. I do agree with a lot of what TheRealJims says more than anything, and find the film rather interesting, but ultimately I do think it is a pretty mediocre movie that falls short of the incredible standard Pixar had set. I really don’t think it’s some harbinger of doom for the studio, but I can see why this movie wouldn’t inspire much hope. There are far, far worse animated movies out there, but there really aren’t worse Pixar films.

[katedoesfics]

Lacuna | Chapter 14

An early summer storm kept Kahli inside her house most of the morning. She stared aimlessly out the window with a warm cup of coffee in her hands in contemplation. She first debated if she wanted to work on her latest commission, then decided the storm was a good enough excuse to take the day off. But after taking care of the animals, which only took her a couple hours, she was left with nothing more to do and no way to really pass the time.

She opted to stand on the front deck, sheltered by the roof of the overhand, and she leaned on the railing, looking out over the fields that marked Sophie’s ranch. She supposed she could spend some time at the Round Table. Or, were she feeling ambitious, she could have gone to the ruins to search for some more materials. But she wasn’t feeling ambitious in the slightest. She told herself she deserved a day off. Some time to herself. Self care.

But that only gave her mind a chance to reflect on her life. She thought about her mother, her father, her aunt, and for a moment, Arlo, though she quickly pushed those thoughts away.

To her relief, Sam trotted past, soaking wet from riding in the rain, but she paused when she saw Kahli and waved to her.

“Day off?” Sam asked.

Kahli shrugged. “I guess so.”

Sam grinned and straightened. “Excellent. Come hang at the Corps. Arlo’s on patrol tonight and I’ll be there with nothing to do.” She looked down at herself and laughed. “Just let me shower and change into something dry, first.”

Kahli saluted her and Sam waved once more before pushing her horse back into a trot and toward the center of town. Kahli decided it was as good a time as any to clean in the house, killing another hour, then stopped to have a late lunch. When she was ready, she made her way to the Civil Corps building. Sam was already inside, sitting cross legged on one of the couches, and she grinned at Kahli when she entered. To Kahli’s relief, Sam was alone.

“Thank God,” Sam said. She patted the open space on the couch beside her. “It would have sucked if I had to stay here all night by myself.”

Kahli sat beside her and pulled her knees to her chest. “What do you normally do?”

Sam shrugged. “Usually just take naps.” She grinned. “Sometimes I leave Arlo weird notes. I tried to convince him it was a ghost, but he didn’t buy it for a second.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s such a party pooper sometimes. But Remi - now he’s fun to prank.”

“Sounds like you work real hard,” Kahli teased.

“Gotta keep things interesting around here,” she said. “I like working with them. We’re a small group compared to the other branches. But I like it that way.” She frowned. “It’ll be super lame when Arlo leaves, though.”

Kahli glanced at him. “He’s leaving?”

Sam shrugged. “Well, sure, someday, I guess. You know, if he ever gets into the Flying Pigs. But he will. I’m sure of it. This year feels like his year.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I dunno,” she said. “Just a feeling. I’ve known him a long time. There’s something different this year about him. He works hard for it, so he deserves it, yanno?”

“Sure.” She hesitated. “Why hasn’t he joined earlier?”

Sam laughed. “He fails the test every year,” she said. She shook her head. “I shouldn’t laugh. But I will miss him. Won’t be the same.”

“What will you guys do if he leaves?”

“I guess we’ll need to get someone else over here,” she said. “We barely get by with the three of us. I don’t think we could keep up if it were just Remi and I.” She met Kahli’s gaze and brightened. “You could join us!”

“I don’t think so,” Kahli said. “I don’t do adventuring.”

“You’ve done more adventuring since you got here than anyone else I know.”

“I don’t think I’d call it adventuring,” she said. “More like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Happy accidents.”

“I’m just lucky the worst I came across were a pack of rats.”

Sam laughed. “After all that training you’ve done with Django? I think you could stand up to a lot more than that.”

“You would be unwise to put that kind of faith in me.”

“Nah,” Sam said. “I usually have a good feeling about people. Just you wait. I told ya this would be Arlo’s year, didn’t I? Let’s see what happens in the fall when he goes to take the test again.”

“Alright,” Kahli said. “We’ll talk about this again in the fall when Arlo fails and you don’t need me.”

Sam laughed. “Deal.” She reached out to the nearby table and grabbed a deck of cards. She smiled slyly at Kahli. “Are you a betting woman?”

If Kahli was good at one thing, it was cards. Over the years, she and her aunt had played many rounds of every card game imaginable. When she was younger, it was easy, childhood games, but as she got older, her aunt taught her the ways of playing her opponents instead of her cards.

To say her aunt had a slight gambling addiction might have been an exaggeration. There were many nights where her girl friends came over, and they sat around the patio table in the hot, dry nights on the back deck in the light of the bug zapper, cigarettes between their fingers and booze on their breath. They laughed loudly as the cards were passed, and coins clanged together as they were tossed into the center before being greedily swiped away by the winner.

Kahli didn’t understand it as a child, but in her teenage years, she had learned to keep up with the women, even surprising them from time to time and cleaning their pockets.

Sam wasn’t her aunt, but she was good enough to challenge even Kahli, and the hours of the afternoon quickly disappeared as they laughed and joked and gambled playfully. When Remington stepped in that evening, they convinced him to join, but he quickly grew sour when he realized both women were wiping him clean, and the game soon ended with him pouting in a chair.

It was nearing midnight when Arlo returned from his patrol, and he was surprised to see the building occupied when he entered. Three bodies occupied the two couches. On one, Remington was stretched out, his leg draped over the arm, a snore escaping his throat. The other was occupied by Kahli and Sam, each sleeping against an arm, their legs stretched out on top of one another. Sam mumbled in her sleep, stretched her arms, and turned over.

Arlo looked wide-eyed at the sight before him for a moment, then his brows furrowed. “They have their own houses, right?” he said out loud to himself.

Sam woke briefly at his voice. “I’m off duty,” she muttered.

“Go home.”

“Mm. Couch is comfy.”

“Yes,” Remington spoke up. “Please stop talking and let me sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“You have a bed,” Arlo pointed out.

“We can cuddle.”

Sam snickered. “Shh. Don’t wake Kahli.”

“Why is she here?”

“Some of us like her,” Sam said.

“I tried, Arlo,” Remington said. “They tried to paint my nails.”

“They succeeded, I see.”

Remington sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it. It was a dark time in my past.”

“You’re next, Arlo,” Kahli muttered as she started to wake.

“Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged,” Sam said with a grin.

“This isn’t a slumber party.”

“It is,” Sam said. “We already had a pillow fight and wrote in our diaries.”

“This was not what I signed up for,” Arlo muttered.

*****

Remington was gone the next morning on patrol, but to Arlo’s dismay, Kahli and Sam remained, their giggles waking him. He trudged out of his room to stare at them angrily, but this only caused them to giggle further.

“Don’t you have something better to do?” he sneered.

“Someone’s not a morning person,” Kahli muttered.

“Oh, I am when it’s not being ruined by whatever this is.”

“Rude,” Sam said.

Kahli smiled sheepishly and held a cup of coffee up. “I brought fuel.”

Arlo hesitated, then sighed. “Okay. You are forgiven.” He took the mug and sat with them.

“Aw, poor baby,” Sam said. “Did little Arlo not get enough beauty sleep?”

Arlo flipped his hair dramatically. “No,” he said. “Thanks to you, I’m gonna have bags under my eyes. How will I ever be able to step out into public?”

“Make up,” Kahli said. “It does wonders.”

“Yeah,” Sam scoffed. “It almost makes you look human.”

“Hey!” Kahli barked. “You weren’t supposed to tell everyone!”

“Are you a troll, then?” Arlo asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Worse,” Kahli teased. “I’m… the Boogeyman!”

Arlo blinked at her, then smiled. “You’re weird.”

Kahli blushed and pulled her gaze away. “That’s probably why my father ran off,” she said with a grin. “Fuck this crazy train.”

Sam giggled. “I like it,” she said. “How do I get on board?”

“Tickets ain’t free,” Kahli said.

Arlo snorted, and Kahli sneered at him.

“Shut up! That’s not what I meant!”

Sam laughed. “Oh, man, you make it so easy.”

“See if I buy you losers coffee again,” Kahli muttered.

“Oh, no, what ever will I do?” Sam said playfully. “Probably just buy myself coffee with all the money I won off of ya.”

“It was a draw,” Kahli barked.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Next time I’ll win.”

“You wish.” Kahli grinned at her and stood. “I gotta get home. Smell ya later, kids.”

She hadn’t expected to spend the night there, and she knew she’d have hungry animals waiting when she got home. She left Sam and Arlo alone and hurried through town, pausing only when Nora caught her attention in the plaza.

“Hey, Kahli,” she said with a warm smile. “Everything okay?”

“Sure,” Kahli said. “Why?”

“Oh. I just saw you coming from the Civil Corps.”

Kahli hesitated. “Oh, yeah,” she started. “I was hanging out with Sam last night and… well we were drinking and passed out.”

“Oh.” She was quiet for a moment, then her smile returned. “Are they trying to recruit you over there?”

“Ha, yeah, something like that, I guess.”

“Well, they’ll need the help when…” She hesitated and frowned. “Would you really consider joining them?”

“I don’t think so,” Kahli said.

Nora nodded. “It’s dangerous work.” She forced a smile. “Well, anyway. It’s good to see you. Don’t lose yourself in your work like higgins.”

Kahli’s lips pressed together. “I’ll try not to.” She smiled and hurried out of the plaza. She was certain now that Nora had feelings for Arlo. She hurried home, eager to busy herself with work for the next several years instead of thinking about Arlo and Nora together.

[uno-writing]

So, there's a subreddit for uno, and I don't really like the discussions but there's some gold stuff on there. One of them is this series of post where the comics are edited in an AU of uno being a show w actors and stuff. It's basically Abt the actors purposely messing up scenes, and a poor, poor director who has to put up w all of the actors' shenanigans. I bring this up bc there's a part (part 12) where actor!John and actor!Blyke actually switch places lol, and play these super exaggerated versions of eachother's characters. (The series ain't very realistic bc this stuff wouldn't happen in a real show but its v fun)

My favorite plot threads in this 34 part series:

- actor!John and actor!sera are dating and actor!sera is literally the last person to find out.

- actor!John constantly messes up Cecile and Claire's names'

- actor!John is absolute gremlin who drives the director mad bc my boi never says what he's supposed too, but actor!rei is close behind with his fucking atrocious puns.

- actor!youngerJohn is actor!John's little brother and actor!John has to put up with him bc somehow, actor!youngerJohn is everything annoying Abt John times ten.

- actor!John loses his voice/has a sore voice bc of all the yelling John does in season two and then actor!Blyke loses his voice is season three lmaoooooo.

- actor!Zeke is a cinnamon roll who hates Zeke.

- actor!arlo

- also this

- actor!Arlo and actor!John together

- the grey speech bubbles are the poor, poor, director.

There's more lol but I'm not allowed more than ten photos

Link to all the parts

Sorry if this was too long

- Boba anon 🧋

IVE SEEN THIS BEFORE A FEW TIMES!!!! I HAVEN’T FOUND ALL OF THE POSTS THO!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE THESE SO MUCH THEY’RE SO FUCKIN FUNNY!!! I LOVE ACTOR!ARLO AND ACTOR!ZEKE SO MUCH!!! ACTOR!ARLO JUST CONSTANTLY TRYING TO GET DRUNK AND ACTOR!ZEKE HATING HIS CHARACTER IS JUST *chefs kiss*🍿🥤🍭🍬🍫🧋