#thanks folks its been a blast

[fivedayslater]

Part 27: Apprehend Law

Dinner and a Murder: A Mr. Prince Mystery Masterpost

“Just on time,” Sanji says as he nods towards the door, “You ready?”

Law gives him a wry smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, “I suppose there’s no point in me trying to resist, is there?”

“I am sorry,” he says as he puts his cigarette out in the nearby ashtray, “I know your circumstances were tough, but you have friends you could have asked for help. There was no reason for anyone to die.”

“I know,” he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them again, he stares at Sanji with a new resolve, “My actions have consequences. The least I can do for both Nami and Ace is face them.”

He steps forward and follows Sanji out the door.

Zoro follows after them, he’s unsurprised and delighted to see.

“You don’t have to-” Sanji starts, but Zoro quickly cuts him off.

“I know,” he says, an almost shy grin on his face as he grabs his hand, “But we did this together. We should end it together.” 

Sanji flushes at the contact and the words, but holds his hand tight as they all step outside.

He’s not shocked to find Zeff here, since the old man has a habit of sticking his nose into Sanji’s business, and immediately turns to him, “Geezer.”

“Eggplant,” Zeff greets with a stern look as he puffs on his cigar, “What do you have for me this time?”

He eyes his and Zoro’s joined hands, but doesn’t comment. Sanji squeezes Zoro’s hand, and likewise doesn’t explain.

Instead Sanji’s eyes dart to Law, as he thinks about how best to explain to the old man exactly what happened tonight. The more he thinks it over, the more he realizes that punishing Law won’t be enough to truly bring justice for Ace and Nami.

There was someone else pulling the strings behind everything, someone who has been alluding justice this whole time.

But maybe, with the events that played out this evening, with Law’s help, with all the evidence they’d gathered, they can finally do something about him.

“It’s a bit of a doozy this time,” Sanji admits, “But if we play our cards right, we should be able to take down a dangerous scumbag known as Blackbeard.”

Law and Zoro both turn to look at him, faces stunned. He gives Zoro’s hand a squeeze, and hopes the look he gives him is enough for him to trust him. It must be, because Zoro squeezes back and nods for him to continue.

“Blackbeard?” That has Zeff raising a curious brow, “Been after him for ages. What happened?”

“There was a double murder here tonight,” Sanji explains to Zeff, “The first victim, a young man named Ace, was killed by his friend Nami, who also happened to be working as Blackbeard’s bookkeeper. Blackbeard has had a vendetta against Ace for a while, so it’s no wonder he got angry when he found out. However, Nami’s work with Blackbeard was coerced. She wanted out, but in order to do that, she had to take advantage of some of her other friends.” He nods to Law, “Like Law.”

“So you killed this Nami, I bet,” Zeff concludes with a sigh.

“Yes, sir,” Law admits, regret clear in his voice.

“But Blackbeard was the real villain tonight,” Sanji continues, “Everyone here is a victim of his terror. With all the evidence we’ve gathered tonight and Law and the other guests’ cooperation and testimony, I’m sure we can finally put him behind bars.”

“It’ll be tough, Blackbeard’s not one to go quietly,” He chews on the end of his cigar for a bit as he mulls it over, then gives Sanji a slow, easy smirk, “But damn if you don’t make me want to try. Alright kid, I’m game. What have you got?”

-

The court cases surrounding what the media quickly dubs as the Great Blackbeard Conspiracy are, unsurprisingly, long and complicated.

But in the end, after Usopp, Zoro, and Law give detailed testimony about the years and events leading up to Ace and Nami’s murder, after Nami’s sister gives a heart wrenching account of just what Blackbeard put her sister through that has half the jury in tears, after Luffy give detailed testimony about the years and events leading up to Ace’s accident and murder, after Sanji’s meticulous and thorough account of his and Luffy’s entire investigation, both that night and beyond, Blackbeard and his cohorts are found guilty on all counts.

“I’ll be seeing you real soon, Mr. Prince,” Blackbeard laughs, his smile wide, but his eyes are full of malice as he’s taken away, “I’ve got a long memory, and thanks to you, plenty of time.”

Sanji sighs as he watches him go, just thankful that there’s one less terror out there in the world.

When it’s all said and done, he finds Zoro waiting for him.

The affection and attraction he’d felt for Zoro that first night hadn’t faded with the lengthy trials. If anything, with Zoro being the sure, sturdy rock they’d all needed to lean on throughout the whole thing, it had grown.

But he hadn’t done anything about it, hadn’t said anything to Zoro. He’d been so focused on the case and taking down Blackbeard, he didn’t want any distractions, or for Blackbeard to use Zoro against him, or worse, to devote anything less than his full attention to Zoro.

Zoro deserves nothing less than everything Sanji can give him, after all.

He knows it won’t be easy, he knows his job will get in the way more than not, but through whatever else life throws at him, he knows he wants Zoro there by his side, helping and supporting him in the way only he can.

“Mosshead,” Sanji says in lieu of a proper greeting.

Zoro turns to look at him, that brilliant smile of his on his face, “Curly.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, well,” he shrugs as he turns completely, “You’ve been busy.”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Oh?” He tilts his head, “What?”

Sanji’s heart races as he swallows any lingering doubts. He takes one more step forward, putting himself right in Zoro’s space, grabs his hand, and says, “I love you.”

Zoro blinks at him, and his smile grows even wider somehow as he laughs, “Damn, beat me to the punch.”

It’s Sanji’s turn to be surprised, “What?”

Zoro shakes his head as he rubs a gentle thumb across his knuckles, “I love you too, Sanji. I’ve wanted to tell you ever since the night we met. I just didn’t want to distract you from what you had to do here.”

“We’re done now,” Sanji’s heart is soaring in his chest as he steps even closer, “You can tell me now.”

“Then I will.”

He brings his hands to his lips and kisses his knuckles, “I love you, Sanji. I love the way you solve mysteries, I love the way you throw yourself into everything you do. I love how your hair glows in the sunlight, I love your smile, your face. I love everything about you.

“So what do you say?” Zoro leans in close, his lips hovering tantalizingly above Sanji’s, “Will you be mine?”

Sanji answers by closing that miniscule distance between them, claiming Zoro’s lips, and Zoro’s love, and Zoro as his own.

“Yes,” he says when they pull apart, “I’ll be yours, as long as you’ll be mine.”

“I’ll be yours forever.”

Sanji doesn’t fight the temptation to kiss him again, to hold him close as he kisses him back, too lost in everything Zoro’s offering to care about witness.

“C’mon,” Zoro says when they finally separate, tugging his hand as he guides him away, “The others want to celebrate.”

Sanji takes his hand, and they walk off to the rest of their lives together.

END

[rubyroboticalt]

QBLR QUARTERLY part 2!

That's right, this report needed two whole posts. Onto the news!

Who let wizards on the server? Zpca's laboratory is discovered in far-off salt flats. Ruby terraforms a black sand beach and takes possibly the worst screenshots of it ever. My liege, you have advanced darkness on. Cheez returns home after a long while away.

And now, a reading from r/malelivingspaces. Orange acacia walls. Shroomlight peeking from above the ceiling and on the lower wall. Orange sandstone ceiling. Meaty red floor. Large desk on the right wall. Single acacia chair at the desk. Unidentifiable orange metal in the wall. This has been a reading from r/malelivingspaces.

Brie reaches a milestone of over 500 deaths, only 1/4 of which are the result of player kills. Dollie participates in a magic ritual with friends! Hivi crafts every single attainable plushie thrice. Ladel has some family bonding time.

Glitch finishes their gardens. Splat and their family convert an airship into a spaceship with airlocking and amenities! On the last two days of play, the Void Worm is unbanned. Residents jump at the opportunity to kill such an elegant beast. Berry organizes a room full of all the flowers in the game.

The mysterious salmon receives some hugs and love from Appie and the bog. Sweetpea tries and fails to go to heaven. Gummy shares the longest playtime of the server, totaling over 45 and a half days. Moo finishes a chapel for their religion.

Inc finishes a tower with which to escape impending apocalypse. Apple finishes the portalfolks garden and invites guests to leave a note in the guestbook. Popcorn celebrates a birthday in the last day of server time.

Oh my lord, audience, do you remember the call to keep a lookout for Spamton after the court case special? It's a good thing we did -- he tries crashing Popcorn's birthday party! And who is there to stop him but WD Gaster himself! I don't believe it!

In the last hours before the end, residents make final arrangements to escape to other worlds. Chunks begin to be consumed, as the Dark Magician harnesses the magic power and energy put into this world for one final clearing of things.

And with that, I'd like to thank Grace, Levlies, Crow, Lim, and Qrth for being an all-star admin team keeping the server running smoothly. Thanks to Ven, Vern, Angel, Cand, Elli, Jay, Mack, Neon, Niko, Percy, and Val for being a super-attentive super-supportive mod team making sure bugs got fixed and lost items were returned. Thank you to Mira, Danny, Jace, Inc, Roy, Glitch, Solaria, Appie, and Cassi for being an amazing bog commune. Thanks to all the other players I haven't mentioned for making the server such a beautiful, lively place. And thanks to you, humble viewer, for coming on this journey with me.

link to part 1

[ravenfenty]

SWEET RELEASE | 18 +

FOOTBALL JOCK! RAFE CAMERON X NERD!FEM READER

WARNINGS:  fwb arrangement, before care? praise kink, cliches, dirty talk, foreplay skip, use of the word sir, missionary position, spitting, after care. Wrap it before you tap it folks. 

A/N: I know I went with the cliche, but who doesn’t love a little cliche sometimes, oh rafe and reader are college aged, so about 22. Oh and did I start watching outer banks, because of the rafe edits?, yes. Is this self indulgent?, yes. Held back a little, wasn't sure if I was ready to write about rough sex yet, working my way to get the courage to. Do you guys want this as a series?. In the meantime, do enjoy however. This man is so fine, it actually hurts!!!. 

You were so angry, your whole day had started off shit. Your car didn’t start this morning, so then you were late to your lectures, and shift trying to find alternative transport. Oh and the fact you were running on, 2 oat muesli bars and a sip of water, did not help. 

Plus your mum was frustrated that you weren't coming home for the holidays to take care of your siblings, like you didn't have a life of your own. 

There was no use in arguing with her, she’d somehow get her way like she always did, what you did not understand, your siblings were old enough to take care of themselves anyway.  You needed relief asap. 

You knew the perfect person to help you find that relief. You shoot Rafe a quick text.

You: is that offer still on?

Rafe: yeah its still on, your’s or mine

You: yours, my roommate’s fam are visiting.

Rafe: okay I’ll pick you up after work

You: thank you so much. 

Rafe: no problem sweetheart, see ya soon.

Rafe was very happy to see you’d accept his offer, he needed release. His father had called him, expressing disappointment in grades, once again. Threatening to block him from accessing the money in his trust fund. 

The pressure from the fact he hadn’t chosen the career his father wanted for him didn’t help. He considered his love for football stupid and childish, saying that his focus should be on business degree, and how that a real degree. 

Rafe was trying, he didn't know how else to prove it. Rafe had told his father that he was getting tutored and had a fixed a good study timetable, that word with training and football games. There has been a good improvement.  

He's really locked in, thanks to you. He considered you a life saver and a good friend. The more you spend time together, he’s started to have a soft spot for you. Loving the cute messages and memes, you send to him. Of course he’d send some back, along with silly selfies. That made you giggle. 

 He’d also appreciated that you weren't quick to judge and had actually taken the time to get to know the real him, the vulnerable side that he didn't show his own friends back home. 

He felt at ease around you.

Tonight he’d show you how much he appreciated you.

Your shift had finally ended, and boy were you hungry. You needed something large, either a nice burrito or burger would do. You played games on your phone as you waited outside for Rafe. The sound of Don Toliver blasting caught your attention, Rafe was pulling in with windows down, and Audi freshly washed. He looked good even after training, he had his hand out his window.

“Hey, sweetheart, let's get out of here”.

“Hey, Rafe”. He smiled. Dimples popping out. He looked so good today for some reason. 

You hopped in,  putting your seatbelt on. You felt a little bad and there you were smelling like grease messing up his super clean car. 

“Sorry I smell like grease”.

“That's okay, I kinda like it”.

“Whatever”.  You playfully shove him, loving the hard muscles underneath your hand. 

“You hungry, I know a good diner, felt like a cheat meal today”.

“Yes please, I’m so hungry, you have water?”.

“Yeah, check in the small compartment in front of you”. 

“Thanks”.

“Don't sweat it”.

The both of you had ordered a classic cheese burger, fries and a caramel milkshake for your meal and spicy chicken burger with fries and a vanilla coke for Rafe. You now were at his small house by the beach, you finished dinner there watching tv and chatting with him.

You’d gone to your house and grabbed a few books, your laptop and extra clothes and toiletries. Rafe had said you could sleepover, and would drive you to classes until you could get your car fixed. 

You like his home, it was clean smelt citrusy, and was simply decorated. The both of you were in the shower, and had been for ten minutes. You lathered vanilla and coconut body wash onto your skin, first your arms, followed by your boobs, Rafe did the same, watching you, eyes dilated and cheeks painted pink. You massaged your nipples, then moved your hand down south. A hand around your wrist stopped you. 

“Uh uh, that's my job”, 

Rafe, gently pushed you to the wall of the shower, both his hands planted by your side trapping you. 

“Baby, before we start, I want to go over the rules again. If it gets too much, you have a safe word. Use it when you need to and I’ll stop. Is that clear”.

“Yes Sir”.

“Good girl, go dry yourself, and I want to find you on the bed, legs spread”. Your cheeks heat at his words, you were so happy you’d had the conversation about what you liked in the bedroom, you both found that you both liked the same things. You don't know what you expected, but you were happy with what you were being given.  He moved backwards to give you space, spanking your ass as you got out. 

You do as he asks, now dry you laid on your back legs spread. Waiting in the silence. After what felt like forever, Rafe finally comes out of the bathroom. Also dry. He was hard, tip leaking with precum. 

“I’m on birth control and I’m clean”. You blurt out, for some reason you wanted to feel everything, no barrier between the two of you. 

“You sure? I can put on the condom, oh I’m also clean too”.

“No, I want to feel everything”.

Rafe smiled at that, happy to fulfill your wishes. Finally he joined you on the bed. Knees in between your spread thighs. He massaged them working his way to hook his hands under your knees, pushing your knees to meet your shoulders. 

Now you were actually spread wide, with this position you were guaranteed deep penetration. He moved his hips working his cock through your slit, spitting on the two of you for lubrication. Rafe did that for a few seconds, getting you worked up. You thrust your hips upward for more friction. Your eyes had been closed. Lost in the pleasure. But he wanted your eyes on him as he thrust in

“Eyes on me sweetheart”.

As you opened, you felt his tip stretching you.

“You look so good spread open for me”. He slowly works his length in, spitting on you some more. It's a lot, given his cock size and longer than what you’re used to. Finally his whole length is inside. Your pussy clenches around him.

“Relax sweetheart, doing good for me, gonna start thrusting now”.

Rafe starts to move, he's completely in control. Slow or fast, that's all his choice. You have no choice but to take what he gives you. 

His thrusts are deep but slow and he shifts his hips at a slight angle. Your eyes close again and he doesn't like that.

“eyes on me and keep them fucking open”. 

You open your eyes and find him watching your face and the bounce of your tits with each thrust. He picks up the pace and thrusts deeper. 

“Look at you, you look so good like this. Pussy filled with my cock. Could stay like this forever”.

You push at his chest to slow him down, given that it's too much. Rafe isn't happy so, he gathers your wrists with his hand and pins them above your bed. 

“You’re going to take what I give you”.

“I can’t”

“Yes you can baby, say it”.

“I can take it”.

“Good fucking girl”. You sex clenches, at his dirty words, you’d take what he gives just so that he could keep calling you his good girl. You can feel his cock twitch inside of you. 

Rafe moves slightly angling his cock, moving around to get to your g spot, the roll of your eyes, indicates he’s found it. He slows down his thrusts, measured and in tandem with his thumb rubbing gently at your clit. 

His cock twitches, and you can feel the familiar coil inside of you. You're chasing your climax as you move your hips to meet his thrusts. He presses hard on your clit. 

“Just like that, baby”. 

This action brings you closer to over the edge. Rafe lets go of your hands, and brings you closer, both of you chest to chest. He’s caressing your curls, and kissing your neck, as he thrusts a little more. You hold onto his back tightly,  then move to his ass pushing him deeper. You come, moaning into his chest, his climax shortly following yours. Warm cum, fills your sex. 

Rafe kisses your lips. He pulls back to look at you. Slipping his cock out, and laying on his back and bringing your head to his chest. You threw your leg over his cuddling into him more, loving his warmth. 

“Proud of you for taking me so well, princess”.  He kisses your forehead, and caressing you arm and back. 

“I loved it, felt so good, got my pussy throbbing talking about it”. You kiss his chest. Rafe’s heart warms at the gesture.

“Ok that's good, glad I did a good job”.

“Hey, you wanna take a shower with me?”.

“Sure, would love to, I have a question, is there something I can work on, for next time?”.

“I’ll let you know, next round”. Rafe sensed you were holding back, but he decided that when you were ready, you'd tell him. But the thought of a possible next time, Rafe was happy with.

[two-white-butterflies]

hold on to the memories

Description: The Hightowers and the Targaryens spend New Year's Eve in Capri (all because Viserys hates the snow.) Trouble ensues. A prequel to gave you all my best me's.

Pairing: aemond targaryen/reader (modern!)

A/N: Late, but better late than never.

2025 | Targaryen Residence

JOIN US FOR COCKTAILS AND COUNT DOWN TO MIDNIGHT!

December 31st at 6pm. | RSVP to Harwin Strong | Dinner and drinks will be served.

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Fitting into this type of crowd has always been difficult for you, these people have been rich for generations, and they think of themselves as America's version of royalty. "Let's go," Aemond squeezes your hand three times before entering through the thick Narra doors of his family's ancestral home.

As you both enter the spacious foyer, a taxidermied statue of two barbary lions greets you. "We named these lions Nigel and Sugar. Aegon and I used to hide cigarettes inside of their mouths," Aemond chuckles—not all of his childhood memories are bitter.

The foyer is bigger than your primary residence—certainly bigger than the beach house where you met his family. The walls are off-white, littered with small murals of baby blue flowers. There is no main light—only downcast bulbs and plinth lights.

This house is decorated in beautiful taste.

"It's a nice home," you mumbled under your breath, but nice isn't enough of an adjective to describe its beauty. "I loved living here," he says with a slight frown... his eyes continue traveling the interior of the mansion. He can almost smell the delicious soup that the maids used to cook for him - he can almost hear the sound of laughter radiating off the walls as he and Lucerys run around.

But their laughter is silenced by his father's strict and firm voice.

It is a sin to have fun in his father's presence.

You continued to admire the decorations, though they simply looked out of place. The poinsettias did not look good against the black marble interior of the renovated foyer...it would look better against brick. "I love the decorations, they are so..." You admired.

"Gauche," Aemond snorts.

It was a big mistake having Harwin in charge of the decorations, he seriously has no experience decorating a mansion this big - and it is way too manly for someone with a feminine touch to embrace. Nevertheless, you and Aemond simply admired the decorations; they looked good in some lights, and it wasn't that bad for an amateur interior designer.

"Please look for Rhaenyra and Helaena, they will accompany you while I talk to a few friends," he smiles, staring off to the side to his Oxford brothers. You have nothing in common with those guys, and he loves you too much to make you spend time with them.

"Have fun, please, just don't get carried away," you smiled - reminding him of your birthday party where he got shitface drunk.

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Helaena gives you an appreciative smile.

"I was dying inside of there," she groaned, thankful that you pulled her away. "Aunt Ginevra was on her three-hour story about how Beverly Hills adjacent is not Beverly Hills," Helaena rolls her eyes.

You were happy to see that she wasn't the only one struggling with these upper-echelon folks. "By the way, Aegon and Baela are not talking to each other." Helaena whisper-shouts as the speaker plays some random jazz music on full-blast, nope, wait, those are not speakers, it's a live band.

"Why?" You raised an eyebrow, those cousins are thick as thieves. "Baela got two Eras Tour tickets, but instead of taking him, she's taking her girlfriend." Helaena giggles.

These people can buy an entire stadium, and they're not talking to each other because of concert tickets. "She's basically known her for a week, but she swears that they're soulmates because her sun is her girlfriend's moon." Helaena continues sharing.

"I don't even know what those words mean," your eyes narrowed, a little lost in the conversation. "Astrology shit," she pulled you into a more secluded part of the mansion.

She looked around for a second, reaching for one of the hors d'oeuvres, giving you a piece of it before helping you settle down on the empty couch. This part of the house is more quiet than the rest. She takes a sip of water from the Hydroflask that she's been holding.

"You promised to give me a brief on all of your relatives," you reminded. "God, where do I start..." Helaena stares at the ceiling. "- has Aemond not shared anything?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Aemond does not care about your Targaryen relatives beyond the money they give him for investments." You answered. "He's a Hightower through and through, which is probably why he went to Oxford instead of Harvard. By the way, 99% of the people on my father's side went to Harvard. The 1% is probably me and my siblings." She laughs.

"Rhaenyra went to Harvard," you reminded.

"Oh right," she frowns as if forgetting about that fact.

She leans forward, adjusting her glasses.

"My family has four sub-families. The Velaryons. The Hightowers. The Baratheons and the Arryns." Helaena tries her best to remember. She drags the word Arryn a little bit longer. "What's with the Arryn's?" You raised an eyebrow - the name is unfamiliar and unique.

"They're richer than God," Helaena says out loud. "The family is mostly based in Switzerland, they only come here when Rhaenyra asks - because her mom's an Arryn. They don't really talk to us or the entire Hightower clan, for that matter - only the Baratheons." Helaena adds, making the family sound like a nightmare.

"There's only three members of the family that come, Jon Arryn, who is basically the head honcho. Rosamund - who married the Prince of Monaco and Farleigh." Helaena swoons while mentioning a man's name. A snort comes out of your mouth, beginning to realize that she probably has a crush on him.

"That's your cousin," you teased.

"No, I'm not related to him - it's Rhaenyra, that is..." Helaena defends sharply. "- I've checked out his social media, and he leads an anti-global warming organization. He also lives in Bondi Beach." She continues swooning, already forgetting the purpose of this conversation.

"What about the other relatives?" You inquired.

"You don't have to worry about them, they know how to mind their business, especially the Velaryons and the Baratheons. It's just the Hightowers that you have to look out for - they're devout Catholics." She warns. The family closest to your husband...and they're the ones most likely to hate your guts.

"Okay, now we can talk about Farleigh." You teased, tickling her sides.

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ynprivate: absolutely beautiful with @helaenatargaryen @daerntrg @margarethzobel

liked by 7 others

>comments

daerntrg: we look so good @margarethzobel🥺😘 - margarethzobel: 😘 love u baby

egghightower: Teenagers should not have girlfriends 💀 - daerntrg: hate me cuz you aint me

margarethzobel: Thanks for the polaroid picture y/n! Love you lots. - ynprivate: Love you too Margs!

helaenatargaryen: They grow up so fast :(

ynprivate: @helaenatargaryen you look so much like your mom in this pic - helaenatargaryen: The resemblance is a little too uncanny somtimes

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"I've been looking for you." Aemond pops inside the gallery room. He got your message a few minutes ago, telling him that you were too nervous to hang out with the older members of his family. "We were just about to play UNO, care you join?" You offered.

"She's only inviting you because she knows she's losing," Daeron teases while placing another +4 down. Helaena giggles, placing another +4 in return and to your absolute shock, all the cards are back on your hands. Daeron chuckles.

Helaena places sixteen cards on your hands.

Aemond laughs, sitting opposite to you.

(Which means squished in between Daeron and Helaena.)

Your eyebrows merged. "You don't want to sit beside me?" You asked. He raises his hands in mock surrender. "- and not have a bed to sleep in? I'd rather not." He teases. Well, you do suppose that you get a little too competitive and sensitive when Aemond lays down a plus card in your direction.

You rolled your eyes.

Somehow, that action brings butterflies to your stomach. Even when playing a game, he has no desire to defeat you.

"I'm finished!" Daeron screams from the tops of his lungs. "Whoever loses gets to buy me ten pieces of chicken nuggets." He professes from the tops of his lungs, like a curse uttered by a witch.

Helaena huffs.

"You didn't even say Uno!" She complains.

"- and none of ya'll noticed." Daeron rolls his eyes.

Aegon glares at his youngest brother. "Stand up," the older brother demands. "You can't tell me what to do!" Daeron refuses.

Helaena lightly hits Daeron's nape, taking Aemond aback as he feels his sister's forearm gently brush against his back. "You asshole. Stop shoving cards up your ass." Helaena complains while standing up.

Daeron giggles, forced to stand up and to your surprise, he was sitting on five cards (collected in the span of five games).

A smile is plastered on your face.

This is what a home feels like.

"This family has a whole lot of cheaters," Aegon mumbles under his breath before chuckling as Daeron grabs ahold of him - using him as a shield from Helaena's wrath.

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yournametargaryen: happy new year, from my family to yours ❤️ tagged: @helaenatargaryen @daerntrg @egghightower @aemondtargaryen

liked by 2,129,912 others

comments

livinthatlife3: The way that they're just like us 😭

messifan88: HNY QUEEN!

wifemeup: not this picture being richer than the state of wyoming

[mossangelll]

Work-Life Balance 🖥️

toxic!homelander x reader

[what happens when homelander develops a crush on his personal assistant only to find out that his feelings aren’t reciprocated?]

word count: 5k

cw: slight yandere, toxic behaviour, inappropriate work relationship, s*xual harassment, workplace harassment, homophobia, lesbophobia, threats of violence, implied violence, reader is fem, might be typos/grammar mistakes (hasn’t been proofread)

i just realised i’ve hit 562 followers which is so crazy to me! i haven’t celebrated any follower milestones on here but i really want to give back to everyone that’s supported me so give me ideas of what we can do to celebrate!! <3 ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

“All-American Superheroes, born and bred in the land of the free and working to protect the interests of god fearing patriots like you across the country!”

Yeah right.

You internally roll your eyes as you look away from the giant screen in the foyer that blasted this propaganda day and night, scanning your access badge and going up the elevator with your tray of coffees.

Working at Vought quickly shattered any illusions you had about supes in record time; just like any other person, you had grown up hearing about how brave and kind these heroes were to protect us regular folk.

Supes, despite everything you thought you knew from childhood, aren’t good people - who could’ve guessed that unchecked powers would turn people into entitled monsters?

It’s bad enough when your higher ups expect you to cater to their every whim without so much as a please or thank you, it’s even worse when said higher up has the power to squash you like a bug as easily as breathing - and they don’t mind getting their shoes dirty.

You check your watch and find yourself worrying your lip between your teeth. Can’t be too late or you won’t hear the end of it. Thankfully even though Ashley is an annoyance she can’t just kill you and make it seem like nothing ever happened.

God, it’s not even normal to be thinking like this. Maybe quitting wouldn’t be the worst idea, huh?

Ding!

The doors open and you bolt out as quickly as you can, not wanting to face Ashley’s wrath or risk her breaking down about her hair loss again, it’s not even 8am yet an-

You collide with what feels like a brick wall. It might as well be with the way you stop dead in your tracks from the sheer force and the recoil causes the hot coffee to spill all over your surroundings.

You look up to see what the obstacle was, probably an intern gawking at some random supe in the hallway.

It’s The Homelander. Tall and statuesque, just his mere presence demands respect and you’ve covered him in hot coffee.

Oh god, please let this be some horrible nightmare you’ll wake up from any minute now.

“You sure know how to make an entrance! Maybe try not to ruin the suit next time though, yeah?” His blue eyes twitch and you can see his sharp canines make an entrance in his plastic smile.

Your mouth gapes open like a fish and despite all the thoughts racing through your head, no words make it out of your mouth. Get it together! Still, your knees threaten to buckle from panic as you decide the correct course of action that won’t get you maimed or worse.

“Are you listening to me, uh, Y/N?” He squints at your name badge before saying your name with a slight edge, all for show of course considering his eyesight must be, well, superhuman.

This has its intended affect as it jolts you back to the present. “Oh my god, Homelander! I am so sorry about this - I wasn’t paying attention and it’s all my fault,” You place the tray to the floor and immediately begin working on dabbing up the coffee stains that ruined his suit with spare napkins, “I’ll even pay for the damage, they could just take it out my pay check?”

“The suit costs more than you make in a year.” The blood drains from your face and your hands falter in their movements before he flashes a grin, “I’m joking! Smart girl like you knows what a joke is surely.”

You let out a weak laugh.

——————————————————————————

Ever since you bumped into him it feels like no matter where you go, Homelander is always there. His gaze conveniently catches yours as you greet colleagues, his eyes soon turning sharp as he barks orders to whoever you were talking to. Sometimes they even get transferred to other departments and even if it seems far fetched a part of you wonders if it’s his doing.

Every assignment you’re put on seems to involve him in some capacity and it would be ok if he wasn’t trying to talk to you constantly. It got to the point that even other people noticed and started to distance themselves from you, not that it seemed to bother Homelander.

Once again you find yourself stood in front of Ashley’s desk, placing down her lunch order and handing over the meeting briefings she asked for yesterday.

“Ok, well if that’s everything I’ll be off!”

God, you hate working corporate. Having to smile so wide it hurts your cheeks when all you want to do is just sit down for once.

You turn on your heels but stop right before the door as you hear Ashley cough. Subtle.

Shoulders deflating, you prepare yourself mentally and turn back around with another diabetes-inducing smile to find the red-head clasping and unclasping her hands before taking a rushed sip of her coffee.

“Shit, that’s hot.” She mumbles under her breath, hand covering her mouth before she clears her throat again and sits up straighter. Sure, she can have her moments but it’s times like these when you realise that maybe she’s just like you: tired, overworked, run ragged - if the bald spot and deep eye bags are anything to go off.

Ashley steadies her breath and her eyes dart all over the room and you can’t help but think that even this is over the top for her, “You’re going to be over the moon when I tell you that the Homelander wants you as his new personal assistant! Of course, you will still technically be under me.”

You jump in surprise when you hear his name mentioned and try to argue against it, that you only want to work for Ashley but she wasn’t hearing any of it.

“But why?! There’s a ton more knowledgeable employees out there that would be better suited for him!” You throw your hands up in exasperation as Ashley pauses, suddenly unable to look you in the eyes.

“Y/N do you like having a job or what?! Now I’ve sent some documents to your email; print them out and give them to him.”

You feel lightheaded as the elevator travels higher up than you’ve ever been before, all the way to Homelander’s penthouse.

A part of you wondered why you couldn’t just hand them to him The Seven’s meeting room but you quickly dismiss the thought. You aren’t getting paid enough to question your bosses frankly inconvenient choices constantly.

Thinking you know better than these supes was a quick way to end up in an “unfortunate workplace accident”. You shivered to think of all the poor souls that didn’t know their place.

The elevator stops and you know that any second now you’ll be entering uncharted territory. You heard about his notorious attitude, worse than some of the supes you’ve encountered so far and they’ve been bad. You just hope you make it out alive and he decides he no longer wants anything to do with you.

Calm down, all you have to do is smile, hand him the documents and then you can be on your way, easy.

The doors open and you’re surprised when you see that the Homelander is stood right by the entrance, hands clasped in front of him with a fake smile you could spot from a mile away.

“Oh! H-homelander! I wasn’t expecting you to be so…close?” You grimace but quickly smooth over your expression, shuffling around his body and walking over to the coffee table.

You can’t help but gawk at the impressive room in front of you. You knew they would be spoiling the guy but damn, this is next level.

You can hear his heavy steps trailing behind you, feel his overwhelming presence invade your space before his voice booms throughout the room.

“Thought I’d give my favourite PA a warm welcome!” He brings his arms out to his sides, smile somehow managing to become wider than it was before.

You nod in agreement, not wanting to get on his bad side so quickly into the new job. “Uh, yeah, thank you. These are the papers Ashley said you needed so. If that’s all I’ll be going.”

His smile drops ever so slightly and if you too weren’t so used to putting up facades you wouldn’t have even caught it. He nods and waves his hand to excuse you and you walk as quickly as you can to your escape without seeming scared.

You enter the elevator, eyes glued to the floor, as Homelander calls out to you without warning, “By the way, your ass looks great in those pencil skirts - keep up the great work.”

Your eyes snap up to the mirror in the elevator just in time to lock eyes with his blue ones, a wolffish grin on his face right before the doors shut behind you.

You stand stock-still, staring at your own horrified reflection until you got off at your floor.

——————————————————————————

It could’ve been worse, you tell yourself, he could’ve actually hurt you. But he didn’t, not really.

It’s been months since that incident and you still haven’t found the courage to wear a skirt since. You could tell it made him unhappy and the first day you showed up to work in trousers he had the gall to tsk in your face but at least he didn’t say anything.

However, you did notice that now his eyes strayed down to your lower body more often, lingering there for longer than usual. His eyes both seemingly laser focused and unfocused at the same time, bottom lip caught between his teeth.

You didn’t know exactly why but it made you feel like crawling out of your own skin and hiding far, far away from Vought headquarters.

Working under Homelander was difficult to say the least and not because of the horror stories you’d heard whispered in toilet cubicles or written on soon discarded notes in the staff room. He wasn’t violent with you and he rarely shouted, but he was demanding of your time, more than a boss should be at least.

It felt like anytime you spoke to a colleague, especially a man, there he was to reprimand the two of you on the virtues of “doing your jobs and not wasting valuable company time.”

Whenever he did so, his face was contorted in anger and those colleagues always got transferred to different departments, or worse - got into “workplace accidents.”

Then, he started to expect you to spend your lunch breaks with him, then your days off and before you knew it, he was calling you at 1am to “swing by the penthouse” and help him go over his lines or some other bullshit.

Of course, you responded to every beck and call like the good employee you are.

You felt like you were going crazy, like your life suddenly stopped belonging to you and became the property of someone else. Someone who could ruin your life faster and much easier than you could breathe.

And it wasn’t only affecting your work life, but your personal life - your romantic life.

Living with your girlfriend, Mia, was supposed to be the dream arrangement; you both saved on rent while getting to be together more often. What more could you ask for? And it was for a time, truly it was.

But this new role working for Homelander took precedence over everything else that was once so important to you. You cancelled dates, you skipped movie nights, you weren’t home early enough to say “good night” and “I love you” anymore.

The guilt tore you up inside; after all, Mia moved to your city because she knew how important your job was to you and what do you go and do? Neglect her like her sacrifice meant nothing.

She deserves better than someone who comes home late every night and is gone before the sun has even risen just to be a slave to their work.

Today’s your rare day off and still you can’t enjoy it in fear that Homelander will call you and get you to do some stupid task an intern could do.

You can already hear his high and mighty voice ringing in your head, “Go to this cafe and get this annoyingly specific drink, Y/N.”

Or, “Y/N, I pay for you to give me precise details and this isn’t good enough, go print these out again.”

He’s not even the one that pays you!

You shake your head as if to tamp down your irritation and instead reach over the bed to caress the smooth contours of your lover’s face, taking in each blemish, the fluttering of her lashes, the way she murmurs softly as if even in her sleep all she wants to do is be close to you.

You worry that soon your girlfriend will come to the same conclusion you have, if she hasn’t already, and leave you for a woman who is better than you in every way.

You wouldn’t blame her; she’s gorgeous, smart, headstrong and so incredibly kind it makes your heart hurt.

Well, at the very least you can show your appreciation for her by making her breakfast in bed. You get ready for the morning in the bathroom before shuffling over to your small kitchen, searching the fridge for ingredients you know aren’t there.

You peek your head around the bedroom door to find your girlfriend still snoring. She won’t wake up for another hour or so which gives you perfect time to get supplies.

——————————————————————————

Perhaps running errands wasn’t how you wanted to start your off-day but you’ve had enough of being jaded. You get to spend the day with your girl and show her how much you love her!

You make your way to the new organic store your friends told you about, determined to make a tasty and healthy meal - Mia’s favourite. You peruse the aisles and make quick work of getting what you need, ticking off your internal checklist as you go.

You pay (and grimace at the amount of money you know is going to hurt coming out of your account) and start making your way home. The sun is shining, birds are singing and you are in an unusually good mood. You even start to hum to yourself until you catch sight of your worst fear.

Who else is it but Homelander.

You watch as he flies through the neighbourhood and lands right next to you - of course donning a smile too wide for this time of morning to be natural.

“What are the odds I bump into my favourite personal assistant! You sure look…cosy.” He eyes your less than professional attire, a worn hoodie and sweats that have definitely seen better days.

You’re too fed up to even feel embarrassed and the judgemental edge to his voice serves to annoy you further so you correct him, “Your only personal assistant.”

He deflects your words with ease, maybe his brain is like his skin and he’s just too dense to pick up on your exasperation at his arrival.

It could just be your imagination but it feels like everything around you has suddenly become dull the moment he appeared. You watch as he opens his mouth, no doubt to ask you to do some mind numbingly boring job that a grown man should be capable of, but cut him off. It’s your day off and you refuse to spend it working for him.

“I’m sorry but I’ve got a super busy day. I’ll check in tomorrow.” You’re aware of how sour your tone comes across but why should you bother trying to spare his feelings when you’re not even getting paid for it?

You wave and rush back home before he could try and guilt trip you into staying. Once you find yourself back in the kitchen, you’re surprised at the fact that he just let you go so easily. Better not to think too much on it.

Breakfast is finished and plated on a tray as you walk to the bedroom to find your girlfriend already awake and scrolling through her email.

“Babe, you’re back! I was wondering where you went.” Her voice is rough with sleep and you can’t help the butterflies that bloom in your stomach.

You place the tray of french toast, fruit and water on her lap and kiss her cheek delicately.

“Well,” you start, “Just thought I should apologise for being absent so much recently.”

Her eyes soften as she hugs you tightly and all you want is for this moment to last forever. She digs in her food and you both make idle chit-chat, luxuriating in your joint happiness and peace. That is until you bring up your earlier encounter.

It’s not like you meant to bring work back into the fold but a part of your brain itches at Homelander’s odd appearance and before you know it, it turns into a full blown rant.

Mia rolls her eyes before shoving away the tray of half finished food. Uh oh. She folds her arms over her chest as her eyes well up with unshed tears and it’s clear that you’ve ruined what was meant to be a romantic day.

“God, Y/N! It seems like all you care about nowadays is your job and Homelander. Don’t you think that’s unhealthy? Don’t you care about me anymore?”

So many thoughts and unsaid emotions rush through your mind but before you can begin to apologise and explain the insane stress you’ve been under, you get a notification on your phone.

Homelander: There’s a very important meeting tonight in my penthouse with some of the board. Wear a nice dress.

You want to ignore the message and focus on your girlfriend but you can’t. The struggle must be evident in your eyes because she scoffs and gets up from the bed, meal all but forgotten.

“Forget it, I’m gonna stay at a friend’s place tonight.” You don’t think you’ve ever seen her look so defeated before and knowing that you caused it makes you feel nauseous.

You try your best to bargain with Mia but she’s gone and left you to pick up the pieces. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, you have no time to be sad - you have a meeting to prepare for.

——————————————————————————

You smooth over the invisible wrinkles in your satin skirt. After all, you brushed off Homelander and you don’t need anymore strikes against yourself.

The doors open to a familiar sight, except this time instead of the harsh lighting you’re accustomed to. It’s softer, more delicate. If you didn’t know any better you might even say romantic.

Somebody dimmed the overhead lights and stuck candles all over the place, there were even rose petals strewn across the floor that led to the dining table.

Weird, but maybe he has a date immediately after this and won’t have enough time to prepare once the meeting lets out.

Your heels echo on the marble floor as you make your way to the kitchen to find The Homelander, still in his signature suit, waiting at the head of the table. He seems nervous in his own strange way and you have to knock on a nearby pillar to get his attention.

“Hey, Homelander.” You say unsure of yourself as your head swivels around only to find the place devoid of any other employees who should’ve been present.

“Am I early to the meeting or…?”

“Meeting?” He seems to re-enter reality with that one word, “Ah, that little old thing. Don’t worry about it just yet.”

He manages to hone in on your hesitance with hawk-like precision and gestures to the bottle of wine on the countertop near you, “Go on, pour yourself a glass of wine.”

You do as he says, thankful for the opportunity to turn away from his penetrating stare whilst still aware that what he said wasn’t a suggestion but an order, and pour out a small serving.

“A little bit more won’t hurt ya!” You bristle where you stand - can he see through you? Despite not wanting anymore you pick up the bottle and continue pouring until he says “perfect”.

Slowly turning around, you walk to the table and sit down across from him. You don’t know whether to face him head on or dart your eyes everywhere but his face. You choose to drink your wine instead and peek up at him over the rim of the glass - an option sat comfortably in the middle that helps calm your nerves.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself there, missy.” He winks boyishly as he says this, as if you two are friends having casual banter and that’s enough to make you pause mid-sip and place your glass down on the dining table.

The elevator dings and you look to it in relief; finally, the others are here to save you from this god-awful situation.

So, imagine your surprise when it turns out to be Ashley juggling bags of takeout from a restaurant way outside of your price budget.

You want to question why she’s alone, why she’s dropping off food instead of joining the meeting, why she looks downright scared as she watches the two of you.

You turn to Homelander with furrowed brows but he simply ignores you and instructs Ashley to plate the food for the two of you.

“I guess it’s just us three ready for the meeting, huh?” You laugh under your breath but quickly stop as you catch the confused look on Ashley’s face, though it quickly disappears when Homelander gives her a harsh glare.

“Oooh, about that it got um, cancelled?” She sounds like she knows even less than you do despite being the CEO and that makes the pit in your stomach grow larger by the second.

She finishes plating the food and hurries away leaving just you and Homelander at opposite ends to eat your meals quietly.

He’s eager to break silence and asks about your family, where they live, childhood pets and other similar banal questions that it reminds you of when you were younger and the conversation you had during your many unsuccessful first dates with boys in your class. Still, it’s almost endearing how hooked he seems to be to your answers, laughing at even the most basic family game night stories.

It goes by like this for a while before he sets his knife and fork down and links his hands together.

“Well Y/N, I bet you’re wondering exactly what you’re doing here. It’s not easy for me to say but…I lied about the meeting. I have feelings for you and I wanted to ask if you would be interested in a relationship. With me.”

You immediately choke on your bite of food, reaching for the glass of wine and taking a healthy swig to stop choking.

This seems to please Homelander and he laughs, more real than you’ve ever heard before as he steamrolls right past the interruption.

“Hah, well that’s one way to get my focus.”

You stare at him in disbelief at what’s happening; you don’t want him to continue to misread your signals. You let in a shaky breath as you prepare to let down your boss who is also the most powerful supe in the world. You can’t exactly lie, can you?

“Um, that’s not exactly it,” you pause to carefully choose your words as you take in the slight changes in his facial expressions, the way the bridge of his nose seems to tense and his smile dulls despite not moving an inch, “It’s just that I have a girlfriend. I’m, y’know, a lesbian.”

It’s as if someone has removed all the oxygen from the room, or maybe you just stopped breathing, as you unwittingly enter a staring contest with Homelander. Is he going to fire you? Or worse, kill you?

But then he laughs.

It’s a loud guffaw that reaches every corner of his opulent penthouse, he even goes as far as to tilt his head back and laugh some more like he doesn’t have enough room to let out all of his laughter.

You start to giggle along too, some of your anxiety flittering away as your hands mess around with the cutlery, unsure of what exactly comes next.

“I’m surprised you never realised, my purse has a carabiner on it and everything.”

You don’t know why you said that, but a part of you just wanted to ease the remaining tension until it’s like it was never there in the first place.

It’s all just one big misunderstanding and we’ll laugh about it in the future, right?

The laughter begins to taper off and he once again locks eyes with you, the wooden smile on his face still stretching at the skin of his cheeks uncomfortably.

It’s downright uncanny to watch.

He raises his eyebrows as he mouths out a wow and downs the rest of his glass and you do the same, mirroring his nonchalant manner the best you can.

“You know what’s funny to me?” He begins in a lazy drawl and you shake your head in response, resting your chin in the palm of your hand as you let a small smile break the surface. Maybe the wine really is getting to you.

“It’s that you’re not one of those hot little college girls anymore, you’re a grown woman for christ sake. You can stop with the experimenting. Don’t you think it’s time you settled down and found a real man?” He says it in such a deadpan tone it takes your mind a second to register what exactly he said.

Time pauses for just a second, allowing you an eternity to study the cruel glimmer in his eye before the erratic beating that swelled in your chest explodes and brings you back to the present.

You blink once. Then twice.

“E-excuse me?” Your voice cracks despite how hard you try to sound brave and self-assured. You can already feel your cheeks growing hot and the pressure behind your eyes begin to build.

He raises both hands in mock defense and watches you with his beady eyes, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m the biggest ally around but trust me, you’re confused. Why else would you wear those slutty skirts to work if you’re not trying to attract men? I know how women work.” He chuckles through a clenched jaw and a flash of white-hot rage runs through your body and wracks your very core.

You place your hands under the table so he can’t see how hard you’re shaking. Or maybe he can - who knows the extent of his powers.

“I’m sorry but I’m not attracted to men, I have a girlfriend and I thought the carabiner on my ba-” You begin rattling off all kinds of nonsensical reasons just as his right hand balls into a fist and slams into the dining table so harshly it fucking splinters.

You take that as a sign to shut up now.

His left hand drags down his face as he groans, “Stop with the fucking carabiner! Why would I know anything about that lesbian shit?!” His words are dripping in condescension and disdain.

“No, no,” he wags a gloved finger in front of you, gleaming white teeth bared like a predator waiting to strike, “You. Are. Confused. I’ve dated one of those before and you are not it.”

Tears are openly streaming down your face yet you don’t even have the guts to wipe them away considering how viciously the tremors travel across your body and he laughs at your terror.

“Remind me, where did you say your parents live? And oh yeah, your friends?” You both know that he isn’t just listing off these facts for fun, he’s threatening you and you hate how much it’s working.

He didn’t even have to go to the crime department and force them to dig up info on you, you’ve already given it to him willingly like the idiot you are.

“I can kill everyone you love in a blink of an eye, Y/N. Don’t test me. I will make them suffer and you will watch.”

You gasp and a shaky hand clasps over your mouth, trying and failing to muffle the sounds of your hysterical wails.

“What do you think happened to those friends of yours, huh? I didn’t know I had to be keeping an eye out for the women too but that works out better - it will always be just the two of us. Do you understand me?”

He claps his hands with a resounding laugh before he stands up from the table and walks around until he reaches your end.

He waits behind you as his hands press down on your shoulders. A feather light touch but you know it must take a lot of self-control for him to not crush you beneath his fingers. Homelander bends down until his lips ghost the shell of your ear and you can feel a golden strand fall loose from its gelled back style and tickle your neck.

“So, whaddaya say? Will you be mine?” You don’t even need to turn around to see the smarmy grin that must be plastered on his face; consequences don’t exist for him and if he wants you, he will have you. He doesn’t wait for your answer before his lips dive to your neck, nipping and licking at the sensitive skin there in a way that’s meant to be seductive but just makes you dry heave instead.

His grip on your shoulders tightens ever so slightly and it jolts you into action, nodding ‘yes’ erratically as you sob out into the night where only the echoes of your cries and his lips on your neck can comfort you.

Your work-life balance is about to get fucked.

masterlist

a/n: i’ve been on a teeeeeny bit of a hiatus (mental health issues, uni, blah blah blah) but now that i only have a few exams to do before i’m officially free for the summer, i thought i’d try and get back into writing! i have SO many requests to get through but i’ll open them up again - i need fresh inspo! this was super fun to write and i enjoyed it so much…why is it easier to write fanfics than actual assignments 🙃 (p.s can someone help me with tumblr spacing issues 😭)

[barrenclan]

Not ashamed to say that the end of the latest issue with asphodelpaw, and slugpelt and redstar talking about her, and her warrior name, Made me cry a few real tears! but god, what a testament to how amazing and well written this story is!

ive been following this comic since the very first clangen video you posted, and i can't believe it's almost over, but at the same time, thank you for seeing it to its conclusion and putting so much care into it that so truly paid off.

things are already so satisfying—redstar stepping up, becoming leader with confidence, but also knowing that barrenclan can't and shouldn't last past her—cootstorm displaying a hurt and emotional side i didn't think she had but makes perfect sense for her to have LOL—everything! good luck on the last issue and everything else you do from then on!

This issue seemed to get a lot of people emotional, which makes me very satisfied haha! It always means a lot how much this series has meant to folks. I'm very honored you've stuck with the story for so long, it's been a blast to work on and a real treat for so many people to engage with it like they have.

Thank you! :]

[ogrepoppenangleaksofficial]

this isnt a question but instead a Love Letter to all the wonderful souls of the ogre poppen gang. i wanted to say thank all of you for the hard work that goes into making htp and for introducing me and many others to the world of vtm, its been such a blast!!! you folks have given me lots of inspiration for my own characters and world building, and i cant wait to see where the htp story goes!

much love from your friendly neighborhood bean :)

[quiet-cabin]

Omamori PostMortem!

Here it is folks! The final Omamori devlog 🥹. In it we'll be taking a look at how everything began, some of the ups and downs we had along the way, including some looks at behind the scenes work, and finally, what's next for the studio!

I'm going to try something a little different here. Normally I link back to the devlog on itch so you can read it there, but I'm wondering if people might be more inclined to read the full thing if they don't have to leave to another tab lol (Although I also worry that tumblr just isn't really great for really long post reading..) But! I shall put the choice in your hands. Here's the link to it on itch.io! Or you can click the read more below to see it here!

I'd be really interested to know what Y'ALL are interested in seeing next 👀

Hello everyone!!

It’s been one month since Omamori released which sounds incredibly fake but here we are! As of posting this, Omamori is sitting at 454 downloads!! Which is really, REALLY exciting and so much more than I ever thought to hope for. Thank you so much!

Today we’re going to be talking a little bit about the process, how things went, what we learned, and what’s next! This is going to be a bit of a longer post but some of you have been with us since the very beginning, and it might be nice to look back, and some of you are new, and have no idea how it all went!

HOW IT STARTED

(The original mock up I made to help Rob visualize what I was thinking for the main menu screen.)

In the beginning of April 2023 I started telling Rob about a 'totally not real' idea I had for a serirei dating sim. It was very much in the 'haha jk wouldn't that be fun, but it'll totally never happen' category. Then I thought, since it won't ever happen, it could be fun to do a little mock-up. Just a fake screenshot of a character and some dialogue. Then I thought, maybe I could try to animate it to show some additional dialogue. THEN I thought, well if I'm going to do all of that, I might as well just put together a slice in a game engine and just do a screen recording.

So I sat down and installed an entire game engine, learned how to navigate its interface and how to use its visual scripting language, how to create & use variables so that you could enter your character name, how to put in a dialogue choice screen, even made a tiny pixel art takoyaki... all to create a 20 second screen recording of a game that was totally not going to exist.

Totally.

I even shared it on Tumblr! It uh, as of typing this, still only has 3 notes lol. You can see the original post here, but here's a screenshot of it.

I won't lie, it was actually really disheartening to see basically no engagement with it. I know there wasn't much info on the concept itself, since the game wasn't going to be real (I thought), and maybe that would have helped, but it definitely did a blow to the ol' self esteem. (Although I can say, looking at it now, I really like this! I'm really insecure about my visual art and style, but y'know what, this is pretty cool! )

I didn't let that deter me though. I was really excited about this game and the story, and at the end of the day, it was a silly little project with my silly little blorbos. So I kept thinking about it and poking the idea and pretty soon the fixation was churning full blast. I was developing the plot, I had snippets of dialogue in mind, I was thinking about GUI elements. And all the while I was yelling all of this at Rob. Eventually I worked up the courage to ask him if he wanted to do the art, only to discover he was working up the nerve to ask if he could help out! After that, it was just a lot of excited yelling about this project.

Looking back at this original mock-up, I think it's really great to see how Rob took my original concepts for layout and design and breathed some actual life into them. At some point I'd done some additional iterations on the dialogue boxes:

And from there we got:

Which ultimately gave us:

HOW IT WENT

There were definitely some ups and down on this, for sure. Getting the demo out was a huge accomplishment and we were both eager to just keep working on it. In fact, the original plan, after releasing the demo October 2023, had been to release the full game by the coming March, for Serizawa's birthday. Ambitious? Without a doubt lol. Obviously that didn't happen, and our next hope was to release it for Reigen's birthday 2024. This way it'd be full circle. Then we hoped to release it for Valentine's day maybe. (This is why we didn't announce a release date until it was well and truly DONE.)

Some of you may remember that Rob injured his hand in early 2024 and so we took quite a bit of time off to let him heal. We're not about that crunch life. Even if this wasn't entirely a passion project, there's absolutely no reason to crunch. So we took a step back so he could heal up. While that was happening.. we had the Great Engine Switch.

The demo for Omamori was originally made in GDevelop. An open-source, no-code engine. And it worked great for the demo! But once I started adding in features that people would come to expect in a visual novel, like saving and loading, or a history of the text, things got a little more complicated. It reached a point where I was essentially building a visual novel engine within the Gdevelop engine. Which, while incredibly fascinating and a great mental challenge, wasn't exactly the best use of my time. Not when there are engines specifically made for creating visual novels, like Ren'py. Which has things like saving & loading, dialogue history, text size options and dyslexic font options, all ready to go out of the box. So, I changed engines.

Changing engines was a long process, partly because it took me some time to finally come to terms with the fact that I just needed to do it, and partly because while some things did come out of the box, I did still have to re-do other things all over again, like entering all of the dialogue and choice options for the prologue and part of chapter one that was used for the demo. I was also learning a whole new engine, which isn't no-code (although it IS really streamlined), and I had to find my way around.

We had a lot of plans for some things that ultimately had to get cut. Early on we planned to have more splash screen images for pivotal moments, which would also be accessible from a Gallery page on the main menu. We even toyed with the idea of reaching out to other artists in the community to see if they would be interested in doing guest art to be featured in the gallery! But as we made progress we had to decide what was essential to the game, to telling the story, and what was a Nice To Have. Learning how to nip that scope creep early is an essential skill in gamedev!

Still, all things considered, as a team of two people we made an entire game in only two years, even with the obstacles we faced. And I think that's pretty damn impressive.

Q&A

What was your favorite part?

ROB:

Getting to work on a passion project with Jace! Getting to see this through to the end with them was very rewarding. Like, did you know you can just make cool things with your friends?? It's awesome and makes for a unique blend of cheerleading, flexing, and teamwork. Definitely recommended.

For the art, I got a kick out of trying to develop a visual identity that was as much our own game as it was a Mob Psycho fangame. The first season opening sequence was my main touchpoint. This poster was a source of inspiration too, notably for the paper cut out look for the sprites. It was fun and a nice way to appreciate the series from a different perspective.

JACE:

This is actually a tough one lol! Part of what I love about being an indie dev are all the different roles you play. Jumping from writing to programming to creating mockups to resource sourcing for background music or sound effects, I think that's the part I enjoy most. It's hard to get bored when you're wearing so many hats and that really appeals to me.

If I had to pick a favorite part, I would say sharing the original drafts of the script with Rob and getting to see his reactions to Reigen's impressive levels of fumbling was a lot of fun. Also, figuring out a piece of code that had me stumped for days is nothing short of euphoric.

What was the most challenging?

ROB:

Mostly mental hurdles. Like, accepting that “good enough” IS actually good enough was sometimes a challenge. On top of wanting to tweak old sprites (we started this two years ago after all!) I had wanted to make more splash art and character poses, and add silly details like giving the face on Reigen’s pj outfit different expressions. But as it turns out, if you want to finish something then at some point you have to stop working on it. Great lessons for battling perfectionism.

JACE:

Changing engines and learning an entire new one was definitely a challenge. I'd dabbled with Ren'py before so I wasn't completely in the dark, but I hadn't done more than dialogue and some choices. With this I had to learn how to navigate Ren'py's screen language so I could build my own screens, I had to learn how to create and manipulate variables in the engine, I watched a LOT of youtube tutorials and got real familiar with the Ren'py subreddit lol.

Something that was really, really challenging for me was learning, and re-learning, how to start. I would work on the game for weeks and be doing great, really have a nice groove, and then Life would happen and  I wouldn't touch it for a little while and suddenly the thought of opening up the code was terrifying. I was convinced I couldn't do it, I had no idea what I was doing, and that I was going to get stuck. And it got harder and harder to just start. Even when all signs pointed to that I maybe DO know what I'm doing!

What helped a lot was that I kept a mini-devlog. Every day that I did gamedev work I journaled about what I worked on, how long I spent on it, and what my next steps were. This helped in SO many ways. For one, it was just really nice to see a calendar view of my productivity. Time is fake and its easy for me to think I haven't been productive "enough". Then I look at my calendar and see this:

Not every month looked like this of course. There's a couple where it's pretty damn barren. But that's where the other data points came to help. It was really helpful to see how long I worked on something as well.  For example:

It took me literally twenty minutes to create all of the idle and hover images for the icons on the corkboard. I remember I did this quickly before running out to work. And this became a point of constant reference for me. Every time I felt myself getting caught in the swirl of, I can't do this, opening the engine feels scary and overwhelming, or I only have .. two hours... three hours... before I have to go to work or go to an appointment or go to bed, what could I get done in that time, I would think of how much I got done in just twenty minutes. Because ultimately, any time spent on the project is productive! But having these little reminders helped a lot. And each mini devlog also had a section for my reflections and what I hoped to work on next. So if it was a few days, or a month or two, before I was able to get back to it, I could reread the most recent devlog to see what Past Me was planning to do!

What might you do differently?

ROB:

Oh man. Organization. I frequently moved the working files between tablet and desktop and ended up with duplicates all over the place. It was a pain after we came back from that long break for my hand injury because I had different expressions and sprites spread over a mess of nearly identical files.

The worst part is this was not the first or last time this happened. Why? Don't live like me.

JACE:

Well, if we're talking about Omamori specifically, knowing what I know now, I'd of course just start working in Ren'py from the start. I'd had the thought that I could learn one engine (to rule them all). Because I have ideas and plans for other games, and had hoped to find one engine that could do everything, and I wouldn't have to jump around, potentially learning a bunch of different coding languages. But, there's something to be said for using the right tool for the job, and in this case it was definitely Ren'py.

If we're talking about future projects and what I might do differently, that's a toughie. I think every project is going to require different set up and preparation. If I were to do another visual novel, I think I'd start tackling any special screens or gameplay mechanics as early as possible. Writing is one of my strengths and I know I can do that. And I'm familiar enough with the engine that I know entering in my writing and dialogue is pretty straightforward. But making those custom screens and troubleshooting them always takes much longer than I think it will.

In terms of organization, I have a Notion template I created for my game projects, and Omamori largely served as the trial run for what I would and wouldn't need. The mini devlog calendar is absolutely a keeper. But the way I organized the programming vs writing task lists definitely got reworked in the final month of Omamori, and I've already started updating my template and other already existing projects to reflect the new workflow!

I think with every new project I'm going to do things a little differently and, for me, that's part of the fun!

Do you think you'd work on a game again?

ROB:

Yes! I'm currently taking time off from commission work, but I really enjoy creative collaboration in general, so I would definitely work on a game again in the future.

JACE:

Oh honey, I already am 😏.

What's next for you?

ROB:

I’m looking forward to diving in to some original work this summer. Not sure where it will take me yet, but I've been itching to get back into making comics, so that might be next! If you'd like to keep up with my work, I update my Tumblr most frequently.

JACE:

I'm so glad you asked! While Rob moves toward exploring comics, Quiet Cabin is also going to shift gears. I'm going to focus on games with original characters and stories. I don't have any plans to make another fangame but I do have a LOT of other ideas! (Some of which were hinted at in Omamori 👀 .)

So what can you expect? Stylistically, I've always had a love for pixel art so there will be some of that going forward. Depending on the project I might seek out another artist to collaborate with for things like backgrounds or character sprites, especially if I do another visual novel. So if you're an artist and have read this far and would be interested in collaborating on a future project, definitely reach out! I have a lot of ideas, a lot of different vibes and genres, so don't worry if your style is different from what you see in Omamori! And who knows, I'm finally reaching a point where I'm happier with my artistic abilities so maybe for one of these projects I'll attempt the art myself!

As far as genres go, I've got more romance, some horror, some fantasy, maybe some monsters you can date.. 👀

I know we all came here for the blorbos but I truly hope you'll stick around for my next projects, I've already started writing one of them and I'm really excited about it!

Up-Coming Projects include (in no particular order):

Garage Sale Skull: A short, in-browser text game where you find a weird skull at a garage sale. It’s fine, it’s not real, it’s just some weird art project. …right? (Romance with a sprinkle of horror.)

Untitled Dating Sim(?): A visual novel dating sim. Maybe. The dating part is up in the air. It's VERY fresh conceptually and I'm still ironing things out so I don't want to say too much but I will say: time loops. Sorry. Wait. Maybe you didn't hear me. Time 👏🏾 Loop 👏🏾 Visual Novel👏🏾

Apartment 102 : There is something wrong with your apartment.. A very short top-down pixel horror game.

Reyna's Remedies: As a young potion and remedy maker, you open up a new shop on the side of a busy road in the kingdom. There's a lot going on, there's a monster in the Deep Woods, a monster the Princess went missing trying to hunt, there's a constant flow of adventurers in need of healing potions and everyday townspeople with mundane needs. With the help of your animal assistant, you have one month to raise enough money to secure another month of rent, to prove you can do this, and in the process help the different people that knock on your door. (A time & resource management game with an overarching plot. Queer romance with a bit of horror.)

My hope is to release Garage Sale Skull this summer. Untitled Dating Sim(?) is new and uncooked, but rattling around my head pretty loudly. Meanwhile Reyna's Remedies and Apt 102 are games I've been brainstorming on for literally years..  Either way, there are two more steam next fests this year and I'd really love to submit a demo for ✨ something ✨for at least one of them. We'll see!

Once a new project launches I will of course be posting devlogs here on its project page. I'll also be sharing quick updates & general gamedev thoughts on ko-fi, bsky, and tumblr. At the end of the day I'm still just one person, and I may forget to crosspost to a platform, but itch.io will always be the first place to get updates. I'm also considering making video devlogs in the future that will showcase more art and gameplay, especially as I shift toward games that have more action, so you can also follow the YouTube channel!

Again, I cannot thank everyone enough for their continued support and enthusiasm!! I'm really grateful to Rob for jumping into the abyss with me on this one. The game wouldn't be what it is without his help! All the cheerleading from followers as we worked on it and now, all of the comments about how the game has touched or inspired folks has been so, so amazing to hear. Thank you everyone!!

Finally, one last Ekubo for the road.

Thank you everyone, see you next time!

[embracedfire]

Can’t go to bed yet bc my body said nuh uh so I’m going to spit qsmp purg 2 au thoughts out YIPPEE

It’s a long one folks

So I’ve had this au idea that I’m sure has been thought of b4 that the entire team of Bolas got stuck behind (maybe minus Phil) instead of just Baghera and Cellbit

I have this whole thing about what like items would be used to hunt the participants down each member would use and kind of what each of their masks would look like/resemble

CELLBIT

Uses a machete/knife weapon

Mask looks very similar to the mask he wore in the purg 2 livestream, a half-mask deal covering the lower part of his face with like cool black and red motifs like the armor + little spikes. He has goggles that match as well

Craziest out of the bunch. He’s having a blast

BAGHERA

She still has a chainsaw. I feel if I were to take it away it would be a crime + she would definitely not let me even if I tried

Her mask is a debate between a half mask like Cellbit w/o goggles or like a duck mask with a big window for the eyesight type deal because I still can’t decide what her actual design looks like (like human or anthro duck)

If not for the rest of the pack, she’d definitely be the most insane. But thanks to them being present in this au she’s in second place behind Cellbit

FOOLISH

I’ve thought about what he’d use a little bit and came up with the idea of him using drills and bombs to get to players. Not sure if I’m 100% on this but it fits his building obsession. Maybe he uses these to access hunted down players that are underground/hiding?

Shark mask. 100% a shark mask. I’ve seen really cool fanart of him with a shark gas mask. He deserves it.

His insanity is mediocre. Probably, ranking all of them from most insane to least, Foolish is in spot #4. He’s still pretty crazy tho

SLIME

I’ve come up with a cool concept of Slime using something similar to the gas event that happens where he uses a gas release type thing. If you’ve ever seen that one enemy in the Outlast: Trials game that releases the insanity gas when he attacks a player its similar to that but much more extreme. Plus this gas is flammable and toxic to breathe in (except if you’re in the Bolas pack bonded cult because they snorf that shit up for breakfast).

Another thing I’ve thought of for Slime is something to revolve around his code abilities. I think it’d be neat if he could somehow track other players using these abilities and that’s how Bolas finds players. (Maybe by the end of it he could do some funky shit that notifies Philza to their location, maybe by sending him cords or something over like those radio/phone/communication device looking things I’ve seen fanart of for the residents of Quesadilla Island 👀). I can also see him going feral and going after Bad as payback :)

His mask looks like the one in the final purg 1 stream with the big eye window. Maybe some other funky green tubing or something with the gas?

3rd most insane. Have you heard his laugh when he’s doing a literal insane bit?? I am to be able to act that crazy sometimes :)

JAIDEN

Hard to say if she survives the nuclear blast like in canon in this au, but if she does live she’d be our resident arsonist! I’d imagine she and Slime team up often for maximum damage and explosions. Plus arson just feels like something a Jaiden in this type of au would think is fun.

Her mask, like a lot of fanart shows, looks like a parrot plague doctor mask with gas mask elements. But, like her v-tuber during purg 1, I think having her mask looks like the Bolas logo is a great option too. Maybe a combination of both?

A bit less insane than Foolish, but just as traumatized as b4 :)

CARRE

Gun. For the sillies. Only person who gets a gun. If we’re being serious, I’m not entirely sure what he’d have due to only knowing him from the vague points I saw of him during purg 1, but I think maybe a combat knife could work?

Either a regular ass gas mask or like some N95

The chillest person there. Probably still a bit crazy, but at least he’ll be hanging out.

I think by the end of purg 2 (I’ll have to look into this, I wasn’t there for live purg 2), the pack will have killed a bunch of the players, if not all of them. I don’t know much about the lore with like, anyone in purg 2 (only Baghera, Cellbit, the outcome of what happened with Sneeg’s character and the winner of the event), but I think it’d be fun if Sneeg’s character had a role too :)

So by the end, someone (most likely Slime in this au) would find Sneeg all mutated and stuff from the radiation. If we are going with Slime here, he probably will feel pity and have him stay with Bolas even though Sneeg’s very aggressive and dangerous. Probably a couple days later is when they are rescued by Philza, Sneeg goes with them and stays with Phil. I like the au’s I’ve seen here on tumblr of q!Sneeg just being chill/relatively calm when around only Phil and I want to implement that into this au :)

Maybe Sneeg starts to heal, if only a tiny bit, and is fine around the eggs (I can see Phil going like “We don’t attack the eggs, Sneeg. Eggs = nice and good and fragile” and Sneeg just going “:|” “:)” )

Anyway I’ve had this in my head for a while now and it’s going on the internet forever wahoo

[yuurivoice]

Hi Yuuri I just wanted to say I miss Howell. That’s all I hope you have a good day😊

I do too! There's still a lot about him I want to know and figure out. I was able to delve into him a bit more (and get some much needed closure) with some friends. I don't think he's really a character that I want to do various iterations of in different worlds and campaigns, because it's that specific story of his that I love. If it's removed from that world and story, I'd rather have another shot at a new character.

I was able to salvage a couple of relationships out of the rubble from the entire ordeal surrounding TnD, and I've got no beef with anyone who wasn't literal human trash, so Howell's place in my heart is unscathed in terms of being attached to a really shitty time and situation.

Reflecting on those days, that shit was a nightmare scenario. Obviously my own emotional turmoil pales in comparison to the literal criminal and victim in our midst, don't get that twisted because those most directly impacted by one asshole's actions should be the primary concern. It is a hell of a pill to swallow having something that dear to you go up in flames in such a public and grotesque way.

I don't blame anyone who feels any type of way about how it was handled and the aftermath of it. The truth of it all is, one person's really fucked up actions had widespread effects on a lot of people. The radius of that bomb was no joke.

Howell is very dear to me, and those Sundays were genuinely the favorite day of the week for me over that time. The backlash, anger, resentment, and then emptiness of it all really took its toll, as I'm sure it did on everyone caught in the blast zone.

The bad guy got got in the end, and I'm thankful for the folks who made sure that happened.

That year as a whole was really difficult. That wasn't the only heavy thing I had to work through that year. There was a stretch of six months that were probably the worst of my adult life in terms of interpersonal turmoil. The universe really took a bat to my kneecaps.

Saying ALLLLLLLL of that to say, if I had lost my love for Howell, it would have taken a significant toll on me creatively. I would not so freely share the parts of myself it takes to create the stories and characters I do now. I can pretty confidently say that something like Echoes or Shattered would never happen.

I struggled mightily with BitterSweet Chapter 3 for that reason. It was hard to want to carve out pieces of myself to share with the world, and certainly very difficult to work with anyone else out of fear that their bad actions could rob me of my passion even more.

But I learned a lot, and over that time I also think I was able to show my community how serious situations get handled while I'm at the helm. I hate that me and the team have been on the frontlines of a few really serious community PR nightmares, but I do think we've been able to exhibit an ability to treat things with maturity, respect, and direct action.

So Howell means a lot to me. We've been on two journeys, one fictional, and one real...and boy we've gotten our asses kicked more than a few times.

There is a chance, albeit a small one, that there's a DnD story to be told with Howell and some friends, for the world to partake in. Don't know if it'll happen, but the chances aren't 0%...

[aweirdlisa]

Generation Loss thoughts/theories

Okay I had to return from the dead to post about Generation Loss because decoding the Founder’s letter is something I am still proud of (it took me about 4? hours) and it got Genloss to grab me with its claws to pull me right back in! I’ve been a big webseries and ARG fan since like 2009 so I’m happy there is still some awesome content being made to this day.

First of all, Ranboo, the founders game website is phenomenal, absolutely sick work, I’m thoroughly excited and terrified to see what is next!

Second of all I rewatched and re-read pretty much everything of Genloss since the start and I’ve got thoughts I want to spill in one place to have them all together, so here goes (thanks for reading if you do!) I will try to keep it chronological:

In “T_1”, the very first video, we are introduced vaguely to a world where history may have been tampered with through generation loss which appears to be some sort of psychology/principle/scientific method probably founded by the Founder, which is taught and used to alter or censor certain events, effectively changing the world with it

With what we know so far I believe this generation loss movement isn’t just the editing and reproducing of versions of media to the point where they’re deformed or altered, but they can actually alter the things people see like our Hero and the other people did within the Social Experiments, to the point where even extreme things like gore can be censored (Charlie on the operating table for example), people can be “brainwashed” or “hijacked” in a way, we also see a brain shape in one of the images with the Genloss logo near it

In opposition to the Genloss party, we have Red Text Person, who seems to be against the whole principle and wants to kill the Founder of this movement

The inauguration in T_2 is either for us the viewer to see how readily available we are to killing other humans through choices on a screen, or it was a procedure that the folks in the Social Experiments went through to become “worthy“ and thus ready for the show

In “Connecting…” we hear that they are looking for individuals and to call if we spot them

In “Connected” we hear about Showfall media for the first time and how they have a missing person’s hotline

In “Connected” we also see a tunnel which I believe to be the use of transportation to either other universes (“One to another”, “one of many”, “look into infinity”) aka generations or simple time travel to other generations

In “Connected” we also have another influence of Red Text Person trying to warn us that we shouldn’t watch the show

In “Announcement” we learn that the missing individuals are all caught by “It”, “everyone but me” according to Red Text Person

Red Text Person at this point seems unsure where their signal is ending up, which is with us

The Social Experiments air live, where I thought Hetch was Red Text Person, but they turned out to not be on our side, having been given a role by the Founder (however voluntarily that may have been)

Ranboo aka the Hero and the others were the “missing individuals” mentioned in the earlier videos, ending up being caught as they are needed for the experiments, perhaps because they were a threat to the founder, rebels against the Genloss movement, or simply cannon fodder to test out what is possible with “infinity” as the Founder says

In “A Message From The Founder” the Founder announces he is creating the Founder’s cut, a “perfect” version of the story

In the meantime we are introduced to Zero’s journal snippets which start surfacing on twitter, however they were written somewhere in the 1900s, despite this we somehow affect her world/time through polls, where we end up blasting happy birthday through her radio

Zero started keeping this diary as result of a treatment / therapy she started due to something that happened 8 months prior, in addition she starts tracking the wild dreams she has as per suggestion of her friend “Jay” who is into the supernatural

Her dreams consist of a field with red sky, an unnatural cave/chasm, a sky rippling like water and crashing into her, a hospital turning into a hallway with a creature chasing her and eventually seeing herself with a wreck against a tree in the same field as before, the tree has a certain symbol etched into it, presumably the Genloss symbol

The wreck could imply the incident that occurred 8 months prior

Zero notes how she hates the uncertain future and how she wishes she could just control everything

Zero works for a store fixing VCRs and helping customers among other things

All shown entries are implied to be written between July 30th - Aigist 15th 19XX (probably late 1900s due to radios and VCRs being a thing)

In “Coming_Soon” another tease of the Founder’s Cut happens, yet notably the Founder mentions that what we are about to see actually happened live, but “just not here”, implying the possibility of a multiverse rather than the time travel situation

In “Again” the Founder clarifies that they made the Founder’s cut by replaying the Social Experiments over and over again until it became a perfect, pure version

The Founder’s Cut is released on YouTube, at the end we are shown a conversation between Miss Roads, aka Zero and her presumed therapist who tells her to keep a journal which is how we learn about Zero’s name and how she started her journaling

In “From The Founder’s Desk” we are introduced to a code in the form of a substitution cipher using newly created symbols that seem to be based off of the Genloss logo, this could be one of Four keys to the Founder’s door as mentioned on twitter, though what the keys are isn’t clear yet

Once translated, the message appears to be a letter from the Founder directed at an unnamed “you”, speaking of how the Founder watched and watched until noticing “you” and how special “you” were, but how “you were not perfect” and how they can and will create something beautiful and perfect

The letter could be referring to some final goal of creating a perfect “story” as mentioned before

In “Welcome to Generation 0” the Founder tells us about being ready to see the real story, the one from his generation, Generation 0 (an alternate universe or timeline?) we only need the keys and the door to get to see it, which will be provided to us in time

In “T_3” we hear the rumblings of a machine and see a red door which we now recognise from the Founder’s Game, Red Text Person shows up again, testifying of having seen people who shouldn’t exist yet do, implying they may have been displaced from their own timeline/universe or censored through generation loss, yet Red Text Person saw them

Red Text Person also refers to an “it” and “not knowing what it is for but I have to stop it”, the it in question could refer to a machine that the Founder uses to do everything they have been doing, or to the principle of Genloss itself

Lastly Red Text Person implies something is coming, but they will try to show us what “they” have done and to who

In “The Fortune Teller” we hear a voice speak of the future being a beautiful thing and then mentioning “the door” asking us if we know what lies beyond it and if we really want to open it, so far this video stumped me as to what it really means, the short sentence of hidden code also hasn’t been decoded with a 100% certainty but we will get there !

In the meantime VHS tapes of the Founder’s cut arrived to those who ordered them, where we were led to the Founder’s Game website, the “beginning” that was planted in our generation being the password to the website

The first part of the Founder’s game has us walk through a hallway, where we encounter the person from the T_2 video before they were killed when you make the “You vs Them” choice

We also see someone vigorously watch and rewind a tape in a room, this could possibly be the founder as they’re working on the Social Experiments at the time as they had not happened yet while T_2 person is still alive

Lastly we are given the option to choose between a Laboratory and Holding Cell B, which we will found out in a week whichever was chosen

Whew this was long! To recap my thoughts a bit concisely, I believe the Founder was the one to introduce/invent the technology used to alter people’s minds using generation loss to replace memories and influence the world they live in. It’s possible that Showfall was created as a company to apply their technology to spread and control media as they liked. If used on a large enough group of people they could effectively control entire worlds. On top of that it is possible time travel or multiversal travel takes place when we see the tunnels in the videos. People are taken “from one to another”, where they were “one of millions”, and get their brains messed with until they “are worthy” to participate in one of the stories.

What could possibly be the goal? Perhaps total control of everything we know, some sadistic story that will be “perfect” to the Founder’s vision. Maybe the freedom to create as many stories as they like. He mentions that the Social Experiments were a literal test to see what is possible with infinity, and that the rabbit hole can go deep with infinite generations, infinite stories. We are shown “his” generation up next and what will be the home of the “perfect” story, so it could be that he just wants to fix his own reality to suit his wishes.

How does Zero fit into this? She experienced some sort of incident leaving her troubled, which leads to her journal entries. She experiences strange dreams and talks of wishing how she could control everything. She deals with VCRs on the regular so she could become the Red Text Person who ends up witnessing “Generation 0” and tries to stop the Founder before things go to shit even more?

That or if you want to go full tragedy, she could somehow become the Founder in an attempt to fix her reality, where she could undo the incident that caused her so much trauma, but needs to practice on other realities first?

Zero is pretty much the biggest question mark to me at the moment, but the scale of the Founder, Showfall media, and their power are getting clearer and clearer, to a terrifying degree!

The timeline is a little wonky now that we are going from “generation 1” to 0 and that we are interacting with things from the past in the Founder’s Game, but I’m sure things will fall into place once it’s all over.

Anyway I could be incredibly wrong about all of this, but I am having an incredible time with all the lore and cannot wait to see where it all leads up to!

See ya!

[daisyrb-gvf]

Cruising Into Love

d.r.w. x f!reader

My first post on tumblr, but definitely not my first fic. Danny's cruise picture had this story pouring out of me, so I hope you all like it! I thought this first chapter would be longer than it is, but the next part of the story deserves its' own chapter.

Words: 3.2k

Summary: After 3 mundane months of working on a cruise ship, you're met with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen.

Warnings: plenty of swooning, language and brief mentions of f masturbation.

You sigh as you zip up the back of your fitted black dress. Another night, another performance. You love being an entertainer, and sitting behind the keys is as close to home as you can get on this ship, but after 3 months of your 8 month stretch, it is starting to feel so redundant, and there are only so many songs that are approved to perform at the piano bar. The boss wasn’t too pleased with your medley of LL Cool J songs with an audience consisting of mainly 50-80 year olds. Tight ass. 

“Just three more nights and you get a break,” you reassure yourself as you touch up your makeup in the pathetically tiny mirror that looks huge in this shoebox of a bathroom. 

“Alright girl, I’m off,” you say to your slightly-less-than-pleasant bunk mate. It could be worse, but it would have been nice to bunk with someone who actually seemed to give even half a fuck about you. At least she wasn’t mean. Just…distant. 

“Kay,” she replied with enthusiasm akin to a corpse, not bothering to look up from the sketch she was working on. You sighed again, feeling like you’ll never be able to chip away at that wall. You didn’t come here to make friends, but damn, a little human connection would be nice sometimes. 

– – –

Your body shuddered as you threw back a shot of tequila at the bar. “Thanks, Chris,” you said to the bartender-one of the few people who will have an actual conversation with you. He winked before flicking his eyes over to a young, classically hot dude. Boyish features, blue eyes, sandy blonde hair…you get it, but definitely not your type. 

“Down boy,” you say with a chuckle as you wink back at him. 

Settling down at the keys, the audience gives you a small applause as the chatting dies down. 

“How’s everyone feeling tonight?” you ask the small crowd, mustering up as much enthusiasm as you can. You get a small cheer, and a few whoops from the more inebriated folks. “You mind if I play a few songs for you?” A louder cheer encourages you as your hands start to dance across the ivory keys. 

Ooh you can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

Ooh, see that girl

Watch that scene

Digging the dancing queen

The crowd sings along with you-definitely one of the more tone-deaf groups you’ve played for, but at least they seem to be having fun. Dancing Queen is always a good opener, and one of your favorites, so you prefer to start the shows this way. 

The crowd cheers as you segue into your next number. People are getting tipsier with each song, and you have to admit, it is pretty entertaining. Drunk crowds are typically great audiences unless they get belligerent. 

“Alright, it’s been a blast playing for you all tonight,” you say as you start the intro to your final song.

I needed the shelter of someone’s arms

And there you were

I needed someone to understand my ups and downs

And there you were

WIth sweet love and devotion–

Holy shit. Who is that guy? A tall, dark, and handsome man emerged into your view after an elderly couple left the table in front of his. You miss a note and snap back into focus through the chorus. What the hell? Why is some random-admittedly gorgeous-dude throwing you off? That’s new. You make it through the second verse, but after that it’s impossible to not steal another glance. Your knees get a little shaky as you drink him in, thankfully keeping your shit together in your performance. You watch him sing along as he drums his fingers on the little bistro table. You realize you glanced a little too long once he smirks at you, locking eyes. You blush red and avoid the entire corner of the room where he is sitting for the rest of the song. Oh God, how embarrassing.  

The crowd cheers as the song ends and you take a bow before immediately walking back over to the bar…which, unfortunately, is far too near the gorgeous man in the corner. 

“One more tequila, please, Chris,” you say anxiously as he chuckles. 

“Little flustered there, aren’t you? Wouldn’t have anything to do with that yummy Greek statue of a man there in the corner would it?”

“Shut up, Chris,” you whisper, your face turning redder by the second. 

“Mmhmm, okay. Whatever you say,” he says with a smirk before walking to the other end of the bar serving the influx of post-performance guests. 

Walking out of the room, you make it maybe ten feet before realizing you left your phone behind the bar. 

“Shit,” you mutter to yourself, debating on walking back now or waiting until the crowd clears in hopes of avoiding the gorgeous creature who made you pathetically weak in the knees. 

“Oh, come on, he is just a man. Get the fuck over it,” you mutter again, rolling your eyes at yourself. You turn around and make it one step before slamming straight into someone. 

“I’m so sorry!” you both say in unison as large, warm hands wrap around your shoulders, steadying you. Of-fucking-course. 

“Oh, no worries!” the insanely beautiful man replies, dropping his hands from your shoulders. The summer breeze feels colder than it had before as your whole body flushes. 

“Oh-um-yeah, okay,” you sputter out with a nervous smile. Good God, get your shit together. 

He chuckles, “Your performance was great. We loved it,” he says warmly as a beautiful, tall, brunette woman walks up next to him. Of course. There’s no way this man could be single. It only makes sense that he would have one of the most staggeringly gorgeous women on his arm. 

“Yes, it was lovely!” she chimes in, hooking her arm through his as she reaches out a hand to shake yours. 

“Oh, thank you!” trying to stay as cool as possible and not show your disappointment, you shake her hand and flash a smile. 

“I’m Josie, and this is my brother, Danny,” she introduces. 

Oh. Brother. He’s her brother. The relief you feel is embarrassing and you hope it doesn’t show on your face. You sense it does, based on the tiny smirk Josie is clearly trying to hold back. 

“Nice to run into you,” Danny says with a chuckle, reaching his hand out to shake yours as well. He holds your gaze for just a moment longer than you expected. Just long enough for your breath to catch as you get lost in his dark hazel eyes…flecks of gold, brown, and green-the warmest eyes you’ve ever seen. He flashes a bright white smile that makes your chest tighten. 

“Yeah, uh, you too,” you reply with a nervous giggle, your voice barely shaky. Oh my God, you are so fucking embarrassing. 

“Come on, Dan. We’re late meeting mom and dad,” Josie says, leading Danny down the hallway. “Nice meeting you!” 

“Yeah, you too!” You stay glued in place for a moment, watching them walk away. Damn, the back looks just as good as the front. Danny turns around at that moment, catching you staring. He smirks and winks before turning back around, disappearing as they turn a corner. 

“Real smooth, you idiot,” you sigh, tossing your head back before walking back into the bar. 

– – –

You got almost no sleep that night, and it infuriated you. Losing sleep over a man you barely met. Get a grip…but, those eyes-such a warm hue, long lashes, smooth, tan skin, he had a little dusting of freckles on his cheeks and angular, almost avian, nose. His features were masculine and sharp, with a jaw that could probably cut glass, but his kind eyes and heart-melting smile made him seem so…soft. You could tell he was a man who wasn’t afraid to do some grooming and pampering. With skin like that and shiny, dark brown, perfect ringlets of hair long enough to barely brush his shoulders…yeah, he put some effort into his appearance. His demeanor didn’t seem cocky or vain, though. Confident, sure, but not full of himself. Ugh, and then that body. 

“Oh, come on,” you say exasperatedly to yourself as you roll over for what was probably the 20th time, trying to relax. “You’re not 13 years old. For God’s sake, you are 25. Act like it.” 

You take a deep breath and relax one muscle at a time, feeling the gentle rocking of the ship lulling you to sleep. You start to drift off and the image of Danny turning around to wink at you jolts you awake again. 

“What the hell? May as well just stop fighting it,” you say defeatedly, letting your mind drift off to Danny with no resistance. You close your eyes again as you try to remember every detail. His sun-kissed skin, broad shoulders, slender hips and legs, but you could definitely see the muscle definition under those tight black jeans. You let out a little giggle as you remember the cheesy little shark tooth necklace dangling on his collarbone, just above a small patch of black hair dusted on his sternum. His short-sleeved top was unbuttoned just below his pecs, leaving the rest of his torso up to your imagination. You find yourself imagining how it would feel to run your hands over his warm, undoubtedly hard, stomach before smoothing them around to his back, running up to his sturdy, broad shoulders. You know what would help you sleep, but even alone in your bunk, you’re embarrassed that seeing this man for a few moments would cause you to slip your hand into your shorts. You wonder if you had met him earlier in the day it would have given you time to shake it off. Maybe take a run around the 7th floor track that wraps around the ship on the deck. But for now, you need sleep, so you do what needs to be done. Thank God your bunkmate is working the overnight shift. It only takes a few minutes before you finish with a soft sigh, drifting off to sleep seconds later. 

– – –

Hard as you tried, you can’t help but feel a slight pang of disappointment when Danny doesn’t show up at the next night’s performance, and you feel pathetic for that. This is a huge ship. It’s impossible to do even half of the activities offered, so why would he come to the same show twice? To see you? Come on, girl. Get real. The self-loathing is bubbling up inside you as you attempt to exhaust yourself by running seven miles. Does it work? Absolutely not. You’ve never felt so electric and energized. Any other time you would have been grateful, but not now. Not when, despite your exhaustive efforts, you still find yourself relieving that ache in your core before drifting off to sleep. 

Rolling out of bed the next morning, you feel a bit better. The exhaustion from your run the day before caught up to you, and your legs feel like they are on fire. Thank God. Despite the pain, you brush your teeth, throw your hair in a bun, and slip on a tank top, shorts and running shoes, making your way to the 7th floor. Maybe after today’s run you won’t even think about him when you fall into bed tonight. 

A small smile forms on your face as you close your eyes, feeling the sea breeze enveloping you as you step through the double glass doors onto the deck. Most people you know prefer to run out on forest trails, feeling the crunch of leaves and soft dirt under their feet, seeing the sun filter through quaking aspens, hearing songs from morning birds harmonizing together. You love it too, but the power and energy that the ocean offers can’t be beat. You start off with a slow jog, warming up your aching muscles, before finding your stride. You feel as if the ocean is running alongside you, the waves matching your pace. You finally start to feel like you’ve found your footing again-literally and figuratively. After your first lap you see a few more people making their way onto the deck. Most come out for a nice walk, just enjoying the view they don’t get to see often. You see a sweet old couple, moseying along hand-in-hand. Just walking silently. Comfortably together. This is a common sight around here, but you feel a bittersweet sort of heartache for just a moment before someone whizzes right past you. 

Long legs, narrow hips, mess of dark chocolate curls tickling those broad, tanned shoulders with each step, the navy blue muscle tee giving you a much better view of those shoulders as they flex and move in tandem with his strong, lean legs. Legs that he clearly enjoys showing off based on the yellow shortie-shorts he’s sporting. You increase your pace with a surge of adrenaline, but also so you can get as close as you can to the view. As he reaches the curve of the track at the front of the ship, he looks over his shoulder at you, grinning before picking up his pace. Is he…challenging you? Oh, it is so on. You weren’t an all-state track star for nothing. You grin and take a deep breath, pushing yourself faster, the excitement dulling the burning pain in your thighs. Danny hears you round the corner as you catch up to him, chuckling through his steady, heavy breaths. You’re not letting those long, sculpted legs have an advantage over you. Ignoring the burn in your chest, you surge forward faster, eventually passing him. Looking over your shoulder you catch him staring at your ass. He quickly looks away and out at the ocean. If you weren’t puffing and panting so hard, you’d probably giggle, but it’s all you can do to stay focused and not let him catch up to you. You both run another lap, taking turns being in the lead before you both give up and just run at a steady pace next to one another. 

“Okay, I give up,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re good! How long were you running before I came out?” You couldn’t help but shiver slightly hearing the deep timbre of his voice between his panting breaths. 

“Oh, just barely over a lap,” you reply, doing your best to not sound like you’re dying, and failing miserably. 

“Safe to say this is something you do often?” He runs the back of his hand down his neck, wiping off a bead of sweat that rolled from his chin down over his prominent Adam’s apple. 

Taking a big gulp of air that had nothing to do with your exhaustive run, you wipe sweat from your brow and try not to stare at his neck and shoulders glistening in the sunlight. “No, this is my first time,” you say as seriously as you can manage. 

“Are you joking?!” he asks incredulously. 

A laugh bubbles up at the sight of his adorably confused and surprised expression. “Absolutely. I’ve been running basically my whole life.” Your breathing is finally starting to slow along with his, the rise and fall of his chest and shoulders still exaggerated, but not as fast. 

“Oh, thank God,” he replied, flashing that bright smile, your breathing picking up again ever so slightly. 

“Bit competitive, huh?” You walk over and grab a couple of towels and water bottles from the recently restocked shelf. 

He chuckles, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” You hand him a towel and bottle and he immediately chugs half of the water, a tiny bit of it running down his chin, the small stream of cool liquid mixing with the sweat on his neck, traveling down his protruding Adam’s apple again. “Thank you,” he says, wiping his brow with the slightly scratchy fabric of the generic beach towel. 

“Oh, yeah..uh, you’re welcome,” you awkwardly sputter, yet again embarrassed by the reaction this man is getting from you for basically just existing. 

He drops his head, clearly trying to be a gentleman and hide his knowing smirk. After a brief awkward moment he looks out at the water. “Bet this never gets old, does it-getting to run with the waves every day?” 

“Never,” you reply, with a contented sigh. “The ocean is the best running buddy I’ve ever had, no offense,” you giggle. 

He chuckles back at you, “None taken. I totally understand. I wish I could do this every day.”

You both saunter over to the railing and lazily lean over the smooth, wooden bar. 

“Well, they’re basically always hiring here. Want a job?” you ask with a chuckle. 

“Don’t tempt me,” he replies, his large hands gripping the rail as he leans back slightly, enjoying the breeze. His damp curls already drying from the salty air. 

“This sea breeze is really the only thing that could do any tempting. Cruise life behind the scenes isn’t very glamorous. I’m sure whatever you’re doing now is better than this.” 

“Maybe so. Depends on the day.” 

“So, what do you do?” you ask, turning around to lean your back against the railing as you take another sip of water. 

“Danny! I thought you said you were going to wait for me?” Josie bursts through the glass doors, looking irritated. “Oh hi!” she says, flashing a bright smile-very similar to her brother’s-at you. “It’s good to see you again. You want to join us on our jog?” 

Josie is so bubbly and bright. She has that magnetic energy that people are just naturally drawn to. Matched with her staggering beauty (that clearly runs in the family), you imagine that there are plenty of unsuspecting people out there who have been left in a haze by her presence. You find yourself just a bit jealous of whatever genes run in that family.

“Oh, thank you for asking, but I actually just finished up here. I don’t think I have another lap left in me,” you chuckle, finishing off what’s left of your water. “Not after kicking this guy’s butt,” you giggle nodding your head in Danny’s direction. 

“Excuse me?” he retorts, “I do believe that it was a tie,” he laughs. My God, he has the most adorable laugh you’ve ever heard-kinda dorky, actually, and you are so glad this Greecian god has been humanized a bit, even if it did make your heart ache more for him. 

“I believe you,” Josie loudly whispered to you with a wink, “and thank you for tiring him out a bit. Now I can outrun him,” she laughed before bolting down the track. 

“Oh come on, sis! That’s not fair!” he called out, running after her. After a few strides he slowed down and turned around, running backward, “It was good to see you again!” 

You watched him run down the track, frozen in place again, until he turned the corner. 

“Guess I’ll be losing more sleep tonight,” you mutter with a sigh before walking inside to take an ice cold shower.

LOTS more Danny in the next chapter, I promise. I'm a slow-burner.

Go to Chapter 2

@spark-my-nature

[a-couple-of-notes]

OKAY what a finale, folks! Deliberately not reading everyone else's thoughts until later (although I did chat briefly with @kshaar -- thank you for enduring my walls of Discord text), but I'm beginning my processing by writing this out.

I have a few issues with how all of this played out, as I'm sure many of you do, but I mostly really liked this finale. I'm so, so aware that it's hard to stick a landing--especially in a fandom as theory-heavy as Marvel, with the dedication of the queer fanbase on top of it. I think it's commendable how much they executed well, and how deliberately they aligned it with their vision of the show, not the one that would make everyone happy (if there is such a thing).

To the stuff I liked: unpopular opinion, but I like the order of the episodes as it is--final big boss fight first, quiet intimate flashback as the finale. Or, at least, I see the vision--I'm still iffy on whether the pacing actually feels good, but that probably needs another rewatch. This show has always been about unpacking Agatha, peeling off her masks until we get to some kind of truth, ugly or beautiful or both. Of course the ending is the truest thing we've ever gotten out of Agatha--the real story of her son and his death.

I loved everything about Nicky, Rio, and Agatha in the flashback. It is so beautifully mundane. A mother's love. A natural death. Selfishness. Grief. Anger. It's gorgeous, and the version of the ballad we got felt so, so fitting.

Everything about Jen! That unbinding spell...whoo. Sasheer Zamata knocked it out of the goddamn park with her performance--the joy, the sorrow, the agony of relief. Man. Even if the rest of the finale flopped on its belly (which it didn't), that alone would have been worth the price of admission. (Also ALSO: Agatha hate-flirting with Jen over confession of horrible traumatic action that fucked up Jen's whole shit! The Jen/Agatha truthers win!)

Alice. Alice my beloved. Ali Ahn, you do so much with the little screen time you have and I applaud you for it. I'm very grateful their cap on her arc was "I could make my life mean something/you're a protection witch. You died protecting someone" and not "you get to see your mother again" because, as I pointed out in the tags of one of my previous posts, that's the real tragedy of Alice. Her life, her freedom, her potential.

To the things I'm mixed on: that final battle, man. I think they did an admirable job of focusing what could have been a generic Marvel magic-blast-y slugfest into distinct character beats, but there was a lot going on in that fight. And compared to previous Rio and Agatha interactions, their big climactic one felt a little...weightless. Those factors make it much less clear why Agatha and Rio are fighting--like, on an emotional level; I understand intellectually why--which means that what also feels unclear is...

...The not-a-sacrifice. I like 90% of this. I like that Billy is finally able to communicate with Agatha via mind powers, because he's started to accept how alike they are. I like that Nicky is once again Agatha's turning point. I even can get behind the sacrifice as the creators' intention--not what I would have preferred, but a solid narrative choice nonetheless. Still, I am super unclear what, exactly, Agatha is thinking when she turns around. Is she just remembering Nicky himself--how much Billy is like him and how ashamed she would be if she left? If so, it feels odd that Agatha's version of sacrifice is kissing Rio so honestly. Later, we learn that Agatha was taking a risk to become a ghost. So when Billy asks how Nicky died, is Agatha remembering how Rio gave him time--the kiss as a fucked-up version of recognition, the risk being Agatha relying on Death's special treatment once again? That would be a better end to Agatha and Rio's arc, but there's no expository line, no echoing "I can only offer time." And Agatha and Rio. DON'T. TALK. IN PRESENT-DAY EPISODE 9.

This is my main gripe. I am aware I am griping with Megalopolis and FFC, not the show or its creators. But goddamn if more Aubrey Plaza would have fixed almost everything in that finale--and I mean this in a narrative sense, not just because I love Aubrey Plaza. It would have clarified where Agatha is ending re: her relationship with Rio (and Nicky), and it would have bookended the first episode so well (the three-player drama returns!) I am actually irritated about this.

Ghost Agatha looks so goofy. Like, I understand the vision here--the parallels to her mother, and of course Agatha would find a way to piss off Rio in her own domain. It's iconic. Still. There's something about Ghost!Agatha that's so much harder to buy into on a gut level, a kind of emotional distance created in such an emotional, tactile show.

Billy. Oh, Billy. I like your arc. I like its execution, while heaving a grudging sigh of "yeah, that makes sense for this story but I'm still kind of disappointed" re: the creation of the Witches' Road. I love the idea that Billy's ultimate arc was to accept the darkness in himself, and all the things he's capable of. But I really, really wish Agatha had had one more conversation with...not you. (Agatha naturally falls into a mentor-type role for Billy, which isn't necessarily bad or not part of her arc, but does at least lead to me feeling like we don't get an endpoint for Agatha in present day that's entirely her own.)

And I suppose that's the crux of my mixed feelings: the show began with Agatha asking who she was, before Billy even came into the picture. The viewers get to see a glimpse into Agatha's real self in the Ep. 9 flashback. But at the end of episode 9, Agatha is still running from it. She's barely touched her own grief (yes, yes, insert joke about Rio here), and we don't see her making that choice. I emphasize that because I am not categorically opposed to Agatha not completing her grief arc; god knows 9 episodes would have struggled to do that. I'm fine that they left some threads hanging. It's just that something in between Agatha (not-)sacrificing and Agatha coming back as affably-evil Casper is missing, and it feels like a gaping omission.

Other notes: Billy dramatically charging up the hex to create a memorial was great--another way the finale lets us into the beauty of the mundane. It's not to bring everyone back, or go down the Road again. But it's important, this act of remembering.

Though I'm disappointed we didn't get found family coven true, I'm at peace with how that thread wound up. This was a show about Agatha; the coven as individuals act as foils and reflections of her. They break and succeed in similar ways as Agatha. And they were a coven--a messed-up, broken coven who tried their best. It wasn't enough to save them, but it was enough for them to grow closer to the people they wanted to be. Agatha using something from every witch in her coven--Alice's protection spell, Lilia's divination, Jen's healing--in the fight was truly poignant, and tells me she'll remember them and carry them forward. (Also, the contrast against the flashback! "I cannot heal, I cannot protect you from what's coming, and I cannot divine when she'll come for you." Agatha needed them to be her coven! And they were. And they were.)

Final thoughts: (This is a misnomer; I'm still digesting.) Agatha All Along became a more complex, difficult show than I thought it would be pre-Episode 5. Occasionally this meant it disappointed me, had places where its budget, scheduling, Marvel-ness, and decisions regarding exposition struggled to connect things, but overall, it's a damn good show. And I would rather see a funny, challenging, ambitious show made with love for the craft than a safe, big-budget, chopped-up Marvel movie in a blender. And hey, it was super gay! (Please don't come near me with the "Bury Your Gays" stuff. Please. It's not that, I promise you.)

[the-trinket-witch]

Hihi!!! Tis the season to ask holiday themed asks!! Assuming the world of TWST celebrates winter holidays, do your OCs celebrate any holidays? If so, what are some things they like to do?

Thank you!

Hoi hoi!! For Reference, I'm going to be using 'Yuletide' as the TWST nomenclature for the Big Winter Holiday (with others being eclipsed by it mentioned)

He celebrates Yuletide like many other folks in Altus. He HAS though, been exposed to some mero winter traditions, both just by some of his primary/middle school classmates being merfolk. It's just little touches around his family traditions, like a shell garland or two around the tree, splurging a little on seafood for dinner... For more 'traditional' Altus Yuletide fare, there's the winter market, open well into the night to allow folks a chance to see the lights on folks' houses while they shop. Something his mum had told him about, but has yet to reach the age where he can partake, is wassailling. Caroling is fun and all, but progressively getting jolly red in the face while singing and seeing who else wants to join in the festivities sounds A LOT more fun. But It was during the winter break during his first year (RSA) that That happened. It was also during winter break he got to show the Octa-trio his hometown, and have to deal with all the goings-on in Scarabia...

Their life Pre-TWST was pretty normal for a Californian Christmas. Talk to them today, they still sometimes call Yuletide 'Christmas'. It didn't take much to incorporate the parts of both holidays that didn't match up 100%. Tidus was the greatest listener as to how both holidays differed, which also helped Yuu get a better understanding of the holiday anyway. Once they grow old enough to get booze for it, their ponche navideño is gonna be what a lot of people stop by their place to get a cup of.

Both being denizens of the Coral Sea, I wanna Headcanon that their winters are a bit more like Ye Olden Days. By which I mean: It's too cold to go out anywhere, so we hunker down with our supplies and entertain ourselves in the dark. Ghost stories, party games and crafting 'to drive the cold winter away'.

I don't so much have any HCs for what STYX Yuletide is like, if its even celebrated at all. Being born/raised, in essence, in a company town kind of isolates you from learning much outside of it, so if anybody has a neat idea for traditions, he's willing to listen and give it a shot.

Being in a dryer, more arid plot of the Queendom, his Yuletides are a bit...sephia toned. Lights got draped around the house, family came over, goodies got baked and distributed among the neighbors, and town winter markets doubled as swap meets and craft fairs.

Surprisingly? For being a Yuletide Baby (Birthday Dec 24...SHIT I GOTTA MAKE A BIRTHDAY CARD FOR HIM), His folks try to make distinction that his birthday is to not be overshadowed by another holiday. Ya can't help when you're born. Some of the rest of the fam aren't as gracious, but he's got enough lovin' by his parents that makes up for it.

His home's heat is on FULL blast, humidifier going, everything every scaly bastard Reptile needs. He doesn't open the door for many, not carolers, donation canvasing, etc; it lets the cold in. His ears are quick to perk if he hears Mr Khan taking off to a warmer vacation destination.

This man's gotta travel a lot for business, so it means all the more to him when he takes the time to make his own decisions on the destination. Sometimes he'll book in some tropical locale, if only to drag Aadesh along for some subordinate ribbing. (He's made Aadesh try Snake Wine while out East, not so much 'made' as 'insisted'.)

It's business as usual for The Janitor. Once the kids take off for the break, they have the chance to do some deeper cleaning that their schedule wouldn't otherwise permit.

TAGLIST:

@ceruleancattail @squidwen @thecosmicjackalope @vaporvipermedia @writing-heiress

@oya-oya-okay @k-looking-glass-house @thehollowwriter @rainesol @cyn-write

@heartscrypt @br3adtoasty @jackiecronefield @ruggiethethuggie

@hoboyherewego @achy-boo @oreoskys @oseathepebble @oathofoaks

@tunabesimpin @hamstergal @fumikomiyasaki @valse-a-mille-temps

@hallowed-delights @kimikitti @cyanide-latte @thetwstwildcard @atwstedstory

@comingyourlugubriousness @ice-cweam-sod4 @twst-the-night-away @nammanarin @scint1llat3

@tixdixl @prince-kallisto @candiedchiliarch

[deedala]

☀️ weekly 🌴 tag 🌴 wednesday 🌊

hello it is thursday!! not wednesday, alas, we persist. big thanks to a one lil miss ✨🌟🌙 @celestialmickey ✨🌟🌙 !!!! for writing this weeks game and for tagging me!! + @gallapiech @blue-disco-lights @heymrspatel @jrooc @mmmichyyy @too-schoolforcool @lingy910y @crossmydna @energievie @palepinkgoat 💖💖💖

name: deanna 🌱

pronouns: she/her

what year did you graduate high school? lets play a game actually, what do you think? did i graduate in 1998, 2002, or 2006?

tell me where you live without *telling* me where you live: woody harrelson and i know the same amusement park like the back of our respective hands

tell me what you do for work: digital coloring book

caffeine source of choice: brew my own hot coffee in which i pour oatmilk and french vanilla dairy-free creamer

do you have a skincare routine? super sensitive skin, had to do accutane in my 20s *and* back in 2019. dermatologist has me on a very strict routine of gentle salicylic acid facewash and oil-free fragrance-free sensitive-skin formulated facial moisturizer. nothing else allowed!!

how often do you do laundry? every single fucking day of life and if i dont i will be overcome and i will suffer

favorite flower: poppies!! (iykyk) but dandelions are a close second

your go-to karaoke song: i've never gotten to do karaoake for reals but i think it would be an absolute blast (and hysterically cringey) to sing wuthering heights by kate bush!!

what kind of phone do you have? mint green iphone 12

do you wear contacts/glasses? i wear a single contact lens because i had to have a bunch of surgery in my left eye in my 20s and one of them involved replacing my lens with an implant (hi im bionic, i have a serial number) that is a corrective lens giving me 20/20 vision (apart from the blind spots where my retina is destroyed) SOOOO i literally can only wear that one contact lens in my right eye to fix my (extremely bad) vision on that side. glasses dont work when you've got 20/20 in one eyeball and -7.25 in the other.

what color is your hair right now? its a 10

you’ve just been handed $10,000 cash, what are you spending it on? theres a lot of shit in my house that needs to be fixed. or maybe we can use it as a down payment for buying a new house? (probably not the market is so insane in my city because of the university and the landlords) but i guess...in fantasy world where this happens...yeah we use it to help ourselves buy a new house lol.

how many pets do you have? none

have you ever been on a train? many many trains! some in america, most of them in europe

and finally, tell me something about yourself people might be surprised to know: god im so uninteresting... i love olives and pickles and cilantro and mint but not garlic and i cannot taste spicy things (i deeply wish i could, ive tried so many times and all i get is like bitter charcoal numb tongue)

and now i'll tag some folks under the cut who maybe?? havent played yet?? maybe want to play????? if not consider this me handing you a dandelion + poppy 💐 under the cut!!

@darlingian @spookygingerr @mybrainismelted @creepkinginc @suzy-queued

@sleepyheadgallavich @thepupperino @iansw0rld @gardenerian @ardent-fox

@catgrassplantdad @whatwouldmickeydo @gallawitchxx @wehangout @captainjowl

@the-rat-wins @loftec @spoonfulstar @callivich @sam-loves-seb

@howlinchickhowl @rereadanon @softmick @burninface @sickness-health-all-that-shit

@sleepyfacetoughguy @transmickey @lee-ow @themarchg1rl @vintagelacerosette

@xninetiestrendx @michellemisfit @steorie @samantitheos

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[aidanchaser]

Here's the grand (soft, really, not so grand) finale. A quiet epilogue.

Thank you to @yellowbullet100 for all of your incredible hard work, @jademoon2u for the fucking stunning art that i look at daily, and @mlbigbang2024 for organizing because this fic would never have been completed, and certainly not to this caliber, without the team's support. It's been a pleasure working with everyone and I've enjoyed making friends and getting to know folks I might not have encountered otherwise. It's been a blast. <3

Chapter Eight: On the Subject of the Flourish Many young witches find the flourish required to complete a spell the most difficult aspect of casting to master. Nights spent memorizing components and rituals or meditating to solidify intentions can feel wasted when confronted with the nebulous nature of selecting an appropriate conclusion to a spell. Though many aspects of witchcraft can be taught, the flourish has long been considered something instinctual and unteachable. And indeed, many intuitive casters perform a flourish without even articulating such a feature, but rather sensing when a spell is simply concluded.

Despite the elusive nature of the flourish, the greatest spells rely on variations of the three strongest and oldest magical flourishes. The most common is a flash of prestige, often used to conclude an illusion or a spell performed for entertainment. The most unpredictable, though perhaps the most powerful, is to add the spellcaster’s or even the target’s blood to the end of the spell, which can make for particularly potent charms and conjurations. But it would be remiss of this author to fail to address the most neglected flourish, despite—or perhaps because of—its reputation as a cliché. That is, of course, the flourish of true love’s kiss.

The arrangement that made Tom and Sabine happiest was to let the boys sleep downstairs by the fireplace and the girls sleep upstairs in Marinette’s room. When the morning’s work started, the boys were roused and sent to finish sleeping in Tom and Sabine’s room.

Most mornings, Adrien couldn’t fall back asleep, and he found himself in the kitchen, helping with the earliest rounds of bread-making. He took to the process in a way Marinette never had, and she was surprised to feel a bit of jealousy as she watched her father teach Adrien how to use a rolling pin. There was no bitterness in the jealousy, though, just a bit of longing. Mostly, Marinette felt that something her father had been missing was set right now that Adrien was here.

While Adrien enjoyed helping out in the early morning, there were some mornings when Adrien couldn’t fall back asleep and Félix also could not fall back asleep. On those mornings, Adrien slipped up to Marinette’s room and roused Kagami so that she could slip downstairs.

Those first few weeks, Félix, Adrien, and Kagami hardly left the bakery. There were gifts delivered, food sent, even trunks of belongings sent from Félix and Adrien’s home, but as Sabine had ordered, all of those things were refused. The only gifts that crossed the threshold of the kitchen were letters from Amélie, signed and sealed, with the occasional financial assistance enclosed inside.

The only things sent for Kagami were dictated letters filled with tirades and demands, lengthy speeches about the burdens of her birthright that she was foolishly denying. Kagami tossed each of these into the fire with little more than a glance.

One letter arrived for Marinette, detailing an offer of apprenticeship to the jeweler who had helped her repair the brooch. Marinette followed Kagami’s example and burned it in the fireplace, as she did the second and third letters. It wasn’t until Luka came by to deliver the man’s offer himself that she finally believed that the apprenticeship was real. She accepted the permanent position, and used her evenings to teach Kagami about charms and potions. She kept her weekly stall at the Midnight Market, and found it was particularly nice to have a friend with her while Alya was busy performing.

On one of the mornings that neither Adrien nor Félix could sleep, Adrien made his way into Marinette’s bed and pulled the blankets tight around them to keep out the deep winter chill. But despite her warmth and the blankets, sleep refused to follow.

“Sometimes,” he murmured, as the yellow sun began to creep into her windows, “I wish I could be a cat again, just to curl up in your lap.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and scratched the space behind his ear, just like she might have when he was a cat. “I like getting to have all of you,” she murmured, and hooked an ankle through his, only to yelp and draw back. “Your feet are freezing! Maybe I would prefer some squishable paws covered in fur.”

“Being a cat had some perks.”

Marinette let the silence settle in around them, until she heard that gentle hum in the back of his throat that was almost—but not quite—a purr.

“Alya and Nino set a date for their wedding,” she murmured.

“Oh?”

“The first day of spring.”

“Hm… that’s a bit early.”

“Early?” Marinette laughed. “They’ve been courting for years. I’m surprised they didn’t get married last month.”

“I was just hoping for the first day of summer,” Adrien murmured sleepily.

“Why do you care what day they get married?”

“Because I thought you’d like to get married at the same time as Alya.”

Marinette’s heart stopped and her hands stilled in his hair. It wasn’t that it was an unwarranted statement, but it was not one she had prepared for.

“You can’t decide we’re marrying on the first day of summer when you haven’t even proposed yet.”

“I was waiting for you to propose.”

“I’m not the one who’s supposed to propose!”

Adrien yawned and draped his arm over her waist. “But you’re the one who works in a jewelry shop. Did you want me to propose with a loaf of bread?”

She laughed as he nestled his head into the space between her chin and shoulder. “Only you would make something that is supposed to be romantic so silly.”

“When you do pick out a ring for me,” he murmured into her neck, “just make sure that you don’t sneeze on it.”

“Stop!” She playfully swatted his shoulder and tried to wriggle away, but he held her fast. “I have told you a hundred times, it was probably my bloody nose that triggered the magical flourish at the end of that spell.”

He pushed himself up and kissed her nose, despite her attempts to wriggle away. “I’m not allowed to be romantic about your snotty bloody nose?”

“No.”

“Hm. Which parts of you am I allowed to find romantic?”

“My lips.”

“Cliché.” But he pressed his lips to hers with the mischievous smile that always made her heart stutter.

“My neck,” she added with a mischievous smile of her own, and he pressed his lips there, too.

They were married on the first day of summer, like Adrien had planned. As much as Marinette had toyed with the idea of rushing things to marry at the same time as Alya and Nino, she delayed, largely to keep her father from dying of a heart attack.

But, despite the delay, Adrien and Marinette were not alone at the altar. They took their vows and, alongside them, Kagami and Félix took their vows as well.

Amélie Fathom was the only person from Félix and Adrien’s family allowed into the church. The rest of the seats were filled with Marinette’s family and friends, who, most certainly, were also Adrien, Félix, and Kagami’s family and friends.

Tom had offered to walk Kagami down the aisle along with Marinette, but Marinette was not surprised when Kagami refused.

“I shall go alone,” she said simply, and when this appeared to hurt Tom’s feelings, Adrien asked if it would be all right for him to be walked down the aisle by Tom instead.

Adrien’s sense of humor had quickly become the heart of the Dupain-Cheng’s kitchen. And, by and by, Marinette began to recognize Félix’s humor, borne in dry comments and cool commentary on his cousin’s absurdities.

Félix’s smile, however, remained an elusive thing, caught only in moments where Kagami’s attention was called away from him, but his gaze lingered. So Marinette was surprised when, as Kagami entered through the church doors alone and strode down the aisle to join Marinette, Adrien, and Félix at the altar, a broad smile bloomed unbidden across his face.

He and Adrien never looked so alike as they did that day, both grinning like idiots at their brides.

Félix’s smile remained, even as the ceremony concluded with an outdoor picnic, until he caught Marinette’s eye. She tapped her finger to the corner of her mouth, like he’d missed a spot of jam.

He put a napkin to his lips and, once he encountered the unfamiliar shape of his face, he frowned. His cheeks reddened like he was embarrassed to have been caught doing something inappropriate and he hastily turned away from Marinette.

The embarrassment and the frown, however, did not linger. The moment Kagami took his hand to introduce him to some new clients of hers, who were quite impressed with her bottled storm charms for safe sea travel, the smile returned, and did not so much as falter for the rest of the day.

Though Marinette had never grown up feeling like something was missing from her family, she could no longer imagine her family without Félix, Adrien, and Kagami embedded within it. When Kagami and Félix eventually had the stability from Kagami’s work at the Midnight Market to afford their own small apartment—with some support from Félix’s mother—the bakery felt strangely empty.

But visits were frequent, and the bakery was never truly quiet. Between Alya and Nino, Kagami and Félix, and even Madame Fathom, their hearth was always full, and the bakery always a hub of activity. When it came time for Marinette’s apprenticeship to end, instead of choosing a spot in Artisan’s Alley for herself, they made space in the bakery, where she could ply her wares beside her husband’s, and they could craft side-by-side.

It became considered lucky to receive one of Marinette’s charms and find flour dusting its surface, and bread purchased from the Dupain-Chengs was rumored to be imbued with magical luck, though all bakers involved vehemently denied this.

But Marinette was not so certain. For what was their daily life, but a magical spell performed over and over and over again? They chose their components and tools each morning and set their intentions with laughter and pleasant conversation. Kneading dough, exchanging goods, and moving through the rhythm of business held little difference from a ritual, repeated day after day. And as Marinette undid her stays at the end of the night, and fell in bed beside the partner who had chosen her, who had sought her, who had fought for her as hard as she had fought for him—well, how different was it from a dramatic flourish, to lean over at the end of each day and kiss him good night?