#I don't make enough baxter content

[covesdadappreciation]

MC, pointing : May I sit there?

Baxter : That's my lap

MC : That doesn't answer my question, Baxter.

Baxter : ...

Baxter, whispers in defeat : You may.

#I don't make enough baxter content #and I'm gonna be honest #it's because I'm not big fan of him #I'd throw hands with him #our life #mc #our life oc #oc #incorrect quotes #our life: beginnings & always #baxter #olba baxter #baxter ward

[shantechni]

I don't think we talk enough about the boys' different reactions to Splinter's brief chance of becoming human again, as well as the possibility of him regaining bits of his past that were once thought to be gone for good.

Human once more?

When Donatello first presents Splinter with a beaker of retromutagen in The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman, he's evidently excited and expectant of a similar reaction from Splinter. And Leo's expression is mild yet very telling of how he feels about what Donnie did; they're both willing to give Splinter his human form again.

Raph and Mikey are almost on the opposite side of the spectrum though.

One could easily pass their reactions for being surprise or shock at Donnie making enough for Splinter, but the fact that only Donnie and Leo are shown with favorable reactions kind of solidifies the possibility of them not being fond of the idea, at least not right away.

Of course, Splinter passes up his opportunity so Kirby could get his turn first, but Stockman buzzes in and ruins whatever chances Donnie had of fulfilling his promise. And by the end of the episode, everyone looks disappointed, including Mikey and Raph.

Like many things in this show, it's not really explored further or touched upon again (there's probably no need for that), but the duo's initial reactions give away their thought processes: Splinter becoming human again? What does that mean for us?

After all the hullabaloo with Stockman though, they clearly align with Leo and Donnie on the matter and feel bad that the vial of retromutagen was lost. Splinter doesn't speak much about his human life outside of giving his sons cautionary tales, but he doesn't hide how much he misses it at times either, so it's only natural for the boys to want to give him what he misses. Ultimately though, Splinter tells them not to worry about the retromutagen situation since he's content with where and who he is now, and the boys no longer appear forlorn.

Shout out to that 1987 episode with a similar premise✌🏽

That would've been the end of the turtles trying to give Splinter any semblance of his old life if not for the S1 finale.

Karai's our sister!?

The boys only have a relationship with Karai because of her connection to Splinter and his life as a human, which goes hand in hand with why they went through so much trouble for her.

As soon as Splinter tells them the truth of Karai's lineage, Leo suddenly has a bigger reason to bring Karai to the good side. Meanwhile, Mikey deploys his famous strategy of silently determining for himself from the sidelines if Karai is trustworthy. Though he admonished Leo for trusting her in The Alien Agenda, he doesn't expresses distaste and distrust for her to quite the same extent as the others (especially Raph), and he's also the first to openly acknowledge her as their sister. Raph and Donnie are constantly honest about how little they think they could grow to trust her, and they have a point; she was raised by the Shredder and is their sworn enemy under the Foot clan, how can they trust her?

Even when she briefly fights alongside them against Tiger Claw, Donnie and Raph still have their doubts. Leo tries to argue his point like usual, but Raph sounds so done with Karai when he reiterates that she was raised by the Shredder. No amount of blood ties will change that.

But when Leo bears witness to how heavily Karai's absence weighs on Splinter, his determination forces Raph and Donnie to put aside whatever animosity they had left and decide to save her.

And, after Karai gets mutated through a series of unfortunate events that will surely be blamed on the wrong party by a literal psychopath, the rest of the turtles bear witness to Splinter's pain as he closes himself off in the midst of another grieving process.

They feel bad for what happened to Karai, but the way they go on to speak about the situation in A Chinatown Ghost Story tells us that they mostly feel bad because Splinter feels bad, a huge change from before when Leo was the only one feeling the guilt. They aren't so close to her to feel genuine grief, but their father lost his daughter for the second time, and it's up to them to find her.

The situation especially hurts in the beginning of The Fourfold Trap because, usually, helping Splinter would bring them together to aim for one mutual goal, but the stress gets to everyone and Raph even goes so far to call Karai a lost cause, a statement that instantly ticks Mikey off. Splinter does his best to mediate by telling them that he's thankful for the four of them, but the boys are too painfully aware of the problem to accept the sentiment.

She was what little Splinter had of his past life as a human, and the boys clung to her so much that they, without realizing it, began to see her as an integral part of their little family.

#analysis #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt splinter #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt leo #tmnt raph #tmnt donnie #tmnt mikey #2012 splinter #2012 leo #2012 raph #2012 donnie #2012 mikey #hamato yoshi

[thewitchwannabe]

Sneaking in (ninja style!)

The plan was simple enough, sneak in, get any information they could find on whatever the purple dragons were building, get out. Master Splinter even accepted their little endeavor. And so Leona stood on the top of the rooftop with her siblings and their two human allies. The plan was simple; the four turtles would sneak into the mechanical shop that worked at one the dragon’s hideouts, to find anything as to what they are doing with the tech. Casey will provide the getaway distraction, while April oversees the whole thing through the security cameras around. Donny set April up with their laptop and a headset with a microphone, “you have 6 cameras to watch over, you can double click on any of them to freeze the video for a few seconds, but if everything goes right you won't even see us”. 

April nodded with a confident smile, Casey crouched next to his childhood friend to look at the screen. His mind seemed to get a thought as his lips pulled into a tight line trying not to say. “Jones, don't you dare” April warned, but it was completely ignored. “Oh my gawd it's just like fnaf!”, the vigilante said. The two humans burst out laughing, quickly joined by Mikey who also thought the joke was hilarious. Donny, Raph and Leona stood watching the scene, with mostly amused smiles. Leo walked closer, placing her hand on Mikey’s shell, “according to the research Donny made, the opening should be happening in a few minutes so we gotta get moving”, she said “Casey you stay with April until we give the signal, alright?”

“You got it, blue” The human boy said with a sly smile. Leo felt her cheeks warm up at the nickname, but quickly went back into leader mode, instructing her siblings to follow her. The four ninjas jumped from the window with practiced ease.

The back door of the mechanical shop opened revealing a rookie member carrying two trash bags. From the shadows of the alleyway, four pairs of white eyes watched the unaware guy as he opened the trash bin. A fast shuriken shot from the shadows, creating cuts in both bags, making all the contents spill onto the floor. Making use of the distracted guy and the unlocked door, the four turtles slipped inside the building. 

The building had two stories, one used for the actual mechanic stuff, having different cars and car pieces around the first floor. While the other was offices and storage rooms. Or at least that's what they appeared to be. In reality it was more like the purple dragon's little club house. Leo spotted about twelve guys scattered across the floor, with only three of them actually working on a green van.

Carefully the ninja made their way to the second floor. A hallway of doors in front of them, one of said doors busted open as a clearly intoxicated guy walked out. The guy didn’t even see the turtles as they quickly climbed onto the ceiling and into a vent. Making their way through the air ducts, they looked through and counted another 6 gang members chilling and drinking around the place. But nothing that looked important. That is until Raph signaled at the vent he was checking. It lead to a sort of office. Two figures stood inside, the bigger one, that Raph recognized as Hun talked loudly.

“Those Foot bastards are holdin’ up on us, only giving us Baxter used stuff.” The gang leader said picking up some sort of machine and throwing it against the wall.

The other guy was of a darker complexion, clearly fit but significantly smaller than the huge Hun. “I still don’t get why we need them, we’ve been doing perfectly fine on our own,” the guy said, not even flinching at Hun’s actions. 

“Cuz right now we’re only small pond fishes, Xever, but with the stuff those ninjas can get us, we’ll be able to expand even further” Hun explained rather angrily. 

The guy, Xever, rolled his eyes at Hun. “So did you have anything important to say or did you just come here to talk shit about our sponsors?” 

Hun narrowed his eyes at Xever, as he walked over to the smaller man. Towering over him he roughly pushed something none of the turtles could make out into Xever’s chest. “Shredhead wants to meet with us” he said “Don’t be late”

Xever looked as Hun walked out the room, before pocketing the object. “Whatever you say boss” he said before following behind the gang leader. 

The office room was left silent and completely abandoned. Donnie asked April to freeze the video of the room before the youngest turtle busted the vent and jumped down, quickly followed by his siblings. The room was filled with blueprints and what looked like unfinished prototypes. Donny quickly got to work scanning the blueprints, quickly followed by Mikey completely destroying them. Leo and Raph looked through the boxes finding similar machines as the ones they got with Casey. Once he was done, Donny tossed Mikey a tiny mic, “Place it somewhere they don't see it” they instructed. The orange banded turtle gave a joking salute and went to find the perfect spot.

Donny reached his other siblings inspecting two almost completed models of the robot depicted in the blueprints. “We’re taking those, it’s much more finished than the ones we have in the lair”, Leo gave a sharp nod and went to pack the robot and a few spare parts into boxes. Raph looked up at the vent they had used to get it, and then back at the rather large boxes. “I don’t think we’ll be able to fit those through the vents”. Mikey appeared suddenly leaning heavily against his younger brother, who tried to swat him away only getting a chuckle from the other turtle. “I think Raphie is right guys” he says finally letting go of his brother.

The older sibling looked at the vents and then back at each other, silently agreeing. They agreed that they were going to have to get out the “normal way”, aka actually using the hallways. But doing so while carrying two big and heavy boxes and not being spotted by the approximately 20 gang members inside the building was not exactly easy. Luckily they had a distraction at the ready. Leo pressed her fingers to the earpiece, “Hey Case, time to do your thing” she said. The line turned to static for a second before Casey’s voice resonated in Leo’s earpiece, “Roger that, preciosa”. Despite not knowing what he had called her, the playful tone of the vigilante’s voice made her face warm up. Her mask hiding the small blush that formed on her cheeks. 

April informed them that Casey, now decked out with his mask, hockey bag filled with sports equipment and a pair of roller blades, had gone out to the main entrance of the mechanic shop to rile up the gang, with somewhat disturbing efficiency. Easily getting Xever and the whole gang inside the building to come out. Which correlated to the turtles hearing how the people in the second floor ran out their respective rooms. Waiting a few seconds to make sure everyone was gone, the four ninja carefully slipped out of the office. As they reached the first floor, they noticed the garage door wide open. Outside stood the gang members surrounding Casey. The gang was rowdy and impatient, ready to jump on the teenage vigilante.

Xever held a hand up, telling his guys to calm down “Go home garoto, Hun is already gone, so no need to beat you up” he said.

“What's wrong? Not so tough without your boss around, huh?” Casey loudly teased. Xever stood in front of the vigilante with an annoyed look. 

“You do realize we drastically outnumber you right?” Xever asked

“You do realize half your guys are completely drunk right?” the vigilante retorted 

The turtles knew exactly where the human’s little conversation was going, so they got back to action. They were almost at the door they entered through, when Donny spotted the green van sitting in the workshop. “I got an idea, go help Casey!” Donny said, running to the van with one of the boxes. Quickly picking up on Donny’s idea, Leo dropped her own boxes next to the vehicle and instructed her brothers to follow her. As the turtles start making they way towards their friend Xever brings down his hand, telling his people to go at Casey. 

The vigilante used his rollerblades to quickly evade the attacks coming at him. Many of them were sloppy, and unrefined as they tried to fight their own intoxication. Pulling his hockey stick, Casey blocked and hit his opponents. But he became predictably outnumbered, as the gang came in closer. Suddenly a fast blur that knocked out several goons appeared before him. “You really do know how to make an entrance blue”, Casey said. The turtle turned to face her friend with a confident smile and both swords drawn. “Not just me”, she said and as clockwork two more figures joined them, Mikey and Raph beating their way to them. 

The four stood with their backs against each other as the dragons quickly surrounded them, everything stood still for a second before one of the goons yelled “Get them!” and the fighting resumed. The four vigilantes took on the onslaught of gangsters, while Donny worked on hijacking the van in the mechanic shop. Casey used his great variety of equipment to attack his opponents, keeping them at a hockey stick length, while he used his rollerblades to skate around them and place a solid hit. Mikey jumped around the battlefield, mocking and teasing the drunken goons, easily avoiding their sloppy attacks and returning fast and hard hits with his chucks. Raph stood closer to his brother, taking on the guys that were left stunted from a nunchuck to the face, using his sais to bring them down. Leona was elegant as always, moving light on her feet like a butterfly, swiftly disarming her opponents as well as assisting both her brothers and Casey when needed. 

Xever stood back watching the fight, finally seeing the turtle freaks Hun had told him about with his own eyes. He dodges a few of his stumbling men as they walk off the hits they got and makes his way to the center of the fight. He pushes his way through until he’s face to face with the masked vigilante one again. “So little Armando really is friends with freaks”, he said, taking a hold of the baseball bat heading his way. Casey immediately dropped the bat and fell to his knees allowing Leo to jump on his back to attack Xever. The sword managed to grace Xever’s leg as he moved out the way. The two teens stood side by side, Leo gripped her katana tighter as Casey pulled out a golf club. Xever looked around to see most of his guys laying on the floor semi unconscious. 

Just as he was weighing his options, from the open garage a van rolled out at max speed towards them. Making a large drift it surrounded the group and got behind Casey and the turtles. Behind the wheel was Donny and April who had made her way to the mechanic shop while everyone was distracted with the fight. Leo signaled for Mikey and Raph to get in the van. The younger turtles gave their opponents a final hit before quickly getting in through the van’s back door. Once his little siblings were aboard Donny shifted the gear into reverse and back away and onto the street at a somewhat moderate pace. 

Leo and Casey stood back not making sure they weren’t trying to follow them. Leona shot three shurikens at the guys trying to go for their own vehicles, while Casey rounded the still conscious goons with his skates. Xever could only look as the group of teens left his group in shambles. Leo looked back at the van seeing it a little further down the street with the back doors fully open. “Casey! let’s book it!”, she said, deming her opponents effectively defeated and her siblings at a safe distance. Both her and Casey started running after the van which slowed down a little after seeing them approaching. Using his rollerblades to move faster Casey caught up to Leo “Let’s go preciosa!”, in a swift move lifted her from the ground bridal style. Leo’s eyes went wide open and her face warmed up as the vigilante held her tighter. Casey made sure to turn his head back at Xever who was watching them get away, and stuck his tongue out mockingly. It didn’t take long for the two of them to catch up to the moving van. Casey dropped Leo inside as gently as he could and was quickly pulled up by the oldest turtle. 

They looked back at the mess of purple dragons laying in the street, Xever looking rather pissed. Casey could help but smirk at their handiwork, “Hey blue, wanna learn some spanish?” he asked. Leo looked at her human friend and nodded with an amused look. The vigilante took a deep breath and yelled “CHINGUEN A SU MADRE!”. From the front seat Leo heard April burst out laughing, quickly followed by Casey and her sibling. She copied Casey’s deep breath, and tried her best to repeat what Casey had said. Knowing very well it was most likely a curse word but not finding it in herself to care, as she was filled with adrenaline and joined the human’s laughter. Quickly followed by her siblings. She and Casey closed the van’s door, big smiles plastered on their faces. Leona felt her face warm up in a way that was becoming rather familiar as she laughed with Casey. The teens rode on their new van back to the lair to celebrate their successful mission.

Part 1

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#witchie art #digital art #tmnt #new destiny au #tmnt new destiny #tmnt leo #tmnt donnie #tmnt mikey #tmnt raph #tmnt april o'neil #tmnt casey jones #transfem leo #caseynardo #were getting blushes! #and cute nicknames

[butters-flower-mom]

Gather 'round, children. It's once again story time with Butters and Pepper.

Butters set his snow shovel aside and dug his hand into his pocket. Pulling out a soggy clump of Kleenex, he blew his raw, red nose into them forcefully. With a weak sigh he returned the tissues to his pocket, picking up his shovel and resuming clearing the snow from the driveway to his house.

"Hi, Butters!"

The blond boy looked up as he heard a familiar soft voice call out his name. Pepper approached him, Baxter the stuffed t-rex in her arms as always. Her cheerful smile faded as she neared him and noticed his disheveled appearance.

"Oh, hey, Pepper," Butters replied with a sniffle. "Sorry, I can't play right now. I gotta get this driveway shoveled before my folks get home or I'll be grounded."

Pepper watched as her friend feebly scooped snow and tossed it aside. A phlegmy cough and a harsh sneeze interrupted his work.

"You sound terrible," she remarked, reaching into her pocket and handing him a clean tissue as he fumbled with the mess of used ones he'd fished from his own pocket.

"Yeah." Butters accepted the tissue and winced as he wiped his running nose with it. "I think I'm comin' down with a real bad cold or somethin'."

"Why are you out shoveling snow if you're sick?"

"'Cause bein' sick's no excuse for not gettin' my chores done, Pepper! I need to learn some responsibility around here!" Butters chided himself in an angry tone mimicking his father's. One could only assume he was parroting an earlier scolding he'd gotten. He continued with his snow removal but a coughing fit doubled him over. Pepper placed a sympathetic hand on his back, rubbing it gently until he recovered. A soft whimper of pain escaped him as he held a hand to his throat.

"Why don't you take a break?" Pepper sweetly suggested, keeping her hand on his back to comfort him. "I could make you some hot tea."

Butters' eyes trailed along the snow covered driveway, dreading the punishment he'd receive if he failed to complete his chore. He brought his gaze up to Pepper, her face full of kindness and concern, her eyes pleading with him to take up her offer. "Well... Maybe just a short break. I really need to get this done."

Pepper lead Butters into his house and over to the couch. She gave the cushion a pat to instruct him to take a seat. As he did so, Pepper grabbed a nearby blanket that was draped over the arm and handed it to him. "Now, you lie down and cover up, okay?" Butters did as he was told, the cozy allure of the blanket and the couch's throw pillows being far too tempting for him to resist in his sickly state. "I'm gonna go make your tea. Here, Baxter will keep you company." She tucked the plush dinosaur under the blanket beside him.

Butters watched as Pepper disappeared into the kitchen. "There's tea bags in the pantry, but make sure you put everything back where you got it, alright? I don't wanna get hollered at for things bein' outta order."

"I will!" Pepper called back from the kitchen. Butters heard the microwave timer ding, and shortly afterwards Pepper returned with a steaming hot mug of tea to hand her sick friend. "Here you go. I saw some honey in the pantry so I put a bunch in. I read it's good for sore throats."

"Thanks, Pepper." Butters sat up and accepted the mug with a sniffle. He took a sip and a look of content washed over him as the heat instantly got to work soothing his throat. "I think it's helpin!"

Pepper smiled as she watched Butters sip his drink. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Gosh, you've already done enough for me. I should really get back to finishin' up the driveway now." Butters attempted to slide off the couch but Pepper stopped him.

"I can do that. I mean, you're already all warm and comfy and relaxed."

Butters was touched by her kind offer. "Aw, Peppy, that's awful sweet of you but you don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to but I want to. I like doing stuff for you." Pepper shyly fidgeted with a few strands of her long brown hair.

Butters eased himself back onto the couch. "I suppose if you really wanna… but I promise I'll make it up to ya once I'm feelin' better."

"You don't have to," Pepper replied, taking Butters' mug and placing it on the coffee table before helping him get tucked back in under his blanket.

Butters nestled his head into his pillow and held Baxter close. "Yeah, I know, but I wanna. I like doin' stuff for you too, y'know." He smiled to himself as he watched Pepper bashfully turn away, her hair falling into her face, as she headed out to finish his chore for him. Surrounded by warmth and comfort and feeling very loved, it wasn't long before he drifted off for a much needed nap.

#for some reason this one was the hardest for me to write #even though it's something i wanted to write for a long time #the world needs more platonic sickfics #and i continue to be the change i want to see #south park #my chaotic sonshine #pepper posts #lotus talks to herself

[harleyshahas]

Valentine's Day wip

Valentine's Day really wasn't her cup of tea.

Oh, sure she's had her share of admirers, secret and not-so-secret (one Dash Baxter came to mind and Jazz shuddered), but she had never been anyone's special someone on Valentine's Day and that suited Jazz just fine.

In high school she would find cards and chocolate in her locker, the occasional flower taped to the outside. She'd give the flowers to Danny and briefly scan the cards before throwing them away. The chocolate would be saved to share with Danny after school, a pick-me-up after another lonely couples holiday for her brother. While it never bothered her to be single, it certainly bothered Danny. Her little brother's big heart wasn't meant to be alone and while he could content himself to spend the day with either her or his friends, he never had any admirers for himself. At least, not ones without some sort of agenda. It bothered her enough that she resigned herself to stay single until her brother started his first relationship, so she focused on school and later on helping Danny and his friends catch ghosts.

She was happy for him when he started seeing Valerie, even if he didn't share the news with her, but she saw. Danny was an open book to her. She tried not to spend too much time psychoanalyzing him, especially with his... situation, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. She saw before he did that it wouldn't work out, not with how focused Valerie was on catching Phantom. It was a shame, because she thought they actually made a cute couple.

Danny and Sam becoming an item was also a long time coming, but she never liked to wonder whether that was a thing that would actually last. She didn't want to doubt their relationship, she certainly didn't want to doubt her brother, not with his already low self-esteem, but... they were friends first and foremost. Romance had never played a part leading up to a relationship and the pressure from their parents wasn't helping them. She wasn't surprised when they broke up the summer before Danny's first year of college. Luckily she had been home from her own college and armed with ice cream and bad action movies to comfort him as he cried silently on her shoulder.

Her final year of college came with the start of Danny's first and she helped him through the transition with late night phone calls and a multitude of advice for surviving the first year. She always knew her brother was smart, though. It came as no real surprise that he soon started to thrive, even if he was in Wisconsin, even if he was so close to his arch-enemy, but she told herself he could handle it. Her brother was amazing.

So when Valentine's Day rolled around and she called to say hi, she wasn't quite sure what to expect. Would he still be single? Would he have someone this year? Danny was far more socially accepted now that he was away from Amity, it was anyone's guess.

The phone rang a little longer than Danny would normally let it and Jazz rose a brow. She tried not to read too into it, but a slow smile started to split her lips. It was mid-afternoon on a Saturday, Danny didn't have classes and he had to be awake by now. Her hopes were starting to climb.

They completely soared when the line finally connected and Danny's voice hit her ear, sounding just a little too breathy for someone doing anything but what she knew he'd been doing. She laughed loudly into the phone.

"I don't wanna ask, but I'm going to anyway," she said by way of greeting as Danny sputtered on the other side. "Please tell me you're using protection."

"Jazz! Don't do this, please!"

She rose a brow. "Is that a no?"

"Ugh! Yes, we used protection, we're both adults who know better. What are you, mom?"

"I'm just looking out for you!" she teased. "So is this a steady thing or..."

"Or?"

She sighed. "I just... want to make sure you're not just rebounding after Sam. I don't want to pry but you know me. So how long has this been going on?"

Danny was quiet. There was some shuffling in the background, a voice she could barely hear, but sounded vaguely familiar, and Danny eventually let out a heavy breath. "It's... steady, I guess. We haven't... told anyone yet."

"Even Sam or Tucker?" She was rather shocked actually.

"I'm not sure they'd understand..." Danny muttered. "I'm not sure you'd understand."

Jazz pursed her lips. She walked up to the door to her apartment, cradling her phone against her shoulder as she fished her keys out of her purse. "Danny, I haven't understood more than half the stuff you've done since you got your powers," she admitted. She slotted her key into the lock and let herself into her one bedroom apartment, tossing her keys and purse on the kitchen counter. Collapsing on the couch with one arm over her eyes, she finally relaxed for what felt like the first time in days. "You know I support you no matter what, little brother."

"Yeah, I know..."

She smiled. "So who is it? Anyone I know?"

"Um..." she could practically hear the blood rushing to his face. "Kinda?"

Jazz hummed. She turned over all of Danny's friends and acquaintances that she knew of in her head. Sam was in Chicago and Tucker at MIT, so that ruled them out. She couldn't recall Danny mentioning anyone but his roommate and a few classmates over their many phone conversations. He had admitted to her some months back that he found the TA for his astronomy class was really cute and had confided in her that he might be bisexual. But he also said that his roommate was rather annoying when spent too much time with and those classmates had only been partners for various projects. The TA maybe? But, no, Danny said the guy was older and most likely straight if the wedding ring on his finger meant anything.

Her thoughts wondered over to the ghosts she knew of. Some of them were on relatively friendly terms with Danny and even more had developed a sort of antagonistic friendship with him. Madison wasn't nearly as haunted as Amity, but they still had their fair share of specters. Like the Dairy King and the Wisconsin Ghost-

Her brain popped. She threw a hand over her mouth and groaned loudly into the phone. Danny laughed.

"You OK over there, Jazz?"

"Please tell me it's not Vlad," she begged, deadpan.

"Wha-! How did- I mean! It's... not?"

She removed her arm from her eyes and glared at the ceiling. "Ah, yes, that was so convincing."

"How did you even guess that?!"

She sat up, pinching her nose. "He's a hot older man, Danny; you have a thing for hot older men. Not to mention that he's the only other halfa in existence and you two have had some weird chemistry since you were fourteen." She dropped her hand to her lap and looked to her coffee table.

Her heart stopped.

Danny continued to sputter in her ear, ranging from indignant to defensive to insecure, but Jazz couldn't hear him. Her blood rushed in her ears and her face went hot. Her hands grew clammy as a spike of fear shot through her.

Sitting innocently before her lay a bouquet of blue roses tied together with a blue ribbon. Set against them was a heart-shaped box of chocolate. She reached out with a shaky hand, turning the tag and reading her own name in neat, professional script. There was no sender.

"Jazz? Are you even listening to me?"

Jazz released a shaky breath. "Y-yeah, Danny, sorry." She cleared her throat, eyes never leaving the objects on her table. "Listen, l-let me call you back and we can talk about this more. Something just came up."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure it's not just because you're suddenly uncomfortable because I'm apparently dating Vlad."

She gave a short laugh, if only to ease her own sudden nerves at how someone had apparently broken into her home to leave her chocolate and flowers. She couldn't tell Danny that, though. He had enough on his plate and apparently a boyfriend to entertain. Plus it was Valentine's Day. She wasn't going to take this away from him even if she didn't quite understand it. She poked a single rose bud like it might bite her. "You know I trust your judgment, Danny." When nothing happened, she lifted the bouquet to her face, scrutinizing them with narrowed eyes. "If you want to date Vlad, it's not like I can do anything to stop you. I can only ask that you explain it to me when we get some time to do so. I still support you, little brother."

Danny's hesitancy on the other end was palpable and she couldn't help but smile. She raised the roses to her face, smelling their sweetness. Soft petals tickled her cheeks and a pink flush spread over her face. "I guess I'll talk to you later then," he said.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Danny. Go enjoy it," Jazz said.

"You too. Bye, Jazz."

#i know i posted this before #but for the life of me i cannot find it #so im posting it again #pomp pep #pomppep #pompous pep #jazz fenton #danny fenton #danny phantom #implied pomppep #fanfic #fic #fanfiction #wip #harley writes #implied bloobloods

[coastal-stargazing]

Mayhem in Nevada - Premise

This has spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. I recommend watching the movie prior to reading this, as this won't make that much sense to people who haven't seen the film or are unfamiliar with the franchise. If you're okay with spoilers though, I recommend waiting until I make full synopsis of the plot instead.

It's been a few months since the whole ordeal with Superfly. While the turtles have already adjusted to high school and having normal lives, the other mutants still miss Superfly despite their betrayal of him. But when, April O' Neal discovers something about TCRI, through somewhat questionable means, they [just] might need to bring him back. It turns out that Baxter Stockman has a still-living nephew and TCRI is looking for him.

After rescuing Superfly and re-mutating him using leftover ooze that was stockpiled in old his lab, the mutants agree to re-accept into their lives if he makes a public apology. “Uncle Stockman” (Superfly) accepts and begrudgingly apologizes for his partial destruction of New York City. Later that night, April O' Neal helps the mutant family with moving Superfly's belongings into the sewers. During this, she reveals that she and Leonardo found new information regarding Baxter Stockman's “extended family”, and bring him up to date on everything. Apparently, after his death, TCRI did a little digging on Baxter Stockman. It turns out that Baxter was a twin that was separated at birth, with his brother being put up for adoption. His brother then went on to get married and have a family of his own. While they had multiple children, TCRI seems to be the most interested in their eldest, Sanford. While they don't know much about Sanford Amonte, they do know that he served in the Navy at/military once and currently resides in an unknown location within Nevada, which fell into anarchy 6 years after Baxter's death. Being a red-light district, the only parts of Nevada still considered to be part of the United States, are a handful of town-sized communities and Area 51. The rest of the place is, basically, almost completely off the grid. While Nevada is easily accessible, surviving there is a challenge all in its own, thanks to it's hardened residents and the countless anomalies confined within its borders. What happens in Nevada, stays in Nevada. But sadly, most of the outside world is naive and unaware of this, including our mutant family.

So everyone decides to go on a long road trip across the country to see Superfly's human cousin. Along the way, the mutants get to see/experience life outside the city and Superfly learns to become more accepting of humans like April.

Back in Nevada, Status Quo continues their activities/duties as usual, unaware of what is about to happen. Perhaps the two parties, are more intertwined than they think. TCRI still has their eyes on the Stockman family and they will do whatever it takes to bring their project into fruition, even if it that means having extremely sketchy business partners.

---

While this is a proof-of-concept, a full, more detailed summary of the plot will be posted later on. However, this should be enough for now, I hope. As I explain more about characters and other details, more of the story should slowly come into light.

Not sure if I will end up writing the story myself, but feel free to make art and write your own stories based off of my AU, once I finish coming up with the plot. Just remember to credit me for coming up with the idea though and use the tags "Mayhem in Nevada Fanart", "Mayhem in Nevada Fanwork", and "Mayhem in Nevada Fanmade Stuff". I might end up posting about fan content if people make enough of it.

If do end up writing it, I will provide updates on a different post.

#Mayhem in Nevada #madcom #madness combat #madnesscombat #mutant mayhem #teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles mutant mayhem #tmnt mutant mayhem #tmnt #madness combat crossover au #madness combat sanford #sanford #tmnt superfly #superfly #mutant mayhem spoilers

[riddle-me-ri]

I would love some BTAS Riddler, anything you can think of, 18+ content welcome though not necessary if you can't fit it in, but if he could remain very sweet and gentle with reader as his SO? Thank you!!

A/N: asdfjhjkl okay so, I don't think you know what you've done and I'm so so sorry for the result. But also thank you so much for the freebie cause BTAS Riddler is my husband, literally the one that's started this whole Riddler rabbit hole I've hyperfixated on in comfort for 6 years at this point.

I'm not gonna lie it's a x reader fic, but reader is basically me rip. This is based on true experiences and insecurities I've faced in past relationships and I'm taking a chance to write this out in hopes to come to terms with it.

So this is way more hurt/comfort than anything else I've written thus far and it's very suggestive but the smut isn't explicit like my other fics (no worries more is in store I assure you)

I hope you, anon, and other enjoy it nontheless. Also just an overall note, yall are all extremely lovely and amazing people and don't ever let anyone undermine you or your worth. Period.

TW: Insecurities, Talks of anxiety, mention of toxic ex relationship, some suggestiveness, and some strong language.

Word Count: 2.3 k (yep, I went ham on this folks)

BTAS!Riddler x F!Reader - First Time

It was like a dream. He is an absolute dream. 

To think this handsome, charming, brilliant man sat across from you. 

It had been almost a year since you started this relationship with the one and only Edward Nygma. You met him back when he partnered with Baxter Toys, when he supposedly went clean. During the few corporate events he attended (before ultimately succumbing to his compulsion and obsession to beat Batman), everyone was drawn to him. 

He left everyone in awe of his intellect and one-of-a-kind creations. You were no different, you were a brand designer for the company and mostly showed up because it was required. Edward actually gave you something to look forward to for these events. Most of the time you stood in the background and just admired him from afar. You wanted to talk to him so badly, to know how he comes up with these toys. 

You managed to solve most of his puzzles, except for his latest one. You still can’t believe it looking back on it, but your curiosity truly did get the best of your nerves and you went up to him and asked if you were missing something. Unlike the other women in attendance literally draped over him for his looks and success, you were the only one that came up with an actual attempt at his puzzles. 

Little did you know how observant Ed is, all the times he presented a new toy, he always noticed you getting it right before most. It made him chuckle to see you beaming at your success, before you quickly dart out of the room to keep from being bombarded with how you solved it. 

Ed took an interest immediately, but for all his charm when it came to the opposite gender he was an absolute goofball and wasn’t always certain when, how or if he even, should, approach someone he was interested in, romantically. He knew enough though. He knew he loved your smile, he enjoys hearing you talk, he admires your creative eye, and you were obviously intelligent for solving his puzzles. 

He would be lying if he didn’t see you walking up to him with an inquisitive look on your face his one opening to make a move. The other women paled in comparison and faded away for all he cared. Ed didn’t come out forthright with the answer, but he was able to give subtle hints that he knew you would understand. You did understand and you understood him.

The rest was history. 

Even when he was sent back to Arkham, you kept in touch with him. You sent him letters asking how he was and if he ever needed anything to let you know. He was so touched at how much you genuinely seemed to care. 

It didn’t bother you that you were speaking to a patient in an asylum. Whenever he corresponded back to you, all you heard and saw was your Eddie, not the mad evil genius, The Riddler, who sought to prove his intellectual superiority over others. 

You saw Eddie, the sweetheart that made up riddles where the answer was you. The man that made you laugh until your jaw hurt and the man who made you feel on top of the world. Whenever he complimented or assured you, you couldn’t deny or argue it. 

Except for…maybe one thing. 

Eddie and you were having a quiet intimate dinner at home. He had escaped along with the other rogues only a few days ago, and Batman was surely on the hunt for him and the others tonight. 

Everything was going splendidly. 

You had your Eddie back at arm’s length. You were cooped up in his arms now as you watched his favorite late night game show. His head was nestled in the nook of your neck and shoulder. Every now and then peppering kisses alongside your cheek and neck. 

You knew what usually follows after nights like this, and it caused a growing knot in your chest. You knew because it has happened nights before and you turned him down. Albeit he was accepting and understood, you knew he had to be growing restless with you. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to, quite the opposite, you wanted him more than words could even describe. You were just mortified. The last serious relationship you were in, the moment sex was introduced things seemed to change. You were treated less as a partner and more of a fuck buddy, making love wasn’t fun, and it was just a chore every single time. 

You felt bad for even making that assumption about Edward, who has been nothing but loving, loyal, and honest with you. You want to believe and know that being intimate wouldn’t change anything but make your relationship stronger, but you’d be damned if the slightest possibility of being treated the way you had before, didn’t rack your brains. 

“My dear, is there something wrong?”

Damn it.

Lost in your inner turmoil, you completely ignored the outward signs your body was making. You shoulders tensed up and your breathing quickened. You were a fool for thinking Ed wouldn’t notice those things either. 

“I-I’m fine, sorry, just got distracted there.”

“Darling, I can tell when something is tormenting you..I won’t pressure you to tell me, but I hope you know you can tell me anything..”

The slight burning sensation of fresh tears started to rise. You bite your lip to try and keep the whimpers down. You shake your head as if to alleviate the oncoming tears. “I-I’m fine, Eddie…”

He didn’t say anything, instead he turned you around so you were facing him. Straddling his lap, he leaned you into him, in an embrace. He kissed the top of your head. 

Fresh tears fell and soaked into his black long sleeved shirt. You let yourself give into the tears that desperately wanted to be let out. Ed didn’t say a word, he just held you and rubbed your back up and down. 

“I-I’m sorry..” you sniffled. “I-I ruined the evening.”

“Impossible.” He said. “You could never ruin anything, darling. I love every moment I get to be with you, however I do hate to see you cry, but sometimes it can’t be helped. I’m just glad I’m here for you.” 

Urgh, why is he making this so damn hard. Ed is so sweet, considerate, and thoughtful…but I thought the same of my ex…no, no Eddie’s different. Edward is different. Edward Nygma is different.

“I-I’m glad you’re here too, Eddie. I missed you so much.”

“As I missed you, my love…but something tells me this is something deeper than my absence.” 

You nod. “I-it is. It’s something I’ve been at conflict with for awhile now…”

Ed’s eyes widened. “About me?”

“Sort of, nothing to do with your criminal history or anything like that…”

Ed took a sigh of relief, but if not that, then what? “I’m afraid I’m at a loss then, dear. If you’re up to it, I’d love to know, maybe I can help?”

You took a couple breaths to control your breathing and give you a minute to collect your thoughts. “I-I know we’ve been together for awhile…”

“10 months, 4 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes, and 15 seconds…”

You quirk your eyebrow at him. 

“N-not that I’m counting…” 

You giggled. “You’re such a dork…”

“Only when I’m around you, and especially if it makes you laugh.” He smiles. 

You sniffled some more, you try to wipe your tears with your fingers. Ed was ready with some tissue and handed them to you. 

“A-Anyway, we’ve been together for almost a year, and it’s been the best time of my life. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me, and I love you so much it hurts.”

“As I love you…”

“I-I know, and I also know that most couples have…um…been..intimate by now.”

For a moment you lost Edward as his eyes furrowed down in confusion, but it didn’t take long for the lightbulb to turn on and a blush to rise to his cheeks. 

“I-I-I see…”

“I know we’ve come close to it, and I..I always turn it down.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’d rather you turn it down, I don’t want to force anything on you, my love.” 

“I-I..I know and I appreciate it more than you can imagine. I don’t want you to think I don’t want to, because I do..w-want you…”

His face is almost as red as a fire hydrant, but he lets you continue. You’ve rendered him quite speechless at this point, but he also didn’t want to interrupt your train of thought. 

“It’s just, I’m hesitant because in my last relationship…it…instead of bringing us together. It caused a drift…i-it was constant, like all he wanted from me was relief…I-I felt like such a toy. I-I’d cry myself to sleep while I’m beside him and he never noticed…” You pressed the tissue to your eyes and started wiping the ones that managed to escape from your eye ducts. 

“I-I want to believe…no-I-I know you would never, you could never. You’ve proven that time and time again…but I can’t help but be apprehensive you know? Absolutely petrified…no matter how much I wanted it…I would clamp up. I-I’m so sorry, Eddie…”

Ed shook his head and pulled you into another hug. “Shh…you have nothing to feel sorry for, Y/N. My darling, it’s okay…” 

Ed struggled to gulp down the lump in his throat, the slight flame of hatred and anger that was lit by a tiny match. 

How dare he? Who does he think he is?

He had to shake those thoughts away, you were much more important, he’ll ask questions later. You needed him and he was going to be there. 

He kissed your head again. “I-I hope you know that I want nothing but the best for you, I would never pressure you into anything, and if I ever have, with anything, I owe you an apology, it was never my intent…”

You smiled as you leaned back to look at him. Still sniffling, “I do know, and I love you more for it. You never pressured me into anything, you’ve been perfect…you are perfect.”

“Careful…you’ll inflate my ego more than it already has…” He mutters, jokingly. 

It works as you start giggling. “Nope, wouldn’t want that.”

He smiles at you as he pushes some of your hair back from you face, unsticking some strands that glued to the wet spots on your cheek. 

“Riddle me this…a mile from end to end. A precious commodity, freely given. Seen on the dead and on the living. Found on the rich, poor, short, and tall…but shared among loved ones most of all...what is it?”

You blink away the remaining tears as you take in his words. You chuckle breathlessly, “I-I’m sorry, Eddie. I’m not exactly-”

“-A smile. Did I ever tell you that was the first thing that drew me to you? I absolutely adored your smile whenever you got my puzzles right. And I love it even more now. I’d do anything in this world to see it every day.” 

“You may have mentioned it a time or two…” 

He cups your face in his hands, making sure you truly hear him and see him. “It’s true. I cherish every smile, laugh, kiss, embrace, everything. I’m a cerebral man, thought I was too logical. Above and beyond romantic relationships, but you came along, and I’ve never been so grateful for being so wrong.”

You could no longer fight the bright smile that stretched across your face. As you let yourself hear his words, words you didn’t know you needed to hear, but appreciated them all the same. 

“I love you, Y/N. More than I ever thought I could. I will wait however long it takes until you’re comfortable. I do want you and to be…intimate with you, but never at your own expense. Never at the expense of your happiness.”

You couldn’t hold it back anymore. You smashed your lips into his, shocking Edward but he was quick to return the kiss tenfold. You wrapped your arms around his neck and his arms found home around your waist. 

If not for the need of air, you’d doubt you would ever let up on the kiss. When you eventually had to break apart, it was both of your turns to smile at each other. 

“I love you, too. So much.” You replied. There was a pause in the air until you decided. “And..I’m ready…to take this next step with you.”

Edward’s eyes widened for a minute, until he nodded. “Are you absolutely sure?”

You nod assuringly, “I’ve never been more sure.” 

“I promise you nothing will change, I will always cherish you.”

“I know, and I believe you, more than I have anyone else.” You smile. You got up from his lap and embrace. You reached your hand out towards him to lift him off the couch and lead him to your bedroom. 

When the two of you finally got undressed, you were so anxious that your nerves would come up and ruin everything, despite already making the fully committed decision to do this, but those nerves never came. 

The only thing you felt were butterflies of excitement and the growing knot of pleasure being tugged tighter and tighter everytime Edward thrusted into you. He was so patient, so gentle and thorough. He knew your body better than you did, finding new sensitive spots on your skin that turned you into an absolute moaning mess. 

You were kicking yourself for letting your anxieties keep you touches away from absolute euphoria for so long. When all was said and done, he offered to run a bath or get you something to drink, but all you really wanted was to cuddle in his arms. Which he was more than happy to oblige you. 

Your first time with Edward was a dream. He was a dream. A dream come true.

#batman the animated series riddler x reader #batman the animated series edward nygma x reader #btas riddler x reader #btas edward nygma x reader #btas riddler x reader fanficiton #ri writes

[hailsatanacab]

I Like You, And I Love Him, We Could All Be The Best Kind Of Friends

(Here I am shamelessly asking for some everlasting trio content because this ship has a death grip on me. Yes this is from the In The Middle song by dodie what abaut it?)

I Like You, And I Love Him, We Could All Be The Best Kind Of Friends

Ahhhhh I've never really written nor read any everlasting trio before, so let's see how this goes 😅 I'm trying from Tucker's POV

-

Danny's confused.

Luckily, Tucker isn't.

Sam's a little in denial, but that's just because she's a goth and she's convinced herself that goths don't have mushy feelings like this. Sure, she likes them both, doesn't go a day without talking to them and she always goes quiet whenever they bring up colleges and the possibility of having to split up the group, but that's just normal! She doesn't need to look any closer at any of these feelings, because she's a goth and all she needs is darkness and misery and maybe like her combat boots or something.

Luckily, Tucker can see through Sam pretty well by now, too.

He's never really thought of himself as the emotional center of the group, that's always been Danny in his mind. Danny's more empathetic, more protective of others—which only increased ever since he became Phantom (which Tucker is not at all jealous about, not any more, no thank you)—but these days...

These days, Tucker is having some doubts about where the real emotional maturity lies.

For all that he loves him (and he really does love him), Danny can be dense.

We're talking Grandma's chocolate cake levels of dense where it's a struggle to swallow around it, but it's sweet and tastes so much of home and comfort that you can't help but crave it constantly.

It's all:

"Aw, thanks bro, yeah, I love you too!"

"Yeah, you’re right, we would make a good couple! Bromance for the ages!"

"Yes, Tucker, you're dead gorgeous, too, now throw me the thermos!"

It's enough to make Tucker despair.

And if anything, Sam's worse!

The second you try to bring up feelings with her at all, she's making a snarky comment with her arms crossed and her nose up in the air. If she's in a particularly bad mood, she'll steal his beret and run off which happens so much that Tucker's taken to carrying a spare with him. There's no way you're going to make him run.

With Sam, it's more:

"The only thing I'm going to crush is you, Tucker!"

"Like-like? Tucker, I barely like anyone, let alone like-like."

"No, Tuck, it didn't hurt when I fell from Heaven—but I did chip a fingernail when I crawled my way up from Hell just to kick your ass, come here!"

So, talks are going well.

Who would have thought, who could have ever fucking dreamed that it would be Dash "Dumb as a Bag of Rocks and Just as Mean" Baxter to actually get the ball rolling?

There they are, sitting at their lunch table, Tucker with his head in his hands after another failed attempt while Sam and Danny argue over the best MAY song (it's 'My Parents Reek', but he doesn't have the strength to even begin with how they're wrong), when Dash passes by with Kwan in tow.

"Trouble in paradise? Guess even freaks of a feather don't stay together! You should kiss and make up, no one else is ever going to do it—not with your ugly face, Fen-toenail!" They walk away without waiting for an answer, their laughter echoing through the hall, and honestly that's about the best it could have gone. No one got hurt and Tucker can work with this!

"What a jerk, as if we're the ones that are going to end up alone," Sam scowls at his back.

"That's what I've been trying to say!" Tucker exclaims, throwing his hands in the air because he's kind of losing it right now, there are only so many hints one man can drop! "I like you, and I like him. You like him and I'm pretty sure you like me. Danny—"

"I like you both!"

Tucker sighs and puts his head back in his hands. It was too much to hope for. Poor, sweet, chocolate-y Danny.

"Danny, I like-like you..." His voice is muffled by his hands but that's fine, it’s not like this is going to get through to him anyhow. "You know, romantic styles."

"Oh... uh, romantic styles? I mean, I, uh..." Danny's face is beet red and he's rubbing the back of his neck like he always does when he's embarrassed. It would be cute if this wasn't the farthest Tucker's gotten in his confession for months. "Yeah, uh, tee moo. No, I mean, me too. Romantic styles, I mean... yeah. Both... of you. Too."

They both turn to look at Sam, who appears to have stopped working.

Her eyes are wide and the tofu wrap she's been eating slowly unravels and drips that gross tofu water down her arm.

Tucker knows it's love because he doesn't even mind that it's tofu. (Well, he does, but just a little bit, it's tofu! Have some integrity!)

The first thing that Sam whispers doesn’t fill him with confidence. "But you have such bad taste... You think 'Teachers Suck but the Government Sucks More' is the better MAY song, when it's obviously 'Screw Rent Screw Taxes (SEOBC)'."

Tucker wouldn't have put money on Danny being the first to fully understand his feelings, but he probably should have seen this coming.

"And you," she says, turning to Tucker, "eat meat and wear berets."

His gasp is as shocked and scandalised as those old ladies in the British costume shows his mom watches. "How dare you!Berets are classy and timeless and I will hear nothing against them. It's okay baby," he plucks the beret off his head to coo to it, "she didn't mean it, I promise."

"I can't believe I like you, too. Both of you." She sighs and fixes her wrap, licking up the tofu juice. "And your beret."

#danny phantom #dp #everlasting trio #phic #idk how to tag this #also i was going to put it under a read more and then i thought nah so you're just going to have to live with it sorry #long post #did you guys like the morbid antisocial youth titles i made up?? #the full title to Screw Rent is: Screw Rent Screw Taxes (Screw Each Other But Consensually) #i was inspired by that song FCPSITSGEPGEPGEP by The Fall of Troy #im so old lmao i used to love that song #anyway idk if i did this well - im sorry for taking so long!!!! #also idk when these just started turning into fics rather than outlines but here we are #i just like making work for myself #my writing #anyway enjoy! #i still have two of these left to do haha whoops #also ive just seen how long this post really is #i probably should add a read more siiigghhhh #we'll see #cab writes

[junkshop-disco]

Did you watch the Guy/Thomas scenes? Just wondering if it changed your opinion at all. I can't decide whether to watch them or if it'll upset me :(

I did. Under here for anyone still (somehow) dodging spoilers.

Tbh I quite liked some of the scenes themselves and the actors do a good job with the little they're given (although the colouring makes everyone look like Ross in The One With The Spray Tan Mishap, good luck gif makers). But I am still... sort of confused/uncomfortable about how ambiguously it's pitched? The music is doing a lot of heavy lifting to suggest the storyline is romantic but despite the likability of Guy in the other scenes, if I was at work and someone came into my office, sort of offered me a job and then felt me up, I would punch them. And I can't quite shake that feeling of not knowing what this is supposed to be: romance, work offer, some kind of job with benefits arrangement, or just sexual harassment Thomas is too weary to fight against or sees some kind of opportunity for escape in.

Regardless of what I think of the plot, I would like to be certain what the plot actually is, you know? If it's a romance, have Thomas kiss him and make it clear? If it's not, leave off with the workplace groping unless you're making a point about period-typical workplace groping? That Thomas himself seems confused about the nature of their relationship in the scene with Mary does not help and makes the whole thing come across like one big hedged bet, so if you're hoping for closure by watching the scenes or the film, you're probably not going to get it.

It feels to me like whether you're into this storyline for Thomas or not, you've got to bring a lot to it yourself in order to have it be satisfactory. To be sad for Thomas, you've got to imagine his feelings about leaving Downton and what happened with Richard because they're not really explored. To be pleased for Thomas, you've got to imagine him a future where this pans out somehow: his joy and hope is not on the screen. None of this is new for Thomas or indeed DA generally, of course, but JF has somehow pulled out of the bag a storyline that feels deeply indifferent to Thomas, which imo is the greatest injustice of all whatever your feelings about the content of this film. I can't tell you whether watching the scenes will upset you more or not because I watched them and I'm none the wiser myself.

And not to ramble off, here, but I actually think this touches on a wider problem for me with how JF sees and writes romance as an almost entirely social contract. He repeats the pattern over and over that romantic fulfilment is tied to moving up socially or becoming rich and will deus ex machina things out of his ass to make it happen. See: Edith could've had a perfectly nice romance with Bertie as an agent and continued the writing/editing career she enjoys and provided a counterpoint to Mary's life at Downton, but instead, out of nowhere Bertie is suddenly promoted to one of the most important people in the country despite it being in-verse unlikely and hinging on the death of a person we've never seen onscreen. See also: Molesley has always wanted to make something of himself and finds fulfilment as a teacher but that's not enough for JF, he has to suddenly become a screenwriter before he can be with Baxter, who would've happily married him when he was a delivery boy. There's this sense that meeting a person you love isn't enough: it has to come in a package of being whisked away to something JF considers better and more glamorous and that's nearly always oriented around money and viewed through a deeply classist lens.

Characters who don't follow this pattern tend to get shafted. See: Mary gets a whirlwind romance and a marriage with Henry, overlooking her reservations about his standing, and then he ghosts her on a fairly epic scale for two films and may as well not exist. See: Tom and Sybil marry, live a more ordinary life, and then Sybil dies. The Bateses start with the upgrade package: Bates gets left a house (by his presumably working class mother, but let's just handwave that) and so then they can marry, but the price for this is they will both go to prison for different murders, sexual violence, and a series of miscarriages.

The happiest relationships portrayed are the ones tied to financial or social gain on the part of one person, with Robert and Cora as the blueprint. I'm not saying these kinds of matches are unrealistic or ahistorical when it comes to the aristocracy, but the issue for me is that when you apply the same thinking to working class people, especially working class queer people, you're saying something completely different. You're saying: you don't get to be happy unless someone with more money and status chooses to pluck you out of your life. And with Thomas specifically, you're saying: discovering a community of queer men on your doorstep doesn't matter. Meeting someone from that community doesn't matter (because I do think we're supposed to read Richard as knowing about the existence of Turtons even if he's too circumspect to be a regular). Only proximity to glamour and money matter, making yourself complicit in the system that oppressed you is your only chance at any sort of freedom.

When you look at it like that, in JF world, Thomas could only have ended up with Richard if Richard was somehow revealed to have been a minor royal all along. Which JF couldn't do because he'd basically given that plot to Tom and Lucy.

As a working class queer, I have a massive problem with this underlying current that only social and/or financial climbing can bring contentment in relationships. It doesn't recognise that often part of queerness is seeing that all the systems, not just the ones about sexuality and gender, are complete bullshit. Which is a position and an understanding Thomas has espoused throughout. Guy hints at sharing this viewpoint with his 'don't call me sir' request (which Thomas rejects, incidentally), but his offer is written in such a wooly way that again, you have to do the work yourself to see it as a meeting of minds rather than a conditional, vague promise of enhanced freedom based on servitude and complicity in a bunch of bullshit systems. It just feels really... anti-queer to me, in a way that’s very little to do with how I feel about Guy as a character or even the decisions made around Richard, and far more to do with what the procession of disposable working class men (including Jimmy and Chris) says about the route to happiness and fulfilment presented.  

Anyway this has become a dissertation so I'll stop. Whatever you decide, good luck anon and my inbox is always open for venting <3

#downton abbey #downton abbey spoilers #downton abbey a new era #downton abbey a new era spoilers

[sabineelectricheart]

The Good Ends to a Long Engagement

Summary: The Wards receive a visit from a few Oregon friends and Baxter comes to a very important decision.

Rating: K - Intended for general audience 5 years and older. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.

Words: 2400

Notes: It came out as Main Character Bashing Week, but that’s not what I meant with it. I don’t think Cove would be a deadbeat, but, well, that isn’t any help against being eaten by a shark or something.

The summer was upon California once again. Days are getting longer and the extra sun shoots up the temperatures, a nice day to spend on the beach or by the pool.

Jamie is lounging on the kitchen table after washing up the lunch dishes, as her fiancé prepares a pair of cups of coffee for them to share. Baxter has sent his stepson upstairs to prepare for receiving visitors anytime soon, so the couple has a few moments of silence between them, something that rarely comes by when there are children involved.

"It will be good to see Frankie again, huh?" The woman says, conversationally, as she wipes the back of her neck with a towel.

He hands her the cup of coffee and takes the chair next to her.

"Yeah. Yeah, it should be interesting." He responds, not very enthused.

Jamie laughed softly. Although the people coming over were his childhood friends, coming from his hometown, she knows that the only one happy about the development would be herself, and maybe River, her son, if he is sufficiently convinced by the prospect of playing with the closest thing to a cousin he has.

Liz never got around to motherhood, being more than happy as a cool aunt, Terry and Miranda still had not found a footing, financially-wise, in expensive South California to apply for an adoption and the Adams had a little baby girl, who was adorable, but could not play with a ten-year-old boy. Neither his father or step-father had any siblings, so his closest friend in age amongst extended family was Asher Second, and they got along famously.

She and Francine Second had bonded over the experiences of single motherhood over the time they spent over in Golden Grove for Thanksgiving. The pair exchanged numbers and talked at length over the months, culminating with an invitation for them to come down to Los Angeles for a visit. The Oregonian woman asked her friend, Renee Murray, to come along for the ride and share the drive, so the Wards would be hosting four people for a couple of weeks, along with baby Sawyer Second.

Baxter detested going back to Oregon for visits, but he disliked it even more having Oregon come down to California. He likes Renee well enough, and does not particularly dislike Frankie, but he is certainly indulging his fiancée and step-son on this one.

“Don’t be sour, love. It’s going to be fun!” She said, lifting the cup to her lips, then made a face. "Ugh. This is yours."

"No, I don't…" Baxter tried the cup in his hand, sure his face was unintentionally mimicking hers. "Yeah, this is definitely yours."

"I bet Sawyer is so big by now!" The seamstress said as she took her cup from him. "I remember how big River got during his second year. It just seemed like I'd blink, and suddenly he was reaching for things he couldn't even see a week ago…"

She shook her head, smiling at the memory. Her little boy was so cute as a baby! A little head of blond hair he got from his granddaddy, those chubby little fingers reaching for the seashell mobile they made for him…

Her fiancé hummed his acknowledgement, but he elected not add anything to the conversation. He does not understand much about children that young, even if he is good with River these days.

“Every new job I took, I had to make sure I could child-proof it. He was always getting into things, always so curious…" She trailed off. "I wonder how Frankie is getting along."

"I heard that she had to stop working on a project she was making a lot of leeway on when Sawyer got sick last year." The ma said. "I know how that feels, to an extent, but I'd imagine being a single mother would complicate things."

The other mother nodded. "I'm sure she didn't mind, though. You realize pretty fast that putting your child before your career isn't a decision you have to make, it's the thing you just do. When River was born, I had to put a lot of things on the shelf."

River, while a well-loved and much-anticipated child, was not a planned one. She and Cove were not even twenty when he was born, and they both understood that they had to make sacrifices for the life that was coming to them. For him, it was pro surfing, and for her…

"Your singing?"

"Yeah. Couldn't play around with that when I had a newborn crying for me every few hours." She said, smiling softly. "There was college, too. Our disposable cash vaporized overnight, and we depended on Mr. Holden to pay our bills… I wouldn't have had that big wedding that every girl dreams of."

"You and Cove ever talk about getting married?"

Jamie shrugged. It has been so long since she thought of that, it feels almost foreign to think that she was once engaged to someone else, even if she loved, and still loves, that person dearly.

"I mean, after a certain time frame, it comes up in most relationships. We loved each other very much and, if we had the money for it, I’m sure Cove would go along with it, but, well, we never discussed it seriously. We were too young, just taking one day after the other, and then I popped out a kid! We figured we'd keep existing, keep putting River first, keep doing what we had to do. Besides, he was never one to want to agree to some big fancy party anyway." She said with a little laugh. "I don't think I was ever able to picture him at a wedding, even ours."

Her phone began to ring, or, rather, Baxter recognized it as her alarm tone.

"What's that for?" He asks.

"Ah! It’s two already? Frankie and Renée never drove in LA, so they’re a bit spooked by the heavy traffic. I proposed meeting them on a gas station off the freeway, so I’m heading over there." She explained, pushing her chair, picking up her purse and keys and walking over to the bottom of the stairs. “River! Come on, it’s time!”

“I’m coming, mom!” He called from upstairs.

“Would you like me to come with you two? I can bring your car back and you can drive Ren’s?” He offered, calmly.

She turned to him, smiling. “Ah, thanks for the offer, but I thought you’d have an appointment this afternoon, so I asked Miranda for help. I’ll pick her up on the way.”

A ten-year-old boy stumbles down the stairs and off the door. “I’m ready!”

“Say goodbye to your step-father before you go!” The woman shouted from behind.

“Bye, Baxter!” He says from the driveway.

“Bye, buddy!” The older man shouts back, laughing. "Between Renée and Miranda, how are you possibly going to entertain all those excitable kids?"

Jamie grinned at her fiancé.

"I’ve had plenty of practice, this will be a piece of cake. See you later, okay?" She said, leaning over to kiss him. "Love you."

"Yeah, love you. See you."

*_*_*_*_*

Still exhausted from the previous day's hair-raising client, all Baxter wanted was to rest for a while before his house was taken by Oregonians, preferably on the company of his lovely fiancée. Alas, no hope there.

So, he went up to his study and settled on the couch. His attempt to read a book under the cool hum of the AC turned into an unplanned nap.

When he awoke, more than an hour had passed, and he could tell from the sounds downstairs that the house was definitely up three kids under the age of thirteen. And judging by the crying that suddenly wafted up from the bottom floor, Sawyer was definitely one of them.

"Oh, oh, hold on there, little baby." He heard Jamie say from the other room. "Come here, lay down."

Baxter rose automatically, but he stopped, unsure of what he could really do to help. He was good with River. He was good with Asher. He had met Sawyer only once and was still very unsure of how to act around toddlers. Better to leave that up to the resident child expert.

He eventually wandered down the stairs anyway when his fiancée’s voice shifted out of speaking. He found her sitting on the couch with all three kids around her, smiling at them as she sang some song he did not recognize. The scene gave him pleasant domestic feelings, which he was slowly growing used to experiencing.

The event planner leaned against the wall, watching. She was smiling, her arm around River, Asher sitting on the ground in front of her, and Sawyer laying on her back, her head tipped to the side to see her as she sang.

" Close your eyes, have no fear. The monster's gone, he's on the run and your mommy’s here. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Beautiful boy.”

Asher was subtly rocking from side to side with her lyrics. River was smiling, looking at her in that quiet, contented way he always did whenever she sang. Sawyer was, for once in his life, still, as if mesmerized by Jamie's voice.

"Uh, Baxter?"

The man jumped.

"Renée." He cleared his throat. "Didn't see you there."

"You never see me coming when you’re like that, with hearts on your eyes." She said, teasing.

The man narrowed his eyes at the cheap shot. “Don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical of you bringing that up, huh?”

“That’s what childhood acquaintances are for, love. Besides, Frankie and Tamarack turned out to be great friends to me when I needed those, so rest assured I ate my words heartily.” She smirked. "But, being perfectly honest, you did look particularly deep in thought today. What's eating you, my friend?"

Baxter looked back toward Jamie. She smiled when she sang. She made one believe that the lyrics coming from her were the most profound words in existence.

He bit his lip. "Renée?"

"Yeah?"

Baxter waited a moment, thinking, then shook his head, turning to leave. "Never mind."

*_*_*_*_*

"That was a good day!" Jamie said as they ascended the stairs. "I just hope I wore them out enough that poor Frankie isn't exhausted trying to keep them entertained before bed."

"Frankie expressed a clear interest in having them for the night." Baxter pointed out. "It isn't as if you passed them off onto her. Plus, this is good. Because I, uh, I need to talk to you. We-We need to talk."

The woman cocked her head. "Like, we need to talk? Or we need to talk?"

"I don't know what that means."

She let out a quick laugh.

"I'm sorry." She sat on the edge of the bed. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" He said quickly. "I mean, no, not nothing. Nothing is what I did… Mean to say, I guess. Jamie?"

She tipped her head forward. "Yes?"

"I… You, you said to me earlier that you'd given a lot up when River came along, because he came first." He frowned, uncomfortable with his staccato sentences but unable to transition into a more efficient method of speaking. "You gave up things. Singing, vacations, free time, a big wedding. All of that."

He cleared his throat, hoping it would reset his speech. It is a difficult thing he has to say, but still, he would think he got the worst part down a long time ago.

"And I know nothing… Nothing has come up with us, really, we have work, and River, and work, and I know I said work already but we work a lot." He paused for breath. "I can't give you a singing career or all those hours you worked that second job back. I can't give you… I can't bring Cove back for you. For you and for River."

"Baxter…"

"Please." He said quickly, firmly. "Please let me finish."

She nodded.

"I know our relationship is… It is different from what you may have expected when you were younger, it is different from most, and I know I can be a bit challenging sometimes with this feelings stuff, but I know how I feel about you, and I don't see that going away, and…" He paused. He really should have thought this through. He knew what he wanted to say but it is hard to get it out. "I want to marry you, Jamie."

The problem of how to say it sorted itself out, in the end.

“Not as in getting engaged. I remember that we are engaged, that we’ve been engaged for well over a year at this point.” He said, with a bit of humour in his voice. “I want us to go on to the next phase, I want to plan our wedding, I want to call you my wife.”

Jamie blinked in surprise, her mouth falling open just slightly. She is not sure where he had been going with his speech, but she had not been expecting that, he was certain, but he forged on.

"Together, you and I, we made so many beautiful weddings, we made sure many a couple had their dreams come true, and I want that for us. A big party, with everyone we love, with all the little silly details that we find so beautiful, something that we will remember and tell our great-grandchildren. No expense spared. That last job we took, well, you know what it paid, and we have no greater need for it."

He dropped to the ground, he was several paces from her, and walked on his knees to her. Her own knees were a foot or so apart, and he pushed them to their respective sides so he could scoot closer to her, simultaneously and awkwardly shifting to rest on only one of his.

"So, what do you say?" He asked, giving her a small smile. "You and me? Big party?"

Jamie smiled at Baxter, amused. Ah, her silly little man, how she loved him.

"I think I'd like that big party." She said, her voice full of emotion.

He held up a finger. "Only if you spend the rest of your life with me afterwards."

Tears escaped her eyes as Jamie grinned, giving a happy laugh and kissing his face all over. She leaned forward, whispering his name and curling her arms around his neck.

*_*_*_*_*

Our Life Masterlist

#our life #our life: beginnings & always #baxter ward

[skeleton-in-a-hoodie]

Okay, gonna watch Owari for Ghost Splinter 2:

(Edit: added a readmore cause I forget to do that last night)

The Hamato Clan do end up having a sort of funeral for Splinter in the au. For the most part it's just burrying his body, because neither the Turtles, Karai, April or Casey felt comfortable with leaving his body at the bottom of that chasm. It also gives the kids a chance to get closure. Splinter is going to have a very werid day, attending his own funeral and then comforting his children.

"Do not fear me, my son" - that's going in the au. Leo's reaction will be a lot less chill though.

I am also making note of Splinter's explanation of death for Hiding a Curse (Gyogi is fine, but at some point in the au he will be comforting his grieving nephew).

Also the irony of 12 Splinter telling Leo he's the sensei now, meanwhile GS2 Splinter actively tries to prevent that happening.

A ghost will appear and clue Splinter into Shredder being alive.

Leo's reaction to finding out Shredder is alive will also be less "I don't know if we're strong enough" and more along the lines of him cursing up a storm, and then being totally silent on the drive there.

Karai having a dream that Splinter was dead could also still happen in the au. She'd properly just brush it off as a nightmare about the worst case scenario that they all think didn't happen, but after it turns out he is dead, she'll properly question that dream more.

Everyone preparing to fight Shredder is a lot more hectic and rushed in GS2, because by the time they get back to the Lair Splinter already has at least a 2 hour head start.

There's a bigger gap here between Requiem and Owari, so Karai is also able to go on the mission.

The group might also have an easier time sneaking towards Shredder's mansion - Splinter will have already dealt with the security, and the Foot Clan itself will have their hands full with a giant rat monster. For the team that either means they're going to have to fight a lot less foot bots, or they're going to keep finding footbots that have been torn apart already.

Did Baxter really just say "My boy Shredder?"

I do like that Donnie called him "Michael"

The team also have to do a lot less work in finding Shredder. Like literally all they have to do is follow the sounds of fighting and roaring.

Tiger Claw will properly still make the really ill-advised decision to mock Leo by saying Splinter is gone.

Shredder also won't have the chance to stand on the roof dramatically and throw a molly at the Turtles. He properly did that with Splinter, so as well as having to content with the Foot Clan, the team are having to deal with the mansion burning down. Y'know, like they weren't dealing with enough already.

At some point during Shredder and Splinter's fight, Shredder manages to pin Splinter, very narrowly missing Splinter's core. This means that Splinter is in pretty sorry shape when the team gets there, so I'm not sure how much of the fight he's involved in. He definietly does rejoin the fight, but the team has a good few minutes where it's just them against Shredder.

I also don't know who's going to kill Shredder in this au. At the moment the options are Leo (killed shredder in canon), Karai (Shredder killed her mother, then kidnapped and abused her), or Splinter (Shredder killed his wife, hurt his kids, and Splinter doesn't want to put another burden on his children's shoulders).

Leo and Karai might also have to help Splinter get down from the roof - his core is close to destabilising, he's exhausted, and Shredder managed to hurt him badly. There's a none zero chance that when Shredder died, Splinter immediately collasped.

Everyone survives the fight though and Splinter gets to go home with his kids with the knowledge Shredder is gone.

#tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt au #ghost splinter 2 electric boogalo

[about-faces]

so, i been seeing some of your posts in your livejournal and i love your analyses and reviews. am curious, what do you think about two things? what do you think of Harvey Dent's portrayal in the Dark Knight movie? also, what do you think of Mr. Rogues videos about Two-Face? i think he likes some storylines you dislike, but i don't remember well, check his top 22 Two Face stories to see what i mean. i really like your content, keep it up, the Gilda stuff is awesome!

I see TDK's Harvey as two separate characters: an overall pretty damn good Harvey Dent, and a horribly half-baked Two-Face.

As Harvey, I think he's generally a solid, great take on the character. He's noble, he's heroic, he's tragic, but overall, he's also kind of shallow. He's more of a walking pile of themes and messages than a person, which isn't wholly a bad thing. The fact that he was genuinely heroic really goes a long way with me. But there's not much to him beyond that. It doesn't help that he's a Baxter, the bland other man opposite Bruce, in a relationship with a woman who strikes me as pretty much already being Lady Harvey. The fact that Rachel herself was also underdeveloped didn't exact help matters.

I also think TDK!Harvey is commonly misunderstood as a character, with many people looking at his scene with the Polka Dot Man actor as evidence that he was unstable and coming unraveled. I don't know what the Nolans' intention was, but personally, I firmly believe he's completely in control and bluffing. The scene follows right after Batman breaks Maroni's ankles and threatens to kill him, and Maroni calls his bluff. Bruce and Harvey are the same, both using fear and intimidation to bluff, only Harvey manages to sell it better because his unwillingness to kill isn't well-known. This makes Harvey more interesting, while also making his transformation later more inexplicable and jarring to me.

As Two-Face... he really needed his own movie. I didn't buy his jump to being willing to murder a child within the space of, what, a day or two? Less? Nor did I for one second buy that he was willing to listen to Nurse Joker's oh-so-writerly monologue manipulations, given his all-consuming rage and the fact that he should either be dead with burns like that or at least be screaming in constant agony because he was refusing painkillers what the living fuck Nolans. Two-Face was wasted in order to serve the narrative point of the overall plot, and it only further made him more overshadowed in all regards by the Joker.

As for Mr Rogues, I'd purposely been avoiding his stuff until I'd finally been able to finish projects like my own Top 22 list (which I started years ago, but now I worry people may see me as ripping him off). My Henchgirl told me about Mr Rogues a while back, and how he seems to be a Swedish clone of a younger me, from our interests right down to our physical appearances! It's weird.

Skimming through his own Top 22, he has a lot of my own choices, but there are a lot of differences too. And even the ones I dislike, I can understand why he included them. I’ll actually sit down and watch it properly when my own list is finally posted, but I appreciate that there’s someone else out there who seems to care enough to put out Two-Face critical content like that. I just wish I had the spoons to keep up with it myself!

Speaking of which, thank you for saying that about the Gilda content! I’ve had a very hard time getting back to those because I wasn’t really seeing much new interest in those posts, and coupled with seasonal/regular depression, I was feeling very discouraged. So I really appreciate that, thank you!

#long post #ask hefner #harvey dent #the dark knight

[st-agatha-city]

So, I queue my posts, as I often work in bursts. This results in weird pacing of updates, but it helps makes content more consumable I think? If I told you everything new as it arrived there would be weird empty spaces on this blog followed by sudden flurries of infodumps.

Here's a little list of future developments below the cut! (This is kinda more for me than you, to be honest - but I feel good about maintaining transparency, not just so prospective players can feel good about investing time in my project with me knowing that it is on its way, also potential future devs will have a better view of the process!) here’s what has to be done to get the demo finished, and my next steps from here!

Finish writing the other 8 main demo routes - Now that Norman is finished, I have to do Baxter, Denver, Ian, Marjory, Mindy, No Name Girl, Ross, and Tara.

I’ve lucky already made some pretty good progress on Denver, Ian, Mindy, and Ross’s routes. Denver’s is almost done, and Ross’ is close. And I recently started NNG’s and Tara’s, but I’m struggling a bit trying to come up with a good hook and consistently characterize them. I’d really like to make a post about NNG in the fashion of my deep dive “What’s Up With Pixy?” post - which I think will help me figure out how to proceed with her, because she’s a particularly complicated character.

Write the secondary paths. Each of the main routes contain a few constants to give them flavor. A couple of CGs, thirty minutes worth of content, at least one choice, and usually a secondary location you can go to with the character if things go well. Being a novice to this, I want to showcase choices, but finding a satisfying way to include them is a bit difficult. Since usually the choice allows for the opportunity to please or offend the character you’re talking to (as this is the demo and is displaying the most basic but interesting functions.) I do think that there is merit to playing through the ‘bad’ choices as they lead to info you wouldn’t be able to get from the characters otherwise, but I don’t want them to be quick, throwaway bad endings either. I think I might use the ‘bad’ choices to involve and introduce side characters like Eddie, Boon, and Joan :)) oooh okay that’s making my brain tick - I like that one… they could have mini quests like Harvey and Gatsby, thereby incentivizing players to get all ‘endings’ :))

Make background art. I usually do this on my low energy days as it both takes Forever and also allows for me to listen to a podcast while I work, unlike writing :)) if I’m not in the mood though this is hell. Because it is not easy - this is my first time really attempting background art and it’s rough to pick up as quickly as I’d ideally like to. The renpy community has excellent free assets from caring creators, and while I appreciate them, I think giving St. Aggs it’s own flavor is important, not just aesthetically, but to its themes. I do suspect this step may take the longest, moreso even than writing for the demo, but I do not like to half-ass things.

*Stares at the wonky perspective in the outdoor shot of Caliber Coffee that I've been trying and neglecting to sort out for three days now*

Yeah... no half-assing... that's me...

Finish sprites. I have admittedly gone ham on the sprites in this game. Being an amateur, they are definitely not the best. The longer I work on this, the more annoying errors I notice, especially because I keep accidentally messing up or otherwise corrupting files and having to repair them. But... it was important to me to capture the body language and expressions of my characters. A great deal of the story is told through the faces of the characters, and it is very meaningful to me that I represent enough emotions in my characters to show that :) I currently need to finish the required expressions for the demo dialogue, make sprites for the side characters who don't yet have them, and fix sprites with glaring errors.

Edit. You might have noticed, I do not have the best spelling or grammar, especially when tired (always.) This will not fly in game dev. Every time I finish a section, I will spend about a day minimum going over it to catch any glaring issues. This includes usual grammatical issues, but also catch glitches, sprite problems, and other inconsistencies. In a branching path game, that latter one is particularly important. You do not want to accidentally repeat information the players have already been given earlier, or fail to bring up something they should know, but was only communicated in a different route they might not yet have played. It's also important, when designing a game that is supposed to encourage replays, that when crucial info is repeated in different routes that it is conveyed in interesting ways each time. I played DDLC, and uh... the level of Exact. Same. Dialogue repeating in areas you could not skip was my least favorite part. I am lucky to have friends to act as alpha testers to help me catch these errors! If you don't have that, you have to handle all of the editing yourself, which is quite challenging, but doable. I was in that position for several years before this!

Marketing. Probably the most difficult part, especially if you don't have much of a following. I am, was, and probably always will be a bit of an internet nobody, as I genuinely do not like posting information about myself online. With not many followers to pass things along to, I've found myself having to start from scratch, and try different methods. While some may see this step as unnecessary, I like, most people, crave validation, and I don't want to release a game to no one. If you want to make a truly indie game and just see what happens, I think that's honestly pretty neat. But developers tend to seek an audience, myself included. I've taken to applicable reddit threads - though game dev and art circles tend to be more critical due to their unending supply of quality content. I've found meme ones to be a lot more forgiving - provided you trust yourself to make quality memes surrounding your works. I've gotten help from @sugarcoatedsadism on how to make good memes (embarrassing 'how do you do, fellow kids' moment.) My AMV was a 'marketing tactic' as well as a passion project, as people really get into those. Whatever you have the time and energy for is worth a shot, I think!

After that... well... the free to play demo should be ready to publish! Hopefully the step before this one will pay off and I'll be able to release it to a modest fandom, but honestly even just one or two enthusiastic players would be incredible and more than worth it. It'll be a long process, especially between work, maintaining a social life, and accommodating my disabilities that make these processes a little harder, but I am very hopeful that I can get this demo out by 2022 :)

And after that?

Finish the whole game. I'm not sure yet exactly what tools I am going to use to tell the story, as there are a lot of options in game dev. Honestly I haven't totally gotten there mentally as I can't believe I've made it this far. But I have been thinking ahead!

I will be making a post about that soon, to help me figure it out, and maybe read the room for feedback :)) as a newbie dev, I am susceptible to fan opinions, I cannot stress this enough - you have access to me. Use it wisely <3 If I thought polls would gain enough traction, I would use them for sure. I want to know what you guys want.

I do feel lucky that once the demo is done, I'll be able to build off of it, and not start over from scratch again. I am aware and appreciative of the fact that this first step is the hardest.

In the future, once the final game is released as a 'pay what you want' on itch.io, I'd like to develop DLCs for this game :)) I have plans for a Zombie Lane expansion featuring some of the people who also live in Pixy's apartment complex, as well as a pack allowing you to date the existing and currently updateable NPCs that I could not focus on currently due to time constraints (Giv, Harvey and Gatsby, Eddie, etc.) And as for Donny, beloved for his angsty retail attitude and eyebags? I have a whole arc for him that will take an expansion of its own! Spoilers...

#st agatha city #dating sim #visual novel #game development

[foundationsoftheslay]

I don’t even need the anon. Meanest thing I ever thought was that you don’t post about Baxter enough agdkdhskaklq

You’re one of the most unproblematic, kind, and supportive mutuals I have, Kobes. I LITERALLY cannot think of a single mean thought you’ve provoked, you’re too well behaved on here lol (Also it sounds like you’re having a tough day, I’m really sorry 💕)

ok that made me laugh HCKAHCIEB it's true i really don't post about him enough the world needs to see more of baxter i haven't delivered enough content to the people ✊😔

and i wouldn't say im too well behaved, of course i've make mistakes on here but i also fix them so that's the thing that matters right? but you're also one of the nicest and most supportive mutuals i've had, you're such a sweetheart and it makes me smile when i see you in my inbox 💕(and yeah i am having a shitty day but i think i can at least get through today)

#asks #positivity? more like positivitea

[motleyfuckingcruee]

2.2: Hell Nos and Headphones

Henley's P.O.V

"Hens?"

I look up from the book I was reading to my loving boyfriend. It's been two more months since we first said "I love you", and things are going great. Duff has constantly been giving me compliments, kisses, and has been trying to have sex with me a lot. Not that I mind, but I get tired. He wears me out.

"Yeah?" I say.

He rubs my legs which are laying across his lap. "I love you."

I giggle and nudge him with my foot. "You better." He pouts wanting an 'I love you' back. I put the book down on the coffee table. I crawl over to Duff and sit on his lap. I kiss him long and hard, enjoying the feeling of him against me. I pull away to look in his eyes. "I love you, too."

"Good," He says, grinning.

"Don't get cocky, McKagan," I warn, moving my arms from around his neck and running my hands down his chest. I grin as I notice that he's wearing a button up shirt with only one button towards the bottom done.

"You're one to talk, Baxter," He grins, scrunching his nose at me.

I giggle at the adorable sight. I lean in and kiss him again. This time it gets more heated. His hands travel down to my ass, squeezing it without warning. His tongue slips into my mouth when I gasp. This makes this into a full on make out session. Duff manages to lay me down on the couch. His lips leave mine and travel down my neck, leaving many kisses and hickeys. I moan as he gets down to my collar bone. He sucks and bites there.

Duff's hands move down to the hem of my low cut shirt. He moves to pull it off when the door swings open. Duff and I jump, looking to who cause the ruckus. We weren't surprised to find Steven stumbling into the apartment while making out with some girl. They break apart and look at us.

"Hey guys," Steven slurs, a huge grin on his face. "You guys look horny, too. You wanna join?"

"I think we're gonna say-."

I interrupt Duff. "Hell no."

"On this one," He finishes, laughing at my answer.

"Okay! I'll see you guys in the morning," Stevie says happily, taking the girl back to his room.

"Is it just me or did that girl look like Madeline?"

I gasp, looking at Duff. "She did! Really dark hair, an annoyed face. He's still heartbroken, the poor thing."

"Have you talked to Madeline?"

I shake my head. "I guess they just went back to the way it was before I came along. That works for me. They were getting on my nerves."

Duff chuckles, moving some hair out of my face. I giggle as I realize he's still hovering over me.

"You're not in the mood anymore, are you?" He asks, a smirk on his lips.

"Not really," I respond, glancing at the time. "Maybe we could go to bed and cuddle?"

"Ew," Duff says in a mocking voice. "Not cuddling! That's not manly enough for me."

I giggle and slap his chest playfully. "You're an idiot."

"But I'm your idiot."

"Yeah, you are."

I lean up again to kiss him, but a loud knock on the door interrupts us. I sigh, letting Duff get off of me. I stand up and walk over to door. I open it to reveal the last person I expected.

"Madeline, what are you doing here?"

She looks down at her shoes, her dark hair falling into her face. "I-I wanted to see Stevie. I wanted to say I'm sorry and that he didn't deserve what I did."

"I'd gladly take you to him," I say. Her eyes light up. "But he's a bit. . .busy at the moment." Just as I said that a particularly loud moan came from the girl. "I don't think you'd wanna see that."

I'm shocked to see the tears that start to roll down Madeline's cheeks. "I messed up so bad," She laughs dryly through the tears. "He won't want me back."

My heart softens. "You never know. He could."

"He's fucking another girl right now, Henley!" She yells.

Madeline's eyes widen as she hears the squeaking of the bed and the moaning stop. Steven either finished at a very coincidental time, or he heard her. Or both.

"Oh my God," She groans.

Steven walks out into the living room, his hair very disheveled and his facial expression is confused. I move my hair from my face and behind my shoulders. It's a nervous tick I have. Steven looks to me, then back to Madeline, who's in tears.

"Why the fuck is she here?" Stevie asks in probably the most hostile voice I've ever heard from him. However, that hostility was short lived as he stepped forward, and accidentally stepped on Bella's foot. This elicited a whine from her, which immediately caught Stevie's attention. "I'm so sorry, baby!" He picks the small pug. "I didn't mean to do that!"

I giggle at him. I walk over to them, taking the dog. "You talk to her," I say. My voice was low enough that only Stevie heard me.

Steven seems reluctant at first, but ultimately walks out onto the porch to talk to his ex-girlfriend. I sit back down next to Duff, placing the pug into my lap. I scratch behind her ears, and her back. She seems to love the attention. Then, she decided she was done with me and jumped back onto the floor.

I roll my eyes and mutter, "Traitor."

Duff wraps an arm around my shoulders. He seems perfectly content. "Do you think they'll work it out?"

"I have no idea," I answer truthfully.

I know that Steven was majorly pissed. And for a good reason. She completely broke him. I'm sure seeing her make out with Hyde was probably the worst feeling ever. I don't know what I'd do if Duff cheated on me. It would shatter my heart.

"Well, if we hear yelling, that's code for us to make sure they haven't killed each other," Duff laughs.

"Perfect," I grin, snuggling into my boyfriend. I lean my head against his shoulder. My eyes droop closed, exhaustion threatening to overwhelm me. Just then a thought pops into my head. I lift up my head and look at Duff. "What happened to that girl that Stevie brought home?"

"Probably climbed out the window."

"She could've used the front door."

Duff's grin widens. "Sounds familiar."

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Outdoor Hot Tub

Summary: At their mountain holiday, Baxter suggest for him and Jamie to try the jacuzzi on the balcony of their room. This quickly devolves into debauchery.

Rating: MA - Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Words: 1000

Notes: Heheheheh jacuzzi sex is painful, 'cause of the friction, but it's hot. In more than one sense.

Jamie gasps out her boyfriend’s name in a breath blown between his lips, only to feel them pressed to her mouth once again, more deeply, more urgently. Steam surrounds them against the chill breeze from the mountain, the sounds of the hydromassage filling the air, undercut by the sounds of flesh against itself.

His hands tug her by the waist, pulling her flush against him on his lap, making sure her legs cross behind his back, locking himself and her, tightly together. The warmth of the hot tub ripples around them both, but the heat of his body feels all-encompassing.

It is maddening, in a word. He is maddening. He is leading her to lose all sense of self. She does not even know whether Baxter is still going to be her boyfriend in a week’s time, when he leaves to Virginia again. She does not know whether he is her boyfriend now.

The trip, in of itself, might have been a mistake. While this would not be their first time, God knows it most certainly would not, they still managed to keep their hands mostly to themselves while in Sunset Bird, even if they had the use of a very nice car and a private condo designed to be as insulated as possible. There were things to do and people to see.

In a ski station in the middle of the summer, not so much. Not that they did not manage to entertain themselves well enough. It had been enough to Jamie, however, to realise she was over her head. Yet, for all the sense instilled into her head, she is all for letting him do as he pleases with her in a fancy-pants hotel in the Rockies. Outdoors. Alone. Far away from home and everyone she knows. She is almost begging for it.

Her hips grind her lower body against him, the motion mindless and lustful, and he chuckles softly between kisses with his fingers tangled in her dampened hair.

"Eager tonight, are we?"

"You're the one who… Oh!" His hardened cock presses between her legs, grinding sinfully close to where she wants him. "You… You suggested we... Try the outdoor jacuzzi..."

Her words are whispered between his intensely erotic kisses, and Jamie is surprised she even managed to force them out.

He makes a contemplative sound, even as his lips brush hers and his hands travel warm down her back. "And yet you climbed up onto my lap of your own volition."

The eighteen-year-old girl utters a whimpering sigh as his lips travel down her neck, his teeth grazing her skin as he kisses from the corner of her jaw, down to her chest. Her grip on his warm, straight shoulders tightens.

"Because you teased me.” She says, struggling to keep focus on her words rather than his actions. "You know what you do to me... mmm... When you to-touch me like that...!"

She can hear his smirk when he replies with his lips grazing over the swell of her breasts. "I'm certain I don't know what you mean, my love. I was simply helping you wash up and relax a bit."

The girl can almost gather the strength to be cross at him and pout, but then he nibbles ever so slightly on her breast and her expression breaks easily. Seizing her distraction, he quickly manoeuvres her into position.

One gentle hand at the small of her back keeps her flush against Baxter, while the other trails along her hip towards the curve of her thigh. He squeezes it just slightly, humming with contentment at the feel of her body in his hands, the warm and wet sensation of skin-on-skin in so many tender places. Then, he urges her to shift on his lap so that his cock presses between her lower lips.

"Baxter!" She half-moans. "We… We shouldn't, here in the outdoor bath!”

The bleached-hair nineteen-year-old chuckles, his breath at her chest setting her nerves ablaze.

"I see no reason why not. It’s a private outdoor jacuzzi, you’re meant to be undressed on it. Whatever else we do on it, it’s our business.” He argues, with such naturality that was almost off-putting. “Unless, of course, you really don't want it.”

Just then, Baxter presses a harsher kiss to her breast, marking her easily as the warmth of the bathwater makes her skin far more tender and so torturously sensitive. Jamie breathes out his name again, her nails digging down his shoulders, and she feel his manhood throb against her in response, ready and attentive to the slightest demand of it.

"But if you truly want me, my love...” His voice bears a harsher edge as his tip tests her entrance, pushing in the slightest bit, wearing infuriatingly well and effectively at her patience and restraint. "Then I'll gladly rent out this entire damned floor, so no-one can object to me satisfying my lover right now in this jacuzzi."

With that, she falls apart and lets go of her token resistance. Baxter always knows the exact moment to hold nothing back, the precise words to make her crumble.

Body burning inside and out, she softly says, "Please, Baxter…!"

With a low groan, the young man pulls her down with a hand at her hips while his own rise to meet her. In one slow but firm thrust, he is sheathed in her to the hilt, and her head is spinning, tilted back while she pants and whimpers for him.

He grants her a moment to get her bearings, to adjust to him filling and stretching her. Then, gently, he begins to move, his hips swaying as languid and elegant as the water itself.

"That's it, darling.” His voice is a mix of deep satisfaction and the smug confidence he wears so well. "We have the whole night to enjoy ourselves, and I plan to ensure you're quite relaxed by the end of it."

Jamie and Baxter only leave the water when it has already gone cold.

*_*_*_*_*

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