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chaotic-nick · 2 years

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TELL ME - Mikasa Ackerman x Reader

Note: Finally had enough time and sat down to write this onsen sex piece down. Written for @kemakoshume 's Anything but Sex Collab

wc: 2046

Tags: Nipple Play, scissoring, public sex [reader and Mikasa have sex in the the onsens] [please let me know if I missed anything] unedited, not beta-read

Hot springs. It was known to every actor that it was the best reward for their performance. Soothing sore muscles and putting minds that memorised lines that ease.

“Thank you, everyone.” Once that was said, Kenny and Kuchel had gone to work booking an inn with hot springs for the poor actors Isayama had tortured in the four months he spent with them.

Four months of living from hotel to hotel where rooms didn’t have bathtubs to let them unwind. Four months of waking up for work and only that.

Four months of them being away from each, controlling themselves to avoid being the centre of attention in both the fans and the scripting writing department.

Slow in her steps, (Y/n) waved at the group who stood at the vending machine, ”Hey,” she greeted with a yawn.

Sasha, Reiner and Connie whose faces were illuminated by the vending machine’s lights and their only problem was choosing what to eat. Not the pre-planned meals they were served at sets.

Joining them in staring at the inside of the machine, she folded her arms. Her eyes were still half-lidded from her nap. “Are you guys done? With the onsens I mean?” Judging by their poorly tied yukatas, and the strong smell of shampoos they were.

She was only making sure.

Connie nodded, “We’re just getting snacks for outside. Wanna join us after you go?”

Knowing that (Y/n) missed out on most days when they spent their breaks skateboarding on set, Sasha pointed to the inn’s map that was framed beside the vending machines. “We’re all skateboarding here.”

“Yeah, it’s a closed space. Paps won’t see us making fools of ourselves.”

Reiner spoke from where he knelt at the vending machine, “Right now we’re fools here. Just choose something.”

“We can ask them to bring snacks out for us right?”

“Yeah, but . . .” Connie reminded Sasha in a stern tone, “Kenny-san’s already closed this inn for us. Doesn’t mean he’ll serve us everything and shit. We can still move our limbs . . . hopefully. Man, all that flying and guns shit, fucks you up.”

“At least you weren’t shot.” Sasha being bitter over her sudden death spat. “Poor kid’s already tortured in those forums. You wanna join us, (Y/n)?”

“No one wants to play undercover incel in Reddit forums but you,” whispered Reiner to Connie, earning the two of them a nudge from Sasha.

Knowing that most of them would be in the garden to make up for the days lost to work, (Y/n)’s mind began to work its wonders. Feigning fatigue, she leaned her head to the side, ”Thanks, but I think I’ll sit in the onsen for now.”Rolled her shoulders to make her sound convincing enough. ”Stunts and stuff, you know.”

“Ahh,” Reiner agreed with a nod. “So, are you planning to find a double for the next season?” His question brought a sour expression to all their faces.

Next season and yet it hid behind the word that had so many of their fans wailing on every social media platform they could get their hands on. The ‘Final’ season of the show they started filming as eighteen-year-olds with baby faces was coming to an end. Interviews were scheduled left and right while the trailer played in the background.

Connie hit Reiner’s shoulder. “Dude, we just finished part one yesterday. What the fuck?”

“Yeah, Rei-rei.” Agreed Sasha as she pushed random buttons to hide the sound of snacks falling over one after the other. “By the way, Mikasa went in when all of us were done.”

“Ah,” (Y/n) hoped they didn’t catch the obvious change in her tone, which surprised her as well, along with the corner of her mouth being tugged in . . . excitement. “I’ll see if I’m not that tired, yeah? Then I’ll join you out there.”

“Sure, sure.”

“See you at dinner!”

Mouth hung open and her eyes unblinking, Mikasa’s head was free from any thought.

Tomorrow wasn’t a day of being an actress with hectic schedules calling for her to sign this or that. Or asking her manager to read an endorsement offer. She’d only be waking up in the comfort of a mini-vacation at the inn Kenny and Kuchel paid to host them and no one else. Hey, eyes glossed over the other onsen, watching its tap drip droplets of water before it spilt over the floor again.

Something as small as that in the silent atmosphere of the onsen put her in a trance that no one could break if they walked in at that very moment.

Even the slide of the door opening didn’t phase her, though her mind began counting. Everyone was done, right? No one else was about to join her in the onsens?

Ymir pulled Historia and Sasha to join her in the garden where they’d try rollerblading instead of skateboarding. Pieck reluctantly left Mikasa alone in the onsen, it was annoying to reassure her that she was comfortable with the silence they’ll leave her in. And Gabi needed to be carried by her manager to her room after falling asleep brought by the comfort of warm water.

So who was it?

Another important guest who paid enough to be beside them or a stalker finally taking a chance on her.

”Hey, Mika,” Her soft greeting echoed along the walls followed by the stool she placed on the shower grounds.

oh.

It was only her.

Relaxing into the water and leaning further into the wall where her chin rested above the water, Mikasa even dared to close her eyes. Listening closely to (Y/n) humming the tune she’d heard from the post-production team as she rinsed her body.

Then careful footsteps above the wet floor— courtesy of Ymir and Sasha breaking onsen etiquette and initiating a water fight— to join her in the rotenburo. “Did you try the other tubs?”

“No,” Mikasa’s tone was raspy from being quiet since she got to the inn. “Sasha and Ymir,” she didn’t need to say anything more. Their names together in a sentence alone was enough of an explanation.

Submerging her legs and folding the towel, (Y/n)’s eyes wandered around the empty onsen. It was really only the two of them. “Do you wanna try them tomorrow together? In the morning?”

“I’d sleep here if I could.”

“Where did you put your towel?” She asked, looking for a bench.

Cracking an eye open, Mikasa teased (Y/n) with a small smile. “I was the last one to come in, didn’t need to cover up.”

“Ah-hah,” swallowing the sudden lump to keep it down, (Y/n) waded through the water to place the towel on the faux boulders surrounding the tub. She knew that the heat n her cheeks wasn’t from the water’s temperature.

It was Mikasa’s way with words. “Come.” How she said something that heavily implied something with a soft glare on her face.

“I’m sorry, what?” Made (Y/n)’s mind shrink in size and only think of one thing. Kneeling in the water, its warmth relaxed her stiff body, her skin slowly adjusting to it. “Com. . .”

“This is an onsen, you need to keep your hair up, come.” Mikasa patted the boulder beside her where (Y/n) could rest her head. “Wanna sit with me?”

“You don’t need to tell me twice, Mika.” Knowing what she wanted, (Y/n) stood up. Displaying all of her body that now glistened because of the water and began walking towards Mikasa. She knew what she wanted, and that’s exactly what she’ll get.

Making the spot across her place, (Y/n) pushed her chest out, enjoying the lustful gaze that slowly began to creep into her lover’s face. With her hand open. “Give me.”

Though instead of the expected hair tie, Mikasa sighed. No one else would come in, they were sure of it. Allowing herself to rest her face in (Y/n)’s an open hand, she gave her a look that said enough as she rose to her knees. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry,” feeling Mikasa’s wet skin against her, (Y/n)’s slit ached with need. Whispering,

“I wanna do it here.” before closing the gap between them.

Nowhere were their lips connecting an innocent kiss. It was desperation. The longing for each other in the past months came crashing down in a heated need to get the best of each other’s taste.

“Cute,” giggled (Y/n) at the disappointment on Mikasa’s face. “C’mon, tell me. Where do we go from here?”

“I—” the thought of even saying it to the open air of the onsen brought so much embarrassment to Mikasa’s face. Her pink cheeks being cradled by (Y/n) as the girl waited for her answer made her knees weak. “Wait.”

Settling back to the place she sat in the onsens, only this time watching (Y/n)’s face as she said in a slow but sure tone, “How did you play with yourself in those months?”

Joining her in the water, (Y/n) rested her head on Mikasa’s shoulder blade. A fingertip ghosting over her nipple, “I was imagining us.” Pressing down her thumb, a gasp escaped. “We were each other’s whores, and,” snaking down, her hand stopped at her stomach to end the telling of such a dirty fantasy with a giggle, “One of us was definitely squirting.”

Mikasa’s hand that rested on the small of (Y/n)’s back crept up to stroke the inside of her thigh. “Why not both of us?” She angled her head to look at her. “Show me.”

An open-mouthed kiss stole the confidence she’d built up from (Y/n)’s words. Built-up desperation took control of both their minds and bodies, as she moved her legs open. Her arousal met with warm water that made heat spread inside her body. “Oh wow,” agreed (Y/n), selfishly rubbing her clit, amused by how much more her body demanded.

“Oh fuck, fuck—” noticing Mikasa’s waiting gaze, the two fingers pleasuring her under the water was brought to her lips, “Taste me.” Was what she demanded, prying her lips open.

Keeping her distracted with her fingers, (Y/n) put a hand on Mikasa’s knee to angle herself.

“Mika, can I—” A piercing cry of her name when it was her who thrust her hips at (Y/n). Swollen clits kissing each other in a frenzy of touching each other.

Her untied hair dipped in the water as Mikasa towered over her, keeping a hand on the floor as she sloppily moved her clit against her. Narrowed eyes glared down at (Y/n) who was a shell of her confident self, all teary-eyed and a yipping bitch who only knew ‘Please Mika-chan,’.

Below her, (Y/n) played with a hardened nipple as her nearing orgasm began to make itself known. “I’m close, what the fuck?!” She whined, arching her back. “Mika-chan, did you miss me that much?”

“Ye-yeah,” she was close, too. Red-faced and her voice hoarse, Mikasa’s hips stopped. “Do something for me,” she said, fingers tangling in (Y/n)’s hair. Coming close, her clit met hers again.

So did her hardened bud in (Y/n)’s waiting mouth. “That— keep doing that,” she sighed. Closing her eyes as her hips rolled against (Y/n)’s.

Selfish licks and teeth tugging at it, (Y/n) thumb and index finger rolled the other one. Splashes of water in the onsen echoed, and Mikasa knew that they needed to be careful to walk around.

A loud pop when (Y/n) pulled away, “Ah shit, Mika!” Her squirming body stilled. Their eyes turned wide, a tear from pleasure sliding down to the side of her face. “Did you cum, too?”

If she could walk after that. A kiss to the side of her head. “I was about to.”

”Oh,” a pout formed. “You wanna do that again?”

“Don’t worry,” It was Mikasa who stood up this time, wading to where she could lay her back. Hair falling to her shoulders after removing the clamp that held it together, she sat down, feet resting on the ledge.

Fingers spread her sex wide, and a smile to invite (Y/n) closer to her. “We can do something else.”

#nick writes fics #mikasa ackerman x you #mikasa ackerman x reader #mikasa ackerman x reader smut #aot collab #aot fanfiction #aot smut #anythingbutcollab

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commenter2 · 3 months

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Hazbin Hotel season 2 episode ideas

Though season 1 of Hazbin Hotel ended a while ago, it’s been made clear since the announcement date of season 1 that season 2 of Hazbin Hotel is already in production and could come out earlier then we think.

Sure Vivzie will likely want to wrap up on Helluva Boss season 2 now, but I could still see HH season 2 coming out around late 2025/early 2026. Hopefully all the success the first season of Hazbin Hotel brought convinces the people at A24 and Amazon to give VIvzie and the others more funding to make more episodes for season 2 and/or get the next season out sooner.

Only time will tell, but till there here are a few ideas for episodes that I could see happening in Hazbin Hotel season 2 in no particular order.

Trial S2x01: Lute vs. Hazbin Hotel- A possible idea for the season 2 premiere. We find out that ever since Lute became in charge of the Exorcist and is still angry at Charlie and co., Lute has been threatening to use the Exorcist army to attack Hell more often than just once a year, or put the Exorcist army on strike, unless Heaven punishes Charlie and her friends for the murder of Adam. Heaven in a combination of fearing of what could happen if Lute does anything like this, and that Adam’s death was indeed a shock, does decide to at least hold a trial to assemble the whole story of what happened and if someone is possibly responsible and should be punished. Things get intense when Lute negotiates a deal where if she wins this trial, she wants Niffty to be executed since she was the one who killed Adam.

This could be a good way to recap the events of last season as Heaven could use their version of the MMPR viewing globe to show events of the past AKA clips. To not make it a full clip show, I could see the episode review the events through the eyes of certain characters where we see the events shown in certain ways like Charlie has a lot of things look very happy, Husk see’s everything in a Noir setting, and Angel has all the male characters be very sexy before Heaven tells him to stop XD. We also could have segments where the angels give some of the backstory of several characters when they were human like Angel Dust, Niffty, and Husk. Sadly no Alastor as that deserves its own episode.

There is also the possibility of Charlie and the gang find out what happened to Sir Pentious while there, or not which could lead to plot of a future episode but more on that later.

In the end Heaven finds Charlie and co. not guilty cause they were technically in their rights to defend themselves, BUT Niffty is forced to go to court ordered therapy. Lute is furious at this decision and it is made worse when while out of the court she overhears that some angels/winners are glad/don’t mind that Adam is gone. This drives Lute insane and secretly vows to destroy Charlie’s hotel, the forces of Hell, and the “traitors”, in Heaven. This could lead to something related to the Lilith Imposter theory or hint at a future threat to the series, as someone tricks Lute into allying with it. Charlie and the Hazbin crew happily return to the hotel thankful that nothing big happened to them until they see Lucifer there with Lilith, surprising them especially Charlie.

Grand Reopening- Another possible choice for the season 2 premiere. I talked a little bit about this in my review of season 1 finale, but I could the first episode of season 2 starting with a bit of a recap of the events of season 1 told by Katie Killjoy and Tom Trench, where through them we also find out what has happened to everyone and Hell/Heaven since the season 1 finale. It could then cut to Charlie and the others going back to the season 1 problem of trying to recruit more guest for the Hotel and depending on if they know about Sir Pentious’ fate, how they can redeem a sinner. After shenanigans and problems, like now people don’t want to be associated with the people the Exorcist hate or poking at Charlie at still not knowing how to redeem sinners (again if she doesn’t know about Pentious), they do recruit a few more people like Mimzy, Baxter, and that Cryimini character to name a few possibilities which makes Charlie happy but then the episode ends on a cliffhanger with Lilith appearing to say hello to Charlie, much to her and all the S1 character’s shock.

If it isn’t the season premiere, then I still see it being about Charlie and the gang having another attempt to try to get some residents in the redemption program, but the same problems from the previous paragraph still happen and maybe Lilith’s new presence there makes things awkward until she tells Charlie about something (maybe the story of Dante’s Purgatorio) that helps her in a way. It also could hint at something being up with “Lilith”.

Party Time- To celebrate Lilith’s return, the Morningstars hold a party to welcome her back. While happy to see her mom back, Charlie also thinks this would be a good chance to get some news clients for her hotel and to get people in Hell to help support her dream, but sadly her plans are put on hold when the Von Eldritch family arrive.

For the rest of the episode we see various characters deal with the family members like Charlie dealing with her rival Helsa, Seviathan bothering/annoying both Charlie and Vaggie by bringing up how he and Charlie dated in the past, Angel clashing with Bethesda while Niffty wants to learn from her, and Fredrick talking to Husk and Alastor about business ideas, deals, and “deals”.

Pentious’ Paradiso- A Sir Pentious centered episode where we see him handle his new life in Heaven and being shown around by Emily like the poem the episode’s title is referencing. An episode like this is another chance to learn more unique things about Heaven and how it works, as well as be introduced to/foreshadow more angels and angelic characters that can appear later like archangel Michael and Jesus Christ.

If Charlie doesn’t know that Sir Pentious is in Heaven, then the main story for this episode would be how Sera has, until further noticed, forbidden Pentious and Emily from informing Charlie that he is there. They of course don’t like this as they think she is trying to stop Charlie’s plan, as I can imagine there being people in Heaven fighting against Charlie’s redemption program at this point, so they decide to go against the order and try to contact Charlie to confirm that redemption is possible for sinners. They eventually succeed (Helluva Boss did show us that Hell can receive video from Heaven) but of course get caught afterwards, where Emily takes the blame. The episode could end in 2 ways with Emily instantly becoming a fallen angel, or it’s another step to her facing such a eventually fate. I prefer the second option as her becoming a fallen angel should happen dramatically and after doing something really big like maybe cursing in front of someone XD.

A Day in the Garden- This is a prequel episode that would showing us how Lucifer met Lilith, the day they gave the apple to Eve and Adam, and Lucifer and Lilith being banished to Hell. It’s a fun episode that could give us more info on how things came to be, and maybe foreshadow things to come later in the season or series like something related to the Lilith Imposter theory I’ve been talking about.

Field Trip- During another debate between Charlie and Heaven about how a soul is truly judged, someone brings up the idea if Earth could somehow have a factor in it. After both sides take interest in seeing if it does Charlie, Emily, and a few other characters are allowed to visit Earth to do some research. This would be a fun episode as we could see how both react to Earth, as it was implied that Charlie likely never went to Earth, or not as much.

Such an episode could also have references to Helluva Boss, like seeing Blitzo and co. in the background or maybe Charlie and co. find Cletus and his other banished Cherubs there and try to get them to help with the redemption process. Not to mention it would be a good excuse to see the human disguises for characters.

End of Act 1- The season 2 finale. I’m calling it this cause I’m personally hoping for Hazbin Hotel to have at least 4 to 5 seasons, I mean if Helluva Boss is getting 4 then so should Hazbin Hotel. It’s also a callback to how the title of the S1 premiere is a reference to how a play/musical starts and how the finale didn’t end with such a title as this.

Some things I can see happening here is that Alastor calls in his favor to Charlie and this causes Lilith to do something that along with spelling out bad news later on in the series, finally reveals that she has been an Imposter for most of the season as if the Imposter Lilith theory does turn out to be true, it would get old wonder if the character was really her or not.

Maybe said Imposter gets destroyed, only for an eviler threat to be hinted at for the next season.

That is all I can think of right now, but I’m sure there are other ideas for what could happen next season like the eventual Vox confronting Alastor, Angel getting free for Valentino and seeing the moth pimp try to get him back, and an episode about the other Overlords like Zilla and Zestial.

Do you want to see any of these episodes happen in season 2? What could you see happening?

#hazbin hotel #vivziepop #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel lilith #hazbin hotel sir pentious #hazbin hotel emily

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littlemisstfc · 6 months

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Why TFP Doesn't Work For Me Anymore:

Hello, Hola, こんにちは。

Welcome back to this side of the Hundred Acre Woods. I do miss the feeling of writing on Tumblr here, so from here on and for a New Years resolution, I’ll try to write a new post every other week with thoughts I’ve had since December 2022. A lot has happened since I’ve started grad school and I have a part time job now, so there will be periods of inactivity. Hopefully, my writing can reflect my current opinions right to the best of my abilities, and I hope that you all enjoy them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alright, let’s cut to the chase: I kind of think Transformers Prime isn’t good, to me at least. Let me make it very clear: just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you should stop loving it. After all, the world would be boring if we all shared the same opinion. I’m letting you all right now: I will be dropping a lot of bombshells that will rub off some of you the wrong way. For that, I advise skipping out on this one. Anyways…Transformers Prime is objectively a good show. The animation is the show’s biggest strengths, characters like Ratchet, Knockout, and Dreadwing are fun and interesting, the humor is good, I appreciate its commitment to darker subject matter, and several episodes such as, “Thirst” and “Stronger, Faster” are perhaps one of the best pieces of Transformers media in general. But…at the same time, it’s kind of messy.

From a lack of commitment to storylines to characters that don't feel put together to having stuff that screams Unfortunate Implications to its ending, Transformers Prime is a show that I stray from the more I get older and I have exposure to more Transformers media. On one hand, I appreciate this show being the reason why I got back into Transformers and hell, it’s a part of my username after all aksksksksksjsjsjsjsjsjkakakasa. It also made an impact on Transformers through characters like Knockout appearing in other media. On the other hand, I felt like its godlike status doesn’t make it exempt from criticism. No media is truly perfect, and it’s about time I get into the nitty gritty of why I’m not fond of TFP. Even if you don’t agree with me, at least hear me out.

3, 2, 1, Pingu.

MY FINISH-

My main problem with Transformers Prime is the lack of commitment to furthering certain storylines as well as character growth. Sure, there is character growth from characters such as Arcee and storylines like Starscream trying to be the boss he wanted to be are quite entertaining. However, at the same time, its commitment to its own status quo made this show an entire chore to watch. It felt like a majority of characters are still the same ol by the end of the series, like it felt like what could’ve been sources of character growth are instead ignored in the next episode. The Bulkhead getting sick storyline is the best example of this issue. At one point in Season 2, Bulkhead got infected with toxic energon and it seemed like he would have to stay behind on base. On paper, it’s an interesting premise. It could give him a storyline of feeling insecure over no longer being the bruiser of the team, and learning to overcome these insecurities through ways such as recognizing his other strengths. At the same time, Miko deals with her anxiety over Bulkhead’s predicament and the episode, “Hurt” is the proof of the writing potential here. However, it ended up being resolved too quickly after Smokescreen entered the picture. Bulkhead ended up recovering from his illness rather quickly and his small feud with Smokescreen is over and the next episode, they’re kiking with each other.

Along with other storylines such as the Orion Pax arc, Starscream becoming a neutral at one point, and the Predacons arc, the entire show is like this. It also doesn’t help that characters like Breakdown and Airachnid are thrown to the side, mainly due to their voice actors being too expensive to hire. Meanwhile, other characters like Dreadwing were also killed off due to the show refusing to change the status quo for the sake of furthering the story. And why is this the problem? Well…this show is one of the most notorious examples of Troubled Production.

In shorter words, the show experienced a lot of production trouble in the writing and budget department, which is mostly John Hasbro’s doing. The company meddled one too many times throughout the show’s entire run, especially with the casting and writing. Originally, the third season was supposed to be about pirates, but a new director was then hired and they basically said, “nope, fuck that,” and made the entire team rewrite the story from scratch. It’s gotten so bad that an ex crew member created an entire ass binder of everything that went wrong. Just, my god...

The amount of production issues definitely reflected in the show itself. Its strict adherence to Status Quo Is God, having what seems to be a game changing storyline and doing nothing with it, is so frustrating, because the potential of the writing is there. It wants to say something, but couldn’t because the problem behind the curtain is too much to ignore.

"It's Knockout's fault." "Precisely, my-WHAT!?"

First things first, I hate Jack.

Next.

Most of the cast is fine. Ratchet and Knockout are the best characters of their respective character groups, Fowler is the best human character, Miko & Raf are precious, Bee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Smokescreen are enduring and likable, Shockwave, Starscream, Soundwave, and Breakdown are the scene stealers besides the best characters I mentioned. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned production issues, these characters made me ask one question: who are they? Not only does the writing and story never commit to the biggest twists the shows set up, but it never explores any of the characters’ story arcs and motivations. We never learn anything about these people. True, characters like Miko and Ratchet do get character development. However, with characters like Arcee and Starscream, their pain are the only focus that is, “character growth.” Arcee is reduced to her trauma of losing her partners, and the show never allowed her time to grieve properly. In fact, it seems to condemn her for acting like any other person who has to deal with their loved ones’ killers. By the end, her grief and learning to cope with it is pushed aside and it feels like Cliffjumper and Tailgate’s deaths amount to nothing. To have the most prominent female Transformer reduced to her pain is no different from making a female character in TFA be tied to a man’s pain. It’s kind of disgusting of the show to be so dismissive of her storyline like that. Like…I’m sorry, but she deserves fucking better. And it’s no different with Starscream. Homeboy endured so much horrific shit for far longer than is comfortable, and for the show to just push his pain as, “karma” is fucking disgusting. True, he ain’t no saint and he only has himself to blame for his flaws and behavior. However, by having him be the countless target of abuse throughout the show, it only made me want to help him leave the Decepticons for good. He deserves better. It’s why I appreciate Earthspark existing, because it called out his Butt Monkey status and shows how it deeply affects him. And speaking of who is responsible for dishing out this abuse, it’s time to speak about the one half of two characters whom I don’t especially kiki with.

Megatron is just an irredeemable monster here. I love truly despicable and evil characters as much as the next guy, but with this guy, he just feels so off. The jarring disconnect between his backstory and how much of a despicable piece of shit he is results in a character that felt too evil, not to mention filled with the Unfortunate Implications of having a revolutionary with strokes of current social issues turn into a flat out bad guy turned up to 100. Before any of you say, “erm, actually IT HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE” to me, let me point this out: I’m approaching this as a person of color. The revolutionary Megatron characterization is a trope that is botched most of the time, because it doesn’t have the nuance and approach that is required to pull it off. If done well, we have Earthspark Megatron (so far). As a result, we have TFP Megatron.

He’s just that: evil. It also doesn’t help that he has a half assed redemption arc in Predacons Rising. “I now know the true meaning of oppression.” BITCH, YOU FUCKING KILLED PEOPLE. This entire storyline doesn't make up for the utterly despicable shit he did throughout the series. With him still alive, it felt like he faced no consequences for his actions. Him dying and with his body on Earth, with the last face he saw being the one he brutalized the most, is an appropriate punishment! Yes, him being alive and dealing with the consequences of his actions is also a good punishment. However, with the sudden rush from point A to B, his resolve to self exile himself doesn’t feel earned. To me, he doesn’t seem like he’s truly sorry for his actions. Like…EWWW. Fuck out of here, he’ll never be Earthspark Megatron.

Yes, it’s a joy to see Frank Welker back as Megatron. Yes, he has admittingly few moments of being a delicious evil bastard. Yes, I do understand why some would like the redemption arc. However, for me, he doesn’t work for me.

Now to the other half, we get to the other half of the characters I don’t kiki with. Good lord…this Optimus is just ehhh. Except for the few moments of the same warmth I associate with Optimus, he is just there. He doesn’t feel like a character; he feels like the start of the motivations of other characters. He’s the Deus Ex Machina when the situation gets too serious. We never got any moment to truly know about him as a person, his dynamic with the team feel like they’re more coworkers like a family, and the “Primes don’t party” logic only feels like an excuse to justify him being the Stoic and Serious Optimus characterization that plagues the 2010s. When you compare him to other Optimi, it feels like a jarring disconnect. TFA Optimus shows that you can have an Optimus with a personality and Bayverse Optimus shows that you can have a stoic Optimus with more to him than meets the eye. Plus, moments such as his conversation with Arcee after the entire fiasco with Starscream in Season 1 just feels like condescending compassion at best. Sure, he has well meaning intentions. However, as the bestie Tea-mew explains, it comes across as him invalidating Arcee’s trauma. Just because he is an older figure doesn’t make him correct all the time. She doesn’t owe anything to Starscream and Airachnid, she has every right to feel angry and disgusted at them both. Just god, it’s this moment that pretty much made me decide not to vibe with him anymore. Plus, with how Orion Pax is more interesting and had more development than Optimus ever did, that’s when the writers should’ve looked at the script twice.

Yes, it’s a joy to see Peter Cullen as Optimus again. Yes, he has his fair share of charming moments. Yes, I understood that he has his own fair share of tragedies that made him the way he is. However, like Megatron, for me, he doesn’t work for me. Notice how I used the same wording here. For me, they both don’t work for me. They’re perhaps one of my least favorite versions of the characters, especially since other Transformers media showed that you can make them both interesting characters. Stoicism doesn’t justify blandness, and evilness doesn’t justify blandness. If you like them, that’s okay. I rather not bother with them both.

Welp, there goes my Twitter follower count.

There are other issues plaguing the series. As much of a fun and interesting character he is, Knockout is also a gay stereotype. I’ll talk about it more sometime in the future, but in shorter terms: this bit from the TFWiki on Knockout’s page is all you need to know.

“When asked at BotCon 2011, the Prime writers said that there is no designation for gay, or straight, for that matter, on Cybertron, where Transformers are created by the AllSpark, not through sexual reproductions. They also said that Knock Out is a knock out, and that the Nemesis is a very "don't ask, don't tell" place. And then they jokingly deflected the matter, claiming that Knock Out's mannerisms are not caused by any particular orientation, but are simply eccentricities caused by "a glitch in the AllSpark" the day he was created... which is unintentionally so insulting to gay people that it could create an awkward silence in the Void."

Okay, WHAT THE ACTUAL F-

Season 2 feels like a mish mash of things the writers were throwing at the board that day. While Season 3 hit the highs of Season 1, it's also a mish mash that is poorly constructed. We never really got closure on characters like Airachnid and Shockwave. Predacons Rising represents everything that affects Prime in the long run, except for a few gems throughout. Like I said, Prime is objectively a good show. However, compared to other Transformers shows, it’s an aesthetic, no substance type of show. If you wanna watch a show filled with a small cast of characters, set on Earth, deal with heavier subject matter, and have exciting moments, just go watch Beast Wars. This show feels like Transformers if it was written by a 12 year old edgelord. The show has a dark and brooding aesthetic, but the story really isn’t. It doesn’t have a lot to say about the premise of Transformers, as well as confusing violence and edginess for complex stories and characters. In fact, let me say this: TFP is too afraid to commit to change and it greatly suffers for it.

Conclusion: Once again…

I wanna make it clear again that just because I don’t like Transformers Prime doesn’t mean you should stop loving it. Don’t let my opinions influence yours. If you like, that’s great.

I felt bad about my current opinions about Prime as a whole because it does deserves its flowers and fanbase for what it does for Transformers as a whole. However, it’s also not a flawless masterpiece like everyone says it is.

I’m most likely never gonna rewatch it again cause it’s not my thing, and that’s okay. In case I do, I just watch clips of my favorite moments. The ultimate irony is that I have the initials of the show I don’t Kiki with anymore. I could change it, but it’s like the annoying younger sibling to me. I can’t really get rid of it aksksksk.

While I appreciate this show for getting me back into Transformers and for bringing characters like Knockout into mainline Transformers, it’s just not for me.

Anyways, Pingu.

#tf discourse #val talks

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stargazer-sims · 11 months

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Journal Entry #51 (part one)

previously - Journal Entry #50

Victor

Hey everyone!

Guess who got one of his casts off?

Spoiler alert: it's me!

My right wrist only had a partial fracture, and after looking at my latest x-rays, Dr. Sato said the bone is completely knitted together now. I started physio for my right arm today, and guess what else? I'm cleared for limited daytime driving and light exercise, and the doctor says that if I keep progressing at this rate, she'll fully clear me for all my normal activities in a month. That means snowboarding. It means I can start training again, and eventually competing again if I want to.

Yuri doesn't like the idea of me getting back into competition, but he said he won't try to stop me if it's what I want. What I really want is to make it into the FIS World Championship next year and hopefully place in the top ten. Ideally, I'd like to be on the medal podium, but I have to be realistic about it. Naturally, I'm aiming for the top, but it's just that I have to be prepared not to achieve that, because as I've learned, anything can happen.

But, I've promised Yuri that I'll retire at the end of next season, regardless of the outcome at Worlds. If I have a year to mentally prepare myself for my retirement, maybe it won't be so difficult.

Dr. Sato says it'll be at least another two to three weeks before my left arm is ready to come out of its cast, and she says I'll likely have to wear a wrist brace for a few more weeks after that. Even though I'm itching to get back on the slopes, I'm trying to look on the bright side. Having one of my hands back in service has made a massive difference in the level of help I need, so I definitely shouldn't be complaining.

Talking about my arms makes me realize just how much time has actually passed since I recorded anything here. It's been about five and a half weeks since my accident, and the last time I made an entry was a little over two weeks after it. So, basically that's three weeks of radio silence. Sorry for that.

It's been a chaotic three weeks, but Yuri and I have been managing. Mom and Julian already went home, and Uncle Kaz left the day before yesterday, but Yuri's parents are still here to look after us. We're getting lots of support from our friends as well.

Yuri finally got out of the hospital after having been in there for seventeen days. He's still mostly on bed rest at home, but I can see him improving little by little each day. He’s sleeping less and eating regularly now, and doesn’t seem to be in as much pain as he was before.

More than anything, I'm beyond grateful that he's eating. I don't even care that his meals are tiny and mostly consist of yogurt, fruit and rice, or that he has to be coaxed to eat, or that somebody often has to feed him. Anything's better than an NG tube.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Seiji was dead-on about the strawberry mochi. It did, in fact, turn out to be the thing that convinced Yuri to try taking one small bite of something. Seriously, never underestimate the power of desserts.

Now that I've mentioned Seiji, I should give you a little update on him, too. He ended up moving to the city after all, despite my best efforts at talking him into staying around.

You may have guessed the brilliant idea I had that day in the park was for Seiji to help take care of Yuri once he was released from the hospital. I thought it was a stroke of genius. It'd give Seiji a purpose and a reason not to leave, and it'd avoid the necessity of having a stranger look after Yuri while he's recovering. Unfortunately, neither Seiji nor Yuri went for it. That's not to say we didn't ultimately solve the problem anyway, but I'll tell you more about that in a minute.

The last I heard from Seiji, he'd gotten a job in a convenience store, just like he predicted he would. I'm not sure he's entirely happy with it, but he didn't seem happy here any more either, so I guess he might as well be unhappy with a change of scenery. I'd much rather he was happy, of course, but I have no control over that. Happiness is an inside job, after all. We each have to get into the mindset of choosing happiness for ourselves.

As for me, I can honestly say I'm happy in spite of everything. Setbacks notwithstanding, the future’s looking good for Yuri and me.

In light of Dr. Sato's prognosis for my recovery and my ability to return to competitive snowboarding, I got in contact with Luke Smith, my former coach back home to see whether he'd consider taking me on as a student again. He said he couldn't do it, but he told me that he had the perfect person in mind for me to train with, and when he told me who it was, I might've shouted a little bit with excitement.

Apparently one of my former teammates, Davey Duke — or Daisy, as everyone calls him — is planning to retire at the end of this season, but is looking to stay actively involved with the sport. Daisy and I were always great friends, and we've kept in sporadic contact since I've been in Japan. Also, the guy's a freakin' rockstar. Having him for a coach, I'd be the envy of pretty much every other competitor in the sport.

Luke said he'd pitch the idea to Daisy and get back to me, but as it happened, I didn't have to wait for Luke. Within two hours of that conversation with my old coach, I had a text from Daisy that was in all caps with a huge string of exclamation marks. "YES, MY DUDE!!!!!! LET'S DO IT!!!!!!!"

That matter having been unequivocally taken care of, Yuri and I have turned our attention to planning our move at the end of May. The goal is to be there and settled in well before Mom and Julian's wedding on the eleventh of June. We officially made an offer on the haunted house, which was quickly accepted, and we’ve transferred our down payment.

We’d been hoarding money for that down payment since the house went on the market, and we’re kinda broke now until Yuri gets next month’s allowance from his trust fund, but I can live with it. I’ve been broke before and survived.

One of the lawyers at Uncle Stephen's firm is dealing with all the legal details of the house purchase for us, which is a huge relief. An even bigger relief is that Uncle Stephen is personally handling Yuri's immigration paperwork, and he's waiving his fees.

In related news, I'm still debating with myself what to do about school. I've almost entirely made up my mind that I'm going to study nursing, but I'm waiting for my next appointment with Dr. Ishida before I commit to that choice completely. Dr. Ishida's pronouncement about my ability to read having more to do with my vision than my intelligence is still sinking in, and I want to get my glasses and be sure I actually can read as well as she thinks I can before I sign myself up for a course with lots of required reading.

The other thing I have to decide is if I'm going to try to start school this September or if I'm going to defer my studies for a year. I think it might be difficult to do a course with a clinical component while I'm competing. I'd have to travel for competitions, but I'd also have to prioritize my clinical placements, and since it's impossible to be in two places at once, I'd have to pick one. I think that'd be a less than ideal situation.

Meanwhile, Yuri has decided to take a leave of absence from his job at FutureBright Communications. His boss, Mr. Tanaka, assured him that he could still work remotely even if he was living in Canada, but Dr. Kasongo suggested that it'd be in his best interests not to work at all for a while. She thinks it makes more sense to focus on his health without having to cope with the pressure and stress of work.

Yuri resisted at first, but I think Mr. Tanaka might've guided him toward seeing reason. I know he really trusts and respects Mr. Tanaka, and I think the promise that there'd still be a job for him when he's ready to come back to work helped.

The human resources lady from FutureBright phoned here a few days ago to fill out the paperwork for short-term disability insurance benefits with him. He'll be covered for six months, which will get him through the spring and summer, and then they'll revisit the claim in early September to see if it'll need to be renewed for a further six months or if he can return to his job.

Personally, I think this is the perfect arrangement. Who wouldn't want a free summer in Willow Creek, with a percentage of their pay still coming in? Yuri can devote his time to getting healthy and doing things he enjoys, and when I'm not busy with work or training, we'll be able to go on all kinds of awesome adventures together. I'm really looking forward to that.

Another thing both Yuri and I are looking forward to is having Takahiro and Fox join us in Willow Creek this summer. Fox is from the Willow Creek-Newcrest area, and when his visa expires at the beginning of August he'll be returning, and he's bringing Taka with him.

Normally, one might expect that they'd stay with Fox's parents, but apparently the Abbottsfords dislike "foreigners" and have some sort of weird moral objection to the fact that their son is in a relationship with a man. They sound like totally charming people, right?

According to Taka, Fox's father hasn’t even spoken to him since November, which utterly blows my mind. My mom and I would be beside ourselves if we were out of contact for more than a day or two, much less for whole months at a stretch. Even when Yuri's relationship with his dad was at its worst, they still spoke to each other every couple of weeks.

Just as an aside, Yuri talks to his dad daily now, and sometimes multiple times a day. I love to see how much closer they're growing lately, and it almost makes me sad that we're moving because it means Yuri won't get to spend as much time with him. But, like Mr. Okamoto has assured us, they'll come and visit and they can certainly still find ways to talk every day.

Anyway, in light of all the racist and homophobic nonsense with Fox's parents, Yuri and I have already agreed that Fox and Taka can stay with us if they want to, until they find a place of their own. The haunted house has a couple of extra bedrooms in the basement, so they can have whichever one of those isn't Sachiko's room.

Yeah, Sachiko the ghost has decided to remain in the house. Robert and Kim MacAllister, the current owners, told us that they offered to bring her home to Mt. Komorebi, but she wanted to stay and see what it'd be like to share a home with people her own age.

That was kind of funny to me. I mean, Kim and Robert are in their early seventies, and as far as they can determine, Sachiko died about seventy-five years ago, so they're technically closer to her age than we are. Still, I get what she meant. She was in her early twenties when she died, and Yuri and I are in our mid-twenties now, so there's a certain logic to her choice.

Robert and Kim explained that they bought Sachiko a flower-arranging station, and decorated a bedroom for her, and even set a place at the table for her at mealtimes. Being a ghost, Sachiko doesn't need to eat or sleep, but they wanted to help her feel like part of the family. Yuri and I are planning to continue with that, so of course we can't give away her bedroom, even if she doesn't actually sleep in it.

Now, the only hurdle left to face is how we're going to break the news to Taka that our haunted house literally is haunted. Up to this point, he's seemed to think it's some kind of elaborate joke. He's not a big fan of the paranormal, and I think he might not want to stay with us when he finally grasps the fact that Sachiko is real.

But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, as my grandpa Michael likes to say. We'll certainly have plenty of opportunity to address the subject, since we've been seeing a lot more of Taka and Fox lately.

And why is that, you ask? Seiji may not have bought into my plan to help take care of Yuri, but Fox and Taka did. Or more specifically, Fox did, and because he already has his partner wrapped firmly around his little finger, our dear friend Takahiro is along for the proverbial ride.

I'd like to take full credit for planning our circumstances to evolve this way, but I can't. In reality, Fox volunteered for the job and Yuri, perhaps concluding that we didn't have a lot of viable options, accepted his offer.

It happened a few days before Yuri got out of the hospital. I was there with him when Fox and Taka showed up for a visit. Yuri hadn’t been very talkative. He'd had a bad morning and really didn't want to do anything except be cuddled, but that hadn't put Taka and Fox off. They seemed happy enough to sit there and chat with me.

Fox was excited because he's learning to drive and would be getting his learner's permit soon. He happily declared that there'd be no stopping him once he had his own wheels, whereupon Taka emphasized the need for his own, because he certainly wasn't going to be driving Yuzu. Oh... If no one's mentioned it before, Taka has this SUV that he and Seiji painted an absolutely eye-popping shade of yellow. He calls it Yuzu, after the fruit, and I'm reasonably certain it's his most prized possession.

Meanwhile, Taka was excited because he just finished his first study module in language school. He only started taking English classes at the language school in January, so I felt like his achievement was impressive, and told him so. His English was okay to begin with, but it's improved by leaps and bounds since he started his course. He confided that he wants to get as much learning in as possible before the summer, because he wants to take the immigration language test so he can apply for a study permit and go to college in Canada.

"Looks like you've got a busy spring, then," I remarked.

"Yeah," Taka agreed. "Because I has big plans."

"I have plans," Fox corrected him, and they both laughed.

"I have plans," Taka repeated dutifully. "Why is that one so hard?"

"You'll get it," Fox said. "Don't worry. You're already so much further ahead than you were when we met."

"Because I practice with you. You're the best teacher I... has." As if the deliberate pause wasn't enough to signal that he'd used the wrong verb tense on purpose this time, Taka bestowed his partner with a cheeky little grin. "Best ever."

That caused Fox to blush an extreme shade of pink, and brought about my turn to laugh. "Anybody ever tell you guys how cute you are?"

"Everyone. All the time," Taka answered cheerfully.

Fox looked flustered, and mumbled something in Japanese that sounded like. "New topic. Begging you."

Taka looked amused. "Now who's showing his good language skills?"

"Maybe we do need a new topic, before Fox starts looking for a place to hide," I said.

"Okay," Taka agreed. "I know when to stop. We can talk about you instead. You're going to Canada before us."

"Yeah, at the end of May, but we've got to get back on our feet and make it through the rest of the winter and the spring, first. One thing at a time, right, Yuri?"

Yuri stirred slightly in my arms and said quietly, "I guess."

"Are you going home soon, Yuri?" Fox asked.

When he didn't reply after several seconds, I said, "His doctor says he can go home in a few days, but she won't release him until we sort out who's going to be looking after him."

"Won't his parents do it?" Taka asked.

"They will, but they can't be with us the whole time," I gestured vaguely with one of my casted arms. "And there's a lot I still can't do, so I'm going to need some help too."

"What exactly do you need?" Fox asked. "Is it like, actual medical stuff, or more like someone to help around the house?"

"The only medical thing would be to make sure Yuri takes his medication when he's supposed to," I said. "But, I can still manage that myself. It's the other stuff that we need help with."

"I could do it," he said.

I wasn't quite sure I'd heard him correctly. "You... what?"

"I could help you, and I'll bet Auntie Keiko would help too, if you asked her."

"I think she would," Taka said. "We can ask."

"You can help too, Takahiro," Fox added.

Taka hadn't appeared to mind being drafted by his boyfriend. "Yes, when I'm not at work."

"Perfect," Fox said. "Victor, even if Auntie can't help, you'll have Taka on Fridays and Sundays if you need him, and I'll be glad to come to your house every day and do what I can."

"You know what you'd be getting into, right?" I asked. "You'd be doing almost everything until I get at least one of these casts off."

"I understand."

As grateful as I was for his offer, I needed to make sure he really did understand. Being able to see properly again, I was able to do a lot more for myself than I could before. I was getting pretty good at using just my fingers to do quite a few things, and I was feeling comfortable picking up lighter objects like dishes or dog toys or laundry, but without the use of my thumbs, there were still plenty of tasks that were outside my ability.

"When I say everything, I mean literally everything," I said. "That'd include personal care, so uh... there'd be kinda gross stuff involved."

Fox laughed. "Are you trying to discourage me?"

"I'm not trying to discourage you. I just don't want you to agree to something without knowing exactly what you'd be in for."

"Thanks." Fox's determination was evident on his face. "I appreciate that, but I can do it."

Taka reached for Fox's hand, and the smile he gave him practically glowed with pride. "You are amazing. You wouldn't have done that before."

"I've learned a lot from you and your parents and Jin," Fox said. "Turns out, I'm capable of a lot more than I ever gave myself credit for, and I'm not scared to challenge myself any more. Plus, remember what you told me when we first met?"

"I told you a lot of stuff," Taka said.

"Yes, but I'm talking about what you said about kindness. You said the best way to repay you for your kindness to me would be for me to pay it forward to someone else some day."

"Right. I remember."

"Well," Fox said. 'I guess this is the day."

I glanced down at Yuri, who was curled tightly against my chest and clearly doing his best not to listen to the conversation. "Hey," I said softly. "Would you be okay with that? With Fox looking after you?"

He nodded and practically whispered. "I... I think I'd be okay with that."

I'm not sure Yuri was entirely relieved, but I can assure you I was. The issue of whether or not we'd need somebody from the home healthcare program had been a big one for us, and something I was glad we no longer had to think about.

Although I felt confident the home care workers were well-trained and trustworthy, my opinion would've made very little difference if Yuri was too scared to have them in the house. Being in constant fear wouldn't help his recovery. And yeah, it'd be easy to say his fear was irrational or unjustified, but given his physical condition as well as his past trauma, I'd tend to disagree. I mean, if I were in his place, I think I'd be scared to let a stranger into my house too, never mind letting them do personal stuff for me.

At least Fox was a known quantity. To be fair, we didn't know him all that well yet, but based on my acquaintance with him up to that point, I was satisfied that he would handle Yuri with care. Besides, I reminded myself, Takahiro's parents trust him to continue to live in their home and not cause any trouble, and apparently Taka's sister Aiko trusts him enough to ask him to babysit her three year old son. I reasoned that if he could manage looking after little Toshiro with no mishaps, then he should be able to handle looking after an adult.

#ts4 #sims 4 #eagames #victorsworldadventures #victor nelson #yuri okamoto #takahiro suzuki #fox abbottsford #tw hospital #tw chronic illness #stargazersims

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definitelynotapossum · 8 months

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Anger

Chapter one of All the Shades of Black: A Stardew Valley fanfic!

You can find the full fic here, or on my ao3!

___________________________

There are plenty of stories about the valley, passed down from generation to generation, only recorded in books and through the memories of those that have lived there for decades. Stories about the people's homes, tales of the dwarves of the underground, historical records of the town's mining era, and novels written by beloved writers who called the region home. These stories became books, and the books became artifacts, before landing in the local library. A tome of ancient history collecting dust, waiting to be opened.

All these stories have one major thing in common: deep roots that tie into the magic surrounding the valley. Some have lost touch with it, while others believe in it truly, with all their heart, and some even take it a step further: studying and mastering it like an art. Regardless of its current state, the spirits and guardians of Stardew Valley are very much alive and thriving, and a new presence within the old farm has stirred them.

The Farmer was new in town, a move-in from Zuzu City center who had claimed the land to the east of town. Mayor Lewis had mentioned she was the granddaughter of Mr. Granger, who had passed years ago, leaving the land to overgrow, and the buildings to rot. When she first saw the state it was in, she about fainted with the realization of the work that needed to be done.

"Whoa. Woah, young Granger." Mayor Lewis said with a hand on her shoulder. He was showing her around the place, with Robin at his side. "I know it's a little overgrown, but nothing that can't be taken care of in a single season. I can give you a set of tools to make the work easier. Consider it a housewarming gift."

"Yeah, and I've already patched up a couple of holes in the roof and replaced the door. If you see anything else that needs tending to, you can just call me." Robin chimed in.

The farmer visibly relaxed a little. Not having to do all the backbreaking work alone lifted some tension off her shoulders, and she happily accepted the farming equipment from Mayor Lewis. "Thanks, you two. I just hope my first year goes smoothly."

"We'll make sure of it! Wouldn't want to scare you off a few months in, would we? First things first, we need to set you up with some crops and livestock." Lewis pointed in the direction of town, along the dirt path that the farmer walked down when she exited the bus. "Pierre's shop is the brick building right next to the clinic. He sells seeds you can use, and other stuff of the sort, and Clint, down by the river, will take care of all your equipment needs."

"And I can upgrade your house and add buildings!" Robin chirped. "I've already got a small chicken coop in the catalog. I live up in the mountains with my husband Dimitrius, and the kids."

Lewis snapped his fingers, remembering something else. "Oh, and your neighbor is Miss Marnie, sweet as can be." Robin smirked knowingly and Lewis hid a blush behind with a cough behind his elbow "She'll supply you with all the animals you can dream of: Chickens, cows, sheep, all that. She's open most days too."

They all turned and looked at the land in front of them. It was overgrown, with bushes, rocks, and sticks scattered everywhere, but the real eyesore was the remnants of some building near the woods. Only wooden beams and broken glass remained, surrounded by tree stumps and vines. Behind that, the farmer swore she saw some sort of tombstone or shrine, and she felt unusual goosebumps travel up her back. "It'll be a lot of work, but I'm happy to be back. Last time I was here was when I was a little girl." She turned back to Lewis and Robin. "Thanks for lookin' after it as best you could while we were gone. Grandpa would be happy to see it's still livable."

"It was no problem, Mrs. Granger. This farm was once the pride and joy of Stardew Valley, and hopefully, it'll be just that once again." They exchanged some more chatter and banter before Lewis signaled Robin to walk with him, and they began to turn to the dirt path leading out of the pasture. "Oh, and one more thing!" Mayor Lewis turned on his heel. "I showed you where the saloon is, right? Stop by tonight! I let everyone know you're coming, and they're all dying to meet you."

The farmer shook her head and smiled, not exactly a social butterfly, but still happy to get to know everyone in town. "Which means I have to show up, eh?"

"Yep!" Lewis chuckled. "We'll see you tonight Mrs. Granger!"

Robin waved bye, and the two of them headed down the dirt path, and away from the farm, leaving the farmer all alone in her big, open field.

It was so open, so quiet, and so unfamiliar. No clucking chickens, no pitter-patter of rain, no barking from her grandfather's old farm dog, and no beautiful notes from the guitar he loved to strum in his rocking chair. Only the rustle of the wind in the trees, and the crickets in the grass. No animals, no crops, and no one else. She suddenly felt quite lonely, almost out of place, like she didn't belong there.

She shook her head, driving her hammering thoughts far, far away. This was a new life, and for god's sake, she was gonna make good on it. She kicked aside some pebbles in the dirt, looking around at all the fallen trees and overgrown grass.

She placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "I'm gonna make this place the most beautiful farm everyone in this valley has ever seen." With that, she rolled up her sleeves, took a few large sticks off the ground, and began making a burn pile in the middle of the field. It was time to work hard.

By the time the sun had begun to set low in the sky, painting the valley in brilliant orange and yellow hues, the burn pile was about as tall as she was, filled with sticks, brush, and old logs, and yet only about a third of the land had been cleared. "At least there's enough room for a hen house now." She huffed, tossing the last few sticks into the pile.

She rustled her sleeves slightly, revealing a watch on her wrist. "7:40. They're probably already at the Saloon." She muttered. Hoping to get there by 8:30, she resorted to a quick shower and a change of clothes that weren't mud-stained and threadbare, that being some blue jeans and a simple short sleeve, but she still wore the same boots. Granted, she did wash them off.

By the time she was done, the clock read, "8:23," and she realized she didn't pace herself right, "Again," so she headed down the road at a swift-paced walk.

Stardew Valley was unlike the dull, dismal small town she grew up knowing, and so much quieter than Zuzu City, where she worked for a while. It seemed brighter, and more alive despite its small population. At first, she had only seen the old bus stop, where an unfortunate vehicle lay, gathering dust and debris while the oil leaked out of the bottom of it. A sticker faded and worn, was stuck to the top of it. Calico Desert, it read.

While that part was pretty forgettable, the entrance to the town was the opposite. Beautiful, blooming cherry trees, dressed in shades of fuchsia and rose, were dotted throughout town, showering the stone walkways in flurry petals, and coating people's roofs in a soft, pink blanket. The buildings were older, but not worn. They were all different, some being brick and mortar, such as Pierre's shop, and others built with wood that appeared to be aged, giving it a homely feel.

The saloon was one of The Farmer's favorites, built with brick that had been weathered by the wind from the ocean, its roof the same way, and one side covered in beautiful, violet morning glory, wrapping its way around the building. A large, oak sign painted with maroon letters hung next to the door. "The Stardrop Saloon."

"I like the name." Tilting her head back, and letting out a shaky exhale, she steeled her nerves, unsettled by the idea of walking into a group of tight-knit individuals as a complete stranger. What if nobody likes her? What if she was too different? What if she was too much the same?

"No. Screw it!" She was new in town, and she was gonna walk in there like she owned the whole damn county. Fuck anyone who thought rudely of her, she was the Granger's granddaughter, and she had every right to be there.

Shaking her head again, she wanted to laugh at the thoughts she was fighting with. Maybe nothing would happen at all, and the townspeople would be completely uninterested in a newbie like her. She sighed, placing a hand on the wooden door, listening to the muted sounds of conversation coming from just behind it. "Forget it. No turning back now."

She stepped through the door and was greeted by the savory smells of fresh-cooked dinners, intoxicating liquors, and greasy pizza. She felt her stomach rumble with the anticipation of good food, and ale. The wood floorboards creaked slightly, giving it a certain homely feel she couldn't place, and the low, warm lights cast a comforting glow onto everyone. For a split moment, she swore it felt like home.

There was a bubbly, blue-haired girl behind the counter, who was happily chatting with another, larger man working the register, until she caught sight of the farmer, and smiled widely. "Hey, guys! She's here!" She yelled, and the whole saloon turned and looked her way.

The farmer smiled awkwardly and waved, "Hi everyone," and she found herself almost immediately overrun by patrons wanting to see her, greeting her, and introducing themselves and their friends. She had never seen such a polite and lively community, and it was all very comforting to not be such an outcast on day one.

"You're the Granger's granddaughter?"

"My, you look a lot like him!"

"Wait… you live in that old, haunted farmhouse?"

"He used to make wine up there, ya' know."

"Are you from Zuzu City?"

A loud clap silenced everyone as Mayor Lewis pushed his way through. "Easy, everyone! We're trying not to scare her off. One at a time!" He patted the farmer on her shoulder. "Welcome to the Saloon! Gus, over there, will get you a drink for ya' while you introduce yourself to everyone." He pointed at a large man with a bushy mustache, who waved at her happily from behind the register.

Gus was a happy-go-lucky man, with a bright, wide smile, and a rumbling laugh. He had given her a pint of his best ale on the house, "Consider it a welcome gift, kid!" and she chatted with him about the farm before running off to greet the next person. Getting to know everyone was quite the learning experience, and the farmer did her best to memorize every one. They were all just so different and unique that it was hard to forget: Marnie was a complete animal-loving sweetheart, just like her niece, Pierre was quick to give her a discount on seeds if she showed up at the shop tomorrow, Abigail was a soft-spoken, yet spunky young woman, Sam, and the farmer became fast friends, bonding over their love for music and guitar, and her and Sebastian over the keyboard.

Harvey gave her solid advice on staying hydrated during summer, worried she might overwork herself in the field, Elliot, who couldn't hold his liquor for shit, might as well have been a twenty-first-century Shakespeare, which she found his poetic way of speaking endearing, Willy was an ocean-loving man who gifted her a fishing rod when his tales of legendary fish piqued her interest, and Gus made a mean shrimp po-boy that she would kill to eat again for the first time.

Pam was sloshed out of her mind, but still managed a slurred, "Welcome to tha' valley, kid." Clint was a quiet, and reserved man, but still offered his services if her tools ever broke, Leah and the farmer immediately hit it off, both having a love for visual arts, and Emily asked if she could get some wool delivered if she happened to have sheep one day, which the farmer happily agreed to. All were kind, all were interesting, and by nighttime, she had memorized almost everyone.

Then there was Shane, Nephew to Marnie and Godfather to Jas. He was a complete asshole.

She had first seen him lingering around the fire, on what must have been his third pint since she walked in, looking a bit weary and worn, in a shaggy-looking Joja jacket and shorts, despite the slight early spring nip outside. His dark, inky hair was pushed off to one side, sticking up like porcupine quills in some spots, his eyes had dark marks under them, which she couldn't fault him for. She had the same marks under her own, and his knees were riddled with bruises and scratches, a telltale sign of a hard worker who was constantly up and down the whole shift.

While looking at him, she had realized he never came up to greet her. The farmer had been chatting with Marnie, poking some fun at her for ogling Mayor Lewis, making her flush red. "Hey Marnie, ain't that your nephew you were talking about? I 'avent talked to him yet."

She frowned slightly, swirling a wine glass in her hands. "Oh yes, Shane. I don't know, he's a bit-"

"Hold on, I'll be right back." The farmer, pint glass in hand, darted off to meet the stoic-looking man before Marnie could finish her warning.

Some of the other patrons saw her head to him, and Sebastian, seated in a booth with Sam, grimaced. "Uh oh. New girl's gonna try to talk to Shane. Should we stop her?"

Sam hastily wolfed down a large bite of pizza before answering, mouth slightly full. "Hey, she got along fine with old man George, and didn't tick off Pam, maybe they'll get along." He was optimistic, thinking that the girl's lively nature could get through to Shane.

Abigail heard them from a distance and chimed in. "Ah, let her learn. I'm eager to see how this goes. A rude jerk with a perky dude like her?" She just wanted to see it all unfold. Sebastian groaned, while Sam sat up out of the booth slightly, eyeing the soon-to-be exchange, as did a few others.

Marnie waddled over to Lewis, wine glass in hand. He smiled warmly, but when she cocked her head towards something behind him, and he turned to see the Granger girl happily waltzing towards Shane, he quietly groaned. Marnie eyed him, worriedly. "Think they'll get along?" Not wanting to jinx anything, Mayor Lewis kept quiet, taking another sip from his glass.

Shane was halfway through his third pint when he eyed the girl walking toward him, and he looked around to see who else she could possibly talk to before he realized she was heading toward him, and he inwardly groaned. "Marnie probably sent her this way." He mumbled. The man looked at her, expression tight and weary, with a hardened frown, the dark patches under his eyes, matching her own.

"You Shane?" She wore a beaming smile that Shane found obnoxious. That, and she practically radiated a perky, energetic nature. He felt himself begin to shrivel up at something so blinding. "I'm the Granger girl. Moved into that eastside farm this mornin'."

From her extrovert nature, and her deep country accent, Shane saw that she may have been a city girl, but she didn't grow up nearby. Nobody in Stardew Valley sounds like that. "Charmed." He mumbled as he took another sip from his glass. "So, why are you talking to me? I don't know you."

The farmer raised an eyebrow, finding his attitude more curious than anything. "Was hoping to fix that, since you're my neighbor 'n all. Was gonna buy some of y'all's chickens." She drank some of her pint, setting the glass on the bar counter, and leaning back with her arms up on the ledge. "I heard your aunt raises the best in the valley."

"Just keep your hands off Charlie. She pecks." He tried to stop the conversation there, going silent, but the girl hung around, looking at him, confused, and Shane sighed. "Why are you still here? I want to be alone." He snapped.

A hiss was heard from Sebastian, who overheard, while Abigail and Sam gave each other a worried look as The Farmer's face dropped into an angry glare. "Oh Yoba, there he goes. His whole, "I'm drinking alone for a reason," act." Sebastian mumbled.

Abigail rubbed her fingers against her head and groaned. "Would it kill him to be a bit… welcoming? Not a very good first impression."

"Oh well, at least she tried." Sam leaned back, shoving another slice of pizza into his mouth.

Rather than be deterred by his demeanor, The farmer gave a disbelieved huff. "I- 'scuse me? I was trying to be your friend, but I'm starting to see why you ain't got any." She shot back.

Everyone at the booth gave each other a wide-eyed look, and Shane coughed into his glass, some droplets of beer landing on his stubbled chin, and he shot a look at her. "Hey, fuck you! I'm surprised you're even trying. Haven't I been rude enough to you yet?"

"Apparently not."

He rolled his eyes. "Wait… did Marnie put you up to this?"

"She didn't do shit!" She defended. "I came here of my own accord."

"Yeah? You sure ain't leaving of your own accord! Let me drink in peace!"

That last sentence was loud enough for half the saloon to overhear, and heads began turning in their direction. Marnie whispered worriedly to Lewis, who placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Leah and Elliot were betting on how the exchange would end, and Sam was holding Sebastian back from getting between them. "Just let it play out, man. It's not serious."

The Farmer took another gulp from her glass before continuing, needing the liquid courage boost. "Hey! I'm your neighbor! You know you're stuck with me, right? I'm trying to get to know people here!"

Shane had set his glass down on the bricks of the fireplace. "Well hooray for me. Don't you have work to do on that farm of yours? Why don't you do that and leave me out of it!" He stood a bit taller, ready to shoulder his way past her, and he just barely bumped her before she pushed him back.

"Fuck you, asshat! I was trying to be nice."

"Don't fuckin' push me!"

"Then don't run into me, fatass!"

"What?!" He returned a shove, her back hitting a barstool, and rattling the glass on the counter.

"You heard me! Don't fuckin'- she reared back, pushing herself forward on her toes, grabbing his shoulders, and with a massive heave, sent him stumbling backwards, off balance.

The Farmer was no pushover, and she was stronger than Shane by a long shot. The other patrons let out unanimous gasps as Shane lost his balance and landed right on his ass, his back hitting the edge of the fireplace, and he let out a yelp of pain. The farmer began to shift on her feet as she watched him push himself up, eyeing her with pure hatred, before he launched himself forward grabbing her collar and hoisting her forward. "You little bitch-!"

She did the same, snagging his shirt and spinning him back. "Let me go, chicken shit!" She growled.

Sebastian, Abigail, and Sam had mentally agreed that they had seen enough as they bolted out of the booth to the two of them. The Farmer let go, and raised a fist, ready to strike, but Sebastian was able to grab her right before she landed a hook at Shane's nose, while Abigail wrapped an arm around her chest and waist to help Sebastian pull her back. Sam pried Shane's hands off her now wrung-out shirt collar and pulled him back. "Calm down, dude! Calm down!"

"Calm down?!" Shane yelled, trying to break out of the grip. "She tried to punch me!"

Marnie had joined Sam, pushing Shane away from the girl. "Enough! Please! We don't need a fight on her first day!" She looked back at the farmer, who still looked more than happy to knock Shane upside the head.

Sebastian and Abigail were doing their best to calm her down. "Easy! Easy! Easy!" Even with their combined strength, they both struggled to keep her in place, but eventually dragged her out of punching range.

At this point, the whole saloon had gathered around. A few whooped, some shouting for the two of them to cool it, while others yelled for them to take it outside.

"Keep it out of my restaurant!" Gus thundered. "Both of you!"

"My, they're like animals," Elliot murmured to Leah.

On the back corner, nestled in a chair, Marlon lowered his head to drink a pungent-smelling liquor out of his glass, hiding a slight smirk. "Well… seems the new lass is more capable than I thought. I'll have to talk to her."

A safe distance from the scrap, Mayor Lewis rubbed his temple and sighed, placing his wine glass on the table. "-and Shane's done it again."

Abby ducked and barely dodged an elbow as continued to pull her back. "Have some self-control, please!" She hissed at the farmer. Shane was aghast at the way she was still willing to fight, and in the back of his mind, he was suddenly very glad that the others pulled them apart. If the strength she had in a single shove alone could knock him on his ass then a punch would have sent him to Harvey's in a heartbeat.

Slowly, they both lost their energy. Shane yanked his arm out of Sam's hand and shoved his hand back into his jacket pocket, before swiping up his now chipped pint glass, the beer having spilled on the floor. "Alright. Alright. I'm done. Let me go." He muttered, red-faced from embarrassment.

Abigail and Sebastian slowly began to let go of the farmer, who glared at Shane, before sighing and rubbing her head. He swore he heard her whisper quietly to herself, "Not again…"

Sebastian still had eyes on her like a hawk, wondering if she was truly done. "You good?" He questioned, patting her twice on her back.

"Yeah. Yeah…" She muttered, and her features twisted into a face of what seemed like guilt or displeasure, as she looked at the ground solemnly. "I think I should head back before I cause any more trouble."

"We'll walk you." Abigail offered, gesturing towards the exit. "No need for you to walk home alone."

"You don't have to-"

Sebastian interrupted her. "We insist. You've only been here for a minute, so you don't know about the things that lurk out there after dark.

"Things?" The farmer gulped, unsure of what exactly he meant, but she found it better not to question. "Ok. Ok. Alright."

Abigail nodded, then made her way over to Marnie, giving her a quick apology on the girl's behalf so she would have to get any closer to Shane again.

Marnie responded in kind. "Just make sure she gets home safely, please," Marnie asked. "She's still not entirely used to the place yet."

"Of course, Miss Marnie." Abigail gave her a quick, goofy salute that made her smile and ducked towards the exit. "Way to make a new friend," Abigail muttered as she walked past Shane.

He just rolled his eyes, placing a twenty in the chip of his pint glass before passing it to Gus, enough to buy himself a new one. "Shut up, Abby."

Shane glared at her as they walked away. The Farmer saw out the corner of her eye, turned back, and flipped him off. Sam whacked her on the back of her neck as they exited, "Leave it." and the farmer gave him a bashful grin.

Willy chuckled. "Ornery little thing, ain't she? Like a triggerfish, that one."

"Tell me about it." Clint agreed. "I think that's the most action this town has had since Sam put anchovies in the potluck."

Chatter about the confrontation bubbled up inside the saloon the second The Farmer was out the door, the patrons immediately looking for something to gossip about, so that the night wasn't completely boring, but when the table next to him began to loudly talk about the topic right next to him, Shane found it best that he cut his night short and go home without an extra pint.

He waved a meek goodbye to Gus and Emily, before promptly heading out the door, making sure the Farmer and her new gaggle of buddies was nowhere in sight. The telltale beginnings of a headache reverberated in his brain, and he rubbed his temples the whole way home. "I have a sixteen-pack in the fridge." He thought. "It's not raining, and the cliffs seem nice right about now. There's nothing better to do."

Meanwhile, halfway out of town, Sebastian, Sam, and Abigail escorted The Farmer, who was now profusely apologizing for her behavior, back to her property. "I did kinda lose it back there. Thank y'all for… ya' know, keeping me from doing anything too stupid. Not exactly the first impression I wanted in this town. Oh, and sorry for almost elbowing you, Abigail."

"Oh, don't beat yourself over it." Sam chided. "You're not the first person to start an argument with him. Definitely won't be the last either. Just ask Marnie. Though you were the first to try and fight the guy." Sam added, earning him a glare from Sebastian. "What? I think he had it coming!"

Sebastian shook his head. "Look, Shane's known for being like that. Honestly, no one's gonna be shocked by this. Whatever reputation you're hoping to have is still intact, I assure you."

Abigail flashed her a toothy smile. "Hey, having an attitude like that will keep you alive around here. Don't wanna go into the mines without it!"

"We have mines?" The Farmer questioned. She looked at her feet hitting the ground on each step. The stone path was beginning to turn to dirt as they neared the farmhouse. "At least it's good for something, I guess."

Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. "It's only day one and besides, gossip runs dry pretty quick in this town. Just break a leg or accidentally set something on fire and it'll be forgotten about immediately."

"Or put anchovies in the potluck." Abigail giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. I put a pound of fish in the potluck. Not that big a deal." He muttered, going pink in the cheeks, before changing the subject. "Hey, the three of us are playing a gig next Friday. Why don't you join us? You can bring your harp!"

"Yeah! We can show you around town afterward! I know all the best secrets around this place." Abigail boasted. "There's more than just a few levels in that mine, you know."

"It's right behind my place," Sebastian added. "You can stop by at any time you'd like. Not gonna go into the mine myself though, but if you've got the guts-"

The farmer smiled wide, showing off sharp teeth. "I've got guts!"

"That Shane seems to hate." Everyone, including the farmer, laughed at that. It was a nice change in tone compared to the rest of the evening.

They were now at the end of the dirt trail, the farmhouse only a few hundred feet away, and they all came to a dead stop to say goodbyes and part ways. "If the mines interest you, you should see Marlon at the nearby guild. Odd guy, but no one goes in there more than he does. He's pretty knowledgeable." Abigail waved. "We'll see you tomorrow, farmer girl!"

"Yeah, and don't get into any more fights!" Sam added on.

"No promises!" She heard them all giggle, and she was soon left with just the wind in the trees.

The breeze carries a chill that snapped her back into her previous thoughts. Her new friends- she hoped anyway- had been a good distraction, but the second they left, her thoughts came back to torment her with a constant mantra of, "Maniac. Maniac. Maniac."

She turned on her heel, making a beeline to the front porch. "Leave me alone." She muttered, wondering if talking to herself would somehow calm her irritated brain, but to no avail.

"Danger. You're a danger."

"I'm not a danger. I was defending myself."

"You tried to hurt him."

"He tried to hurt me."

"Coward. You're a Coward."

"Not a fuckin' coward."

When The Farmer entered the house, she felt numb. There was no other word for it. Numb to the temperature, numb to everything that just transpired, numb in general, as she kicked her boots off by the door. Numb as she made her way to the bathroom, shucking her now alcohol-stained shirt and tossing it in the nearby hamper on the way there, leaving her in her pants and socks. Numb. Completely numb.

Halfway to the bathroom, she got angry. How dare he talk to her like that? Like he's hot shit? What a prick. All she did was try to help, and yet, he treated her like she was the problem, and he made her fight him all on top of that. What an asshole. Damn him. A jerk, a prick, bastard, twat- does he treat Marie like that? Does he treat Jas like that? Screw him. She should have beat him senseless.

Outside the bathroom door, all the anger dissipated into guilt. She could have done something different. She could have done anything differently. She should have left him alone, she should have listened to him and left, she shouldn't have pushed him, and she shouldn't have tried to punch him. Why did she even go to the saloon? Hell, why did she even come to this barren town anyway?

The thoughts bounced around in her head, each one getting louder and louder until she was practically drowning in the deafening sound of nothing at all. On edge, she pushed the bathroom door open and stepped inside.

The hot shower steamed up the room, coating the mirror in a thin layer of condensation, and she wiped a streak into it to get a look at herself, ignoring the fact that she felt like she was looking at a stranger in the reflection.

Oh, she was tired. The dark circles under her eyes were solid proof of that, and the way her eyelids tugged downwards didn't help. It wasn't just the look, she felt like she was dragging bricks behind her on a rope, the nylon cords digging into her skin, deeper and deeper, sucking her life until they cut through her in painful slashes. She sighed, stepping back from the vanity, step by step, until she heard the faint sound of her back gently hitting the wall.

Then she was crying. First, it was just her eyes watering up, then a tear fell, then another, then another. Her throat began to feel tight, and soon a choked sob made its way out of her throat as she slid downward, wanting to hit the floor before she got dizzy.

The thoughts returned with newfound vigor and relentlessness. "So fucking emotional. Emotional. Emotional. You'll be a blight on this town. Coward. You're a coward. They're scared of you, you fucking Maniac."

Just like all the times before, she brought her knees up to her chest, resting her forehead on them, and let the episode play out, knowing it never lasted long. By the end of it, the thoughts would quiet, having beat all the strength out of her violently. Body shaking, tears flowing, snot dripping, and breath panting like a scared rabbit, it was all familiar territory, yet fucking terrifying each time.

"You should be used to this by now." Her mind chided.

She sniffed. "Shut up."

"What would people think if they saw you like this?"

"They won't see me like this." The minutes blurred together and she continued her back-and-forth conversation with her mind, doing her best to calm her nerves: taking deep breaths when possible, leaning back, stretching her legs, and whatnot. By the time it was over, the shower water had turned cold, and her thoughts were now much kinder, yet still stern.

"Alright. Now get up." She stood on wobbly feet. "Go splash water on your face. Go on. One foot in front of the other. Go do it." Standing at the sink, she turned the handle to the coldest setting, gasping in shock when the icy cold liquid hit her face.

"Good, now go take your shower before you waste your savings on the water bill." It was freezing, all the hot water being used up while she sat weeping on the tile floor, so she scrubbed herself up as fast as humanly possible, teeth chattering the whole time. As uncomfortable as it was, it roused her from her sullen state, snapping her back into reality.

Stepping out onto the bath mat, she shook her now soaked hair, some of the water droplets landing far from the shower, on the walls and tiles, and she gave it a quick blow dry before putting on some clean pajamas.

"Now, you need to take your meds before you freak the fuck out again." That she did. Said medicine was somewhere on the kitchen counter. She felt her mood begin to shift the second she stepped into the room, dark and empty. "Fuck me." She said, flicking on the floor lamp. Now it was back to numbness. Somehow, no emotion at all felt better than whatever the hell she experienced earlier. In the kitchen, she grabbed the little orange pill bottle, turning the label to read its contents: Jojapharm: Lithium Carbonate Compound.

The farmer turned on the sink, and ducked under the tap to get some water, before tossing the pill into her mouth, tilting her head back, and swallowing quickly. She coughed, wiping the water off her smooth with her sleeve while staring through the window in front of her, into the pitch-black wilderness outside.

"I should sleep." The farmer thought to herself, but her feet stayed firmly planted on the floorboards, looking out the window until the minutes blurred together. The nighttime darkness was just too captivating, the way the leaves blew in the night breeze, and how the stars twinkled over the horizon of pines at the property's edge lured her into a sense of peace.

Her ears perked at the sound of a whippoorwill nearby, its song echoing across the field, like the nights she would spend here with her grandfather when she was a younger, and for the first time since she got there, she felt alright.

Something darted out from behind a nearby bush. Something big. Something… different, and her heart leaped at the sight of it. Too slim to be a bear, too round to be a deer, and too big to be a dog, it was something unusual, and unique. Her eyes tried to adjust to the little light there was, but against the dark curtain of night, she could just barely make out its features. It looked animalistic but, and she was certain of it, it looked like it walked on two legs. Bipedal like a human, but ever so animal in nature.

She shifted on the counter, and her hand hit a glass near the sink, toppling it over, and she froze as the creature jolted slightly, then turned to look her way. If it had heard that, despite the distance and walls between them, then that meant its hearing was phenomenal. "What the hell is that thing?!" Her mind rushed back to Sebastian's comment about "things," and she wondered if this was what he meant.

Two pinpoint white eyes glowed in the night, looking at her as if there wasn't a thick pane of glass separating the two, boring into her, bright and unsettling as the creature studied her. All she could do was stare back, the ticking of the clock being the only thing heard during their tense visual exchange. Her heart beat erratically, wondering if the creature was having the same problem, the fear of being seen by something, someone, so different eating them both alive.

An idea popped into her head, and she slowly began to raise her hand, not wanting to scare the creature away, but also making sure she didn't aggravate it. Smiling slightly, she waved a slow, and tense hello to see how it would react. "I wonder if it even knows what I'm doing?"

The creature blinked, watching the movement of her hand back and forth, then looking right into her, making her breathing stop. It then bolted on swift, heavy feet, disappearing into the woods, and left the farmer in a state of pure confusion. Wherever it was, it was gone now.

She could only stare at the spot where it stood, now empty. Her heart was beating madly, in an erratic rhythm. Maybe it would be back tomorrow, but was it dangerous? Maybe it really was just an animal, and the darkness twisted her vision, or maybe it was a person, who was used to trespassing on the land, shocked at the sight of someone now living in the old farmstead.

Slowly shaking her head, she backed up from the counter and walked towards the bed. "Just seeing things." She assured herself. "Just seeing things. Just seeing things." She continued her reassurance all the way to her bedroom, where she quickly snatched the curtains to her window shut.l, not checking to see if anything else was outside. "Just seeing things. Just seeing things."

Turning out the bedroom lights, "Just seeing things," knowing that her medicine would have kicked in by the time she saw it.

Stripping herself of her clothing. "Just seeing things." Knowing that whatever was out there looked too real to be a hallucination.

Slipping into bed and pulling the covers up over her shivering body, but no cool air to raise goosebumps. "Just seeing things."

"I'm just seeing things."

Sleep did not come easy that night, for both the farmer and the creature, who was praying, from his dark and dreary abode, that the girl waved him off as a bear nosing through her trash.

A few weeks later, when the weather began to warm up in the late afternoons, the farmland had been completely cleared, save for a few large stumps and logs she couldn't break with her axe. She was outside, admiring her work from the front porch, gazing out onto the open, forested land. The trees directly in front of the house had been cleared, and now there was a nice, empty patch out front where she had planted some flower seeds. Next to the house was a cleared space for a hen house, which the farmer was ecstatic about.

She had to contain herself and keep from straight sprinting to Marnie's in excitement, so she restored to a sort of trot the whole way there. "Gonna get my chickens! Gonna get my chickens!" She repeated over and over in her mind until she got to the front door, smiling at the calves that greeted her at the fence. "Mornin' little ones!"

A little bell jingled when she opened the door, and Marnie greeted her with a joyful grin. "Well hello, Mrs. Granger!"

"Mornin' Marnie! I just came to buy some-" She just barely caught a glimpse of jet-black hair and a scruffy blue jacket, and had to do a double take when the signals in her head clicked.

Shane was standing there in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, looking at her wide-eyed. "You!"

"You…" The farmer muttered back. They both seemed ready to start right where they left off, but a gasp stopped them halfway, as they slowly turned to see Marnie and Jas staring at them. Tense seconds ticked by as they all stood there, hairs and hackles raised in anticipation.

Their eyes darted between each other, The Farmer to Shane, then to Marnie, then to Jas. Shane looked at Jas, who had her hands hugged to her chest in fear, and it made him ache. He didn't want to have her see him angry, so he and the farmer turned to one another. "Another time?" He asked.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Some other time."

Shane let out a huff, trudging past her and over to the front door. He took his jacket off the cost rack and slipped it on. "Goin' to work, Marnie."

She lowered her shoulder, relieved that the two of them had learned a better way to end their interactions. "Alright. Have a good day Shane."

Jas ran up to him, clinging to his leg in as tight a hug as she could manage. "Buh-bye, Shane!"

He bent over slightly, ruffling up her untied hair, making her giggle. Marnie hadn't put it up in twin buns yet, so she looked like a crow with puffed up feathers. It was cute. "See ya, kid. Behave for Mrs. Penny today, ok?"

"Ok!" She chirped.

Shane didn't seem to believe her, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean it! No more lizards in her pockets!"

Jas let out a giggle after Shane closed the door, then bolted back to her room, shutting the door behind her. The farmer looked at Marnie. "Lizards?!"

She groaned, then buried her face in her hands, the tips of her ears turning red in shame. "Please don't ask. Oh, that poor girl puts up with too much."

"Right, right." The farmer fiddled with her hands, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry for almost arguing again. Especially in your own house, and sorry for that night. I should have just left him alone."

Marnie looked up at the young girl, her features plastered in pure shame, and she knew she didn't mean to agitate him. "Don't worry about it, dear. He's a bit hotheaded and all, but he won't cause you any more trouble. I'll make sure of it." Marnie's comforting words made her smile. She clapped her hands together. "Now, how many chickens are we getting today?"

Back at the farm, and the brand new hen house, the farmer smiled at the sight of her four new little hens checking out the small, but cozy coop they would be living in. She picked one up, holding it to her chest and scratching her head, and the little chick closed her eyes in contentment. "I think I'll call you… Cinnamon. How's that sound, little one?" She looked up at the other three, pointing to each one and giving them a name. "We'll call you Peachy, you'll be Angel, and you'll be… Tiny!" Oddly enough, Tiny was twice her sisters' sizes. The Farmer bent down to the ground, smiling as the three other baby chicks ran to her, peeping loudly, and she let Cinnamon join them in checking out the coop.

She took one last loving glance at them before heading back outside. Though she had made plenty of progress, there was still work to be done. Shane's words reverberated in her head. "Don't you have work to do on that farm of yours?!" She shook the thought away, clearing her head of that night before she could drown in the thoughts.

"Yeah. Yeah. Gotta work. Gotta work." Rolling up her sleeves, she stomped out into the field with a newfound sense of fortitude. "Watch me. I'll clear all that shrubbery by sundown!"

On the opposite side of town, at Jojamart, Shane was not doing anything that warranted a boost of confidence. He swore he had fixed the same shelves three times over. Someone, Shane figured a little kid, had been taking all the merchandise off the shelves and sticking them in the wrong spots all around the store, making him want to bang his head against the wall. "When I find that little shit I'm gonna throw a cola at their head." He muttered. The rest of the day was spent stocking, unloading, stocking, and unloading, until his back began to crack in pain, and his arms cramped up. Afterward, Morris had roped him into staying an extra couple of hours to do inventory that wasn't even necessary. At least, that's what he thought. "I just redid this same aisle four hours ago!"

Now, at eleven-thirty at night, he trudged his way out the door, almost letting it hit him on the way out. It was too late to head to the saloon, but his body still ached for the feeling of alcohol rushing through his blood, so he resorted to the next best thing: a twelve-pack that he had stashed outside, in a bush by the barn, in hopes that Marnie or Jas wouldn't stumble across it, and throw it away again. He had paid extra overtime money for it, too.

Out by the cliff's edge, sitting in a patch of dew-damped grass under an oak tree, Shane tossed an empty beer can to the side, wasting no time in grabbing another from the pack next to him, and popping it open. He was surrounded by empty cans, and he was more than wasted, not having any other coherent thoughts other than, "just some drink more. It can't hurt."

"It can't hurt." He slurred.

Jojamart had properly whooped his ass that day. It was bad enough having Morris breathe down his neck twenty-four-seven, making sure he was doing the same work he had been doing since day one, but working overtime made it even worse. He was supposed to have that day off, and he wanted to spend time with Jas too, but it had all been thrown down the drain. Hopeless.

The wind whipped up, shooting up the cliff's edge like a giant wave, pushing up the spray of tangy seawater into the air, before the little droplets fell back down to the earth, dappling his hair and jacket like little moonlit crystals. It smelled of the sea, of the vast and open ocean, smelled of salt and sand. It smelled like freedom.

"Fuckin Morris. He's a bigger pain than that fuckin' farmer girl." He muttered to himself. "Stock this here, put that there, don't do it like that, hey, you need to greet customers with a smile- blah. I work there- hic- stocking shit, not babysitting people." Angry and inebriated, his mind was far from fine, and as he slurred his words, his body also swayed back and forth, trying its best to stay upright.

He stood up, wobbling on unsteady legs. Taking a few empty cans into his hands, he walked up closer to the edge of the cliff, crumpling a can in his fist, then chucking it into the ocean below. "Fuck Morris," He threw another one, "fuck that shitty market," another can flew, "-fuck- hic- fuck everyone that walks into that store," he tossed the final can, and it bounced off the earth before falling over the edge, "-and fuck that mean-ass farm girl." He heard the metal hit the rocks below seconds later, faintly, the metallic sound echoing across the waves below until it was drowned out by the sound of seafoam hitting the beach. He let out another loud hiccup that carried across the woods and, staring out onto the horizon, where some storm clouds had begun to gather, he saw small flashes of purple lighting light up the sky in the distance. Shane got momentarily lost in its beauty.

Oh, what it would feel like to be a bolt of lightning. To live such a short life, and yet, for those mere seconds, create one of the loudest sounds known to mankind, shattering peace for miles, and causing so much change where you landed, All in the span of mere seconds. Yet here he was, with years of a doomed life ahead of him, with not even a clap of thunder to his name.

Another flash of lightning went off in the distance, and he felt himself gravitate toward its captivating light. Mind hazy and consciousness unclear, Shane found his body inching ever so slowly over to the cliffs' unceasing drop-off. Pulled by a force he found it best not to fight. Step by step, breath by breath, kicking an empty beer can to the side, he found himself at the edge. When he looked down, he swore he could see oblivion.

He was now so close that the dirt began to crumble underneath his feet, and the rocks that fell would keep going, going, going, until a faint crack was heard seconds later at the very bottom as they shattered into pieces. It wouldn't even hurt. He wouldn't even know. Everything would be over in half a heartbeat anyways, so why should the sounds of stone breaking deter him?

One step closer, he felt his heart slow. With another step forward, he dropped the half-full can in his hands, letting the beer seep out into the grass. Another step, and tears began to flow down his face, his eyes burning where they flowed from. One final step, and he felt the earth give out underneath him, and he closed his eyes tightly.

Tomorrow, he was sure Morris would be calling his phone over and over, wondering why he didn't come in. Tomorrow, Gus would question why one of his best patrons never showed up, and he would set out a pint of beer anyway, in case he happened to show up late. Tomorrow, Marnie would walk past his closed door, thinking he was just sleeping in after another exhausting shift. Tomorrow, everyone else would go about their day, not wondering where Shane was.

Tomorrow, Jas would wonder where he was, and the day after, Marnie would have to tell her he was never coming home.

"I don't want to die."

Something grabbed him. Something strong. Something warm, like bright sunlight on a late spring day, as it wrapped itself around his hand and arm. Everything stopped moving so fast as he was jerked, no longer falling, and when he looked down, he was his feet dangling off the edge. Below, sharp, pointed boulders arose from the ocean, and the waves smashed into them wildly, spraying salty seafoam into the air.

Shane let out an involuntary yelp but shortly found himself being hauled back up onto the grass. Someone had a hold of his arm, and shirt collar, and was grunting hard as they heaved him back up to safety. Once they were sure he was far enough away from the cliff's deadly edge, they let go, huffing in exhaustion.

Shane was far too gone to make out what was happening, everything was too blurred and too dark. He had been crying, then standing, then he had been falling, and now this shadowy, dark figure, who smelled of sweat and pine, felt of leather and cloth, was now shaking him madly, causing the blistering ache in his head to become worse. He squinted at the figure, trying to speak, to ask what was going on, but he could only manage a mumbled, confused noise as he felt himself slouch over, stomach churning from the adrenaline rush and alcohol mixed together.

It was a person. That he was sure of. "What has gotten into you!? You can't even stand straight!" The voice, though stern and somber, still flowed like warm honey. He had heard that voice somewhere before, somewhere that now felt far away, but he couldn't place it. He would much rather continue to drown in it than try to decipher it in his drunken state. "Can you even hear me? Hey!" They snapped their fingers in front of his face.

Shane groaned again, clutching his stomach as the figure went silent for a moment, trying to figure him out. He found himself being shaken again, a bit more gently, and he grumbled. There was a few seconds of silence, before the person sighed, now seeing the extent of his current state. "Oh… shit. You're drunk outta your mind, man. " They said, kicking a beer can to the side, and pushing him back onto his knees.

There was a sigh. "Oh, fuck me. Why do I do these things," was the last thing he heard before he found himself being leaned back into open arms. "C'mon. If I don't get you back to Marnie and Jas, they're gonna freak."

"Marnie and Jas." His mind focused. "Marnie and Jas. Marnie and Jas. Marnie and Jas." He faintly remembered being lifted off the ground, weightless, like all his burdens had been left in the dirt while this figure carried him to wherever it pleased. His mind flashed back to his mother, who would carry him like that as a child when he would fall asleep in the car, then he would find himself the next morning in his own comfy bed.

He might as well have been half asleep the whole way back, seeing nothing, but hearing everything. The sound of whooperwhills in the trees, the shuffle of leaves in the wind, the breathing of the person carrying him, heavy and fast.

The smells were even more potent. His beer-splattered jacket, the fresh air of the valley at night, that slight aroma of the ocean on the breeze, and a distinctly earthy smell that engulfed him the whole way home, like fresh rain on warm concrete in summer, like the smell of home. There was the smell of leather cleaner, like what he used to use on his favorite jacket in high school.

There was the sound of boots hitting the earth, then a door opening, slowly and quietly, then another door, then the comforting sound of sheets shifting and moving with his weight. His bed. He was home. Not on the edge of a cliff, not lifeless, floating around in the ocean like he had wanted before, he was home, and he didn't know how to feel about that.

He heard a groan from the person as they stretched, now free from carrying his dead weight through the woods for Yoba knows how long. "Uuugghhh-! Sweet fuck that was brutal. Why do y'all have to live at the top of this hill?"

He felt his body begin to shiver, despite the alcohol in his veins. Maybe it was starting to wear off. There was a shuffle, then he swore the figure had pulled his blanket up over him and he found himself trying to ask who they were. What came out was "-ourge ahr ya?" and then everything started to get hazy as sleep tugged at his mind, dragging him into slumber.

Footsteps, and the click of a door. They were leaving, but before they closed the door, leaving him all alone, he heard them pause in the doorway. "Honestly, you're an asshole of a man Shane, but not even you deserve something like that." He made out a faint, yet low chuckle. "You won't even remember this."

The world began to swirl and dip, and he felt his eyes drag shut, not before catching the last of the words falling off the figure's tongue.

"You won't remember me."

____________

My ao3!

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antvnger · 4 months

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On the 12th day of Christmas, Ant-Man ((and Ant-Mun)) gave to you:

A Christmas letter.

Dear you (yeah, you!),

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this is for you (yeah, you).

I know it sounds super cliche, but where the heck did this year go? I feel like I was just coming up with all this kind of stuff for you last year. What a wild ride, gang. It’s been good though, and I hope it’s been as good for you as it has been for me.

This blog has grown a little bit since last year okay maybe more than a little bit, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far. You guys are something else, and I love you all a ridiculous amount. I never really expected to get so much interaction when I started this whole thing, but oh my gosh, it’s been wild.

This whole tumblr-multiverse is a crazier place than the Quantum Realm, and I outta know! I mean, heck, I met Captain Hook. Me! I was the first adult Lost Boy he’d ever come across! I dunno if that’s exactly a good thing or not, but whatever, I met him. And loads others I never would have thought possible.

I’m getting off track. That was a big problem I faced while writing my book. Sometimes I just write my thoughts as they pop up in my head, and that leads to a lot of ADHD tangents and thoughts falling down the rabbit hole, and next thing I know I have no idea where I was going or where I have been. Anybody relate? Man, I wish I could send you all free copies of my book for Christmas, but this will have to do.

I’m not just writing a letter to you. At least that’s not the only thing I’m doing. Hopefully, you’ll find more in this little letter than just some words from a rambling guy. I’ll leave it to you to figure out what you could find, because what one person may receive from this may be completely different than someone else reading.

And that’s part of the magic.

My Gigi used to say, “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and ta-da! Everything is softer and more beautiful.” I think she said she heard that from someone else, but I’m gonna ignore that and say she came up with that all by herself. Regardless, it’s true.

Once Halloween is over (or once Thanksgiving is over if you’re like Ant-Mun), the Christmas season suddenly shows up like when you would go to sleep with no snow on the ground and wake up to a world of white. I’ve been blessed enough to have witnessed such magic a few times while growing up, and if you don’t know what that’s like, I hope you get to experience it at least once someday. It’s worth it.

But anyway, the Christmas season really does have its own brand of magic, and I am all about the magic. It spices the air and calms the atmosphere all at the same time. There’s extra love in hugs and cards and “Hey! How are you?”s, and for a little while, you can let loose a sigh and there’s some peace. The world isn’t where it needs to be, but for a short time, it feels like it comes pretty close.

I really could go on and on about Christmas and what it means to me, especially the first Christmas. I could write for days on that topic, just typing my thoughts as fast as my fingers can to try to keep up with my brain, but I don’t think I could ever do it justice. And that really isn’t the point of this letter anyway.

Here’s the point:

Dear you (yeah, you!), you are loved.

You are special.

You are priceless.

You are essential.

You are not a mistake.

You’re not junk.

You matter.

You’re seen.

And you’re loved.

Right here, right now, as you read this, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re thinking, however you’re feeling, whether today is a good day, a shitty day, or just another Monday, you’re loved.

At the very least, you’re loved by me; you’re loved by Ant-Mun; and you’re loved by the One who designed and created you with the greatest intention and the utmost care. There’s nothing else in the world I’m more sure of than that.

So whatever your situation today, just soak up that truth. Let it marinate and let it warm up your soul. And I really really hope with everything I’ve got that you feel that love and the truth of that love today.

And do me a favor please? Indulge in your inner child today and find some magic. I mean, c’mon, it’s me. I’m definitely gonna advocate this part too. Indulge in your inner child today and find some magic. It’s all around after all. It’s strongest today. You just gotta open your eyes to it, and you’ll find it.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, happy holidays to those who don’t,

And most importantly, lotsa lotsa lotsa love,

Scott ((and Ant-Mun))

#scott's thoughts #ant mun's thoughts #scott lang #ant-man #ant mun #scott's12daysofchristmas #christmas2023 #christmas #christmas letter #dear reader #merry christmas #happy holidays #we love you #ant man #antman

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ursaspecter · 9 months

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Danny Phantom a Glitch in Time Spoiler Free First Impressions Review

I'm in the hospital right now, so I won't be able to really sink my teeth into any analysis yet so bear with me on that front. But oh my god what a way to continue the series after 16 years of being cancelled!

I can definitely tell that this was made by and for fans of the show, and they had fun doing it too! Is it a groundbreaking mindblowing story? No, but I don't think Danny Phantom needs to be either of those things. It's a fun campy teen superhero drama comedy. There are some darker elements to it, but at the end of the day it's a lighthearted romp and I think it's important to keep that in mind!

That being said I think this is a great start to hopefully a series of these graphic novels. Danny Phantom has always took inspiration from comics like Spider-Man, so I think it's only fitting that these characters work so well in this medium. I also think it's a great way to make the series more accessable seeing as the original show does has its problems with flashing lights and overstimulation. The comic medium takes away those problems and gives the characters some room to breathe.

Speaking of characters, it's like they're taken right from the show and put into the page! I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see these characters actually be in character instead of what the fandom thinks their character is. Of course I loved seeing Dan again, or I guess he's Phantom now officially? I always wanted to see his return ever since I was 12 watching the show for the first time, but he never showed up! Well, now my 12 year old self can rest easy knowing he has such a great return to the series.

The art is just amazing as well. I love that the designs are updated but still stay true to Steven Silver's original work. Everyone feels more expressive and emotional, and the poses feel more fluid and dynamic. I think one limitation of the show's art style is how stiff and firm the characters felt.

Without getting too much into spoiler territory, I really appreciate how this decided to address Phantom Planet. Like it or not, it (and Season 3 as a whole) are still part of the series. It happened and we just have to accept that. Or maybe we don't anymore thanks to the ending! In any case, I think it was a smart way to handle the giant disasteroid elephant in the room so we can move on.

It was a bit of a quick read, but keep in mind this is intended for kids, and I'm an adult with an adult reading level. And that's perfectly fine! I'd rather have an action comic be snappy and have more punch than it overstay its welcome with a 900 page in depth character study of everyone's childhood trauma. It does a good job of being what it is, and I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

Also there was a cowboy part. Y'all know I love my cowboys. As soon as I get discharged and back home I'm gonna draw the gang in their western outfits. Except a little more historically accurate. Seriously, where 👏 were 👏 the 👏 suspenders 👏

Overall I give it a solid 7.5/10 based on my first read!

#danny phantom #danny phantom a glitch in time

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dirt-piper · 3 months

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Rain Check.

With my Writer's block for NSSS cleared, I've taken some time to think about the path moving forward.

I really want to release more updates to NSSS, but, for now, that means putting a major, promised aspect of 1.1.12 on ice.

Seasons, and all the other goodies I've been cooking up for the next update, will still be coming. But the weather system will be put on hold, at least for a while.

Weather has been the last major part of 1.1.12 that I've been hung up on for a while now, and every time I try to finish the implementation I encounter some major bug that's a pain to quash and all the wind gets taken out of my sails. It's holding me back from finishing the rest of the update, and it's holding me back from starting work on other work that I want to do on NSSS.

So, what can you expect?

Hopefully, more frequent teasers of what's still confirmed of 1.1.12 - Seasons, mostly, but there's a few more seecrets in there ;)

The weather system, particularly dynamic weather, is still a major part of my vision for the future of NSSS - it will still, absolutely, come, but it will be in its own, smaller update, not bundled in with a smorgasbord of other goodies.

Once 1.1.12 is out - which may be a while yet - then 1.1.13 will be arriving much, much sooner. And 1.1.14, and 1.1.15 - and so on. I'd like to return NSSS to a more frequent update cycle - nowhere near has fast as 1.1.3 - 1.1.7, but fast enough that I can push an update, listen for feedback, and then fix or improve things with the next release. A little, often - like firing a steam locomotive.

Novelty is only fun for so long - I won't know for certain if the changes that I make are good ones until I can examine them in the long run. It seems that 1.1.11 ended off on good footing - people are still enjoying it 2 years later - but there's bugs and problems that have materialized over that time which really ought to be smoothed out. It's time to fix 1.1.11_111-1... and I'm all out of ones.

There are also going to be some changes to the patreon. Stuff like playtesting access will probably get removed as a tier perk - I'd like to generalize the patreon from "support my work on NSSS!" to just "support my work!", which will be NSSS in addition to other things. Whatever happens, anyone who has ever gotten a custom name color or cape or particle effect will keep it in perpetuity - they're meant to signify a 'thank you' for throwing money at me, after all! Every dollar, euro, pound, zloty, real, and lira is appreciated.

I need to tidy up the website a bit as well, and the forums are still an unusable mess - if someone knows phpbb theming inside and out and is willing to pitch in, let me know!

-DirtPiper

#I understand how tags work now thanks #NSSS #Not So Seecret Saturday #Minecraft #Minecraft Alpha #Minecraft rain #Minecraft seasons #1.1.12 #NSSS 1.1.12 #Silicon Graphics Max IMPACT R4400 Indigo2 196 MB RAM IRIX 6.2

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todayisafridaynight · 4 months

Note

Heya Snap! I haven't been active in a while as much as lurking, but I wanted to say you and your pals are really funny and it makes me laugh seeing you all on my dash (though the one time I was in call with some folks and saw the one nsfw Aoki poll appear and my jaw dropped). I apologize if this is a bad place to ask, is your server with your friends open to other folks? I would love to interact with you and the inbox goers more. No problem if it's not, of course (I am not a complete stranger to you by the way! We are mutuals on twt, I just am too scared to come off of anon right now ^ ^;)

Anywho, your art is as awesome as ever and I look forward to spending the next year seeing your stuff! Hope you had a good holiday season and have an awesome sauce new year!

TWITTER MUTUAL 🫵 ALLEGEDLY 🫵

sorry for the. Aoki Poll </3 that was not my doing i just published it </3 so its kind of my doing Anyway.

yeah the server's open !!! it's just a server meant for people from my streams to hang out in but i dont see why not have another pal join- the link was posted publicly when it was first made but here it is again 👯‍♀️

hope your holidays were rad and hopefully the new year isn't total ass to us !!!!!! at the veyr least we have infinite wealth on the horizon !!!

#snap chats #the link should work. if not uhhhh dm me :)#ty for likin my art !! sorry i never post outside of comms anymore i am busy With Comms #BUT I AM DRAWIN LATER SINCE IT A WEEKEND SO. YAY #but ya hope to see yo there hope yo have fun ! and sory for the brain damage chat might cause !#everyones MOSTLY alright. I GUESS 🙄 i GUESS theyre cool and frinedly...#so dont worry :) for the most part :)

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bronyinabottle · 7 months

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11 Years of I Dream of Twilight Sparkle & Plans for the near Future

Hey everyone! Just a message I wanted to make now that it’s been 11 years since I started the blog. I was going to have something special out for today, but I thought instead of simply delaying it for either as early as next week or sometime this month. Playing the Sonic Frontiers DLC among many other things got in the way of sharing what I wanted to do next in a manner fast enough to make it for the blog’s anniversery.

I should at least leave you all with this. I admit there’s not much left I have planned for the future of the blog that doesn’t depend on your asks/interaction to keep alive. I think Earnest Empathetic Change was the last lengthy story I have in mind. Anything else that comes after would likely be one-shots if at all. Although to assure you, that asks are very much still on the table.

Perhaps at the very least. I should share I plan to do next: There will be another timeskip coming, though it won’t be tied in with a story like EEC was. It’ll simply give an idea of where the IDOTS universe is by the time of The Last Problem’s own timeskip (The general idea is the same as in that episode, though there are some important differences too that I want to lay out).

The version of the characters from shortly after Season 9/Secrets of the Dragon’s Tear and the 10 year timeskip related to Earnest Empathetic change are still very much able to be asked if you’d prefer. You won’t be locked into getting answered by this coming timeskip if you feel the question works best for an earlier point in the timeline.

I would also like to tell you that a 3rd timeskip will eventually be shown too. Which I promise will be the last one. Although I don’t plan to show it until sometime next year. Hopefully earlier in the year rather than later. For the most part the timeskip coming this month will just get into more of a “Where are they now?” sort of thing. The timeskip in 2024 I may at the very least design a short story for. Other then that though, it’s really winding down to a real finale for the blog. But not in a way that permanently closes off the blog off to any asks/interaction. Asks have been slow anyway for years so it’s very possible that it may end up being a real finale anyway. But at some point, more I Dream of Twilight Sparkle stuff will count on all of you. As all that’s left is some feel-good stuff in the future for many characters.

The blog has lasted a long time, longer then a great many Pony ask blogs have. I’ve had a lot of fun and even if no more asks are ever sent. I want to say that I appreciate everyone who has ever sent an ask, collaborated, liked, reblogged, etc over the years. I hope in some ways I’m not entirely done even when I’ve laid out all the timeskips I want to do.

Remember that even if IDOTS ever grows too quiet for too long, I haven’t left Pony ask blogs completely. As I still want to try to get as much as I can through Geniequestria. But I Dream of Twilight Sparkle was where I started, it will always have a special place in my heart. I know Geniequestria’s not going to appeal to everyone who liked I Dream of Twilight Sparkle since its definitely much more geared to mature subjects. I didn’t want to abandon IDOTS completely just because I have Geniequestria now, as I feel that’s unfair to people who may not find Geniequestra to be their cup of tea.

It's just fairly obvious that I have more plans on Geniequestria currently then I do for I Dream of Twilight Sparkle. I feel I've told a majority of what I've wanted to tell on IDOTS, and I'm just getting started practically with Geniequestria (Although I am starting to be afraid the amount of ideas may take too long to ever get to before something happens that makes it difficult for me to continue doing ask blogs for much longer). However, I will always be open to doing something more for IDOTS if there's an ask/suggestion I'd love to do with it.

Remember that I did open a roleplay askblog not too long ago that's good for quicker answers in the iDOTS universe that doesn't take long to do anything with. That'll remain open for as long as I can.

One more reassurance that this is not a message about ending the blog entirely, but coming soon how much this blog gets updated may depend on you guys more than me heading into the coming year.

However uncertain the future is, I want to thank you all again for these 11 years. and I still look forward to my next post whether it's on here, Geniequestria, or elsewhere.

#mod post

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dreaminggoblin · 7 months

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Wolventraum - Chapter 10

Julia told us about a town two weeks west, where Hunter Aelis had taken up residence over the winter, and had stayed to train the town's militia after the snow melted. She had received a letter from him asking for news and, hopefully, Hunters she could ask to assist him.

I vaguely remembered Aelis, and racked my brain about facts on him on the way there. He had been two years my senior at Sword Master Lydia's school, and routinely wiped the floor with me in training sessions despite being barely bigger than me, and just as skinny. But each time he had noted some improvement or other, and more than once treated me to meals. Back then, I had always felt he was too kind to become a Hunter, but kindness never meant someone couldn’t be good at ridding the world of monsters.

Aelis looked very different from the boy I remembered. His hair had grown long, and grey streaks were showing here and there through the brown. He had more muscle than me now, had more scars. He carried two swords on his back, and one on his belt, all of fine quality, none of our order's smithy. He looked tired, too. Worry had drawn deep lines into his face.

“It's good to see you two,” he said when we first arrived at the town's training field. He told his trainees to take a break and took us to his office in the small tower next to the field.

I looked around the room. It was sparse, there were a few maps of the town on the walls, and one on his desk. A shelf held a few books, a basket held wooden training weapons.

“How's the situation?” I asked.

“Managed,” he said, and fell into his chair. “We have been able to fight back during the last two attacks, one two weeks ago, the other at the very end of winter. There are still people missing from the first attack, we were able to track them through the snow. I doubt any of them are still alive, but we need to give the townsfolk some closure.”

Lucie frowned. She seemed to agree with his sentiment, as did I. Food or thralls, the two fates of someone captured by a vampire. It was rare for a new vampire to know how to create another of their kind, the process usually happened while they were unconscious, if our archives’ bestiary was to be believed.

“Where do you think they are?” she asked.

“If you haven't seen it, you came in the other gate.” Aelis got up and walked to one of the town maps on the wall. “Here, this used to be a fairly well-off merchant's home, but an echo took up residence there a few years ago, and it was abandoned.”

I groaned. “Of course. Didn't the priests in town try to do anything?”

“They did, but the echo returned, and they didn't try again.” Aelis pulled a thin leather string out of his pocket to tie up his hair. “Winter in this region is unforgiving, even this far south, so I spent the season getting to know the town and its people. The priests are cowards, but the thralls were a bigger problem than the echo, so I started training people instead of dealing with it. It hasn't done any harm that I know of.”

“Who's paying?” Lucie asked.

Aelis sighed. “The priests emptied their own purses to get me to stay in this tower and make soldiers out of civilians, since the town guard refused to take more volunteers. The local lord doesn't like that, but he's too afraid of more thrall attacks to do anything about me.”

I joined him by the map and picked out a way from the tower to the haunted house. “Julia mentioned you could use some assistance.”

He smiled. “So she’s doing okay. I was worried my letters hadn't gone through, I sent them with a courier just before a snow storm hit. I've been to the house once during the day, and someone in the council hall gave me a plan of it.”

After a bit of rummaging through a pile of papers, Aelis handed me a scroll. “Here. The echo is said to be in the main hallway. I doubt it has much interest in the thralls. People said they heard screaming from the house, as well as growls and such, and it's also where the last two attacks were started from.”

Lucie looked over my shoulder to see the plan. Her frown deepened. “That's a lot of rooms. How many thralls do you think there are?”

“If all the people who are still missing have been turned, around thirty.”

That didn't sound too bad for three veteran Hunters, but if the thralls themselves were strong, so was the vampire that had turned them. And Aelis had no information at all on who the vampire was, or what their powers might be. And even if only a dozen people had been taken from a town of almost a thousand, the impact could be felt everywhere. When we had arrived, we had been ushered to Aelis' tower by scared, tired men, and they had left praying aloud for the house of horrors to finally be cleared of its ghosts and monsters.

“For how long can you leave your militia alone?” Lucie asked. “I like our odds better with the three of us.”

“As do I,” Aelis said. He sat down on the edge of his desk and thought for a while. “I have a room here you can stay in. We'll prepare tomorrow, and the day after, we'll finish this.”

“Understood,” Lucie and I said. I added, “Make sure you get enough rest, too.”

“I will, I will.” He gave me a tired smile. “I'm sure the men will appreciate a day off, too.”

I halted in the doorway. “This somehow reminds me of my first hunt.”

Aelis looked up. “I hope the three of us will be better prepared than you were that time.”

“I suppose I did make a big deal out of it back then,” I said. “I still blame Vrehden.”

He laughed. “Everyone talked about it for a month. It was like with my first hunt. Vrehden doesn't like it when we're too good at our jobs, it seems.”

Lucie pushed past me back into the room. Anger flared up in her voice. “He sent both of you into death traps?”

Aelis nodded. “Seems like it. Did he blame you for not doing enough scouting, too?”

“Yeah.” I looked at the maps on the wall. “Were we better with swords than he was at the time? I thought he wanted to cripple me back then.”

“Who knows why he did it,” Aelis said. “Not a quality I look for in a leader. How has he dealt with the attack on our home?”

Lucie replied in my stead. “He's taking things from the archives. Not even Master Hellene knows where he's taking them. Looked like he'd keel over if you tapped him, too, when he ordered us away.”

Silence fell over us. Back then, I had thought Vrehden just had a particular distaste for me. He had been an instructor until the year I became a Hunter, and though he'd done some swordsmanship training, and was good at it, when I had come back from Master Lydia's school, I had wiped the floor with him in front of the new recruits. I had fought earnestly then, proving to our strict teacher that I took my duty and training seriously, but he had looked like he wanted to bash my head into a wall by the time he had gotten up again.

“By any chance,” I began, “did you also beat him in front of the new kids?”

Aelis nodded slowly. “Maybe he had a particular dislike for our generation. We didn't join that long apart, and a lot of us are excellent Hunters now.”

“Excellent Hunters that he orders away from headquarters as much as possible,” Lucie said. “Dirk said, and Master Hellene, too, that most Masters were also gone when we were attacked.”

“I don't like the look of this,” Aelis said. “He was endorsed by Headmaster Varden to become his successor, but Varden wasn't doing well in his last few months.”

I tore my eyes from the lines of houses drawn onto the maps. “So we might be thinking the same thing, then.”

“We might be,” he conceded. “But we have work to do tomorrow. I'll return to headquarters when this is over. Master Hellene needs some assistance, from what you've told me, and Vrehden can hardly send me away when I have reports to make for the archives. Maybe I hurt my arm a little on the way home, and my writing is slow because of it.”

“I like that thought,” Lucie said. “I don't think we can stay in contact while Reaper and I are still on the road, but if you're still there when we get back, I'd like a report on him.”

“Of course.”

We left his office, and spent some time in the guest room preparing our gear for the hunt before eating with Aelis and getting some rest. I struggled to fall asleep for a while, thinking about what he had said. It was true that Vrehden was an accomplished Hunter, and it was true that Varden, our ageing headmaster at the time, had endorsed him. But it was also true that Varden was going senile, and despite the ban at headquarters, often found comfort in wine and spirits. It would have been easy for Vrehden to set something up. But how long in advance had he been planning for something to happen, while playing his part?

I rolled over on my bedroll and stared into the darkness of the room. Aelis was right, we had work tomorrow, I needed to sleep. With some effort, I closed my eyes, and kept them closed until I fell asleep.

The one thing that stood out to me about the echo was her age. She was a child, barely ten from the looks of it, and considered the thralls that had infested her home interesting pets that were fun to play with. It took a lot of convincing for her to allow us to put them to rest, but we didn’t have to fight her. In truth, Lucie did most of the talking.

Because the echo was bound to the house itself, the local lord decided to burn the whole thing down in the presence of priests. That took care of the thralls, too, though the vampire was nowhere to be seen, even when the house went up in flames. If they moved on after the last attack, I hoped they got caught in a ray of sunshine somewhere and died before they could to more harm.

“That was an interesting one,” Aelis said as we watched the fire. “Thank you both for your help.”

I patted his shoulder. “Let's go get something to eat.”

“I'd love to know more about the history of the family,” he mused. “For a little girl to become such a strong echo, something significant must have happened.”

Lucie, already ahead of us, called back, “Do you even have time for that?”

“You're right, there are more pressing issues. Maybe when I have some time off, then,” Aelis laughed. “But I know a decent inn, so I'll treat you to a meal.”

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