#The plot on this story keeps ballooning on me

[hazelfoureyes]

Hi sorry if this is a weird ask but my birthday is the 24th and I would love it if I could wake up that morning to both Lucifer and Alastor absolutely ravishing reader. Just pure smut and aftercare please

I did fem reader I hope that’s okay, it’s who I write the most so I thought maybe you just wanted what I commonly wrote. sorry it’s a little late, and also shhh it’s a secret because I can’t write birthday stories for everyone due to time. But you were the first to ask and you asked so far in advance so—

Surprise!

「warnings/promises: Alastor x FemReader x Lucifer, smut, barely a plot, tug of war, you are the rope, slight kink with breath play and restraint, attempt at aftercare, lost balloons, mention of dead deer (roadkill)」

🎂 Minors please no 🎉 🎈 this an an 18+ only party 🥂

You weren’t sure what you were expecting when the typically reserved Alastor now (seemingly) tipsy invited you to his room. He was always touchy, but the more he drink the longer his hands would stay on you. So naturally you said nothing at all and followed him out of the parlor.

And you had no idea what to think when the King of Hell saw you being pulled by the wrist and stopped you both.

There was some bickering about where you were going and what Alastor thought he was doing. The overlord making a joke about height and size. The former angel mentioning experience. 

Soon both wrists were being held but by different demons.

Ripping you apart seemed like a possibility, but somehow you ended up in an even more difficult situation to accept than second death.

Both refusing to go to the other’s room you were dragged to your own. 

Arguing around you, you were moved and turned before Lucifer snapped his fingers and your clothes fell off you at the seams. You turned to see both men nude and slowly leading you to bed. No complaints, you enjoyed just following their directions.

You couldn’t be sure how they came to their final agreement but soon you were lying on top of Alastor, impressive cock rubbing against your clit and a large portion of your lower stomach as Lucifer was fucking you from behind. The way he angled did feel practiced, so the king of lies wasn’t bluffing earlier.

Alastor's body was so warm under yours, the leaking of his precum spreading across your skin with every thrust from Luci’s hips. Your swollen clit and wet lips were sliding up and down Alastor’s base, stroking him harshly as you had no power over the movement.

“Good girl,” Lucifer’s hands roamed down your body, “Let me hear your voice.”

You could barely speak, the feeling of Luci’s large cockhead dragging along your walls was keeping your mouth busy with moans.

Another surprise, Alastor’s arms coming up and wrapping around you tightly. Any space between you was gone. With your body immobilized except for where your hips moved as you were pierced by Lucifer, Alastor began to hump up against you for the chase of release. The faster he moved, the louder and more uncontrolled your noises became.

“Stop being selfish, roadkill.” A yank of your hips pulling you a little too harshly down on Lucifer, ass flush with his crotch. A small scream into the radio demon’s chest.

“Now those are pretty sounds.” Alastor said through gritted teeth, ignoring the devil entirely.

Another tug of war, but not with your wrists. One man’s hands on your waist holding you still so he could rut into your soft flesh. The other man’s hands on your hips so he could bring to meet every thrust into your now dripping cunt. 

“Ffuuuck,” Luci clamored on top of you, hips pistoning down like an animal with a singular unmet need. “Gonna cum.”

Why did he feel the need to tell you? You could feel him already pulsing as he pressed against your cervix. Yet the words alone sent a shot of electricity to your lap.

As Lucifer’s hips slowed, Alastor took the opportunity to regain control. It wasn’t clear if he knew how good it felt when he rubbed against you. You clenched around the still stiff and twitching cock buried in you and focused on the increasingly wet slip of Alastor’s shaft over your swollen clit. The pressure of Lucifer’s body weight pressing you down added a new level of arousal you hadn’t felt before, the feeling of being held down, of your breath being restricted just in the slightest. Quickly you found yourself reaching a breaking point, a small mountain you barely made it to the crest of before Alastor came across your stomach and his own, your chest not escaping the impressive shot. The small movements of his hips afterwards and the feeling of him cumming so much pushed you over the cliff and into your own orgasm. 

Lucifer hissed above you, “Woah, that’s— you’re gonna make me cum again if you keep squeezing like that.” With a pat to your ass he pulled out and dismounted. Your shakey arms you lifted yourself off of Alastor, who was already holding a towel and wiping his chest clean. He was muttering to himself about something, his face screwed up at the sight. When you fell face down back onto the bed Lucifer crawled over Alastor to sit just below the swell of your ass, hands rubbing up and down your back. A groan, a mix of pleasured massage and painful bullying of sore muscles.

He was shoved off of you, Alastor rolling you over gingerly to wipe at your stomach and attempt to get your blanket clean as well.

“Definitely worth the brief nudity, dear.” His usual smile soft, you were confident it was a compliment.

Lucifer popped up again, a jack in the box of human proportions, “You’re an ass.” He reached for you hand and rubbed circles into your palms as he spread out the often used muscles there. “Feeling okay?” You nodded, a chill coming over you.

Alastor’s turn now, a green glow and a snap and you found yourself clothed again. Not your clothes, but you didn’t particularly care. Alastor was back to his usual attire, but for some reason Lucifer remained stark naked except his large hat. Had it been there the entire time?

Before you could find the will to ask, the doors burst open with a loud blaring honk of an air horn, “SURPRISE!” The hotel staff and star resident cheered, “HAPPY BIR-,”

“What in the actual the fuck.” Angel pointed at the obvious.

“Dad!”

“Nah I’m out.” Husk let the balloons float to the ceiling and left.

Vaggie pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes clenched with not-at-all hidden aggravation, “What the fuck, you were supposed to trick her into going to the library Alastor! We were waiting for like 30 minutes! Pendejo.” 

Alastor shrugged, “Eh I had a better idea.”

A loud noise above you, a kazoo having appeared in Lucifer’s mouth. His hands shot up with an exhausted excitement, “Happy Birthday!”

why do I love writing reader being walked in on??

#alastor x reader #lucifer magne x reader #radioapple #radioapple x reader #Hazbin hotel smut #alastor smut #alastor x reader smut #hazbin alastor #alastor #alastor x lucifer #alastor x you

[animehouse-moe]

I Miss The Case Study of Vanitas Because Sex

Okay, please forgive me for the clickbait-y title, but I just had to take it. The whiplash is too fun to me. Anyways, yes, I miss The Case Study of Vanitas (both as an anime and manga, since we've not gotten vol 10 in English yet) because of sex. Not the act in and of itself, but the appeal, the tension, the experience. Animanga isn't nearly as sexless as North American media, but it presents its own unique challenges and issues. So, if you don't mind, please humor my little foray into an attempt to explain the decoupling of fan service and sex appeal, with The Case Study of Vanitas as a medium.

⚠️Warning: I've done my best to keep it spoiler free, but by nature there is mild spoilers in regards to characters and certain interactions.⚠️

Is The Case Study of Vanitas about sex? Well, obviously not, no, it's about vampires. But as much as it's about vampires, it's also about despair, hope, penance and revenge, and the intricacies of the human condition. It just happens to feature vampires as the selling point. And I believe therein lies the best explanation of Vanitas: it's not about sex, but rather contains those aspects as a part of the people that exist in its world.

Fanservice has become a rather perverted term. Rather than appealing to a broad range of applications, fanservice tends to exclusively apply to displays that are sexual in nature (most typically in regards to catering to male audiences). In that way it's not particularly awful in how the term itself has shifted, but the use of fanservice is borderline pathetic in most series. A gaudy display of body parts, it hangs on excessive scale and movement to catch the eyes of touch starved individuals. I don't need a ballooned bosom besetting my vision before bobbing about in a baroque display for all too long. That's not the point.

But what is the point? Well, I've prattled on long enough so here's an example.

A look in the eyes, the right lighting. Even simple posing. Sex appeal is not limited to explicit displays of sexuality, but is rather the personification of both the character's intent as well as their external perception.

There are so many moments in this series that are in no way explicitly sexual, but can easily be perceived to have sex appeal or sexual tension.

But then, how would that appeal not feel weakened? It's a good question, honestly, and an important one to ask. When you display the chest of an underaged girl enough times, it won't elate the audience enough to be perceived as "good". It's a universal issue with storytelling, so how does Vanitas get around it?

My answer (and perhaps not the only answer) is how this appeal and tension is derived. I had sort of said it earlier, but didn't really explain. Its source is the very nature of the characters and world. It is not an external force exposing these facets, but the machinations of the plot and its pieces themselves.

Have a look at this example here. Vampires are hot, right? Their power, broody nature, and the concept of the unknown have played into their eroticism and appeal since time immemorial (seriously, look up Carmilla). Vanitas pounces on that concept and immediately plays into it. We don't get blood sucking every episode and every second, no. But we get it enough to provide variation, it appears at the right time to provide another layer to the nature of the story and characters.

Anyways, the example. Lord Ruthven and Noe. Two vampires, engaging in something strictly non-sexual. He is simply biting Noe. But the posing, the nature of the layout. It presents tension. It presents Ruthven's ownership and commanding nature of Noe in this moment. Domination and subjugation.

Even more is this sequence. The commanding nature that presents a clear power dynamic. The phrasing. It absolutely exudes sexual tension. But nothing of the sort is apparent in the actual interaction.

So what's the deal here. I know I had spoken on how characters themselves can convey tension and appeal without explicit intent to do so, but how can circumstance and interaction play into it as well?

Another lovely question. What comprises the act of sex? What are the pieces that elate, entice, and encourage someone? Well, aside from the answer that it's down to the individual, there's a few core pieces. The "top and bottom" dynamic is certainly the one that appears the most when dealing with pairs. Another, while a bit unseemly and slightly (?) taboo is the concept of fear and violence. Of course, I don't mean in any serious context, but the concept is how those things make you feel, and that they stem from that similar power dynamic. Perhaps that's the best word to describe it with: power dynamic. It's all about how two characters interact with each other, where they stand in relation to one another. The above image is the perfect example of that, and the following is how to build on it.

Vanitas and Jeanne, an incredible combination born not out of a mutual desire for the other, but the sheer interest of one and the needs of another. It's a one sided love spurred on by the actions of one that encourages the other to let loose. It creates the interesting dynamic of a power bottom that remains refreshing alongside the other relationships that exist in the story.

So here's a clip of that dynamic.

The way the camera and characters hang on each moment, the way the layouts aim to both obstruct but also apply razor focus. The voice acting. All of it, every single moments provides for that tension and appeal, and it extends past the act of sucking blood and into the souls of the characters themselves. A terrible plead that spills from blood stained lips, a promise that comes from the origin of that crimson.

This "sex appeal" and "sexual tension" is not something manufactured, but the absolute core of these characters. The act of domination, the incredible an undesired need of a substance, the mental fractures eroding at the ego of a person. All of these moments stem from the very souls of the characters and bubble up to the surface in these forms of expression. Where words will not do, actions speak in their place.

Also, Vanitas moaning. Yes please. The greatest benefit to this series is the fact that it's willing to lean into the men as well. This is not "just" for the guys (and lesbians), no. This is for everyone, but especially those that enjoy a side of insanity and toxicity to their romance.

So that brings us to the end. Vanitas is not "about" sex, Vanitas is sex and is the purest way to deliver on fan service while providing sexual tension and appeal. It's subtle, subdued, infrequent and benign. It does not bend to the desires of the viewer, but rather stems from those of the characters. And so many series need to take note. "Lucky Lecher" and perversely excessive displays have no home in my heart when there are far more artistic and desirable sequences that can be produced.

#vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas of the blue moon #les memoires de vanitas #vanitas jeanne #vnc vanitas #jeanne the hellfire witch #dominique de sade #vanoe #noe archiviste #august ruthven #lord ruthven #vnc jeanne #vanijeanne #vnc #anime and manga #anime #manga #anime recommendation #anime review #manga reccs #manga recommendation #manga review

[thewebcomicsreview]

The Webcomic Reviews Mini Reviews Masterpost, Part 1

People always ask me what I think of various webcomics, so I decided to start collecting my thoughts in one place! Click the images to go to the comic! Comic titles with a ⭐ after them are recommended, but even if I don't give a comic a star, that doesn't mean you won't like it.

[un]Divine ⭐

What is it: A highschooler sells his soul for a big titty demon gf, and now has to have anime battles against angels who keep trying to eat him.

The Good: Excellent art and monster designs, some of the better fights in webcomics.

The Bad: Danny is kind of a bland protagonist. The comic keeps threatening to veer into femdom porn, which may be a good thing for some of you. Comic is on permanent semi-hiatus and updates very infrequently

You should read it if: You wanna read a comic with big fights, big angels, and big titties.

Ava’s Demon

What is it: A bunch of kids possessed by demons have space adventures and are sad

The Good: Extremely good art. Occasional "high production value" moments with music and limited animation. The single-panel page format really highlights the art.

The Bad: Bland writing, weak characters. The single-panel page format really slows the flow of reading it.

You should read it if: Learning that the Wrath demon is named “Wrathia” doesn’t strike you as comically dumb

Awkward Zombie ⭐

What is it: It’s a comic that makes jokes about video games

The Good: It’s the best comic that makes jokes about video games

The Bad: If you haven’t played the game in question, you might not get the jokes. Awkward lack of zombies.

You should read it if: You like jokes about video games. I don't....it's not a complex premise.

Camp Weedonwantcha ⭐

What is it: A bunch of kids are left at summer camp forever by parents who’ve abandoned them to die. Wacky comedy and feel-good moments ensue.

The Good: Cute adventures with kids, reminiscent of some of the better Nicktoons from the 90s. Surprisingly emotionally effective when it wants to be.

The Bad: While the ending is satisfying in its own way, many plot threads go unresolved

The Terrible: Nickelodeon bought the rights and is sitting on them.

You should read it if: You like slice of life adventures with blasts of dark humor and feels

Cloudscratcher

What is it: Ducktales, with Genocide!

The Good: Cute and generally likable characters. Decently paced

The Bad: Doesn’t really excel at anything. Weirdly insistent about totally not being a furry comic even though it obviously is.

The Terrible: The author is a white nationalist, and the lack of link is intentional.

You should read it if: You like 80s cartoons and hate minorities

Cornucopia ⭐

What is it: A ninja is sent on a mission to literally steal candy from a nation of morons, fails.

The Good: Good art and well-paced storytelling. Clever use of different types of word balloons. High joke-per-page ratio

The Bad: Doofy tone may not be your cup of tea. Seems to have died young, though the first chapter is still a complete story

You should read it if: You like JelloApocalypse’s videos on YouTube, or his series Epithet Erased, since he made this

Dresden Codak

What is it: A genius inventor has wacky adventurers, then goes to a flying city and spends most of the comic’s run embroiled in a conspiracy run by evil anime villains.

The Good: The drawings are pretty. The early comedy adventures are quirky and charming.

The Bad: Panel layout and composition, especially early in Dark Science, is atrocious. Presents the comic as a feminist power fantasy, but the main character usually has her tits out and has had her clothes burnt off on multiple occasions.

The Terrible: The author is a notorious jerk. As of this writing, The Dark Science storyline has been running for eight years and has yet to reach a triple-digit number of pages, even though it’s a full-time job for which Diaz earns $4,000+/mo on Patreon.

You should read it if: You thought the best part of Ghost in the Shell was the lesbian orgy boat.

Drop Out (NSFW) ⭐

What is it: Two girlfriends go on a road trip to kill themselves in style

The Good: Short enough to be read in one sitting. Surprisingly good visual storytelling for a first comic. Realistic dialogue and high tension keeps you engaged even when not much is happening. Subtle details that don’t become apparent until a second read reward paying attention.

The Bad: Heavy subject matter. Lettering can be tough to read in early pages.

Content Warnings: Drug Abuse, Suicide, Mental Health Issues, Detransitioning….a list of all the difficult content in this comic would be so long it’d look like I’m making a joke. This is a heavy comic.

You should read it if: You like arty dramatic comics that deal with uncomfortable topics

Dumbing of Age

What is it: College students obsessed with late 80s-early 90s pop culture have relationship troubles

The Good: Of all the popular comics it’s trendy to shit on, this is by far the best. Solid gag-a-day strip with plots that move at a decent pace.

The Bad: Realistic depictions of abusive parents co-exists in the same comic as a literal superhero, leading to some jarring tonal confusion.

You should read it if: You like newspaper-style drama comics.

Everything Is Fine

What is it: Maggie and Sam are a normal married couple in a very strange world where proving your loyalty is the key to winning, and the best way to prove your loyalty is to show someone else is disloyal. And also everyone wears mascot suit cat heads all the time.

The Good: Well-written characters, a novel premise, and excellent pacing. I’m not the biggest fan of the webtoon “really tall page” format, but it’s taken advantage of at times for nice transitions

The Bad: The webtoon format can be irritating, and the worldbuilding is toeing the line between “compelling mystery” and “If there were two astronauts on the moon and one shot the other wouldn’t that be fucked up?”-ism.

Content Warning: Gore, Suicide themes. Every page with such content has a warning on it (which works better in Webtoon format, actually)

You should read it if: You liked the dystopian fiction fiction books you had to read in high school.

Gunnerkrigg Court ⭐

What is it: A girl attends a scientific school in a magical world that’s honestly not even slightly like Harry Potter but people say it is because they think J. K. Rowling invented British schools

The Good: Good art and fantastic panel composition. Slow-burning dark fantasy mystery.

The Bad: Takes a little while to find its groove. Starts feeling rushed and confusing near the end.

The Terrible: Boxbot

You should read it if: You like dark fantasy stories, or stories in general.

Homestuck ⭐?

What is it: A kid wants to play a video game but it’s downstairs and he doesn’t feel like talking to his dad yadda yadda yadda the universe explodes. Was briefly ungodly popular.

The Good: High production values, many updates are music videos with excellent music. Great character writing, especially in Act 5. Toby Fox, the creator of Undertale, did a lot of the music, and arguably isn’t even the best musician featured.

The Bad:The early part of the comic is brutally slow-paced, and is an impossible hurdle for some.

The Terrible: The ending is widely considered a major disappointment, and attempts to turn the comic into a franchise have been met with mixed reviews. The prose epilogues are deeply divisive.

Content Warning: A lot gorier than you might expect, mitigated by the cartoony art style, abusive relationships, the epilogue is just generally gross.

You should read it if: You want to see what the hell all those kids in grey face-paint at anime conventions were about

You should also consider: Just getting the music off the bandcamp, it’s really good.

Homestuck 2

What is it: A “dubiously canon” sequel to Homestuck, following from The Homestuck Epilogues, made by a different creative team. Follows two intersecting future timelines

The Good: The art is quite nice, and the new characters are fun and likable. Very bold in its ideas, for better or for worse it’s rarely boring. One of the few webcomics to be able to integrate trigger warnings clearly while remaining non-obtrusive with them. Faster-paced than the original Homestuck (low bar!) and has a few clever presentation ideas. Willing to be its own thing. If you’re worried it’s just “Homestuck 1 but more of it”, this is not that.

The Bad: Not at all a stand-alone comic, Homestuck 2 is completely incoherent if you’re not familiar with Homestuck 1 and the Homestuck Epilogues. Does not have the big multimedia productions Homestuck 1 was known for. Beloved characters from Homestuck 1 can come off really badly, which upsets a lot of people. If you’re looking for “Homestuck 1 but more of it”, this is not that.

The Terrible: At times, this comic is actively trying to piss off the readership by dragging out unpopular plot revelations. I actually like this about it, but unsurprisingly a lot of people don’t.

You should read it if: If you have to ask “Should I read Homestuck 2?”, the answer is probably “No”. This is a comic for people who are riding the Homestuck train to the bitter end.

You should also consider: Reading my Liveblog of it 

Kiwi Blitz ⭐

What is it: A precocious young girl gets a Kiwi-shaped robot and decides to become a superhero ridding the world of nefarious furries. More of a cute character drama than a superhero comic, and more of a superhero comic than a mecha one.

The Good: Cute artstyle. Not without dramatic stakes, but fairly light and fun throughout minus a few people getting shot. The android 42 is stand-out great character.

The Bad: Prone to long hiatuses as the author's main comic is now Sleepless Domain.

You should read it if: You liked Sleepless Domain, and are looking for a somewhat lighter comic by the same author.

Latchkey Kingdom ⭐

What is it: A girl goes on adventures in a magical land of idiots

The Good: Good but not overbearing comedy. Tight chapters. Strong side characters

The Bad: Thanks in part to Patron-backed stories in between the “main” chapters, can feel like an episodic series with no main character or driving plot

The Neutral: Willa is a semi-silent protagonist, and often gets overshadowed by the wacky people she meets. Cerberus Syndrome, executed well

You should read it if: You like adventure, silly characters, and jokes about Dark Souls.

Leasebound

What is it: Two lesbians are contrived into sharing an apartment, then the comic becomes a polemic about how trans people are evil. The second-best TERF webcomic on this list

The Good: This comic has no redeeming qualities

The Bad: It’s hella transphobic, and not even particularly interesting about it the way Sinfest can be. Everything that’s not hateful is boring, and the comic is practically going “Go on, be offended, blog about me, give me atteeeennnnttttiiiiiooooonnn!”

You should read it if: You really shouldn’t, and I’m not linking to it

Least I Could Do

What is it: Rayne Summers is the best at everything and you should listen to him

The Good: This comic updates on time regularly. Sometimes it updates without word balloons by accident, making it surreally funny

The Bad: Poorly thought-out political rants; few jokes, severe overuse of beat panels, copy-pasted art.

The Terrible: Designed to go viral, not to be entertaining; makes panels wordless just so they can be used as preview images

You should read it if: You have committed horrible sins and wish to atone

Legend of the Hare

What is it: I wrote this! A white trash loser girl is peer pressured into becoming a magical girl by a pair of pushy rabbits. A spinoff of the print comic Blade Bunny, written and drawn by the current creative team of Saffron and Sage.

The Good: Bouncy and cartoony art. Strong and memorable characters. Very weird and freewheeling.

The Bad: The plot is an absolute mess, stalling out and even going backwards at times, though it mostly comes together at the end. The tone is wildly inconsistent.

The Terrible: Kind of South-Parky in its humor sometimes

You should read it if: You like Saffron and Sage and want to see a comic by the same team when they were less experienced.

Nan Quest ⭐

What is it: In this spiritual sequel to Ruby Quest, a goat girl electrician sets out to fix a broken fuzebox and ends up ensnared in a psychological horror conspiracy.

The Good: Much more effective use of the simple MS Paint art style, with more color and some simple animations (animated panels being marked [A], a convention Homestuck would later adopt for its [S] sound panels). The characters are better fleshed out than in Ruby Quest, and the horror is more effective as well, with less gore and more tension.

The Bad: Though used effectively, the art is still MS Paint doodles. The story mechanics behind the mystery are much more ambiguous, which can be a plus.

Content Warning: Gore, threatened sexual violence.

You should read it if: You like Ruby Quest and/or psychological horror comics that can be read in a few hours.

Moby: Back from the Deep

What is it: A zombie killer whale attacks a small town.

The Good: The art is nice

The Bad: Egregious overuse of narration.

The Terrible: It’s a beat for beat ripoff of the movie Jaws, down to some characters having their names only marginally changed from their Jaws counterpart (e.g. “Alex Gardener” is the name of the Alex Kintner analogue)

You should read it if: You can’t find a Jaws torrent.

Mokepon ⭐

What is it: A dickhead teenager is forced on a Pokemon adventure, and learns a valuable lesson about friendship while being dragged into a criminal conspiracy. A Pokemon fanfic that’s somewhat darker than the source material (though not really “grimdark”)

The Good: Good action scenes, nice manga-style art. Notable improvement in art and storytelling over time. Atticus’ slow-burn character growth is satisfying.

The Bad: The early chapters are almost a completely different comic, and it takes a little while to find its groove.

You should read it if: You liked Pokemon Special

Monster Pulse ⭐

What is it: Kids’ internal organs become sentient external organs, and they have to keep it a secret from an evil orginization.

The Good: Cool twist on the surprisingly rare monster pet genre. Not afraid to upend the status quo

The Bad: No real obvious flaws, but if you don’t find the premise interesting, you probably won’t like it.

You should read it if: You were a fan of monster-pet stories like Digimon Tamers

The Monster Under The Bed

What is it: A teenager finds a demon girl under his bed, rom-com ensues

The Good: Cute anime-esque premise

The Bad: Gets progressively hornier to to point where I'm not sure if I should even leave it on this list. Egregious use of photos instead of drawing backgrounds, making outdoor scenes look awful

You should read it if: You like trashy Japanese animes

Narbonic ⭐

What is it: A shlubby loser gets a job working for a mad scientist. Mad sciencey things occur, and the comic experiences an incredible jump in quality in the back half

The Good: Short comic, comfy and easy to read. The best and most satisfying ending arc of any webcomic ever.

The Bad: Some “LOLRANDOM” humor, especially early on.

The Terrible: The first few comics are almost literally unreadable due to messy handwritten lettering and low quality scans.

You should read it if: You love seeing a story build to a proper conclusion, and you don’t mind a rough start.

Octopus Pie ⭐

What is it: Slice-of-life dramedy where twenty-somethings try to become adults and/or get laid while navigating New York life. Completed comic.

The Good: If you direct your attention above, you will see the incredible coloring. There are other comics that have better plots and even better characters, but Octopus Pie is uniquely good at hitting a mood. Occasionally does some infinite canvas stuff that’s neat.

The Bad: This is a comic about exploring ideas and kind of drifting around through life, and isn’t a big plot-focused comic with a lot of big dramatic reveals. Which I don’t think is bad, but it might not be your thing.

You should read it if: You liked stories about adults trying to figure out how to grow up, and like seeing characters age.

Out-of-Placers ⭐

What is it: A human man is turned into a female rat creature, and has to navigate a low-fantasy world while learning their incredibly stupid ways and trying to get himself back to normal.

The Good: Really good worldbuilding, with interesting, fleshed out, and unique fantasy races. There are licensed Dungeons and Dragons books with less cool ideas for a campaign in them.

The Bad: Can get kind of edgy in ways that don’t always work, and occasionally gets a bit gross. If the premise made you think it was a furry fetish comic, it’s not, but it keeps threatening to become one if you don’t whap it with a newspaper and say “No” very firmly every now and then.

You should read it if: Your favorite DnD race is kobolds.

Paranatural ⭐

What is it: Kids bust ghosts in a parody of shounen anime tropes

The Good: Good banter, creative panel layouts, and characters you want to root for.

The Bad: The story rapidly increases in scale, causing the pacing to slow down somewhat. The story later transitions to an illustrated prose format, which some people can't really get into.

You should read it if: You liked Bleach before it became Dragonball

Prequel -or- Making A Cat Cry: The Adventure ⭐

What is it: An Elder Scrolls fanfiction, in which an alcoholic catgirl heads to a new land to try to make a better life, and generally fails.

The Good: Inventive use of the web as a storytelling medium. Great character writing. Lovable protagonist. Excellent payoff to years or life kicking the protagonist in the face.

The Bad: Years of life kicking the protagonist in the face. Can thus be depressing, especially early on, sometimes to the point of being offensive (see Content Warnings)

The Terrible: Very slow and irratic update schedule

Content Warnings: Alcoholism, Depression, the protagonist gets blackout drunk and wakes up in bed next to strange men several times, which is played for comedy.

You should read it if: You like slow burn character development. You like stories where the protagonist has a hard time

Problem Sleuth

What is it: A detective tries to leave his office using user-submitted commands, and gets in a few tangents along the way. Mostly known now as “The thing Andrew Hussie did before Homestuck”, but it was a popular comic in its own right.

The Good: Much better art than most reader-driven comics, bizarre and clever, with a dramatic finish.

The Bad: Holy shit, you thought Homestuck meandered? Problem Sleuth will do nearly anything and everything readers asked him to do, and this is a veeeeeery convoluted comic that has thus aged somewhat poorly.

You should read it if: You thought Homestuck was best before the Trolls got involved.

Questionable Content

What is it: Humanity achieves a technological utopia in the background while hipsters in Massachusetts complain about their dating lives. Later begins focusing much more heavily on all the robots.

The Good: A rotating menagerie of quirky cute girls. Had a major trans character before it was cool.

The Bad: The comic kind of transitions from being about one thing to being about another thing several times, to the point where onetime protagonists show up less and less or even get dropped altogether in favor of the New Thing the comic is.

You should read it if: You want a comfy and diverse slice-of-life comic.

#undivine #Ava's Demon #Awkward Zombie #Camp Weedonwantcha #Cloudscratcher #Cornucopia #Dresden Codak #Drop Out #Dumbing of Age #Everything is Fine #Gunnerkrigg Court #Homestuck #Homestuck^2 #Kiwi Blitz #Latchkey Kingdom #Leasebound #Least I Could Do #Legend of the Hare #Nan Quest #Moby: Back From The Deep #Mokepon #Monster Pulse #The Monster Under the Bed #Narbonic #Octopus Pie #Out-Of-Placers #Paranatural #Prequel #Problem Sleuth #Questionable Content

[phoenixcatch7]

Thinking about possible totk dlc again... Listen, we all know we want it XD.

Thing is, I've read the interviews, and I think Nintendo is right. There's just no more mechanics they can add to the game without completely breaking it. Totk is maxxed out on mechanics and options and playability. There really is nothing more they can add ability wise without bogging the whole thing down and causing a million problems, both for themselves and players.

But that's not all there is in a game, is there?

There's master mode, for one. Gold enemies are missing from totk entirely, never mind all the craziness of regenerating enemies, new mob camps just floating around, the gleeok they'd probably put on the great sky island. People loved master mode in botw, there's no reason not to at least drop that button back in.

But... People do have a few complaints. There's stuff they're missing, stuff that leaves loose ends, stuff that wasn't explained well enough. It all mostly boils down to one thing.

Story.

We could have an answer to where the divine beasts and all the sheikah tech went. We could find a giant scrapyard at the bottom of a new/old chasm because hyrule tossed everything in that could be pried up. There could be like five remaining active guardians, just so we can mess them up like we did in botw. There's voids where water is on the surface, there's plenty of space! It'd solve both the 'where tf did they go' and the 'man I wish we still had guardians' issue in one fell swoop.

We could get casual dialogue that all the divine beasts were driven out to sea and sunk! I don't know! Some sort of closure! We could talk about generational trauma responses! The instinctive fear of sheikah tech if there is one! Link is certainly canonically traumatised, did you see him with the first sky tower??

We could get wolfie back! Update his teleportation code so he can keep up with our stupid endeavours and not get caught in crossfire! Make him immune to zonai tech, idk.

We could get a resolution to kass and Penn! That whole storyline ended so sadly, and the lack of kass is straight up disturbing. We could rescue him from the depths where he fell in or smth idk!! Just because you're a bird does NOT mean you can fly a kilometer + straight up in pitch black through a narrow cylinder with lethally toxic sides. Now he's got enough material for life! (and probably trauma. The only food down there is stuff the yiga brought, which - well, it's not like they'd worry about thieves down there.

That stupid chef from lookout landing who ran off to the castle. That's TOTALLY a quest come on :(. Let him come home.

More lookout landing expansion, if you're desperate for stuff that isn't 90% dialogue! Please let me install bigger towers and a bathing area and more shops or SOMETHING. Little outlet stalls from every capital! Let me rebuild the first home in castle town! I! D! K!

More newspaper news! We could randomise it like the spider man ps4 news feed, that was hilarious. Absolute hogwash rumours and stupid feuds between neighbours and the results of pumpkin growing competitions! Mix it up, traysi had bonkers stuff, it was so good. What does life look like from inside the world?

Hylia gossip? We know she doesn't keep strictly to her 'find shrine rewards for increased gains, link' thing. Let her ask link for random stuff for 'power buffs' and give him, like, a random buff that lasts precisely 24 minutes.

Maybe even a 'now we opened the plateau again, people want to investigate' side plot. No one wanted to see :(. I didn't like that the only people up there were yiga :((. Send some new research team dude to wax lyrical and beg link for photos of different areas or symbols.

Gloom hands should be able to attack link in the depths. This would solve nothing and in fact make things much worse, but it happened to me twice and it was so much worse than on the surface lol.

Maybe some idiot managed to make it to a Sky island with balloons but now they can't get down, whoops lol. Some of them really aren't that high up and there's a lot of very determined people XD.

Someone's been captured by the yiga and link has to do a full infiltration and smuggle them the keys to their cell. Come on, the yiga base is underutilised!!

The gerudo stable was being shut down because of the sandstorm turning away travellers. After we solve that, maybe we could help reopen it? It made me so sad...

Link vs the flower lady. She wants a sample of every single flower in hyrule to get it all nice for her majesty! She remembers his crimes...

Link and the new sages could have a silly bonding quest each! Let him test his mettle against them in a spar! I don't know!

The ability to pet dogs and horses! An idle sitting animation that makes link sit down properly to enjoy the view!

Heck, a master cycle equivalent....

There's just a almost infinite amount of options available for real, actual content, it doesn't just have to be new mechanics and new dungeons. Yes, it gets the adrenaline going, but neither the fans nor Nintendo want nor need more of that.

We know the story is more lacking in botw/totk than previous zelda games, an understandable and acceptable sacrifice when you're working with such a huge and complex open world as this, but this is the perfect opportunity to fix that, Nintendo, don't you see? Give that incredibly elaborate coding a break and give the writers something else to chew on.

Tag what quest line or question you want answered in the comments or tags!

#long post #I had a lot of ideas #loz #legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #totk #loz totk #botw totk #zelda totk #botw #tloz #tloz totk #tloz botw #the legend of zelda #It'd probably be a lot cheaper than installing yet more mechanics into that poor incredible physics engine too lmao #loz tears of the kingdom #tloz tears of the kingdom #totk dlc #Totk ideas

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

INVITATION TO "HE★VENS LOVE AFFAIR" - Translation

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

Eiichi: Welcome to this magnificent white mansion, Angel. This is where we’ll all be living together for one week.

Eiichi: (opens the door for the listener) Come, this way. My name is Otori Eiichi.

Eiichi: I’ll burn up this life and move faster than the wind to achieve victory. I am a pro racing driver. I believe that when it comes to love, I should give it my all in the same way.

Van: I was really looking forward to your arrival! I’m Kiryuin Van. I’m the field’s superhero who is good at both offense and defense!

Van: Naturally, this doesn’t apply only to baseball, I’ll make your monotonous days beautifully colorful!

Nagi: Hey, you. You’re a little nervous right now, but I’m sure you’re very excited inside.

Nagi: How do I know that? It’s because it’s written all over your face. Come on, take my arm. I, the most gifted great detective in the universe, Mikado Nagi, will escort you safely!

Kira: Your left side is reserved for me. I want you to rely more on me.

Kira: My name is Sumeragi Kira. I work as a potter. I’ll teach you if you’re interested. I think it might make your life richer.

Yamato: Is this all of your luggage? I��ll carry it to your room.

Yamato: It’s awfully cute, just like its owner.

Yamato: Ah, I still haven’t told you my name. It’s Hyuga Yamato. I’m a martial artist. Leave things like carrying your luggage and heavy lifting to me.

Eiji: (gasps) I am sorry, it’s just that you look even nicer than the picture I saw of you, so I couldn’t help but stare without realizing.

Eiji: Um, I’m Otori Eiji. I run a flower shop. I think it would be nice to enjoy the flowers with you.

Eiji: And finally…

Shion: I am Amakusa Shion. Amakusa’s fate is to investigate the environment in which the many creatures that inhabit this earth live.

Shion: And, like you, I have come to this place to learn what love is.

Eiichi: From now on, the seven of us will be competing for your love.

Nagi: Only one person from our house will be able to win over your heart and give you their love balloon.

Nagi: Well, we don’t have to wait until the end, it’s already been decided from the beginning that the one who will become your boyfriend will be Nagi! Right?

Van: Not at all, perhaps Angel is after a type like me. Someone with an adult’s broad-mindedness. What do you think?

Kira: You’re too close. Angel is probably bothered.

Kira: The thing you came here to look for is true love. I’m after it too. I hope to find it with you.

Yamato: Keep your eyes on me, Angel! To win your love, I’ll fight squarely and seriously!

Eiji: Hey, Angel. I’m just hoping to be able to spend time with you normally and get to know each other better that way.

Eiji: That is because I want you to decide with honest feelings. That is my request.

Shion: This is the beginning of our story. How the plot goes is not in Amakusa's hands now.

Shion: I hope you and I reach the same destination at the end of this journey.

Eiichi: It’s all up to you. That being said, in the end, I don't intend for you to choose anyone other than me.

Eiichi: I will surely make these words true.

Eiichi: Now, it’s time to begin!

(sound of a clock ticking, then striking)

All: HE★VENS LOVE AFFAIR!

#uta no prince sama #utapri #translation #english #he★vens #eiichi otori #kira sumeragi #nagi mikado #eiji otori #van kiryuin #yamato hyuga #shion amakusa #drama cd #heavens #love affair

[ishouldgetatumbler]

Hxh Ability Theory/HC

One of the things I really love about hxh is that generally, people keep their abilities a secret to maintain a tactical advantage. This is also super annoying because it means we don't know the abilities of even characters who have been part of the story a long time. I wanna guess.

Pariston Hill:

Pariston is a planner, a schemer and a conniver. Personality wise, he is probably most similar to a conjuror. The major thing that shapes my theory is the missing hunters and the missing chimera ants. During Pariston's time as vice president, the number of missing hunters every year ballooned, and as a reward for the ant war, the association was given a huge plot of land a shit load of chimera ant eggs. So pariston has a personality similar to a conjuror and has been stockpiling nen users for several years.

My head canon is that pariston is a conjuror/specialist able to copy abilities or a conjuror/manipulator able to control nen users. This is less well founded, but Pariston has a lot of weird doll imagry and he would need a lot of space to put these guys, so I head canon its a Dollhouse.

Ging Freecs:

The only time we have seen Ging use nen, he was copying Leorio's ability. He explains that his ability is not copying, he can just generally recreate emission attacks he's hit with. This makes me think Ging is an emitter himself, and stupidly good at nen, or hes lying and hes a specialist who can copy abilities.

Personally, I headcanon the former. Much of the series is devoted to the mystique and power of ging, and, personality wise, stealing abilities takes loads of restrictions and centers your power around other people, and I don't think Ging would do that, given his commitment issues.

#hxh #ging freecss #pariston hill

[batrogers]

choose violence: 8, 12, 16

8. Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Tears of the Kingdom is a completely normal Zelda game, with plot holes big enough to drive trucks through, unexplained new races (anyone remember chicken tits Ooccoo??), failure to be an explicable sequel, and asspull macguffins to save the day.

Do I think it was amazing and deserved Game of the Year? No. But I think it did exactly what it meant to do, and it should be judged according to that and not according to the Sequel To Breath of the Wild built up in your head.

Criticizing it for another iteration of racist Gerudo stereotypes? Yes. Criticizing it for failing to keep the Sheikah tech in any meaningful way? They were never going to do that and any look at Zelda history can tell you that much.

Put on your big girl pants and wade into the mud-filled plot holes with the rest of us. It's fun down here! There's no canon to stop you, and it's a good consistency for throwing at the walls!

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

You're just baiting me to geek about Spirit Tracks, and you know what? Fine. Speaking of Zelda games that created by means of Nintendo having zero relationship to continuity, this is a fantastic game that, once again, did exactly what it intended to do and did it with flair.

I was extremely skeptical of the premise to begin with, but dug into a walkthrough (bc I own one console and am not patient enough for weird emulators) and honestly I really enjoyed it. The story set up is amazing. The characters are adorable. Byrne is my favourite butch and you cannot tell me otherwise. I love that Spirit Tracks Link is absolutely devoted to one thing and it permeates the whole game.

I ran a little wild with my characterization for him, but that's just what i do when I love stories. The gaps in the worldbuilding are again, wide enough to fit the entire Demon Train through with room to spare, but that's part of what makes it a Zelda game like any other. i filled in the gaps with some of my own experience with heavy machinery and historical knowledge, and its taken me some wild places.

16. You can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Arson in Breath of the Wild. Like. What?

Not even remotely how I played the game. Probably it's very personal but IIRC it's not supported in LU which tends to feed into a lot of people's headcanons, it's just like a joke people tell and keep telling and I'm so very confused. There's not even that much shit to burn??

My Breath of the Wild playthrough was mostly spent going "Ooo what's over there" and getting myself halfway up a cliff and praying my stamina food would suffice, so just. Very not me, very not my thing.

Then again, I backclimbed from the boss fight in Tears of the Kingdom recently, and ballooned and climbed out of another pit for kicks (aka a No-Warping run) so...

I just have a thing for "Can I do it, though?" what can I say. That just doesn't include "Will it burn?" most of the time.

#ask games #don't mind me #Spirit Tracks #Breath of the Wild #Tears of the Kingdom

[txemrn]

Wounded

Book: TRR/TRH Post-series

Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Riley Brooks-Rys)

Word count: ~2500

Song Inspo: "Wounded" - Maddie Wilson

Warning: for mature audience only; the TW are the plot twists in this story; if you are not sure if you want to read this and/or you are a fairly sensitive reader (nothing wrong with that!), scroll to the very end of this post (right above the tags) for a more specific list of TW

A/N: I am SUPER pumped to be participating in week 9 of @choicesflashfics prompt challenge! I chose prompt #3: “I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, but this was definitely not it.” The prompt will be in bold.

A/N 2: Most of the characters and some of the plot points belong to our friends at Pixelberry; HUGE thanks to my dear friend (and birthday girl) @sfb123 for pre-reading this for me. Please excuse my errors! Also, if you are curious about Royal Roulette: it's a fun little challenge you can do anytime for yourself! Take your music and hit mix! Take the first song that pops up, and use it as a muse for a fic! No need to credit me, but do tag me if you do it because I LOVE reading other RR!

~🖤~

(Present)

It's just past 8PM, and I find myself in the tiled coffin of my personal sanctuary: my shower. The balmy steam hides the evidence of my swollen, tear-stained cheeks, my own words replaced by wails of mercy. The sweltering water stings across my porcelain skin, the unbearable discomfort distracting from the emptiness, the nothingness of my shattered, lifeless heart.

Today. Of all days, why today?

If only my body didn't complicate things... 

If only my body did what it was supposed to do…

If only my body did what I was crowned to do…

Liam and I have spent over six years testing every last inch of my body for an answer. The simple answer is polycystic ovarian syndrome… if only life were that simple…

------

(Yesterday)

"PCOS isn't what it used to be, though. There are so many women living with it–myself included!" Savannah takes another bite of cake, and I've never been more grateful in all my life for the reprieve from her voice. This is my fourth time hearing this speech about PCOS, and how the diagnosis is taken 'too seriously'. I mean, afterall, we are at her baby shower for Beaumont baby number two. And three. "They gave me the same talk, blah blah blah, percent this and that, and after taking Clomid for only two months," she smiles joyfully, massaging her rounded belly.

I fake a smile, shoveling some fruit salad in my mouth in hopes of keeping my sharp tongue quiet. I'm happy for her; I really am. .

But she's also never lost a baby. Or three.

Two months? 'Only' two months? God…

Liam and I have been prescribed every drug on the market to conceive; we've even tried more natural, holistic remedies, like crushed up superfoods and tree roots, tiny needles being stuck in my eyelids and in between my toes, religious relics and crystals

God, if you've never experienced humility before, the struggle with infertility will strip you bare of any pride left in your body, and after six different specialists, we finally resorted to my biggest–our biggest fear: in vitro fertilization.

But, IVF might actually be the answer to our infertility story.

As Savannah answers more intrusive pregnancy questions about her own body from our close family and friends, my mind disengages. Shielding the bright sun from my eyes, I look across the palace's heavily-decorated back lawn. Soft petal pink and pearl-colored balloons litter the divine scenery.  Signage that boasts kitschy baby phrases seem to be multiplying before my eyes. 

I feel a sudden shift in the atmosphere, one that is making me feel– I don't know… funny? I don't feel like myself. In fact, I'm starting to feel slightly ill.

An abrupt piercing shrill of pressure shoots through my temples as my breathing quickens. A trickle of sweat courses down my back as everything begins to spin wildly around me. The laughter of the group of women I'm with becomes sinister and terrifying.  

I need to get out of here…

"What an exquisite group of lovely ladies!"  

Leo Rys, my ever-charming, newly-divorced brother-in-law. He is well-trained in managing a crowd, but the heart-throb is a master at wooing a very specific demographic: women. 

Case in point. 

"Sav," he tenderly takes her hand in his, "you look absolutely radiant. Where is that foolish husband of yours, leaving your beautiful self alone–" he slows down his flirting rampage, and I instantly look up, making contact with those familiar Rys crystal-blue eyes. He mouths, 'Are you okay?' before taking out his phone, no doubt to text Liam. "'Scuse me, ladies," Leo nods with a forced, jubilant grin. 

With a skip in his step, my brother-in-law takes a knee while placing a tender touch on my clammy arm. "You're looking a little green there, sis," his lips curl softly as he pushes back my careless wisps.

"Kermit the Frog did warn us that it's not easy being green,'' I chuckle. The vibrations of my voice soothe my slightly queasy stomach. I relax further into my chair, fanning myself as I pull my oversize sunglasses over my eyes. "I'm fine," I grin cheekily, welcoming a sudden cool breeze over my skin.

His phone chimes. "Eh… negatory," he snickers under his breath, holding out his hand for me to take it. "The queen has been summoned to his majesty's presence." 

Damnit, what did he say to him?

"You better not be making my husband worry about me–"

"Someone needs to keep an eye on your bad self," Leo jokingly winks. "C'mon."

And maybe it was a good thing for me to get away from those women, to get away from this party and out of the sun. I do have a lot on my mind as well–too much actually. Enough to make anyone unwell. 

I hate exiting groups earlier than expected.  I just… I just know the inevitable will happen when I leave: they will talk about Liam and me. Worse, they will look at us as if… as if we're wounded.

Gone are the days of hailing us as the 'it' couple… 

Gone are the days of discussing our bright future…

Gosh, I really don't feel all too well as I stand up with Leo's assistance, but we make it inside the palace to a secluded sunroom. Bracing myself, I ease into a lounge chair while Leo helps me prop up my feet.

He really is a kind man, much like Liam. I hope he knows how much his return to Cordonia has meant to us as a family, especially his brother. Sure, we have staff that can help us with the countless doctor's appointments and emergency trips to the hospital, but these are intimate times that should be spent with family. And I'm glad it's with Leo.

"Are you okay, love?"  Liam appears at the opposite end of the quarters. Worry is etched across his face as he slowly saunters to my side. "I got here as soon as I–"

I wave my hands in the air. "I'm fine, babe. I think I just got a little overheated," I playfully roll my eyes. 

He lets out a slow exhale, wiping the perspiration off of my forehead. "You know better–"

"I know, I know," I raise my hands in surrender as he kisses my head. He's always watching me closely, so carefully, especially with so many hormones pumping through my veins.

"I'll leave you two alone," Leo clicks his tongue as he casually shoves his fists into his khaki shorts. "Text me."

Liam stops him, leaning in closely to whisper, "Grab us some seltzers please. And crackers." Leo nods as Liam makes himself comfortable next to me. 

I sit up, adjusting the pillows around my husband before I quickly find the crook of his arm. My crook. By the time I am settled, my gaze is happily met by his.

God, I love him. 

Even after all of this time, he still looks at me like I'm the only woman in the room. He doesn't see my shortcomings as a wife or as a queen. He sees me… and still loves me. 

I study his face, counting the fine lines around his eyes. He's beautiful, but this has taken quite the toll on us, aging us both. I reach up to caress the perfectly smooth skin of his jaw, my thumb tracing over his dry lips.

He pulls my hand from his face, peppering the inside of my wrist with sweet kisses. He finally rests my palm on his chest, weaving his finger through mine. 

I hate that it takes loss to make us appreciate life more, but watching each rise and fall of our hands reminds me that right now, in this moment, we have each other. And each heartbeat, each breath is to be cherished.

Suddenly, we hear a voice clear behind us. "Are you not well, your majesty?"  Gretchen, our part-time nurse, carries a tray of snacks and seltzers into the sunroom.

"Oh, Ms. Gretchen," I quickly wipe away my tears, brightening to her approach. "We're fine." 

She is an older woman who actually helped care for Liam's mother in her pregnancies, and also for his father in the end. Liam trusts her, and he thought hiring her would be immensely helpful to us right now. 

And he was right; she's been a perfect angel. I don't know what I would've done without her help.

"Leo told me what happened." She pulls up an end table, setting the wooden tray down. "It’s too early for your medicine, but I figured some refreshing snacks might be in order."

"Mmmm," I hum with approval as Liam helps me sit up. "This looks absolutely perfect. Thank you."

Gretchen kindly bows before excusing herself.

I grab a piece of toast, spreading some fresh apple-butter on top. "Have you eaten today?" I pass him a ginger ale as I take a sip of my drink. 

I abruptly stop fumbling with the tray when I feel his steely-stare boring holes into me. I glance once, then twice as I watch a large Cheshire grin crawl across his mouth.

"What?" I chuckle as I take a bite of my toast. "You have trouble written all over that face."

He wiggles his eyebrows as he pulls me safely back into his arms, our lips instantly meeting. His tongue swipes eagerly in my mouth. "Baby!" I squeal, pushing back from him as I wipe the corners of my mouth.

He snickers, swiping his thumb across his lips before sucking on it. "Mmmm," he quietly moans, "just what I thought."  I raise my eyebrows in curiosity. "That's the best damn apple-butter I've ever tasted." He tenderly squeezes my bottom as I claim his lips again. And again.

I love this man.

I rest my head back on his chest, listening to the deep thrumming of his heart. My home. We lay in perfect silence, watching the shadows shift throughout the afternoon glow.

But as the sun sinks lower into the earth, I feel my body cling tighter to Liam.

"What are you thinking?" he whispers gravelly.

Damn him. He knows me too well. I reposition myself, sitting up on my side. My eyes begin to sting as tears threaten to fall.  I grip his shirt as his fingertips lightly trace the freckles on the back of my arm.

"About tomorrow," I quietly exhale.

"The doctor's appointment?" He drops his hands to my lower abdomen, giving it a hopeful caress.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I can only nod my head, my breath hitching in my chest as I nuzzle into his shoulder.  

Damnit, why us? 

"Riley," he croons, enveloping his arms around me. His fingertips become lost in my waves as his lips press intimately against the shell of my ear.

"I–I'm so scared, baby," I whisper, my voice rattled with hoarseness as I wrap my arms around him.

"Shhh," he pulls me closer.  He gently rocks my body, a hand tracing soft figure-eights across me back. "Me too."

------

It's early. Liam and I sit in the doctor's office, waiting for her to return with our test results so we can form the next plan of action for our family. 

I've been sick most of the morning, my nerves getting the best of me. But Liam remains steadfast, my rock. He's been reassuring me all morning, wiping my anxious tears away. He refuses to let go of my hand. 

A child needs a father like him; this can't be the end of our journey. It… it just can't be.

We hear a click, and Dr. Nguyen walks into the room with a thick file folder. I can't read her as she takes a seat, but suddenly, I see my husband's knee begin to anxiously bounce.

She finally makes eye contact with us, revealing her swollen, red eyes as if she's been crying for days. She clears her throat, dabbing at her cheeks. "Your majesties, I–" she stops to gain control of herself. “I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, but this was definitely not it.”

Her voice trails off as a subtle ringing forms in my ears, and suddenly, everything seems to be moving in slow motion. Liam let's go of my hand; he rests his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his hands.

I take a deep breath, shaking my head. What just happened? I've missed something. I frantically look between my husband and his oncologist. "I–I'm sorry. What?"

"I'm sorry, your majesty," she swallows back the lump in her throat having to deliver the news again. "The cancer? It–it didn't respond to the treatment. And from his scan last week, there are new spots on his kidneys, liver and lungs."

I blink a couple of times, feeling as though I don't know what all of this means. Because it can't possibly mean what I think she is saying.

He's not dying. He can't be dying…

"So," I swallow thickly, "you have a plan. Right?"

"Well," the physician folds her hands on the desk. "We… can… make him as comfortable as possible–"

"I'm sorry," I interrupt. "Are you–are you saying that my husband...?" I pause as I gasp for a morsel of air. "The love of my life is, that he... he's–?" I clamp my hand over my mouth. No, I can't-- I refuse to say it.

But through the blur of my tears, I see the truth.

She’s nodding.

------

(Present)

"Riley?"

I break from my thoughts as I turn towards the deep voice. There at the entrance to the shower towers the most handsome man I have ever seen… or will ever see. His golden curls have been gone for months; he and his best friends shaved their heads when he first started chemotherapy a year ago. His shoulders are still broad, but with his colon resection and loss of appetite, he's thinned out quite a bit.

He is weaker; his skin has weathered.  But he's still my Liam. Even in all of this, he remains my North Star, my hope and my strength.

Which is why I can't get out of the shower. Not yet.

He flashes me a crooked smile, handing me a towel. "C'mon, love," he turns off the shower.

I carefully stand up, wrapping the towel around my damp body.  Liam extends his large hand towards me, my petite grip finding his palm. He leads me out of the shower and twirls me into an embrace, my back against his chest.

He buries kisses into my hair and across my shoulders. "I need you," he lovingly growls.

Then he tenderly drops his hands to my growing, pregnant belly. "And I need you too, my little peanut."

My poor husband… how do I do this?

Without warning, a rush of agony roars around my 22-week abdomen, the abrupt sharp pain causing me to double-over. I grab onto the sink in front of me as I groan from the intense throbbing.

This can't be happening.

"Riley?" Liam steps out of the bathroom, and hollers down the hallway. "Leo! We need help!" He takes me back into his arms. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The pain subsides, and I begin to sob. I can't look at him. 

Today. Of all days, why today?

"Liam," I choke out , "my water broke."

~🖤~

TAGS (updated 09/2022; please let me know if you wish to be added/removed):

PERMA

@21-wishes @alj4890 @ao719 @charlotteg234 @issabees @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nikirennie87 @peonierose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam

ALL TRR

@3pawandme @alyshak92 @iaminlovewithtrr @lovingchoices14 @malblk21 @rubiwalker @sfb123 @twinkleallnight

***

TRIGGER WARNINGS: discussion of infertility; discussion of cancer; insinuation of a major character death; miscarriage

***

#the royal romance #choices trr #trr fanfic #choices fanfic #liam rys #king liam rys #liam x mc #liam x riley #royal roulette #choices flashfics #prompt challenge

[ktempestbradford]

This post is 100% a spoiler for Good Omens Season 2 finale and therefore it's going under a cut

There's a writing craft thing I wanna talk about in regards to the characters.

The thing I absolutely loved about that last bit of the last episode is how it stomps all over several annoying (and, I feel, lazy) tropes one encounters in mostly Western (not exclusively) stories about people who love each other or who realize they have a specific kind of love for each other, and that is:

Not Talking To Each Other

I remember as a kid being really frustrated with the soap operas I was forced to watch (cuz my Gramma babysat me after school) because even at 8 years old I could tell that every conflict could be solved by people having a damn conversation. I thought this was only a problem in soaps and only because they had to keep the drama going 5 days a week every week forever somehow.

Sadly, no.

So when Maggie and Nina come to the shop and tell Crowley that they can't be getting together because it's not the right time but that they did like each other and all they had needed to do was talk to each other honestly, I was screaming:

YES! YAAAS! FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!

But then I got real nervous when Aziraphale stopped Crowley from saying what he was gonna say because I worried that Crowley then wouldn't say it. Because that's so often what happens, right? The person was gonna make that declaration, say what they feel, be truthful and lay it all out, but something interrupts them, makes them despair or distracts everyone, and then they hold in what we, the audience, know they were going to say. I was honestly prepared for that.

Then it didn't happen.

I about lost it. Even in the moment I realized the tears streaming down my face were only half for the way A and C were being torn apart just as Crowley said out loud what we all knew they both wanted and half for how effing thankful I was to @neil-gaiman for the narrative choice.

Because it's a brilliant one! It's the right one! And it doesn't cause the problem I think writers who make the tropey mistake think it will.

I think that many a writer would have thought that if Crowley said what he said then Aziraphale would have had to choose to stay on Earth with him because his feelings were just as strong, and to choose otherwise meant he didn't want to be with Crowley as badly as Crowley wanted to be with him.

But, as we saw, that is not the case at all. I will forever love Michael Sheen for how he said "Come WITH me!" 😭

With film and TV and the stage writers have to rely on the actor to be able to get this kind of scene across and not just on their own writing skills. It still takes some excellent skills. But this entire scenario could have gone down like a lead balloon if the actors hadn't been so very in tune with the material and each other.

You can accomplish this in prose as well! Because two characters can want to be with each other and also want two very different things out of life. They can talk to each other and Say The Thing, yet still not end up together (for now) if that's where you want the narrative to go.

There are so many annoying ways narratives "usually go" that are based on writers thinking that they can't have characters act in certain ways, otherwise there won't be any conflict or obstacles to move the story along. My biggest pet peeves is characters doing Stupid Things even if they aren't stupid people because the writer needs for them to be stupid to make some plot thing happen.

A recent example: Locke & Key season 1. I'm not going to go into a huge explanation. The short version is that there's a cave by the seashore which is famous in the tiny town for an incident in the pre-smartphone days where some teens went into it not knowing when the tide was going to come in. When it did, the kids were trapped and some drowned.

(This isn't what truly happened, but it's what everyone thinks happened.)

Late in the season, a character gets her friend group to go into that same cave and, lo, they realize they're about to die because the tide is coming in unexpectedly and they lose a bunch of expensive equipment. Because no one, not a one of them, checked when the tide would come in on their smartphones.

Nope. NOPE. I about turned the whole thing off right then because it was the 5th stupid thing a character had done, and it was far too egregious to ignore.

This kind of thing makes characters feel like dolls and action figures being moved around instead of actual people. You can't replace characterization with an action sequence, people.

Because I'm so annoyed with this kind of thing, I actively avoid it in my own fiction. Ruby Finley was the first time I had the space to really work it. There are several points in the story where I needed Ruby and the gang to do something that would move the narrative along, yet not in a way that ignored the realities of their lives and their personalities.

Spoilers for my book ahead.

The first time is when Ruby asks Holly to help use her drone to look in Witchypoo's windows. Holly very sensibly says that they can't go do that willy nilly because the people in the neighborhood will see them. Instead of not thinking it through, the girls formulate a plan to do the thing when they're least likely to be seen.

They get caught, not because they didn't think it through and weren't careful, but because they saw a monster bug and freaked out.

When the kids realize the giant bug is in the basement of the abandoned school, they don't rush in to find it. They formulate a plan that covers the dangers they assume they're facing. When it goes wrong it's not because they weren't prepared, but because they didn't have all the information they needed to truly assess the situation.

I find it so much more interesting and compelling when characters are thwarted even when they act wisely -- or think they're doing so. Just as I find it more compelling and heartbreaking when characters actually talk to each other and say what they need to say and they're still torn apart (if they need tearing apart! I'm also fine with them making declarations and then being happy as long as it didn't take 50 million years/pages for this to happen).

Bottom Line: Can we have more of this please? Let's have fewer stories about characters not talking, not thinking, not being smart, not doing what an actual person would do simply because the writer won't let go of their idea of how the plot is supposed to go or unwilling to add the emotional context that allows the plot thing to happen even without the Nots.

#writing craft #craft nattering #characterization #tropes i hope die forever #Good Omens 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #make no mistake neil i do not forgive you for all the tissues used today

[ravennaortiz]

Chapter 2: Not So Happy

As always this is an 18+ only story. This story is AU based and not your typical Sons of Anarchy story. Some readers may find some plot lines and changes to some characters to be problematic please read at your discretion. This story also time jumps heavily so keep this in mind as you read! Warnings: General themes of the show such as violence, drugs, swearing etc, minor age gap, minor smut in later chapters

Time lapse- 7 Months

Rocky woke up to sunlight shining into her room. As she stretched she caught sight of the Happy Birthday Sign and balloons on the back of her door. Rocky smiled as she slipped out of the covers and moved to get dressed before going down to the kitchen. As Rocky opened her bedroom door she was surprised to hear voices filtering up the stairs. With things being rough for the club due to her and Jax’s step dads erratic decisions she figured that the guys would be out since they were low on man power. Several members had left to transfer to other charters or go nomad including Happy, Bobby, Kozik and Tig leaving mostly prospects behind.

“Well if it isn’t our little birthday girl” called Chibs as he noticed her step into the kitchen. Rocky grinned as the Jax, Opie, Juice and Half-Sack all shouted Happy Birthday at her as Chibs steered her towards a seat at the table and set a cupcake in front of her with an envelope followed by Jax placing a box on top of it. “Thanks guys” stated Rocky as she opened the envelope which was full of cash and then the box. As Rocky lifted the set of keys out of the box Opie spoke. “It’s in my garage” stated Opie helpfully. The guys chuckled as Rocky bolted to the backdoor to go see her new ride. In Opie’s garage sat the restored Firebird that Rocky and Jax’s dad had loved as much as his bike. Rocky ran her hand over the car taking in the personalization that had been done for her and felt tears prickle at her eyes. “Thank you guys, this means a lot” she stated before hugging them all.

Clubhouse

Later that night everyone gathered at the clubhouse for a per Clay mandatory celebration. Rocky hated being at the clubhouse after an incident involving her step dad and even more so now as several of the newer members and prospects were creeps. At least tonight so far no one had approached her since Juice and Half-Sack were on either side of her no matter where she went. Rocky was zoning out and thinking on how the day had been going with her birthday gifts, going to get her nails done and then her nose pierced when she felt Juice grab her and move her behind him. Looking around him she noted that several white men had entered the clubhouse drawing the attention of everyone. One man she recognized as Zobelle stepped to the front looking around the crowd.

“Clay where is my soon to be bride” questioned Zobelle as Clay made his way to him from the bar. Rocky’s chest tightened and her stomach churned as Clay motioned towards where she stood behind Juice. “She is right over here” stated Clay as he shot a malicious grin at Jax who stared wide eyed at his stepdad unable to register what was happening. Zobelle moved towards Rocky with a smile like a snake as Clay spoke to Jax.

“Move. I want to see my precious Angel” ordered Zobelle as he stopped in front of Juice. “No” stated Juice as he stared the man down. “I see” replied Zobelle his eyes narrowing before turning to the crowd. “I want to be clear with all of you. As of now Rockette Marie Teller belongs to me! She will be wed to me on her eighteenth birthday as a gift for getting your debts settled” stated Zobelle loudly before turning back to face Juice with his gun out. “Now move boy or I’ll blow your brains all over here” he growled as he placed the gun to Juices forehead. Juice swallowed hard but kept standing even as he felt Rocky move to step around him.

“It’s okay. I’m not worth your life” whispered Rocky as she stepped between the two nudging Juice back slightly. Her heart was racing and vision becoming spotty at the panic of what was being said let alone the idea of watching someone she loved die in front of her. As Zobelle went to pull Rocky closer to him, Juice snaked his arm around her waist holding her to him. Zobelle chuckled before caressing Rocky’s cheek with his cold hand causing her to flinch. “You are so beautiful my sweet angel. I can’t wait until I can enjoy you” he murmured before walking back to his men.

Chaos erupted in the clubhouse after Zobelle and his men left as Jax went after Clay and Rocky passed out from the panic attack she was having.

Rocky’s Room

Juice had taken Rocky home per Chibs orders while the others worked to figure out what exactly Clay had done. Rocky hadn’t spoken since they got home, all she had done was sob until she fell asleep as Juice rubbed her back and tried to soothe her. Juice himself had been lost in his own thoughts and what Rocky had said as she succumbed to sleep. “Please don’t let it happen” she had whispered to where he almost hadn’t heard her. He had simply kissed her forehead unable to make a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep.

Jax was exhausted when he and Chibs finally got to his house a few hours later. “Let him stay Laddie” stated Chibs as he stood behind Jax in Rocky’s doorway looking at the two sleeping figures. Jax sighed as he nodded in acknowledgement before nodding as they turned away. “Let’s get a drink and talk” stated Chibs as he moved Jax towards the stairs. “We have time. We will figure this out” he added. Jax simply nodded.

Return to Chapter List

#sons of anarchy #juice ortiz #soa fanfic #chibs telford #jax teller #ravennasmasterlist #soa fanfiction #CountDown #RockyTellerOC #ravennasoc #juice ortiz x oc #half sack epps #soa #soa fandom #soa headcanon #soa imagines #sons of anarchy juice

[jasgirl-creations]

You’re getting so fat, jasmine!

Ohhh, I know. I can't help it. I try to exercise and watch my calories. I want to be fit and sexy! But Its so boring working from home every day, and so hard to keep track of meals. Did I already eat lunch? Well, this sandwich will be an early dinner. Oops, now its diner time and I'm so hungry! I'll put this pizza in the oven. Now its late and I'm bored and horny. I'll have a fudgesicle while I scroll through tumblr, edging the night away. I spend so much time edging. I'm supposed to be working from home 8 hours a day, but most days I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3 hours of work done. One hand in my panties for hours and hours while tab back and forth between work spreadsheets and twitter and tumblr and onlyfans and AO3 and DA. After an hour or two its time to take a break. I really should workout. I bought some cute pink weights and a Yoga mat and a workout outfit! but really the outfit is getting tight, and I've barely used the mat and weights at all. Instead I tell myself I'll drink some water. But why not a fruit smoothie instead? I'll just add a scoop of icecream to it. Well, 3 or 4 scoops. And some peanut butter. Ad chocolate syrup. Ohh, there's no room left for fruit! Edge and snack and cum. How many times a day do I cum? 4? 6?By the time I'm "done" with work I'm so tired I don't want to leave the house. No gym. No club with friends. No dates (not until I lose some weight). I'll just make dinner and watch Netflix. Except, I'm not really in the mood for anything with a plot. How about some comedy? no, I don't want to pay attention. After all, my hand will be down my panties as I scroll through twitter. Pornhub? Hmm, I'll put on my Pornhub playlist and just relax and have a nice quiet dinner. and desert. And snack. Mmm... I'm still hungry. I should put a pizza on. Its so easy to gain. I feel like I'm barely holding it back. the little bit of exercise I do, the days where I feel guilty and barely eat anything at all, that's the only thing that's stopping me from ballooning into a real fatty. I worked so hard to lose weight before the pandemic, and now its all going to come back, I know it! I feel so soft now. My belly is softer, my thighs are thicker. My butt is actually getting bigger too. I can feel the fullness of my butt cheeks. My face looks softer in the mirror. My boobs are a little fuller. I want to be fit and sexy. But gaining weight like this is... seductive. I feel a real urge to just give in and stop trying. I've been so lazy and tired lately, why not just accept that's who I am? Its not to late. i could go back to the gym every day. I could eat healthy, and stop snacking. I could stop spending hours and hours every single day edging myself toward cumming while I browse weight gain stories and watch feedees moan about how sexy they feel as they rub their bloated stomachs. Do I even want to stop?

[endorstoiii]

And last but not least, @somekeepsakes tagged me to post this. As always, thank you for the tags! You know I love them 🤍

last song: Pop the Balloon by Nothing But Thieves. This is a band I know since I first heard it on the radio some years ago and I always wanted to listen to more songs. So, as they recently released this album, Dead Club City, I gave them a proper chance. Despite the pop and electronic sound, these are nice songs! And they keep the heavy sound of them.

latest TV show: the Canadian series Three Pines (2022). I'm sad it was cancelled with only one season. It had a nice plot and mystery, and had hard critics about the Canadian government and society about the native people. It'd be nice to see the rest of the story.

currently watching: I'm about to finish Dexter (2006-2013). Me and my mom always wanted to watch it, but never tried. So, out of the blue on a day of May, we played the first episode. And we got sooo obsessed with it. We even spent a whole day just watching it, episode after episode lmao. Now there are only 3 episodes left and we are already sad that it's almost over lol

currently reading: I am reading a book about a Brazilian true crime podcast called Modus Operandi. It's not a story book, it's more like a guide explaining about the police, the laws, types of crimes etc. I've always been into serial killers and their minds, I like this podcast for the way they talk about true crime. I hate how popular this topic has become and how wrong people consume it. It's sick, it's dangerous. And I'd like to mention that the last time I was on tumblr (on February), I was reading 1984 by George Orwell. Since then I finished this one and I also read Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, I looove this story. I'm glad and proud I read this book "so quickly"!

current obsession: it's gotta be Dexter 😬 I am not into tv shows, but this one really caught me. As I said, I always had interest in serial killers (not in a sick way, please!) and the series has a nice plot. To be honest, I'm not enjoying this end phase, I hope it doesn't end the way it seems to, I hope they have a good plot twist as they had back in the 4th season. But overall, I like the development!

tag 9 people: I can't tag 9 so I'm tagging @elkika, @coffeeandgays, @oldfarmerbillswife, @ilooktoyoutoseethetruth, @shannondorf, @mrwilliewonka and @murobrown — but only if you feel like! :D

#challenge

[componentcables]

Alright, wake up Honey. Time for my 10pm Rant about Splatoon Side Order Theory

Thank you for coming to my Impromptu TED Talk.

I want to see Side Order live up to Octo Expansion. O.E did some amazing things with the story and lore of Pearl & Marina and it would be a crying shame for them to shoot themselves in their foot by making Marina the main villain or god forbid force her into the role with Mind Control or bringing back an older already used vilian like Tartar or something. Marina is shown to be incredibly smart, especially with technology, so it would be hard to believe that she was used by someone else. And I'd hate to see any form of Hypnosis being used.. Since it just robs her character of importance and just makes her a 'reward' sort of like Callie from splatoon 2s story mode.

Side Note: For Splat2s base storymode, It would have been interesting to hear the two parts of the squid sisters have some sort of dialogue in that story. It's obvious that Marie cares about Callie to go to these lengths, but outside of some sparse moments in a handful of levels, we never see it in game outside of the final fight. It would have been interesting to have Callie be a much more present threat to the player in maybe the boss battles or something. It would've been really cool to maybe have her talking to Agent 4 throughout the final few levels to intimidate them and Marie would have some sort of reaction to it.

Honestly would hurt to see Marina be relegated to a 'damsel in distress' when it comes to Side Order. She deserves the agency and there's CLEARLY some theme going on with Marina in the tower itself. With the various imagery of Memcakes (the collectable from OE) being either made or packaged to go somewhere, and the fact that there's various bits of memories from Marina like the baby mobile, Children's toys like Wooden blocks, and specifically pink pianos being held in stasis or again, being transported somewhere.

Personally, I don't want there to be any big villain or world ending threat.

Here comes the big theory:I think it would be more interesting for the plot-point of her(Marina) choosing to stay in the Spire due to Sunk Coat Fallacy.

To me, it fits character more to be wrapped up in her managing and repairing the Spire to where she might as well be trapped in an endless flow of Micromanaging the well oiled machine she made. Rather than her being Trapped at the top of the place she might as well have built with her own two hands. Genuinely I think it would be an amazing idea for the main conflict being Pearl, Agent 8 and Acht be the ones to physically go over to Marina sort of like an Intervention. At least Pearl would understand that Marina didn't mean to hurt anybody, but their main concern would be her own physical and mental health since she's.. More or less walled off everything that isn't her work for the sake of keeping things running smoothly if at all. It would be hard to justify abandoning a project that you either put years of planning into(like the few years between splat 2 ending and… We'll, now) or something that Just ballooned so much in scope that it literally needs the constant maintenance and checkups for it to not collapse on itself.

She's probably spent a shit load of time and resources on something she clearly cares about for one reason or another (hopefully to help others). To actually guess as to what exactly the Spire does would be foolish since its less than a week away.

We even see the spire itself show signs of damage in that new trailer so there's probable chance that something unintended is happening if that wasn't obvious from how… Literally everything around it is dead and bleached sand and coral.

My reasoning is that Marina had some… Genuine concerns about the world falling into chaos in splat 2. She felt rightfully scared that she'd never see Pearl again if there wasn't some sort of order with the world. So thats my best guess.

But I know this.. Well, won't happen due to how the main Side Order Trailer starts with the player character of Splat 3 falling asleep On a train. And the fact that the description of the DLC describes it as a 'What If' scenario if Order one the Final Fest. So I'm fully expecting things to be as non-cannon as can be if I'm lucky.

Side Topic Act II:I don't want the reward to be another playable species.. Since the main draw of Octo expansion Was the octolings, a feature people wanted since the beginning.. It would Really suck for there to be something like 'Salmon-lings' since the Salmon in game have a… Shit ton of lore dedicated to then as an entirely different society with unique well, everything. So to go back on that design for a basic looking humanoid salmon.. Thing, would again.. Be shooting themselves in the foot. I think the big reward other than Inkopolis Square, would be the various weapon skins. It looks like every main weapon in the game, or at least slot of them, have some sort of Prototype version that's used in the Spire simulations. And I'd imagine that beating the Spire with that weapon, unlocks that skin for multi-player use. Not as a separate weapon, but as a literal togglable thing for the weapon you already have. It would be that extra bit of motivation to play with the weapon you enjoy to get a unique variant of it or something. That, and the option to tint your fingers and tentacles. Since Color is another big theme with Side Order. And it's another thing people have been wanting since the 2nd game.

#unhinged ramblings of a madman #splatoon #splatoon3 #side order #HYPE #Theory #Bad Theory #please dont read this i wrote this when i woke up today

[mantisfriendd]

THOUGHTS ON THE FNAF MOVIE

Take everything I say here, positive or negative with a grain of salt, because I'm a massive fan of the FNAF series, like embarrassing so.

Should go without saying but SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE AHEAD

THE GOOD

The sets and the animatronics, both in costume form and in robot form look absolutely fantastic, there is no doubting that, Jim Henson's and everyone else who worked on the sets and costumes did great.

While you might consider some of the acting cheesey, I think everyone knocked it out of the park on their given roles, including the YouTuber cameos, there's no denying everyone here LOVED filming this movie. Josh Hutcherson really nailed the subtle emotional beats of Mike as he's trying to grapple with both the mysterys of Freddy's and learn the identity of his brother's kidnapper. I also particularly love the moments where we are reminded that even though Mike is Abby 's caretaker, they are still very much siblings, the moment Mike carries her back to her room over his shoulder is a perfect example.

While all the actors absolutely killed it at their roles Piper Rubio as Abby was an absolute joy, both the writing and her performance brought so much humor and levity to what could have been a very dark film if they wanted it to go that way

Speaking of that darkness, Matthew Lillard absolutely shreds in his role as William Afton, he steals the spotlight in every single scene he is in. The problem with him is he only appears in like 3 scenes! pretty long scenes granted, but I was really hoping to see more of him, in either the Steve Raglan persona or as the unmasked William Afton. I suppose there's room for that in FNAF 2.

The shots are all incredibly lovingly crafted, it feels like much thought and care was put into every camera turn, and lighting choice.

This movie is armed to THE TEETH in Easter eggs, I remember when I saw Mike holding a book labeled "Dream Theory" and I felt myself taking psychic damage, especially as that book becomes vital to a main plot point later, I just know Scott was grinning knowing the reaction people were going to have to that.

While all the films jokes didn't land, quite a few of them got a chorus of laughs from both me and the general movie audience in my theater, Abby in particular gave a lot of fun moments that got consistent chuckles out of me, and in my experience at least, was one of the most accurate depictions of a young child I've seen in media.

THE MEH

While FNAF has almost always has humorous moments, especially the later into the franchise we get, I feel like this movie stays in the silly zone for longer then I'd like, espicallly for a movie about FNAF 1, a game with very little humor in it, say for the infamous Rule 4.

The movie, simply put, isn't scary, the only thing that got me even a bit was the balloon boy figure jumpscares (something about the joke jumpscares are always hit the hardest, talking to you Mapbot!) Although I will say the occasional brutal or gorey scenes did occasionally stun the people in my audience into silence (even if Max getting bit in half was a bit cartoony)

The film itself, despite going the required five nights, did feel a bit stunted, it felt like it could have gone on for another 30 minutes, the climax does feel a bit rushed, with Afton going down without much of a fight after Abby turns the animatronics on him, but the final confrontation with Afton does have a very palpable sense of tension as everyone fights to keep Afton away from Abby

While Elizabeth Lail plays her role very well, Vanessa 's role in the story is a bit muddled. In my predictions for the film I said that unlike most people, I didn't think Vanessa would be a twist villian, and I was right on the technicality that the movie never tells us she was on Afton's side until AFTER she double crosses him. The only way a character like this works is if she actually gets to betray the protagonist first before having a chance of heart. The closest Vanessa gets to doing that is threatening Mike very awkwardly. I'll chock this up to the screenplay giving her awkward phrasing but little things like her saying she will "shoot Mike if he ever brings Abby back" and that the guy who killed a bunch of kids is a "Bad, cruel man" really take the seriousness out of a scene, none of this being Elizabeth's fault of course.

The absolute dedication to using as little CGI as possible is impressive and works pretty well most of the time but you can see some of the cracks where the physical costumes and robots fall short of what the script demands. I think in a potential fnaf 2 considering some CGI for some shots, sparingly of course would help with the unintentional goofyness. The shot that really jumps out the most as not looking the greatest is Foxy running at the camera, they did a lot to try and hide it but it's very clear he is just being pushed on a little cart or something. that of course is because Foxy is the only animatronic who only has a puppet, and not a human in a costume as well, cuz he just too skinny.

THE LOOOOOOREEE IMPLICATIONS

The biggest fallout I can imagine from this film for the game lore, is the dream world interactions. I'm all for writing this off as movie lore only, but given how the community is open to taking concepts from the books and applying them to the game universe I don't see why this one should be considered any different. I don't know what, if anything that effects but I can't imagine it doesn't do nothing to the game lore.

The other heavy lore effecting thing, is possibly the Ella (baby?) springlock suit in the backroom. I don't know what that means for the lore, but it certainly means something?

Overall I very much enjoyed this film, and I'm going to see it again in theaters. I really think that if Scott and Blumhouse can iron out the rough edges for a sequel, we can have some real horror gold on our hands.

#fnaf movie spoilers #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #five nights at freddy's movie #Mantis Thoughts

[underforeversgrace]

healing the wounds we hid - 8

title: healing the wounds we hid

Finally, the sequel to broken trust and the wounds hidden behind! (Refresh here on AO3 or here on Tumblr)

Story Summary: Now that his father knows, Danny's life is changing for the better. Jack encourages him to let his friends and the rest of the family into his small word. Unbeknownst to Danny, Jack is secretly worried about how Maddie will react to the news upon her return to Amity - and how to confront Vlad once Jack learns his true identity. Amidst it all, an enemy lurks and plots their revenge.

Chapter 8 of 11: Learning About You

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One

(Tumblr Chapter Nine will be here)

~~~~~~

Maddie frowned at her husband, who’d gone ramrod straight beside her as soon as Tucker had spoken. “Jack?” She asked.

“What’s happened?” Jack directed to the kids, completely ignoring her words.

Discomfort stirred within her. Something had felt off with her husband for weeks, he’d been less exuberant on the phone, quicker to encourage her to go to sleep. Even today, he seemed closed off.

“They’ve got him again,” Sam said, her voice breaking. Jazz wrapped an arm around the younger girl’s shoulders even as Jazz began to cry.

“No,” Jack whispered, grabbing the PDA Tucker held out to him. “How?”

“We think it was a trap. I haven’t gotten past all of their firewalls yet but it was definitely planned, based on what I’ve found.”

“Go call Vlad, now, I’m going to pack the GAV,” Jack said, thrusting the device back into Tucker’s hands and turning to leave back out the door.

“Jack!” Maddie yelled, stepping in front of him and placing her hands on his chest to stop him. “What’s going on?”

Jack blinked a few times at her, as though suddenly remembering she was there. The kids eyed her cautiously, though they all split up to do… something?

“It’s a long story, I need you to just let me do something, okay? I’ll explain later.”

“No, you’re going to explain to me what’s going on right now,” she said, poking him repeatedly in the sternum to drive home her point. “I’m not stupid, Jack. You’ve been acting weird. So again, what’s going on?”

Jack opened and closed his mouth several times, trying and failing to find the words, as Jazz reappeared at his side, a USB in her hand. “Here,” she said, handing it to Maddie. “Watch it.”

“Jazz, where did you get that? Danny said he didn’t want anyone seeing that!” Jack said, staring at the USB in horror.

“We don’t have time to explain, Dad!” Jazz snapped. “It’s the easiest way.”

Maddie studied the USB drive in her hand, it was hot pink with a tag attached to it.

IN CASE I DON’T COME HOME

“Jack, what is this?” Maddie asked, growing more and more frustrated the longer her family refused to give her a straight damn answer.

“It’s Danny’s,” Jack finally sighed, deflating like a neon orange balloon. “Go to the lab and watch it. Meet me at the GAV when you’re done. We don’t have time to waste.”

With that, he pushed past her and out the door, the kids making themselves scarce and hurrying to different rooms to get away from her, clearly unwilling to talk to her even as something awful was obviously going on and her son was noticeably absent.

Her heart racing, she ran down the stairs to the lab below, easily inserting the flash drive into the computer and pulling the files up. She ignored the folders - though she couldn’t deny she was intrigued when she glanced over the folder titles - but she focused and clicked onto the solitary video file.

Irritation settled in as she saw a still image of Phantom apparently messing with a camera. Rage followed after. Had Phantom kidnapped her son? She’d kill that ghost the next time she saw him, a death he wouldn’t return from this time! Convinced she was about to watch something akin to a ransom video, she pressed play.

Maddie had to fight to keep from snorting in ridicule at Phantom’s pretend humanity as he ‘struggled’ to figure out how to work the camera and began to talk, introducing himself as if everyone didn’t already know who he was.

“Well, let’s get to good stuff, right?” Phantom asked the camera, even as he averted his gaze to keep from looking directly into the lens. “If you’re watching this, I’m missing. I’m dead or being tortured where you’ll never find me. I hope I’m dead.”

Maddie couldn’t help but to roll her eyes at the ghost’s ridiculous act - pretending he was capable of feeling pain or real emotion, like he had a life to lose.

“Cuz that’s the good stuff, isn’t it? A menace being eliminated? An unfeeling mockery of humanity like me getting what I deserve?” He said, staring into the camera before chiding himself for going off on a tangent. The longer the ghost talked, the more irritated Maddie became. Where was her son and what was her husband hiding?

 “Anyway. I’m making this because I recently realized… just how many people want me dead. Deader. Re-dead? Though I think there’s still more who want to dissect me and then kill me. I just… I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve that. Being cut into. Whatever mistakes I’ve made, I’ve paid for them. By the Ancients, I have never stopped paying for them. I’m so tired of paying for them.” Maddie scowled as the ghost pretended to cry. Was he trying to excuse himself for kidnapping her boy? Was that why Jack wasn’t as angry as he should be? Had Phantom actually managed to trick her husband into thinking he was capable of true thought, of sentience? Was this a ploy to get them to stop chasing him?

It wasn’t going to work. No matter what, Phantom was a ghost and that was all he would ever be.

Phantom again chastised himself, laughing icily. “This is a story, so I need to start from the beginning. What use are secrets to someone who no longer exists?” Maddie glared at the figure on the screen - she’d make sure he ceased to exist, if it was the last thing she ever did.

“My parents are scientists, inventors. And in 2004 they built what was supposed to be their lives’ work. But it didn’t work. They were so sad. I… I just wanted to help. I only wanted to help. I wanted them to smile again. So I went down to their lab. I wasn’t supposed to, I was expressly forbidden to do so. But I had a code for emergency use, in case there was something urgent where I needed to be down there. I had a hazmat suit, the whole family did. I knew I was supposed to put it on, so I did.” Anger warmed her from the inside as the ghost indicated his hazmat suit, one so similar to the ones her own family wore. Had he crafted his suit to look like the ones the Fenton wore? Had he been stalking Danny? Trying to appeal to the Fenton’s parental instincts by crafting a story of his death similar to the minor accident Danny had had? Right down to the year! How long had Phantom been haunting her family, her son? Was he why Danny had pulled away?

Was he convincing Danny this was all his parents’ fault? Driving a wedge between them all?

Maddie knew ghosts couldn’t feel pain but in that moment, she wished this particular ghost could. She hoped he’d be able to feel every slice of her scalpel when she caught him, to make him pay for specifically tormenting her family like this. Her hatred and anger just grew as Phantom continued to talk about his ‘accident,’ showing off the electrical scars along his palms. He knew how many degrees Jack and Maddie had, he knew how old Danny had been when Danny had an accident! Was this ghost obsessed with her family?

“I fucked up. It’s one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. I hope I’ve paid for it by now. It took my life. I’ve bled more times than I can count for it. I’ve probably given it my life a second time, if you’re watching this. I’ve lost the friends I loved. My family hates what I’ve become. Hell, they may have been the ones to kill me!” He said, ‘sobbing’ as he explained how his family had made a new invention that ‘hurt’ him nearly as much as dying had - as if he even remembered his death.

“Have you figured out who I am yet?” He asked, again refusing to look at the camera and Maddie’s eyebrows furrowed. He couldn’t seriously be suggesting what she thought?

“I can’t tell them. I don’t know what they’d do. If they don’t take it well. If they think I’m lying or faking or overshadowing. At least if they kill or dissect me like this, I’ll still know they loved some part of me. At least I could have that peace.

“In 2004, my parents built a portal to the Ghost Zone. I accidentally turned it on. It’s my fault the ghosts are here. It’s all my fault. So none of you are actually wrong to blame me. Everything since then that’s happened? My fault.” Phantom continued to sob and Maddie had to fight to not put her fist through the computer screen. Was Phantom trying to pretend to be her son? Why would he do that?

“And then I didn’t even die right. I couldn’t even fucking die right! I’m half human.”

Maddie felt like she’d been hit with a bus as some sort of light swept across Phantom, leaving her son in the frame. Emotions swirled within her as she listened to the rest of the tape.

“I wish I had died. Became entirely ghost. Then I at least would have only needed to protect the city and not get shot. But, no, I wasn’t lucky enough to die. I wouldn’t have failed at being a good protector. I wouldn’t be failing school. I wouldn’t have failed my friends. I wouldn’t be a failure in my family’s eyes. Well, not for the same reason, at least.

“I wonder sometimes. If I killed my human half, could my ghost half survive? Could I become a full ghost? Could I stop seeing my sister’s disappointment? The way my mom sighs and just signs off on whatever I bring home, not even bothering to read what I’ve done this time? Stop seeing my dad’s eyes every time he notices scars I can’t explain, how ashamed of me he is? I could stop being bullied, stop being shoved into lockers. Stop seeing the way Sam and Tucker are just so tired of me? And just… fly. Just watch the stars. Or would I die? Leave this city with only human protectors who can’t take as hard a beating as I can? It isn’t fair to them, to die for a mistake I made. Maybe eventually the ghosts will stop. And then I can rest.”

The video came to an end shortly after, Phantom getting onto himself for getting too emotional as he came closer to the camera, turning it off and biting at his tongue as though in concentration.

Fury consumed Maddie as she pushed harshly away from the desk, sending the chair flying behind her as she watched this facsimile of her son. It was a very good likeness of her son, Maddie hated to admit. She couldn’t see any differences between the shape shifting ghost on the screen and her own child, he even had the small scar under Danny’s left eye from when he was learning how to ride his bike.

How long had Phantom been hunting her family? Had he kidnapped Danny? Had he been overshadowing Danny? How long had this damn ghost been in her life and she didn’t notice it?

What kind of awful mother was she? To not realize her son was gone? Dread filled her stomach at the thought. Was Danny dead? Had this ghost killed him? 

Is this what Sam meant when she said they got him again? Had Danny been captured before by ghosts? No, that didn’t sound right, Jack would’ve told her if Danny had been kidnapped while she was at the Ectology and its Revelations Conference.

Whatever it was, it was time to gear up and go save her son. She hurried over to the corner where they kept their weapons and was instantly confused - at least half of them were missing. Had Jack already loaded up the rest of the weapons? Was this something they’d been preparing for? She briefly sorted through the pile, searching for the Fenton Fryer, noticing as she looked that almost all of their highest powered weapons - especially the electrical ones - were missing.

Still, she dug around until she found one of the prototypes for the Fryer. She’d discarded it because it had a tendency to shock her, too, but it was minor enough and their previous experiment with the Fryer made her think Phantom was as adverse to electricity as Jack believed he was.

Maddie lifted the slim weapon with a satisfied grin. If Jack already had the Fryer and she had this, Phantom’s core would certainly destabilize upon being hit by both. As much as it pained her to think about destabilizing him and all the research she would lose, she couldn’t risk him hurting her son after all the interest he was apparently showing in Danny.

Pleased with her weapon, Maddie ran up the stairs and back into the kitchen. She heard voices in the living room before she saw them.

“Jack, what exactly do you plan to do?” Vlad asked, to Maddie’s surprise. What was he doing here? “The Ghost Investigation Ward is a branch of the U.S. government! We can’t just walk in!”

“I plan on saving him and burning that damn place to the ground!” Jack yelled back.

“Besides, Mr. Masters,” Tucker’s voice added, “it looks like they’re in a temporary, makeshift facility. The original got damaged somehow about two months ago. Their security measures are a fraction of what they should be due to lack of funding.”

“How do you possibly know all of that, Mr. Foley?” Vlad asked as Maddie rounded the corner. She stayed quiet, watching them.

Tucker shrugged. “For a government agency, their cyber security is ridiculously awful. It took me less than a day to get into their servers after the first round of malware emails I sent.”

“‘Less than a day?’” Jazz asked. “He’s only been missing for three hours.”

Tucker began to stutter, Sam coming to his rescue. “When we found out they’d had him before, Tucker and I… may have gone on the defensive after Mr. Fenton accidentally revealed the Guys in White had hurt him already.”

“Excuse me, caught him before?” Vlad asked.

“He’s the reason the original facility blew up,” Jack said with a sigh. “They got him about two months back. He told me about it, but not in detail. The short version is - they tried to vivisect him but when they hit his core, it triggered some kind of electrical explosion. He doesn’t know why and, understandably, he doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Maddie finally spoke up at that. This conversation was making no sense to her. “I watched the video.”

Everyone there turned to look at her, various looks of concern across the board, except for Vlad, who kept his expression neutral.

“And?” Jack asked, a look like wary hope on his face. “Are you going to help us save our son?”

“Of course I am!” Maddie said indignantly. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“He isn’t human anymore, Maddie. You get that, right?” Jack questioned, the others remaining silent.

Maddie hesitated, watching the faces of people she knew so well as panic settled within her. Jack, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, even Vlad… all of them seemed to believe Phantom’s lie. How had he wedged himself into her family, into Danny’s friends, so quickly?

“I will always protect my son, Jack. You know that!” She finally said.

“Even if our son is Phantom?” Jack shot back. When Maddie hesitated, he continued. “Maddie, that is my son. I’m going to save him. You can help or not. If you don’t, you better be gone before I get home. I love you but that is my child.”

“Of course I’m going to help. What’s the plan?” Maddie answered.

Jack broke into a grin and Tucker cleared his throat. “Okay, here’s the plan…”

That wasn’t her son and she didn’t know how he’d tricked everyone Danny knew, but he was still the only one who knew where Danny actually was, if he was even alive. So she’d find him.

She’d get the information about her son.

And then she’d make Phantom pay.

~~~~~~

Danny awoke, groggy and sore. What had happened? He vaguely remembered fighting a large animal ghost but his memory was splotchy. He pressed his eyes shut as a headache formed, trying to groan, though he instantly became alert as soon as he did so.

There was a gag in his mouth.

Danny’s eyes flew open and he found himself wishing with everything he had that this was a nightmare as he saw a white ceiling above him, bright lights shining directly into his eyes.

“The specimen has awoken. Should we sedate it again?” A female voice to his left said. He immediately threw his head to the side, eyes going wide as he saw people in white coats and surgical masks surrounding him.

“No,” a familiar male said to his other side and Danny’s ectoplasm ran cold in his bloodless veins. “We need it awake so we can ensure the nullification works properly.”

While they talked, Danny tried to subtly move his body, only to find his ankles and wrists shackled to the flat, cold table beneath him. This was also when he realized the top of his jumpsuit had been cut away, showing the scar he’d gotten the last time these people had him. He tried harder, struggling against his bonds, when a heavy hand dropped hard on his shoulder.

“Stop struggling, Phantom,” Operative O said, grinning as Danny turned to face him. “It’ll be easier for us if you don’t.”

Danny screamed into the gag, pulling with all his strength, desperately trying to force intangibility, but O just grinned at him as he fought uselessly. O glanced at the scientists, then leaned closer to Danny.

“You’re going to pay for killing K, Phantom. I know you can feel. And I’m going to make sure you’re awake to feel everything.” He whispered.

Danny stopped struggling momentarily, shocked. Killed? Had he killed someone?

O just smirked. “You killed a dozen people when you escaped, Phantom. Nearly killed me, too,” he added, holding up what looked like a metal prosthetic where his hand should be. The smile fell from his face as he continued. “You should’ve made sure I died.”

Danny was still reeling from this new information when O pulled away from him. “Specimen is fully conscious. Is the nullwave device ready?” He asked a nearby scientist.

“We’re ready. Just stand clear of Phantom, we don’t want to risk shocking you.” The scientist answered.

I killed people, was playing on repeat in Danny’s head, but the word shocking finally pulled him out of his downward spiral. But there was nothing he could do as sticky pads were pressed to his bare skin and taped down, little wires attached to a large electrical box nearby. Danny wasn’t dumb, he knew what they were about to do to him, so he fought his own body, trying to find the electricity that had saved him the last time he was here, trying to pull on his ghost core to let him phase out of this.

“Alright, that’s the last one,” the scientist said as he pressed another square to Danny’s left bicep, leaving Danny covered in at least a dozen of these things all over his upper body. Tears he tried to fight fell from his eyes and Operative O smiled like a kid on Christmas morning when he saw them.

“And let me just verify how this works,” O said in a way that told Danny he was just taking pleasure in making sure Danny knew exactly how he was going to be tortured. “These will emit a strong electrical pulse that will negate, or nullify, the electricity Phantom displayed the last time it was here?”

The scientist nodded. “Essentially. It’s still experimental, since ghost physics and science is so different from our own, but the plan is that human electricity plus ecto electricity will cause each other to cancel out. We may have to play around with voltages, though, before we reach that equilibrium.”

“So, big zap, and then bigger zaps until we’re confident Phantom’s abilities have been canceled?”

“To put it simply, yes.”

“Wonderful,” O said. “Let’s begin.”

“Stand clear!” The scientist shouted and Danny fought with every fiber of his being until fire began to burn him from the inside.

He screamed through the gag, his vision nearly blacking out as electricity surged in him, even as he saw his Lichtenberg scars burning white as pain coursed through his body, cheeks growing wet with tears as his back arched away from the table.

He wasn’t sure how long the device was powered on when the pain abruptly stopped and he collapsed bonelessly back down. Aftershocks wracked his frame, making him convulse slightly. He knew he was sobbing but there was nothing else to do as O came back into his line of sight. “Doesn’t look like it worked,” O said, though his voice was full of glee instead of disappointment. He was enjoying this and he made sure Danny knew the delight the man had while he did this to him.

I don’t deserve this. Danny thought, though the sentiment surprised him.

Last time he’d been here, they’d told him he deserved it for everything he’d done and the monster he’d become and he’d believed them. Not this time, though. People knew who he was and loved him despite it.

Someone was coming to save him.

But then the electricity was back and his muscles were spasming so hard he felt as his bones snapped. He no longer felt the table he laid on, instead his left hand was burning, disintegrating into ash.

His body was being ripped apart and put back together, his DNA was unraveling, green was consuming his vision, oh god was his heart even still beating -?

When the electricity stopped this time, he struggled to draw in air even though he didn’t need it.

It had been a long time since electricity had hurt him bad enough to make him think he was back in the portal and as he watched Operative O grin before telling the scientist to go again, he knew his torment had only just begun.

Dad, please. Help me! Was his last thought before the torture continued and he was dying again.

#grace writes #danny phantom

[spooky-switch]

Spooky's FNAF Movie Review (Spoilers Below The Cut)

Final Rating:

★★★★☆

General Information:

↬ I have only played the first two games, and that was years ago, but I am fairly familiar with the lore thanks to theory videos and infodumps from my little brother. I think it is safe to say that even if you have not played the games, you can still follow alone with this film and enjoy it. ↬ Takes elements from multiple games and incorporates them all into a new (but familiar) storyline Long term fans will be pleased by the references but might have a hard time with changes made to the lore. ↬ Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson stole the show, of course. They both have some serious acting chops and performed their parts well, though this is not to say that the rest of the cast did a poor job. Most of the cast members did a pretty decent job, though a few minor characters broke the tension at times with comedic overacting (this was probably intentional, though, as this is a PG-13 film). ↬ The puppeteering and suits by the Jim Henson company were absolutely amazing! While I had my doubts after watching the trailer, in the final film they looked far less like CGI and more like actual physical objects, in part due to how they interacted with the actors and the environments. ↬ There were a couple of plot holes at the end of the film that had me scratching my head, but this is 'Five Nights At Freddy's,' so I tried not to nitpick it too much. Looking at the series as a whole, I would say this is the most cohesive story we have been given, so plot holes can be forgiven in my opinion.

Sensory Information:

↬ This movie contains plenty of jump scares (which is normal and expected for the franchise), so expect lots of loud, sudden noises. I watched it in theaters with my little brother, and even though we took care to pick seats away from any speakers, it was still so loud at points that we needed to cover our ears. If you are especially sensitive to sound like I am, I would recommend either bringing hearing protection or watching the film at home (it should be available for streaming on Peacock). ↬ This film also contains tones of bright, flashing lights. These are littered throughout the film and go on for long durations of time. I was not bothered by them but those with high sensitivity to bright lights (and those prone to seizures) might want to be wary of this film.

Spoilers:

↬ Can we all agree that Abby is autistic coded? To me, the whole relationship between her and Michael is a big brother learning to connect with his neurodivergent little sister while cope with some pretty severe trauma (the loss of their parents and brother). ↬ I am sad to say that, no, Markiplier is not in the film. However, I can happily say that MATPAT IS, even if just briefly! ↬ Of all the jump scares, the stupid Balloon Boy one was the only one that really got me (even after the third time they did it). ↬ The tickle scene was not as bad as I thought it would be, in part because I had fair warning of what it entailed and where it would be in the film (thanks for the heads up, @unbeleevable, I owe you one). It was arguably less cringy than the 'Barbie' tickle scene, which is all I could really ask for (besides Michael getting pulled into the tickle fight, which I knew was not going to happen). ↬ Honestly? Vanessa was really getting on my nerves. If she had just TOLD Michael what was going on, it would have saved them both a lot of trouble. I mean, if she really cared about Abby being safe, why not explain everything to Michael so he would be more motivated to keep his sister away from the pizzeria? ↬ OH, and when Vanessa just TOSSED Michael's medication into the water?! Like, girl, do you know how much that stuff costs, especially in this economy (we all know Michael was probably having to pay out of pocket for it, too, since there is no way that man had health insurance)? ↬ Oh my god, when the Springtrap suit was finally revealed, I was so excited! It looked amazing, standing out as one of the best practical effects of the film, especially when combined with how it moved and Lillard's vocal performance. ↬ So, did anyone ever find the body of the aunt? Last time we see her, she is laying dead on Michael's living room floor. Did he call the police? If so, how did he explain her death? If not, WHERE DID HE PUT THE BODY?! ↬ When they played the Living Tombstone song at the end, it took everything in me not to start jamming out to it, especially seeing how happy my little brother was. We sat through the credits just to hear the whole thing.

#fnaf movie review #fnaf movie spoilers #non-tickling stuff