#the crane games are like actually in their favor.

[candyredterezii]

this is exactly how I feel when I walk the crane floor at work and have to hear people (mostly drunk) bitch and complain that the games are rigged and that they were cheated directly @ me

[scarycranegame]

people who think mouthwashing is about rape clearly haven't played how fish is made/the last one and then another

[itsphoenix0724]

Meet Me On The Ice (Azriel x reader)~Chapter 2

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 1.3k

MMOTI masterlist

A/N: Thank you for all the love on the first chapter! I've been working on this series for a while, and I'm glad people are excited to read it! I've decided to make a tag list for this series because so many people asked for it last time. I've never done one before so I hope I do it right <3

DISCLAIMER: I am not a figure skater or a hockey player, so while I'm trying to be as accurate as possible, it's likely some things may not be correct and/or are bent a little to fit the plot!

You find Azriel on the ice at five pm sharp, his hands tucked in the pockets of a Velaris Univeristy hoodie. His eyes flick over you, almost with disgust, as you approach with a box tucked under your arm. 

“We’re not going on the ice today. Even if we were you can’t wear those.” You gesture to the well-loved hockey skates on his feet, and mark how his eyes narrow. 

“What’s wrong with my skates?” He asks, immediately on the defense, crossing his arms. 

It makes him seem impossibly bigger.  

“Nothing Azriel, if you’re playing a hockey game, but we’re not playing a hockey game.” You shake the box in your hands once before handing it over to him. The pair of shiny black figure skates sit in the box and Azriel takes one skate out running his scarred hand gently over the blade with a musician’s grace. “You should break them in before we actually get on the ice.” 

“They’re heavier than I thought they would be,” Az tucks the skates gently back in the box and moves past you to get off the ice. He sits down on the bench, leaning down to undo his laces. “Where are we practicing then, if we’re not going on the ice?’ He looks up at you from under the dark fringe of his hair, and you’re struck with his beauty for a moment. 

“We’re going to the studio in the back.” You make a gesture with your head as he stands, crowding your space. You have to crane your neck to look up at him, and you can’t even see around the expanse of his shoulders. Leading back him to the studio you walk in tense silence. Your coach, a beloved old lady named Alis, waiting infront of the mirror examines Azriel like a piece of meat. 

“So, this is who you’re finishing the season with?” She looks him up and down with mild interest as you dip your chin in confirmation, setting your bag down to start warming up. Alis circles like a predator as Azriel watches with confused disinterest. “Nice build at least, looks strong if a little bulky for my taste,” she mutters. Azriel whips his head back at you in defense, but all you can do is breathe a sigh of relief. Getting Alis to agree to train someone other than Lucien was half the battle. “Alright, stretch, then I’ll see what I’m working with. Hopefully, we can piece together some semblance of a routine,” She shakes her head as you turn to Azriel. 

“Do you want me to help you stretch?” You question and Azriel’s brows raise high, a smirk across his lips for just a moment at an insinuation you didn’t imply. Your cheeks tinge with 

pink, and his eyes dip to your cheeks, satisfaction from rattling you dances in his eyes. “Not like that obviously,” You scoff, rolling your eyes and busying yourself with digging out your water bottle so you have an excuse to turn away from him. 

“I don’t think I need to stretch like this is a ballet class, I can stretch myself” He shakes his head and you roll your eyes. 

“Fine, suit yourself.” Let him dig his grave. You know he’s doing you a favor, but he doesn’t have to be so condescending about it. You fall into a spilt to stretch your legs and Azriel looks at you out of the corner of his eye. You finish your warm-up, and Az remains leaning against the wall, stealing glances at you when he thinks you’re not looking. He stretched his arms out a little and nothing else, so it’s his fault if he’s sore tomorrow. 

“Alright,” Alis claps her hands together once, and both your attention’s snap to her like a knee-jerk reaction. You guess being coached vigorously for years can do that to a person. “Let’s see if we can get something together. Young man, stand here please.” She gestures to a spot on the floor and then calls your name, telling you to stand infront of Azriel. 

You’ve never been so close to him before.

Your entire back pressed against his front, the sight in the mirror sends you a strange feeling in your stomach. His frame dwarfs you easily, the broad planes of his shoulders and the muscles of his arms strain against the compression shirt he had on for practice. 

You could climb him like a tree

The thought hits you so suddenly that you feel the heat flood your cheeks as you finally meet hazel eyes in the mirror. If he noticed you ogling him, he thankfully says nothing. 

You go over some transition moves which go shockingly okay, Az picks up on the rhythm surprisingly quickly body flowing like a river easily through the steps. You make a mental note to ask Rhys if Az plays an instrument. Alis looks impressed for a first practice, and you two were so concentrated you haven’t bitten each other’s heads off yet. 

Until you start to try a couple of lifts. 

Everything goes downhill from there. Az manages to get you in the air a couple of times, but it’s never stable. Either you’re too tense or his grip is all wrong, and you’ve hit the ground and Azriel’s shoulder too many times to count. You both are frustrated and then the harsh words start. 

“Can you just fucking relax already so we can get this over with? Aren’t you supposed to know what you’re doing?” he growls out after Alis calls for a water break. 

“Maybe if you could just get your stupid hands in the right position I could fucking relax,” You glower down at Azriel’s scarred hands and he shoves them in the pockets of his sweats angrily. You feel a wave of guilt instantly because that was possibly the worst thing you could say. 

“It’s not working because you don’t trust each other,” Alis mutters, rolling her eyes as she tries to figure out something on her cellphone. “I’m going to suggest maybe spending some time together outside of this. To build some trust between the two of you.” You and Azriel eye each other with equal distaste. “Think about it, we’re done here for the day.” You’re frustrated, you’re sweating, and you’ve hit your hip enough times you think it’s been permanently bruised. You pack up your bag slinging the duffel over your shoulder, he copies your actions putting his new skates to the bottom of his hockey bag. You leave the rink together in silence, breathing in the chill of the night's dark air, letting it calm the flames of your ever-growing temper. You want to go home, you want to bury yourself under mountains of pillows and ice cream and scream at the unfairness of the world. The last thing you need is a group of drunk hockey players rallying after a loss. 

And of fucking course they’re right next to your car. 

Azriel’s about to walk in the other direction to his car, but you in a blind panic grab his arm. 

“Walk me to my car.” You plead, eyes widening at the sound of a bottle smashing against the ground. “Please.” Azriel's eyes narrow in confusion before they flick over to the crowd of rowdy men. He nods once and you begin the trek across the parking lot with a sizeable distance between the two of you. They still stop and look at you, eyeing you like a piece of meat. Azriel notices, in a quiet observant way of his. He moves closer to you slinging one arm around your waist, it burns through your clothes like a brand. They wisely back off then with all of Az’s towering physique wrapped around you like a guard dog. He opens your door for you and shoves his phone in your hand, still eyeing the group like he’s about to pounce. 

“Put your number in my phone, it’ll be easier for the future.” He’s still looking at the guys out of the corner of his eyes as you type your number. “Drive home safely,” Az mutters. 

“You too,” you respond. You settle into your car, and Azriel waits patiently for you to back out and drive away before walking to his own car.

Taglist:

sidthedollface2, bionic-donut, lyinginameadow, feyretopia, natashachelsea, going-through-shit, mika-no-sekai-blog, hijabi-desi-bookworm, brandywineeeee

[bumblesimagines]

Imagine:

Becoming a tribute alongside Glimmer

Request: Yes or No

First work of 2024!

~~~

When Scoria Spring's name had been plucked from the bowl of names, Glimmer's hand had been first to shoot up into the air, her lips breaking out into a wide, satisfied grin when District 1's escort, Brioche Wellbreeze, pointed her out amongst the other many female volunteers. Her blonde waves bounced against her shoulders as she headed up the steps and onto the stage, spinning on her heel to greet her classmates and friends with that familiar Glimmer smile. She'd been training all her life for this very moment, for the opportunity to win the Hunger Games and bring more glory to District 1. 

Her eyes scanned the crowd of teenagers and children below, sending a smug yet fleeting smirk in Scoria's direction. Scoria wasn't meant for the spotlight anyway, not with her thin-as-paper lips, her awkwardly lanky figure or the thick mane-like hair she forced into a ponytail each day. No, the spotlight had been created for people like Glimmer. For people who'd grown up being called beautiful, for people who knew how to have others eating out of their hands with just a smile and wink, for those who could actually hit their targets during practice. Someone like Scoria would only make District 1 the laughingstock of this year. 

Brioche reached into the bowl again, rummaging her hand around the slips until she pinched one with her fingers and tugged it out from the bottom. Her bright aqua-colored lips pulled into a smile and she stepped up to the mic, clearing her throat and finally looking down at the name on the paper. "Marvel Thorneworth." She announced. Glimmer recognized the name immediately. How could she not when his brother-

"I volunteer!" The familiar voice startled her enough for the smile on her glossy pink lips to falter, just for a split second before she noticed her expression on the screen and forced another smile on her face. Shit. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. She was supposed to go to the Capitol and win the Hunger Games so that he would realize how much better than everyone else she was. He wasn't supposed to be her competition, no, he was supposed to be her future. 

Glimmer's stomach withered when Brioche lifted her finger in his direction despite the number of other arms raised and voices shouting, begging to be picked. (Y/N) forced his way through the crowd and Glimmer squeezed her hands together, eyes following him when he made his way up the stage and stood beside Brioche. Where had the boy who'd always mumbled and grumbled about his distaste for the games gone? She craned her neck slightly to peek around Brioche and searched his face until he finally lifted his head, the grimace on his face speaking volumes. Shit.

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" 

[firewalkzwit]

runt // jonathan crane x reader. (2)

Chapter 2.

cross-posted on AO3

masterlist

The mind cracks easier than what people are willing to admit. Humanity is so bonded to primal desires and to the hedonistic search of fulfilling mundane objectives. Humanity can however deflect from these tendencies by finding fulfillment in other things like love and work, which are more socially honorable, but societies are not any more in control of the latter than they are from their sin. Gotham is a prime example of a society of deteriorated appreciation for the more humane side of existence, and it's consequences only seemed to delve deeper into it's own wound like a slug waddling on the salt that kills it.

Y/N had two options, and she only considered it smart to make a choice that got her the best result out of the cards on her deck, likewise her brother. Once within the Iceberg Lounge, she dedicated her nights to being compliant and presenting herself in a chagrined, coy yet evidently indulging manner as she served men. However this was far from her main focus, as she tried to build bonds with the veteran girls in the field, the ones that had access to the 44 Below. It was within the actual club that she had a chance to actually access to worthwhile connections and informations. Where the drugs flowed in and out like the important figures that were definitely not supposed to be there.

Selina Kyle was not particularly approachable, not only did she compose herself in a way repellent to anyone that was not a horny man with a death wish, but she was also particularly short with words and cynically cryptic, making it difficult to cross any words worth her time. Y/N was quite familiar with such personality, and although characters like this often tend to collide with negative outcomes, Selina had grown into her as well. It was not difficult, and as Y/N wasn't expecting Selina to surrender much trust, she could consider it a win to earn a smile from the girl whenever Y/N would offer her empathy in the 'tough nights'.

Selina hardly ever visited the 44 Below, but Y/N knew she had access. And it was when she heard about the accident with a girl and one of the displeased powerful customers, that from Selina's mouth slipped a slight complaint about the possibility of having to 'temporarily aid downstairs'. Y/N picked up on it and offered Selina an ear, resting her empathetic hand on the girl's thigh and a slight smirk of innocent friendliness. The rest was standard procedure, and eventually she not only gained a friend in Selina after so generously offering to take her place, but had successfully bypassed The Penguin and Falcone's strict filter of who did and who didn't work downstairs. It only took abusing some of the contacts her brother had built, the italians' cultural implications of family favors and Selina's good word.

The 44 Below was an authentic depiction of the underworld, figuratively and literally. As she descended in the elevator, she was being stared at by her reflection, trying to choke her with the fear that built up in the pit of her stomach. She had to visit The Penguin soon to pick up the drugs she had to distribute, but first she needed to take a look at her new field of work. She had specific instructions to not bother Oz until at least three a.m, as the trouble the Bat's tampering with their business had caused most likely needed to be discussed. It was during this time that she roamed the cramped under-club, making attentive inspection as her heels collided in a sweet sound against the ground. Her gaze paced between various important figures whose names she didn't know and didn't wish to discover. Information she acquired had to be strictly crucial, as the chances of her surviving her game narrowed the greedier she got with secrets.

She was fastly enough invited to seat by some men and girls whose faces she hadn't seen before, granted they worked specifically downstairs and gracing her with cold glares. Some were Falcone's thugs, others were police figures whose possitions they had omitted to mention. "Is work hard around here?" they'd ask sheepishly, attempting to get Y/N's attention before bringing up the incident with the girl and how they hadn't seen her around anymore.

"It's alright, it's just trouble with the frequents and the drops with the Batman thing..." She vaguely replied as she looked away with a smirk, avoiding to look at the girls. Batman had hardened the drug distribution and frankly, Y/N had no idea about the details of the girl and what had happened, but the opportunity showed up to mention the Bat and hear what they had to say.

"Ah, that freak. I really don't know why he cares, for all I know he has my men slaving away back at the Police Department searching the stuff he seized."

"That's Gordon" a man pointed his wobbly finger at the first spokesman, and his droopy drugged gaze turned back at Y/N. "he's obviously working for the Batman, whoever that guy is has a lot of money." Gordon. A mental note was pinned in her mind as her eyes dropped at her watch, marking just the time to flee and visit The Penguin. As she exited and made her way to Penguin's den in the Iceberg Lounge, leaning her body against the mirror in the elevator to avoid facing at her reflection.

"Welcome, doll." The Penguin's typical shit-eating grin and open arms greeted her as she pushed the shiny curtain of golden orbs to enter Oswald's lounge. She scanned for familiar faces; Falcone, some of his thugs and an unfamiliar face in a dark silver suit and of icy blue eyes that gawked at her behind his glasses, awfully young in comparison to the other men. They seemed to be still talking business despite it already being the time Y/N was indicated to come in, which could only mean it was nothing significant enough for her presence to be unwanted. "Baby, you've met Dr. Crane before haven't you?" As her tray was filled with the drugs she had to distribute, she found herself pierced by the new gaze.

"Take this to the commissioner's table, doll. And be careful with that, tell him the new stuff is courtesy of the Doctor here." Oz placed his chunky, cold hand on her shoulder, making her twitch at the sudden contact. Falcone's eyes were fixated on her, as if trying to find a strange confirmation in the way that she composed herself, or how she nodded and fastly turned to leave. She was new around, and even newer at the 44 Below, now in charge of taking the new stuff to an important customer. Falcone placed a strange sense of trust in her bond by blood to his previous pawn. After all, she was just a lonely runt, fear would take care of making sure that she was prudent with what she carried in her tray and what her consciousness witnessed.

"She's a real piece of work, ay' Doc?" Y/N could still hear the muffled voice of the teasing Penguin behind her as she left. The situation was becoming overwhelming by the minute, as she continued to be shoved with information she didn't need nor want, coming to terms with the idea that if she wanted to come close to the Batman, she'd have to deal with collaterals such as now knowing there was a new drug around, one which Dr. Crane seemed to be involved in and judging by the title by his name, likely to be producing. What itched Y/N was not the idea of a new designer drug in the market, or a new drug designer, but rather the familiar last name, where had she heard that before?

[spiderworries]

9 Favourite Albums tag game :)

(or EPs. this is for fun.)

tagged by @mortalfollies

[ID: a 3X3 grid of 9 album covers. the albums listed, from left to right and top to bottom, are: Puberty 2 by Mitski, Little Oblivions by Julien Baker, Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain, Lungs by Florence and The Machine, The Fool in Her Wedding Gown by The Crane Wives, Home Video by Lucy Dacus, Historian by Lucy Dacus, Folie á Deux by Fall Out Boy, and Be The Cowboy by Mitski. END ID.]

Puberty 2-Mitski:

“not happy or sad, just up or down- and always bad”

This is probably my favorite album of all time. 100% no skips, and the music on it is really soothing to me.

Favorite song: Fireworks

Current obsession: Thursday Girl

Little Oblivions-Julien Baker:

“‘cause if I didn’t have a mean bone in my body, I’d find some other way to cause you pain”

This is an album that took me ages to actually get into, but it hits so hard. This is an album that often needs my full attention while somehow also being a “scream in the car with your windows down” album at the same time

Favorite song: Relative Fiction

Current obsessions: Favor and Song in E

Preacher’s Daughter- Ethel Cain

“If I’m turning in your stomach and I’m making you feel sick”

Ethel Cain is single-handedly bringing back the lost art of the concept album. If you can sell me on giving your album a spoiler warning before i talk about it then you’ve won

Favorite song: Strangers

Current obsession: Hard Times

Lungs- Florence and The Machine

“there is love in your body but you can’t hold it in, it pours from your eyes and spills from your skin”

This is kind of just a stand in for how much I love Florence in general but this album is just so, so good.

Favorite song: Hardest of Hearts

Current obsession: Rabbit Heart

The Fool in Her Wedding Gown- The Crane Wives

“I will love you like the ashes in my cigarette box”

This is another album representing the whole band, but this specific album is 100% no skip for me.

Favorite song: Shallow River

Current obsession: Strangler Fig

Home Video- Lucy Dacus

“heat wave by midday, heat lightning on a summer night”

this album genuinely changed my life

Favorite song: First Time

Historian- Lucy Dacus

“You don’t deserve what you don’t respect, don’t deserve what you say you love and then neglect”

This album has me screaming along to 7+ minute songs. It’s incredible.

Favorite song: Next of Kin

Folie á Deux- Fall Out Boy

“I don’t just want to be a footnote in someone else’s happiness”

This album is on the list specifically because of how good it is as a cohesive album. It’s spectacular and has been one of my favorites for almost 10 years

I don’t have a specific favorite. every song on this album fucks pretty much equally

Be the Cowboy- Mitski

“It’s just that I fell in love with a war, and nobody told me it ended”

you all already know what’s up.

Favorite song: A Pearl

Current obsession: also A Pearl

Honorable Mention: Hozier by Hozier, Electra Heart by MARINA, SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama, Boygenius by Boygenius, Valentine by Snail Mail

Tagging: @justconstantly @myladyvesta @soupyzoupy @cyber-feline @classicsnerd @amusedmuralist @theurbanspaceboi @a-dux and anyone else!!

[waklman]

Double Take

Chapter three: The Chase

synopsis: the hard-deck believes their prized solo artist needs to boost her social presence before a long awaited album release, with the help of a manager (babysitter). yet, you manage to ditch or chase away every artist manager that gets assigned to help you. as a last resort, the label contacts the only manager who was able to tie you down, the now retired Pete Maverick Mitchell, asking for a referral. lucky for you, the one person that comes to his mind is Bradley Bradshaw—who’s in need of a new job.

warnings: no use of y/n, mature themes 18+, explicit language, reader is 21 and bradley is 23.

word count: 3.4k.

previous chapter | next chapter | double take masterlist.

Maybe you should’ve tried harder when it came to your efforts towards evading Bradley. Or maybe you shouldn’t have underestimated his determination in the first place. He was brung up by Maverick, after all. And the old man wasn’t exactly known for being a quitter—nor does he raise them. 

It was three weeks ago when you first ditched Bradley, abandoning him at some after party you can barely recall. And it took him less than five minutes to track you down—tucked away in a corner of a nearby coffee shop. 

Since then, you were met with many more failed attempts at shaking him off. Whenever you thought you had finally escaped him, he would appear right behind you like a second shadow. 

You make a run for the library to avoid a public dinner appearance? He’s waiting between two hard cover books—until you skim through that shelf. You think you successfully slipped past him during a promotional event? Yeah, no he’s already standing by the exit with a grin on his face. 

There was nothing you could do without him already being one step ahead of you. He even stalked you enough to learn about your special spot. The Miller’s Bookshop. 

“Hey, sweetheart?” Mrs. Miller, softly calls out for you by her spot at the register, knowing you’re not too far off. 

“..Yeah..” you answer absentmindedly, nose stuffed deep into a poetry book. 

“Your handsome friend is here looking for you again,” she chuckles, amused by the little cat and mouse game you two have been playing at.

It seems like everyone finds this situation funny—but you. Like it’s some fool-proof joke that you’re left in the dark about—doomed to never grasp understanding of. 

You toss your head back against the wall, closing your eyes in defeat. Handsome friend? No one else comes to mind. “I’m back here, Bradshaw.” 

“Anyone in the mood for breakfast?” He sings loudly, shaking the bag of food for you to hear—trying to beckon your interest. 

Bradley offers Mrs. Miller a polite smile, before making his way to you—turning his body to fit through the narrowly spread bookshelves. He ducks his head, dodging the paper cranes that hang from the ceiling, knowing how to maneuver around the place from being here so often. 

He assumes it’s just part of your creative procedure, to stow yourself away in here until you’re able to pump out song lyrics. 

You recently entered the process of songwriting, after finally getting back to Javy about his project files. And with that, you’ve been quietly sneaking out of your apartment and into the bookshop before Bradley could even stir in bed. 

If anything—it worked out in his favor, because Bradley’s slowly starting to catch up on sleep—and he knew exactly where to find you in the mornings. 

It was a dingy little bookstore—small, cluttered, and tightly tucked between two trendy cafes that wildly outshined it. Yet you were always there—sitting quietly in one of the reading cubbies–a private space for customers to look through their books after a purchase. 

His eyes skim over all the little nooks, spotting the toes of your sneakers peeking out from one of the occupied cubbies. “Mind if I join?” He asks, pulling back the worn out curtain that hid you away. 

“I mind very much, actually,” you reply, not bothered enough to look away from your book. Opposite to your word, you’re already scooting over to let Bradley sit besides you. His determination lets him squeeze his big frame into the cozy compartment with you. 

“Ouch–watch it,” you scold, finally snapping your eyes to him. “Are you trying to sit next to me or sit on top of me?” Bradley lightly laughs, lifting his butt so you could pull your loose pant-leg from under him. 

Bradley sits back down. “You know,” he starts, leaning the opening of the bag towards you “..girls don’t typically complain when I’m on top.”

“Why? Because they’re too busy rethinking their life choices?” You mockingly remark, reaching inside to grab your bagel. You skim a hand through the rest of the bag, there’s nothing else inside there but napkins. “Where’s yours?” You ask, withdrawing your hand.

“Ate it on my way over,” he shrugs, extracting the item of food from you. He carefully peels back the wrapping paper, uncovering enough for you to take a bite. You hum, taking it back from him. 

Then it falls quiet again, with you taking slow bites of your toasted bagel, waiting for inspiration to strike while Bradley flips through the book for you—closely waiting for you to nod, a signal for him to turn the page. 

It’s oddly intimate—the routine you two fell into. Bradley started to pick up your regime faster than you expected him to, adjusting himself seamlessly into your daily life.

Graham even pointed out that Bradley’s outlasted all your previous managers, with the exception of Maverick—and he was right. Bradley’s already learning how to deal with you.

Finishing the page you’re on, you nod for Bradley to detect the motion. But he doesn’t move, leaving you to stare at the same text. 

Again, you nod your head, waiting for him to flip to the next page. His reaction is delayed—swiping to a fresh page for you, one full minute after you signaled him to. “..My bad.” he mutters the apology, with a yawn following right after. 

“Take a nap,” you mutter the command, with a mouth full of food–plucking the book from his hands. 

Bradley’s cheeks fills with air, holding back a second yawn. “Why? So you could sneak out while I’m knocked?” He asks, finally pushing the sign of tiredness away. 

It was a joke, yet you provide him with a serious answer. “No—I’ll be here awhile, since they’re closed for the next few days. The Millers are taking off to celebrate their anniversary,” you reply, adjusting the book in your lap. 

“What about your book? I always hold it for you.” 

“Just sleep. I can read on my own–been doing it long before you came around.” You’re only half paying attention to what you’re saying, too busy reading over a line of poetry that brews an idea.

Bradley purses his lips, seeing that you’re already set on it. “Whatever you say boss.”

“You’re funny if you think I’m letting you sit like that, Move in,” he scoffs, reaching backwards to pat the empty space between you two. 

When you guys finally left the bookshop, you expected to leave in his Ford Bronco–not a brand new Harley. 

“How’d you convince Ms. Benjamin into buying a company motorcycle?” You question, leaning over to check out the side of the bike. It’s not as sweet as Maverick’s ride, but you can’t deny that it’s definitely a looker. 

Bradley grins under his helmet, knocking back the kickstand with his heel. “Told her it’s better for your image. I figured you have car sickness. You can’t keep showing up to events lookin’ like you’re about to hurl.” 

“How'd you figure that one out?” You ask without thinking, grabbing his shoulders as he balances you two. 

“Are you kidding me? The image of you hanging out the side of my car like a paper doll lives rent free in my head,” he reminds you, slightly offended that you forgot about that whole fiasco. 

“Hm, forgot about that,” you brush him off, with a shrug of your shoulders. 

Bradley’s tongue presses flat against his teeth. “Lack of lyrics clogging up your brain?”

“Horrible jokes clogging up yours?” You plainly throw back at him. 

“You just love rewording my jokes, don’t you?”

“Yeah, cause I make them funnier,” you answer flatly, with an empty expression sitting under your own helmet. 

“Right. Now hold on tight, dollface,” he pats the side of your thigh. 

You listen to his instruction, scooting forward to lightly press your front onto his back—until you fully catch what he said. “What did you just call me?”

“What? Isn’t that what Mav calls you when he drives you around?” He inquires, revving the engine—letting it roar back at him. 

“I was one of his clients–not one of his flings,” you correct him. 

“What is it then? My girl? My sweet litt–”

“Don’t make this conversation weird, freak,” you cut him off coldly.

Bradley’s tongue pokes his cheek at the insult. Freak? 

He stretches his jaw, annoyed. “I was told by Mav growing up that if little girls are mean to me, it means they have a crush on me,” he says, mockingly. 

“Well, I was told by Mav that if your helmet is on too tight, you can’t think properly,” you start to fire back. “So maybe you should loosen that thing on your big head before you say anything stupid. Oh wait—it’s already too late for that.” It’s like getting repeatedly shot by a gun after already being killed. For once, he would rather you turn to physical violence instead of using your words. 

Bradley bites his tongue, knowing this is only getting messy since you’re both just spurred on by hunger. It’s been hours since you both had breakfast—and a small one at that. 

He lets out a sigh, willing himself to ignore the blow to his ego. “…Wanna try to get those poke bowls again?”

You puff your cheeks, embarrassed by the burst of anger. “…I want spicy salmon in mine.”

If Bradley learned one thing from his babysitting days, it was that—playing with a toddler til they drop was the best way to tire them out.

But in this case, you weren’t a toddler—just a restless girl who can’t keep her hands off that stupid book you brought home. 

“I’m never touching that copy again,” you voice your annoyance, turning your back to him. 

“Good, cause you’re addicted to it,” he sternly replies, fluffing the pillow under your head. 

The only way Bradley could keep your paws off the damn book was to finally stuff it down his pants after wearing you down in a fight for it.

Before reaching that conclusion—he managed to snatch the book from you, holding it up in the air, leaving you to jump on your tippy toes—trying to reach for it, for almost an hour as insults came flying out your mouth.  It was like watching a toddler discover what curse words are.

After successfully wearing you out, Bradley’s now crouched next to your bedside, watching your shoulders relax under the sheets. 

“What’s in that damn thing that’s got you so hooked anyway?” He whispers. Bradley doesn’t think of any consequences when reaching out a hand to stroke your head next. And to his surprise, you let him do it.

In some ways, you remind him of the untamed puppy he had as a child. You were stubborn and grouchy in every way possible—but for some reason Bradley wasn’t willing to give up on you. Maybe he just liked having a challenge. Just maybe.

“Reading helps me write all my hit songs…I’m nothing without it,” you mumble tiredly, unsure if you’re imagining the comforting strokes or not. 

His pinky slightly brushes over the shell of your ear at your confession. “Are you sure? I haven’t seen you write down one line, Taylor Swift.” 

You’re starting to doze off, but you still catch his lame joke. “That better not be an insult to Taylor…” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare Mousey, not with you around,” he says softly, brushing a strand of hair back.

You don’t answer him. 

As carefully as he can, Bradley leans in to hover over your still body. A small smile tugs his lips, seeing that this the first time you’ve fallen asleep before he has. 

That hard expression you’re always wearing is long gone—and your lips are just barely parted as you let out calm breaths. You look cute. 

For someone who was so adamant on you getting to bed, Bradley’s pulling you right out of it. 

“What.” you grumble—pulling the door open to see him fully awake—not one part of him screams tired. 

The grin plastered on his face, just sets your annoyance to sink in even deeper. Was this why everyone called him Rooster? For waking up at criminally insane hours? You would ask, but your reluctance to be out of bed right now overweighs the curiosity. 

Bradley’s purpose for appearing at your front door slips his brain for a moment, and his eyes shamelessly rake over your sleepy appearance. The oversized shirt you had on is wrinkled from sleep and he could barely make out if you’re wearing anything under there or not. Were you one of those people who strip in their sleep or something? 

As if on cue, Maverick’s stern face appears in Bradley’s head like an unwanted pop up ad–reminding him that he should make a better effort to be professional.

“Hello?” you make a face at him, weirded out by his silence.

Bradley clears his throat. “Your stylist told me she needs you to try on these archives. We’re uh-we’re attending a big movie premiere tomorrow,” he reports awkwardly, lifting the stack of black garment bags into your line of sight—attempting to distract you from his stuttering.

Your brows knit together, wondering where his kiddish demeanor wandered off to. 

Bradley remains motionless, letting you scan him up and down with an unimpressed look in your eye.

He probably hit the gym before knocking at your door. Bradley’s sporting athletic wear—he has on a pair of running shorts—probably as short as yours, riding up his lower thigh with a navy blue long sleeve clung tightly on his upper half, revealing his progress at the gym. 

Without saying a word, you turn around to let him follow you inside. 

He carefully picks out his next words, trying to find the best way to bring up his following request without sounding predatory, afraid he might tick you off. “She also asked me for videos of you in the outfits, you know—to see how they fit.” He sets down the bags onto your couch for you to grab. 

“Do you have your phone on you?” You reach down for the garments. 

“Um. Yeah.” 

You leave him unanswered, dragging your heavy feet over to your bedroom–with the racks of clothes thrown over your shoulder.

“Bradshaw?” you call out for him, hesitantly. “Are you sure this doesn’t belong to someone else?”

You’ve finished changing into the first outfit, speaking to him from inside your room while he waits for you on the couch. “Can you come look? I don’t think this is mine.”

Bradley throws his phone off to the side, pulling himself up from your cushions. “Are you sure? Your name was labeled on the bags and everything Mouse,” he assures you, walking towards your bedroom.

He patiently stands in front of your door, watching the knob jiggle as you work to unlock it. 

Slowly, the door is pulled open, revealing the outfit that's causing you so much uncertainty. “This is…I don’t think I put this on right,” you mutter, awkwardly stretching out your arms for him to see.

Bradley blinks. 

He’s not even sure what you have on. It looks like you have a scarf wrapped around your body, covering only bits and pieces of you that make him nervous to even acknowledge. 

It doesn’t help that the fabric is dangerously thin and looks like bandage wrappings.

Bradley begins to sweat. You’re starting to resemble that sexy nurse out of that bad 70s porno he and Jake watched one time—as a joke. The woman wore nothing but bandages.

Bradley licks his lips, trying his best to appear put together with a serious look on his face—but you start to turn—to show him your backside. “..Like the back is even worse, Bradshaw. Here, look,” you tell him, unaware that his beads of sweat had spawned from looking at you—and not from his previous visit to the gym. 

And all it takes is one peak at the sparkly thin band of your underwear to get him to snap his head to the door frame beside him. Why the hell did you own so many cute pairs of underwear? He took you for a girl who wore those unflattering granny panties. You preferred comfort over looks, didn’t you? 

“Christ. Stay still, you’re gonna fucking flash me,” he warns, turning you back around so your front is facing him again—as if that even helped his case. 

“Maybe we should ask her to pick out something different for me. This won’t capture well on camera,” you conclude, stiffly looking down at your outfit. 

Depends on what kind of camera, actually. There’s a dreadfully long list of willing participants who would love to see you in this get up. 

He clears his throat, dismissing his awful imagination–hesitantly dropping his gaze back on you. “I’ll have to agree with you on that Mouse. We shouldn’t let paparazzi see you in this.” He scans you one last time. 

“When I make this hand gesture, you guys can step up for your pictures.” The man with the clipboard makes a signal with his hands, showing Bradley what he means. 

“Got it. Thanks man.” Bradley gives the staff member an understanding nod. 

As the worker walks off, Bradley looks over to you, checking if you paid attention to the directions. But you look like you’re on the brink of fainting, staring at the swarm of men juggling their heavy cameras behind the velvet ropes, repeatedly clicking their shutter buttons. 

His curious eyes drop down to your neckline, noticing that you’ve been anxiously twisting the pendant on your necklace. 

Bradley cups his hand over yours—prying your fingers off the expensive piece of jewelry. 

He sighs to himself. Your stylist would kill him if he returned the necklace damaged. He was sure the french woman already had his name on her hit-list the moment he came back with your outfits in hand, asking for a new set of clothes.

The crowd of fans camping behind the horde of paparazzi collectively awe at Bradley’s seemingly romantic gesture–yelling over each other to catch your attention, waving their cd copy of your last album over their heads–paying no mind to the well-known actress who’s currently posing on the red carpet. 

Bradley drops his hold on your hand, to protectively move his body in front of you–shielding you from the next set of rapid flashing lights, as the actress strikes a new pose for the cameras. You look up at him, surprised by his sudden mannerism. 

Bradley’s hazel eyes finally meet your nervous ones. The stress of being next in line for photos is clear as day on your face. 

This is the first time you’re ever officially appearing with someone on a red carpet. If this didn’t poke at the flame of your dating rumors with him, you wouldn’t know what will. 

It’s perfect for what Penny wants for you. If Bradley wanted to keep his income steady, he wouldn’t ever let you walk out on this. 

For fuck sake, Bradley can practically imagine the praise he’d get for this—leading you in front of the cameras, holding onto the small of your back as he gives you a loving look as instructed.

You spend the next minute staring up at him, tuning out the layered shouting and deafening chatter swirling the air around you two. This is it. You can’t run from this.

Bradley’s determination starts dwindling the more he looks into your eyes. It tugs at his chest, leaving him unbelievably weak. 

Bradley lets out a breath, not believing what he’s about to do. 

“Let’s ditch this place. We didn’t get to eat lunch yet,” he casually offers with a shrug.

What? 

Confusion washes over you, as he tilts his head towards the exit, the one you both marked upon arrival. 

“But Penny–”

“Won’t fire me. If we just say you ran off again,” he proposes, raising an eyebrow at you. “I technically have to chase after you if you slip past me.” He steps aside, hinting at you to go.

You look over at the exit, then back at him with an unsure look on your face. 

He nods, giving you the go ahead.

You finally give in, lips pulling into smile. Bradley falters at the unfamiliar sight. You’re smiling at him for the first time.

“You think you can catch me Bradshaw?” You tease.

He loosens his tie, with a grin. “Oh, I will,” he answers, playing along. “Preferably outside? Where my bike is parked?” 

“I mean, where else would I run off to?”

note: ahh this took me a second to get out..but!! mouse and bradley finally being friends?? who would’ve thought..! but that only means trouble will start to truly stir soon

join the taglist for this series here or follow @waklman-library and turn on notifs to be notified when i post!

taglist: @bethbunnyy @averyhotchner @alexa4040 iamaslytherin0

[postgamecontent]

‘Atari 50: The First Console War’ DLC Switch Review

The second paid DLC has arrived for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. The First Console War adds a new timeline to the story, along with nineteen additional games. It tells the tale of what Atari suggests is the first console war, when Mattel's Intellivision came at the Atari 2600 very aggressively. There was competition in the space before, but I suppose the case can be made that the position of this particular battle makes it feel more like a "war" than what came before. As usual, there are some interviews with various people including developers from the era, along with a bunch of other materials to look at.

The interview content is quite good, as we have come to expect from these Digital Eclipse offerings. There are a few people from Intellivision, David Crane and Gary Kitchen of ex-Activision fame chime in, and a few other familiar faces like Mike Mika and AtariAge Albert pop up as well. It feels more than a little tilted in favor of making Atari look good and it gives the impression of a look from the outside, but this is Atari 50 after all. In general, there isn't quite as much behind-the-scenes material to enjoy here as we saw in previous timelines, and in the end it comes off a little thin. I wasn't as satisfied with the story here as I was with those of the previous timelines.

I think the biggest issue here is that for all the talking about Intellivision that this timeline does, no actual Intellivision games are playable here. I suspect Atari might be saving that content for a separate Intellivision-themed collection, but how much more interesting would it be if we could directly jump in and compare those football games after seeing George Plimpton talk about them? This is a good, if one-sided, overview of this console war, but the interactive element that was so strong in previous timelines feels a bit lacking due to the omission of one half of the topic. It's also a little odd that a number of the newly added games don't pop up in any timelines at all.

As for the games, we're going to do the usual thing. That’s right: it’s quick thoughts time!

Air Raiders (2600): A fully original Atari 2600 game from M-Network, and I believe the only one of that nature released back in the day. This is a very simple combat flight simulator, and it's actually quite good for what it is. You take off, try to shoot down as many enemy craft as you can, then land and refuel before heading out again. You only get as much ammo back as hits you've made, and when you run out of ammo completely the game is over. You also lose if you take too many hits. It's worth checking out.

Antbear (2600): A previously unreleased Atari 2600 port of Stern's arcade game, Anteater. As the titular antbear, you have to snake your tongue through an anthill, trying to eat all of the larva before time runs out. You can eat tasty ants and worms along the way, but you have to approach them with the tip of your tongue. The longer you've snaked your tongue out, the higher the chance you'll get bit. It's up to you to decide when to retract it. This is a solid adaptation of a really enjoyable game.

Armor Ambush (2600): Based on Armor Battle for the Intellivision. A two-player tank game, essentially serving as Mattel's spin on Atari Combat. You get varied terrain here, plus the ability to drop mines. You also have two tanks you can swap between as you like during each round. If you have a second player that doesn't mind diving into games of this vintage, this is fun. If you don't? It's amusing for a minute or two, I suppose. With no CPU opponent, there isn't much to the game if you're flying solo.

Astroblast (2600): Based on Astrosmash for the Intellivision. The original game was one of the biggest original games on the Intellivision, exciting players with its blend of Asteroids and Missile Command. It's no less enjoyable in its 2600 form, and might even be better due to speedier gameplay and a higher level of challenge.

Frogs & Flies (2600): Based on Frog Bog for the Intellivision. You've got your frogs, you've got your flies, and you've got a day that shifts to night. Jump between the two lily pads and try to eat more flies than your opponent. Most enjoyable in hard mode, where you have greater control over your frog's jumps. The original game was good simple fun, and so is this. You can play alone against the CPU, or with another player.

International Soccer (2600): Based on NASL Soccer for the Intellivision. Very loosely, in this case. Instead of the 3/4 side view of the original, this game uses a vertically scrolling field. You need two people to play, though you'll each only control a single player. It's reasonably entertaining for what it is.

Dark Cavern (2600): Based on Night Stalker for the Intellivision. Night Stalker is one of the more cherished original games in the Intellivision's library. Dark Cavern sacrifices a lot of that game's atmosphere, along with some of its enemy types. At the same time, it's a much faster game. Because it doesn't keep you quite as tight on ammo, it's more action-packed overall. Is that good or bad? I'm not sure, but it's definitely different from the original game in terms of feel.

Star Strike (2600): Based on, er, Star Strike for the Intellivision. The inspiration for this game isn't even remotely obscured. You're doing a Death Star trench run, and you need to bomb eight vents on the super weapon to destroy it. You'll be aggressively pursued during the course of this run by enemy ships and lasers. Should you fail, you get to watch your home planet get blown up. This adapts the original game almost to a tee. I found this game to get old pretty quickly, but it's certainly cinematic for its time and place.

Super Challenge Baseball (2600): Based on Major League Baseball for the Intellivision. It's for two players only, so you won't be able to do much on your own. A relatively deep take on the sport for the hardware, and decent fun if you have someone else willing to play a sports game this old with you.

Super Challenge Football (2600): Based on NFL Football for the Intellivision. This two-player only game delivers a fairly impressive take on the sport given the hardware. It looks the way it should, and there's some depth in terms of how you make plays. Not bad, but you will need a second player to do pretty much anything.

Swordfight (2600): An original game for the Atari 2600 that didn't get released back in the day, Swordfight is a two-player fighting game of sorts that is clearly inspired by Star Wars. The characters are large and you have a few different attacks you can use. This game finally saw a limited release in the year 2000, and has been included in a few collections as well. Cheap thrills, but the requirement for a second player limits the appeal.

Sea Battle (2600): Based on Sea Battle for the Intellivision. This was developed back in the day but wasn't released due to concerns about its market viability. It was eventually issued in limited quantities in 2000 and has seen a number of releases since. A simplified yet still strategic take on one of the more popular Intellivision titles, Sea Battle is quite a good time if you find the right person to play with. No CPU opponent here, so you'll need to rope someone else in.

Tower of Mystery (2600): Based on Tower of Doom for the Intellivision. One of the real prizes of this bunch as it has never before been released. This is quite different from the original game, but still a very interesting game. You have to escape the Tower of Mystery, a process which involves exploring floors, gathering and using items, and dealing with monsters. It's a solid game, and it's fantastic to see that it wasn't lost.

Video Pinball (2600): Given the capabilities of the Atari 2600, the quirky nature of this attempt at recreating the feel of a pinball table isn't that surprising. Give it some time and learn how to use the nudge to your advantage and you might find it holding your attention longer than you would expect.

Basketball (2600): Keeping in mind that this game was released in 1978, Basketball is at least recognizable as basketball and a decent bit of fun. It's too straightforward and offers too few defensive options to spend too much time with at a time, but as an early example of a sports game on a console, it has merit.

Hardball (Atari 8-Bit): Atari recently reacquired a number of its assets, including a bunch of Accolade games. This is the first game released from that bunch, I think. I remember this more as a Commodore 64 game, but this Atari 8-bit port is pretty good too. Do people want to play a quarter-century-old attempt at a baseball sim? I don't know, but if you do this is one of the better choices you could make.

Final Legacy (5200): This was originally an Atari 8-bit game, but a 5200 port was found in 1998 and is the version we see here. At first it comes off like it's going to be a complex game of grand strategy, but once you figure out how it all works it's really just a handful of simple shooting games stitched together with a fancy-looking map. Fun enough in short bursts.

Xari Arena (5200): A prototype that has been in circulation for a while in various collections, this is a variant on Breakout where you need to protect the bricks on the sides of the screen while eliminating aliens called Xari. Collect fireballs with your paddle and use them to destroy the Xari while fending off attacks. Clear the Xari and you're on to the next stage, lose all of your bricks and you're out. It's good once you know how it works.

Desert Falcon (7800): When the last DLC arrived, I asked why the Atari 2600 version was included and not the Atari 7800 version. Well, here's my answer. This isometric shooter is better than the 2600 version in its 7800 form in every single way. Not the best game in the world by any means, but it's amusing enough and has some interesting ideas.

The First Console War isn't quite as interesting as the previous DLC in terms of the documentary side of things. It doesn't go quite as in-depth as I would have preferred, and talking so much about Intellivision without letting people play those games feels a little hollow. That said, the games alone make this worth the meager asking price. There are a few games here you probably won't play that often and a number of them require two players, but the best of the bunch are very good indeed. I think it's worth biting on the DLC bundle if you enjoyed what the base Atari 50 offered.

Score: 4/5

[heartstcel]

⋆ — arcade shenangians with @dvpendable 🎮

⋆ — working in an arcade isn't all fun and games as one might think. technically minki doesn't get paid to play any of the machines nor does he get paid to goof off when one of his friends comes in and demands to start a tournament to see who can beat each other in whatever racing or fighting game they've suddenly hyperfocused on. if his boss caught him, they'd likely be none too pleased to see him shirking his so-called work duties in favor of kicking ass in street fighter, but minki has been very very lucky that when his boss does show up, he's conviently busy tending the prize counter or tinkering with one of the crane machines. minki doesn't have a sixth sense for his boss and when they're going to be around, no that would be silly. except that he totally does and he's gotten very very good at always seeming on task.

twirling the plethora of keys attached to his hip, minki had been casually watching the happenings of 8-bit around him. for the most part it was a pretty chill evening, a group of eighteen year olds were currently trying to rack up as many points as possible on skeeball, a prize clearly their target, for which minki had to make sure they didn't just climb up and put the ball in the hole when he wasn't looking. what drew his attention more than that was the sight of a woman trying her hardest to snag a cute plush sheep that kept falling out of the crane at every turn.

unfortunately there is both a science and a randomness to it and if and when the crane would actually grab onto and keep the plush in hand. not everyone had come to understand it, especially if they didn't spend hours watching people try and tinkering with the machine's counter to let people win after wasting all their money on it. it was like playing arcade god, and this god was usually merciful.

the brunet whistles as he walks over to the machine, signaling his approach as not to spook her. coming to stand on the side and leaning against it, " that sheep is being real finnicky, isn't it ? " he pauses with a shrug, " i swear you had it like two pulls ago but alas. " doing a bit of mental math he's certain the counter is close but he isn't sure how close. " i never like to see anyone go home without a plushie after trying so hard. would you like some pointers ? "

[auricbound]

thinking more about goldie's dynamics with the rest of the alters and how the people around him might have identified what "mindsets" he's fallen into for the day based on the things he does. i'm currently drawing out sephtis in particular since he's the protector of their system (which means he is also one of the most active short of goldie himself as the host because of humility being. constant.)

right now i've got a key few indicators:

selectively mute

prefers the long white coat and red turtleneck as opposed to the denim outfit that goldie favors after age 14 (he thinks it looks stupid and can and will say as such)

actually does his goddamn paperwork. this is not too identifying though as sunny also does the damn paperwork, somehow. goldie and honey will never do paperwork unless they are forced (though honey is MUCH more active about avoiding it)

silent pranker. doesn't gloat. rarely does huge pranks like the paper cranes ones, but can and will make stupid and embarrassing paper messages to stick onto mustang's back as he walks the halls without him realizing.

hoarder (through pockets.) giving him anything? it goes in the pockets. candies? pockets. papers? folded to their max possible limit and then into the pockets. completely ignores the existence of the suitcase.

the one who cheats at card games.

absolutely just. RAVENOUSLY hungry. goldie doesn't eat all that well but sephtis can and will show up at the office stuffing a third crepe into his mouth as he carries two extra. he always is Eating.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Toontown Rewritten Recap: November 2002 (Part 2)

November 9, 2002

Sir Max reveals that they’ve removed the instant transportation the Trolley previously used, and replaced it with a roundabout called “Trolley Tracks”. (Sir Max assures us that the Toon responsible for that name has been fired… Out of a canon.)

How does “Trolley Tracks” work?

All of the participating Toons get a set number of votes, and vote to go either up or down.

At the end of the tracks are a series of tunnels that lead to various Trolley games. Winning those Trolley games earns the Toons more votes. After three Trolley games, the Toons can get off the Trolley or ride again.

Additionally, Toon Memory Game has been added. 1-4 Toons can now try to match pairs of cards to score points. Clear the board to win.

The Great Umbrella Shortage has ended! Now Toon Slingshot can be played with friends!

Bingo cards have been placed at every Fishing Pond, so Toons can now play bingo for even MORE Jellybeans! They’ve all been given hardwood rods and bigger Jellybean Jars to boot!

Loony Labs has invented the Toon TAGS. These are basically holographic nametags that float over every Toon in Town, meaning you don’t have to worry about forgetting your friends’ names anymore! Thank you Loony Labs! I would never be able to forgive myself if I forgot duchess of the clover’s name!

(Note: Trolley Tracks is typically a Thursday-only thing, and Fishing Bingo Wednesday only, but I have no idea if this was true of Alpha testing, given that they were implemented on a SATURDAY! Then again, Saturdays typically rotate through all Weekly Holidays, so…)

November 10, 2002

Upon being allowed back into the Toon Council the previous evening, Sir Max attempts to pitch one more Trolley game before they declare the Trolley games done: Robot Thief.

Unlike Canon Tag and Crane Dozers, the Toon Council actually likes Sir Max’s idea this time, being outright moved to tears by how beautiful they are. After raising him for his first ever good idea, they asked how soon he can make his beautiful dream a reality.

Upon seeing how much debt his idea would put them in, they kicked him out of the meeting.

Before Sir Max could build a top-down minigame on public property, however, he was stopped by a Toon from Loony Labs. The Silly Scientist somehow already knew about Sir Max’s brilliant plan, and promised to foot the bill for the Toon Council.

With a new arena constructed by Loony Labs, “Robot Thief” discards the “top down” view of Cog Thief in favor of the same third-person POV used in the rest of the game, complete with a designated pie-throwing button taken from one of Toontown Online’s boss fights. It otherwise works exactly like Cog Thief, but actually fun to play!

Indeed, the Robot Thief overhaul was so popular, that it’s still in Rewritten today!

November 11, 2002

Hawkheart had been getting reports and complaints of Fishing Bingo not working properly, and so navigated the under-construction streets to get to the Fishing Bingo Office and tell off the Bingo Operator.

Halfway through his lecture, Hawkheart got fed up with the Bingo Operator refusing to acknowledge him, and turned the Operator’s swivel chair around so he could look them in the eye while telling them off.

Turns out there was no Bingo Operator. The entire system was automated and had never been switched on.

Oops.

Ah well, easy enough to fix!

November 12, 2002

Sir Max considered this update to be cringe-worthy, as all that got added were the “Cringe”, “Bored”, “Confused”, and “Think” emotes.

They would be continuing to add four emotions per day over the next four days.

(Out of character, the devs asked if their players thought that “emotions” should be renamed “animations” to fit with the cartoon theme.)

November 13, 2002

Sir Max found Fat McStink’s “Doglet” script laying around, and decided to make some edits to it.

He also announced the induction of the “Delighted” emote, while the script he was editing called for the use of the “Dance”, “Applause”, and “Bow” emotes. Conveniently, those are the other three emotions that got added that day.

Also, TTR Staff were given special Toon TAGS: Toon Troopers were given yellow tags, while Resistance Rangers were given green tags.

For reference, Sir Max is a Toon Trooper.

November 14, 2002

Sir Max wanted to teach everyone how to do the Flop. Either the “Belly Flop” or “Banana Peel” emotes will do. The “Cry” and “Laughter” emotes were also added.

November 15, 2002

The last batch of emotes were delayed by one day.

Professor Propostera announced that he was studying “The Gray”, a strange “space beyond spaces” that Toons can sometimes see through holes in geometry, or fall into if they happen to phase through something.

Out of universe, the Gray is just a nickname for the “out of bounds” area you can clip into in certain places. This update just patched up some level geometry so you couldn’t see it in Ice Slide, and also patched out certain glitches that’d allow Toons to clip out of bounds. It’s called “The Gray” because it’s an endless gray void outside of the game’s skybox.

Irrelevant, but if you jump while in the Gray, your Toon will just get frozen halfway through the animation and never land. You should still be able to move, but I just thought it was funny.

November 16, 2002

So, no emotes were added, but Sir Max announced something equally exciting: Donald’s Dock was now open for business!

In addition to this, Punchline Place (the street that connects Toontown Central to Donald’s Dock) was now open for business as well!

Also, Toontown Central’s Toon HQ was now open for visitors! It’s not quite complete YET, but soon it’ll be able to serve as a hub for all of Toontown’s tasking needs!

To celebrate, free Ice Cream treasures were deposited all over Toontown Central!

Also, Sir Max decided to open a photography business! First, he just needed some Toons to hop on the Trolley, ride it in a circle so they get off at the playground, take these ambiguously stolen cameras, and take pictures of all the Toons running around the Playground.

Unrelated, but Photo Fun was added to the Trolley Game rotation!

Photo Fun simply requires the player to take pictures of the various Toons doing certain things, and earning more jellybeans the closer the picture is to the goal.

-

I know I said this before but I do find it great how they just. Roleplayed the fuck out of this.

[hoshibait]

question in relation to blumiere/count bleck: how do you imagine he met the others? any specific headcanons or based off the game?

like many people, i imagine he met his team during his search for timpani.

i do love the theory that nastasia was saved as a bat stuck in a trap by blumiere. and later coming back to him and dedicating her devotion to him out of love and loyalty. reminds me of the first half of a japanese folktale i read back in middle school. crane's return of a favor i believe it’s called? i wouldn’t be surprised if that was intentional. except i guess it’s angsty for a different reason. that being unrequited love on nastasia’s end. also, weird parallel to blumi being saved by timpani and falling in love??? what is it with this game and someone almost fucking dying and falling in love with the person who saved them?

regardless, i believe he nursed her back to health and the two of them become close friends. hell i like the idea of blumiere considering nastasia a best friend.

as for o’chunks, i go along with the basic common agreed backstory that he used to be a general of an army from some faraway land. with one of his advisors sadly betraying him and thus causing the fall of his army to an enemy team. i do hc the fact that blumiere was a manipulate dickhead with o’chunks. i do find it disturbing that it’s implied that he preyed on his depression and helplessness to get him on the team. but hey honestly, it makes it more interesting, adds onto blumiere’ s character, and weirdly fits for him in my hc for him. you gotta remember all of bleck’s team is just a squad of mentally ill bozos relying on each other.

i sort of combine mimi’s theories altogether to make one backstory. i do remember someone proposing something interesting. isn’t it strange how francis built a “pixl” identical to tippi? that was basically a robot? she still has pixl qualities though. what if the witch mentioned in carson’s stories is related to francis in some way? i do believe the witch could’ve been experimenting making some sort of rogue pixl related to shape-shifting abilities. what about the robot part i mentioned though? maybe the witch was also into robotics??? look i’m trying my best here man.

regardless, i think mimi’s true origins is hard to fully decipher. i can imagine that even she doesn’t fully know or likes to talk about it due to horrible identity issues and lost sense of self. i’d like to think she ran away from her origin place, wherever that may be, with a dazed and disoriented mind. blumiere just happened to find her in a guarded off forest somewhere, and it just kind of took off from there. i wouldn’t say he preyed on her psychologically like he did with o’chunks, considering mimi just wanted a place to stay and have some sense of belonging somewhere.

oh, dimentio, i gotta actually talk about him on this blog now.

yeah this little shit just kinda came across the gang one day. i can imagine blumiere being like “erm okay what a creep” until he read in the dark prognosticus that there was a figure like him involved in the prophecy, so only until then was he let in. i like to imagine at some point dimentio put them in dimension D to show them what he could do, which just intrigued blumiere even more. (because seriously what exactly is dimension D and why does it deez /slap)

as for his origins, hoo boy.

so carson mentions how the magician that created the pixls had a family, right? and how he had a family and all? and they all succumbed to some sort of fate. except the son? i know it’s mildly implied that dimentio can be this mysterious character, or at the very least related to the magician SOMEHOW. i do find the obscurity of dimentio’s origins fun though. although i do agree that dimentio is somehow related to the pixls and the magician like many people do.

and we already know about mr.l in game, so i won’t talk about him

thanks for the ask! this was really fun to talk about!

[trevisos]

12 and 23 for Xarrai

8 16 and 24 for Ieriyn

for that Tav meme?

tysm!!!

(questions are here)

xarrai:

12. What opinion does your Tav have about the Gods?

the short answer is: not a fan.

the long answer is xarrai sees all the gods as tyrants - look at shar, who demands her followers give up their memories; or mystra, who takes chosen after chosen and keeps them like pets; or vlaakith, who. well. vlaakith. they're cruel rulers who demand obedience and worship from their followers, even those who claim benevolence. as far as xar is concerned, bane is just the only one being honest about who he is and what he wants. they don't really give a shit about what gods others choose to worship but they are silently (or um. not so silently) judging anyone who is particularly devout. every time shadowheart talks about shar early game xarrai is just nodding along like yep. mmhmm. yeah sure. and aggressively rolling their eyes when they walk away lmao. there's an element of bitterness to it too, though. here they are on this adventure surrounded by people who desperately want the favor of their gods but all xarrai wants is to be well and truly forsaken by bane. (at the same time, though, they recognize the only reason they're still alive is because he hasn't forsaken them - bane doesn't suffer fools or failures, after all - so it's a bit of a double edged sword.)

23. What are 2-3 songs that your Tav would relate to?

this is actually the hardest question u could have asked bc i have an almost 40 song (and growing lol) playlist for xarrai LMAO. these are a few i've been really vibing with the last few days, but i don't know that they're the ones xar would relate to the Most by any means.

burn your village - kiki rockwell

metaphor - the crane wives

kill all your friends - mcr

and honorable mention for grey veins by ls dunes. i had this song on repeat for like two days while i was starting to build their character because i picked this game up like right after i saw lsd in concert and it ended up coloring a lot of how i viewed xarrai initially lol

(mutuals feel free to lmk if you want the link to the whole playlist (or my astarion and/or xarrastarion ones) - i'm a dirty apple music user and the playlist has my government name on it so i don't wanna post it publicly but i am down to share)

ieriyn

8. Did your Tav have any romantic and/or sexual relationships prior to their illithid adventure? If yes, who was it with and what was it like? If no, how did they feel about being single?

yes! he had a couple of boyfriends when he was still in school. nothing super serious, honestly - just your typical teenage relationships and all the drama that entails. in the last few years he hasn't really had many partners - a fling here or there, but again nothing serious. i will say though he has a thing for older men with big brown eyes :3c (gale never had a chance is what i'm saying. it was over for him before it even began. this twink is going to ruin his life.)

16. How does your Tav feel about killing?

not good! as of where i am in the game right now (about to defend the grove from being raided following some #mistakes ieriyn made when talking to minthara) he hasn't killed another thinking creature ever. he really really doesn't want to and has spent half the battles the party has been in so far more or less cowering in a corner for fear of killing someone accidentally if he uses his magic. he's honestly kind of dead weight. but defending the grove is going to change things - he can't sit there and do nothing when this is his fault and he knows he has to pull his weight or the party is going to end up dumping him on the side of the road, assuming any of them survive this. (lae'zel and astarion in particular hate his fucking guts for being so useless and yet trying to take the credit for shit anyway lol) i don't think he's ever going to feel good or even necessarily okay about killing, but i do think he's going to learn to deal with it anyway.

24. What first impression does your Tav give off to strangers?

i think initally ieriyn comes off as a spoiled brat tbqh. he's deeply out of touch with the way "normal" people live and has really never been outside his bubble of wealth and comfort, which makes him difficult to talk to i think. he's also heinously arrogant - sometimes because he genuinely believes it ("i'm a special gifted magic kid and soooo powerful and strong") and sometimes because he's trying to cover up for what he doesn't know or what he's afraid of. this is smth i imagine is going to be extremely different by the end of the game, but as of rn he gives a pretty shitty first impression LOL

[light-purp-insect]

Introduction Post

Inbox: Open 11/10/2023

beginner writer, refer to me as Av until further notice. Please read notes/warnings, we have them for a reason. specialization in 'x reader' fiction, possible ships once i get everything worked out. All writings under the tag 'Av writes for once' and questions are under the tag 'Av answers questions' both at the end of the tags on this post.

characters

-- DC universe(s) villains (heavily prone to edits)--

Mad hatter/Jervis Tetch (Arkham games including Origins, Batman the Animated Series, New Batman Adventures, Gotham television) (yes, I favor him greatly)

Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane (Arkham, Corpsecrow, Tim Sale)

Riddler/Edward Nygma (Arkham, Gotham television, Year Zero, Jim Carrey version, Dano version.)

Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot (Arkham, Gotham television, Farrell version)

-- Slashers--

Michael Myers (unspecified, physically described as most main-series appearances)

Brahms Heelshire

Ghostface (unspecified, usually male under mask unless specified/asked)

Bubba Sawyer (specify the exact version/actor as I think they differ)

-- Baldur's Gate 3--

Astarion (both spawn and ascended)

Halsin

Wyll

Shadowheart

Karlach

Raphael, and by extent Haarlep

Zevlor

Kar'niss (yes, the drider)

Gale

Cazador Szarr (pre-master/spawn and current)

Notes/warnings

Vellioth (That's Cazador's old master)

Abdirak

We try not to write smut, but when we do, the post will be flagged for explicit content. We might incorporate a kink in a writing in a non explicit manner such as dollplay simply be dressing reader/character up, this will be tagged as a full kink. We occasionally will write whump, this can include topics such as non consentual bondage, non consentual kissing, occasional mentions of nudity both consentual and not, yet we will not write actual noncon sex (we do not feel confident or comfortable writing true noncon and most likely won't on this blog) and topics such as physical and mental torture. This blog will talk about unhealthy relationships through whump, if you are struggling with these in real life, know you are not alone and that there is help, such as obsessive behavior and some forms of manipulation, we do not write the majority of 'x readers' as abusive unless whump, of which we prefer to write softer whumps due to our inexperience with the genre. Most of our readers are gender neutral. We will always write for all types of fashions and presentations.

(We refer to myself as plural in the way a company does, we do not have a form of dissociative disorder that effects our number as of currently. although it is speculated there is a possibility that I do suffer from one form of dissociation. On that note, we currently do not plan on getting a diagnosis for several more years because DSM-5 pain owchie. I can talk as an 'I' or 'me', it's just that I enjoy feeling like some boss of a company.)

[march-harrigan]

Arkham Dork Squad: 5, 6, 18! And for another one: 13, 20, 21 for your lovely lil haresona u-u

OKAY, SO! I answered 5 and 18 for Jervis here! The rest, I'll put under a cut.

Jervis

6- Favourite thing this character has said? - This is a tough one, because I love just about everything that comes out of this man's mouth and it also really depends on the version! From his entire monologue in his Joker's Asylum story and his breakdown in BTAS(Perchance to Dream). Or sillier things like his rhyming argument with cash in Arkham Knight or... Just about anything in Secret Six.

One that did stick out to me though, in terms of characterization and how I generally perceive his motives was in Arkham Origins. When he's testing the mind control devices on his "rabbits."

"That's always been the trouble, though, hasn't it? No one ever wanted to hear what Jervis had to say. He might as well have been invisible."

THIS is exactly what I mean when I say he feels overlooked. Jervis has a need to feel seen. To be important and valued enough to be heard. And that's exactly where at least some of his issues with control begin.

Jonathan

5- What do you not like about this character? - I'm gonna be honest. The major thing I dislike isn't even that deep. I just think he should be depicted as Southern more often. That we should have a selection of official, Southern-accented voices to pick from.

Don't get me wrong, I love the depictions of Jon that we have. But ever since I learned about Year One Scarecrow, I need that Georgia boy!

-

6- Favourite thing this character has said? - You know that part in Arkham Knight where you go back to the clock tower and you have to take out a bunch of militia guys and Scarecrow's waxing poetic about fear? Describing the effects it has on the body, how ancient it is, the kind of primal fear our ancestors felt?

Yeah, all of that.

-

18- What’s something you associate this character with? E.g. a certain colour, object or scenery? - I associate him with autumn colors. Orange, brown, and red mostly. Obviously, there's just the entire concept of fear. He's usually on my mind when I get the urge to binge some horror content.

Halloween is another big association. Whether he loves it because it suits his motif or hates it because of related trauma, I feel like every version of Jonathan Crane has some strong feelings about Halloween, one way or the other.

Eddie

5- What do you not like about this character? - I don't really have a lot of negative to say about Ed. At least as a whole.

I guess if I were to gripe about a specific version, it would be Gotham. I liked him well enough? But his transition from Ed Nygma to the Riddler was just. Not great in general. I feel like someone who's watched the series more than once could explain it better than I can. It was all very weird, and not in a good way.

-

6- Favourite thing this character has said? - Honestly, everything out of Arkham!Riddler's mouth is pure gold. He's quickly become my favorite just for the shit he says and Wally Wingert's flawless delivery of that shit! The most memorable though would probably be the classic:

“You solved it? Ah, but this is merely check, detective. Soon I will be mating you. Wait, I meant chess! Chess, you base, gutter-minded savage!”

-

18- What’s something you associate this character with? E.g. a certain colour, object or scenery? - The obvious color is green(and to a lesser extent, purple). I associate the Riddler with games and puzzles of all kinds. Just going by the things on my desk there's crosswords and Rubik's cubes and... Yeah, even dice, although he's more about skill than chance.

Portal comes to mind too. I feel like he'd enjoy the games(and making his own test chambers).

March

13- Contrary wise if it is an OC, what’s your favourite story with them in it you’ve written? - I am... Honestly so bad about actually writing the content for my self-inserts and OCs. Any plotlines that happen are either in my head or RP if I'm lucky.

I guess one of my favorite ideas I have for them(on how they meet Jervis) is the one where Jervis has recently broken out of Arkham. He returns to his old hideout to grab a few things only to discover that someone's broken in.

He finds them at the table. Full costume, feet propped up and sipping tea. They claim to be the March Hare and he just kind of... Accepts/goes along with it? All is forgiven because, after all, "what's a little breaking and entering between friends?"

However, what Jervis will not tolerate, is their FEET on the TABLE!

Shortly after this, he helps them improve their costume, including a set of ears with a neural link that enables them to control the ears via thought and emotion.

-

20- Contrary wise, if this character is an OC, how does their presence change the story? - Call me Mary Sue, but the biggest change is just. To Jervis. The friendship(and eventual romance) helps stabilize him to a certain degree. Though, at the same time, March is a huge enabler for some of his crimes. A simultaneous "I can fix him" and "I can make him worse."

-

21- Wild card! Talk about anything to do with this character! Anything at all! - Gonna do a Jervis-related one and one that's not related to Jervis because like. This sona is for self ship, but I also wanna develop them as their own character beyond "haha date Jervis."

Depending on version(AKA if it's one of the takes where Jervis does the rhyming thing), March will rhyme along with him. In fact, it's not uncommon for the two of them to have conversations entirely in verse where they complete each other's rhymes. They are both VERY good at improv this way.

March likes to collect weapons and has quite the assortment. Various swords and knives, a medieval mace. Some throwing knives in the shape of playing cards if they feel like being a bit more On Brand. They have a few guns, but those aren't really favorites. It's more that they can acknowledge them as more efficient in certain situations.

There is, however, a tommy gun they've gotten attached to. They favor it during heists.

Bonus: Their favorite tea is Earl Grey, but they're also big on breakfast teas.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Kishotenketsu & You, Part 2

Did I make this entirely for the title rhyme? No, but it was a factor. Because I’m in the refreshing mood, this is worth a post as well. We’re getting back to some anime fun next few days. Got Jojolands, and the OP Academy panels coming up. Kishotenketsu...naturally you can’t have a part 2 without a first so why write the same things twice? If you don’t want a second essay, it’s a four part story structure with mega deep roots in Asian writing. The Act structure, it works for that and Kiku/Yamato share names with their respective parts. Leaving off with the play wrapping up, the Rakugo narrator...that’s arguably leaving with only three out of four parts completed. Which is no problem! The next island serving as the final is just on brand. One Piece just does use this structure like this, but Wano does use its theatrical themes to be a little meta. It’s lowkey very similar in function to a school play as a penultimate saga in a slice-of-life series. Falls under the wonderfully weird umbrella of “pulling an Utena” as well.

So what are we doing today? Looking at how the structure applies to individual Acts of Wano then ruminating on just how well it does to Egghead at this juncture. So for a reminder, try it for yourself and compare: Part 1 is an introduction. Part 2 develops. Part 3 subverts. Part 4 draws out the point through the way 3 ultimately tied back to 1 all along.

Act 1: 

Ki - Curtains open through Hawkins’s tarot game and the Crane Returns a Favor re-enactment. 

Sho - Okobore, Bakura, back to Okobore & up to Oden Castle.

Ten - Kiku & Kin know each other? The Yama or big climax being the samurai leaping forward in time. Different tone because now we’re back to our main plot that was already established.

Ketsu - Luffy isn’t ready to fight Kaido, he jeopardized the plan by not waiting for the right time.

Act 2:

Ki - Curtains open through the first “wheel” of pairing off Straw Hats and local buddies.

Sho - Those wider Wano stories fleshing out. Yasu’s execution will be the climax of this and it’ll wrap up as the story focuses more on Udon.

Ten - The capture of Udon, an unplanned detour. The big twist here would actually be learning Kiku’s little secret at the climax. 

Ketsu - Wrapping up reaping the benefits of all these stories. Enma, the added reinforcements from Udon, etc.

Act 3:

Ki -Curtains open through the flashback. Easy peasy.

Sho - Kanjuro the Traitor and getting in position. Meeting Yamato. Akazaya v. Kaido. All the way up to around when Luffy/Kiku fall.

Ten - Subtle but we do shift from here into the full mainline shonen part of the arc. Wrapping up fights. The Yama is Luffy’s awakening.

Kestu - The short after the battle segment until the curtains close.

Egghead:

Now, Egghead probably won’t be as long as Wano so Act 2 is probably our best comparison. It’s longer than Zou but doesn’t feel like it has enough steam to stretch past a Punk Hazard or a Fishman Island. And obviously it’s hard to do this with a still-unfolding arc. Still, I feel like we see an existing trick. Act 1, Kiku’s introduction is bounded by mirrored chapter titles. [The Crane/Luffytaro] Returns the Favor. Egghead? [Luffy’s/The Genius’s] Dream. I don’t think that perfectly marks ki giving way to sho, but it’s somewhere around there. We’ll get more entrenched in the battle, the cutaway stories mature but they don’t dominate like we see right now. Wherever sho starts, it ends with 1078 as we’ll pull away revealing the traitor. 

Like we said yesterday, what remains to be seen is the nature of this extended break from our main cast. Six chapters is a lot already and I feel like we have at least two more. One more for Sabo’s story and Vivi/Marco’s groups still lack an update. Maybe we could do all that in one? Marco sorta has a precedent for playing us in so yeah I guess you could say...tie off Sabo’s in one while also showing how Vivi got up in the sky with Wapol (Hey, isn’t that thematically a little like starting her adventure like the next step of the crew’s without her?) and then 1086 starts with Marco leading back into Egghead. That’s theoretically all you’d need. But it could go longer, and we stay away for another round of Tales from the New World that spiral into all being shaped by the Incident at Egghead Island.