#there was more stuff after the Cut Fade To Black but it was that weird stuff when you dream about someone you know acting OOC

[thisnightissparkling089]

I didn't want to say anything but when I watched the first scene yesterday I was annoyed because this is for me where the show miss when it come to intimacy. They could have shown intimacy with tim kissing her cheek/neck (I so want a neck kiss but I know it's never happening) when he came from the bedroom or when he went to the shower. Like it's not even about sex. That scene missed that element I think. The show truly have room for more playfulness with them. And this is where I don't understand why they give up that part from season 1 & 2. They showed intimacy like that. Emmett and lucy had 1 scene and they were able to show me something I still wait to see for c henford. During my rewatch I got so bitter because the scenes between lucy and nolan are exactly how I imagine lucy and tim when I think about them. I don't understand why we can't have scenes like that. For a room of writers that love playing with storylines they're not really fan of playing with couple with cute couple moments. For the hot moments like you said every other shows on abc show us too.. it truly special how the show don't want anything to do with stuff like that.

I have to be honest, if it wasn't for Tim talking about the hookup in the laundry I wouldn't have think they had sex, this is how weird it was to just cut like that the scene. 💀 (important to note that you can see the difference with couple moment after season 2 with angela & wesley. They had scenes they wouldn't have now. Like the hook up they had at work in the room. )

You're definitely not alone! And the way I would go feral for a coming up from behind neck kiss!!!! @$^*$@<*$@,>/#!!!

I agree with you, really, it isn't about sex, it's that intimacy that we miss out on. And like you said, this isn't just about Chenford. None of the couples really have any intimate scenes shown.

And if it was always this way, sure, no big deal. But there was more intimacy shown in earlier seasons. I remember one scene with Wesley and Angela in season 5 sitting on the couch and I thought, and then they kiss. No? Okay, a kiss here? No. No kiss whatsoever, got it.

If I had the opportunity to write the laundry room scene for the show, it would have gone something like this...

"Hey, wait...lock the door first."

Tim, although slightly surprised, catches on quick. Walking backward, he saunters over to the door, his gaze never leaving Lucy's. The lock turns in his hand, shutting out the rest of the world.

He walks back over to Lucy, meeting her in just 4 quick steps. His lips are on hers instantly, as he cradles her head in his hands.

Their kisses are quick and desperate as he pushes her back up against the washing machine and his hands reach out to pull at the zipper on her jacket.

Fade to black

You can do tasteful sex scenes with fade to black to give the viewers a little something, while still keeping things PG-13.

In terms of the writers, I don't know that this is entirely on them. It could very well be an actor/actress setting boundaries and not wanting to do these types of scenes. In which case, I respect the boundaries and learn to deal with it.

But I do agree, something definitely shifted from the earlier seasons to the later seasons. I would be genuinely surprised to see any hotter scenes going forward. I would absolutely welcome it, don't get me wrong, but it would definitely be surprising.

[mumms-the-word]

silly imposter syndrome brain go brrr under the cut

sometimes I kinda hate that smutty oneshots are the most popular genre of fic in the bg3 fandom (which is the only fandom I write for at the moment) but also I get it. it’s quick, it’s usually consistent, you know what you’re getting, it’s sexy, it’s usually unproblematic, and you can turn off your brain a bit to read it, especially if it doesn’t feature named Tavs and instead is generic or is written in second-person

trust me, I get it, because I read it too, and I’m just as bad as other readers who will skip a well written 1k sfw fluff piece but quickly scan the racy parts of a 3k smut out of curiosity. I want to get back into reading longer fics and I’m hoping soon to have time to go back and read works from my favorite/fellow fic writers here, but its kind of like retraining my brain, and that’s not something everyone will want to do when they can just enjoy shorter, smuttier fics that can be read in 10 minutes. we’ll never run out of smut after all

so I get it

but it’s just not the genre I write, so sometimes I worry that I’m kind of “clogging up the space” by posting non smutty fics. I’ll write fade to black stuff and sexual tension and I’ll write romance but not really smut. It’s a choice I make for personal reasons, but also smut is a genre I just don’t see myself writing well, and I don’t want to hinder the skills I’ve worked on in writing other genres to cater to the numbers (i.e., writing badly written smut purely for the sake of popularity when I can write more decent fluff, angst, adventure, etc and have fun while writing it)

but sometimes it feels like a waste of time and that’s sometimes a tricky notion to let go of

at the end of the day I remind myself that I’m not that interested in the numbers. knowing I have 1-2 consistent readers for specific long fics is enough to keep me going, and I do mean that genuinely. but it’s hard sometimes when the brain tries to trick you into believing that you’re just wasting blog space and space on people’s feeds by posting non-smutty content, which is a completely ridiculous thought, but no one ever said neurospicy brains have to think logically

anyways ima keep writing what I like, I just wanted to vent some weird irrational lies my brain is telling me tonight, like telling me my ideas and fics are a waste of time because they’re not the popular smut genre

[admirxation]

Crossover though that plays in my mind Leon kennedy in attack on titan. What are your thoughts? 🤩

ahhh an anon asking my thoughts?!?!? sorry I'm so used to having radio silence or weird stuff in my inbox so I'm so excited to have an anon in my inbox haha, especially with such an interesting thought. Thoughts below the cut off so I don't spoil people. 🩷🩷🩷

Leon Kennedy and aot, my two favourite things, honestly if I could draw I would love to see him in a scout uniform and some odm gear (the black one in season 4 would fr make him look like a snack) like I would fr scream (any artists if you wanna make that a reality I beg you tag me so I can see that beautiful creation).

If Leon was in the aot world, I could imagine him being innocent in the cadets but not incompetent or overtly happy (I don't imagine him overtly kind like Historia, and don't imagine him like a Marco character, more a neutral stance of knowing the world is shit but not fully understanding how the world is shit with lack of experience). I mean innocent in the sense he knows the world is dark and how dangerous it is, but he only knows that from what other people have said and what has been taught to him. he hasn't come to the physical realisation of how dangerous it is. Similar to how you can tell someone, 'oh this *insert action* is awful' and they know it's awful but doesn't really come to the grips with the affects of it until they have been face to face with it. If that make's sense.

In Re2r he seems like a bit of an optimist but slowly grows with the realisation that he can't save everyone and only comes to grip with true darkness and corruption with seeing what is around him. I can imagine him wanting to join and being a solider to help people, but doesn't realise how hard it is to help others, especially with the panic everyone is in since he joined where the series takes place with wall maria being taken, and only understands this when he’s put out in the world.

Also just a funny thought, I could imagine him in the early days with Eren and his little "IM GONNA SLAUGHTER THEM ALL" moments and leon is just there sick of the shit just wanting to eat his bread lmao.

I also think as he grows accustomed with the danger, he grows a bit more serious and a bit more realistic in the terms of that world, realising there needs to be sacrifice for humanity. I could also see that bright eyed rookie/cadent slowly fade, a little bit like Eren. In the series you see characters like Connie and Sasha who keep up their characterisations of being comical in ways but can be serious, we see how the world changes them but not too much, whereas for Eren there is obviously a massive juxtaposition to when we first see him and to when we leave him. I feel like there would be some similarly with his character fading but I don’t think his kind nature would completely go; in re4r he’s serious but that kind nature doesn’t completely go, he doesn’t detach, he’s still cares. I can imagine him being serious and getting the job done but obviously having a soft side,and finding it difficult to detach from some things. I can’t imagine him going extremely cold.

Also I'm in such a Levi brainrot, like I have loved that man since 2016 and he was my first anime crush and I will never forget about him (I also found out a month after first watching that he shared the same VA as Leon in aot English dub, so i knew why I fancied the socks off the English dub voice). Omg imagine Levi and Leon speaking and being in a scene together and being a part of the Levi squad, I would FR squeal like a piggy.

I know this wasn’t really in depth, I would love to make a long character analysis (English lit student go brrrr) but obviously I have some exams I gotta do. If anyone is interested, when my exams are done, I would like to have in depth convos about crossover stuff or maybe some head cannon stuff and character analysis.

Bruh I now can’t stop thinking about Leon in a scout uniform ughhh F E R A L.

Thank you again anon for getting in my inbox, means a lot when people actually speak in it haha

Have a lovely day/night *mwah*.

[jadedharleys]

Do you have any appearance headcanons for HS characters? Such as who are muscular, who are chubby, who are tall, etc.

i have this height chart for the kids that i dont follow super strictly (+ its kinda exaggerated i dont think that jade is THAT tall lmao) but it shows my general headcanons . also the lighting isnt great but oh well. putting all the answers below the cut cause this got long as HELL

john: short, a bit above average build. light skinned but slightly tanned+freckled, more so during the summer. my headcanons for everyones eyes is that theyre like a believable shade close to their canon colors, but when they either enter the medium or godtier, i cant decide but i lean towards medium, they change to their canon bright colors. johns are naturally blue pre-sburb. also i headcanon that hypermobile ehler danlos runs in the prospit family (saying this bc i refuse to use some godawful portmanteau family name for them) because projection, and for him it starts presenting more obviously after getting to earth c. even before then he would do weird joint shit to mess with people lol. headcanon that people keep scars from various resurrections or might end up with them from other versions due to weird universe shit so he has a couple stab scars on his chest + lots more from sburb stuff. also i like the idea of him having some visual aftereffect from going out of canon whether some breath lookin scars on his arm or something like that.

rose: mixed east asian/european (vague bc they dont technically have actual ancestry, given a no sburb au im undecided for more specific asian background but since her surname has french origins thats my headcanon for that part); darker skin. natural dark hair but she bleaches it to dye it purple. fairly average height. naturally below average weight growing up, but fills out in her teens. gray eyes before sburb; her hair dye make them look faintly lilac, but they become actual purple eventually. somewhat fluffy hair but mostly only if she styles it to be. keeps scar from being killed by jack + absorbs the scars of doomed rose from davesprites timeline.

jade: tall and lanky, but much closer to daves height than in this drawing. very similar hair and skin tone to john, but much more tan, especially at the start of sburb since she lives in the tropics. by the end theyve both faded to close to the same color. hair looks black but with brown highlights in bright light. natural green eyes, but instead of just turning brighter they also glow like the green sun in the dark (or an animal with reflective eyes). hair gets a lot fluffier and thicker after dogtiering, + gets fangs. it was very long and a tangled mess from not brushing or cutting it enough growing up, so on the pre-retcon yellow yard she gets it cut and grows it back while on post-retcon she cuts it off herself during a breakdown moment. quite a few scars from jungle mishaps + taxidermy stitching scars after dogtiering. pretty wiry from taking care of herself growing up. her ehlers danlos presents with more fatigue as she gets older so the sleepygirl vibes return...she also had to self-treat a lot of dislocations from incidents on the island. her body is a bit fucked up after godtiering from the combo of vague dogginess making the connective tissue stuff worse.

dave: same as rose but im very much in the albino dave headcanon camp! lots of scars from strifing with bro, which show up pretty easy on him. big one on his chest from the strife where his shirt got cut, and sometimes ends up with doomed daves' scars. his eyes were naturally pinkish red but again became their super bright color eventually. heavily masks his expressions most of the time but gets better at displaying emotion while on the meteor. pretty tall and a good bit of muscle, but skinny throughout childhood from his living situation. thin hair without a ton of volume. also please make him so very very texan i beg you all.

jane: shortest of the alpha kids + chubby :] very fluffy hair, and pretty pale from not going outside as much as the other prospits. gets pretty emotive and frazzled at times + gets red in the face easily from both that and being paler. maybe a couple scars from failed assassination attempts that she usually covers with makeup to keep up the heiress public image? her and roxy both have scars from being killed pre-entry.

roxy: darker than rose + curlier hair; also mixed but less so without dirks genes in the mix obvs. second tallest of the alphas! she dyes her hair pink but not as often as rose so her roots are grown out a lot more. various scars from living in the water apocalypse + kitten accidents as it goes with those silly creatures, and more freckles than rose bc climate change lol. natural dark brown eyes instead of something "pink" lol . void style. prescratch she just bleached her hair but didnt dye it. i like to think maybe jade did end up getting a little silly :3 when she was a prisoner on derse so some scars from that too :(

jake: short!! i live for short jake. honestly might make him shorter than jane; theyre def closer in height than i drew them here. lotsss of scars he thinks they look cool. clothes usually a bit battered. haircut is not very neat whatsoever because he just does it himself to keep it out of the way which is better than jade letting hers go wild i guess. similar complexion to jade. scars on his chest from getting forked by jane which has angst potential. natural eye color is sorta hazel/green

dirk: tall! white surfer boy lookin. natural dirty blonde hair but the combo of sunbleaching + various improvised methods to lighten it to resemble his totally awesome bro makes it closer to blonde (prescratch he bleaches it so hard and its so shitty but irony am i right). extremely freckled + lots of scars but he got most of them in very stupid ways like slipping while climbing the supports for the apartment. he does ofc have the iconic neck scar. naturally had light brown eyes.

ok and trolls! this is the only pic where ive drawn all of them so itll work as my visual lol.

first tho these are my headcanons for how different castes ears look! mind that the pic of all the trolls is a bit older than this (which is also something i made a while ago in case i never needed to describe my headcanons. so some things changed from one to the next but in general the same ideas are there; also some things in this diagram i dont like as much as what i drew above so take it with a grain of salt.

also my headcanon is that on average for this age range, trolls are in the same range of heights as humans, but the higherblooded they are the taller they can get. however they keep growing a lot longer . like lobsters . which extra reason why highbloods get bigger cause they live longer

aradia: short, chubby but muscular, with super curly and long and wild hair. when alive, lots of dark red freckles and blush but when dead, very pale gray skin. for my ear shape headcanons, rustblood ears are just slightly more pointed than human ears, though you cant see hers in this pic. sometimes i draw her with horizontal pupils when i remember.

tavros: tall for a bronzeblood, but still short compared to humans. his robot legs make him taller than he was before lol. pretty obvious brown flush to his skin a lot of the time. lil bit chubby

sollux: short-average height, thin and lanky. terrible posture. i lean into the goldbloods with two pairs of ears headcanon. no freckles

karkat: he hasnt slept in a month and everyone can tell. worlds awfullest eyebags on a thirteen year old boy ever. i draw trolls with nails corresponding with their blood color but he paints his black. what do you mean he has red freckles those are the blood of his enemies. average height and constantly tense

nepeta: short. silly. will kill you. there is a nasty mix of blood under her nails at all times but look at her silly smile. she doesnt look buff but she is. super messy hair goes all over the place standing on end when she takes off her hat. cleft lip + slit pupils. lots of scars but she rocks them like a warrior cat.

kanaya: curly fluffy hair. in this pic i didnt draw it cause im a loser i guess but she has tons and tons of freckles. sometimes they look like stars (space player moment). i draw her ears with sorta leafy/almost frayed-looking edges as a rosemary nod since they kinda look like rose leaves! fairly tall for a jade.

terezi: lots of freckles on her face! very straight and pointy ears. short + chubby + not exactly visibly muscular but she WILL throw you. triangle body shape language (wide stance, very solid).

vriska: super wild unkept hair. fairly pale; burn scars across her face, side, and shoulder. the pic shows her damaged ear (she lost most of it in the explosion) but her other ear would be a bit longer than terezis but with a less dramatic point. somewhat tall and pretty solidly built.

equius: buff but NOT like a super muscular body builder he may be a troll but he is basically thirteen. hes like a buff middle schooler but not super over the top. just kinda a regular guy. i dont like how his hair looks in the comic so i draw it a bit different. strong blue (no pun intended) flush to his skin in some places, especially under eyes and near joints. fairly tall.

gamzee: ive never rlly draw him without makeup so i dont rlly have an idea of his normal appearance. tall but slouches, somehow both a bit chubby as well as awkwardly bony in places. thick + very curly hair. i draw purpleblood ears with a sorta multilobed/wavy edgy to sorta resemble approaching seadweller fins.

eridan: average height for a violetblood, but tall for a human. a few freckles. his glasses are just for show. hes like a middle schooler who you think looks so tough and edgy at the time but then you look back and realize they were just a loser kid.

feferi: short + chubby but very strong. long curly hair, lots and lots of freckles! very round + soft + bubbly shape language.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

The screen is filled with static. The noise of it is harsh, grating, until it cuts out completely and the screen flickers to black. Then, after a moment, the screen buzzes back to life. It's nearly indistinguishable from the previous black screen, but light gives way as someone flicks a flashlight on behind the camera. We see a forest at night. The camera work is shoddy and the screen shifts as the person recording walks. There's the sound of a second pair of footsteps followed by someone speaking.

"So, uh," the voice says. "There's been lotsa weird stuff in Faerûn history. Not too weird, but weird enough to give us the creeps sometimes. But, uh, the last few years have been real weird 'cus folks keep stumbling onto these, uh, these places. I think by now we've all heard about the glassings-"

"Is that what they're called?" says a second voice, sounding closer. Presumably, the person holding the camera had spoken.

"If it's not, it should be," the first voice says. "Glassings. It's cool, right?"

"It's not a cool situation, but it's a cool word for it, I guess-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what I meant," the first voice says. "Anyway, we all know about the glassings. If you don't somehow, it's the- the big circles of black glass that seem to be literally everywhere now. Well, not everywhere, but y'know what I mean. And then all the other shit- that city that was found completely underwater, the one that was completely destroyed by a giant fight or whatever, we don't really know. Fact is, we don't really know anything about these incidents 'cus no one even remembers that there was any town or city there at all."

"Like the one near Westwood," the second voice says.

"Like the one near Westwood yeah," the first voice says. "The town sign's still up- The Barrow, or something. But there's no mention of The Barrow in history, it's just- it's gone. It's like it never even existed. Like I said, weird."

"Super weird," the second voice agrees.

"We're going to- well, I guess you could call this one a glassing too, if you want-"

"Bad joke."

"Yeah, bad joke," the first voice says grimly. "It's just through here."

The camera shifts around as the two go through a patch of bramble and bushes. The second voice curses as a branch catches on their shirt and the first voice laughs. After a second, they free themselves and continue out of the forest. They come into a meadow and, in the middle of the meadow, lies a city. Or at least, what used to be a city In the moonlight, every possible surface shimmers and reflects. The city has become reflective and as the camera moves forward, we see that the entire city has formed into pieces of mirror.

"This is what used to be the city of Galanodel," the first voice says. "At least, that's what we're calling it. It's on some maps, but it's just- it's hard to make sense of it. Galanodel elfish for, uhm-"

"Moon whisperer," the second voice said.

"Yes, that," the first voice said. The camera approaches the city proper now and the lens fades in and out of focus. The second voice sighs and the camera tilts a little, adjusting back in on the city. There's the sound of shoes against glass as they enter into the city.

We go by shorter buildings, though they gradually increased in size. As said before, the entire city seemed to be made of glass. It's silent except for the footsteps. There is no more talking between the voices. The camera shifts again and we see the shoulder of one of the people. Their head is ducked down. When the camera adjusts back up to the heart of the city again, we see figures in the distance. Only, there is no movement coming from them. As the camera passes them by, we see that it is people- every age, every race, some fleeing towards the outskirts of the city and some barreling further in- all made up of the same reflective glass.

The camera zooms in on different faces. An elvish man, with his wand pointed at a dwarven woman. An orc running away with their children. A drow in full sprint toward the heart of the city. A child with glass tears on their face.

We continue on in silence, block after block. Finally, we reach a fountain. There is a dragonborn in the center of it all, surrounded by a throng of people reaching for them. Or rather, what might have been in their hand. The figures here have been shattered and torn apart. There's a glass arm on the floor and shattered shards everywhere. The dragonborn's right hand, which had been raised when they froze like this, was completely gone, shattered into millions of pieces. Whatever they had had in their hand was gone, leaving no clue as to what might have happened to cause this mass destruction and death.

"It'd be beautiful if it wasn't so… terrible," the second voice whispers.

"The working theory is transmutation," the first voice says, much quieter than before. "Someone, or something transmuted this whole city into mirrors. No one knows who or what could have been powerful enough to do it, though. Maybe a buncha different people in small parts, but that doesn't really make sense. Like, why would they do this if they're just gonna die here, too."

"I kinda hope we never know what did it," the second voice says. "I don't want it to happen again."

The camera pans around the area, taking in the scene. It seemed to be some kind of main street. There was a large fountain nearby and a sign above one of the buildings read "City Hall", even though it was hard to see with just the moonlight. The camera pans past a hotel next and the reflection perfectly shows the two moons overhead. The closest one was shadowing the further one. They looked down on the scene from overhead.

"Yeah," the first voice sighs. "Me too."

[queen-scribbles]

I saw the post about the big Bioware sale and figured you're a good person to ask since I've seen you posting about Mass Effect/Dragon Age a lot. The games look fun, and I'm a sucker for complex stories with customizable protagonists, but I am a complete weenie about the more, uh, mature stuff when it comes to romance and the 'M' rating keeps scaring me off.

Like I'm over 18 and I'm fine with the violence/drinking/most of the swearing listed with the M rating, but I just get deeply uncomfortable with the other stuff. I'm just weird like that, I guess.

Is it really a lot? Or is there like a skip option, or some kinda setting that'll just have it be a fade-to-black sitch like SWTOR? I won't be too disappointed if there isn't, I kind of expect that really, but I figured it was worth an ask while the sale is on/to keep in mind for the next sale.

I have major social anxiety and am kinda embarrassed about all this, so sorry about the anon-asking. :P

No, no, you're fine, I understand completely. (I can take or leave a lot of the sexier stuff myself) Now I will try to remember romance scenes bc I haven't played some of these games in 4-5 years, and some of the romances I haven't gotten to yet. 😅 (if you don't mind spoilers you can always look up the romance on yt to check for yourself if it goes past your preferences. but if you do wanna avoid spoilers I will do my best) P much all the romances there's only even potentially anything that might be a problem in the Culmination Scene.

(If I got anything wrong anyone please feel free to correct me)

I know in ME1 the romance scene(with Kaidan for f!Shep, Ashley for m!Shep, Liara for either) there's sideview but shadowed nudity for f!Shep/Ashely/Liara(with Arm Strategically Placed to block boobs so all you really see is a little bit of butt) and Kaidan/mShep is shirtless.

ME2.... I think there's 0 nudity and ftb for Garrus, Thane, Tali, and Jack(ftb on tenderness, comes back in to fully-clothed snuggles in bed), Jacob's shirtless, and Miranda you half-unzip her catsuit uniform so you can see her bra. Oh, and there's a mini-romance-y thing with Kelly and she wears something really skimpy if you do that.

ME3... I need to caveat I've only actually gotten through ME3 with my Kaidanmancers + the Jackmancer, but I watched p much all the others on yt to hurt myself. Also it's been a while. I don't thiiiiink there's any full nudity, when it gets to the big sex scene toward the end, the furthest it goes is cuddling/foreplay with underwear still on, then cuts to waking up still just in underwear, and not all the romances get that. Some of them, ah. end prematurely for different reasons, or the romance isn't an actual companion in this game, so there's less content(Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Liara, and Tali get the most, since they join the team + have been established longer). There are new m/m and f/f exclusive option in ME3, but it's been long enough I don't rememberrrrrr if there's anything risque for them. I don't think so.

Andromeda I've only done Liam's romance and I don't think there was much in there(you can get him to stop wearing a shirt on the ship about halfway through and there's a makeout session on the couch that ftb). I think Cora's and Jaal's involve male and female shirtlessness, but I'm straight up blanking for the rest of them.

FOR DRAGON AGE

In Origins, the "big scene" for the romances does involve "sexy" movements, but the characters still have on underwear, so no nudity, and tbh with game engine/graphics advances that have been made a lot of people find those scenes cringey/silly more than sexy now. I think you can skip those, maybe, but if you can't there's dialogue after so you can just look away til you hear your chosen sweetie start talking and the conversation takes place fully clothed.

DA2 they did ftb for the four vanilla game romances. Love interest shows up, there's cutscene kissing fully clothed, ftb, wake up in underwear at worst. (Sebastian MY BELOVED is romanceable with a f!Hawke, but since he's a) chaste and b) a DLC companion, there's absolutely no sex scenes with him, you can get chaste married on his friend path and he'll talk about the two of you getting married to reclaim his homeland on his rival path).

DAI is... simultaneously best and worst in this regard lol Josephine and Solas there's nothing. Sera and Cassandra you see boobs and enough leg to hint at full nudity without actually showing it(Sera's might get a little more explicit, it's been longer for her so I don't 100% remember). Dorian's has... full rear nudity, but I think that's it. Blackwall's I don't remember, Cullen and Iron Bull both have scenes where you can tell they're naked, but the Inquisitor or an object is strategically in the way of the naughty bits.

OH AND not romance related, but possibly an issue, there are demons in the DRagon Age canon known as Desire Demons, who look like practically naked purple ladies(they have, like, an even skimpier version of the SWtOR Slave Girl outfit and are fond of caressing themselves seductively). They aren't in DAI, but do show up in the first two games for a few quests.

[enderspawn]

theres this fic idea i’ve been thinking of for a long while now (honestly i've had this specific post drafted since may of this year, so maybe since january or so) and want to eventually write one day, but if im being honesty with myself i'm not sure if i ever will, so im at least putting it out there now.

its a chip analysis piece (likely in some kind of 5+1 format, primarily from jay’s POV) specifically between chip and his relationship with food. the simple fact he’s always been this scrawny malnourished street kid when growing up outside of the black rose means a lot to me, and it would likely cause a lot of habits or behaviors the others wouldnt have or possibly even understand to begin with which would be a fun thing to explore and how it can reveal more abt him.

scenes/topics that would be Covered will be under cut

1 ---

the first thing that immediately comes to mind is an analysis and expansion upon his canon interactions with food in canon, such as the bag of chip’s jay gives him on loffinlot or the cinnamon roll incident

for one, the fact that jay carries snacks at all is kind of indicative and would likely be the focus. use jay's pov to explain how she’s learned to bring snacks on adventures since teaming with chip (likely with comments being somewhat snide or huffy about it, or comparing him to a child demanding/needing a snack, since they are still kind of strangers and she doesn’t know much about chip).

(if desired, it could also expand on how he fuckin’ made that small bag of chips last so long. yes the true answer is “because it was funny” but like… rationing behavior? jay might make an absent note of it (due to her observant feat), but wouldn’t likely extrapolate further at the time. also may be cut entirely for messing with story flow too much to include as a detail.)

the cinnamon roll scene is… listen he literally tried to share food with someone and broke down crying doing so because he loves them and wants to share that. obvious example of using food as a language for love and appreciation (which, again, takes on another level when you remember he comes from a food-scarce background). like thats just a thing that happened i don’t care if it was a goof that’s just canon. bite me. 

2 ---

observation of chip having "weird" behaviors with food. these include having a seemingly massive appetite and being sure to always clean his plate (you don’t turn down access to food and you take what you can in case you can’t do it again soon.) 

but also: as part of chip kind of projecting onto ollie, he’s always trying to pawn more food onto ollie’s plate. sometimes it’s as subtle as saying he’s “not hungry anymore” and scrapping whats left to ollie (which would catch jay’s eye because previously he’s always finished his plate even when full and clues her in) to as obvious as literally giving him more and saying he needs to eat more.

both the above points would be stuff jay would 1. spot and 2. actually take note of/care about, around after desire island or so. 

3 ---

immediately after leaving allport, i think seeing reuben would bring back a bunch of chip's old habits and cause him to backslide a bit. after all, even if they were a “family”, they were also still a gang of street rats. on instinct, he would end up showing a lot of food guarding habits (being overly protective of people taking it, hiding food in a stash, etc). he likely also had these habits for a while after joining with jay and gillion, but after episode 16 when they started slowly getting closer the habits faded because he knew he could trust them. 

4 ---

this is such a minor point in comparison to the rest of this list but i can see it so clearly in my brain. chip has an apple (likely stolen tbh) and he takes a bite out of it and leans against a wall. jay either makes a snide comment towards him about it or just snorts or something, prompting chip to hold it up towards her and go “you want some?” in a snarky way (speaking with his mouth full all the while).

jay rolls her eyes and says yes and gets startled when chip actually throws her the apple. she yelps, catching it, then throws it back immediately while yelling something like “ew, no, you took a bite of it already! i was kidding! gross!” chip feigns being wounded and retorts with something like “and here i was willing to expose myself to your stink getting on my apple–” and cue bickering between them about cooties. 

he just straight up was willing to share the apple, thoughts abt "the fact he already bit into it" don’t register for him bc its such a non-issue in his mind. he offers to share about any food he has/makes because its a silent way to show he cares. i don’t think he’s fully conscious of that fact though. in general i think chip responds a lot better to subtle actions showing love than words of love and this is just another example of that from him

(following this is likely where cinnamon roll scene would go in the fic, both timeline-wise and thematically, since this section is focused more or less on "sharing your food as a sign of love")

5 ---

this next section would be the most plot heavy or traditional “fic” affair, in that it’s not solely fluff padding/analysis and has some original storybits.

the crew would be stranded on an island. i don’t know how exactly, but the key parts is that they don’t have their ship, there’s no one else on the island, and they have limited resources/rations. presumably they know rescue is coming, but ideally they don’t know exactly when (for drama purposes, as well as to make proper rationing out supplies p much impossible). perhaps the grandberry crew is on their way to save them, but they ended up on this island after a storm and don’t know where they are to point the grandberry pirates to. something like that.

actually, this plays out very similarly to the ollie part as detailed earlier, but to the left. as the crew starts to struggle with rations, chip would start (subtly when possible) start giving up his own portions. either by feigning lack of appetite, persuasion, deception, etc. the closest he comes to stating the truth would be when someone (likely ollie) asks if he’ll be okay going without his portion and chip shrugs then leans back on his elbows with a smirk and goes “nah, i’m used to it anyway.”

this is when the rest of the crew also starts to pick up on chip’s behaviors, to the point it becomes a bit of an unspoken secret they don’t want to dig into. previously, and the reason the entire fic is from Jay's POV, shes been the only one observant enough to take notice off all these traits. this is when it becomes So obvious everyone notices it.

6 ---

preferably, near the beginning of the story (likely after the chip bag incident, but before jay starts noticing all of chip’s behaviors, so that she cares for him more than she’s annoyed by him but hasn't put together any real dots-- between section 1 and 2), there would be a section where chip is mocked for his short height (as the shortest of the crew, at around 5’4) and being VERY easy for gillion to carry. 

then, after the island section (section 5), there would be another part where chip’s height and weight are commented on. i'm undecided if this would be another light hearted goof scene or a more “dramatic” serious scene (which if it was it would likely be tied to the island incident. maybe an injury or argument or something?).

either way, it happens because jay ends up lifting/carrying chip. jay “8 in strength” ferin. he’s just fuckin light. afterwards, chip would explain saying something like “its not my fault! cause like– outside of arlin, i was kind of a street rat growing up, yknow? they arent particularly known for having a stable food situation, didn’t get all the nutrients and junk you need to grow tall”. it starts as a joke and a kind of light-hearted ribbing defense, but kind of sobers up in that melancholic-nostalgic way by the end.

it’s the first time he directly states anything abt his upbringing and food to his crew, but its a confirmation. well, its a confirmation for jay. everyone else definitely knew something was going on, but jay is the one who is able to connect all the pieces bc she’s the only one whos noticed all the other pieces. she gets the Whole Picture of how his childhood and upbringing caused all these behaviors and kind of what they imply abt chip's behavior now (like the food sharing as love, smothering ollie, etc)

+ 1 ---

for a cheesy ending bonus, have jay use a mix of chip’s anecdotes abt the black rose and drey’s shaky memory to try and cook up a meal he used to have there. (for bonus, if desired she could reach out to lizzie too since lizzie lived with the old chef shay).

depending on author preference, either its good and chip cries because of the ~*memories*~ and the fact they cared enough, or it’s comically awful and not much at all like the original but the sole fact that they went out of their way to very obviously try SO hard to surprise him with this because they thought it would make him happy (as well as trying to speak to him in his own love language) makes him cry about it anyway. 

(again, chip responds better to acts of love than words-- having his crew not only notice this abt him, but then do something to try and show that love hits him way harder than anything else could)

[nicegaai]

stuck on writing again. im gonna talk myself thru it in text post form

okay if i dont wrap this oneshot up before my brain completely burns out editing it i will lose my mind

naturally theres buildup to sex and then i really just do not want to write it. i can fade to black or otherwise gloss over it, sure. whatever. but then i have to write something AFTER IT and i also dont know what to do with that.

like i have a little bit im working on ...... as much as i dont want it to feel abrupt i just want it to be OVERRRR . i dont want to wrap up anything, i dont want to think about this. the dramatic spoiled artist in my brain is throwing a tantrum. It's Whatever. this isnt my magnum opus, its just me trying to exorcise myself of the ince/st kink demon again . it never works and i feel real weird about it. like am i propagandizing atp? im scared im passing this kink onto others accidentally. sorry im like this. nobody look at me. anyway

i dont want this to be Good as much as i want it to be Done <- lying

i could try to cut it off early . but oh my god if i ended it as soon as they start making out thats weird, i dont like that flow. if i cut it as soon as theyre in bed together thats ... tht only works if its a fade to black and then we come back afterwards right? wouldnt it be strange to have 5k words of buildup, then they kiss and it fades to black, and then thats it?

reading that, i might feel cheated. but my god i do not want to write another bj i dont want to write them actually doing it. i would NEVER get around to finishing that. like i said. i am so close to burnout i need to figure out how to end this quick. i wanna do it TONIGHTTTT.

and i think i do need to add more. i guess the morning after?

ughhhgh sghdhgshgshdskgks dgshkld gsd hsd js dsdkskfhsdkjfs dksjkhdf ksjhdfks jdhfksj dfksjdhfkjshdfkjshdf

ok ok .

because, i do want to play with the fallout a little. i have ideas. but i am also so so tired. of this i mean. (the fallout is ofc that they fuck again. which i also won't write.)

ok current game plan.

i go back into the document. i have an hr n a half. i write up a short aftersex interaction and end it whenever it feels right. do NOT make it long enough to let them leave the room. it is a SHORT conversation. then i go back and finalize the fadeout sex.

at this point i probably will have to leave (friday niteee bb) (i am a very slow writer) but when i get back i can go over the highlighted text ive marked to edit / research / etc... clean it up quickly. then do the ao3 format stuff i suppose !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! add tags summary etc.

....yeah ! yeah i guess.

writing fanfic is all about learning who u are as a writer i think. id like to move on to personal projects someday yk... first thing ive learned: do not let urself edit the same 15 pages on an eternal ocd loop: u will explode and die before u get to the actual end

anyway after this i promise to write all that cousin sex. somehow i have never lost interest in that au. having friends to talk ab ur au with always makes them more fun

[future--ghost]

I HAD THIS WEIRD ASS MULTI-FANDOM DREAM LAST NIHHT EXCEPT IT WAS MAINLT ABOUT BATIM??? HELPP??

I had this weird ass dream about a batim themed movie and it was about the Ink Curse??? So it started out with Hunter from the Owl House getting put in time out and then he fell asleep, so Lilth drew one of those two swiggly lines on his face.

Then it cut to the bendy movie??? That was only part one and 3 and a half hours long??? So basically the MC who was a girl, I think she was a brunette caucasian teenager and her best friend who was the stereotypical pretty popular girl looks (blonde hair, blue eyes etc, lets call her Brittany) but she was really nice. One day, MC (im gonna call her autumn) falls asleep, and her face gets those squiggly lines like Hunter got in the prolouge. She wakes up and looks in the mirror, and now there are two circles of her skin coming a little outward, like she got two small warts on her face, but she didn't? Then she goes to the library and meets this nice guy named Aaron, who's got 4c curls and a nice fade. They start talking and hit it off immediately. Then Autumn gets these really unnerving flashes of images that sort of decay and stuff. Like the eyes with move in an unnatural way and start to grow, and some will be of people in the ocean, then slowly getting dragged in by a black murky substance that overtakes their body as the person's figure melts and deforms beyond recognition. I was super freaked out by these in the dream. Anyways, it stopped, and Autumn started describing these symptoms to Aaron, who apparently knew what she was going through was easily a curse, so he found a book on something called "The Ink Curse" (creative, I know -_-). They start researching it and blah blah blah, the two fall deep in love. They can't find a way to cure it, so Aaron goes onto the stage they have set up in front of several people for some reason, and Aaron pulls out the accursed ink that he somehow obtained and infects himself with it. Autumn gets a flash of the Ink world, which is really just some sort of teaser screenshot showcasing a bunch of different characters. (The Ink Demon looks hella deformed here. I thought that was funny.) That's where Act 1 ended.

Act 2 started out with a bunch of those weird flashing images I mentioned before (now that I'm writing this, I don't think that hallucination scene really happened). Blah blah blah, we're introduced to Autumn's best friend Brittany, who looks and sounds like your stereotypical mean girl but actually really cares for Autumn and would do anything to protect her. Brittany finds a way to cure Autumn's curse, so she summons Beezelbub and asks him to curse Autumn's curse and also whatever ailments she might have as well? This is done with a simple notion that I can not for the life of me remember. Autumn is cured, and Brittany is happy, so it feels like a happy ending. Except, Aaron hasn't been seen in a while. He was in for the past month, and he slowly became more sickly looking until he looked like he had been bleached. His skin looked almost grey, with a small hint of tan. Black, drippy marks started to appear on his skin or come from his skin, let bits of Ink seeping down his eye, until he eventually vanished. Despite the sudden disappearance of Aaron, everyone moved on after a few months. Autumn, on the other hand, was mildly worried. She tried to stay optimistic by hoping he had transferred to another school, but no matter what she said to calm herself, it didn't work. There was a ring at the door. Autumn left her room to go see who was there, she found that the hallway looked dingy and decaying, with bits of black liquid seeping through the walls. The door opened and a black murky figure, that was heavily deformed and had messed up features, despite still having the appearance of something almost human. It wandered through the halls looking for Autumn, it could not see its surriundings , but it could hear. Autumn eventually said something that caused the creature to come over to her location. The creature had told Autumn everything. The Inky figure turned out to be Aaron. Autumn attempted to speak to him, telling him that she knew a way to cure him, but Aaron seemed pissed off by that. He told her that he was not cursed but enlightened. That he could not go back to living blindly, as he did before. He told Autumn about his plan to drag everyone at school into the Ink, to save this godforsaken world and bring them all to a new, better place. Autumn knew she had to escape, so she left. She ran away and left him there. Hoping that she could buy herself some time to run away, get to school, and warn everyone.

She got to her school and found Brittany, she told her everything, and Brittany agreed to help sabotage his plans. It cut to what I assume was gym class because everyone was rallied up in an activity of sorts. For some odd reason, people were sitting down in metal foldable chairs. Brittany looked up and saw that there were buckets of ink, so she made sure the seats were arranged in an order so they'd be safe from the splash. When the Ink came down, it covered this one kid who never showed up again, so he was probably fine. I can't remember what happened in between here, but there was a confrontation between Aaron and Brittany. Aaron was enraged, asking if Autumn even missed him or if she even cared. Brittany yelled back and brought us to a cutscene with the two girls by the ocean on an empty part of a beach. The light waves moved back and forth against Autumn, who was crying. She missed Aaron dearly and didn't know how to go on without him. She felt incredibly guilty and let her things be taken away by the sea, slowly and gently. Brittany comforted her, telling her that it's not her fault and that there was nothing she could've done to help him. The two girls stood in the sea. Autumn let her heart out, and Brittany stood with her and made sure she felt safe. It went back to Aaron and Brittany, and she pulled out a spray bottle. Aaron taunted her, and Brittany sprayed him with bleach. He melted, and then Brittany found Autumn, and they went into town looking for a place to hide. They found a small area saying that only people of high status could enter. They bullshitted their way in and stayed until the night was over.

Prom. The cliche end of any high school movie, and this shit show is no acception. We see kidd dancing until we see an invisible man in a suit dancing on his own. For some reason, the prom looked like a ballroom for a gala. A jock went up and confronted the man, poking fun at him. The man revealed himself to be a creature of Ink (no idea if it's Aaron or not). They change into a fancy jester outfit and go on causing chaos throughout the dance. We get another look at the teaser flash thing, in which we clearly see a character from an entirely different fandom altogether... JEVIL FROM DELTARUNE?? yeah, I'm just as confused as you are man. The two cause mayhem and panic, and it ends with a scene if the two floating far above the ballroom that is in complete disarray. Then I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, hope you enjoyed my dream.

Bonus: I remember hoping that Autumn was Allison for some reason idk

[giphit]

Review of Spider-Man 2 (PS2/GCN/Xbox)

A few months ago, I decided to play Spider-Man 2 on my VERY REAL Nintendo GameCube (Dolphin edition). Overall, I had a very fun time. Obviously the swinging is phenomenal, though it is not as approachable as the PS4 game. The combat is clunky but works most of the time. The world itself is honestly kind of barren and carried by the fact that swinging is fun. And the story is a mixed bag.

Long in-depth thoughts:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story

There's not much but the story in this game is very weird. As you'd expect, it covers the main narrative beats of the Raimi Spider-Man 2 movie but it adds its own stuff. And, opposite of what I expected, the movie stuff is the weakest part. As an actual adaptation, it's like we're just given an abridged version of that movie. These parts of the game feel kind of lackluster compared to the other parts of the story.

An example of this is with Doc Ock. In the movie we spend a good amount of time developing his relationship with Peter and establishing him as a mentor figure, meanwhile in the game, he's given a couple cutscenes before his accident and most of his time with Peter is cut off before a fade-to-black, back to the city as Spider-Man. Spidey will then say something along the lines of "Wow dinner with Doc was great, he's so smart, love that guy" and that's it. Maybe they expected you to have seen the movie so you'd know what these gaps were supposed to be.

A retelling of the movie isn't all this game is though, and the original content it gives you alongside the movie is super fun and interesting. My personal highlight is the Mysterio story line- everyone's seen the funny health bar clip. He's introduced as Quentin Beck, who dislikes Spider-Man and challenges him publicly only to lose. Post-humiliation, he puts a fish bowl on his head and uses his mystical power of "too much money and spare time" to pretend to be an alien staging an invasion of earth. This was just a fully enjoyable and funny quest line that doesn't just pad out the game but adds to it.

There's also the entirely new character arc that Peter goes on due to his interactions with Black Cat which actually introduce added depth to the internal "Spider-Man vs Peter Parker" thing he has going on. These two and other minor game-specific beats make it feel kind of "held-back" by having to tell the movie's story. You'll have a sequence of some really fun original quests followed by a watered down version of a moment from Spider-Man 2 (the movie).

I wouldn't say this even really takes away from the fun of the game, it is just a weird discrepancy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swinging

It is nothing short of spectacular that this game, made in 2004, manages to have such enticing, deep and FUN traversal throughout the streets of New York. Jamie Fistrom is a genius, this idea of his was what paved the way for the evolution of Spider-Man games. But it's not perfect.

At the time, it probably was as perfect as could be but now going back to play it, there are some grievances. Mostly the problems are in the fine controls, a lot of games from this era have this "problem" of actually being TOO tight and responsive. Smash Melee is the best example (I love Melee), where it's near unapproachable for newer players due to a lack of buffer and requirement of clean execution on complicated tech.

Spider-Man 2 is not as hard to get into as Super Smash Bros. Melee but it definitely has a learning curve to it. Or I just suck. I was swinging into buildings non stop at the beginning of the game but over time you get better at it and more proficient at keeping your pace up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Combat

The combat in this game is very similar to the Arkham games, which is funny because those games came out 9 years after this. It's fair to say the combat is unrefined but it does get the job done and the combos are fun to pull off. Where the combat fall apart for me is in boss fights.

Despite liking the vibes and progression of the Mysterio parts of this game, I did not like the Mysterio "fight" (if you can call it that) at the statue of liberty. Getting to the orbs was annoying thanks to a lack of cooperation from Spider-Man's webs paired with me probably being a little bad at the game.

Then there's the Doctor Octopus fights which were just annoying. These fights feel really inconsistent and at some point I was just spamming buttons and hoping, which worked because this game was meant for children, but it was not satisfying to bang a head against a wall for a while. I'm sure there is a way to beat him consistently but the game did not convey it very well.

The shocker fights and Rhino were much more manageable but quite simple. Overall the combat is fine but there are points where it feels like a chore.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gameplay

Gameplay loop is very important in video games, and in this game, it ranges from fun to "oh this again, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay". The things to do in the city are: race, pizza, random crime and that fucking balloon.

Racing is a mixed bag. The races that are just swinging are fun because the swinging is fun. The races that ask you to wall run are annoying because the wall running in this game is not fun. Should be noted that I barely did any races during my playthrough and it's been months so maybe not the most accurate perspective coming from me here.

Pizza is fun, mostly because of the song, it is basically just another form of race but with more fun music and less stipulations. You just have to get from point A to points B through Z within an allotted time and make it back to point A. Don't do tricks or you'll ruin the pizza. Overall just fun.

Random crimes are incredibly annoying- after a while at least. When I started in the game, I was enjoying being Spider-Man, helping people out on a whim but as the game progressed, I realised that there are about 15 whole crimes/events to experience here. A couple are added to the RNG pool during the main story like Mysterio's robots and some walking tanks but that's it. Since you are forced to get hero points in every chapter, you have to keep doing these and by the end they are just monotonous tasks. It sucks that this is really all the city has to offer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rating and Conclusion

Very fun game to play, technical achievement for its time and surprisingly well-aged. Combat is average, traversal is phenomenal, gameplay loop is pretty monotonous and the story is enjoyable in some parts and boring in others.

7/10

[still-grounded23]

My Crush; The Latchkey Kid

(Who would've ever thought that a love story better than Bonnie and Clyde could start with a big secret, half melted ice cream, and a transfer kid? At 12 years old here I am at Garden Pine Academy in my second year of middle school. My life was pretty boring, at least until I met the one person that I didn't know would change my life forever, and I still can’t tell if it was a good, or bad change.)

    “Hey! Melanie! Over here!” I heard one of my close friends calling out to me. I turned to see the owner of the voice I knew all too well.

    “Allie. Hey, what’s got you so hyped?” I replied in half an embarrassed tone as students in the front of our school started to watch in curiosity. I thought they were just so nosy. As her sprinting came to a halt, another one of my friends walked more calmly toward us to add to the commotion. 

    “Did you see the new transfer student? He’s super cute! I call dibs, by the way.” Allie gripped my shoulder as she fixed her shoe. It most likely slid off after her sugar rush. Her hair was arry and she was out of breath. How cute could he possibly be?

Our other friend, Nora, nodded her head in excitement.

    “It’s true! I think I might have passed in the hall. I wouldn't say he’s that good looking though-” she was cut off by Allie.

    “Liar! He’s literally got all the girls talking about him! Mel! How have you not heard?”

    “Oh no. You know how I get about relationship stuff, Allie! It won’t last. We’re just kids! And even if I did want it to last, he probably wouldn't. Plus, my mom told me boys are really immature about having girlfriends. She said I should wait.” Nora’s expression faded.

    “Mel, you can’t just go alone forever… no offense, but you've clung to us since kindergarten. Don’t you think you should meet new people?”

    “No. I don’t.” I deadpanned. “I like having my close friends, and that’s it. Thank you.” I jumped as the bell rang and we all shared the same look before exchanging our goodbyes, and parting ways. Sadly, the only thing we all had together was lunch since we were in the same grade. I sat alone in my first class, awaiting for the rest of the group to flood through the doors. As I sat, trying to braid the world’s smallest braid with just three strands of short, black hair, I heard the chair next to me sliding on the ground, and somebody placed themself  next to me. I ignored the face, but noticed a small portable cage with a tiny gecko inside. I thought it to be adorable, but didn’t  want to make things awkward so I stayed silent. It took me a while to realize that the person sat next to me could be the new kid. Soon enough, students started flowing through the door, reminding me of how a creek with a slight dam would act. It was quieter than usual, and whispers filled the air until our teacher walked in. 

    The day went on and I couldn’t wait for lunch. I knew I saw the boy. He was cute, but there was definitely that one weird thing about him. Why did he bring a lizard to class? I tried to brush it off as maybe he just really likes animals, but he didn’t look like the type to bring animals to school like that. Of course, at our school there were people that would bring in critters, but that was something you only did if you wanted to be deemed as weird. He had short dark brown hair that was a little curly, and eyes that looked almost like gold. I knew what my friends were talking about now, but I don't think they really wanted  to know him, or even care enough to have questions.

    I met up with Allie, and Nora at the lunch table along with some other kids that I didn't care about enough to catch their names. We talked about how much we hated class, and they asked me if I had met the new kid yet. I lied, and told them I hadn't seen him yet, and they dropped the conversation before it could get heated again. I would be lying if I said I didn't think about him the rest of the day. I think Nora even mentioned his name, Owen, I think it was. The last bell rang and I ran out of the school to see if I could see him just one more time. 

    Normally I'd meet up with Nora, and Allie. But I was too curious. I saw him walking down the sidewalk, to where I thought his house would be. That’s when I realized he was a latchkey kid. His parents must not have been able to pick him up. I decided not to follow him since that might scare him, or maybe he would feel weirded out. Instead, I became the first to get on my bus that day. 

    The ride home, I was silent. I stayed looking out the window, wondering what he could be doing. When I got home, I decided to not tell my mother about my new crush. I've never had one before and I was worried about how she could act. I knew she would either overreact and embarrass me with her excitement, or she would be disappointed that I let her words slip through one ear and out the other. We talked like normal. She asked how my day was and I told her, then we joked around about the teachers I didn't like. When my father got home, I hugged him, keeping up my facade. For a while I forgot about Owen. 

    After dinner I went up to my room to study, like normal. I was an A+ student in school, and I wanted to keep it. My parents always made me study so that one day i’ll be the valedictorian before I graduate before college. I pulled out my books, and binders and began. Normally I would work from one to three hours a day. Nora said I was crazy. Allie said my parents were crazy. I think they're just jealous because they have bad grades. I do love my friends dearly, we’re all different from each other, unlike the other little friend groups in our school. Those groups of girls that actually plan what they want to wear, eat, and what sports they want to force each other into. Those girls that will judge each other over almost anything. I don’t want that. I want something real. 

    It took me until the morning to realize that I fell asleep while studying. My mother rushed in once she saw me asleep on the desk. “ Oh honey! You didn’t sleep here did you?” my eyes fluttered open. My lips we’re puffy from my slumber. I nodded and she kneeled down to hug me. I suddenly felt cold, since I didn't have a blanket all night. I could see the worry on my mother’s face. 

    “Are you sleepy, hun?” I nodded sleepily as she rubbed my back. “I bet that wasn’t comfortable was it? How about this, if you promise all 100’s on your next report card, I'll let you stay home and get some more rest.” my eyes lit up. I thanked her and hugged her tight. She watched me slip away from the desk and into my bed, forgetting just how comfortable it was. I curled into the thick blankets. I bet I looked like a panda in a blizzard. I instantly sunk back to sleep, ignoring the ruckus downstairs of my parents getting ready for work. They were both doctors, so their expectations were high. 

    I woke up a while later. I checked my phone and laughed out nervously when the time read 10:14. I got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I looked at the mess of curly black hair that didn’t reach my shoulders. My thick, think hair was in real, real disarray, and the clip I put in it was nowhere to be found. I was still in my uniform for school. I slipped off the uniform and into the warm shower, water cascading down my back. I let out a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to go to school. When I got out, my normally fluffy, short hair was soaked and it finally reached my shoulders, but barely. I got dressed in my favorite baggy shorts and a huge tshirt.  I went back to my room, and fixed up my bed. I couldn’t stand seeing my bed covers in disarray. I finally had everything just the way I liked it. 

    I threw myself onto the tall, soft platform and got comfortable. I had headphones in, listening to whatever song came on the playlist I had clicked. After a while, I decided to get on my laptop and scroll through the internet. I had always loved reading, but I thought I had read every ebook that could be found that’s also interesting. I signed into the website with my personal username rather than my school one or the one my parents made for me. I saw it as my little bit of freedom on the internet, although nothing bad would ever happen. My personal reading list was mostly suspense books. I loved thrillers, and adventures. They reminded me of some of the stuff Allie, Nora, and I had done when we were younger. 

    We used to all walk home together, and sometimes we would go to the local candy store and use our allowance on fridays. On those days we would run to the forest in our area, and to a large vacant clearing in the woods and share our possessions. It would always end in a game of something like tag, or hide-n-seek… Those were days when we were younger, though. I was almost a teenager, so I thought I had gotten too old for games. I, Melanie Isla Reeds, would not have time for such childishness. Allie, and Nora agreed that maybe we were too old for the     games, but they said we would never be too old to hang out. This started another argument. They said I was trying to grow too fast, but at least I was actually trying to grow up. Allie had to be the most immature of the three of us, and she didn’t care. Sometimes I would lie awake at night wishing I could be at least a little more carefree. It wasn’t my parents fault that I almost studied myself to death sometimes. Once I learned what a valedictorian was, it’s all I ever wanted to be. I wanted to succeed over all, and be worth remembering. I told my parents to make me study more, and yes, they were very proud of my new aspiration, but they got worried that I was overworking myself. I do get rewarded for my grades, too. When my parents saw that I was struggling with my new lifestyle, they proposed that for every report card with all A’s, I would get 50 dollars. Since I was more of a saver, I was loaded

    After sitting around for maybe an hour, I decided to be more productive. I turned on a new playlist and went downstairs to do the dishes. Before then, I put my dirty clothes in the washing machine with the detergent and started it. I didn’t like doing the dishes too much, but since i had music, and the fact that i hadn’t done it last night lingering in my mind, it wasn’t too treacherous. I wiped all of the counters and grabbed the broom. Sweeping was my favorite part of cleaning. I was done sweeping the whole house in only thirty minutes. I put everything away where it was supposed to be, and checked the clock. 2:37.  My parents would return home around 3:00. I normally got home around 3:30. 

    Once my parents got home, I ran and greeted them both with a hug. The rest of the night was the usual routine. I helped my mother cook, and my dad helped me with cleaning the kitchen afterward. I went upstairs to study, but this time, after about an hour my mother walked in. “It’s time for bed, alright?” she said. I nodded and closed my laptop, and put my textbooks back in my bookbag. I gave her a hug and she left me to be alone. I changed into shorts I could sleep in, and climbed into my bed. It was much more comfortable than the desk. At the moment my mind was cleared, I remembered that boy, owen. There was only one day of school left before summer vacation. I needed to know just who he was, but I didn't know how to talk to people I didn't know very well. Hopefully, he was the same way. Finally I slowly drifted to sleep. I knew I would follow him to where he goes at the end of the day. I would talk to a new person for the first time in 6 years. 

    The next day was drowsy. I could barely wake up in time for the bus. I slipped on the uniform of cacky shorts, and a white polo shirt with our school emblem on one of the sleeves. I was so close to missing the bus, I had to run to my stop just so he wouldn’t drive away. “Sorry!” I said to the driver. Before I sat in my seat. I decided to get to my class early and not wait for Nora, and Allie. I felt bad cutting them off again today, but I was sleepy. I laid my head on my desk in the empty classroom. I didn't notice the bell ringing until the teacher started talking to the now full classroom. Just like before, Owen was there beside me. This time there was a tiny frog in the cage. 

    I waited until the bell rang for school to let out to run out of the building with the little bit of energy I had. There were students talking while they waited for maybe their parents or older siblings to pick them up. There was chatter from the girls about why he was walking home alone everyday. Normally the kids that walked home would have a friend or two with them, like me, Allie, and Nora. I looked at him. As I said my goodbyes for the summer,  he was already walking on the sidewalk. Determination struck me, and I followed. 

    Past the tall tree of the school, past the little corner store, and past the graffitied lamp post I followed him. He went into the candy store me and my friends used to go to. He bought a lot of ice cream, walked out, and off to the forest with the clearing. Just where was he going? I followed him past the grove of tall, thick trees of the woods entrance, and past the river where I used to play. On top of the vacant lot overlooking the town. Having followed my crush, I saw what he had hid. He threw a popsicle into the air. It was swallowed whole with a giant chomp. The boy I had been crushing on, had a monster he was raising! 

He looked to me shocked, but his surprised expression calmed as he walked over to me, smiling. “This will be a super-forever secret, ok?” he held out his pinky finger for a promise. Me, thinking it was childish, hesitated before the thought of letting go and being free for a while crossed my mind. I took his pinky in mine. “Melanie’s your name, right?” I nodded. “Can I call you Lani as a nickname? Isn’t that something friends do?” I thought it was funny. I laughed and nodded to him.

The summer was just starting, and it was all spent with the boy, and his monster. We swam in the creek, and splashed, and laughed. We chased each other and played hide-n-seek. It was just him, me, and the monster. Me and Owen talked endlessly the whole summer. We ate melted ice cream and laughed about it with a snort. The summer suited crush made my heart flutter in my chest. I’d return home late some nights, my parents were happy to see me getting out more, but they didn’t know our secret. 

    “What should we do today, Lani?” he asked after I ran up with the ice cream.

    “Let’s do whatever we did two days ago!” I replied halfway out of breath.

One evening, we attempted to make a fire out of only sticks and rocks. I had the idea that maybe our monster could help. I even suggested that maybe the monster could even breathe fire. We laughed about it, and then got back to our fire making endeavor. It was that evening after we cheered at the fact that we had a tiny flare upon our collection of sticks, and after we had talked some more, that I tried to reach my hand to his as we sat with the monster. My hand was almost at his, just barely hovered over his. That boy that I was crushing on…his monster ate him whole…

Now that I think of it, today was the last day of summer vacation… I stared in disbelief. Tears started to swell in my eyes. The monster started to laugh. His snicker sounded like that of his voice. “Is… Is it really you?” I asked in shock.

    “Yes. Yes, it really is me!” He let me take his sharp claws into my hand. The next day for school we knew what to do. We would share our secret monster with the school. We would walk into our third term of middle school together.

    Shrieks and screams rang out through the halls. The whole school seemed to run in fear from us. We heard the sirens getting closer and closer. There was supposed to be a track meet today, and we run at the sound of the pistol. Let’s try to get in first place! We already beat the military tanks. From our little, vacant lot at the top of the hill, I could see Nora, and Allie. I waved at them from the distance. “Where should we go next?” I asked Owen, the monster boy. We knew we could travel the whole world together now, and eat all the melted ice cream we could. A popsicle was thrown into the air. Swallowed whole by a gigantic mawl. My crush was a real life monster boy.

    The boy that I was crushing on, turned out to be a monster after all!

[kill0mtr]

you ever play a roblox game thats story is so good and so fruitful that you wanna make fanart but literally no one else Cares about it so.

the game was called "life purpose" and it went from a trolley problem to a guy burning down his entire village, so. 10/10 game i recommend it

tw for: heartbeat sounds, feeling of being watched, one (1) jumpscare, murder, blood, war, depression, psychological horror (?), religion (mostly buddhism and talk of rebirth and that stuff), it switches from third person to first person for the Spook sometimes (mostly in The Cave)

ahh god nevermind im just. im gonna talk about this under the cut Just. spoilers for the game if you wanna play. it took me around 30 - 45 minutes (i didnt really have a timer so it mightve been less/more idk) its Really good

^ the link. okay imma ramble about this game. play it for yourself if you wanna not get spoiled cuz imma about to do a play by play

--- IF I GET THE TIMELINE WRONG I APOLOGIZE!!! ---

okay okay so. it starts off with a trolley problem. this red ball thing (imma call him Red from now on) is here, telling you that "oH whAT a cLASSIc tRolLey prOblEM !! :)" and theres 4 people on one side, one on the other. you, the mc, cant really move anywhere, theres invisible walls. Red keeps going on and on about how this guy, the one guy, is such a loser, and nobody likes him. and oh, hes a serial killer, so he DESERVES to die, and oh, Red changed the body of the one guy into a more curvy body (im guessing male to female, congrats on the transition) and is all like "😳 i bET yOu doNT wANNa pULl tHE lEVer nOw" and then at the end, when Red is done explaining how this guys a loser and nobody likes them and theyre a serial killer yadda yadda yadda, he then goes "You have no choice. Pull the lever." and then you and the mc are forced to watch the guy plead for their life, as the train squashes them.

but good news! it was just a dream. :) he awakes in the afternoon in his cottage, on top of the hill. he looks down below at the village, monologuing about how hes alone and how the villagers probably hate him. the mc then says he wants to go to the cave. this is where it gets spooky.

he gets down to the cave. as you go forward, the perspective shifts to first person, and the movement slows. you get down to the bottom, to see a body hanging from a rock. the mc says "he got what he deserved". he exits the cave, now nighttime. the villagers are shooting fireworks. he sleeps, disgruntled.

Red is here again, and we are now in the barracks. a line up of soldiers and one of them is looking over the edge. Red then says like, "oH thIS gUy iS verY hOPEfuL" blah blah blah (sorry Red i dont really wanna paraphrase everything you say) and then the guy gets shot in the head and Red laughs about how he falls in a weird way. and then all the soldiers charge and you are forced to just... stay there. Red mocks you for that.

the mc wakes up. checks the cave. a woman has found the cave. he decides he need to kill her. he chases her, but the woman is too fast for him. he checks the house she ran into, and oops! both you and the mc get jumpscared by a cat. you cant find the woman anywhere. we then go home and sleep, anxiety building.

another dream. the mc is in a room, thats a jail. a guy is laying on the ground, kinda out of it. Red says he was framed, but he'll die because the "good" people thought he was a "bad" person. hes been in the cell for 9 years. "hE is aLIvE, buT heS bEeN dEAd a LONg tIMe" <- Red wtf does that mean. the cell then breaks, revealing three statues; a buddha, a cross, and the kabba (Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam). the screen fades to black after a couple of seconds.

a buncha stuff happens. The Spooks increase. i dont remember much for this section, it kinda just blurs together, sorry. but i do know that there were black roses that kept whispering threats, giant heads that smiled at you, and the moon was a giant face that was too scary to even describe. ughhh i hated that. i hated the moon face >:( but it fit! it fit the story!! oh and also the mc killed a monk in his dreams before that.

cut to the mc talking to his dad on a bench. they talk about life, its purpose, and then like, at the end of the convo the dad is like "what did you do after i passed away" and the mc lied and said he did good. then it cuts again, dad gone and the village burnt down, with everyone dead. Red is here, in the real world, and they talk about starting over. Red, despite loving chaos, agrees that the mc should be better. they agree to travel to a new village, where theyll be good this time. screen fades to black.

the end. :)

can you tell i loved this game. i didnt tell you NEARLY enough about this game, but if youre okay with psychological horror and a weird red energy ball calling you a loser, i think its Great!!! (also me he/him-ing Red is purely the vibes i got from Red, i dont think that thing has a gender)

[aninthompson]

Live Brief: Playground Games

My group had a huge idea for the cinematic but there was too much elements for us to create in very short time, so I wanted to create a script for the cinematic, because we were still deciding how the cinematic would be and I did this script:

Script Cinematic (Idea)

I was trying to think an idea that makes the cinematic more “simple” but at the same time interesting, because I think doing a shooting scene with smoke, guns, and a lot of things going on is going to be very difficult, so I thought of doing mor or less the ideas of my group but changing some stuff.

The first scene: The panoramic elevator ascends slowly, carrying Gretel through the towering skyscrapers. She is immersed in the urban landscape unfolding before her, a tapestry of twinkling lights and shifting shadows. She silent witnesses the city unfolding on the streets below.

Gretel's eyes, shown an deep and reflective emotion, we can capture the city's magnitude through the elevator's window, the city can be like the Pavel’s animation reference, after that, the camera focuses on her eyes, and then show her looking the elevator's control panel, the digital numbers flash, indicating her dizzying ascent through the floors.

Gradually, the scene begins to fade, as if the city were dissolving into mist at nightfall. The outlines of the buildings blur, the lights dim in intensity, and the urban landscape transforms into a fleeting dream, disappearing before Gretel's eyes like an evanescent spectre.

After that enter in the Second scene: (For this I use as reference the 5th episode of blue eye samurai on Netflix)

(the parts of the puppet show, as shown the image)

I think the group could use the puppets as reference to the witch, I’m going to add some images here to give an idea.

In the middle of a pitch-black room, a spotlight illuminates the figure of the witch. She stands there, her appearance can be like an cyber mechanical puppet brought to life, her joints can move in a weird way like she is “glitching”. We can use distorted shadows, emphasizing the uncanny presence of the witch.

With jerky movements, the witch begins to move seeming like an peculiar dance. She can move turning around and moving the arms a lot, we can use an mechanical whirring of gears accompanies her movements we can make her like she is doing an dark magic coursing through her artificial veins.

As the dance progresses, the atmosphere becomes increasingly charged with tension and foreboding. The witch's movements grow more frenetic, her mechanical form seemingly possessed by an insatiable hunger for conflict. Like she is preparing for a battle against Hanzel and Gretel.

After that we cut to the third scene we can do straight away cut to the elevator with Gretel, the elevator gradually slows down until it comes to a complete stop. Gretel positions herself in front of the doors, a mixture of determination and anticipation in her gaze, the doors slide open, revealing Hanzel on the other side.

A warm smile lights up Hanzel's face upon seeing Gretel. He looks at her with confidence and tenderness, "Are you ready?" he asks, his voice firm.

Gretel nods. Together, they leave the elevator behind walking side by side, their footsteps resonate in the empty corridor, very very dark and while they the darkness stretches out behind then them, like they were going to the battle against the witch.

[cafalla]

2024 READING - COMPLETED BOOK 14/12

Gosh, it's been a while since I last posted!

My reading has slowed down drastically, mainly because I've been becoming more engrossed in video games again. I got quite burned out on them last year, which was why I switched to reading more.

I've been picking quite a few back up recently, which obviously cuts into reading time. I'll show off the games I've been playing in another post!

On to the most recent book I've completed, The Princess (294 pages).

This is a weird one. I picked it up because the cover felt very secret garden fantastical, and the premise of a royalty-slow-burn-arranged-marriage plot always intrigues me. I naturally assumed the book was a period piece.

The book actually takes place in like, the 90s/"present day". It is a fantasy (sort of?) because the characters live in a country that...doesn't exist. But the country does exist in our normal world, because they reference the USA and one of the side characters is from France.

But there are no other fantastical elements, just that they live in a place that doesn't exist. Oh, and they have a monarchy, and there's an arbitrary (but heavily enforced/always followed) rule that the king successor needs to be married by like, 26 years old, and also everyone is...turbo Christian?

Yeah, so going into this book I had no idea the author was a Christian author, or that this book was SO heavy on Christianity in terms of how the characters think and talk to each other. Like prayer, being a good Christian, Jesus, converting others to Christ, etc are constantly being talked or thought about by everyone.

I'm not religious at all by the way, and I don't typically enjoy reading religious books/characters. It's not a deal breaker for me, however, and I was still interested in the romance of the story that I kept chugging through.

Honestly, the romance story wasn't too bad. It definitely was a slow burn, and there were many sweet moments. I felt there was a lot to dig into with how the main characters (Shelby & Nicholai) were set up, and overall it was a sweet story.

Unfortunately, I felt the whole Christianity aspect of it all kind of took away from the love story. Like, if they spent less time praying a talking about God to others...maybe we could've had even more romance and emotional beat moments with the main couple. Oh well.

Weirdly enough, I felt blindsided towards the end because I did NOT process the part where the characters had sex for the first time.

I interpreted the scene of them sleeping in the same bed the first time as an act of evolved trust/taking the next step towards intimacy. Like yes, I know Shelby went and bought lingerie because she was feeling ready to take that next step, but I felt like it was not clear at all that they actually did take the step.

It was a typical they kissed while holding each other in bed and the scene "faded to black". We didn't even get a scene of her wearing the lingerie and them having a nice intimate moment!! The characters did not allude to sex or act any different right after the fact, which didn't strike me considering sex was a big weight on Shelby's shoulders regarding the marriage. The couple having sex was also a big deal for both sets of in-laws....like they talked about it constantly.

So when they had sex, y'know, I figured it would be a very big moment.

But apparently it was not big enough for me to catch, and Shelby got pregnant. I also did not pick up on her being pregnant, because I hadn't had thought they had sex yet!!! I was shocked and confused to say the least lol

Overall, this was a cute slow burn, but the religious stuff really threw me off in some places.

I was really skeeved out when Shelby was asking her mother how sex would look like in a married relationship, in terms of like...what to do if your husbands wants sex and you're maybe not ready or wanting it in that moment. And sheeeeeesh, the mom basically gave her the "well, our duty as wives is to always be there for our husband and his needs"....biiiiig yikes.

It's sad, because I know purity culture is so damaging and puts so much societal, emotional, and sexual pressure on women. Marital rape is a real issue in these communities, for this exact sentiment that the wife "belongs to her husband" and "can't say no". Ugh.

Thankfully in the book, nothing of the sort happens and it is all consensual, but still.

There was also a weird line where I think Nickolai (or one of the fathers) is praying, and he thinks something along the lines of "hoping Shelby will become a perfectly submissive wife" or something. Ick!!!

The epilogue also was a bit of the shock, in that in the future the main couple has like...literally 5 or 6 kids. It's a lot. I couldn't help but think it was alluding to the "quiverfull" sentiment.

Which fine, if you want that whatever, but it felt a little disingenuine to Shelby as a character. We watch her struggle with falling in love with Nickolai, and figuring out her place as a wife. And then she had a horribly traumatic end to her first pregnancy, and I think at some points in the book it mentions how Shelby was the last in her family to really come to faith.

To me, I felt Shelby would maybe have a couple children, but 5+ seems outrageous. But idk, she's a fictional character and none of this matters haha. Moving on! x

—

Total books read: 14 Total pages read: 3,870

[assbutt-writes]

A Heart Of Iron Chapter 24

Chapter below cut

TONY

The world around Tony is pitch black, and he can't tell how long he's been floating there. Suddenly, the void starts to glow a deep ruby red, and he gets the sudden feeling that something is wrong. He tries to turn around, to try and figure out what's going on, but there's nothing there. He tries to call out for help, for someone to help him, but nothing works. He's screaming for someone, anyone to help him, and his throat is raw and aching. He tries to think of the last thing he can remember, and it suddenly comes back to him. He was fighting Thanos and he died. Is this what death feels like?

Suddenly, a pendant hanging on a braided leather cord fades into existence in front of him. It almost looks like his arc reactor, but instead of the bluish gem inside, there's what looks like a ruby. The gem glows with a light not unlike the red light surrounding him, only this light is more concentrated and bright. Tony reaches out to grab it, and the second he does, he feels a warmth shoot up his arm. He pulls away instinctively, but he realizes that it isn't burning hot at all, and that the warmth feels almost like warming his hand on a fireplace after walking through the snow. It feels like home. He reaches out to grab it again and puts it on, the warmth shooting through his body. He lets out a little sigh of contentment, and closes his eyes.

Suddenly, he heard frantic voices clamoring around him.

"Tony? ... you okay? ... on, wake up!"

"You ... calm down ... panicking isn't ... right now. We ... get him to medical ... know what to do."

"... to get Loki. He ... help us."

"... last time? I don't think ... a good idea."

"... have to try."

"... fine. I'll ... him"

Tony was frozen in place, the voices around him fading in and out. He heard what he thought were footsteps fading away, and he tried to sit up, noticing that there was an unusual weight around his neck. He looked down, saw the pendant from his dream, and let out a gasp of shock.

How did that get there? His dreams had never even come close to becoming real, and if this managed to follow him, what else could? He took off the pendant and turned it around in his hands. The comforting warmth was now confined to the gem, the metal frame feeling as cold as he would expect. He heard footsteps heading toward the door, and he quickly slipped it into his hoodie pocket. He didn't need to figure out how to explain that too. Steve came into his room, stopping when he saw Tony sitting up, eyes wide with shock.

"Tony?" Steve asked shakily.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" Tony asked, voice rough with disuse.

"You've been asleep for days," Steve said quietly.

Tony blinked in surprise.

"What?" Tony said dumbly.

"We first thought you were doing some weird science stuff and decided to leave you alone, but Nat wanted to bring you some food, and we found you passed out on your bed, and you were sort of glowing red, so I kind of freaked out. Nat's getting the medics, and I think Bruce's getting Loki-" Steve rambled, and Tony froze at that.

"Loki?" Tony's voice cracked.

"Yeah. We thought that it might have to do with the visions, so Nat thought it might be a good idea to get him because he's the most likely of any of us to be able to figure out what's going on," Steve said, and Tony didn't know what to say to that. It was true that Loki's probably the only person in the tower who would have any sort of idea on what to do, but Tony really didn't want to see Loki right then, not after the way he completely broke Tony's trust by running away and letting Tony believe he was dead.

"I guess," Tony muttered, and just then Bruce poked his head through the door, eyes widening when he saw Tony sitting up.

"Um, I brought Loki," he said, eyes darting between the two.

He stepped aside, and Loki stepped through the door, eyes widening for a split second before narrowing in concealed anger. Within a second, though, the look was gone. He started to walk towards Tony, when suddenly he stopped, eyes snapping to the pouch of Tony's hoodie. Well, that didn't last.

"Tony, what's in there?" Loki asked hesitantly, and Tony froze. He couldn't know.

"Nothing you need to be worried about," Tony snapped, and Loki's expression hardened.

"Tony, I know you have something in there. At least tell me what it is," Loki insisted, and Tony scoffed.

"You have no right to ask that of me," Tony hissed, and Loki opened his mouth as if to argue further, but he shook his head, letting out a wry laugh.

"Fine. You can deal with it by yourself for all I care," Loki spat, and he turned to leave. "He's perfectly fine."

Tony rolled his eyes as Loki walked out of the door. Bruce tried to stop him, but Loki pushed past him and walked off. Steve and Bruce shared a look that was part confusion and part concern.

"Tony, what's in your pocket?" Bruce asked cautiously.

"It's none of your business, either." Tony snapped, still pissed from his interaction with Loki. "You heard him, I'm fine. You can go."

The two shared a look and walked out of the room, Bruce pulling the door closed behind them. The door didn't close all the way, however, and Tony could hear the conversation that happened the second they thought the door was closed.

"What in the world was that about?" Steve said bemusedly.

"I don't know," Bruce replied.

"You were the last one to see Loki before he ran off. Was he acting weird or anything?" Steve asked, and Bruce let out a sigh of confusion.

"I don't know. All I know is that, one second he was going back to check on you and Tony in the lab, and the next second he was running out of there as fast as he could. What was going on there?" Bruce asked, and a sense of horror fell over Tony.

"I think I was just talking with Tony about Bucky and we hugged. Not much else," Steve said, and fuck.

Tony thought about how Loki had refused to tell Tony what was going on, how he had looked at the two with that look of hatred, how he was so quick to anger with Tony. He thought about how the hug must have looked to an outsider, and he realized something. Loki probably thought the two of them were dating, and that made him jealous.

Loki was in love with Steve.

[stemroses]

The mind is amazing. I genuinely thought that this was an actual episode on supernatural.

After the cage Sam knows something is just not right. But he gets kidnapped by a wolf guy. Who’s blind, lost his eyes due to some fight when he was younger. And as the days go on Sam knows that dean is looking for him.

B plot: Dean is looking for Sam.

A plot: wolf guy tells Sam that he choose Sam because he was hurting. And that he understands sams pain. Whatever the fuck that means. Sometimes the wolf guy brings Sam’s to events and he sees kids playing and how they can casually transform into uh… pups. Sam is disgusted and genuinely just wants to be back in the impala. Wolf guy tells Sam that he plans to have children with Sam. There are marks on the wall, tally marks. Of how many weeks sams been here. Almost every night the wolf guy compliments Sam’s scars. By touch of course since he can’t see. Other stuff happens but I always close my eyes because I don’t want to watch. One day when the wolf guy is gone, (he’s not truly gone he’s just outside doing whatever he does) and Sam is free to wonder the cabin. Sam hears laughter, people are around. This is his chance to get help! Wolf guy is back, half naked and his finger is up to his lips. Shushing Sam. Cool fight scene happens here and idk how to explain it. You just had to be there. But the people weren’t just regular people but instead cat like people.

B plot: remember when I said dean was looking for Sam yeah well he got kidnapped by said cat people. I don’t want to talk about it because i really don’t like dean he does not bring calmness to my mind and so the details are blurry around him. Anyway the cat people kills the wolf guy. Very bloody. Insert scene where Sam gets splattered in blood. The cats are very unhappy about what they found. Sam’s belly is huge. Dean isn’t sure what it means but cats they start pulling out their knifes and bandages. A couple of them hold Sam down and it’s at this point that Dean understands what’s going on. He do what dean does best, make a mess. And all it earns is a angry hisses and a new scratch on dean face. It’s quite deep actually. Anyway to both Sam and deans horror they cut into Sam. Removing this weird red furry blob of a thing. It starts to cough and cry. But not for long. The cat person to cut it out of Sam tosses it into the back where the other cat people tears it to shreads. A cat lady comes up to dean and everything fades into black.

B plot: when dean wakes up he’s in his bed like cage. The cat lady is back, and they discuss deans behavior during the mission. XYZ I don’t remember nor do I care. But Dean leaves that conversation with more cat cuts onto his body.

A plot: Sam wakes up no longer in the cabin. It’s bright, and he feels different. But Dean is there, asleep near the door. He gets out of bed, in pain, and gets closer to dean. Dean wakes up. Sam noticed the scratches on his face look similar to wolf guys. “Dean what happened?” “I’ve been looking for you for months Sammy” months? But it’s only been a couple of weeks, Sam’s sure of it. Anyway dean has a plan, he knows how to get them out of there. They get outside, run though the woods. Sam’s bandages are starting to bleed through. “Sam we can’t stop.” Dean tells him “dean” he says weakly showing his blooded hand.

B plot: Dean helps Sam the rest of the way. Half carrying him the best he can. They get to the impala, where dean had left it so many months ago. He doesn’t have his key’s anymore so he has to break into his own vehicle. He gets sam into the passenger seat. “Dean!” He turns and at the edge of the tree line is the cat lady from earlier. She’s disappointed. A look Dean can’t handle right now. So instead he hurries to the driver side, grabs the spare key from the safelock and starts the vehicle.

They never speak of this ever.