#i mean i drew her a TON more than last time

[rollingaroundin-bread]

Phineas and Ferb/Milo Murphy's law doodle pages from my notebooks :)

#phineas flynn #isabella garcia shapiro #perry the platypus #marty the rabbit boy and his musical blender #marty the rabbit boy #candace flynn #stacy hirano #milo murphy #sara murphy #zack underwood #for context the milo & zack drawing was a concept piece for my Halloween drawing of them as the teen titans #also i have no idea when Isabella became an automatic doodle for me #i mean i drew her a TON more than last time #i drew phineas a lot too but I already knew that jhsdfgk #anyways i think thats it bye :) #notebook doodles #my art stuff

[sam24]

Man on a Mission

Summary: Apparently, someone called Bucky's girl a whore. He has now made it his life's mission to find out who.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

*****

Bucky sat at the kitchen island, eyes narrowed, leg bouncing, and the same scene from last night replaying in his head.

Bucky drew random patterns on your bare shoulder, his nose buried into your hair. You were being quieter than usual, but he knew you were awake as he could feel your hands fidgeting.

He didn’t want to press you to tell him about it, so he settled on making you feel as loved as possible, pressing kisses into your hair.

Suddenly, you broke the silence, taking Bucky by surprise.

“Buck . . . do you think I’m a whore?”

“Wha-” Bucky lifted his head immediately, trying to look at you. But you hid your face in your hands, turning away from him.

“God don’t look at me. Fuck, this is so embarrassing,” You groaned into your hands. “Forget I said that.”

“No, honey, look at me please,” Bucky gently pulled your hands down, cradling your face. “Who called you that?”

“No, no, no one,” You shook your head frantically. “I’m sorry, just forget I said anything. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“No, sweetheart, who- okay we’ll get back to that later. But you are not a whore, okay? No woman deserves to be called that in the first place. Who-”

“No, no one. I was just . . . I just randomly thought of it.”

Bucky wasn’t convinced, but he let it slide.

For now.

“Well, I don’t want you thinking these things about yourself.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Okay?”

You nodded, seeming relieved and a little surprised that he dropped it that easily.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

It was now the next morning, and you were at the gym with Natasha, which gave Bucky the perfect opportunity to figure out who to murder.

Steve walked into the kitchen with Sam trailing behind.

“Morning Buck.” Steve greeted. His head stuck into the fridge, trying to look past the shit ton amount of edible cookie dough you had made a couple days earlier.

“How come you didn’t come run with us, you lazy fat ass.” Sam teased, leaning on the island.

“Didn’t feel like it.” Bucky narrowed his eyes.

Suspect 1: Sam Wilson, The Most Annoying Bird Alive

Sam had a tendency to poke fun at people, but some might not take it as well as others. For example, when a barista burst out in tears last week when Sam joked about her being “all over the place” with all the orders coming in. (He came in with flowers the next day)

Bucky wondered if Sam had said something that was supposed to be funny, but you didn’t think it was and got upset.

A part of Bucky wanted to settle on Sam so he had an excuse to beat him up, but the more rational side of him realized that you had gone on one too many missions with him to think he was being serious about anything he said.

Tony then came in, holding a bunch of empty coffee mugs in his hand, practically throwing them into the sink.

“Bruce said my mugs were ‘taking up too much room’ in the lab,” Tony rolled his eyes. “Well why doesn’t he try being the goddamn genius backbone of this team.”

Bucky stared at him intently.

Suspect 2: Tony Stark, The Dick Who Can’t Set His Metal Rock Music Lower Than 98

Tony had a tendency to snap easily, especially when he was low on sleep (which was basically all the time). Everyone usually steered clear of Tony when he was moody, because he would most definitely say the meanest things, but not really mean any of it.

Bucky tried to think if it was logical that Tony would snap at you and say something. However, he came to the conclusion that even if Tony had said something, you had known him for too long to take his sleep-deprived words to heart.

“What are you looking at, Winter Schnitzel?” Tony challenged, noticing Bucky staring at him.

“Nothing.” Bucky replied, his stare shifting over to his best friend, who was grinning in amusement, but still trying to find something to eat that wouldn’t give him diabetes.

Suspect 3: Steve Rog-

Bucky stopped himself, almost laughing at himself for thinking Steve would ever call a woman a whore.

Even though you always kept the fridge full of random items you would make, Steve would never say a single bad thing about you.

For now, Bucky was stuck.

⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃

6 hours later, and Bucky was still stuck.

You and Peter were out (God knows where), which was another perfect chance for Bucky to think.

But the problem was he couldn’t think of anyone.

Everyone in the compound adored you, so Bucky couldn’t figure out who the hell would deliberately say something to make you upset.

He dragged his shoes across the floor, cursing Steve in his head for making him go on a “stroll” because he apparently looked “pent-up”.

There was no way in hell Bucky would walk around outside, so he opted to take a walk inside, using Mother Steve’s demand to his advantage to scout out potential targets.

He halfheartedly glanced around the floor, stopping when his gaze landed on you.

He immediately grinned, not caring about the fact he probably looked crazy, and started his way over to where you were.

You were talking to someone with a bag in your hand. Bucky remembered you saying something about picking up a dress from the store for your friend. Peter was next to you, and for some reason, puffing his chest out?

But, as Bucky got closer, he realized you were talking to Jacob, the little dickwad who couldn’t take no for an answer,

“How many times do I have to tell you? Get out of my way. I’m trying to get this to someone.” Bucky heard you snap, tuning in with his enhanced hearing.

Bucky stopped, trying to assess the situation and figure out if you would appreciate him stepping in or not.

He knew you didn’t need anyone to stand up for you, but his overprotective side rippled through his body, his jaw clenching and fists balling.

“Baby, stop acting- “Jacob was cut off with a sharp slap.

The little bastard was taken by complete shock.

Meanwhile, Peter was still trying to look as intimidating as possible.

“Jacob, what the hell is your problem? I’ve told you to leave me alone more times than I can count. How fucking thick is your skull?”

Jacob was about to reply, with probably something bitchy, but he caught sight of Bucky in the corner with the most murderous glare and stopped himself.

He instead looked down and stepped to the side, giving you and Peter room to go.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Beat it.” Peter growled in the most non-threatening way possible as you two left, giving Bucky the perfect chance to slide in before Jacob could hightail out of there.

“Barnes.” Jacob greeted, clearing his throat.

“Callaway.” Bucky’s blood boiled at how differently he treated other men than how he treated women. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you to respect a lady?”

Before Jacob could reply, his equally dumb friend, Brody, walked past the two men.

“Damn, Jake. Barnes finally here to beat you up for calling his girl a whore?”

Bucky and Jacob both stared at Brody.

Jacob looked sickly pale, and Bucky looked calmly terrifying. Clear sign he was fucking enraged.

“Oh shit-” Brody finally put the pieces together, practically sprinting away.

Bucky turned back to face a petrified looking Jacob.

“So,” Bucky reached out, fixing Jacob’s tie and smoothing down his collar. “It was you, huh?”

Jacob tensed under Bucky’s touch.

“Chill pal, I just wanna talk.”

⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃⭃

A bruised cheek, wet underwear, and hurt ego later, Jacob’s talk with Bucky was over.

Bucky threw his feet up on the ottoman, but not before telling Friday to make sure Jacob was apologizing to you, as instructed by Bucky himself.

He patiently waited for you on the couch, a wide grin appearing on his face as you walked in and cuddled up next to Bucky, but not without pressing a kiss to his lips first.

Halfway through the movie, you turned to look at Bucky.

“Thank you,” You smiled.

“For what, doll?”

You turned back to face the movie, a smile playing at your lips. “C’mon. I know that was you. He would never apologize on his own will.”

Bucky laughed, turning you around once again to pepper kisses all over your face.

“I love you, my little smartass.”

“I love you too, pops.”

Mission accomplished.

#marvel fanfiction #bucky x reader #protective bucky barnes

[c-m-stuff]

Babysitting

-Description: You and Spencer are together. If you guys are babysitting on Henry, you reveal some excited news.

-Warnings: Fluffiness, pregnant

-Word count: 1482

-Note: Hope u enjoy!

Request guidelines

Masterlist

__________________________

Y/N POV:

'Thank you so much for babysitting on him.' JJ told us, as we both arrived at her house.

It's not the first time, we're babysitting on Henry. This evening, JJ and Will, are going to the theater. They have these tickets for months now, and are really looking forward to it.

'No problem, JJ. We and Henry are going to have tons of fun.' I assured her, seeing Henry giggling, while Spencer is holding him.

'Are you ready, cher?' Will came towards us, while JJ nodded.

'Be good for auntie (Y/N), and uncle Spence.' she went through his blonde locks, and kissed him on the forehead. Will did the same, as we said our last goodbyes, before they left the house.

The sweet part was, that I'm not actually Henry's aunt. That's Penelope. They knew each other longer than me, since I joined the BAU later. I'm totally okey with it, but my heart always melt as Henry calls me also "auntie (Y/N)".

'So, what do you want to do?' Spencer asked the little boy, while he placed him back on the floor. JJ already bathed him, and changed him into pajamas.

'Drawing?'

'Drawing it is.'

We took a place to the kitchen table, while Henry took his drawing stuff. He placed all the pencils, markers, and paper on the table. We began to draw.

After a little while, Henry gave a look at our drawings.

'Is that a bird, auntie (Y/N)?'

'I'm glad you can recognize it.' I smiled, as I took also a look at his drawing.

'Woah, that is a beautiful car.' I complimented him, looking at the red race car, he drew. He thanked me, before turning to the quiet genius.

'What are you drawing, uncle Spence?'

'The USS Enterprise.' I giggled at his response. Of course he was drawing that.

A few minutes passed, as we all finished.

'Can we play with the lego?' he asked us, as I glanced at the time.

'I'm sorry, Henry, but it's your bedtime. Let's go to bed, so uncle Spence, can read you a bedtime story.' the 5 year old, pounted, sadly, before heading upstairs.

'Which book do you want me to read?' my boyfriend asked the blonde, as he was deep in thoughts.

'This one.' he made his final decision, handing the book to Spencer, as he climbed into bed.

I tucked him in, and Spencer began to read. I gave a loving look at the two boys, as eventually the story came to an end.

'Sleep tight, Henry.' I said, and gave him a kiss on the head.

'Sweet dreams.' Spencer spoke, as he also gave his godson a kiss on the head.

We turned the big light off, so only his little lamp was shining. We pulled the door, not quite closing it, as we made our way downstairs. We both brought some paperwork with us, because it was too early for us to sleep.

About 40 minutes later, we finished, considering we already made a part at work. We decided to cuddle up in the couch, as I rested my head on his lap. I lifted my shirt a little higher, as Spencer began to draw random shapes on my belly. He probably thought, that I was in pain, but not this time.

'You were great with Henry.' I broke the comfortable silence, as a smile formed on his lips.

'I can say the same about you, love.' this time, it was my turn to smile.

'You are going to be a wonderful dad.' as soon as the words left my lips, he stopped drawing random shapes, and froze.

'Wha-what do you mean, (Y/N)?' he asked, still a little in shock.

'I'm pregnant, love.' I finally spoke out the words, waiting nervously for his reaction.

'We're going to be parents?'

'We are going to have a baby, Spence.'

Then, the biggest smile was on his face, as he stood up, and lifted me off the ground. He placed me gently back on the floor, as he wrapped me into a tight hug.

'I guess, that this means that you are happy.' I asked, pulling a little further, to see his face.

'Happy? I am more than happy, I am the luckiest man in the world! I can't believe, we're going to have a baby. I love you, (Y/N).' he spoke, while a tear escaped his eye.

'I love you, forever.' he gave me a loving kiss, as suddenly, we heard little footsteps walking off the stairs.

We ended the kiss, as we turned around, to see Henry coming towards us.

'Why are you crying, uncle Spence?' the 5 year old asked, as I also whipped a tear away.

'Because, I've heard some really excited news. This are tears from happiness.' Spencer answered, as we both squatted down to his eye level.

Spencer gave a look at me, gesturing to continue the story.

'Inside my belly, is growing a baby. Uncle Spence and I, are going to be parents soon.' I told the little boy, as his eyes went wide.

'That's great!' Henry exclaimed, as he gave me one of his sweet hugs.

I hugged him back, ad he went to Spencer, and did the same thing. After ending the hugs, I needed to ask him a favor.

'Henry, you're the first person to know, your mom doesn't know from anything. We would like to keep this a secret just a little longer. Do you think you can do that?' I asked him, as he nodded his head.

'Great, now why are you not sleeping?'

'I can't sleep.'

'What about, we read you another bedtime story?' the blonde his eyes light up, as he already ran upstairs.

We followed after him, and soon enough he was laying under the covers, while Spencer was reading. Not much later, he fell asleep. Quietly, we left the room, to go back downstairs, towards the couch.

We lie close to each other, as we drifted off to sleep by ourselves.

__________________________

The next day:

Yesterday, after JJ and Will, came back home, we woke up, and went to our shared apartment.

The elevator doors opened, as we made our way into the BAU. As soon as JJ saw us, she immediately walked towards us, and pressed me into a hug. Then, she pressed Spencer in one.

'Congratulations guys! I'm so happy for you.'

'Henry, told you, didn't he?' the genius asked, as JJ nodded her head.

'Not quite with words, but I needed to give this drawing to his uncle Spence and auntie (Y/N).' she handed us the drawing.

There were 4 people on it. A woman, a man, a kid and a baby. Most likely, it were me, Spencer, Henry himself, and our unborn baby. The drawing says it all.

'That is the sweetest.' I answered, before placing it in my purse, not wanting to lose it.

'We want to tell the team, can you help gathering them in the conference room?' I asked, as she nodded her head.

Spencer went to Aaron his office, while I went to Penelope's. JJ gathering the rest. I opened the door from her office, as she was sipping her coffee.

'Hey cupcake, how are you doing?'

'Hey Penny, great actually, do you want to come to the conference room?' I asked her, as she stood up.

'Of course, do we have a case?' she asked, while we were walking out of her office.

'Nope, we just want to tell you something.'

'What is it? Please, (Y/N), you need to tell me!'

'You'll see.' I said, with a smirk, as we reached the conference room.

Aaron and Spencer, also just arrived, as everyone took a seat. Spencer and I, went to stand for the empty screen, as they all gave us confused, but curious looks.

'We made you guys come here, because we have something to tell you.' he began, while I continued.

'Since you guys love to bet, you can all guess if it's going to be a boy or a girl.'

'I'm pregnant.' I added, as they all looked surprised, but also really happy.

'OMG! OMG! OMG!' Penelope exclaimed, while she came to us for a hug.

'Congratulations!'

'You're going to be awesome parents!'

'I'm so happy for the both of you!'

Everyone came, to congratulate and hug us. They were all smiling, and genuine happy for us. This child is going to be so loved. And, probably also getting spoiled. Oh well, what's stopping them?

#criminal minds #cm #fanfic #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x yn #pregnant #fluff imagine

[diana-bookfairchild]

Happy Birthday to my favourite character! @thethreebroomsticksficfest

“Hi, Hedwig,” Harry stroked his snowy owl’s head, settled comfortably in one of the nooks of the Owlery. The view from the window was astounding; even better, perhaps, than the one from the Gryffindor common room and dorms.

Hedwig made a crooning noise, flapping her wings as she hopped up his arm. Harry knew several fellow owl owners had special gloves or arm-covering they wore for this, but he had never felt the necessity for one. Hedwig never hurt him, and besides, the digging in of her claws into his skin was comforting even as it stung sharply.

“Ron and Hermione are fighting again,” he started on the update he always gave his owl about his day-to-day life. It was nice, telling it as though he had someone who cared.

Hedwig did care, after all.

“And this time. . . I dunno, Hedwig. It feels more permanent this time. Last time was – indirectly – because of me, and the Firebolt. Oh, and the Firebolt!” Harry gushed. “It’s amazing! It’s tons better than even the advertisements, and those would make you think the broom is worth your life. We won the match with Ravenclaw using it! I mean, I’m pretty sure we would’ve won even without—” He felt a dull pang for his beloved Nimbus. “But the Firebolt was a lot of encouragement, I’m sure. I bet I could outfly even you on it, Hedwig.” He teased.

He liked to think the look Hedwig gave him now was one of extreme derision. Sometimes he genuinely thought she could understand what he was saying. Hermione would know if magical messenger owls had any more special abilities.

The thought of Hermione was enough to bring down his euphoria. He drew his knees to his chest. “I dunno, Hedwig. I just miss her. But she is in the wrong here!” He added, voicing the thoughts he hadn’t dared to since that disastrous conversation with his friend. “I mean, it does look like Crookshanks ate Scabbers, and obviously that’s natural for cats and rats—” Harry spared a grimace for the school that allowed cats, rats, owls and toads as pets (he was sure this wasn’t the first nor last incident of animals clashing), “But she should still apologize, right? I mean, I don’t know. What do you think?”

Hedwig blinked at him, nipping his ear gently.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m going to let them resolve this on their own.” He decided. He hadn’t liked the thought of interfering anyway, and the resolution was a relief. “But I hope they do it soon. I miss all three of us together. The homework help, too,” he joked. Hedwig hooted admonishingly.

“Good thing I got you, huh, girl? If I had a cat too, this’d be a never-ending mess.” He mused.

Hedwig fixed him with a stare, as if to say he should have gotten her anyway. “Yeah, obviously. You’re the best. Even if I don’t have that much mail that needs delivering,” he added guiltily. Hagrid, the Weasleys and Hermione used Hedwig too, but he still felt bad about her sitting in the owlery all the time without any work. “I wish I had someone to write to. For the sake of it too, but also for you.”

Hedwig just huffed, flapping her wings in his face.

Harry grinned. “Yeah. I’m glad I have you anyway too, Hedwig.”

#harry potter #fanfic #fanfiction #the three broomsticks #prisoner of azkaban #hedwig

[disasterofastory]

Dear Santa (Stucky x Reader)

Dear Santa Santa Claus!Steve Rogers x elf!Bucky x Reader Day 29 - Dinner // December 2022 Warnings: none

Summary: Do you stay with them? Bucky and Steve wants to know your decision.

One year later…

Steve's office is quiet in contrast with the workshop below. The muffled sounds of machines and conversations filter into the room. The blonde man is at the table with a stack of papers in front of him, while the elf is on a sofa, reading and making notes. The scent of coffee lingers in the warm air. You are out with Twinkle probably while Steve and Bucky are busy with work. Christmas is around the corner again, and they have a ton of things to take care of before the big day. You help them too. They have to force you to take a day off and spend some time with your favorite reindeer.

Bucky's gaze wanders to the window again. The snow falls in fluffy flakes from the cloudy sky. It gathers on the windowsill. The wind swirls them in the air.

"Are you okay?" Steve breaks the silence when he looks up and finds his love deep in thought with a worried frown between his brows.

"Yeah," Bucky replies half-heartedly. "I'm fine."

"Tell that to your face too." A smile pulls on their lips. "But seriously, are you sure you are okay? You seem distracted for a few days now."

"I'm just…" the brunette elf sighs. "It's almost a year since we brought Y/N here."

"I know."

"And your agreement…"

"I know," Steve nods again. He doesn't know what to tell Bucky. You warmed up to them in the last year, and you are happy here. You have friends, a job, and everything they are capable of giving you. But what if it's not enough? What if you are waiting for the right moment to tell them you want to leave them?

"We should ask her," the blonde man suggests. "Let's rip the bandaid off."

"How about a nice dinner? I could cook."

"It sounds good," Steve smiles. His bright blue eyes warm up at the idea. "You should go, and I'll finish here."

It's already dark when you arrive home. The shops are closed, and the lights are on. Snow covers your warm pants and boots, and your fingers are frozen even through the thick gloves.

Warmth slaps you across the face when you push the entrance door open. Wood burns in the fireplace and delicious smells fill your nostrils as you step further into the building.

"Y/N?" You hear Steve's voice, and soon, you can see the man appearing at the kitchen doorway.

"Hey," you greet him with a smile as you kick your boots off and leave your wet clothes at the door, so you don't make a bigger mess in the house. "Are you cooking?"

"Not me," he replies. "Bucky. I drew you a bath, though. Go warm up so we can have dinner."

You do as he says. The warmth of the water makes your muscles relax, and you have to force yourself to wash and get ready for dinner, so Steve and Bucky don't have to wait for you. You are sure they are tired and hungry. As Christmas comes, the tasks that need to be done are more and more urgent. The whole town is busy, so everything can be ready for the big night, but Steve and Bucky really make themselves work until they fall asleep at their desks.

Your year with the two men at the North Pole was something you could have never imagined. After your agreement with Steve, you really decided to give them a chance, and they didn't disappoint you. They showed you what life with them could be if you choose to stay. Both Steve and Bucky are tentative and kind. The blond man who is the current Santa Claus is more strict than the elf, but you found love in both of them rather quickly.

"Wow," you hum as you make your way to the dining room. Everything is ready and looks delicious. Candles burn in the middle of the table. Your favorite drink is already waiting for you next to the empty plate. "What's the occasion?" You ask them.

You don't notice the glance between them while Bucky answers. "We just thought a dinner together would be nice. Who knows when we'll have another opportunity to be together like this?" 

You don't catch the meaning behind his words. "Oh, that's nice."

So all of you start to eat in silence. Bucky is great in the kitchen, so it's not a surprise that you don't sense the tension in the room. The men glance at each other every few minutes, trying to decide how to approach the subject. The fear that you want to go home is too big for them to speak up.

"So, how was your day?" You ask them after a while. The spices melt on your tongue.

"Good," Steve hums. "Busy."

"Now I feel guilty I didn't help," you grimace, even though spending time with Winkle and the others is always something you enjoy.

"Don't," Steve smiles. "We are happy you had fun today. You deserved it."

"And we all deserve to go on a vacation when December is over," Bucky adds, watching you subtly. His steel-blue eyes meet Steve's again.

"Oh? And where do you want to go?" You ask him, still not noticing their tension. "Somewhere warm?"

"Not necessarily," he replies. "Italy? Maybe? What do you think?"

Steve straightens up in his seat.

"I always wanted to see Italy," you nod, your eyes on your plate, enjoying Bucky's cooking.

"And what else do you want to see? We can go anywhere after Christmas," Steve tries this time. His knuckles are white as his grip tightens on the fork.

"Oh," you gasp as your head snaps up with a sudden thought.

Bucky and Steve are ready to jump up from their seats. This. This is the moment where you either break their hearts or make them the happiest men alive.

"I almost forgot," you continue, looking at Steve. "Did you read the document I left on your table? Tony needs your opinion tomorrow."

"Y-yeah, I already talked to him," Steve replies, barely finding his voice.

"Good," you smile. "It seemed important."

Yeah, they know a thing or two about important topics.

"What if we would spend New Year somewhere?" Bucky tries again. Steve almost laughs at his lover's stubbornness.

"Wow, you really want to travel, huh?" You ask him.

"Paris? Budapest? New York? Where do you want to go, Y/N?"

A frown appears on your face when you notice the tone he uses. He is not angry, but something is off. You look up at the elf from your drink. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he nods, even though he sounds anything but okay. "I just want to know where you want to go after Christmas. With us? Or alone? What's your plan?"

"Okay, okay," Steve cuts in, putting down his glass to interfere. Seeing Bucky's half-impatient, half-panicked expression and your confused one, he has to do something. "Bucky… We want to know your decision. I mean, you have been here with us for a year now, and… and we are curious how you see your future?"

Recognition glints in your eyes as your lips pull upward. "Oh," you hum. "I thought you read my letter?"

"What letter?" Steve asks, frowning.

"The letter I wrote for Santa Claus," you explain. "I put it on your desk."

Before you can say anything else, Bucky is up from the table, running out of the house.

"He didn't have to get it," you state, looking after him.

"Let him," Steve replies. You can hear the laugh in his deep voice. "He needs a run."

After a few seconds of silence, you turn back to the blonde man. "My answer is yes, by the way. I want to stay if you guys still want me."

"Of course we want you," Steve replies, leaning closer to you over the table. His soft lips find yours easily and gently. His tongue brushes your bottom lip, nibbling on the soft flesh. "Bucky will be delighted."

"Oh," you smirk, knowing the content of your letter. "Just wait."

The man doesn't even have time to ask anything because the elf bursts into the dining room. Letter in hand, his t-shirt is halfway off his body. His broad chest moves with every panting breath.

"Oh, Steve," he gasps. His face is tinted with red, and his eyes shine with lust and hunger. "Put her on the naughty list!"

#stucky imagine #stucky x reader #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #marvel imagine #avengers imagine #december 2022

[romaine2424]

Last Daily Blog September 19, 2023

Well, it was worth a try, but this didn't turn out like I hoped. For one, I couldn't keep up with a Daily blog or Weekly. My priority has always been on getting my writing done first, and since I've gone to a scheduled posting of once a week for my WIP, I haven't found the time. And since the goal of this was for more fandom interaction, I kind of failed there, too, so I lost the inclination.

I'm also going to stop posting my weekly WIP fic updates. My last post last Tuesday, and Reblog the next day got one Like. There could be a variety of reasons, but this is consistent. If I post a rec for someone else's fic or reblog something, I'll get a fair amount of Likes and Reblogs. If it is my own work....... So, since I have less than 200 followers, it's not a productive way to promote my own work. In other words, my fandom ego gets embarrassed. I do understand that I tend to write niche or on-the-edge Drarry fics. From politics to trans-female!Draco with Harry during the 2-year transition, and this one where we have bi-sexual!Harry (Draco's is in Azkaban for 30 years, and Harry has to marry to uphold the family bloodline). I get it. LOL

So, one last time: Chapter 15 of The Azkaban Letters is up. Next week Harry enters the Portrait Room to meet all of his ancestors.

Okay, enough about my personal issues. BTW I will continue reccing fics and watchout, @hd-fan-fair is coming up in October!

What I've Been Reading:

I'm thoroughly enjoying @oflights The Star Splitter. This is a Drarry Chapter fic that is updated regularly.

Summary:

On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival.

@oflights is such an amazing plotter. Currently, there are seven chapters posted (34.5K), and Draco is in so much trouble that I haven't a clue how it can get resolved. It's truly delicious reading about Draco taking care of 7-year-old Harry but knowing he shouldn't be.

The Star Splitter on AO3

more recs and then fandom resources under the cut

@squintclover is a new author for me. She's got a very sweet 2 chapter fic going on where the first chapter has been posted. Twirling Cords (like in the muggle movies). I liked it so much that I perused her other fics posted and found this amazing gem. For anyone who loves Matilda and Ms Honey, Harry Potter; Miss Drew's Class; Y4 (2K) is a must read.

Summary:

A look at Harry Potter's life from the POV of his year 4 teacher, Miss Drew.

Snippit:

These are the last two lines of the opening scene:

We all go into teaching wanting to be Miss Honey. But none of us want to meet our Matilda.  Harry Potter is my Matilda. 

I don't tear up often, but in only 2K, I most certainly did.

Harry Potter; Miss Drew's Class; Y4 On AO3

Please give lots of love and comments to both fics!

Tumblr Resources:

How could I not do this section without mentioning thee amazing @sitp-recs. Reccer Extraordinaire! I'm guessing every one of my followers is a follower of Liv. Her pinned post is so nice and simple, but OMG there is so much under all of those links.

I was in complete awe this past Spring/Summer when she did the Rapid Fire Rec series. I mean come on, how did she do that? Someone gives her a prompt, and she turns around and gives 3 stories dealing with that prompt.

Liv doesn't do Fic Finds; she doesn't tolerate hate or neg comments. What she does is spread Drarry (fic and art) love in every way you can imagine. Tons of love and respect for @sitp-recs for all she does to keep Drarry and some of those rare pairs alive in hp fandom.

One last resource. I've had this on my list to post, but I couldn't track down the author. For those who write about Harry's childhood abuse, this is for you. If you know who compiled this list, please let me know, and I'll give the credit! It's well deserved.

HP Abuse

Okay, that's a wrap. It was fun!

As mentioned above, I'll still be doing recs and other commentary.

Cheers,

Rom

#romaine2424 daily blog #romaine2424 fics #drarry fic rec #resources #last daily type blog #sitp recs #oflights fic #squintclover fic

[sillygoofyqueer]

Ohhhh, you know how to make infinitely more motivated to write more. I mean, look at THIS, it feels like you're quite literally in my brain 🥺🥺

Dream. I don't think that anyone'll be surprised that I'm linking him to Apollo...the sun god. BUT HE IS MORE THAN THAT. I mean, god of plague and healing, music and arts, oracles and so much more!! For some reason, Apollo radiates Dream for me (I mean, Apollo is literally referred to as Alexicacus -> the "averter of evil" and depending on your perspective, that's what Dream does with negativity. He was Zeus' favourite (like the villagers favouring Dream before....teehee), and he was born from a mother who was in hiding from Hera (like how Dream's mother created Dream and Nightmare before she died after being hunted). And he was like, very prosperous for the island he was born on (the myths differ on what its name is), turning everything there to gold (like how Dream brought a shit ton of positivity to the villagers). Lets talk about Apollo's tragic love life and why I think that links to Dream. Basically, the most tragic tale (in my opinion) is Hyacinthus and Apollo. See, everyone looooved Hyacinthus and was pissy when he chose Apollo. One day, they were having a game of discus, and whether out of jealousy or pure bad luck, when Hyacinthus tried to catch the discus Apollo threw it smashed into his head and he died in Apollo's arms because he couldn't do anything to heal him. And this genuinely is so heartbreaking, because Apollo, despite being god of healing, couldn't manage to save what mattered most in the end. LIKE DREAM AND THE APPLE INCIDENT. IT WAS JUST A NORMAL DAY FOR THAT POOR BASTARD AND THEN BOOM, HE COULDN'T MANAGE TO SAVE NIGHTMARE IN THE END. WRAGGGHH - I think I went overboard with this one, but I love Apollo and I love linking him to Dream.

Nightmare. Well, for ever sun god, we need a mooon god!! Artemis, obviously, but why do I think this? Well, obviously I can link Artemis' birth to Nightmare's, as I did with Apollo's and Dream's - but I can take it one step further, folks! Artemis, according to some tellings of the legend, was born first and then became a midwife of sorts to Leto as she gave birth to Apollo. This can be linked to depictions of Nightmare as an older twin, keeping Dream innocent from the bullying he received and growing up much faster than he should have (considering he was like, five, at the time of the apple incident). There is also a lot of Artemis seeking retribution for man's hubris and acts, similar to how Nightmare killed all of the villagers as retribution for their years of bullying a child just because he was...well, the personification of negativity, in a sense. Also, Artemis is portrayed as a virgin goddess (iconic), and she keeps company with the Hunters of Artemis (mainly women who swore a pledge to her), much like Nightmare with his silly little children henchmen, who value him above all. ALSO, we can link it to the fact that in Istrus' version of Orion and Artemis, he was the only person she ever truly loved and he was a hunter of her, so, y'know, the idea that Artemis and Nightmare both could only get into relationships with people they've known extremely well for a long long time. But keep in mind that Artemis feels nooo love for anyone, this is just an idea.

Reaper. I don't know how big this bullet point'll be, because there's only so much I can explain before it becomes obvious. But, obviously a Hades like figure. Ruler of the underworld, god of death, y'know, it matches. Also, also, also, I'd like to point out that Hades got the short end of the stick and got stuck with the underworld, like how Reaper got forced into being a god of death because...well, he was born. Poor bastard. Hades, despite being the eldest son, was regurgitated last, which led to him being absolutely dunked on in receiving the Underworld when they drew lots. Reaper and Hades (in my opinion) share this lack of care about mortals and the world above. ALSO, Reaper has the death touch, which means he probably craves what he cannot have, like how Hades only ever fell in love (true love) with Persephone, goddess of spring. Literally the opposite of him. They both kind of long for things they cannot have. Well, without killing people or kidnapping them. Also, then portraying Geno as Persephone is a delicious idea for shipping material. MORE TO COME SOON IF WANTED\ (you can find what is basically a masterpost of this headcanon series here)

#four being a dumbass #Four's headcanons #dream sans #nightmare sans #dreamtale #reaper sans #reapertale #geno mentioned #greek mythology #greek gods #apollo #artemis #hades #persephone

[zwy01]

Luzia doodles!!!

I drew my noblesse oc from my Millennium AU, Luzia Tradio! She is the first child of Kei Ru and Claudia Tradio, and the older sister of Jia Ru. She goes by the nickname Lucy, along with a few others.

1. Luzia painting!!!! Damn these were meant to be like really quick paintings yet one by one they gradually became more polished. I just can’t help it. Rip consistency. Anyways here is she is! Luzia is smart and sharp, and is always busy cooking up something… figuratively and literally. Not the see-through-it-all manipulative smart like Raegyn, nor is it the nerdy academic smart like Izar. Instead, she very smart in the dark arts. Forbidden knowledge, potion and poison making, artifact crafting, curse casting… you name it. Anything that’s probably banned by the Lord, she is exceptionally good at. She has enough talent to match and even surpass her grandfather Lagus in this aspect. If Lagus lived to witness her work he’d be proud and she’d have a blast working with him on the off-limits stuff. Unfortunately he is very dead, so she pursues his legacy in secret. Her main goal is to find the stuff he left behind, and maybe even enhance it. She’s not interested in Lukedonia at all, she just genuinely likes that shady illegal stuff. It fulfills her soul. She’s probably staring at her next target right now. You should run.

2. Lucy in her very secret underground lab studying the properties of various ingredients. She’s probably in the middle of reading her old notes and trying to change things up a bit to see how the end product shall change if she uses different ingredients from last time. She’s very very focused. Being a Tradio also means she can summon the same vines that Lagus and her mother can, and she uses them as extra limbs to help nagivate her tools. Very convenient ability for fetching stuff when she’s too lazy to walk around.

3. Baby Lucy!!! As grumpy as Lucy has always been since the moment she was born, she was very very cute as a baby. Kei and Claudia as new parents were more than thrilled to dress up their bab in beautiful clothes. While they loved watching their little (not) angel hop around in cute outfits, Lucy herself just thought it was super boring. They’re kinda itchy and she wants to take them off, but her parents are happy so…. Ugh. She’s letting you off the hook just this one time. Good luck trying to get her to cooperate next time.

4. Teen Lucy with her baby sister Jia. Lucy is NOT amused with this… “horrific thing” that suddenly decided to latch itself onto her like superglue. Claudia’s not being of much help right now. ps in the past Lucy did not wear edgy goth clothes and instead wore the same styled “standard” girl clothes as everyone else. She burned all of them the moment she turned 200 and has worn exclusively goth clothes in public ever since. Claudia remembers smelling smoke and recalls thinking their manor was burning down. In reality it was Lucy and her garbage disposal lol.

5. Lucy with her giant Alois plush!! She made it herself lol. She has made tons of voodoo dolls so her needle work is quite good. But this one is special. In fact it’s the first doll she has ever made that isn’t a voodoo doll. Alois would be so flattered if he knew. Lucy enjoys cuddling with her plush. Meanwhile she’s (still) dreaming about her Al except this time he’s proposing to her. They haven’t even confessed yet. Girl is totally unaware that in reality she could just take initiative lol.

6. Just a funny crack AU/parody where Lucy is gets into modern goth-emo fashion and does band. She’s super popular and her fans love her grumpy and unfriendly persona, because she’s so cool and distant. Meanwhile they don’t know that that’s not a persona, that’s literally just how she is lol. I guess if it works it works. Tickets to her live shows are in super demand and always sell out, and rumors say that she always has a VVVIP seat that’s fenced off from everyone else, reserved for a certain someone, whom she hopes comes to see her. And he does. Every single time. In this au-au/parody she confesses to him through a song lol. She’s basically serenading him. She even wrote the lyrics herself this time. Soo special. Alois is beyond touched. He has ascended. After the concert ends they just go backstage and finally make out lol. And the song itself? Well despite its super weird lyrics it becomes a hit. Luzia becomes super rich, quits band, buys some island and moves there with none other than her new boyfriend. Lmaoo

7. Another crack AU/what-if scenario where Alois and Luzia get together and have kids! Two cute kids, a girl and a boy. Lucy being the edgy person she is names her boy heir Lucifer. Can’t get any edgier than that. Meanwhile Alois names his girl heir Lucinda after his beloved wife. Both of these kids are affectionately called “Lucy Juniors” by their parents. Aww. So cute and happy. While this doesn’t happen in the “main” storyline of my Millennium AU, both Alois and Lucia have probably fantasized about this at some point, when they haven’t even confessed to each other yet lol. If this is the future you want at least one of you needs to take initiative lol.

8. Andddd something funny at last to wrap up this doodle dump!! This is Lucy’s response to just about everyone, when they ask for a handshake, are just trying to talk to her, etc. To put it in a nice way, this is her non-verbal way of saying “hello” and that she has noticed your presence. You should be honored. If she truly didn’t care about you she wouldn’t have even bothered to flip you off. Oh my queen <3

#noblesse #manhwa #myart #fanart #luzia tradio #jia ru #alois elenor #kei ru #claudia tradio #oc #ocs #original character #millennium au

[asnowperson]

Hagio Moto's Onshitsu (1975)

As the crappiest translator of all times, even I want to do something to bring 1970s manga to a wider audience. I'm too scared to get into those long-ass shoujo epics, I'm not sure if I can last through not so long-ass shoujo manga, and some manga simply terrify me because I'm afraid I can't translate them with my language skills and lack of culture. For the time being, I tried my hand at translating this Hagio Moto one shot from 1975, and my lovely group, Decadence Scans, helped me get this out into the world <3 Click here or here to read it. I'd like to thank Kanedian, Roze and Attolia again for indulging me and working on this story. But I still need to gush over this manga a little bit more.

Hug the otouto. This is so beautiful that I can look at these panels for hours.

I've liked Hagio Moto ever since I read Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru, and been meaning to read more of her. The problem is, I'm very lazy and have read so little so far. I'm basic and as I was looking through MU to choose a Hagio title to read, and Onshitsu piqued my interest. Because it checks two boxes: It's by Hagio, and it's BL. I've always read about the bishounen culture of the 70s, but I know so little about the actual BL works from that period. I checked Hagio-sensei's fan site, and this site in English that is full of old shoujo we'll never see, and bought the relevant one shot collection. (By the way, buying JP e-books is easy. Do it even if you don't speak Japanese and support the mangaka. How can you say you love them if you don't even buy their books?)

Onshitsu is basically about MC's cute step-otouto getting mindfucked by some weird-ass rose-spirit-thing. Onshitsu hits all those sweet 70s shoujo spots: European setting, blond bishounen, /fa/ bishounen, onii-san, bishounen tears, innocent kisses, creating drama while things could be solved through communication just so they can do dramatic poses, gratiutious references to Greek mythology, rich people, smart people, mystery,suffering, a shit ton of roses and other floral arrangements, bad ends, emotional conclusions... Couple that with Hagio-sensei's magnificent page layouts, and you get a very enjoyable read. This is not the best manga or anything, but I think it reflects pretty well the tastes of that time period. I mean, this is the kind of stuff I wanted to read to understand how BL tones became a thing in shoujo manga during the 1970s.

Later, I got Alois, the one shot compilation it was first published in too! I can't wait to read it. Here's the first page of Onshitsu with the dustjacket of the volume.

I can talk about every panel in this manga, but allow me talk about a couple panels/pages I really, really liked:

I had to stop and say "WOW!" on this page when I first read this manga. The way she drew Lange and the spirit's hair and bodies all entwined like that is very aesthetic and sensual. You can feel the intimacy, but no vulgarity. I particularly like those very thicc lines on the middle left part of the page. I feel so doki doki when I can see how the artist must have drawn something through the lines.

I think it's about José's straight, long hair and the way he holds Lange's head, but the kiss above is very cute. And the flare pants.

I like the despair-ridden José here very much. And these lines sound 2000% better in Japanese than I could do them justice. Seriously, I hope I didn't screw this up too much while translating, but no one ever touches this stuff. I felt like I had to do something.

My pilgrimage to the 1970s for more BL-flavored shoujo will be long and arduous, but I will continue. I hope this little contribution makes someone happy.

#hagio moto #萩尾望都 #onshitsu #温室 #24年組 #retro manga #70s manga #70s shojo #retro BL manga #year 24 group #scanlation

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb: One of Us Is Lying meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in this don’t-dare-to-look-away dark academia thriller that explores how secrets can rot an institution—and the people who uphold it—from the inside out.

Everyone wants to be a Lily.

At Archwell Academy, it’s the ticket to a successful future. But like every secret society, there is something much darker beneath the surface … sometimes girls disappear.

When four Archwell students find themselves trapped in a time loop, they must relive their worst memories, untangling the Lilies’ moldering roots and unraveling the secrets at the core of their school … before they destroy their futures forever.

Review:

Four students from the prestigious Archwell academy find themselves stuck in a time loop, reliving their worst memories... and being forced to unravel their school's secret society's secret and the disappearance of one girl...can they figure it out in time to escape or will they be trapped forever? Archwell Academy is a prestigious all-girls school, it's a school that guarantees a successful future. But beneath it's pretty cover lies a secret society known as the Lilies, a group of students where girls disappear....The story is told from four point of views:

Rory Archwell- president of the senior class and daughter of Chancellor Archwell. She wants to do whatever it takes to be on top... even if it means breaking up with her girlfriend Blythe Harris. Rory is determined to please her mother, even if it means destroying people to get her way.

Blythe Harris- She wants to beat Rory's academic record and become the first Black valedictorian in Archwell's history. She's a tech genius with a tendency to break into people's emails and snoop. Blythe wants to do anything possible that would give her an advantage.

Drew Simmons- Was forced to go to Archwell as their grandmother's one condition to get the inheritance. Drew wants to fly under the radar especially since they are being forced to go to an all girl's school when they do not identify as such. They keep everyone at arm's length... but when their roommate Charlotte, begins to discover some of their secrets and begins to go missing... Drew will do anything to hide their secrets.

Vero Martin- wants nothing more than to be an artist, she's been forced to go keep her secret artist identity under wraps as her father is running for office and this is her last chance before he sends her away. Her controversial art sets off a chain of events and brings unwanted attention... and now she has to face the consequences of her work and the damage it has created.

These four students are all connected to the Lillies secret society and the missing girl Charlotte... and when they end up in a time loop facing their worst memories, they'll have to work past it all and together to uncover the secrets that would finally let them be free. This book is a queer dark academia mystery with tons of representation. I absolutely will give this book bonus points for the representation. The book is definitely unique and I think it would make a fun read for dark academia and mystery fans. Personally, this one just felt like a bit of a miss and the overall plot felt meh at best to me. I was hoping for something a bit more, but the timeline thing just wasn't for me and I just didn't like the characters all that much. Overall it was an okay book for me but I think others will still have fun with it.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #lgbtq books #the lilies

[berkmansimagines]

Let It Be

Summary: Barry's daughter goes to the police station after he gets arrested.

Pairing: Barry Berkman x teen!daughter reader

You heard the news as soon as you woke up. Barry got arrested last night. He’s being charged with the murder of Janice Moss. You couldn’t believe that it actually happened, Barry will finally face some consequences for his crimes. 

He’s currently at the police station, but will be transferred to jail soon. Your father going to prison means you have to go back into foster care. Just the thought terrifies you. You can’t go back to that.

You reached out to a friend whose mom, Annalise, is a lawyer and asked for some legal advice. Annalise suggested filing for emancipation, which would legally make you an adult. It’s your best chance at avoiding foster care. Annalise volunteered to take on your case pro bono and quickly drew up the paperwork. 

There isn’t a lot of time. Barry is still at the police station getting questioned. Annalise stressed the importance of getting the papers signed before Barry is arraigned and gets transferred to prison. She was planning to deliver the paperwork to your father but you insisted that you should be the one to do it. This is your last opportunity to talk to him before he goes away.

Annalise drove you to the police station and convinced the police to let you see your father, explaining that he was your only living parent. You watched in awe as Annalise spoke with the police. She’s very good at her job and it gives you more confidence that she will get your emancipation granted in court.

You take one final deep breath before walking into the interrogation room. The first thing you see is Barry seated at a table.

“Hey,” you shyly wave to your father. 

Barry’s jaw immediately drops when he sees you. He is in shock. You’re the last person he expected to walk through the door. 

“Y/N,” Barry breathes, “What…what are you doing here?”

You sit down at the table across from Barry. You don’t want to talk about what your father is accused of. You know damn well that the cameras are on and you won’t say anything that would implicate him. You still feel weirdly obligated to protect Barry, even after everything he’s done.

“I, uh, I need you to do something for me,” you bite the bottom of your lip.

Barry gives you a confused look. You put the paperwork and a pen down on the table.

“Sign these emancipation papers,” you tell him.

Barry’s eyes widen. He’s stunned into silence, experiencing major deja vu. This moment almost mirrors the first time you met your father. You went to his doorstep, asking him to sign a permanent release of rights so you could emancipate from the foster system. That’s when Barry took you in. 

You went to court with your emancipation request but Barry was granted custody of you instead. After that, you and Barry became a family. And it was good for a while, but it was never meant to last. Your father has a dark past and was battling his own personal demons. He lost that fight and even you couldn’t save him.

“Please Barry! I need to emancipate or else I go back to foster care. I can’t… I can’t go back. Please,” you try.

Barry is taken out of his thoughts, snapping back to reality. You continue making your case.

“My friend’s mom is a lawyer, she’s going to help me. She thinks I have a much better chance of getting emancipation granted this time because I’m almost eighteen and it would be easier to do that rather than re-house me in a foster home. And I have a plan now, not like before. I'm staying at Steve's until I finish off senior year.”

Barry picks up the pen, glancing down at the paperwork.

“Where do I sign?”

You let out a sigh of relief.

“There’s a sticky note on the last page,” you tell him.

Barry sifts through the paperwork, quickly reading as he goes along. He takes a deep breath when he gets to the last page. With the stroke of a pen, he’s no longer legally responsible for you. That realization hits him like a ton of bricks.

After a moment of hesitation, Barry signs the document. 

“Thank you,” you breathe. 

He’s doing this to protect you. At least that’s what he’s telling himself. Your father would do anything to make sure you don’t go back into foster care.

“I just want you to be safe and happy,” Barry says quietly.

“I am,” you reply, and then, “I miss you… but I’ll be okay without you.”

The color in Barry’s face drains. Being your dad was the best part of his life and now it’s all over. Your life will just go on without him.

“Despite everything, you’ll always be my father. You provided me with the first home I’ve ever had and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Barry slowly nods. He slides the paperwork and pen back over to you. You rise to your feet.

“I should get going,” you sigh, eyeing the exit.

“I love you kid,” Barry tells you sincerely.

You’re quiet for a moment. Tears begin streaming down your face, you wipe them away. 

“I love you too… Bye dad.”

#barry #barry hbo #bill hader #barry berkman #barry berkman imagine #barry berkman x reader #barry berkman x teen!daughter #bbtd

[thebreakfastgenie]

for WIP asks the 4th of july fic.

and ik you were already quite generous with it but would love to hear anything else about 69

Sorry it took so long to get to this one! I was really excited about it and then I was either too busy or too tired to answer it properly!

The 4th of July fic my take on a time loop. It's contained within GFA. Hawkeye relives July 4th, 1953, over and over again, trying desperately to prevent tragedy on the bus, while no one else remembers. I was actually influenced a lot by Slaughterhouse-5, even though it's not a time loop. Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time and sometimes that means he's living his post war life and wakes up back in the bombing of Dresden. That's certainly what PTSD can feel like. So I started thinking about how I could use a time loop as a narrative device.

The time loop takes the emotional experience of reliving a traumatic event over and over again in your mind, of being trapped in that moment, and makes it a physical one. A common component of time loop stories is that the protagonist must prevent something terrible from happening, and only when the bad outcome is averted will the loop be broken. This, too, reflects an emotional experience, the constant "what could I have done differently? how could I have stopped this?" Maybe the real time loop was the trauma we had along the way.

In this case, Hawkeye is trying to save the lives of everyone on the bus. I don't want to say too much about the loop, because part of the story is going to be figuring that out as Hawkeye does. Just as the loop is about trauma, breaking the time loop is about moving forward. This fic gets very heavy and dark towards the middle, but it's not a pure angst fic, it's just what the story requires. In the end I would say it's about choosing hope.

The idea is basically what if GFA was a time loop, and we only saw one iteration of it? That means it's fairly canon-compliant. I'm also trying to incorporate a lot of details from GFA. I can't share a snippet, but I'm hoping to finish it by July 4th, 70 years after the day it's set, so if I manage it you'll see it soon!

****

I am more than happy to share more about untitled 69. I'm trying to motivate myself to work on it, at least once 4th of july is done. I had a ton of momentum on it a few months ago and then I got sick and it got left in this very chaotic, mid-draft-reorganization state. This fic was supposed to just open with Trapper at the reception for the new chief of thoracic surgery, where he meets Charles, but in true me fashion, I ended up getting into Trapper's homecoming and emotional state and in the process writing about a bunch of stuff that happened earlier. One thing I'm excited about is how Trapper relates (or doesn't) to his colleagues. He has one friend who's close enough to know about Hawkeye, because I needed someone to bounce Trapper off of in dialogue, and I really love the dynamic that developed between them. I don't think this snippet is as good as the last one, but:

Trapper tugged at his collar. He was having trouble breathing, though he knew that had more to do with the fog of cigarette smoke than the snugness of his tuxedo. If Louise were here, she would scold him—it had taken her ages to get his bowtie right—but she wasn’t here, so she could keep her comments to herself.  Louise hated these things almost as much as he did. Working class girls either grew up into women who loved glamor or hated it, and Louise had never seen any use for it. It was one of the things he loved best about her, and probably what drew him to the nurses in Korea, besides proximity—their short fingernails and practical attitudes. 

This is Trapper being miserable at the party (more on that later!) and me fleshing out both him and Louise a little bit.

#thank you!!! #this one really did take so long because I wanted to do it right lol

[alovelyburn]

Rambles about the Golden Age Part 13

I spent the past week or so distracted by Discord. Alas and Alack. 

Rambles about the Golden Age Part 13

All right, I think I mostly talked about the Guts/Casca relationship last time, at least as far as my understanding of what drew them together and how the relationship works, so I don’t think I have a TON to say about them this time around? But let’s see.

I do find it a little annoying that this point was retconned. Because I mean, she could touch him because she’s a woman and his assailant was a man, you know? It’s not like he just found her inoffensive for no reason. That said, I’m just attributing it to the romantic haze he’s currently in because that makes some sense given how his head works. Moving on!

I love how Godo shows up and just puts all the things into place with Guts - not even just this time. There’s a commonality there because they’re both people who were sort of drafted into a specific role by the circumstances of their birth and/or upbringing - Godo doesn’t choose to become a blacksmith he just becomes that because it’s what he’s trained to be, but like Guts and his sword, he ultimately finds fulfillment there despite it’s having been chosen for him. 

I actually quite miss him, I wish he hadn’t died!

That said, as nice as all this is - and as much as I find it notable that Griffith is the biggest presence in his mind (even moreso than Gambino) - his thoughts with regards to his own dream and how it relates or doesn’t relate to the Promrose speech does remind me of how much he misunderstood that speech and how it applied to him. Because it seems like what he got out of the speech is that Griffith is looking for someone who has a big picture dream like his, but if you look back to his actual speech it’s evident that what Griffith actually means is someone who has a thing they’re devoted to doing. He literally even mentions the idea of a person whose dream relates to having an incredibly intense relationship with a specific weapon:

The speech itself seemed (to me anyway) to be  part showboating for Charlotte and part Griffith telling himself stories in addition to the part that’s true. But even putting that aside, even if if we assume it was 100% accurate and true to the way Griffith thinks and navigates his relationships, it still doesn’t mean he’s only interested in people who want to rule kingdoms or anything like that.

I’m also fascinated by his saying he’ll never stay/entrust himself to someone else’s dream again yadda yadda because when he actually ends up hanging out with the Hawks... it doesn’t take a lot to reverse that..  

This is interesting because he seems so clear--headed and sure... and I do think that’s much of why many people think that’s what he really wanted. Which it was... in that moment. But it’s really another case of Berserk flexing its “characters can be wrong” muscle, because of course he eventually realizes he was prioritizing the wrong things and thus he ends up regretting having left to begin with. But that makes sense too because he’s trying to emulate Griffith, and Griffith routinely prioritizes the wrong thing, too. 

Oh yes one more thing about Guts and Casca’s relationship, or rather its effect on Casca for the moment:

I understand why she’s distraught when Guts says he’s just leaving again and relieved when he invites her along. After years of pining after someone who really didn’t.... I’m not going to say he didn’t care about her because he obviously did but he didn’t care about her the way she wanted him to. He didn’t consider her necessary to him even if he recognized her value to the Hawks - which is to say Commander Griffith needed her more than Griffith the man did, and despite her claims to the contrary it’s Griffith the man that she wanted to see and desire her. 

So I get it, but I do think it’s straight up bizarre how easily she just decides to leave everyone she’s known and the only life she’s had behind without much of a second thought to it. Not to mention leaving Griffith right after she pulls him out of a dungeon where he’s been tortured for a year. It’s...

Okay like I do understand that this stems from her comment at the end of the previous volume - her acceptance that she is going to change even though it frightened her to do so. I get that. I don’t mind that she decided to go with him if she wants to be with him. But I do mind that she didn’t seem to care about what she was leaving behind.

That said, I do think you could chalk that up to the sort of bubble atmosphere happening here - like her belief that she could let go of Griffith and Guts’ saying that she could touch him just because instead of because she’s female, or that he’s still going to leave. It’s all the sort of soft romanticized fantasies they share in this moment before it all falls apart. And I don’t just mean in the Eclipse, because that shit is out the window the second they leave that clearing, really.

Also I do like the poetry of showing us the first Apostle we ever met, and also showing that the world is changing to accommodate Femto’s impending arrival right after the man Griffith loves gets together with someone else and says he’s definitely still leaving. And yeah I know it actually happened earlier, but the way it’s placed has some significance otherwise it would have been shown when it happened, you know?

Really I should have just appended that shit to the last post because now we’re doing the big Griffith monologue and that’s a bit of a meh intro to it but whatever. AHEM.

So I said a while back that I feel like Griffith’s dream began as something of a childish thing right - it’s one of those nigh impossible dreams like becoming a princess that a lot of children have but eventually life breaks it down and they get this reality check and they move on. The “problem” with Griffith is that, because he is who he is, he decided he would actually go forth and achieve the impossible. It’s just his nature. But he started that journey as a child, and without a full understanding of what he was doing or what it meant. He’s like a kid playing with toy soldiers - he may know that people die but he doesn’t really “get” it until later. So when he finally started to understand the real blood cost of that dream, it was too late to back out.

He’s been kind of walled up ever since then really, emotionally distant to let himself do what he has to do, dedicated to something that’s slowly burning him down. You could call him an old soul at this point, BUT...

Even all these years after, after all that loss, when he thinks of himself - the internal image he has of himself - the image he sees is almost always the back alley boy with wild hair and plain clothes. 

I think the most real part of him - the part that’s kind of cheeky and playful and idealistic, greedy but not malevolent. The part of him that remains emotionally vulnerable. ...the part that throws water buckets around and makes bugged out faces when Guts smacks him on the back, or offers to lend him porn. The rest of him - the manipulations, assassinations, the calculating general, the fancy clothes, etc, that’s all stuff that he does because he has to and a lot of it isn’t natural to his personality which is why (as Casca said directly) he has to shore himself up to do it - “he has to make himself strong” and all that. And because it’s unnatural to him, because he has to “make” himself able to do it... well that’s what she means when she says he suffers more than anyone. Because so much of his truest self gets eaten and blocked off and replaced with someone he obviously doesn’t even like. 

Even so, when he’s alone with someone he truly can be himself with - which was only ever Guts really (as seen by the examples really) - his child-like side comes out. And that’s a big part of the reason he needed Guts so much;

Now, I said Griffith was a kid when he began, but even during the bulk of the Golden Age arc, Griffith’s only 19 or 20ish years old (depending on how long you want to say the post-recruitment, pre-snow duel part of the arc took). Of course that means a different thing in the kind of society/time period Berserk is portraying... but it doesn’t change the fact that he is still developing both physically and mentally. It’s not shocking that he would eventually run into something that would upend his priorities... especially priorities he had such a tenuous grasp on anyway. That’s pretty normal. 

Speaking of which.

Again, Griffith’s very young. And he’s never loved anyone before. That experience, the first time you love someone, is always overwhelming and intense - it’s pure and unrestrained by experience or sadness. You haven’t yet learned how to love and lose with relative grace. 

Complicating the issue for Griffith specifically is his extreme emotional isolation and tendency to suppress his needs, which makes Guts the only outlet he has - the only person he doesn’t have to front with. His best soldier, sure, but also his best (and only) friend, the person he most trusts, the person he has fallen in love with, and the person he would betray his own constructed value system (dream > all) for, because ultimately Guts satisfies Griffith’s actual needs rather than the ones he tells himself (and the world) that he has. 

Losing him must have felt something like dying, especially because it seemed to be a direct rejection of all the things he’d been hiding from the world - the things that made him afraid of being “seen.” 

It also meant being shoved back into the box where he kept his heart before he met Guts. 

The Deluxe version changes that leftmost line again, this time to:

“I know how to cultivate the good will into trust or fellowship and the animosity into awe or possibly dread.”

And this is important because if you put it in the context of his behavior with, say, Foss it reveals that when he does that thing - the thing where he stares at someone and they feel their blood grow cold and are immediately terrified of him... that’s a thing he’s consciously doing. It’s not just that he is inherently a terrifying person, he is cultivating the animosity into awe or dread” for a purpose. And in the case of Foss the purpose was to frighten Foss into submission so he and Guts wouldn’t have to kill him. As evidenced by the fact that Foss is still alive and kicking.

Which reminds me, I seem to recall a time when someone said this is evidence of his arrogance because he thinks he’s special, but the thing is... that’s not arrogance. He is special. Not just because he’s the human that will one day become Femto but because  he’s unreasonably brilliant, beautiful, charismatic and skilled in just about anything he’s ever tried. Is it arrogance to acknowledge that? I don’t think so, it’s really just an observation, and he has to know and see that in order to achieve what he’s trying to achieve. 

I’d love to know how anyone reads this and says to themselves, Yes Griffith only saw Guts as a tool. He’s literally saying that the castle he’s chased his whole life loses its appeal in comparison to Guts. It’s always weird to see how people try to squirm out of this. “Guts outshines his dream because he needs Guts to achieve his dream.” Buh what?

Anyway, I’ve said a bunch of times that I don’t really get people who don’t think Griffith is in love with him... because I do kind of think that’s baffling. But it doesn’t bother me - hell, maybe I’m even the wrong one, I can acknowledge that. What I do find annoying and infeasible as an interpretation is the whole “sociopath who only had regard for others as tools toward achieving his dream” thing. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the appeal or even the rationale.

That said, a lot of it seems to come from thinking NeoGriffith and Griffith are the same “person,” which is like... NeoGriffith (and Femto) are aspects of Griffith’s personality isolated from the rest of him and shot through with the essence of “hell.” The fact that NeoGriffith prioritizes his dream over all things is because NeoGriffith is what Griffith himself always tried to portray and become - a largely emotionless ambition machine who isn’t held back by insecurities, regrets, fear or love. But the reason he needed to be freed from those things to begin with is because those things were so overwhelming to him that he lost his grip on them and they took him over and then crashed him into the rocks. 

The design of the unforgiven strongly resembles the demon fetus which makes sense since said fetus was originally... not a fetus. I imagine it was originally just a minidemon/unforgiven before Miura got the idea to make it a corrupted baby.

I also think it’s interesting that the supernatural/demonic creatures already recognize and bow to Griffith when he is, for the moment, still only human. The world opens to make room for him, and everything changes, even the shadows - something that gets mentioned again after Griffith is reincarnated into the world. 

Nothing to add to this really, I just love Femto’s title.

Guts is so often silent - in a lot of ways  - from the outside - he’s as unreadable as Griffith, it’s just that we’re in his head all the time so he’s less confusing to us. Anyway, I do think he’s being silent because obviously he intends to leave. But I also think his expression reflects his ambivalence - the reluctance to leave the people who really are his home. Something he isn’t saying aloud because that’s how he is.

Judeau’s stares kind of remind me of the way Griffith later watches them. Same reason, really. Same reason, different target.

Like, I get that this is supposed to be a sweet moment but whenever Guts gets big man overprotective of Casca I just think about how the original reasons she fell in love with Griffith was because he empowered her and set her free, whereas Guts is always kind of treating her like a little lady he has to defend. 

And don’t get me wrong, I understand the difference from the guys - Griffith isn’t interested in Casca that way, so he’s a lot more like his normal self with her - the Do As You Will self. The person he is interested in is Guts and he’s pretty irrationally protective of him (although he still respects his abilities enough to put him on the frontline). Whereas Guts is being like BF protects GF with her. That part makes sense. What makes less sense is why that’s appealing to her. Which, I mean, is really just because she’s become a love interest at this point but meh. 

So, this is one of the big moments when Guts starts to understand this slippery thing that is Griffith and his feelings. It’s kind of a step forward a step back with him, and sometimes two steps forward and one back and sometimes one step forward and two back. Like you had the “Do I need a reason?” moment, which was two steps forward and then Promrose, which put him back at the starting line. Then you have the Hawks saying Griffith self-destructed over Guts, and Casca saying the same thing - three steps forward. Here we have another one. I think he has one more before the Eclipse which then has a scene in it that kind of sends him backwards again but we’ll get to that.

For the moment though, here Guts is on that path, go Guts. His impression of Griffith - rather the impression he’s settled into post-Promrose, which is extremely influenced by his Gambino issues and general feelings of inferiority and low self-worth, intercut with those moments when Griffith revealed his insecurities and self-doubt, as well as his capacity for caring and selflessness - why would he not risk his life for Guts? Is he terrible because he orchestrated the deaths of people who were actively trying to kill him? 

But more than that, he’s thinking about the specific moments when Griffith reveals himself to him, to Guts himself - punctuated by Casca’s declaration that Griffith can’t function properly without him which does, I think, imply that Guts is starting to realize that he, specifically, is someone Griffith truly does care about personally. But if that’s the case, then what has he done?

Gah, okay let’s talk about this for a second. 

It’s stupid rofl. That said, I didn’t really take it as Casca’s nonvirgin status being immediately evident on her or anything like that. Rather, I think it’s a result of her changed focus. When she was living for Griffith, she was trying to be a perfect soldier - because she wanted to be his sword (in lieu of being his lover). Griffith had no romantic interest in her, but he saw her utility as a soldier and respected her abilities as a commander and so she focused on those things. At that time she even expressed resentment at having been born a woman, which makes sense considering how much abuse she took for it. However when she switches her focus to Guts, it changes her presentation because she’s no longer trying to put herself into the mold of a soldier and is allowing herself to be a woman with needs and a lover and a potential future that doesn’t involve conquering armies, and so her presentation changes. 

So that’s really what I think is meant to be going on, that said it does come off very oddly and ultimately I think the way her character changes depending on who she wants to be romantic with the most is kind of annoying. Even if you were to say that she can let go of her need to put herself into a specific mold because she lets go of Griffith, it isn’t something that happens overnight. So... much like her willingness to leave the Hawks and Griffith behind without a second thought despite having dedicated her life to them until this moment, it ends up leaving the impression that she just defines her entire personality by the D, which I mean, is how she is written but I don’t have to like it.

Which kind of leads me to this:

The way Casca’s determination, her decision to focus on her feelings for Guts over her feelings for Griffith, starts to crumble the second Griffith’s shadow enters the room. Because as soon as she realizes that Griffith may not be able to achieve his goal through Charlotte, she immediately starts wondering if maybe she and Griffith have a chance after all -- and then she grabs onto Guts to break the feeling up... which doesn’t work but also it’s just more of how Guts and Casca kind of .... I don’t want to say use each other because I do think they have genuine feelings for each other but I guess take refuge in each other when their feelings about Griffith start to mess them up. 

AND GUTS KNOWS SHE’S DOING IT?

He knows it, and he lets her do it? He even initiates it. Which actually may have been a bad idea since later on she ends up crossing a line with him arguably because she’s so comfortable using him to numb her Griffith angst.

Also I genuinely wonder/kind of suspect that he said this specifically to jar Casca off her tumble back into Griffithville. 

Which doesn’t work. The thing is, I don’t disagree with her logic about why bringing Charlotte on the run would be a terrible idea. But the decision isn’t coming from that logic - that’s why she looks shifty and has those sweat beads. It’s why she can’t look at Charlotte when she’s giving her reasoning. She’s right, but the decision doesn’t come from the logic she’s giving, the logic is thought up to justify the fact that she doesn’t want Griffith’s girlfriend with them. And ultimately the fact that she understands Charlotte’s feelings for Griffith is the reason she relents.

And there’s the line-cross. I just think... its a human moment for her but it’s also genuinely a dick move to complain to Guts about your feelings for Griffith. And it does seem to be a step too far, because that’s when he goes from quietly accepting and even encouraging her distract herself from all that to shutting her down and pulling away. 

A truth that persists far beyond the Golden Age - he’s still struggling with Griffith vs. Casca to this day. 

During the rescue mission there’s kind of obviously more emphasis on Casca’s romantic angst over Guts vs Griffith but the rest of the damn series is about Guts’ issues with Griffith so, you know, wait for it. For the moment, he’s just like “You’re obsessing over Griffith but I can’t complain because I am also doing that.”

A sidenote: I lvoe Charlotte and I think it’s sweet how devoted she is to Griffith - the point where the promise of being with him can give her the strength to do dangerous things she never would have done otherwise. Even after he turns out to be horribly maimed she still loves and tries to protect him from the King. She’s a badass.

Nothing to say here, but Miura sure knew how to twist that knife huh?

And then in the next minute he reminds me that half the reason Griffith has the issues he has and does the things he does is because the Hawks... I mean I talked about this last time I think and I’ve got more ranting to do when Griffith is back with the team, but I legit can’t shake the feeling that he’s barely human to them. Not in a way where like, they look down on him as subhuman but in a way where they see him as other than human. For most of the golden age that’s a “positive” thing - they think he’s superhuman. But because they already don’t see him as “normal” but rather as an other and a symbol, that switches very quickly to treating him like a doll or something once he loses his power.

Anyway that’s a bit of a tangent but ultimately while I don’t doubt they adored him they also really didn’t think about his humanity or needs.

A while back Miura said in some interview that he ended up reusing the same apostles because coming up with new designs all the time was kind of a lot. It is, to me, one of the best outcomes that taking the easy route has ever had, because it turned the apostles into characters instead of monsters. And that ends up laying the groundwork for a lot of what’s to come... in really interesting ways.

Because on one hand if you see them consistently and they become “people” to you then it’s interesting to kind of follow their lives right? The way some of the end up in the reborn band of the hawk protecting humanity and all that. It brings them depth and gives some weight to what Neo!Griffith is doing with Falconia.

At the same time, seeing the same apostles who slaughtered the first band and ate Guts’ hand off and assaulted Casca running around as knights in service of the realm is kind of... chilling, and helps the feeling of moral ambiguity around Griffith in his reborn form.

And last thing before I go....

The Gaiseric story. 

I think at this point most people know the main theory is that Gaiseric became the Skull Knight (and the later mentioned Sage in the Tower became Void). I’m not going to say it’s definitive, I mean hell maybe Gaiseric is Void and the Sage is Skull Knight who knows (I don’t think so rofl) but it’s interesting how Miura draws a comparison between Gaiseric and Griffith when Gaiseric is presumably not the Godhand one.

I mean I don’t think these parallels need to be exact - if they are it becomes a little cheesy, but it’s interesting. 

Which brings me to this thing, the story of Midland Kingdom’s fall, which is sort of obviously a result of the ascension of a Godhand who sacrificed the Kingdom to rise. Probably Void. 

The fact that the five is corrected down to four angels/Godhand members indicates to me that Void was probably the final member of the previous Godhand cycle - the Femto so to speak. So that always makes me wonder... because Miura had said that what the Godhand wants is tied to Void and because the time of the Midland Kingdom is dated back to roughly 1000 years ago (the amount of time between Godhand flesh incarnations)... does that imply that Void was the last one incarnated?

This is kind of the edge of a larger series of thoughts around the Godhand and the cycles and ages of humanity but I guess what I’m wondering is....

do we have a situation where the fifth member of a Godhand set becomes incarnated and then sets humanity on the path it’s meant to follow for 1,000 years before returning to the noncorporeal realm as the senior member of the next cycle?

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE and if so it may not be a coincidence that Void and Femto are the ones with a lingering sacrifice in the world ala Skull Knight and Guts... and it would explain why Skull Knight targeted Guts as someone who could and would survive the Eclipse.

And that brings us to the end of this chapter. Next time.... Griffith’s return.

#berserk #berserk meta #rambles about berserk

[gluetrapsreviews]

Ok watched Splice last night and I actually really liked it up till like the last 3rd of the film so ig like notes on that and how I think they could’ve had a similar ending but you know included less of *gestures vaguely * that

Tw for mentions of rape and incest btw, this is a really weird film

Uh ok so first change: Elsa finds Dren’s drawings of all of them, Dren even drew herself but maybe sad that she looks different than them or maybe she draws her Barbie doll instead of herself? Like a human stand in for herself almost. Elsa asks about Dren’s depictions of herself which upsets her and she runs to the cat. Elsa does take the cat away but to the vet to see if she might actually have some sort of diseases, Dren partially understands this but is still upset. Clive comes to check on her. This scene stays the same but make it less sexual please i beg you, Clive realizes Elsa used her own DNA through some means other than weirdly staring at Dren’s neck. Same argument with Clive and Elsa then they get a call from the lab about the protein thing that their hours have been extended till they figure it out. Elsa gives the cat back, Dren hits the cat but doesn’t kill it or maybe she just hides in the rafters while Elsa tries to apologize. Now Elsa and Clive have barely enough time to check in on Dren. This is when she starts getting hormonal changes when it’s just her and the cat. Insert montage of Dren acting weird maybe playing with her wings while Elsa and Clive work on the protein thing. Then one day Clive is checking the cameras and Dren is sick like she was near the end of the film, he fakes being sick and goes home to check on her. He realizes how weird she looks but assumes it’s just the next stage of her life and tries to take care of her. Dren wakes up with Clive next to her trying to work from home and attacks him, insert scene parallel to the one when Dren first gets sick and Clive tried to drown her(Dren drowning Clive). Dren then breaks out of the barn and starts looking for Elsa killing all men she sees in her path, eventually she gets to the lab and is poisoned by Elsa via parallel scene to the first time Clive tried to kill her. Elsa gets in tons of trouble and the lab gets shut down. Potentially there is a scene at the end where uh oh Dren might still be alive but that’s it that’s the film.

If you really need the Clive falls in love and has sex with Dren bit, have her lay eggs instead of having the sex change and then rape Elsa. It makes way more sense for her to lay eggs in the water and then attack everyone because they’re too close to the “nest” then boom you still have your weird sex crazed killer mutant + your sequel material + no horrifying incest rape scene, a triple win

#tw rape mention #tw rap3 #Splice #i genuinely enjoyed the first parts of this film it was just the Dren Clive romance that freaked me out because #uh sir that is basically your daughter #sci fi

[everygame]

Flicky (Arcade)

Developed/Published by: Sega Released: 5/1984 Completed: 02/07/2022 Completion: Finished all 48 stages. Version Played: Astro City Mini Trophies / Achievements: n/a

So! I’ve had an Astro City Mini for a while (since it was decently discounted on the ol’ Amazon Japan) and not really done much with it except dip in and out of the odd game, and so I was excited that after finishing TwinBee I’d finally get to play the first game on it in my list chronologically, Sega Ninja!

Until I checked the system and realised that I’d made a mistake in my spreadsheet and Flicky actually came out in 5/198*4* not 5/1985, placing it first, and a contemporary of games such as King’s Quest (which I, uh, also missed at the time) and Tower of Druaga. Coming, in fact, well before Mappy on the NES, which I not-particularly-memorably referred to as “The game my brain always puts in the same bucket as Flicky, wrong or rightly.”

Anyway, it turns out rightly because (at least according to Wikipedia) Flicky came from Sega’s “desire to exceed Namco's Mappy” which originally came out in arcades in 1983.

And guess what! They did!

Flicky is a simpler game than Mappy, and in my mind, all the better for it. It’s a basic collect-em-up–collect all the wee birdies and take them back to the exit–but it’s actually got a fascinating decision at the heart of it: it’s a single-screen platformer in that you can see the entire level on one screen, it wraps-around, but it scrolls meaning that the level somehow feels about three times as large as it is. You almost don’t realise it’s a single screen game! (Or maybe I'm just an idiot.)

I’d be interested to know why this decision was made–was it just to scroll like Mappy? Or was it intentionally done to avoid that annoying thing where you get killed transitioning between sides by an enemy you can’t see? Either way it’s a spark of minor genius.

It’s not all gravy though. Flicky herself has a touch too much floaty inertia, and while jumping onto platforms is nothing like the insane bullshit you have to put up with in Ice Climber, there’s a ton of head-bumping and wall-bouncing to be had making the game progressively more annoying as the levels get tighter and more complex; there’s a pretty remarkable 48 levels in this, but the last five or so are… very irritating.

Plus, artist Yoshiki Kawasaki apparently drew this on a “poorly calibrated graphics tablet” and you can kind of tell. All the art just seems sort of messy; there’s a charm to it, but in movement, you’ve got to give it to Mappy. While simpler, it’s crisper and more readable.

Flicky is still a ton of fun, though (well, for about 42 levels) with really nice score attack potential; you’re not just trying to get Flicky’s chicks back to the exit but get them back in one go, and while they fly behind Flicky, if a cat touches them they’ll scatter, requiring you collect them again, made harder by the fact that some chicks (with sunglasses, hilariously) will immediately run off. You get a bonus for doing levels as quickly as possible, too, which can be traded off against trying to knock down cats with the objects Flicky can pick up and… flick at them.

(Weirdly, Flicky does that when she jumps, which feels like something that would be better on a second button, but I think it’s intentional rather than a way to save, uh, the cost of a button–because you can’t jump with a weapon, you might have to wait for a cat to reach you, or just move unnaturally for a while not to use it, either costing your precious seconds. Cerebral!)

If I had any more complaints it’s probably just that with 42 levels Flicky is a bit too easy at first (the first ten levels are quickly a doddle) but it’s hardly the worst thing in the world. To be honest, playing this made me a bit sad that Flicky got so quickly relegated to being “that bird Sonic rescues”. Put some respect on her name!

(Which was originally “Busty” until someone pointed out that’s… not a good name. What were they thinking?)

Will I ever play it again? I’ll be quite happy to play it if I ever see it in the arcade, and if they stuck it on the Mega Drive Mini 3 or something I’d play it, it’s solid.

Final Thought: Actually speaking of the Mega Drive version the box art of the western version is absolutely seared in my mind. It’s terrifying! Protect your babies, Flicky!!! Compare it to the Japanese art for the SG-1000 version… Stop abusing that cat, Flicky!

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#video games #games #gaming #arcade #flicky #sega #1984 #astro city mini #review #text #txt

[lovemesomesurveys]

What name do you go by? Stephanie. 

Is that your real name or a nickname? It’s my real name.  What day of the week is it? It’s Monday and it’s also Halloween. ~spooky time~ What does that mean you have to do today? All I’m doing is ordering a pumpkin shaped pizza, eating a ton of candy, and watching scary movies.  Are you currently in the second story of a building? No, I live in a single story home.

Look past your computer screen, what's in front of you? My TV. Who was the last music artist you listened to a song by? I don’t remember at the moment.  Have you driven anywhere today? I don’t drive. Have you ever written or drew something on a dollar bill? No. Have you ever found one with a phone # on it & called it? No. If so, what happened? -- What was your favorite childhood game to play with your friends? I liked playing house.  Where did you get your favorite pet from? I only have one pet and we adopted her from a local shelter.  Have you ever called animal control on anyone? No. What are your plans for the coming weekend? I don’t have any. Who was the last person you spoke to in person? My mom. Do you prefer wearing hoodies to coats? Yeah. Is there anything written on the shirt you are wearing? Just ‘Hello Kitty.’ Do you own a tie dyed shirt? I own a few. Did you make it yourself? No. Have you ever been to another continent? Nope. Have ever had more than $500 in cash on your person at one time? Yes. Do you ever go out of your way to avoid someone? Yes. What was your last voicemail about? It was an automated one from my pharmacy. Are you currently wearing a belt? No, I don’t wear belts.  How many days is it until Christmas? 55 days.  Will it be Christmas before it is your birthday? I’ve already had my birthday this year. How much was gas the last time you looked? Like 5-something, I think.  Is there someone who would support you no matter what? My mom. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I really don’t know. I pray it’s not the same situation I’m in now.  If you got pregnant by the last person you hugged, what would that be like? Uh, she’s my aunt.... Is there any actual chance you could be pregnant right now? There’s zero chance that I am pregnant.  Do you know how to make hemp jewelry? No. Do you still get carded when you try and buy things you're old enough to? Yeah. What was the last movie you bought? I don’t remember; I haven’t bought a movie in so long.  What was the last movie you saw in theaters? The newest Doctor Strange movie. I normally would have been several times since then, but I was in the hospital for 3 months and I’m still bedridden at home.  What was the last movie you watched by yourself? Halloween 4. Is there someone you'd drop everything for if you could see them right now? I’m able to see who I want to see right now. Do you think the drinking age in the US should be lowered to 18? No. What is your birthstone? Ruby. Do you know anyone fluent in a really uncommon language? No. Do you have any relatives who were born in another country? No. Would you rather visit Iceland for a week or Rome for a day? Iceland for a week.  Do you kiss on the first date? I would if I felt it was right and comfortable enough to do so. What was the last thing to embarrass you? Hmm. Who was the last person you rode in a vehicle with? The transportation driver.  What were you doing at this time yesterday? I was surprisingly asleep already.  What was the last thing you cooked? I haven’t cooked since May, but it was probably ramen. It’s the only thing I cook besides stuff I can easily heat up in the microwave or throw in the oven.  Do you believe most people are good people deep down? Most people, yes. Do you tend to hold grudges? No. Who was the last person to see you cry? My mom. When was the last time you slept in a bed with someone else? *shrug* When was the last time you slept in a bed not your own? During my hospital stay May-August.  When was the last time you slept on something other than a bed? I don’t know. What is in your pockets right now? I don’t have any pockets. I never use them though anyway.  What will you probably be doing at this time tomorrow? Likely the same thing. Who do you look more like, your dad or your mom? My mom. Do you get along with your parents usually? Yes. How do you feel about the last person you shared a kiss with? I don’t have romantic feelings for him anymore, but no bad feelings either. I hope he’s well.  Where is your best friend at the moment? She’s asleep. Can you tie a cherry stem with your tongue? Nope. Are you an optimist? I’m Miss Pessimist.  Describe your current mood: Right now I’m just tired. 

#personal #text #survey #surveys