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mangoshorthand · 4 months

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Arrow of Time- [Five Hargreeves x F Reader]. Chapter 2 (Hard Feelings Part 5)

SUMMARY: When the mother of all teenage tantrums causes time itself to fracture, Five has to travel back to 1831 to repair the damage. But will he be able to cope with what he finds there? On to Chapter 3 >> << Back to Chapter 1

Aoife cheats on her math test...with disastrous results.

Blue balls for Five ahead.

Chapter 2: The Bike Shorts

When you enter the bedroom, Five’s lying on top of the sheets, still in his cycling gear (minus the helmet).He looks almost entirely calm now, chest rising and falling only slightly harder than usual. He flashes you his most charming smile, however, patting the bed beside him.

“Aoife ok?” he asks.

“Fine. Back to rolling her eyes.”

“Good,” he grins up at you, “well that was a shitshow.”

You flop down next to him and melt into his embrace.

“What brought it on?”

“It was stupid. I rode past the Argyle Public Library.” he runs his fingers through his hair, “it’s been demolished.”

“Oh.”

You understand immediately. It had been his and Dolores’ home base, enough of the internal structure left standing to provide them with shelter to sleep. It had been the closest thing he’d had to a home for him for forty years: the longest he’d ever lived anywhere.

“Wanna know something funny? They must be halfway through: the way they pulled it down, it looked exactly the same. The same parts were left standing.” a bitter smile pulled at one corner of his mouth, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

You know his mind now almost as intimately as your own: he’s not just talking about the way the two timelines rhyme.

“It’s been ten years since I had a freakout like that,” he says, resentfully. “I been to therapy every two weeks minimum , I take the damn pills religiously and still I lose my ever-loving shit over a building.”

You ease his hand out of the fist he’s screwed it into. You take a breath to respond to him but he plows over you.

“And I know what you’re going to say: the state I was in when we got together, it’s amazing that I haven’t had a major freakout for ten years. Maybe if I weren’t taking the pills, I’d be losing my mind every damn day, and I know therapy isn’t a cure-all, it just helps you work with what you got but…”

He pauses for a second, frustration on hold as his conscious mind catches up with what he’s said. Then he gives a rough laugh.

“And you’d be right,” he rolls to face you, smiling genuinely now.

“You said it all for me,” you shrug, smiling back at him.

The realization seems to have bolstered him:

“So, all in all, I give myself five stars for that panic attack. Threw it off like a champ.”

“You did,” you smile, leaning over and kissing his lips gently.

He’s always thought you have the sweetest lips. Maddening, in fact.

Even after all these years, the lines of your body are still the delight of his eye, particularly the ones that have developed since you’ve been with him. Everything you’d tell yourself is imperfection is, for him, just another object of devotion. After all, the stretch marks, wrinkles and reduced elasticity are all products of the fifteen years you’ve given to him: sixteen Christmases; fifteen fourth of Julys; fifteen whole trips around the sun that you chose to spend with him when you should have run a mile right at the start.

He wants to celebrate that, wants to love you physically and worship your body with his.

The kiss you give him is only just beyond a peck, but he leans into your perfect mouth and works his way between your lips. You pull away before he’s half done.

Honestly…it’s been a while. He’s kept his frustration quiet: work has been troubling you. It’s fine: it’s just a matter of feeling stressed on top of getting a little older. He knows it’s not because you love him any less…academically, at least. He can take care of himself ok and even if you never had sex ever again that’s perfectly fine: he’s in this for the long haul, no matter what.

He’d cope…he’d adapt. He’d find a way to not ogle you, mouth dry, every time you get undressed. He’d spent most of his life having, (with all respect to his first long-term partner), sub-optimal sex. Now he’s had fifteen years of amazing sex, it’s almost unbearable to imagine having to just ‘make do’ again. But he will if he needs to.

He hates feeling needy. It’s a form of vulnerability he’s not yet able to reconcile in himself. It doesn’t feel so long ago but he remembers how you used to look up at him with needy eyes… Maybe tonight can break the dry spell.

“Say…how about you and I…”

You look at him with amusement, “Really, Five?”

“Come on….” he adjusts his body so he’s leant against the headboard and you can see his hand skimming down his body towards his crotch, “you know you like the bike shorts.”

“You’re seriously going straight from a major panic attack to horny?”

In answer, ghosts his fingers over his package. The shorts certainly are tight… Were you in the mood, something about them would make you want to reach in there and root around to see what you can find. They cling attractively in all the right places, stopping an inch or so above the knee. As if his bulge wasn’t enough, the way they sculpt themselves around his muscled thighs and perfectly peachy ass is…noticeable, to say the least.

“I’m a little tired.” you say, not wanting to burst his bubble but hoping he’ll take the hint.

“I can be quick,” he says, trying to keep the slight plea out of his voice, “you could call me daddy again, if you want. Aoife hasn’t called me that in years now.”

“Nice try, Five,” you smirk, “maybe next time.”

“Oh, I’m not trying,” he says, rising to a kneel, turning and straddling your thighs, “I’m succeeding.”

He’s half-joking but nevertheless trying his luck, deliberately raising a rock-hard tent beneath his hand. Then, he rises on the bed into a high kneel.

Even in your totally unaroused state, the look he fixes you with almost makes you feel like a hooked fish being reeled in. He looms over you, head tilted and arrogant smirk firmly in place. He looks down his long nose as he paws at his boner, circling his hips. The shorts really are obscene. They would only have to be one iota tighter for them to cling to every single vein on his fit-to-burst shaft. As it stands, the lycra outlines the bell-shaped tip of his cock in minute anatomical detail.

It's a beguiling sight, but not beguiling enough.

“You’re still one hot grandpa but I’m sorry, I’m really not feeling it.”

He gives a small smile of acceptance and kisses your forehead before he swings his leg over and gets off you, heading for the ensuite bathroom.

“I’ll take care of myself,” he says as he peels off his cycling gear.. Then, in a final bid, he adds, “guess I’ll have to take a shower, lather up real good, lean up against the tiles and whack myself off with the suds…”

“Yeah, guess you will.” you say, picking up your reading glasses and the book off your nightstand.

Five stifles a sigh and enters the bathroom; boner leading the way like a perky seeing-eye-dog. As he shuts and locks the door behind him, he leans against it. It looks like it’s another night of jacking himself off into the shower tray. He tries not to feel hurt, tries to keep in mind all the reasonable thoughts from before. The humiliation of trying so hard only to be rejected? Rejected kindly, lovingly, but still rejected. He’s not going to degrade himself so far as to beg for sex. He’ll never be that pathetic.

Thank god for his left hand: it’s been there for him for nearly 80 years now and it’s always in the mood whenever he is.

The Trevor Dalton school covers PreK through to 12th grade. You’d initially felt conflicted about sending Aoife to private school but, for Five, only the best education money could buy would do for his daughter, regardless of your ‘commie bullshit’. You couldn’t help but agree emotionally; she deserved the best.

Overall, you’d been pleased with her progress: she had a firm group of friends and she enjoyed her extracurriculars- particularly band. Despite this, her math scores worried you both. Though Five had taken to tutoring her himself, she was showing little improvement in school. You’d both been pleased, therefore, to see how much time Aoife had spent holed up in her room studying for an upcoming math test.

Aoife certainly has been studying for her math test…just not in the way you and Five might think. She’s been practicing religiously every night before sleep. Every time, her temporal jumps are getting longer and without the need for all that stupid math. Last night, she managed to reverse an entire hour without even turning a hair. She can do it quickly too- she doesn’t have to force herself through the seconds like her dad seems to: she can just do it. He won’t know what’s hit him when she shows him what she knows.

Were she to sit down and analyze her feelings, she’d be unsure precisely why she wants this so much, whether she wants to make him proud or piss him off. Most of all, she wants to prove that she’s not a baby. All she can do is imagine the look in his eyes when she jumps through time with him along for the ride.

The math test will be her first time using her skills in the real world. She never blinked at school, (she’d learned early on that letting too many people in on the fact you have superpowers doesn’t end well) but jumping through time was different: when you went backwards, you’d erase anyone’s memory that you’d done anything unusual.

The test was in-class, and Aoife had taken care to discover the format before the big day. Mr Douglas would put the questions up on the board, the class would have thirty minutes to answer the questions and then, at the end, they would pass their answers to another student to mark and he would reveal the answers.

Sitting at her desk now, she’s full to bursting with nervous excitement. She can barely concentrate during the test, (not that she needs to), but she fills in stuff anyway. When Mr Douglas calls time and reveals the answers, she’s trembling so much that she’s surprised nobody’s noticed.

She passes her piece of paper to Izzie seated behind her and takes Jack’s from up ahead. Ignoring his paper, she grabs a fresh sheet of her own and begins to write down the right answers. This is what she’ll hand in…now she just has to make sure that this piece of paper is the one she passes to Izzie.

Holding her correct answers in one hand to exempt it from the reversal of time, she reaches easily into the abyss. It’s second nature now; couldn’t be any easier. It’s cool to watch. Alone in her bedroom, it was hard to see the effects; it's different in a crowded classroom. Jack’s pen reverses, going from right to left; eventually, he turns and takes his test back from her desk while Izzie hands Aoife’s over her shoulder. This, Aoife screws into a ball and drops into her backpack. The answers on the smartboard disappear as Mr Douglas moonwalks into his chair and the booger Kevin Simmons flicked across the room returns to his finger and he places it back up his nose.

Aoife lets go. Only somebody watching her closely would notice her jolt.

“And that’s time,” said Mr Douglas, “pass your test to the lady or gentlemen behind you. Ladies and Gentlemen at the back, bring your tests to the front of your row.”

Grinning all over her face, Aoife passes her new answers to Izzie.

Five spent most of the day with Luther who, for once in his life, has had a brain wave.

They’d been in Five’s bedroom, using the huge dry-erase and a plethora of colored post-its to plot out his idea: a non profit focused on helping male survivors of sexual violence.

Five helped mainly out of solitarily with Luther: arranging support groups and having to break the ice with the story of his own rape wasn’t exactly appealing, but Luther’s bright blue eyes were so alight at the the possible scope of the idea (that he dubbed ‘The Umbrella Foundation’), that Five was willing to put his misgivings aside for now. He'd suck it up if he had to.

When Aoife gets home from school she barrels into the room when he and Luther still stand, contemplating the timelines and tenuous organizational structure they’ve drafted.

After a quick hug for Luther, she passes Five her test and smiles coyly at him.

“What’s this?” he says, smiling back.

“Unfold it and see!”

He does so and his eyes light up, even as he affects to look casual. He stands with one hand in his pants pocket and his hips loose

“An A+? Jeez, where was this the other day? And not a single wrong answer?”

“You’re surprised, right?” she smiles up at him

“Surprised? Proud is what I am.”

He grins and pulls her into a full hug which she, for once, reciprocates.

“Ben fatto, tesoro. Hai lavorato sodo.”

“ Grazie papa.”

She has worked hard for this. Maybe he wouldn’t think of it that way, but she has.

“Well done sweetheart.” smiles Luther, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You see what you can do when you set your mind to it?” says Five, kissing her forehead and holdung her at arm’s length, “How about I take you out this weekend? Maybe we take Izzie too? What do thirteen-year-old girls do these days? The...mall or whatever?”

Aoife snorts laughter at this, “yeah sure Dad, we’ll go to the mall.”

“Well I don’t know what you guys like to do. You’re the first teen girl I’ve spoken to for fifty-five years!”

Five’s never sure why, but he never feels as old around anyone as he does his daughter. Despite speaking seven languages, Teen Girl is one he can’t get his head around.

When Aoife bounds out of the room again, Luther turns to Five with a significant look on his face.

“She just runs into your bedroom...without knocking?”

Five knows exactly what he’s referring to.

“Yes,” he says, testily before looking sidelong at Luther and lowering his voice, “not exactly much for her to walk in on these days.”

Luther gives him a sympathetic look and turns back to the dry erase.

When you arrive home, long after Luther’s drifted downstairs, you’re instantly more skeptical than Five. To go from a D+ average to an A+ with no steps between? You smell bullshit. Perhaps it’s a fluke…but something about the way Aoife shows you the test sets off warning bells in your head. You don’t want to accuse her if this really is the product of hard work, but you’re worried you’ll have to. While she practices the drums after dinner and you sit with Five on the couch, already feeling guilty about raining on his parade.

“This math test…pretty surprising, right?”

From the tone of your voice, he immediately realizes your implication. Fifteen years of a relationship has given you so many little shorthands and layers of implication that would be lost on others. The line between his eyebrows deepens as he considers.

“You think she cheated?”

“I don’t know, but it seems a bit too good to be true. When her homework’s been so poor and she could barely do simple algebra last week?”

His lips pull inwards. He’s by nature a rather cynical man, tending to believe the worst in people until they prove him wrong, but he has a blind spot the size of Jupiter when it comes to his daughter.

“She knows how important it is that she learns. She wouldn’t mislead me.”

Really Five? You raise your eyebrows at him incredulously.

“She’s a teen. Pushing boundaries and lying to their parents is what they do.”

His scowl deepens, “I still don’t think she’d lie about this.”

You sigh.

“Well, I’m going to go talk to her. You’re telling me she didn’t seem weird to you? Like she’s got a huge secret?”

He nods slowly, considering.

“Do you remember when she was six and stockpiling candy under her bed? She was pulling the exact same face.”

Reluctantly, Five follows you as you knock at her bedroom door. It’s amazing she hears you over her drumming, but she does. When you both walk into the room together, she stiffens and puts down her drumsticks

“Hey honey,” you say, Five at your shoulder but skulking slightly behind, “we just wanted to have a talk.”

“What about?” she says, too quickly. She’s immediately on the defense and even Five notices.

“Well, we were just talking, and we’re concerned.” you cross to the bed and sit down on it, trying to appear less threatening. Five remains standing, hands (as ever) in his pockets and head tilted. You catch his eye and prompt him.

“Did you cheat on that test?”

Great job Five. Subtle as a flying brick.

Immediately she looks panicked.

“No!”

“Just tell us the truth and we won’t be mad," you say, trying to keep your voice calm.

“I said I didn’t!” she snaps, firing up immediately.

You move to placate her: it suddenly strikes you how unjust this would be if she actually did earn her score.

“I know you’ve been studying this week and if you’ve got this score because you’ve worked your butt off then we couldn’t be more proud of you, it’s just…my Mom senses are tingling. I know when you’re hiding something.”

“I’m not!”

“Okay,” says Five, stepping forward and grabbing a notebook and pen from within his jacket pocket. He scribbles rapidly and then slaps both down on her dressing table.

“How about you prove it? Expand this.”

He looks more pissed than she’s ever seen him directed at her. Feeling a mixture of shame, anger and injustice Aoife stands and approaches looking down at the scrawled problem:

5(12c + 7) - (1 - 55c)

There it is. The familiar panic that sets in when she encounters numbers in almost any context. She picks up the pen. She knows where to start but when she tries to perform the expansion, it’s like her brain crashes. She tries to concentrate and can’t…especially with both of them staring down at her.

“That’s way too hard!” she whines, “I can’t do that one. The test was easier. You just make them way too complex because your brain is all weird about math.”

“Oh, well that's interesting.” Five’s voice is dangerous- almost a whisper. “Now I know you’re bullshitting me. Wanna take a quick guess how?”

She doesn’t answer, even when he jerks his head towards her.

“No answer, eh?” he turns from her to you, “Do you want to know how I know she’s bullshitting us, Mom?”

You frown in slight disapproval of this theater, but it’s about time Five stepped up to be the bad guy so you keep your mouth shut. He turns back to Aoife, teeth slightly bared,

“That was a question ON the test, genius.”

Her face heats up and eyes prickle. Five just gives a disdainful scoff, shakes his head and looks away from her.

“Tell us the truth, Aoife,” you say, sternly, trying to keep your own temper under control, “you cheated, didn’t you?”

She turns to you and stamps her foot in a way you haven’t seen since she was six, “Just shut up Mom!”

As Five gives a sharp reprimand for her speaking to you that way, you speak over him,

“First you cheat and then you keep denying it? You’re still lying. I’m so disappointed that you’d be this dishonest.You’ve not just cheated us, you’ve cheated your classmates and you’ve cheated yourself too!”

Suddenly, Five turns back to her, shoulders rolled and hunched in the awful posture he adopts when stressed or angry.

“You know, I couldn’t give a rat's ass that you cheated. I’m just still trying to get my head around the fact you lied to me about this !” he begins to pace distractedly, “you know how important it is that you UNDERSTAND basic mathematical principles. It’s a matter of life and death! ”

You turn to Five, angry with him now.

“So you don’t care that she lied at school, only to you?”

Five tosses his head and returns his gaze to his daughter standing between the pair of you. Hormonal rage courses through her. Right now, she’s as erratic as Five ever was in his prime.

“I don’t even need math to be able to use my powers! It’s not my fault your head’s so far up your own ass that you can’t jump a few minutes without filling a whole wall with equations!”

“Aoife!” you rebuke, shocked by this attitude towards her father, but she ignores you.

“I did cheat, okay? And you wanna know how I did it? I just wound back time-”

Five blinks at her, dumbstruck. He looks as if he’s been clubbed over the head.

“-and you know what, Dad? I’m still here. I didn’t end up years in the future and get stuck there like a dumbass! ”

You spring up from the bed, grab her shoulders and turn her to face you. Her eyes are wild with anger, face red and teeth bared even more than Five’s had been only a minute or so before.

“How can you speak to your Dad like that? How dare you? After-”

But the rage that’s been building in her bubbles over. All she wants is for you both to get out of her room. You think just because you’re her parents that you know better? You don’t: you especially don’t get it. Always so far up your own ass, judging her for every time she falls under your ridiculously high moral standards. Nothing short of sainthood is good enough for you.

She can feel full-body tingles growing as anger descends over her. It makes her grab your forearms. If she’d been less angry, she might have noticed the crackle of electricity or the feeling of polarity accessed in her mind…the feeling of the last jigsaw piece slipping into place…

“JUST GET AWAY FROM ME, MOM!”

…but the whole puzzle explodes as she pushes you abruptly. She only means to shove you in the direction of the door, but the portal that erupts swallows you whole, collapsing in on itself before you can even stumble.

Tag list: (please comment to be added or removed.) @dilfjohhny , @sunsunhe, @w4stedtr4sh, @nevbrooke-555, @theredvelvetbitch, @td-miley01, @five-hxrgreeves, @rorygi1more, @jamiebower88

On to Chapter 3 >> Masterpost

Alternatively, join me on A03. Here is a link to the whole series

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lemonthepotato · 7 months

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I Understand Goodbye Volcano High Now: A Short, Positive Review (Rambling)

When I first learned about this game, it was while watching a Dumbsville video on Life Is Strange 3, another game I enjoy. I have a peculiar interest in watching critiques of things I like. After watching his review, I found the concept and ending of this game to be humorously flawed. Intrigued, I decided to experience it firsthand. However, after only ten minutes, I found myself losing interest. I shared my thoughts on Discord, stating, and I quote:

“So I heard about this game called Goodbye Volcano High, and I opened a playthrough on YouTube to watch, got 10 minutes in and got bored. Read a review of it, and apparently it’s a story about a group of friends, emotional drama, blah blah blah, high school shit. And the ending, no matter your choices? THEY GET WIPED OUT BY AN ASTEROID. DID I MENTION ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE DINOSAURS. Oh that’s hilarious. I could get some ironic enjoyment if the dialogue didn’t feel so… stiff to listen to. I love it. Edit: Ok basically I’m 50/50 on this being either the best game or worst game ever. Imagine sitting through hours of choices about relationships and dynamics and then they get hit by a fucking asteroid. Edit: never mind this game is peak.”

So how did I change my mind only 40 minutes in? Let’s go on the journey. Who knows? Maybe YOU will change your mind.

Please note: I haven't personally played the game yet. I typically prefer to watch a playthrough before diving in, particularly for narrative-driven games like Life Is Strange or The Quarry. While it may seem unconventional, this approach allows me to provide insights on the story rather than technical aspects.

In fact, I will share the notes I took while watching.

At the 40-minute mark, I found the game to be peak during the tarot reading. The presence of foreshadowing indicated that the game had a deeper message to convey. I will admit though, the designs took some getting used to, the forward-facing Fang was a bit overwhelming. Perhaps the art team could have toned down the dinosaur features while maintaining their overall essence. It felt somewhat uncanny, (although I must admit it grew on me by the end.)

I appreciate the little moments in this game, like how Fang's small mishap with the MIDI controller caused a strong reaction. Pal, there’s a thing called “handle the situation with a thorough and careful cleaning rather than a light rub.” I love them, my little over dramatic iconic blorbo.

Massive kudos and praise to the talented artist responsible for the captivating visuals in this game. You’re a champ. Now, for the animation itself. Personally, I believe that animation is an incredibly challenging field, so I refrain from criticizing animators. The exceptional artwork compensates for any perceived shortcomings in animation, in my opinion. While the dinosaur aesthetic may not be my personal preference, I admire the creativity behind it. And you know, a criticism…

I often come across, is the criticism that Naomi's crush on Fang wasn't evident. However, personally, I believe there are several instances of foreshadowing that hint at their connection. Even if I were unaware of the plot twist, I might have still guessed it. It is amusing, though, that Fang is comfortable conversing with an unknown number.

Anyway, why do I cough and get wheezy when I eat?

Why are all the songs in this game so goood? They cut off suddenly sometimes, but still. Are they on Spotify? I’d love to listen to these. Honestly, I feel this games predictions isn’t too far off. If a meteor were to attack us, we would act non-chalant. Make memes. Older people wouldn’t care or comfort their younger kids. Everyone would pretend it’s okay.

While it may be, and probably just is coincidental, the presence of an intersex flag pattern on Trish's shirt in the F&F game has led me to a new headcanon about Trish. <3 Look, I just think it’s worth noting that intersex individuals often lack representation beyond being included as an "I" in acronyms. So even if it’s probably coincidence, I like it.

So it looks like this is the big reveal, with Naomi making the same dress the mysterious number showed Fang. And it seems like Reed is really down about the comet situation, and now it's all coming to a head. But the thing is, what can they even do? It's like no one wants to take action or even acknowledge it. I'm not an optimist, but there has to be something we as a species could do if an asteroid was heading towards Earth.

The tarot earlier was forgotten about, which is a shame, because I thought it was going to be explained. I forgot what it was so I can’t even google it. But yeah “death” isn’t good.

Perhaps I'm biased towards Fang, but saying "fuck off" doesn’t really sound that severe when Naomi was kinda being a bit of a dick. While Naomi had a valid point, she also seemed dismissive of others' aspirations. Personally, I might have responded more harshly in that situation, which is why I struggle with friendships haha… Additionally, I didn't fully agree with Trisha placing all the blame on Fang for not understanding her feelings. Fang can't read minds, but it's a complicated situation given their denial. But still- unlike Trisha, Naomi’s outburst seems… sudden? Less justifiable? Maybe I wasn’t reading in between the lines enough. At least everyone made up in the end. Coolio.

Wow, that ending. My interpretation is as follows. It’s better to be together than alone in times of hardship. Life is fleeting, and we could lose it any-day. We need to live for the moment, not for the future. We need to live our dreams, not just wait for them to happen. When destiny fucks you, you fuck it harder, essential.

Overall, a sincere 5/5 game. The problems are so little for me, and I say that as someone who criticises EVERYTHING. My only complaints is that MY ship wasn’t validated /j. Nah, I have very few.

Pry my ship from my cold dead hands, essentially.

Ranking:

Story: 4/5

Art: 5/5

Game Mechanics: Again, I only watched a walkthrough, so I can’t comment on that.

Pacing: 3/5.

Overall: 5/5.

I don’t normally do reviews. But well, this was an exception. I did use an AI to make my points more professional sounding, but most of what I wrote was from the heart, raw.

Why do people hate this game? It’s what I call the High Guardian Spice Effect. People get a bad first impression, so judge the final product too harshly. Granted, I think HGS isn’t as good as GVH, tbh. I thought HGS was okay. Good, even. Not great, flawed in many ways. But it was pretty average. But GVH? I think it’s a worse case. While HGS had a questionable trailer, GVH didn’t really have many red flags. People just didn’t like that it had anthropomorphic gay people in it, so judged it because of that.

I went in thinking I would hate this, but I loved it. I can’t wait to see what KO-OP has in store for the future.

Because I only watched a playthrough and haven’t played it for myself, I don’t know how much different dialogue options affect the story. I guess I’ll have to see for myself, one day. For now? I’m going to give my recommend/don’t recommend status. If you like story driven games, small interactions, slow-pacing (too slow for some, which I understand) and want a surprisingly wholesome apocalypse story? Check it out. If not? Understandable. Not every game is for everyone, and no game is without flaw. Even though I enjoyed GVH, I don’t regret watching that review I did. Didn’t I tell you? I love watching media I like getting criticised. It gives me a lot to think about. But I just think the story works for me. And while the story may have a “sad ending,” it’s the journey that matters. Can’t that be said for life itself? The meteor may have hit, but it’s everything in between that matters.

Although, yes, portraying it like your choices impact the ending may have not been the best decision. Then again, “nothing you do matters” is probably a bit hard to sell. Anyway, that’s all I have to say. I’m gonna go do my Duolingo lesson (2099 streak baby) Feel free to tell me I’m wrong though. Or right. I guess.

#goodbye volcano high #gvh #review #lemons random rants #lemons reviews #lemons random reviews

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letsmakepoppunkgreatagain · 2 years

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State Champs - Losing Myself

#state champs #state champs band #letsmakepoppunkgreatagain #pop punk #lyrics #edit #my edit #bands #alt rock #emo #emo lyrics #jayelle

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andrewblurmoved · 8 months

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rules: spell your url with song titles and then tag as many people as there are letters.

tagged by @honestlydarkprincess & @userdisaster <3

t - traveling song by ryn weaver

r - ringtone by 100 gecs

a - all that i’ve got by the used

n - never scared by modern chemistry

s - sweet talk by saint motel

l - losing myself by state champs

a - all the time by green day

s - squares by raleigh ritchie

s - strangers by ethel cain

o - out of touch by hall&oats

tagging: @nicolasnelsons @miserykites @chimneysrebarscar @oliverstaark @transbuck @alyxmastershipper @therapizededdie @diazblunt @diazass & anyone else who wants to :3

#this was so hard </3 #tag games #sorry if u were already tagged !!

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lena-in-a-red-dress · 2 years

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Marry Me AU, Pt 10 Finale

In the months that follow, life continues. Kara reclaims her anonymity, and Lena's career continues on an upward trajectory. She releases a new single, one that finally uses the melody she'd shared with Esme, finally having found the words it belongs to.

What hurts the most is that the tabloids start running photos of Lena and Andrea together. Kara declines the check Jack delivers to her at the school. When Jack insists, and Kara refuses, Jack finally snaps.

"When are you going to pull your head out of your ass?" he asks. "I was rooting for you, you know? We were all rooting for you! Are you really doing all this to protect her--?"

"I'm protecting myself!" Kara fires back. "My family! It was never going to work! It was better to break it off now than to wait until she figured it out for herself!"

"So you're just going to make that decision for her?!"

"Because if I had waited I-- my kid would have loved her even more, and it would have devastated her to lose her too!"

With that, Kara storms away down the sidewalk, leaving Jack to stand alone, check in hand.

---

The day before Esme and Kara's mathalon, Lena appears on Jimmy Fallon to promote Marry Me with Andrea. As Lena sits on the couch beside her ex, her thoughts are miles away, with a group of nerdy kids and a woman she's unable to fully shake.

"You two wrote Marry Me together," Jimmy states for the audience. "Then Andrea wrote Segundo for Lena, and Lena wrote On My Way for Andrea, so I think we can all agree that the next one should be called 'Come ON already!'"

The audience laughs, but the sounds deadens in Lena's ears. She didn't write her song for Andrea. She thought she'd written it for herself, but she's startled to realize that that's not really true either.

"I didn't write it for Andrea," she says, cutting off the lead-in to the commercial break. Fallon stops, staring at her. Lena shakes her head. "I don't know where you got that impression, but it's not true. It was never about her."

"Mi vida," Andrea mutters through clenched, smiling teeth. "Que es esto?"

"I'm sorry, Jimmy," Lena says honestly, "I know I picked a bad time to have an epiphany, but I just realized-- I don't want do this right now."

She turns to Andrea, whose gaze continues to bounce between her and the audience, her smile still in place.

"'Drea, I don't want to be the person who makes the same mistakes anymore. I deserve more than that-- and I think I've finally found someone who can give me that."

This time, it's her turn to smile, and she withdraws her hand when Andrea reaches for it. Turning back to Jimmy, she giggles in relief. "I have to go!"

"Go?" Jimmy echoes as she rises to her feet, heading for the exit. "Go where?"

---

In Peoria, Kara watches with joy as her mathletes answer question after question. With each success she sees their pride in themselves grow until they're actually in the final round against the imposing three-time existing champions.

Esme is selected to compete in a sudden death round against the mathlete from the rival team. As the clock starts to countdown, she's struck with a bout of stage fright. Kara sees her freeze, and she shoots to her feet.

"Esme!" she whisper shouts, catching her niece's attention.

Esme stares at her in fright.

Deliberately, Kara starts to move. Slowly, to a silent beat, she shifts from foot to foot, following the same choreography Lena had shown them weeks ago. After a moment, Esme catches on, and starts to move herself. Stiffly at first, then more confidently as her mind starts to work again.

In between toe taps and the occasional spin, Esme scribbles her math down on the provided notepad as the timer ticks ever downwards. On the verge of the final bell, Esme blurts her answer.

"That is correct!" the judge declares.

The auditorium explodes into raucous cheers at the realization that the insufferable reigning champs are dethroned. What none of them realize is that the audience has grown by one.

From her spot wrapped in Kara's arms, she catches sight of Lena standing in a little black dress, bundled in a borrowed heavy coat.

"I'm so proud of you, Esme," she says.

Kara's head shoots up, and she freezes, riveted at the sight of Lena in the most incongruous of places.

"You took a shot," Lena continues, "even though there was a chance you could fail. That's what matters."

Esme steps out of her aunt's arms, looking up at Kara with delight. But Kara can only stare.

"They say if want something different, you have to do something different." Lena swallows thickly.

"What if we're too different?" Kara chokes out.

"What if we're not?"

Breathlessly, Lena turns to pick up what looks suspiciously like a pep rally poster taken from the hallway outside. When she turns it around, it has two words written on the back of it.

MARRY ME

Every person in the audience has their phones out and recording-- probably live streaming. But Lena doesn't seem to notice. She only stares at Kara hopefully, but when doesn't immediately come, she turns and reaches for a second poster.

AGAIN, it reads.

Kara huffs out a laugh. She reaches for Esme, and pulls her close to her side. When Lena mouths I love you, Esme nudges Kara forward. "Come on, Aunt Kara. Go get her."

So prompted, Kara hops off the stage and into Lena's arms. When their lips collide in a fervent kiss, everything in Kara's heart clicks back into place.

She doesn't even mind the camera phones.

#supercorp #marry me au

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memeingovermemes · 2 years

Text

the blackout club -- sentence starters ( i ) :

feel free to change titles / pronouns / places where appropriate !

❝ how much damage could children do? ❞ ❝ he cannot know. his family cannot know. ❞ ❝ it can be saved... after it is caught. ❞ ❝ surrender! and she will be... kind. ❞ ❝ report: the song is weak here. ❞ ❝ a little noise? ❞ ❝ children! she hears you now. ❞ ❝ he knows this game. he always wins. ❞ ❝ it is a child... they will not believe... give up. ❞ ❝ he will find, he will forgive! ❞ ❝ how long can it hold its breath? ❞ ❝ the fear it feels... can be cured... ❞ ❝ the song is mercy. there are worse things in the dark! ❞ ❝ too loud! not one of us! ❞ ❝ voice? he found nothing, but judgement is yours. ❞ ❝ why hide from the love of a god? ❞ ❝ a joke at his expense? no one will tell him, as usual. ❞ ❝ gone. the voice must be told. ❞ ❝ she has other duties. but she knows what it did! ❞ ❝ his insecurities! warping the song. unacceptable. ❞ ❝ these wayward children... are they even real? ❞ ❝ add your voice to the song! ❞ ❝ but it is safe! why run? ❞ ❝ it is outnumbered. nowhere to go! ❞ ❝ let her take your pain! ❞ ❝ now we know! now we know! ❞ ❝ they cannot outrun a dream! ❞ ❝ this is love without the lie! ❞ ❝ angel. he hears a wayward lamb. ❞ ❝ she warns you. the angel knows. ❞ ❝ yes. stay there. await the angel. ❞ ❝ let go, child. ❞ ❝ come home. ❞ ❝ i have you... now. ❞ ❝ and they shall play, side by side. ❞ ❝ like us, now. ❞ ❝ the angel awaits. ❞ ❝ the voice... will know of -- this! ❞ ❝ angel... we submit! ❞ ❝ the wrath is come. what have they done? ❞ ❝ dead. he cannot... he does not...! ❞ ❝ rise! please! she needs you! ❞ ❝ yes? ...new music? ❞ ❝ he was not chosen, after all. ❞ ❝ it teases her. why? ❞

❝ as the world sleeps, i... talk to myself. and frankly, i'm delightful. ❞ ❝ getting some background static here... could those ridiculous children have their own cell tower? ❞ ❝ i did miss dreaming, at first. but the other night, i heard the voice repeating my words with countless mouths... that is the dream. ❞ ❝ and i knew. it was all real. ❞ ❝ i should check the sonic fence, but -- i loathe it. ❞ ❝ maybe... my body remembers being a sleeper. such pain. ❞ ❝ i want a transfer. maybe the woods. we have eyes on the highway... state border too.. do we have any hyper-vigilant hermits? ❞ ❝ lots of hours blend together, but 5am has merits. you go home, lie next to her, and... well, pretend to sleep anyway. ❞ ❝ no, ma'am, i did not meet any magical youth gangs tonight. ❞ ❝ please, no red doors tonight. i always forget someone i know in there or... remember someone i don't. ❞ ❝ qui-et. but hey, that's why we moved here. it's not the national radio party zone. ❞ ❝ there's no way that my daughter's involved with that... 'club'. she tells me everything... ❞ ❝ they say that the... shape you can't see, got her. i wonder what it... does to them? ❞ ❝ we're actively expected to think aloud, right? ❞ ❝ ...well, i don't love that we're hunting down kids, even just to detain them. don't care if they are quote unquote 'dangerous'. ❞ ❝ anyone else hear...? ❞ ❝ gone, not my affair now. ❞ ❝ heeeeeyy. ❞ ❝ hel-looo, kiddo! ❞ ❝ hey, we can do it this way, i've got all night. or, there's cocoa and a blanket, your call! ❞ ❝ how did they do that? ❞ ❝ i can hear you, kids! ❞ ❝ if someone's here, come out! ❞ ❝ i grew up here too, pal! i know what alone feels like! there are options! ❞ ❝ i know how you feel! we can fix that together! ❞ ❝ i know your parents, okay! in ways you don't. and they want you home safe! ❞ ❝ i'll find you, then we'll talk. ❞ ❝ i saw that! ❞ ❝ is it the possession thing? we all have doubts, but our god can be measured, champ! it's in you, too! ❞ ❝ is someone playing with me? ❞ ❝ is that you, kid? ❞ ❝ it's that damn kid! ❞ ❝ keep making noise, pal! very helpful. ❞ ❝ lotta' noise there, kids! ❞ ❝ no! i did not lose you! i... ❞ ❝ no one cares like we do, okay! ❞ ❝ no sleeper is that loud. ❞ ❝ not gonna condescend here, you're a smart kid with some duuumb friends, but i can help. ❞ ❝ okay, hide! we're your teachers, maybe your family... nowhere to go. ❞ ❝ okay, kid. hard way it is. ❞ ❝ sound the horns, old boy. the hunt is on. ❞ ❝ so you are one of them... ❞ ❝ so you like to be chased? fine. ❞ ❝ they were right here! ❞ ❝ those other kids... they don't care if you get hurt! we do. ❞ ❝ unbelieveable. ❞ ❝ was that a test? ❞ ❝ what are you? 14? 15? you can turn this thing around! ❞ ❝ who's in here? ❞ ❝ you can hide from me... but not from them. ❞ ❝ you got a brother, sister maybe? they know you're out here? maybe i can talk to them... ❞ ❝ hey, kids? bottom line, we don't care about THINGS. we care about you. ❞ ❝ really? we're just letting these vandals get away? ❞ ❝ this looks deliberate. we'll just call you 'exhibit a'. ❞ ❝ toddlers get frustrated, they break things. and you kids? you need a lit-tle nap. ❞ ❝ you're young -- destruction is in your blood. i get it. let's talk! ❞ ❝ damn kids have me shaking. ❞ ❝ fine, but if i catch you again, i'll... (sighs). ❞ ❝ my own echo. idiot. ❞ ❝ no one. i thought... it was that invisible... thing. ❞ ❝ nothing. i should report myself. i'm officially a risk. ❞ ❝ report: hallucinations worse. if i could sleep, i'd... do that. ❞ ❝ working too long, i guess... yeah. back to it. ❞ ❝ come back, sport! i just wanna' talk! ❞ ❝ don't run, bud! you could get hurt. ❞ ❝ hey, come shake my hand! ❞ ❝ let me take you home! ❞ ❝ it doesn't have to hurt! ❞ ❝ i know how you feel! we can fix that together! ❞ ❝ it's okay! you won't remember this! ❞ ❝ we are trying to help you! ❞ ❝ where ya' going? gets mighty cold in the woods, kiddo! ❞ ❝ where you going? i'm on your side! ❞ ❝ yes, let's run. find your friends together! ❞ ❝ you're hurting, but you don't have to! ❞ ❝ you're in trouble, bud. let's get you out! ❞ ❝ you are smarter than this! just stop! ❞ ❝ hello, ma'am? yes. they're here. send it... ❞ ❝ ma'am. we have them treed. do you happen to know a man with an axe? ❞ ❝ sir. please send it here. it is needed. they're beyond our reach. ❞ ❝ we need the uh... the big guns. yes. my position. ❞ ❝ ah-aahh, you're slipping. ❞ ❝ come home. ❞ ❝ it's okay... it's okay. ❞ ❝ i've got one! ❞ ❝ let's go, child. ❞ ❝ ey-ey. look at me. we're friends, right? yes. ❞ ❝ it's better this way... ❞ ❝ it's fine! you're not in trouble. you're home. ❞ ❝ let me take allll that pain, okay, pal? ❞ ❝ look at my eyes. right there. good. ❞ ❝ shhh there, there. lucky little one. ❞ ❝ there, isn't that more relaxing? 'course it is. ❞ ❝ you're going to feel so much better. ❞ ❝ you're safe, champ. it's alllll fine now. ❞ ❝ how long -- can you -- keep this up...?! ❞ ❝ get off me! ❞ ❝ i will get free! ❞ ❝ you can't do this! ❞ ❝ help me find them. we need a full sweep. ❞ ❝ here it comes, here it comes... don't look. ❞ ❝ i'm loyal. the voice knows. please don't hurt me. ❞ ❝ SPEAK-AS-ONE. SPEAK-AS-ONE. SPEAK-AS-ONE. ❞ ❝ they're here. kids, yes, but dangerous. c'mon. ❞ ❝ we are the eyes, they are the voice... and you are the hand. ❞ ❝ well, kids... i hope it's quick. ❞ ❝ how could this happen? ❞ ❝ how! ...murderers. these children are murderers. ❞ ❝ no, i'm so sorry. i should have been vigilant. i... ❞ ❝ they killed one of us. they actually... they... ❞ ❝ voice, as your humble host, i try to be strong, but don't our bodies... matter? ❞ ❝ a call? now? ❞ ❝ huh, strange time for this. ❞ ❝ hello? is that you, ma'am? ❞ ❝ how are they getting these numbers? ❞ ❝ idiocy. time to fire our crypto people. ❞ ❝ i'll find you, kid. we'll laugh together. ❞ ❝ what in the blue hell is that shit? ❞

#rp memes #roleplay memes #sentence starters #rp sentence starters #the blackout club #the blackout club sentence starters #death mention tw #swearing tw #emotional manipulation tw #brainwashing tw #violence tw #grief tw #death tw #ask to tag //#long post

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if-confessions · 11 months

Note

Newbie IF author here with a question since I've hit a roadblock... how do you create character backstories (especially for PCs)??? I can do lore and world building like a champ right now but basic details for a very brief before-a-player shows up to control you this happens are just eluding me atm.

I create my characters based on vibes... and usually don't bother much with a backstory (if they even have some) aside from stuff directly related their current position/state or how they got to the start of the game.

Where I start is at the start of the game and ask myself some questions, trying to keep only to the relevant information. So like this:

How did PC/NPC got here? What triggered their appearance to be here?

For P-Rix, he was a space trucker who got contracted for a very high-paying job, that would mean retiring early if he wanted it.

What is their goal? How will they get there?

Their goal is to fix/upgrade his ship, which can only be done by completing the job (and maybe trading a bit on the side). Also to have some more security in means.

What are things stopping them from completing their goal?

The mysterious object in the cargo hall that he has to transport, the destination being very close to a pirate space sector (where losing one's ship is common), getting in another collision, his ship breaking down completely.

How was their personality shaped?

P-Rix is gruff kind of person because he is an older trucker who's spent most of his time along in his space ship. He is a loner because this is the only thing he knows*. *this could be an orphan or single child trope, but not really relevant to the story, so haven't gotten further.

The answer of these questions can change overtime, as you go through more of the story and realise a different past experience would fit better with the character.

You can go as detailed as you want* (to the colour of their favourite socks), and may find OC ask lists helpful in that sense. *still would recommend keeping it to only the relevant, you get to have a bit more leeway if things change.

====

If someone has some tricks for Anon, pls share them :)

#confession time #if-confessions #writing concerns

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modernlovez · 9 months

Text

Tagged by @gaskarth ! Thank u lovely <3 I'm a little late but...

🎶✨ when u get this put 5 songs u actually listen to, then tag 10 of your mutuals/followers ✨🎶

1. Dark Side of Your Room by All Time Low

2. I Hope You're Happy by Games We Play

3. DO YOU SEE GOOD IN ME? by Negative 25

4. Your Graduation by Modern Baseball

5. Losing Myself by State Champs

Tagging uhhhh @veinsofprettyvenom and well I'm not sure who else to tag! Anyone that is following me should do it if they want! There's about 10 of u here hehe

#fun times #altho to be 100% for real i can listen to any atl song thru and thru

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hopeswriting · 2 years

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colonnello is the just some guy of the arco by the way. and he's the only just some guy among them because civilian as he may have been, skull obviously has never been just some guy a day in his life. and i know tragic backstories are always a nice way to spice up stories and characters, but no, listen, colonnello is literally the most average just some guy you'll ever meet, i just know it. and if nothing else just consider it for a bit for how funnier it makes everything about him.

it's like, he's a kid and makes himself a friend that just so happens to be the world's greatest hitman to be, and then just commits to it because that's what good friends do right, and it definitely got him into dangerous shits way before he could join the army. and even if we say they weren't actually childhood friends and reborn is just a troll, on the worst day of his life where he was just minding his own business trying to save the love of his life, who among the seven people he ends up cursed with decides to fuck with him and make them childhood friends? that's right, the world’s greatest hitman.

he joins the army and meets lal and falls in love with her, but she just so happens to be one of the world's strongest to be, and it dooms them both. he tries to protect her as you do with the love of your life--or you know what, we don't even have to go there because he could simply have been doing his duty (tho he totally could have been doing both, and likely was), i.e. having the back of his superior officer, so like, the guy was just doing his job and didn't really fail at it but sure as hell didn't succeed either, and also now he's stuck in the form of a baby and his whole life as he knew it is over. but he takes it as a champ right, decides he'll still keep smiling and make the most out of that now shitty and hopeless life until it kills him properly, but then a couple of decades later some guy releases poison in the air to specifically kill him and take his pacifier from him he doesn't even know how to and can't use anyway.

eventually he gets the chance to make his life not shitty and hopeless anymore, and also, you know, to not die, and it's clearly a trap and he doesn't trust it but also he'll never have another chance like that again, and instantly he decides that if he actually wins he'll save the love of his life instead of himself, but then his representative loses because he wanted to have a moment with his son. thankfully things still work out and no one dies, except he'll have to grow normally back to his original age from his current state as a toddler, while the love of his life immediately got back her adult body (which he's grateful for, obviously, but you know). and he still proposes to her because he's been waiting for this and she says yes because she's been waiting for this too, but then they fight and have to postpone the wedding because he just CANNOT WIN.

like, do you see the pattern here, it's so fucking funny. it's like, life just has it out for him, it just went "hey, you? i'm going to screw you over any way i can at literally every opportunity", and meanwhile colonnello's just trying to live his life in peace lmao. and maybe it's not narratively interesting or whatever, but don't look me in the eye and tell me it's not funny as shit. (tho with the right skills you could easily make it out to be a tragic thing too, like the guy just keeps losing whatever he does even when he's trying his best.)

but on a more serious note because i feel like colonnello isn't taken seriously nearly often enough, but i really love how all of this shows just what kind of person he is and what kind of person he chooses to be and stay as over and over again. like he's just so optimistic and believing? not naive or unrealistic, but whenever he looks at the world dead-on and sees nothing worth hanging in there for, he just goes "alright, i'll just have to find it/make it for myself then". like, he could easily also have broke down after the curse like most of the others, but no, he was still breathing and alive, lal was still breathing and alive, and the curse wasn't going to kill them right away so you bet he kept smiling and resolved to find some joy in his life still, which unbeknownst to him gave lal just enough hope she didn't kill herself over the curse.

also he's just such a loving person at his core too? it's how he actually ended up becoming reborn's closest friend, whether they were actually childhood friends or it happened post-curse, and when he had to confront reborn's hitman side he probably just went something like "just don't kill me or the people i care about and i'm sure we can make this work". and of course how he tried to save lal from the curse, how he was there at all to begin with specifically so he could save her from it, and how he planned to get rid of her curse instead of his, and how he died saving viper in the future. and ginger bread taunted lal about it, calling him the failed hero or something like that iirc, but it's literally not about it, and colonnello in fact couldn't care less about being a hero or whatever. he just has his heart in the right place. and if it means dying so he can remain true to it, then sure, he'll die without hesitation, even if he'd rather not and it sucks that he has to.

it's just, like. i've said it before, but the whole curse thing happens to him because he's such a loving person. he was never going to let lal climb that mountain without him, but he could have. if he was just a little less loving, if he just loved a little less devotedly, he wouldn't have been on that mountain at all that day, and his life would still have turned shitty because lal would still have ended up cursed, but nothing would have happened to him. except, of course, he was never going to let lal climb that mountain without him.

and i just?? lose my mind a little over it tbh. and love him for it. i love him so much, is what this post is saying, and we don’t talk about him nearly often at all.

oh and ALSO!! i do mean he's just some guy, i'm not saying he's a normal guy at all. because he isn't lol. he's totally just as unhinged as the rest of the arco, and i mean, he did end up genuinely being reborn's friend one way or another, so there's clearly something wrong with him too lmao

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #khr meta #khr headcanons #khr colonnello #suicide mention #i was just thinking about how i'm always writing him as just some guy #and why is that #and turns out whenever i think about him pre arco curse and pre army (which btw you /could/ argue isn't a just some guy behavior but also #like. it's common enough you know) i'm always just like 'a guy. he was just some guy before all this i just know it' lol #also i think. this is the first post i write that's /only/ about him???#shameful of me actually #also i was just going for a funny post at first but no we REALLY don't talk about him sseriously often enough come on guys!!!

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