#there's a ton of stories y'all should check them out

[willowfae82]

so i'm watching an analog horror (midwest angelica) on youtube and one of the characters just coughed and was like 'i'm fine...' my first thought: narrator: he was, in fact, not fine.

[daemon-in-my-head]

I'm gonna say smth and I need people to read and understand what I mean.

It is perfectly fine to critique games. It doesn't matter what exactly you critique. You don't like the story? Say it. You don't like the combat? Say it. You dislike the way previous lore has been handled? Say it. You dislike the character creator? Say it. You think certain aspects of the game feel lazy or odd? Fucking say it.

Games at this point of time cost 60-70 bucks. Just the game itself. And it's often not even a physical copy, just a digital key they can revoked at any moment if they feel like it. If you want an advantage or a pretty limited skin or what have ya its gonna be 80-150 bucks. Yes that's how outrageous the prices are becoming. Let alone any future DLCs.

And again, it's 60 fucking bucks for just the base game. That's a lot of money for games. Not too long ago you'd be chased with pitchforks and torches had you said your game was that expensive. Some phones are as expensive as two AAA games, games that usually shine with a shit ton of flaws, bugs, missing content, messed up lore and generally feel like the publisher just wanted to make a quick dime. And considering how little time they take to develop, the later often holds true.

But yk what else? If you don't express your disgruntlement or your anger with these practices it's gonna keep going. Shit is only gonna get more expensive while also providing a worse playing experience. Y'all know what the big guys said about BG3. That we, the players, shouldn't expect that to be the new standard.

But hey, listen, we fucking should. It's our money and time. Our enjoyment of long established series or the first title of many. We should expect it to be fucking good and finished especially for such a great prize. We should expect to find entertainment in the things we buy exclusively for entertainment.

So please for the love of god stop attacking people for voicing their very valid and personal opinions. In fact do the opposite and join them and encourage others to do the fucking same. I'm so god damn tired of publishers doing everything only for the sake of sales rather than the art behind it. And yes of course 'the poor employees' and whatever excuses there are for these attacks. Guess fucking what buddy? You encouraging the Publishers behaviour by shutting down any and all criticism and buying whatever the fuck they slapped a name on is just telling them they get away with treating their people like less than shit.

Criticism is healthy. Criticism is required for a system to work and develop in positive ways rather than whatever tf is happening now. Voicing your opinion and critiquing aspects you find poorly handled is not hating a game. It's being disappointed that something you love and are absolutely passionate about was not treated well because some rich guy wanted yet another bonus check.

If a game is shit, call it out. If a system was handled poorly, call it out. If publisher try to limit the content and systems you're exposed to in the first 2 hours because you can still return the game in that period of time, call it the fuck out.

[crowdeerdire]

Incredibly stupid Our Life AU - Ribfest

Background: Where I live there's an event going on called "Ribfest" where a ton of vendors come out, selling, as you can guess: ribs! It's really good! But... to get people interested in their stalls, they have 'conventionally attractive' people standing out front, wearing tank tops and shorts and handing out samples (mostly BBQ sauce to get you interested in their products). Because I'm a silly little goose, my mind went to: 'what if the OLBA boys were those conventionally attractive people standing out front to get people to try their BBQ'... Synopise: OLBA boys volunteer their time to help a friend in a rib competition by attracting customers to their stands with samples. (would take place in Step 4 after all the events for the sake of y'all being friends!)

Cove

Would be generally comfortable in the outfit (reminder: tank tops and shorts because it's hot af outside, but also designed to attract the customers ;) ), but trying to persuade passer-bys to try the sample would be hard at first

We know he can do that kind of stuff because he volunteers for ORCA and he's done it in the past for the funraising event

BUT

this time he knows the concept around why he was choosen and is dressed up like this

he's eye candy to get people to try BBQ

If he got to do it with someone else (i.e. Derek or MC) I think he would relax a bit more and maybe get into it, especially by Step 4 I see him a lot more comfortable in his own skin

If he was working with Baxter, I think he would still be awkward af (you'll see in a minute)

but if he's left on the front lines all by himself, he would be blushing and awkwardly standing there as people check him out and the booth he's working at

might be sweating bullets

get this man some WATER before he passes out

but since he did volunteer he would try his best and be geninuely friendly, I think? 'No pressure if you don't wanna try! But you should!! It's really good!!' *smiles*

btw would go 10x as red and be 10x as awkward if MC whistles and cat calls him (as a joke)

in the end he would try his best!

Baxter

Step 4 Baxter would get into it

Maybe a little embarrassed by the concept at first, knowing why he was choosen as eye candy to get people to try BBQ, but it wouldn't take him long to get into it

he understands a good business opportunity when he sees one

I think he would really get into it

like giving people a sly wink and a smirk

urging them to come over with his nice voice, almost purring

like I think this man is smooth when he's just playing

when he's not and genuinly likes someone, he's awkward af (but that's another story)

I think he would also be really good at remembering repeat customers??

like he would know why they're coming back, but would still play with them and be like 'Oh, how wonderful~ You came back for more?' with a smirk and a wink

making people giggle and blush

If he's working with the others I think he would play off them well, even try to help someone as nervous as Cove to relax a bit (or a nervous MC)

In the end I would think he would somehow find himself in the back, running the show rather then being up front. Somehow - even if he doesn't really know the friend he's helping. He just has good business sense

Derek

Derek is mister sunshine

If he's been asked to help, even if it's from a distant friend, he's putting 110% effort into it

Embarrassed by the concept of why he's dressed that way/put on display... BUT!!

he still tries REALLY hard

I think he would be the type that's kind of loud - cheering and getting people's attention?

But if that was getting a bad reaction (depending on the crowd) he would be calm and super nice, like Cove. Not wanting to pressure you into trying the BBQ, but SUPER excited when you do

If he got a sale because of his samples, he would high five who ever he's working with - or maybe a random stranger lol

he's just such a happy go lucky guy on the outside (although we all know the truth... but shush...)

working with others he would get really pumped up - especially with Cove and MC

Might be awkward with Baxter at first but I honestly see them getting along???

tbh Derek will just be a great sales person

big hype man

a/n: Hi, this is dumb but I couldn't get this out of my head and being really into Our Life lately has gotten me wanting to write again.. :))) Maybe I'll write more? Also I apologize if any of the characters seem OOC or anything. I was really trying to get them down right, but idk :))))

dividers by: @/cafekitsune

[gcantread]

August 2024 reads

[loved liked ok nope dnf bookclub*]

My Lady Jane • The Wild Robot • Our Hideous Progeny • The Hero and the Crown • The Screwtape Letters • The Seventh Veil of Salome • Our Shouts Echo • Villette • The Lies of Alma Blackwell • The Mercy of Gods • Mistress of Lies • Lady Macbeth • Go to Hell • Lucy Undying

I read 14 books in August! (Well, ok, I'm on track to finish the last two today.) It was a busy reading month for me due to tons of ARCs and new releases (8/14 of this list!), which resulted in an "all my library holds are ready at once ougsfshfh" situation. I also once again checked out a few books in order to see if they're worth reading in future years of @bellasbookclub.

My Lady Jane ★★★☆☆ - A very silly time that often reads more like upper-middle-grade than YA. A skip for TV show fans, but the tween furry community should be overjoyed.

The Wild Robot ★★★★★ - An adorable (and yet surprisingly death-y) kids' book that (🤞) should make a fantastic movie. The illustrations alone bump this one up a few stars.

Our Hideous Progeny ★★★★☆ - The last (?) of my BBC Summer Reading Challenge 2024 picks! Has a slow start but man, if you give me an undead abomination plesiosaur who is also a cute little guy, I am seated. Could have been a five star read if it were just a lil gayer and more Creature-forward!

The Hero and the Crown ★★★☆☆ - Read this one to screen it for @bellasbookclub, so I shan't say any details (yet.)

The Screwtape Letters ★★★☆☆ - Another BBC screening but nope nah I'm not gonna make us read The Christianity Book. Did not make me repent of my godless Jezebel ways even a little bit, but gets three stars because it's nevertheless a fascinating glimpse of C.S. Lewis as a person. Next time I'll stick to The Good Place though.

The Seventh Veil of Salome ★★★★1/2 - Speaking of godless Jezebels: Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I have the same biblical blorbo!! I haven't loved any of Moreno-Garcia's work since Mexican Gothic, but finally, this one was another slam dunk for me! As a Salome (1893) enjoyer and understander I'm so glad SMG is one of us. The main (Hollywood Golden Age) parts were also deftly rendered—this was the first truly well-executed Karen Villain I've encountered.

Our Shouts Echo ★★★★☆ - A really sweet and enjoyable contemporary YA coming-of-age + romance that somehow pulled off its nuanced optimism without being preachy or precious. Dare I say...actual hopepunk? An ARC from ALA Annual.

Villette ★★★☆☆ - Another book club screening. [Helga voice] I hated this book but I loved this book but I hated this book but I loved this book. Dammit, it's just so memeable. See you in hell 2025 probably

The Lies of Alma Blackwell ★★★1/2☆ - A decent YA ghost story with immaculate creepy, witchy, & haunted house vibes and some fun tropey romance (sure, why not?) Another ARC.

The Mercy of Gods ★★★★☆ - Ensemble-driven alien invasion story in which a team of wet babygirl science geeks must prove their worth to their new Giant Fucked Up Bug overlords and also one of them is a parasitic hivemind but we don't know which. Unsinkable concept but the writing makes it even better. One for the grown up Animorphs kids (Yes I know I rated it less than Wild Robot, but Wild Robot is a 5-star quality kids' book, while Mercy of Gods is an imperfect but riveting adult novel that I connected with on a more personal level.)

Mistress of Lies ★★★☆☆ - 2nd-to-last in my self-imposed (Review-) Bombed Books Week Challenge. A generous rounding up to three stars because I like the concept and it had a strong start before...plateauing for 200 pages. (Where were the titular LIES?) Very little actually happened and yet my laconic review is somehow "do less."

Lady Macbeth ★★★★☆ - More of an original story with some names in common than a retelling (Macbeth fans be forewarned. Y'all remember the dragon? You know, the dragon that's in Macbeth?) I tired of how repetitive the assault-as-motif became, but there were some very cool plot choices and Ava Reid's prose is gorgeous as ever. Kind of Green Knight vibes!

Go to Hell ★★★1/2☆ - Another ARC, this one a nonfiction travel guide to IRL destinations that are either associated with Hell/underworld mythology or just hellish places in general. Taught me a lot more folklore and history than your average travel guide!

Lucy Undying ★☆☆☆☆ - Hilarious of me to read two retellings in a row. Unlike Macbeth, I feel deep personal affection for Dracula, which meant this book wold have made me silver_linings_playbook.gif it out the window if I hadn't been reading on my phone. If I had never read Dracula, I miiiight have liked this? (jk I finished it and can now definitively say I would not have.) The prose was decent and I liked Lucy's modern-day love interest, Iris, but this author clearly graduated from the "lesbians must hate and deride all men all the time and be proven right in this view when every single man tries to harm them" school of writing sapphic characters, and since the book was basically encouraging me to paranoid-read, it set off both my "clumsy writing" and "...is this a t3rf?" alarms. tl;dr Mina and Jonathan and Van Helsing and Seward and Arthur and Quincey and Berserker the wolf and even Mr. Swales (slandering Mr. Swales?? Is nothing sacred??) deserved SO much better. Now I'll have to reread Dracula to cleanse myself

DNFs: None! Although Lucy Undying certainly tried my patience.

August superlatives

Next up:

September is another new release-filled month! I'm on track to finish my Bombed Books Week Challenge with The Empire Wars by Akana Phenix and then the unreleased Crown of Starlight itself, so I can satisfy my intellectual curiosity of how it compares to the books its author tried to sabotage. (Which attempted sabotage was an abhorrent action I 100% condemn. Toss aside those large rocks, I've been supporting the targeted authors at my local bookstore and library.)

In less dramatic goals, I've got an ARC of Ruin Road by Lamar Giles I'm eager to check out, and I can't wait for Long Live Evil to be ready at the library. We've also got our first official Bella's Book Club read of Season 3, which should be fun (hint: it's an Austen!)

previous months:

july

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 86 - The Big Day, Part 3

It's time to cut the cake!

Ophelia is level ten cooking, so she's very confident with her knife abilities!

…A little TOO confident. Careful, Feefs!

Ophelia: SON OF A-

Xander: There are children here.

Ophelia: …booger.

Ophelia sucks on her injured finger sheepishly.

Ophelia: At least I'm pretty?

Xander: We're both killing it tonight, as per usual.

Let's try this again, just a bit more carefully. We don't want My Wedding Stories to turn into My Funeral Stories!

I really expected Xander to smash cake in Ophelia's face but he didn't! I'm so proud of my boy 😭

Marcie really said "y'all are taking too long, I'm digging in"

It's time for Moses' gift for the newlyweds: playing for them for their first dance.

Xander: Come here often?

Ophelia: The dance floor at our wedding? No, can't say I have.

Ophelia: You look so handsome tonight. I love your hair when it's slicked back.

Xander: You think this is slicked back? This is pushed back.

Ophelia: Okay, Tim Robinsim. I should know better than to give you a compliment.

Xander: All jokes aside, you look absolutely stunning. Is that dress alpha?

Ophelia: The Maxis Match dresses just didn't feel right. You gotta treat yourself sometimes.

The two quit their quipping and enjoy this moment, their first dance together as husband and wife. There will surely be many more to come.

Alright, they've had their romantic slow dance. Now it's time to party! Turn on that stereo!

It's hard to make time for everyone, but Ophelia is sure to greet and thank each of her guests for coming between hugs, compliments and synchronized dances. Being a bride is hard work, but she wants her loved ones to know how much their presence in her life means to her.

Ophelia's delighted everyone could be in attendance. Her friends, her family, old and new… Not that she'd ever call her gran old. She even convinced Hilary to bring Omari as a plus one. Not everyone has their former therapist at their wedding, but Ophelia's built different.

Speaking of Omari, she was right.

Looking at the group of people she loves more than anything, Ophelia knows she's ready to decide what her new trait will be.

Ophelia takes the Retraiting Serum that Omari had placed in her inventory and downs it in one gulp.

In a flash of light, her urge to steal from others dissipates and a huge weight is lifted off her shoulders. She's no longer a kleptomaniac.

After a lot of hard work and a lot of self-reflection, Ophelia is proud to say that she is now ambitious, a music lover, and loyal!

Marcie notices Ophelia staring into space like a weirdo and comes to check on her.

Marcie: You doing okay, girl?

Ophelia: Yeah, just having an epiphany. Typical bride stuff.

Marcie: …Right. Anyway, congratulations!

Marcie: The ceremony was beautiful. I'm so happy for you.

Ophelia: Thank you guys so much for coming. I hope the kids aren't bored.

Marcie: Joaquin's keeping Velma entertained but the boys are having fun on the dance floor! Violet seems happy playing in the sand off-screen too.

Marcie: And again, you look beautiful. You're absolutely glowing! Ophelia: …Glowing? Marcie: Is everything alright? Did I say something wrong? Ophelia: No, no. Long day, y'know? A lot has happened today but there's still one concern Ophelia's been ignoring...

This house has served Ophelia, and eventually Xander, well, but it's time to move on to something bigger.

Ophelia finishes prepping the garden for the move into the new greenhouse while Xander packs the last of their things.

Ophelia: It looks so empty in here.

Xander: I know.

Ophelia: This new place is going to be great. Marshmallow will have tons more room… and so will we, I guess.

Xander: We lucked out, it's a great house. I can see us growing old there, raising our family.

Ophelia: Yeah. Me too.

Xander: Let's finish getting everything loaded into the household inventory.

Ophelia: Okay, I just need to pee first.

Xander: Aww, your last pee in this house. Cherish it.

Ophelia: You're gross. But yeah, I will.

This might be Ophelia's last pee in this house, but she supposes there's still time left to earn a milestone here that Growing Together left out: First Pregnancy Test.

[readypanda]

wats infintie fusion im so curious

:O

Ok so it's a fanmade pokemon game where you can take literally any two pokemon and fuse them into one. There are legit over 90,000 custom sprites made the the community and you can check em' out here https://if.daena.me/

Not to mention the actual game itself is super solid, like it has an actual story and progression and a ton of ways to play it (such as randomized). Y'all should totally check it out just make sure you go through the official infinite fusion discord since they have download links/instructions there

And they just opened submissions for custom pokedex entries, too, so that's what I've been doing

[sapphicobsessions]

Review of 'Love so pure'

Summary: It's easy to get laid when you're a pretty, sassy bartender working at a popular gay bar. This lifestyle suits Jihyun just fine since he loves casual hookups without any intimacy… That is until he meets Yohan—his big, scary-looking classmate who's actually a pure-hearted sweetie. Can Yohan's simple love help commitment-phobic Jihyun heal from the traumas of his past?

Genre: BL romance, nsfw, drama

Chs: 114

Sooo recently i read this manhwa, it's pretty popular and honestly it surpassed my expectations (i don't have good expectations for bl nsfw manhwas 😬) and i didn't think i would enjoy it sooo much, yeah this is an nsfw manhwa and the story starts out with the boys from the above pic, so at first it was just a normal BL and yeah it wasn't really hmm differenttt tbh but then as the story progresses it actually started getting really good, the backstories of these characters were written so well and there a TONS of side characters too which is what makes this really enjoyable imo!! The story's focus actually shifts on the side characters in the middle of the story but that is what makes this manwha sooo good <33 The depth of all the characters and their character development honestly brought some tears in my eyes ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ honestly this comic has it all, found family, friendship, friends to lovers, enemies to friends etc!! And yeah the art is just so cool and i really really liked it!! And also it's pretty spicyy but the story balances well with the nsfw and non nsfw moments!!

So yeah i think y'all should check this one out if it suits your tastes!!! :))

i love them all so much 😭😭❤️❤️❤️

[nenekiribookwyrm]

CWs: mention of death.

March 2023 Update!

The weather continues to get warmer and my scales are thankful for it. I've had a massive case of cabin fever lately and been itching to go out flying in weather that won't freeze me into a dragon popsicle. Here's the update on what's been going on around the castle this past month.

Firstly, I had a death in the family about halfway through the month that knocked me off-balance in terms of getting things done. Add to that finishing up an intensive project at work and it might not be a surprise that I didn't get much done creatively this month. I'm trying to be patient with myself as I move through the grieving process, but being creative is a big part of how I like to spend my free time. So the last half of March has been a blur and I'm hoping that next month I'll be able to pull myself out of the funk and start making things again.

If you didn't see me talk about it last month, I was recently published in Happy Howlidays: A Furry Short Story Anthology which has a bunch of holiday themed stories and features my story "One Last Winter Ride". I'm pretty proud of how this one turned out and hope that you'll check it out! https://thurstonhowlpub.storenvy.com/products/36440494-happy-howlidays-a-furry-flash-fiction-christmas-anthology

I joined a werewolf themed game jam at the beginning of the month and while I haven't worked on my submission as much as I had anticipated at the beginning of the month, I am still excited to submit whatever I have done. I think I'm going to need to pivot my project into something with a lot smaller scope if I want to submit something complete, but I have a few ideas that might work for that. It's just making sure that I make the time to get those ideas written down. If this sounds cool to you, please check out the list of games once everyone has submitted theirs and play them: https://itch.io/jam/werewolf-jam

The current deadline is April 6th, which is the next full moon, so howl with us as we play some fun indie werewolf experiences.

We're in the middle of Furry Awards Season and the window to vote on your favorite furry books and short stories is closing fast! The Ursa Major Awards close at the end of the month, March 31st and the Coyotl Awards close voting on April 15th. Make sure that you vote and make your voice heard:

https://ursamajorawards.org/Voting.htm

https://coyotlawards.com/2022-coyotl-awards-ballot/

Twitter is going through another death gasp, and with the proposed changes being implemented soon I figured it was a good idea to mention I am other places. You can find me at the links over here: https://nenekiribookwyrm.carrd.co/

It feels like Tumblr and Cohost are going to be the places I post a lot of stuff should Twitter fall, so be sure to check those places if you want to keep up with me on social media.

Contact your representatives! If you live in the United States, there are a ton of anti-trans bills that are being pushed through right now and we need to call our senators and house members to let them know that won't fly. There's also the matter of the Tiktok ban bill, also termed the RESTRICT Act, that is much more than a proposed ban on Tiktok. It has a lot of wide reaching applications that could make privacy on the internet much more difficult in the future. I would recommend reading up on the bill and then calling your reps to let them know how you feel. It's a rough time for LGBTQ+ folks, especially trans people, and we gotta stick together through it.

I've been catching up on reading and as such, I'm posting reviews over to my Goodreads account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/97223644-nenekiri-bookwyrm

Of note this month was Rafts, the debut book from Utunu which I enjoyed quite a lot. A very sweet gay love story that touched me.

That's about everything I have to share for this month. Here's to healing and a better state of mind the next time I speak to y'all.

Curl up with a good book and be kind to yourself

[operationfazbear]

So here's this:

Operation Fazbear: The Investigative and Personal Journals of an Unofficial Detective (264 words) by AnonymousAce_72 Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Five Nights at Freddy's Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Bonnie (Five Nights at Freddy's), Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's), Foxy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Freddy Fazbear, Golden Freddy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Toy Freddy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Toy Bonnie (Five Nights at Freddy's), Toy Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's), The Mangle (Five Nights at Freddy's), Balloon Boy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Marionette | The Puppet, William Afton | Dave Miller, Michael Afton, Original Five Nights at Freddy's Character(s), Jeremy Fitzgerald, Spring Bonnie (Five Nights at Freddy's), Withered Animatronics (Five Nights at Freddy's), Toy Animatronics (Five Nights at Freddy's), Sammy Emily (mentioned), Charlie Emily (mentioned), Mrs. Afton (mentioned), Henry Emily (mentioned), Elizabeth Afton (mentioned), Crying Child (mentioned), Fredbear (mentioned) Additional Tags: How Do I Tag, Genuinely I do not know how to tag this, Alternate Universe, Original Character(s), No Romance, sorry y'all I don't really do shipping, I know I tagged a ton of characters, I promise they'll all appear eventually, or at least be mentioned Summary: "I guess I should introduce myself…" The journal entries of Abria Michaels. A detective or sorts (though not an employed one), she's taken it upon herself to try and uncover details of the missing children incident. The opening of a new Freddy's location seems like the perfect place to start. She knows who did it, though she doesn't know why. But, for the sake of closure for her, and for her family, she's going to find out. (Set before, during, and directly after the events of the second game)

--

This is how I'm primarily trying to set up the lore for this au. It only has the first journal entry up so far (which is also on tumblr) but I'll probably just keep uploading them on ao3, as well as any other short stories I come up with regarding this au, if you're interested in checking them out.

[litcityblues]

Not Just Nostalgia, Marvel Is Back?

They've still got it.

Maybe?

Look, as soon as I found out that they were keeping the original intro to the animated series, I knew I was going to sit down and watch X-Men '97. I can't say that I owned any of the comics- though I do remember checking them out from the library, but those opening credits are engrained in the brain of a generation.

(Honestly, in the 90s, The X-Men were amongst the most visible Marvel properties in terms of their place in the general pop-cultural zeitgeist. I'm sure die-hard comic people probably would disagree with that but from my memory of the halcyon days of my youth, there was a period where it was Batman and The X-Men and not much else. Oh sure, you had Billy Zane in The Phantom and Alec Baldwin in The Shadow-- and there was that early 90s attempt at a Fantastic Four movie that I remember seeing a preview for, but the pop cultural power of The X-Men should not be underestimated and the potential for Marvel-- should they get any future movies right-- is unlimited. But I would posit this: The Claremont run in the 80s + the Animated Series in the 90s is what made the Fox Franchise of X-Films possible.)

So, I was excited just for the opening credits alone. But I got intrigued when I found out that this show wasn't a reboot or a reimagination, no, it was picking right up where the original animated series had left off in 1997.

BUT THEN, I started watching this show. And y'all... I will freely admit that there is a heavy dose of nostalgia that comes with watching this show, but y'all... this might turn out to be a profoundly stupid take, for right now, I'm willing to put my money (kind of) where my mouth is and say that, maybe, Marvel might... just... be... back?

I mean, don't get me wrong: I listened to a ton of episodes of Jay and Miles X-Plain The X-Men back in the day, so I have enough of that floating around my brain to know that they are drawing pretty heavily from the source material and, more to a point, doing so well. Part of that might be down the medium-- animation allows them to do cooler things that you would expect from live action (like the Phoenix emerging from the water in the finale to give bad guys the business- or the whole sequence where Gambit does his thing-- if you've seen the show, you know. You know.). But somehow, throughout ten episodes, they managed to create a story arc with real stakes, real tension, and one that winds up being better than any of the X-Men movies I've ever seen.

The series opens a year after Gyrich's assassination attempt on Professor Xavier. He is presumed dead (but actually left Earth with the Shi'ar as we find out later.) His death has led the X-Men to be legally sanctioned by the United Nations and we see them intervene to save a young mutant, Bobby da Costa from the anti-mutant group Friends of Humanity, who have somehow gotten their hands on Sentinel technology.

They start to search for the inventor of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask, but are interrupted by a surprise. Turns out that Xavier's last will and testament has given control of the team and the school to none other than their old foe, Magneto.

Instantly this sets up points of tension that run throughout the whole season. Jean and Scott want to leave to have their baby, but Scott is reluctant to do so, as he doesn't want to trust Magneto. The mystery of the Sentinel tech and why Bobby was targeted plays out. There are twists, there are turns, there are sacrifices, the stakes are real, and the payoff is earned. But those first episodes set the entire season up beautifully. I can't say that enough-- if you don't get the first episodes right, nothing else works. Everything else flows out of that and I honestly don't think there's a character-- with the possible exception of Morph, who is just kind of there-- but even he gets a moment in the finale-- who doesn't have a storyline/plot development/character growth. Whether it's Storm losing her powers defending Magneto from an assassination attempt and finding them again with the assistance of Forge. Or Scott and Jean having a baby (Nathan, who becomes Cable) only to find out that Jean isn't Jean but a clone, and then the REAL Jean comes back. Oh and Xavier's alive, well, and engaged to a Space Bird Empress and it's all so magnificent and all so perfectly X-Men, especially when we get left on one hell of a cliffhanger for the second season.

I love the little things about this show-- the glimpses of other Marvel heroes. Captain America shows up. Iron Man is seen. Morph briefly changes into The Hulk-- they are embedding The X-Men into the MCU and they're doing so perfectly. I

I am old and crotchety but I love the fact that this show surprised me. I didn't expect an animated show to have the same quality of storytelling and writing- and you could argue that it's been better than any of Marvel's recent cinematic offerings by a wide margin. I love that this show isn't afraid to kill its darlings, sometimes literally. I love that it doesn't shy away from any of its source material and I hope hope hope they have the good sense to continue this formula for the second and hopefully subsequent seasons.

The casting is also excellent: it would have been too easy for a studio the size of Disney to start with all new voice actors but instead, we get Adrian Hough reprising his role as Nightcrawler from the Original Series along with Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast). Jennifer Hale returns to voice Jean Grey from Wolverine and the X-Men, but her performance was based on original series voice actor Catherine Disher. Ray Chase takes over as Cyclops from Norm Spencer as do Mathew Waterson (Magneto) and Ross Marquand (Xavier) who replaced David Hemblen and John Colicos & James Blendick all of whom have died. (Interestingly, the original voice actor for Jubilee, Alyson Court, preferred not to return- hoping an Asian-American voice actor would take the role, which went to Holly Chou-- but they found a way to work her into the show as well.)

Overall: This is easily the best thing Marvel has done maybe since Infinity War-- which might be the hottest of takes, given the quality of shows like Loki and Wandavision, but it really does come close to being that good. I'm sure eventually they're going to get around to making an X-Men movie and if they can bring half the quality of this show to that movie, we're going to be in for one hell of a show. My Grade: **** out of ****

[zikadraws]

Alright so @nilotheberryboy has made an AU in which Agent 4 basically gets exposed to the Fooze and I was very enthusiastic with this concept, so I just wanted to show the ton of absolutely not f*!&ed up fanart I did about it.

So here it is, hope y'all don't mind Agent 4 basically suffering. Also check out their story it's pretty sick.

(- Cw Angst, Body Horror (+ Splatoon spoilers kinda) -) (And a few non-serious stuff because c'mon)

-----

I may have gotten a little crazy with the body horror but hey, y'knew that was coming.

I like to hope that later in their forceful stay at Grizz's, Four's body is going to evolve to get even more bear-like, but that they will keep struggling against the change so hard that they will eventually get more control over the Fooze, maybe even become able to bend it, to come at their foes with cool bending attacks combining walls of Fooze and more bear-like features than it's probably conceivable. I expect them to actively plot Grizz's death and attempt Plug's retrieval at least once a week. I'm sure Grizz will experiment on them, that's so of him *cringes*.

I also think Grizz will try to get them to join his side because that'd be way more interesting than a mindless puppet, so ultimately he's gonna pull the "Papa Bear" card and it's gonna be more effective than it should and cause 4 awfully mixed feelings. It's gonna be an extremely hard to look at pseudo-parental mind trap, though Grizz's expectations will NOT go his way in the end.

I want 4 to kick his gaslighting, self-absorbed ass with the very Fooze he created.

-----

Anyways, I hope you like it @nilotheberryboy ! I am certainly enjoying myself =) Looking forward for the rest of the story. Have fun !^^

[14dayswithyou]

▋GAME DEVELOPMENT ASKS !

✦゜ANSWERED: To avoid flooding the dash with all of these asks, I'm just gonna compile them into one big "masterpost" ^w^

By pressing 'keep reading' you confirm that you are 18 or older.

Anonymous asked: I was just wondering cuz I've noticed on some of the questions you've answered you've talked about having so much info but can't because of spoilers, and obviously you're still making the game. My question is do you have the full sotry written up and now what's left is coding, art, etc etc or is the story still in the progress of being written as well? If you feel comfortable sharing your process and all ofc, don't feel pressed if tou don't! 💕

Yeah! ^^ I've actually had the storyline fully planned out since 2017, but I'm updating and re-writing everything in the 2022 version because the original seemed kinda cringe and didn't feel consistent enough. I've only had Day 1 fully written since 2017, and everything beyond that just a general outline/dot-points of what I want to happen in each of the days. As for the progress: I still need to write the coding and dialogue, draw the backgrounds, update the sprites, CGs, and UI, and a ton of other behind-the-scenes things that probably aren't worth mentioning. ^^;

Anonymous asked: Saw you answer the ask anon sent about how development is going but was wondering if you have a general outline for the whole story (like the ‘normal’ route, ‘good’ route, etc) or if it’s certain scenes you have written and the rest is written as you work on it all? I’m just very interested in how you work on the storyline so I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable for any reason or you just don’t want to answer

Like the answer above, I have everything figured out (all the choices, branches/paths, endings, etc.), but they're mainly just general outlines/dot-points that I need to iron out, rather than a fleshed-out script that I can work with. I usually just tackle parts of the dialogue one scene at a time (usually by mindlessly typing out words and editing it afterwards) before moving to another scene and repeating the process. Eventually you'll end up with a semi-coherent script that you can throw into a text editor to check for spelling and then slap into the game!

Anonymous asked: You should translate it into korean too if you can!

For sure! I'm still looking into hiring translators once I set up a funding system for the game though, so I might put this on the backburner for a while ^^; Fan-translations are more than welcome though (only for the demo), and if people are interested, y'all can get in contact with me and I can send you the script!!

@marina-and-the-memes asked: is there any update on Day 2/how far in development it is LMAO and can we get close ups of the characters eyes bc my phone quality is ass NDJDJDJDJ

Like 80% of it is done! I still need to update all of the old CG art and UI, as well as write/proofread the missing scenes from the script. Everything else is completed though! And as for the eye close ups; you might have to download the images off the 14dwy itch.io page since I'm on mobile rn (and I don't have any images on hand) ^^; But feel free to send in your ask again and I'll upload the images from my computer instead!! (or wait for me to update this section lol)

Anonymous asked: Will there be life after the official game ending Few vn games have this setting, maybe you can consider. Thank you for creating Ren，Love you guys

Like game continuity? I don't think there will be any since the storyline is pretty linear and will eventually have closure once the game ends, so there wouldn't be much content to go through once the game ends ^^; I can look into adding future DLCs though!

Anonymous asked: Sooooo….can we end up with other characters instead of Ren or is our renren our endgame?? I’m sorry if this has been asked before. Pls ignore if it is. Also, I really appreciate how you take the time to answer the asks. No wonder the fans adore you😭💕. Kisses and hugs for you😚💜

Renren will be the main romance and focus for the game, but depending on the choices you make and the bonds you form with the other characters, you'll have the chance to get an ending with them instead! I won't be a fully fleshed out route or anything though.

Anonymous asked: How's development going? Have you made any progress on the game? I really like hearing about this kind of stuff

Answered above! The only reason it's taking me so long is because I'm a full time university student, and writers/artist block is Very Real ;v; I sometimes get burnt out and don't feel like writing, and I'd rather not force myself to work on the script if I'm not in the right mindset, if that makes sense?? ;v;

Anonymous asked: I don’t know if it’s been asked yet or not but will the game have different routes and/or endings? “I can fix him” ending VS “I can make him worse” ending FIGHT

Yes! Right now I have 4 main endings planned for the game, and they will all depend on the choices you make, Ren's affection for you, and his sanity meter (which will be implemented in a future update!).

Anonymous asked: i love love loved the game! im craving more! but im not sure what to look up exactly? what genre of game is this? the whole obsessive lover type haha is there a name? ALSO! where should i go to look for when the complete game comes out?

I'm not actually quite sure what genre to call it ^^; I labelled the game as a horror/romance visual novel, so you could try that? I feel like "yandere visual novel" would yield more results though since the yandere term is more common. I'm also following a ton of insanely talented game devs on twitter who create similar yandere VNs, so feel free to check them out!

[reynaruina]

For those wondering where I have been....

Videogames are one hell of a drug, kids.

Fr tho, I know the uploads here have slowed down considerably. I apologize for that, and I wanted to let you know there is a reason behind it. No, the reason is not that I am stopping to draw, or even stopping the IZ art.

Truth is, for the past couple of months I've been branching out a bit with my art, doing a lot of stuff that I feel like wouldn't be of particular interest to my current Tumblr/Twitter audience (is videogame fanart of non-humans, basically) and I'm not looking to pivot away from IZ art just yet so I rather leave this blog barren of art for most of the month rather than posting the new/different stuff and attracting a whole new audience. I am still posting it all on my Patreon and Discord tho, and also recently started posting it online on a new(ish) account. You can check it here if you think you'd still be interested, but these pics are not coming over to my main T/T accounts. Here is a preview of what's in there, just this once.

About my IZ stuff, it will still be coming, altho I do have to divide my attention between commissions/patreon like the usual (and a good bunch of the new commissions I'm getting recently are of the new type that I can't post here) so it takes a backseat most of the time, but I do make sure to leave those as a Patreon option to vote on every month so we can at least have one IZ thing assured to be coming.

The PT AU is still not something I'm willing to drop, but it is very much still stuck for me. I would need a lot more free time (and willpower not to fill that free time with fekin videogames again) that I currently have to properly sit down and work on the problem, so I'd have to plan on doing it in a month where I'm not constantly panicking about if I made enough money to get thru the next month or not - which is what happens most months. If you're all still okay with getting non-canon offshoots of pics and comics from the AU please let me know and I'd be more than happy to provide, but my brain just screams at me that nothing but Official Story Continuation will be worth it for any of y'all so I've been kinda feeling bad about drawing any of it at all, tbh.

Other than that I'm p much always on Discord, I frequent the Patreon one and the side one daily and the Weekly Streams on Picarto are always still a thing (Friday and Saturday at 9 pm Central, always at that time even if I often forget to announce them here), plus the other events like the extra Patreon stream and the movie nights/series nights on the fan site. My Twitter is also still there, and I wanna try uploading more stuff to Insta once I figure out how to get the darn desktop uploader to work as it should.

Some projects coming down the pipeline:

-Irken Picrew Maker, with an absolute ton of options for customization! (well along the way done, just on hold for now while I figure out how in the hell Picrew works)

-More CZ content!

-Finish uploading all the PT AU parts to AO3

-Side IZ comics/pics

-Some new sticker designs for my Redbubble page!

-More open request streams!

-And of course, new PT writing (be patient w me pls :c)

Thank you so much for sticking around this long, if you have, and for bearing with my impossible to predict upload schedule. I really, trully appreciate you all <3

[ghost-toe]

normally do not post this sort of thing but this game is criminally undiscovered and i feel like it's up the alley of many of my followers anyway, so. y'all should definitely check out brutal orchestra!

here's the steam page

it's a really neat game about death, life, purgatory, uncertainty, and concepts of self. i can't really say much about the plot itself without spoiling anything- you should absolutely go in blind if you can.

the attention to detail in the art is incredible. there's so much music and it's all very well-written. i normally loathe turn-based games, but this one's got some interesting mechanics that make it feel far more strategic and engaging. i had a lot of fun learning it! the atmosphere is excellent- grim, but with this sort of beauty and hope to it.

the main story takes prolly 10-ish hours, depending on how you fare with the combat. but there's a ton of bosses and companions you can unlock through replays if that's your thing!

honestly might make some analytical posts about it once i've replayed it a few times. i've got a lot of thoughts and feelings about this game and need to get em out somewhere

basically if you're into the dark and bleak and depressing but also intriguing and cathartic and life-affirming sort of game, i'd really recommend it! the game is incredible and it has criminally low recognition

(i've put some content warnings under the cut. they're spoiler-free, but if you want to go in blind blind and don't really have any triggers, don't look! if you want more specifics on any of them, feel free to DM me and i can tell you more <3)

content warnings for gore, suicide, body horror, religious themes

[theliterarywolf]

So someone I knew in college was posting about how she's going through a really rough time. Her roommate decided to stiff her with the apartment rent, trash her stuff and dip out unexpectedly and sounds like she's one of those "woke performers" who is secretly racist as hell.

I genuinely hope she's safe and although I don't have a ton, I sent her some money. It's not a lot but she said every little bit could help. And I like to help people when I can. I'm not looking for thanks or recognition, just wanting to help friends.

My college acquaintance is a very talented black woman (idk what her exact sexuality is but she's not straight. She uses an umbrella word which is absolutely fine for her to use, I'm just not comfortable with that q word.) Obviously she's very upset about the situation where her former friend (white) is not being abusive

But now I notice she's posted a ton of stuff on her story about how white women can never know true oppression and you *should* compensate your black friends for emotional burdens. I'm not saying she doesn't have any point at all, but gotta be honest. . . if I saw stuff like "as a non black person, you owe it to black people to give them money for their suffering," before giving her money, I probably wouldn't have. At the end of the day, I wish her the best and I hope the money helps her.

But idk that kind of phrasing really sours what I meant to be just generosity to help someone out.

I... hate when people try to turn matters of support and aid into a 'if you're non-*insert whatever race the OP is* and you don't help, you're racist'.

It's the biggest turn-off in the world and it automatically makes me scroll that much faster. And I say this as a Nigerian-American woman.

I even remember reading through a thread of screenshots during the first few months of the pandemic where this Black American girl who had some kind of Patreon-like service where she taught subscribers how to grow marijuana and roll joints and she was upset that her donations had gone down (obviously due to people being unable to work). But she went off on a tirade talking about 'all y'all racist white ppl who look at my shit without donating need to gtfo. If you're white, it's your obligation to donate to black ppl!!'

And it's just like... Honey, no one owes you anything. And trying to turn it into 'if you're white/non-*insert whatever race the OP is* then you HAVE to support me!!' just puts a bad light onto anyone who is also in that racial background.

It's why anytime I scroll through the trending Fiction/Fictional Literature tag on Twitter and see people talking about 'Hi, I'm X and I'm a *insert whatever race the OP is*. BUY MY SHIT, YOU OWE ME', I scroll that much faster.

The bad taste from similar sentiments is why after one of my earlier teaching interviews (that I bombed) and the principal was giving me advice on what to do better next time, when one of his points of advice was 'one thing you can say to really sell yourself is talk about how you're black professional and how much a school should feel obligated to hire you'... I pretty much checked out mentally.

[ladysparklefarts]

A Song Of Second Chances chapter 2

Summary: Lora’s bullshitting skills are put to the test. She meets the Jedi High Council. She has another meltdown. All the emotions and a cup of caf. 

Warnings: none I can think of, but if y'all notice anything please let me know so I can update it.

A/N: I have about 4 different endings planned for this damn story and about 3 AU’s and I’m only just starting to work on chapter 4. CURSE MY ADHD!! 

I woke suddenly to a sharp rapping at the door. Sunlight was streaming through the small window above the side table. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“Come in,” I said through a yawn. The door slid open, and Yoda entered, seated on a familiar hovering repulsor pod.  

“Slept well, I hope you did,” he said chuckling at the state of my hair. I nodded swinging my legs out from under the blanket and stretching.  

“Before meeting the council, perhaps some food, a good idea would be,” Yoda suggested at the sound of my stomach growling as it always did when I woke up.

“Breakfast would be a good idea,” I respond, pulling my boots back on. I hadn’t bothered to change for bed, so getting dressed was quick. I slid my arms into my jacket and zipped the front. Combing my fingers through my long dark hair I pulled it back into a loose ponytail to keep it out of my way.

“Then, to the refectory, we shall go,” he stated. I glanced up at him while I tied my boots. Once I was ready, I walked the short distance to Yoda. I pat myself down quickly, making sure I had everything. I turned and reached my hand towards the side table. My phone lifted and shot into my hand. Yoda grunted in surprise.  

“Perhaps less to learn for you there is, and more practice you need,” he said as I slid my phone into my pocket. I glanced at him. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel his confidence in me growing.

“A powerful Jedi, you could be,” he declared as we left the room. I bristled at his compliment, bowing my head to hide a smile as well as a yawn. I needed some coffee.  

“Not too powerful, I hope. I don’t want to become like some I have seen,” I said, smiling at him sadly. He nodded as we started our way through the corridor. I could feel multiple eyes on me, though I ignored them. Yoda nodded in greeting to a few people as we passed.

“Sense that you won’t, I do. A force for good, I believe you will be,” he locked eyes with me as he spoke, and I could feel the confidence he held in me. It was both humbling and panic-inducing. I wanted to respond, tell him that his faith wasn’t misplaced but something kept the words locked deep inside me. I smiled at him, though I was unsure if it was convincing. He smirked and looked ahead as we approached a large set of double doors that were propped open.

“The refectory, this is. Your meals, you can have here. Quite good, the food is, especially the caf. Our own blend it is,” my head shot up at the mention of caf, it was this universe’s word for coffee after all.  

“Do you have any suggestions on what I should try, Master? You’ve probably eaten here for centuries, so you ought to know what's good,” I asked. Yoda cackled at my words.  

“Right, you are. Excellent, the meat pie, is. Hearty and simple, fill you up, it will,” he said, his amusement gaining looks from a few familiar faces. He approached a serving droid and told them his order. The droid looked over at me expectantly.

“I’ll have the same, with a large cup of caf,” I told the droid, who nodded and busied himself by filling a pair of plates. I took a deep breath, inhaling the many scents. The room smelt amazing, spicy, and sweet.  

“I’ll have to check out the kitchens eventually. I love to cook and I’m pretty sure there’s a ton of ingredients I'm not gonna be familiar with,” I was buzzing with excitement and Yoda was taking great pleasure in my enthusiasm. The serving droid made a noise to get our attention and handed us our orders. I inhaled the scent of the caf as Yoda led me to one of the trestle tables for us to have our meal. It was rich, familiar, and somehow different than what I was used to. I set the dishes on the table and tucked myself in on the bench.  

“This smells amazing, thank you for suggesting it,” I say inspecting the food on my plate. Yoda didn’t respond. He was too busy eating his own breakfast to say anything. I picked up the small meat hand pie from the plate. It was baked to a beautiful golden brown and I almost felt guilty biting into it. It was worth it when I did though, and it didn’t take me long to finish it off. My stomach satisfied, I lifted the mug to my lips and took a large sip. It wasn’t as bitter as I expected, and I sighed into the mug happily. A loud beep from Yoda’s pocket drew me from my relaxed enjoyment of my hot beverage.

“Convened the council has, go we must,” he said after pulling a communicator from his pocket. I whimpered in disappointment and set my still mostly full mug on the table. I rose from my seat, pouting. Yoda grinned.  

“Bring with you, the mug, you may,” he remarked with a chuckle. I squealed quietly in joy and grabbed the mug from the table hugging it near my cheek.  

“Yay, coffee,” I murmured into the warm porcelain as I sipped at it while we walked.  

“For me, have you any questions?” Yoda asked, tilting his head to look at me. I blinked, thinking for a moment. I stared into my mug.

“Nothing that pertains to the current situation. Everything I would want to ask is mostly childlike curiosity for a fairytale wiseman come to life,” I answered with a small sheepish smile.  

“And I figure there’ll be time for that later, when we can figure this weirdness out,” I said scrunching my nose in amused disgust. Master Yoda nodded with a small smirk.

“Agreed, questions of that sort, answered will be. And perhaps a few of my own questions you can answer,” his eyes glittered at me when he spoke. My smile widened when I caught his meaning.  

“Of course, Master. Though I did just think of one that pertains to the council meeting. How are we going to explain how I got here? And what I know? It seems overwhelmingly suspicious. Like some sort of ploy,” my smile faded as I voiced the concern that suddenly slammed into me. The small jedi’s smile only widened.  

“Easy to explain, it is. And explain it to them, I will. Worry about it, you should not,” his tone was soothing, and I felt myself relax. I nodded and Yoda gestured to a door that opened. He entered first and I followed feeling as if I were shrinking with every step. The raw power that oozed from the councilmembers as I entered seeped into my skin, pressing into my very cells and making me woozy. I quickly drained the now cold mug of coffee and swallowed. The action helped me regulate my breathing. I was close to hyperventilating.  

“Called this meeting I have, to discuss an unusual scenario,” Yoda’s voice snapped my attention back to reality. I watched him from the side of the room. The door slid open behind me and the presence I felt enter behind me was soothing, though how or why I had no clue, but I didn’t fight its influence. Returning my attention to the council I took stock of whom I recognized on the council. There were the easily recognizable members: Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Depa Billaba. I also recognized Yaddle, a younger female member of Master Yoda’s species.  

“From a far unknown world, this young woman has come. How she came to be in this galaxy she has no knowledge. Visions she has had, of many future occurrences. A seer she is. Knowledge of events yet to come. An understanding in the force rarely seen, and unparalleled in someone untrained,” Yoda’s explanation was much more to the point than I was expecting, and I bowed my head as he spoke to hide the red that crept across my face. I had only figured out the basics so far, so his compliment felt a bit empty as well as embarrassing.

“How can we be sure her power is as you say?” Master Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke first, as Yoda motioned for me to step to the center of the room. I straightened my back and took a deep breath. The soothing presence behind me stepped closer and I took that as my cue to walk slowly to the center of the chamber. Thankful for the large windows that encircled the room, I stopped and turned to face Yoda.  

“Seen it, I have. Her visions seen I have as well. Shared them with me, she has,” Yoda shuddered at the memory. There were hushed whispers from around the room.  

“I do sense a lot of potential in her. What would you say you could offer us, miss...?” Master Windu spoke and though his expression was stern his tone was kind, and I took comfort in it.  

“My name is Lora, Master. I can understand the suspicion I sense. It makes no sense to me either. As for what I can offer the Jedi Order, I can’t really say. If anything, I want to do what I can to help. I’ve been having these visions since I was a very small child. I grew very fond of the people I saw in them,” I paused, twisting a stray lock of hair between my fingers. I didn’t want to reveal too much.  

“I sense that you have a great deal of pain in your past. How can we be sure this pain will not control you?” Ki-Adi-Mundi's question made a lot of sense. I smiled sadly at him.  

“I’ve already had my run-in with the dark side, unfortunately. It was actually my visions that showed me where that path could take me. I realized that although that pain was a deciding factor in who I was, I wouldn’t let it cause me to make the wrong decisions,” I explained. Ki-Adi-Mundi seemed almost satisfied with my response and leaned back in his seat his hands folded in front of him in contemplation. I returned my attention to Master Windu. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel him probing gently at the outer corners of my mind. I met his eyes with mine and let whatever walls were there fall. His brow jumped up in surprise as I allowed him access to my memories.  

“Lora, you surprise me. You’re a walking contradiction in a way that I believe I may have perhaps misjudged in the past,” Master Windu spoke softly.

“Should I take that as a compliment, Master?” I asked gently prodding at his mental probes with one of my own. Master Windu broke into a smile and shook his head.  

“Yes, I believe you should. From the bottom of my heart, I trust you,” he said with a pointed nod. My heart jumped at this and I bowed slightly in respect toward him. He bowed his head in response his smile widening slightly. I returned my attention to Yoda who was staring up at me with what I could have sworn was pride in his eyes.  

“Allow her to join the Jedi Order, I ask of you. Wisdom, I sense from her, that all could learn from, as well as a powerful ally she could be,” Yoda looked around the room as he made his motion. I glanced nervously around though I left my expression unreadable.  

“Yes,”

“I agree,”  

“Yes,” the council members all voiced their approval, though I could still feel some lingering apprehension.  

“Very good. Master Kenobi, assigned to you she will be, until adjusted she has. Learn from you she can as you train your padawan, and perhaps from her he also may learn,” Yoda said looking to where I felt that soothing presence. I turned and at once my breath caught in my throat. Obi-wan Kenobi was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, his hand stroking his beard. A small smile turned up my lips as I stared wide-eyed in wonder at the man I knew as a legend.

“Yes, Master,” was all he said before our eyes met. Something seemed to sizzle as our mental probes met. I blinked as his hand froze, his thumb dragging over his bottom lip. The movement drew my eyes, inevitably to his lips. They looked soft. I quickly brought my gaze back up to his. He blinked and withdrew his curious probes his expression betraying his confusion for a moment before his eyes darted away from mine.  

“To Ilum, she will need to go. A lightsaber she will need. The next cycle, in three days, is. Escort her you will,” Yoda said, bringing my attention back to him, though truthfully, I wanted to keep up my inspection of the auburn Jedi behind me. Pushing the thought from my mind, I allowed myself to get excited over the thought of my lightsaber. I wondered what color it would be.  

“Of course, Master. She will be safe with me,” I stifled a giggle at his words. Yoda seemed to sense my amusement and raised an eyebrow at me. I tried to push it down, but I knew Yoda had already sensed it. He looked between Obi-wan and me for a moment before a glint of mischief dawned in his eye. I narrowed my eyes at Yoda slightly and I felt the amusement roll from him like a storm. I glanced back at Obi-wan. His arms were tightly crossed at his chest and his lips were pursed as he stared directly past me and out the window. He seemed a bit rattled, though by what I couldn’t tell.

“Very good, the rest of the day, you have. Perhaps show her around the temple you can,” Yoda suggested. Obi-wan blinked at Yoda before nodding.  

“Thank you, masters’, for this opportunity. I won’t take your faith lightly,” I bowed quickly and backed out of the center of the room. I wanted to get out of there quickly. I was overjoyed at the possibilities that stood before me, but I was overwhelmed by the iconic figures I had just exchanged words with. Obi-wan bowed to the council as well before turning and following me out of the council chambers the door shutting with a quiet hiss. I turned and studied his expression. His eyes were slightly out of focus and somehow, I never expected to see this dazed expression on his face. It was amusing.  

“Maybe we could start with the gardens? I’ve always thought they’d be so beautiful,” I said with a nervous little laugh. A part of me was anxious I was going to flirt. Another part of me wanted to. I decided to take the middle ground and just be myself. Obi-wan started and looked down at me. He was a fair bit taller than my five foot four inches. He could probably throw me over his shoulders easily. I inhaled sharply at the thought.  

“That sounds fine. Though if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to check on my padawan at some point as well. He's supposed to be resting after our recent assignment,” he paused in his thought and frowned.

“You don’t need to explain. You and your padawan were in a lot of my visions. He seems like quite the, forgive my language here, little shit,” I remarked, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets. Obi-wan's eyes widened at my statement. His shoulders quaked a bit as he fought and quickly lost against his laughter.  

“You are not wrong,” his laughter was warm, and I relaxed. Maybe getting along with such a mythical figure would be a lot easier than I thought.  

“Before we go, though, I would like to warn you, I may call you Ben on occasion,” I pursed my lips as he froze.

“It was the first name I knew you by in my visions. As they progressed, I learned how you acquired the alias. If you’d rather I didn’t, I understand, but I can’t promise it won’t accidentally slip out,” I didn’t have to say the name I was thinking of, but he coughed and straightened. His blue eyes were sad, so I knew he caught on. He took a breath and smiled.

“I don’t think it will be a problem. I’ve made my peace with that situation and occasionally will still use that name,” he stated softly. I nodded returning his smile. He gestured to the hallway ahead of him.

“You requested the gardens? Shall we?” his warmth was infectious, and I couldn’t help but let my own radiate back to him. As we started down the hall, I felt a twinge of remorse. He had a right to know what I told Yoda. He was a major part of it after all. I froze.

“Actually, before anything, would there be somewhere more private, we could talk? What Master Yoda told the council wasn’t the full truth and I feel you should know it,” I all but whispered. Obi-wan paused and glanced back at me.  

“Certainly, in fact, the best place I know of would be the Meditation Gardens. They're a couple of levels directly below us and there is usually no one there at this time of the day,” he said, his expression thoughtful. He quickly turned and tapped a button on a nearby panel. A door slid open revealing an elevator and he ushered me in.  

“Thank you. I’ll be honest, I’m still kind of reeling from this entire situation. I only arrived here yesterday and I’m pretty sure I had to die where I come from so that I could come here,” I explained leaning against the wall after the door had slid shut and the elevator had started its descent. Obi-wan's head snapped towards me.

“What do you mean by having to die to come here?” he asked, the concern in his expression tugging at my heart.  

“It’s hard to explain. All I know is one moment I’m sitting waiting for my ride to pick me up after work and the next I stand up and the splitting headache I’d had all day gets infinitely worse and I blacked out. The moment I could see again I was falling on my ass on some random street here on Coruscant,” I frowned as I spoke. Obi-wan hummed. The moment I open my mouth to speak again the door slid open and he led me out to the hallway. Just across the hall was another door that Obi-wan opened and led me through.  

“Oh, wow. This really is as beautiful as I’d thought it would be,” The view took my breath away.

“This is only one of many Gardens of Meditation, but it was the closest and least likely to be occupied,” Obi-wan said with a smile as he brushed past me and motioned for me to follow which I did. The warmth of the sun was filtering through the foliage, and I inhaled deeply. The scent of flowers and sunshine relaxed me in the same way it always did. We came up to a small pond flowing with fish and I sat down next to it and skated my fingers over the surface of the water. I smiled at the smaller fish that came up to my fingers. Laying back in the grass I stretched.

“As I wanted to tell you though, those visions weren’t actually visions. The world I come from is still rather primitive compared to a lot of the planets in this galaxy, but one thing we have in abundance is imagination. I grew up on stories of the Jedi. You being one of the key figures in those stories,” Obi-wan had seated himself next to me facing the water.

“So, you’re saying that where you come from, we don’t exist?” he asked glancing down at me.

“No, you do exist. You may have been considered a fictional character, but you were very real to a lot of people,” I said looking up at him, my arms folded under my head.

“It’s a very beloved story where I’m from. The problem is that I know how a lot goes and I’m not happy with it. There are a lot of people that end up in a lot of pain or worse and I want to use what I know to try and change it,” Obi-wan's brows knit together as I spoke.  

“I can show you a bit of what I know if you’re willing to see. It’s how I told Master Yoda,” I sat up as I spoke. I motion to the gardens around us.

“This is a meditation garden after all,” I remark with a cautious smirk. Obi-wan meets my eyes with his own. I can sense his reluctance.

“I suppose it is one of the only ways,” he muttered and turned to face me. I tucked my feet under me and took a deep breath.

“What would you prefer I showed you?” I ask as the memories flood through me. He shrugged.

“I don’t really know, perhaps you should decide,” he stated. I nodded and decided to have a bit of fun.

“All right then I’ll show you a couple of my favorite snark-master Kenobi moments,” I said causing Obi-wan to narrow his eyes at me before shutting them and entering his state of meditation. I smirked and closed my eyes feeling his probes touch my mind again. I inhaled deeply and pushed a couple of memories to the forefront of my mind.  

“My forgotten, da Bosses will do terrible tings to me, terrrrrible is me going back der!”

“Do you hear that?”

A light rumble echoes in the distance.

“Yeah,”

“That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way,”

“If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion!”

“Hmmm... yousa point is well seen,”

The scene changes:

“You wanna buy some death sticks?”

A wave of Obi-wan's hand.

“You don't want to sell me death sticks,”

“Ah, I don't want to sell you death sticks,”

“You want to go home and rethink your life,”

“I want to go home and rethink my life,”

“I remember that first moment. I remember thinking Jar-Jar was the most idiotic being I'd ever met, but I don’t remember that second moment,” Obi-wan said drawing me from my concentration. I nodded. Of course, he wouldn’t remember.

“There were a lot of people in my world that would agree with you, though personally, I think there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. And the reason you don’t remember that second moment is that it hasn’t happened yet, and it won’t happen for about four years,” I responded with a sight chuckle at his expression. The grin he wore was laced with confusion.  

“Well, I'd say you’ve shown me enough to know I can agree with the council’s trust in you, though I feel there’s a lot more you want to show me,” his expression softens as his gaze lands on mine. I nod.

“There is, but I don’t feel comfortable showing it. There’s a lot of suffering and like I told Master Yoda, I don’t want any rash decisions made in fear to negatively affect the possible outcomes. I want to be able to make it so that much of that suffering doesn’t happen. You shouldn’t know too much about your own future,” I leaned forward as I spoke, bowing my head to hide a couple of tears that had managed to sneak out as I remembered certain scenes that broke my heart as I had first watched them. I heard Obi-wan sigh in resignation and his hand rested on my shoulder.  

“I understand what you’re saying, but if it ever becomes too much, please, don’t hesitate to talk to me or anyone else. This knowledge sounds like it could be overwhelming,” he tightened his grip on my shoulder slightly when he felt me shaking.  

“It already is. Everything is overwhelming right now. I’ve been trying so hard to process it and all I want to do is break down. Everything I’ve ever known is gone and I was suddenly plunged into a world I know everything and nothing about,” the relaxing atmosphere seemed to press on me as I spoke, every little misery since I had arrived in this universe hitting me from all sides. His hand never left my shoulder as I dissolved into sobs.  

“I’m lost and confused and...” I hiccupped, grinding my hands into my eyes willing myself to stop crying. Unfortunately, the tears refused to stop, and I found myself being pulled into Obi-wan's chest. It was sudden and startling, but he was warm, so I let myself bury my face in his robes until the tears stopped. When my sobs finally started subsiding, I pulled away from him, though his hands stayed firmly on my upper arms steadying me as I straightened. I glanced up at him and froze. His face was only inches from my own and the kindness in his gaze as he looked at what I could only imagine was a tear-stained mess made my heart thump almost painfully. I quickly scrambled backward out of his grasp and stood nearly falling over again in my haste.

“I should probably go to my quarters and clean up. I think I need to change as well,” I stuttered out rubbing the remaining tears from my eyes. Obi-wan stood and nodded.  

“And it’ll give you the chance to maybe check on Anakin. You did say you wanted to do that at some point,” I sniffled turning away from him. A brightly colored butterfly drifted past me, and I let my gaze follow it.  

“I did say something to that effect. That sounds reasonable. And once I’ve made sure Anakin is properly settled, we can resume our tour of the temple,” Obi-wan sounded a little breathless as he spoke and made his way to the door. I followed him at a distance hugging myself tightly. The trek from the gardens to the padawan’s dormitory was made in relative silence only broken by my occasional sniffles. When we stopped at my door he smiled and bowed slightly to me before turning. Without thinking my hand shot out and caught his sleeve.  

“Ben,” I froze for a moment when he turned back and met my gaze. I stammered over what to say.

“Thank you,” I finally said smiling gratefully at him. He returned my smile with one of his own as well as a gentle squeeze of his hand on mine before turning and walking away.