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#fun fact! this was originally going to be all three prompts!
cerussa · 6 months
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OC_tober #1 [Introduction]
Wow. This is the first time I posted these three here. Look! They're real! They're the MCs in my story I've been writing for years -- though Fen is a non-POV character and more of a deuteragonist. I promise I'll post my writing once it's done, so that's not happening any time soon. Also shoes are hard to design. Like, wtf why how. Whatever! Simple boots and sandals for everyone!
Promp I'm using below the "Read More" my sibling shared it to me. it's 18 total so feel free to use it
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A character reference based on all four Steps of Our Life! It's only "sort of" a height reference as well since obviously they're not 100% accurate (the devs don't have specific heights for everyone to my knowledge).
I did dig into the code to try and get characters at their "normal" heights but there are other matters at play too (example: Nicolas is obviously "taller" than he should be because he needs to be pushed upwards to be visible enough above the game's text box; likewise with other very short characters).
Still, this should serve as either a nice reference guide for every character or a "height reference" in the sense of getting an idea of which characters are shorter/taller than others.
I'm also going to detail some extra notes below the break, including posts from GB Patch's Tumblr that reference any defined heights (with Cove being the obvious one) or general height things, as well as some more stuff about the MC's height in comparison to the three love interests depending on what you pick.
Cove's height is listed on GB Patch's FAQ as 4' 1" in Step 1 (also stated as "mostly average, perhaps a bit on the short side"), 5' 4" in Step 2 (in-game this is defined as "very tall" on the MC's potential height spectrum, as that is the only option considered on par with Cove's height), 6' 0" in Step 3, and 6' 4" in Step 4. A fun fact is that Cove's final height was originally 6' 3" (191cm) instead.
Derek in Step 2 is under five feet tall (this post also lists Cove as "around 5 and a half feet tall" which you could take as either close enough to 5' 4" as stated above or a potential original height he had that got changed). In-game, he's "short" but not "very short", as having your MC be "very short" will prompt narration telling you that you're shorter than Derek, whereas "short" only has you relate to him in smolness generally.
Step 4 Derek is "mostly average." He wouldn't be considered tall nor would he be considered short. His youngest brother Nicolas will "probably end up as a similar height to him" once he's more grown up.
Step 4 Baxter is "taller than average, but not especially tall."
I've been informed that, on the Our Life Patreon Discord, Step 4 Derek's height is listed as 5' 9" (175cm) whereas Step 4 Baxter's is listed as 5' 11" (180cm), so those are their defined heights. Before that, both of their heights had jumped around somewhat. A post from 2019 said that Derek was 5' 11", but a post from June 2021 said that Baxter was 5' 11" and Derek was 5' 9" (so consistent with the Discord). Then there's also another post from July 2021 (you'll have to scroll down for this one) that listed Baxter at around 5' 10" while Derek was 5' 8"/5' 9". If you're insane enough to try and use the character reference too, then Baxter would actually be around 6'1" at minimum since he's taller than Step 3 Cove (though you could also make the same argument that this means the mom trio of Pamela, Noelani, and Kyra must be decently tall as well since they're so close to Cove on the character reference).
I don't have any experience with GB Patch's other game, XOXO Droplets, so I don't know what ages the characters are in it, but since both Shiloh and Jeremy are characters seen visibly in Our Life, I thought I'd also mention that they're listed as 5' 10" and 5' 5" (or 5' 5 1/2") respectively in XOXO Droplets. Jeremy also apparently grows to 5' 8" in his 20s and he's 22 in the Our Life Cove Wedding DLC (I don't think this is spoken of in the game specifically but he's labeled as 22 in the code).
As for the MC and how their height plays into things, "tall" and "very tall" as well as "short" and "very short" tend to be considered the same for the most part in the game's code. It's not that there isn't a difference at all (I would say it's still notable), it's just that sometimes the game may be more vague about height differences. My post about Errands references this where you don't need more athletic points due to being "very short" instead of "short" to give Cove a piggyback ride.
A guesstimate I'd make is that about 5% of the time, the game will take note of whether you're "very tall" instead of "tall" or "very short" instead of "short." Otherwise, you're either "generally tall," "average," or "generally short." There are also other instances (usually with Cove) where the game might just check if you're either generally tall (around Cove's height) or not generally tall (i.e: definitely shorter than him).
This is actually relevant to the heights because, following all above information, one would assume that Step 4 Derek is average, Step 4 Baxter is tall, and Step 4 Cove is very tall going off the MC's potential "height spectrum" of very short, short, average, tall, and very tall, but it's not entirely the case.
A "tall" MC (generally tall) will look "down" at Step 4 Baxter just as he will look "up" at them or they'll look directly at each other if the MC is "average," same as Step 3 Baxter, but--
when the game has any instance of differentiating between "tall" and "very tall" (they never do this for Step 3 Baxter so the base assumption would have to be that he's just average height), things change.
During Baxter's apology in the wedding of his Step 4, Baxter dips his chin to look at the MC if they're "short"/"very short," levels his chin to look at the MC if they're "average"/"tall," and then lifts his chin to look at the MC if they're "very tall." A generally tall MC still has to lean down to kiss him if they choose to do so though.
Also, during the intimacy scene with Baxter (either in his office or his living room), if the MC is "very short," "short," or "average," it states that Baxter is taller than them. If they're "very tall," then Baxter is shorter than them, but a "tall" MC is "almost the exact same height" as him.
This is all a really long-winded way of saying that GB Patch referring to Step 4 Baxter being "taller than average but not especially tall" might mean that he's some infuriating middle ground between average and tall where he's not quite one but not quite the other either (which honestly is very Baxter of him so I can't even be mad).
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oh-stars · 1 month
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Tender Kisses
Love is the kiss left on my forehead.
a @steddielovemonth prompt | 652 words | CW: N/A | Rating: T
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Eddie’s holding his breath. 
Not literally, he’d die if he held it for this long, obviously. Figuratively speaking, he’s holding his breath. It’s been three months of this thing with Steve and he’s waiting, watching for the other shoe to drop. It’s bound to happen, always does with his adventures in dating or anything resembling a love life. They have their fun, they experiment a little, and then – poof  – gone. 
And Eddie’s left with a broken heart once again that he tried so hard to prevent. 
Admittedly, he’s not trying as hard with Steve to keep his walls up, to guard his vulnerable heart. It’s hard when the guy literally saved you from the brink of death and is the sweetest, most attractive guy you’ve ever had the chance to meet. Add in his nearly decade-long crush, the fact that Steve’s making an effort to infiltrate every aspect of Eddie’s life, and showers him with all sorts of romantic, sappy gestures? 
Eddie was always going to fail in that particular quest. 
But he’s still holding his breath. 
“Mornin’ baby,” Steve mumbles as he shuffles into the living area. It’s funny seeing him so sleepy, one of Eddie’s sleep shirts (that was originally Wayne’s) hanging from his shoulders at an angle and his boxers have to be low on his hips with how much thigh they’re covering. He’s rubbing at his eye, squinting and frowning at the lights above. Normally, Steve’s up first and Eddie’s the one who looks like he was just dragged from the depths of their bed, so Eddie’s relishing this moment. 
“Mornin’ sleepyhead,” Eddie says softly, sipping at his coffee as he pushes off the counter to grab Steve a mug. “How was going out with Rob last night?” 
Steve groans and clings to Eddie’s back, burying his face in the crook of his neck as his arms hug Eddie from behind. “Great. I don’t think we’ll ever drink again.” 
Eddie laughs softly, trying not to move too much to dislodge Steve as he fixes Steve’s coffee with too much milk and sugar. 
It doesn’t matter, not when Steve reaches to grab Eddie’s mug and takes a sip. His nose wrinkles as he puts it back down. “Don’t know how you can drink it like that,” he grumbles, hiding away again. 
“You get used to it,” Eddie laughs again. He nudges Steve’s hand. “This is better,” he whispers. 
Steve takes the mug and stays as draped over Eddie as he can as he takes a sip. He hums as he lowers the mug, a sleepy, content smile on his face. “Perfect.” 
Eddie turns to lean against the counter and holds Steve in his arms, hands running along his hips. “Missed you last night.” 
“You should have come out with us,” Steve says, pouting. “I missed you too. Wasn’t as fun without you.” 
“You needed time with Rob.” 
“Yeah,” Steve sighs, “but still wish you were there.” He reaches over to set his mug down and throws his arms around Eddie’s neck. Steve leans in and presses his lips to Eddie’s forehead, kissing once then brushing away his bangs to kiss the bare skin again. “Can we go back to bed after this?” he asks against Eddie’s skin.
Eddie nods, actually holding his breath and trying not to jerk his head against Steve’s chin. It’s too sweet, too much. Steve’s always too much. Fuck, he loves him. 
And he thinks, when he lets out the breath – both literal and figurative, that Steve may actually love him too. 
“You’re full of great ideas this morning, babylove,” Eddie says, pulling away to actually kiss Steve – coffee breath and all. “Want to eat first?” 
Steve groans and shakes his head, dipping back down to hide again. “No,” he whines. “Just want you.” 
Oh yeah, Eddie thinks. This is it for him. God, he just hopes Steve’s thinking the same. 
“That can be arranged.”
--
Thank you @lady-lostmind!
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basilf1res · 1 year
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DPxDC
The Adventures of Dash Baxter, the Kryptonian - Part 2
(I’m working on the name I promise- I just need ideas lol)
<- Previous (Part 1 + original prompt)
Uh- please read part one for the beginning and some context I guess, it’s not too long in my opinion. ;)
Summary:
The entirety of Casper High’s Sophomores are on a field trip to Metropolis, how fun! Some self discovery happens, Wes gets arrested, Dash has a mental breakdown over finding out he’s not human, Kwan has feelings, Danny is here for it, and Mikey is kinda just there for the plot. Not exactly in that order.
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The feeling of cloud-like pillows and thick comforters under his chest and face was heaven. Dash's only response to being nudged was a groan of annoyance.
Thank the Ancients the walls appeared to be soundproof.
"Dash, get up please, you need to change... and shower preferably..." Wes muttered the last bit under his breath but Dash heard it anyways.
He decided to comply, perhaps the shower would be just what he needed.
Rolling off the bed and scowling up at Wes and Mikey from the floor, Dash huffed out a sigh before snapping his fingers and pointing towards his bag full of clothes. Mikey frowned before walking over to it, picking it up with both hands by the straps, and threw it at Dash's head.
He barely managed to move in time, scrambling up off the floor and watching the heavy thing crash where his perfectly sculpted face previously was.
Wes just looked at him, tsking and turned around with his amusement only somewhat hidden.
He'd pay for that later. Dash would shove him into a cabinet, drawer, or something. He grabbed the bag anyways.
Kwan exited the bathroom in a large dark grey Dumpty Humpty shirt and very fluffy-looking pajama pants, the pants had a pattern of sleeping bulldogs with different colored heart-shaped sunglasses on. His hair was only a little damp, slightly covering his emerald colored eyes.
Dash shook his head to clear it after realizing he'd been staring for a moment too long. He strode past his best friend, expecting to catch the scent of semi-expensive hotel soap that was always in those annoyingly tiny bottles, but instead it was Kwan's regular shampoo and conditioner. Guess he wasn't the only one who brought his own for the three week trip.
Stepping into the bathroom, he noticed the mirror had bits of condensation around the edges, the steam was swirling around the bathroom fan and seeping out into the living room area.
He quickly closed the door and placed the bag on the floor, blocking access to the cabinet under the sink. A new fancy white towel was placed on the toilet seat along with Kwan's shampoo and conditioner.
The corners of his mouth quirked up as he reached out and his knuckles brushed the bottles, his friend probably left them on purpose in case he forgot his own. Dash didn't forget, but Kwan's thoughtfulness was appreciated and made his chest feel all warm and fuzzy with appreciation. So what if the field trip went from pain in the ass to bearable in three seconds, Kwan was the nicest jock out of them all and he hated being described as a ‘jock’. The guy always felt bad about relentlessly bullying Fenton a year ago and he could never hurt a fly.
With a hum, Dash turned on the shower and made sure the water wasn't burning to the touch.
It didn't take long to properly shower, the water had felt nice as it washed away fifteen plus hours on a bus, on a bus with all the sophomores in Casper High.
Dash realized after a few minutes of drying his hair to make sure it didn't make his pillow damp, that the noise of the city was muted, almost completely gone even. He could hardly hear the whispering of Wes going conspiracy theorist on Mikey and Kwan.
In fact, Dash could only hear their heartbeats if he listened closely, but even that was dulled.
Huh.
Dash prayed to the Ancients this was a one-time thing. He might have a breakdown if it wasn't.
He put the used towel in the hamper and turned to the sink to brush his hair out quickly. After putting the comb back in his bag he fished out a toothbrush and toothpaste along with floss and mouthwash.
Dash ran his fingers through his hair one more time to make sure it was as dry as he could make it, before finishing his nightly routine and putting his stuff away. He grabbed Kwan's soaps along with his bag and grabbed the doorknob, however, the metal creaked and his hand formed a slight finger-shaped dent in the shiny gold-colored material.
Dash grimaced, he didn't need to give Wes something else to hyperfixate on. He witnessed what happened the last time, and he felt bad for the poor freshman who was indeed a furry, but certainly not a werewolf.
He turned the knob with delicacy, making sure not to apply too much pressure. He walked out, barely suppressing a yawn. Kwan look up at him from the lower twin bunk bed near the windows, the exhaustion causing his eyelids to droop.
Wes was setting up a cork board riddled with pins, sticky notes, and photos. Where he managed to keep (read: hide) the thing on the bus ride stumped Dash.
Mikey looking at Wes as if he’d grown a second head, slack jawed and glancing back and forth between the three other teens in the room.
Weston shifted slightly, lifting his head a little higher and sneering when he took notice of the blonde.
Dash scoffed lightly and turned to walk towards his best friend. He tossed the bottles to him with a nod and a curve to his lips.
“You taking the bottom?” Dash couldn’t keep the yawn down this time, lifting his arms over his head to stretch while he walked away to turn the lights off, save the lamp on Wes’s nightstand.
“Yup.” Kwan said, popping the ‘p’.
“You wanna switch halfway through or nah?” The blonde questioned, flicking the switch by the entrance and checking the lock on the door.
Kwan hummed, “I’m alright, I don’t like sleeping high off the ground.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, a trait Dash swore up and down he learned from the youngest Fenton.
He nodded, and as he walked by Wes he smacked him on the back. Wes hissed in surprise, a couple of pins falling on the floor as they spilled from the box.
“Go to sleep Weston.” Dash grunted, sleep pulling at his achy limbs and sore joints.
“Yeah yeah I will you blonde bastard.” Wes hissed under his breath.
“Language.” Dash didn’t turn back as he spoke.
“English.” Wes snapped - causing Dash to throw a nasty look over his shoulder -, his lip curling before his head tilted a tad and his eyes took on an odd glint.
He didn’t have time to process it as he turned around and hoisted himself up onto the top bunk while murmuring a quiet ‘good night’ to Kwan.
Dash lowered himself onto the bed, placing his head on the pillow with a sigh of contentment.
It wasn’t long until the last light in the room turned off, Mikey’s soft snoring filling the air in minutes. Dash shifted on top of the covers, positioning himself to look out the window. The hotel was placed on the outskirts of the city, most likely to avoid the bullshit that Superman had to protect Metropolis from.
He let his thoughts drift, his mind jumping from one topic to the next. Dash fiddled with the silk - he thinks it’s silk - sheets as he stared out through the thick glass and found himself transfixed with the city itself, sure Amity Park was pretty, but the Fenton’s monstrous compendium of anti-ghost weaponry tended to light up the sky with green every time their local hero set it off. And don’t get anyone started on the amount OSHA violations the so-called OP’s center ha-
A creak of springs from one of the mattresses snapped him out of his little adventure. There was a pitter-patter of feet on the marble tile floor before the semi-silent steps on the carpet. It wasn’t Kwan, he could hear the whistle of air rushing between his teeth when he exhaled. It wasn’t Mikey, he was still snoring.
Dash concluded it had to be Wes, frowning, he turned over only to spot the conspiracy theorist with his camera. Wes was standing on the ladder, the lens barely two feet from his face as he heard the tale tell click of the shutter.
“Go away Wes.” He whispered harshly.
The redhead was suspiciously quiet, but he lowered the camera regardless. Dash scowled when he made no move to get down.
“I’d recommend you climb down yourself before I push you off.” Dash growled with little heat behind it.
Wes opened his mouth, closed it, and repeated the action a few more times before managing to utter a few words.
“I… don’t like this.” Wes’s gaze was fixed on the window and the space beyond.
“I don’t think any of us do. I’d rather be stuck with Fenton and the tech nerd than you.” Dash whispered, sitting up and pulling his knees to his chest, resting his chin on his kneecaps.
“Well yeah… but…” Wes started. “Ugh, never mind.”
The teen hopped off the ladder, glancing one more time at Dash, before looking over his camera to make sure it wasn’t damaged in any way. Dash flopped back down, taking the time to pull the sheets over his body this time. He heard Wes place the camera on the nightstand, step into bed, and eventually pass out.
It didn’t take long after that for Dash to fall into a dreamless slumber.
knock knock knock
KnoCK KNocK
.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The voice was muffled but unmistakably Ms. Tetslaff.
“Get yer butts outta bed!! We’re leaving for the Art Museum tour in forty five!”
Dash could hear the shuffling of students mingling in the hallway.
Kwan stretched, joints popping as he hopped out of bed with more vigor than someone should have at seven in the morning.
Oh boy. This should be fun. For once, he agreed with Wes’s bemoaning.
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Wooosshhh. Done! I’m happy with how this is going so far, next up: Art Museum but then ✨crime✨
Hopefully I’ll be able to make time to write this week, and Happy Valentines Day! And to all, a good night!
Wait that’s not how the saying goes…
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misc-obeyme · 10 months
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hiii 👋 may i request #28 (wish) for lucifer? i'm not sure if anon can send a request, so if not, please feel free to ignore mine~ thank you so much and warmest congratulations on your milestone! 💙
Hi there! You're good, it's totally fine to send a request on anon!
I must admit that this one got a liiiittle suggestive at the end, but only a little! Anyway, I think it turned out okay, so I hope you like it!
Thank you for participating!
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GN!MC x Lucifer with prompt Wish
Warnings: slightly suggestive at the end, but it's so little that I don't really think it needs a warning lol putting it here just in case
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It was a nice cool evening in the Devildom and you were walking through the streets with Lucifer. The two of you had managed to leave the House of Lamentation without any of his brothers noticing and tagging along. You didn't necessarily mind when that happened, but it was nice to be alone with Lucifer.
He had simply come to your room and asked you to go shopping for a new fountain pen with him. You were certain that this was just an excuse, but you didn't question it.
Now you were walking along the streets, stopping here and there in random shops. Lucifer didn't seem especially interested in any pens you came across.
Eventually you came to a little plaza with a beautiful fountain at its center. The plaza was devoid of people, only filled with the light splash of the water. The fountain had a large basin and three smaller basins, all decorated in engravings of dark roses. The bottom of the main basin was a beautiful mosaic featuring more dark roses. You couldn't help but notice that it was completely clean - nothing littered the bottom of the fountain basin.
You turned to Lucifer who was standing by your side. "Don't demons make wishes in fountains?"
Lucifer looked at you quizzically. "Wishes? Why would they?"
You turned back to the fountain. "I guess it's just a human thing. We throw coins into fountains to make a wish, so human world fountains have a lot of different coins on the bottom of them. I didn't see any here, but that makes sense now."
Lucifer grimaced momentarily, no doubt thinking of the trouble Mammon would get into if he knew about this human tradition. Then he said, "Would you like to make a wish in this fountain, MC?"
You laughed. "It's a little silly," you said.
Lucifer placed a shiny Grimm coin in your hand. "I would like to see this human tradition."
You studied his face. He didn't seem to be making fun of you. In fact, his expression was quiet serious. So you closed your eyes, made a wish, and tossed the coin in. When you heard the soft ploosh of the water, you opened your eyes again.
You watched as Lucifer followed your example, throwing his own coin into the fountain. He turned to you, a gentle expression on his face as a soft breeze ruffled his black hair. "And so? What did you wish for?"
You smiled. "I can't tell you. It won't come true."
Lucifer laughed softly, putting his hands on your waist and pulling you to him. "Humans have such silly notions."
You let your hands rest on his arms and shrugged. "We wish on shooting stars and birthday candles, too."
"Ridiculous," Lucifer said, but his tone was light. He leaned in to kiss you, one of his hands reaching up to cradle the back of your head.
You couldn't resist opening your mouth for him as your hands gripped his arms hard, your bodies flush against each other.
Just when you thought things were getting a little too heavy for you to be in public, Lucifer pulled away to look at you. He kept his arms around you and said, "I see. Your coin in the fountain method is quite effective. My wish has just come true."
You almost laughed at how serious he was. You grinned at him. "I guess it isn't as silly as you thought."
"And your wish, MC?" he asked.
You shook your head. "I told you, I can't tell. But let's just say it won't come true here."
Lucifer smirked. "Then I must insist you come back to my room so I may fulfill your wish by morning."
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the original prompt list
masterlist | Thank you for reading!
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moomoorare · 1 year
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Welcome one and all to Mcytblr's Fancharacter Fest!
March edition 🌷🌱🌿
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ID in alt is available! 🗒️
Some info about it:
An art challenge started by me to celebrate mcytblr's creations! Specifically OCs or fancharacters inspired by the gimmick of an smp, the story or origin of your favorite character, fankids, fanpets and similar!
All the prompts were chosen through a poll and the most popular option between three words was selected.
If anyone is wondering you can absolutely draw other people's fancharacters (as long as they allow it) and in fact, from me at least, you're encouraged to.
For art I don't only mean traditional and digital drawings, I also mean paintings, writing, singing, web weaving, anything that is creation! If you write something and post it on AO3 please make a post on the challenge's tag and link your work :) go nuts with it and have lots and lots of fun ! :D
There's no obligation to make all 31 prompts, even just one that you like a lot. You should post it on the day you've chosen, you don't have to make it on that day.
And don't worry if you're late to the party, you can post prompts you've missed, sometimes schedules are hard and posting on time is impossible, so no worries.
Also maybe you didn't know about this and you wanna make something. Go for it ^_^.
But! You can't post a prompt early, they have a specific date for a reason.
Tag for the art challenge will be #mcytblr's fancharacter fest
If you have any questions about anything my inbox is open :)
Reblogs to share this around are really appreciated! <3
Thank you so much and here!!
づ⁠。⁠◕‿⁠◕⁠。⁠)⁠づ 💐🌹🌷🪷🌸🏵️🌻🌼 for u
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lilythesingingwitch · 2 months
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So I may have created a trolls AU based the show Julie and the phantoms (which I highly recommend you check out)
In this AU, instead of being a simple boy band like in the movie, they a literally a band, with JD on the lead guitar, Bruce on drums, Clay on the bass, Floyd on keys, and Branch is the second guitar in training. Poppy and Branch are still best friends, and are gonna become a couple eventually, but in the beginning, just friends.
So, without further adieu, let me introduce you, to Poppy and the Phantoms!
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First up we have Poppy (Please don't mind the fact that she doesn't have tail in the drawing, I forgot to add it here but it will be present when I digitalize these)
Poppy is a University student still mourning the death of her mother, who is desperately trying to fix her inability to sing and play music since her mothers passing. She still loves music, but the grief is sadly stronger. When her dad brings up the thought of selling the house in favor of helping her, Viva and himself with moving on from her death, she goes to clean the garage, aka her moms old music studio. Where she finds an old CD, for a band called Brozone. When she puts it in the player and lets the first song play, three familiar ghosts pop out of nowhere.
(Things written on the paper, without my spelling mistakes and some minor stuff I didn't write down)
Lives in the house that John Dory and his new band would live and practice at
Discovers the phantoms when looking through her moms stuff in the garage
Figures out pretty quickly who they are, with Branch being her best boyfriend
They make a band to help the guys ascend and Poppy to mend her relationship with music
Lives with Viva and her dad
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Next up, John Dory
Back when he was in his teens, he and his brothers made a band called Brozone, which, despite was pretty popular all things considered. However, when they were preparing for one of the biggest concerts of their live, they get into a fight about John Dory being too bossy and demanding of his younger siblings. After which, John Dory leaves the house and his family at the age of 17. In the span of his time alone, he makes a new band with some of his new friends. In a short span that they've been a band. John Dory wrote pretty much all of the songs that they sang, and though trial and error, they got an opportunity to play on a stage that has made a lot of underground artists mainstream. However, John never gets the chance to play on that stage, for her dies from a poisoning 30 mins before the show.
(Things written on the paper)
He and his brothers were in a band called Borzone, where he played the guitar
Until he, SpBruce and Clay quit, leaving Floyd and Branch alone (Well, they all lived with Grandma, you get what I mean)
Regrets it, deeply
Wrote all the Brozone songs, including songs for his new band
Also wrote "Unsaid Emily", which was originally named "Unsaid Family" as a tribute to his biggest mistake in life and an apology to his brothers, but renamed it.
Died right before his big performance on the same day and Bruce and Clay
Died at the age of 23
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Bruce next
When his brother proposed the idea of making a band, he had his doubts, since they were all in school and had their own stuff to do, but then again, up until then, he and JD always did crazy things together, and band was by far the most tamest of his brothers ideas. And with everyone else on board he thought "fuck it, why not?". And it was fun for a while, until he noticed how controlling JD had become, always telling him to go practice instead of letting him hand out with friends, telling him to watch his shape, giving him a work out routine for that, Bruce had enough and finally stood up to his brother and claimed that he's quitting the band, to which Clay joined in on, and which prompted JD to leave all together. And soon after, he leaves the house at the age of 16. He rents a small house by the beach, works at the cafe near it, changes his name from Spruce to Bruce, and takes up surfing. Which also becomes his downfall on a particularly bad day, and he takes his surfboard out for a quick swim, gets swallowed by a wave, and never resurfaces.
(Things written on the paper)
Was the drummer in Brozone
Was the first one to declare he's leaving the band and feels like it's his fault for causing the butterfly effect of others quitting as well
Left to live by the beach as soon as he could
Wanted to reach out to his brothers, but only ever sent a single post card to each
Died in a surfing accident on the same day as John Dory and Clay
Died at the age of 22
Cried when they all realized that they're dead
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Last but not least (for now), Clay
Clay was, surprisingly, very on board with JDs idea about the band, despite being the nerd and bookworm of the family. He just wanted to spend more time with his brothers and have fun. That quickly changed when John completely stopped paying attention to Clays interests, hobbies and dreams. And especially with the forced title of "The fun one". He finally snapped when John kept trying to push them beyond their limit for their important concert, the time they should've spent relaxing after all the hard work they did to get this far was instead spent with their instruments like that's all that mattered. When Bruce brought up quitting the band, Clay happily joins that train, and walks out the door as soon as John and Bruce do. And so, Clay leaves the house and goes to stay with his friend at the age of 14. He finishes high school, gets accepted into a very good university, and moves into a dorm as soon as he can as to not cause more trouble for his friend than he already has. And life is good again, he's doing what he wants, works at a local library, studying to be a licensed CPA, and is gathering his courage up to confess to Viva. However, he does the latter too late, for he confesses to her and dies in a fire at the university while saving her, pushing her out of the burning building before it collapses on top of him.
(Things written on the paper)
Was the bassist in Brozone
Stayed with a friend after leaving the band and moves into a dorm as soon as he got accepted into uni
Was going to be a licensed CPA
Was best friends with Viva before he died
Died on the same day as John Dory and Bruce in a fire
Died at the age of 20
Was also in a sad book club
There's still a lot I need to write out about this AU, and a lot of characters to draw and design, but I hope you all like what I have so far! Here are some redraws of certain scenes from Julie and the Phantoms with this crew (again, excuse the lack of tails on one of these, I once again forgot to add them, just imagine that they're there)
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poljupci · 3 months
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fic rec: Though Your World Is Changing, I Will Be The Same by @ohdrarry
for @hprecfest day 28 prompt: an underrated fic
ship: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter rating: Explicit tags: Infidelity, Anal Sex, Panic Attacks, Angst, Hopeful Ending word count: 15,986
summary:
“I shower after work,” Harry had told him once, when Draco had asked what cologne had such longevity as to be effective after a full day of gruelling Auror work. “For me?” Draco had asked. Teased, just a little. There had been a smile lingering on the edges of his consciousness, threatening to traipse onto his mouth. “For Ginny,” Harry had said, voice flat. “She hates it when I come back sweaty and crackling with other people’s hexes. Did you know magic has a smell? I didn’t, until she told me.” – It's all fun and games, till somebody falls in love. Given his luck, it's obviously Draco who has to go and do it.
What to say about this fic? Honestly, I'm at a bit of a loss for words. I remember ages ago - maybe two? three years ago? - someone on my late blog asked me for infidelity and getting-back-together recs and this fic was on the list simply because it fit the theme, but honestly this fic should have gotten its separate rec post back then even without someone asking for it.
This fic is superb. It took my breath away the first time I read it, that time I reread it after reccing it in that ask and it took my breath away now as I reread it in preparation for this post. To me, this fic has 20k kudos. To me, this fic is an acclaimed piece of fanfiction. It's mesmerising. It's wonderful.
I used a lot of my thoughts on my first rec post, in my bookmark notes and in my comment on the post and I don't want to repeat myself - every author deserves to read new and fresh praise even when their fic is being recommended repeatedly from the same source after all - and that's what makes writing this post so difficult.
In that original rec post, I said this: "This slowly kills you and you thank it. This is what happens when you go on a midnight walk and peer into some stranger's life for a moment or two. This is raw and intimate and requires you to get yourself together in the end 'cause the characters sure don't do it." And I still stand by this.
But in addition, I want to say that the writing in this fic catches you like a drop of honey catches a fly - something so tantalising and rich and elevated compared to you, the reader, who cannot contain your joy for the fact that you get to experience it.
Draco's POV is masterful - so uniquely vivid and colourful and very loud but not obnoxious, rather it pulls you by the collar of your shirt and keeps all of your attention on the frenzied beats of the plot, only letting you go until you and the story are both out of breath.
I used to write a lot of Draco's POV back then - in the ye old 2020 - but it was fics like these - writing like this - that I always - and still do - looked up to. The way this fic is written feels like it flowed most effortlessly from the author's keyboard, and that's all you need to know about her talent and how good she is at her craft.
I don't know what else to say about this fic except extend a plea for you to read it. Read it, even if it doesn't seem like it's to your taste. Read it, even if you don't really read infidelity fics all that much. Read it and love it and comment how much you love it because @ohdrarry deserves all the praise in the world for this piece of writing, for one of the best things I've ever had the pleasure of reading on ao3.
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First Session megapost!
As requested, I’ll go into more detail!  Not only did I finally get to have my first tickling session, but I had the honor of being part of a group gang tickling none other than @yourlittlettoy !  Earlier in the day at that little gathering, @theswitchfinch and @mikoz6916 had taken their turns getting wrecked and were looking for some revenge, and Cece said she wanted multiple lers so they invited me to join them in destroying her!
She shyly admitted she didn’t want a safeword, so we agreed that when she was desperate enough to say “tickle” instead of “t-word” we’d take that as a safeword!
We started with her in spread eagle cuffs on a bed, mostly upperbody but all over really.  I’m more of a feet guy personally, but in this first session I was pleasantly surprised just how fun tickling Cece’s upperbody was!
Sometimes it was hard to tell who was getting which reactions with the absolute chaos of three lers overwhelming poor Cece, but on occasion I’d notice the other two had stopped to enjoy the show and what I was doing really was driving her nuts by itself!  You know that incredulous reaction lers have where they’re surprised just how ticklish a lee is?  Yeah, that’s real. (At least this time)
Cece wasn’t blindfolded, but half the time she might as well have been from squeezing her eyes shut and her hair getting increasingly messy from all of her thrashing.  However, I did treasure the moments where we’d slow down and she’d plead with her eyes for things not to get worse.
If you’ve followed Cece’s tumblr for more than five minutes you’ll know most of her reactions: loud laughter, “pleeeeaaaaase!”, “stahahahahahap!”, and the like.  There were plenty of those, and everyone in the other rooms at the gathering surely got to hear it live from where they were, but we discovered a new one too!  Eventually certain reactions included her giving this lower groan as if to say “UGH this is so embarrassing how flustered and ticklish I am right now” so of course we lers were happy to mimic and tease her for that as well!  Still not sure exactly what was prompting that reaction, so I suppose we’ll have to do more science later
Any tag readers on her page will know that Cece claims to be an escape artist.  That’s partially true.  She could occasionally get her arms free from the wrist restrains, but she was no match for the fact that at least one of the three lers would be more than happy to pin down her escaped limbs while the others continued to tickle the sensitive spots that couldn’t quite escape
Speaking of sensitive spots, totally don’t read the classified information in the following strikethrough but I noticed her upper inner thighs, neck, underarms, and soles got some great screams out of her
When she got to the point where she was begging and saying she’d “do anything” to stop her current predicament, I curled the monkey’s paw and had her agree to move over to the bondage table/stocks and have that be a breather for her as we applied the new bondage.
A previous session that day had broken the latch on Clay’s stocks, but the new shin straps on that setup were the MVP keeping her feet in place.  The toeties weren’t the greatest but I suspect Cece was a good sport playing along like her toes really were stuck there for a while because she loves it
I’m told one of the other lers was at her head for the table portion whispering teases into her ears to fluster her even more, but you’d have to ask Cece what was said!  I’m sure she’d love to tell you and won’t at all be blushing and flustered, right?
I went to grab the baby oil, at first originally planning to go straight to her feet with it, but then the other two suggested I should come put it on her underarms while they had them nice and vulnerable!  “Well, don’t mind if I do!” was went through my head.  And don’t worry, I was sure to make plenty of eye contact as I spread it, and Cece being the excited masochist she is was all to happy to reciprocate
I did wind up returning to her feet with the oil and got a good amount of finger tickles on them while the others continued with her upperbody, but I only got about five seconds of hairbrush tickles on one of her feet before the other slipped free from the previously-broken stocks and our session’s timeslot was up!  I think we need more time with that next time, don’t you?
While we were cooling down, Cece was saying "I hate you guys” and she was totally for real and we totally believed it, it’s not like she loves being a ticklish masochist or anything, right?
I did throw in a nice little foot massage during the cooldown, I hope you liked that Cece
Hope you had half as much fun reading all that as I did being part of it!  Thank you so much to everyone there for including me and finally making my dreams come true!
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gaslightgallows · 6 months
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September 2023 Writing Round-Up
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I just checked my tags, and I haven't done one of these since… three years ago. Exactly three years ago yesterday (9/29/20), to be precise. Which was pretty much when my mental health and my personal life started to crumble in earnest, and it took my desire to write for public consumption along with it.
Most of what I did for the rest of 2020/2021 were either struggling to finish works in progress (and largely failing) or archiving stuff from my LJ days. I didn't post anything in 2022. I was still writing (a lot) but it was either for Patreon (…fuck, right, I have a Patreon) or it was personal, not meant to be shared.
And then Good Omens came back and ended up being really fucking relevant to my life, and @meldanya44 was there urging me to get back into writing for other people besides her. I think it was a good idea, over all. ♥
So… yeah. Thanks, Good Omens fandom, for reminding me that writing is meant to be shared, and that I am a prompt-based lifeform. (I'll be putting up a new prompt list tomorrow, if anyone wants an artisanally crafted bespoke ficlet of their very own.)
Anyway, here's what I did in September:
Authorial Intent (G, one-shot): Michael’s plan to erase Aziraphale from the Book of Life has certain… flaws. A revision of the final season of S2 Ep6, where the Metatron does not make an appearance. (Actually posted at the end of August but this is my list and it counts. Written very shortly after I finished S2 for the first time. Effervescing with joy.)
Put Out the Stars (T, currently a one-shot, planning to continue): Crowley stole the photo of himself and Aziraphale from the shop a long time ago. (Inspired by one of @fellshish's asks. Angst angst angst… with more to come!)
An Invisible Wound (T, one-shot): “I almost killed you tonight.” “I almost got you killed tonight.” Their first kiss, soft and futile, is in 1941. (Bittersweet canon-compliant 1941 truthers unite.)
After the Rain (T, one-shot; for @meldanya44): The Second Coming has come and gone, and Crowley was calling him ‘angel’ again. (Wonderful quiet post-series fluff.)
Like Petals in a Storm (M, currently a standalone but working on a sequel; for @meldanya44): Between the discorporation and the almost-execution, Aziraphale’s having a bit of trouble keeping body and soul together. (My reputation-mandated 'one partner helps another bathe' fic.)
The Taste of Salt (G, one-shot; for @iamhisgloriouspurpose): The lingering taste of ox ribs are bitter and rich in Aziraphale's mouth, and he isn't sure what he believes anymore. (Continues the 'I'm not taking you to Hell, angel' scene in the Ep2 minisode. Nice and angsty. No one seems to like this one and I'm not sure why.)
Pipe Dream (G, one-shot; for @unwholesome-gay): All Aziraphale has ever wanted is to give heaven back to Crowley. (Domestic fluff about Aziraphale buying the South Downs cottage for Crowley. Fun fact: I struggled to write this and finally posted it in dismay and tried to forget about it. And then my inbox exploded with HEARTS, so I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought.)
The Patience of Angels, Chs 1-4 (M, multi-chapter WIP): An old enemy is on the hunt for the demon known as Crowley, and it will take all the powers of one very protective angel to save him. But in keeping Crowley safe, Aziraphale will uncover more of the terrible truths of Heaven than he ever wanted to know. (The longfic I first conceived of in 2019 and then never got around to finishing enough to post, and am now trying to revise the HELL out of in real-time because the original version doesn't work anymore. I love this fic with a burning passion and hope it finds an audience someday… which it probably will if I can update it, y'know, more often than once a month…)
Fics Posted: 8 Word Count: 28,182
I'm never going to be as prolific as I was when I was in the MCU fandom and had a much less-hectic job, but I'd call that a decent comeback. Thanks, everyone. ♥
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blu3cl0v3rs · 6 months
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Summary: Morro takes a bird home.
Warnings: Injured bird (not dead dove content, there is literally just an injured bird)
Prompt: "Put that down."
Extra: Again, generic "Revived Morro Lives w/ the Ninja" AU, plus my headcanon that Morro loves literally any animal that flies. Birds, bats, flying squirrels, flying bugs, all of them. Morro's gray themed because I said so. Purple is Nelson's color, dark green feels like it's poking fun at the fact that he could never be the Green Ninja, and yellow just doesn't seem like his color. So, gray! Also I'm a they/he Morro truther because why not.
THUNK!
The Ninja snapped to where the sound originated from, which happened to be a window of the café they were at. Kai stood.
"I'm gonna go check that out," the wind elemental said as they exited, the doorbell chiming.
Through the glass, they saw as Morro scanned the surroundings. It was a rather calm day in this part of Ninjago City, only five pedestrians in sight with a couple of cars driving by.
The gray themed ninja looked down to the ground, most likely seeing the cause of the noise, then lowered themself. His head popped back up with their hand supporting something.
The dark haired person reentered the shop and gently sat down in their chair. The Ninja peered at what he held; a bird. An unconscious bird.
"I think we should go back to the monastery," Zane said after he scanned the bird, "it is injured."
The Ninja swiftly left after Cole paid and left a generous tip.
Sensei Wu walked in as Kai had finished splinting the bird's wing, as one had fractured when it crashed. The bird was now active and awake, tweeting happily in Morro's palm.
"Put that down," the bearded man demanded, "you all know there are no pets allowed."
"Sensei, this is not a pet, it's an injured bird. We are simply taking care of it until it can fly again," Lloyd explained.
"Besides, it's a wild animal. It'll just poop all over the place! Why would we wanna keep it?" Nya piped in.
Morro kept silent.
"I was not talking to you all, I was talking to Morro," Wu clarified, looking directly at his adopted son.
"...but-" Morro started.
"No pets, Morro. You remember what happened with Maple."
"She wasn't that bad."
"She pooped in my teapot!"
"You trapped her inside of it, what'd you expect her to do?"
The sensei pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Regardless, there was still Sierra-"
"Just because she bit, doesn't mean she was bad-"
"Domino-"
"He only broke three plates-"
"Indigo-"
"That was Ray's fault, and you know it-"
"Richard-"
"We don't talk about Richard the Raccoon."
Wu set a wrinkly hand on Morro's shoulder. "We cannot keep this bird, okay?"
Morro held up the bird, who just puffed up its feathers. "How could you tell Choco we can't keep her?" His voice cracked and bottom lip quivered.
Wu pursed his lips, forehead wrinkles becoming more prominent as his eyebrows furrowed.
The bird twittered at him.
"Oh, fine. You win. You can keep Choco." Wu broke. Morro immediately smiled, revealing the near teary eyed facade was just that, a facade.
"But," the bearded man looked directly at his first student, "One single mistake and she will be set free."
Morro nodded seriously before leaving the room, muttering about housing.
The next day, a bird house hung proudly on Morro's wall with ledges that traveled around the entirety of his room.
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reidsaurora · 1 year
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TIS ME.
being unique and all with emily prentiss x gn! reader - candy cane kisses. :)))
"As The Snow Flutters Down" ~ E. Prentiss
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Summary: Just a cute lil blurb about playing in the snow with Miss Prentiss 🫶🏻
Pairing: Emily Prentiss x GN!Reader
Word Count: 873
Content Warning: slightly suggestive but not really, mild mention of food, i think that's it
Genre: Fluff of course
Extra Notes: none i can think of!
Based On the Prompts: "You're going to catch a cold!" *Achew!* "See? Now what did I tell you!" ☆ "Please, come inside and warm up, won't you?"
Originally Written: 01/07/2022
Beta Read By: @lukeclvez and @leftoverenvy
Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!
"ofwilliamandwalter's Christmas special" can be found here!
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'Twas the day before Christmas and outside the house, snow was falling down and that's where you'd find Emily Prentiss' spouse.
"You're gonna catch a cold!" Emily scolded from the doorway. Not a second later, a small Ah-choo! could be heard from across the yard.
Emily smirked, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "See, now what did I tell you?"
"Don't care!" you yelled back, falling into the mound of snow you'd been building for nearly a half hour. "I'm having fun, which is more than you can say!"
Emily rolled her eyes, shaking her head and making her raven hair bounce against her shoulders. "This is what I get for marrying someone younger than me, isn't it?" she scoffed. "You're so childish. You know that, right?"
A smug smile pulled at your lips as you nodded. "At least I'm not an old stick in the mud!" you teased back.
Surprisingly, despite it being December, it was the first snowfall of the year, and you were basking in every second of it. You'd already made three snow angels in the front yard of your townhome and had spent the past half hour working on the aforementioned snow mound in hopes of using it as a fortress if Emily finally gave in and came outside for a snowball fight.
Emily on the other hand hated absolutely anything hiemal. On the Christmases leading up to your meeting, she'd always save up her vacation time and treat herself to a trip to Hawaii, basking in the warm rays and flaunting her tan when she'd go back to work.
Emily reckoned most everything about your relationship was an "opposites attract" situation. You liked the cold, she liked the warm. She preferred chocolate, you preferred vanilla. She was an early riser, you were a night owl.
There was one thing you both could always agree on: that you loved each other more than you'd ever loved a person before. That's how you ended up married after all, and now, how you ended up trying to convince her to play with you in the snow.
Emily rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that afternoon as she leaned on the doorway. "You're ridiculous!"
"And you're mean!" you pouted.
After a moment, you came to terms with the fact that you were getting nowhere with pouting. Time for phase two: practically begging. "Baby, please? Your coat's right by the door. And we don't have to stay out here all day, just for a little while!" you bargained, your bottom-lip puckered out impossibly further than it already was.
She looked away for a moment, her expression one of consideration. "Hmm," she said, tapping a finger against her chin, "only if you promise we can take a warm bath together afterward."
With a smirk, you replied, "Well, how could I say no to that?"
That was how you found yourself dodging snowball after snowball, running and ducking behind everything your front lawn had to offer. "You can't catch me!" you'd taunt. "Oh, yes, I can!" she'd yell back, hitting you smack dab in the face with a snowball.
After a while, she'd called out, "Hey, can we call a truce? My legs aren't what they used to be."
Out of breath and probably on the verge of collapse, you managed to reply, "Yes, please."
You'd started to make your way toward the porch, slowly but surely. By this point, your boots were sticky with snow and your legs felt like Jell-O.
"Hey!" she shouted, grabbing your attention. "I have a gift for you, my love."
She seemed innocent enough, but cautiously you walked back toward her. "Yeah?"
Emily lifted her hands, showing off the heart-shaped snowball she'd made. "To represent the love I have for you."
Your cheeks blushed evermore crimson as you leaned over, not wanting to smash her creation. You left a soft kiss on her chapped lips, taking in the taste of the candy cane she'd been eating earlier. "I love you."
All of a sudden, you were met with a handful of snow, the spare snowflakes settling on your eyelashes as you scoffed. "I love you too," she smirked. "Now can we please go inside and warm up?"
You were tempted to grab a handful of snow and get your well-deserved payback, but resisted. "I hate you."
She wrapped her arms around your shoulders, clinging to you as you both trudged toward the house. "I love you, too."
The majority of your night was spent in peppermint scented bubble bath, taking turns massaging the knots out of each other's shoulders after your long day of fun and play. Though soon enough, you found yourselves cuddled in bed, watching whatever crappy Hallmark movie was on, your arms around Emily's tummy as your head rested against her chest. She trailed soft kisses along your hairline, taking in the scent of the vanilla shampoo she'd used earlier on your hair.
The room was nearly silent, save for the television, until the alarm rang out through her phone on the nightstand.
With a content sigh, you smiled, "Merry Christmas, my angel."
"Merry Christmas to you," she said, leaving a delicate kiss on your hair, "and to you, a good night."
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OK IDC IF I WROTE EMILY VERY BADLY, THIS IS KINDA CUTE 🫶🏻
anyway, i hope you enjoy, my dear cj bestie!!! i'm super happy with how this turned out. as i said with my last request, i was in a lil bit of a writing slump so it took me a couple tries to write this one but i finally got to something i liked and i hope you like it too!
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☆𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒
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superbattrash · 2 years
Note
a small Part of Alfred will always see Bruce as his baby even if he isn't very outwardly affectionate about it.Clark and Dick stumble across a book of bruce baby photos Alfred secretly keeps and he gives his commentary in his typical Alfred way. Bruce walks in on the cooing and is like ohshitthisisembarissingileavewhydoesheevenhavethesegottaplaythisoff
Just found this page and I am in love btw
Hi sweetie! Sorry about the wait (it did give me time to incorporate the other parts of your prompt though). I wasn’t sure if you wanted Dick as a child or an adult, so I had a wise soul (Thanks, Alpaca, you da real MVP) help me pick one. I hope we picked right! :D 
I also had to stop myself from writing more than this - I was beginning to stray from the prompt, as is typical Misha fashion, oops. Oh well, I hope you like it! 
There’s a concerning amount of giggling going on in the living room. Not that Bruce minds the giggling - he hasn’t heard it like this in a while, but it’s not a bad sound.
What’s concerning is the fact that he hasn’t seen Clark anywhere and the giggling is very clearly Dick having fun at someone’s expense. There’s really only one potential victim and while it may be Bruce’s paranoia talking, he does know his son and Dick only has one laugh designed to make fun of Bruce. It’s the one that’s booming through the halls this second. Bruce should’ve known better than to leave Clark unattended in the manor while Dick’s home. It’s rare that they have a moment without any of the kids around, but Bruce was almost certain today was one of those rare moments. He should’ve remembered that Dick visiting meant Dick sticking around even after the others had left. Bruce had just figured he’d go with his brothers to the movie. That’s why he’d suggested it. To get at least a few hours alone with Clark.
They’re supposed to have a date night - Clark insists on it and Bruce pretends it’s Clark’s idea in the first place and not something Bruce hinted at for three and a half weeks. No matter whose idea it originally was though, Bruce had some last-minute bat related details to take care of and Clark, the ever graceful not to mention gorgeous oaf of a man had of course merely pecked Bruce on the cheek and said he’d wander around the manor for a minute.
That the minute turned to half an hour isn’t Clark’s fault obviously, but Bruce can’t really be held entirely accountable when his boyfriend is the most patient and understanding man in the history of forever. Still, he should’ve left Clark in the kitchen, or his office. The bedroom, even. He could’ve made a little comment on how Batman likes everything prepared beforehand, or something equally sleazy sounding. Clark would’ve enjoyed that too. But no, of course Bruce’s mind has been too preoccupied with his work, with the mission. He’s getting better at prioritizing differently, but he’s just human. He slips up every once in a while.
Like now, letting Clark roam free along the halls when Richard Grayson just so happens to also be present at the Wayne manor. Bruce should’ve seen it coming from miles away; not only is Dick the biggest Superman fan out there, he’s also a little shit who likes embarrassing or otherwise annoy his father. Normally he wouldn’t mind. It’s a good thing that Clark and Dick get along. But the giggles are piercing his eardrums and he gets increasingly anxious when Clark’s booming laughter joins in. What could be so funny?
Bruce walks towards the living room faster.
“That can’t be Bruce,” Dick laughs and Bruce’s steps falter. He narrows his eyes and walks more quietly. It’s not like Clark won’t hear him approaching either way, but he can image it’ll take him more than half a second this way.
“It’s like he’s never aged at all,” Dick’s voice rings out.
“Look at the little button nose,” Clark coos, and Bruce freezes in the doorway.
Button nose? Just what in the world are they doing in there? If Bruce was an ordinary man, he’d say he was afraid to enter the room, but instead he pretends he has to listen for a few more minutes before he’s truly assessed the situation.
“Did he get that fixed?” Clark asks.
“Oh no, he grew out of that naturally, I’m afraid,” adds Alfred’s voice and Bruce feels betrayal seep into his bones. Alfred wouldn’t- would he?
They’d had this talk before, of course, about Alfred’s weird habit of photographing every moment of Bruce’s childhood. They’d come to a truce of sorts with Bruce allowing Alfred to keep the old pictures if only he’d hide them away never to be seen by anyone else.
Bruce was… Bruce had been a cute child, even he had to admit as much. Chubby and round, expressive blue eyes, a button nose and a few freckles over his cheeks from being outside in the sun too long. Being cute wasn’t exactly at the top of Bruce’s list of accomplishments though and after his parents died, he had a hard time even looking at pictures of himself from before that night. Because that child was gone, his life torn from his body just as much as it had been from his parents that night. At least the life he was supposed to have. So Alfred had silently bowed his head, letting Bruce decide not to have the photos displayed.
At least until now it seems.
“There’s no way those freckles aren’t photoshopped,” Dick says.
Bruce frowns from his hidden position. As if he’d spend precious time photoshopping dots onto his own face just to appear cuter. Youth these days… Bruce hasn’t had freckles in years and he’s certain Alfred has truly betrayed him when he peeks around the corner of the door. Just as he’s predicted Clark and Dick are sitting on the sofa, a large book open in Clark’s lap. He should’ve burned it when he had the chance.
“They didn’t alter photos back then.” Clark flinches and looks apologetically at Alfred. “I mean, not that they’re that old-”
“It’s quite alright, Master Kent,” Alfred reassures. “We did indeed not alter our photos back in the day. Although we wouldn’t have had any need to with Master Bruce’s photos. Those freckles are entirely natural.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I am not, Master Richard.”
“He’s always had dark hair, huh?” Clark asks carefully.
“From the moment he was born, Master Kent,” Alfred agrees. There’s something almost like pride in his voice. Bruce doesn’t want to think about what photos they’re looking at. He can barely remember which photos Alfred has.
“Too bad he won’t grow it out, look how glossy and soft it looks.” Dick points to another photo.
Bruce feels a knot form in his throat. He can’t remember the last time Dick looked at him with such joy – it’s not that they’re not close anymore, but life in Gotham took its toll on Dick. He’s doing better though; Bruce just wishes he didn’t have to look at these old photos to be this happy in the manor. He’d rather nobody ever looked at these photos, but especially Clark and Dick. There’s no reason for them to see what Bruce was like as a child. He’s not like that anymore. Gone are the freckles and the carefree smiles, as well as the wild hair. They’re pictures of a happy child and Bruce is no longer a child.
The happiness part he’s working on. Clark is helping him.
Bruce has heard enough, and he clears his throat discreetly. Alfred doesn’t move an inch. Bruce rolls his eyes, knowing with every fiber of his body that Alfred is well aware he’s there. He’s doing this on purpose.
“Alfred,” he calls quietly. Dick is blabbering loud enough that he hasn’t heard him.
Alfred doesn’t move, but there is a slight tilt to his lips and Bruce wants to stomp his foot like a petulant child.
“Alfred,” he hisses and finally Alfred takes the few steps closer towards the door Bruce needs him to, so that they can talk in private. Well, sort of private, anyway. At least Clark is considerate enough to pretend like he can’t hear their whispered conversation.
“I thought we agreed to keep those hidden,” Bruce says, crossing his arms over his chest to emphasize his annoyance. Alfred, as always, doesn’t give a shit about Bruce’s embarrassment.
“You agreed, sir, I merely complied,” he says as he raises an eyebrow. Bruce deflates like a soggy balloon instantly.
“That’s-” Bruce tries to come up with a decent response, but as is often the case with Alfred, he falls short. “Alfred,” he says instead, voice clearly portraying how displeased he is.
“Bruce,” Alfred echoes in the same voice and Bruce blinks in surprise.
The astonishment must be clear as day on his face because Alfred smiles that secretive yet somehow completely disarming smile of his.
“Look at them,” he says then, and Bruce does.
He’s never been able to disobey Alfred, has never wanted to either. And as always Alfred is right. There’s nothing wrong with the image he’s looking at – it’s his boyfriend and his son looking at photos. It’s not that bad. For a brief moment he just looks at them, enjoying the way Dick is nearly sitting on top of Clark to point out a certain picture.
“They’re enjoying themselves,” Alfred points out, as if Bruce can’t tell that on his own. He avoids saying ‘as am I,’ but Bruce can tell he wants to.
There’s something very domestic about watching his eldest son smile and wave his arms around excitedly. So maybe it isn’t such a bad thing that he’s making fun of Bruce’s baby pictures. It’s not like there’s actually something to be embarrassed about. And Clark is following his every word; Bruce can tell from the way his eyes are focused on Dick’s.
It’s not so bad.
“I don’t get why you still have those,” Bruce still mutters, just to get the last word.
“Because they’re precious to me,” Alfred says, and Bruce can’t find any response to that. The lump in his throat blocks the words from coming out either way, even if he did find something fitting to say. Of course, Alfred must have the final word. He always wins, the old bastard.
Alfred bumps their shoulders together gently and Bruce sends him a shaky smile. Because they’re precious to me. Because you’re precious to me. He doesn’t have to hear the words from Alfred’s mouth to understand them. They don’t talk much about the days before his parents’ murder and he knows that’s his fault. He never realized that maybe Alfred would like to talk about it though, talk about what Bruce was like as a child. Bruce knows how he feels when someone asks about his children and even if Alfred isn’t his blood, he’s the closest thing to a father Bruce has. He should’ve been more considerate.
Dick finally notices him and snatches the photo album from Clark’s lap to hold it up. He looks to Clark and then to the photo album before locking eyes with Bruce.
“Look how similar they are,” he says with a grin.
“It is my face,” Bruce deadpans as he finally walks into the living room.
“Yeah, but who would’ve thought you’d been such a cute baby.”
“A cute baby?” Bruce holds a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. “I was obviously the cutest baby.”
It makes Dick laugh, which was his goal. He really can’t remember what he looked like as a kid. It can’t be that much different from now. He steps closer to peek over Clark’s shoulder. Huh. So maybe there’s something about that. It’s a very cute baby indeed looking back at him from all the pictures and- just how many does Alfred have of him in nothing but a diaper? He turns to glare at his butler. In true Alfred fashion he merely raises an elegant eyebrow.
“The expression’s different though, baby-you didn’t frown like that,” Dick says as he reaches up to try to smooth out the line between Bruce’s brows. He’s too quick for Bruce to swat at him, dancing around his father like natural gymnast he is. Bruce is both proud and annoyed, which is very much on brand emotions whenever Dick is near him.  
“Doesn’t make you any less cute though,” Clark chimes in.
“Ew,” Dick says just as Bruce mutters: “Shut up.”
Alfred stands in the doorway and watches his boys bicker for a while longer. He knows it was a risk to leave the photo album out on the sofa, but it turned out alright after all. Sometimes all Bruce Wayne needs to see reason is a little push. Alfred doesn’t mind being the one pushing. Especially when it means he gets to share the pictures of Bruce’s first day of school. Those are a favorite of Master Kent’s as well, and Alfred silently thanks the higher powers that Clark can’t get Bruce pregnant. He’s pretty sure they’d have babies running around nonstop and Alfred is too old for infants.
He wouldn’t mind another child though. Maybe he should hint at adoption. Master Kent is more than ready to take the bait judging from the heart eyes he’s been sending the photo album all afternoon. Alfred smiles as he leaves for the kitchen. It’s time for tea.
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deathb8dy · 1 year
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THOUGHTS ON QUALIA AUTOMATA, TUMBLR EDITION
ORIGINAL POST I MADE WAS PUT ON REDDIT FIRST FROM DISCORD, I'LL JUST COPY AND PASTE WHAT I SAID AS IT'S EASIER. WITH EDITS OFC.
This point on holds spoilers in relation to the newest song 'Lamentations'. Please do not read unless you have seen the song OR are fine with it. Also this all will be copied and pasted from discord with edits to include examples (at least for the lyrics and such.)
If you have any comments or criticisms to make, please do so.
spoilers begin below here.
Even in the initial impression, the song about Fayrouz is the MOST human out of the three. In RBB, it's very mechanical and erratic in wording (no rhyming scheme at all but it still made sense for a song). In EWN it's still mechanical but has some humanity to it if that makes sense.
But both songs of the machines you can tell something is off.
Example in lyrics:
Tamari uses more nonsensical and complicated words as if to compensate for a lack of understanding. These words also tend to not make sense with each other either.
(EX; ‘Invite Suicidation, Transfer Enumeration’ is a great example. Suicidation is obviously about yk. But fun fact, it’s not even a word! And Enumeration is “the action of mentioning a number of things one by one.” Compared to the rest of the song of RBB, it does NOT make sense at all.)
Mariyam has more simple terms used and a rhyming scheme but still reverts to what Tamari does... And also references some really obscure stuff (Such as a french women's asylum!) that no one who would go looking would understand.
(EX; The lyric I mentioned is “Fleeting words in pen, I tell the story of Salpêtrière” with the last word in reference to ‘an institution founded in Paris in 1656 as an asylum for the infirm, aged, and insane. At one time, it contained nearly 10,000 people, and treatment was proverbially brutal.’ Which… is ironic since Mariyam is meant to be a therapist)
Example in art:
Tamari is FULL of references and barely anything that's actually their own design. While cool as hell, Tamari is basically what an AI does... Generate images/prompts based on wording and such. Which is likely why Tamari is so ... erratic!
Mariyam on the other hand does have more original art but most of it is ALL black and white until the end with Tamari. And even then, it's not complicated art with a lot of details unless with Tamari and even then... She still fails to have something to be put to human
And music wise:
Both songs are VERY metallic noise-wise with choir like sounds within the instrumentals. Both beginning and end. Tamari specifically has the "jumpscare scream" while Mariyam has just more "clock/chime" motifs. It's all still mechanical without any sort of "organic" tones if that makes sense
FAYROUZ ON THE OTHER HAND. Despite being the "villain" of the story is the most human.
Lyrics - She uses the most simple BUT effective words that aren't overly complicated/nonsensical (Tamari) or aren't as impactful as they should be (Mariyam)
PV - Unlike the two, I just noticed it's just a static one image pv as well as it's fully colored. Tamari and Mariyam had movements in their pvs, like they are trying to move to humanity but also how AI is always constantly shifting.
Music - THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE. It has some mechanical elements (like the 'siren' like sounds in the beginning and end) BUT IT HAS MORE ORGANIC SOUNDS UNLIKE THE GRITTY GEAR LIKE SOUNDS YOU HEAR IN RBB AND EWN
Fayrouz also admits to being at fault but pushes on to do better (at her work, mess up on words but ykyk). Which is ironic isn't it? Her creations are more "human" than she is. Which lyrically also- Fayrouz references more mechanical functions while Tamari and Mariyam reference more humane functions.
EX:
Tamari - My stomach turned at the thought of the stars / And my heart pounded louder than the ones I had before
Mariyam - Though you’ll never die, you’ve found that / All eyes are staring at your hands
Fayrouz - Restarting, rebooting null programs / Running, debugging their brains /Forging and sorting successes
AND FINALLY. Tuning wise, Fayrouz sounds more human (if it's intentional or not) but still has the lyrics that are guilt based BUT focused fully on being like a human machine. If you are raised up to be a "machine".... how can you even know otherwise? Tamari and Mariyam are learning to have humanity, Fayrouz lost hers due to the loss of her husband and control over what she had (aka the siblings)
(out of context but it’s related to how different the first two songs are to the newest.)
It makes you think it'll be the same as the two but it's not because Fayrouz is meant to have humanity. She's human after all no?
ANYWAYS.
Basically:
Paradoxical shit of the Robots being more human than their creator who’s losing her humanity with the losses she’s had.
BONUS: Forgot to mention since I made this BEFORE Mors made the tweet out. The title of the series supports what I said heavily.
Qualia, according to wikipedia, "... are defined as individual instances of subjective, conscious experience."
While automata means (according to google) "... a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being." but also "...used in similes and comparisons to refer to a person who seems to act in a mechanical or unemotional way."
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chemicalbrew · 4 months
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2023 game list, part 1: I love complaining!
Once again continuing what has become an honorable tradition thanks to @smash-64 💜
I tried to promise myself I'd be more organized this year, trying to take notes after I beat things, making lists and gifs and everything, as it has become a consistent yearly undertaking. In truth, what happened is that I felt more overwhelmed by this than I did the last three years. The best explanation I can give is a combination of two facts: this year, while not particularly worse than what came before, still saw my confidence in myself tank a bit (i.e. What does this matter when few people read it and I don't bring much things of value to the table?)...
And the fact that I played very few games that really stuck with me, that I enjoyed enough to see through to the end and feel like that had merit, for a lot of the year. When that wasn't the case, it was more than likely I'd been on my nth playthrough of Katana ZERO of the year (more on that in a later post, hopefully).
I probably need help, don't I?..
games I played, but don't have much to say about at the moment without being prompted, aside from 'I kinda liked them, I guess', ordered best to worst:
Purrfect Apawcalypse trilogy (2019-2021) - series of VNs that's genuinely just good fun as you find yourself attached to the characters before you know it. You'll know if this one is for you at a glance. Also, this is how I found out about Panel Royale! LOL
The Witch's House MV (2018) - good old RPG Maker horror with a few decent twists. The remake has good QOL changes.
Gunbrella (2023) - the plot might be forgettable, but you get a gun that's an umbrella! What's not to enjoy?
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) - I played this game, but only in the most technical sense. Literally cheated the fun out of it - either that, or this platformer style is not for me.
Coffee Talk: Episode 2 - Hibiscus & Butterfly (2023) - the most upsetting entry on the list. The writer behind the original game has passed away, and his absence is felt keenly even if you're not aware of the fact - because this sequel lacks charm.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (2021) - yet another of those cheap and short indie 2D Zelda clones. The definition of the word meh.
Irisu Syndrome (2008) - a unique free puzzle timewaster. Tries to have a story and fails.
dishonorable mentions (the part with the most complaining)
2064: Read Only Memories (PC, 2014) [♪ Home (Not) Sweet Home]
Starts off decent enough, doing the bare minimum to string you along the mystery (which, for most people with standards, wouldn't even be good enough, but I was willing to stick with it for the sake of the neat audiovisual presentation).
As soon as the murder scene is revealed, however, the main plot starts to fall apart, and the longer you spend with the game's writing (which seems to go on and on forever) and characters (about as flat as a pancake fresh off the pan), the more bleak and yawn-inducing they seem (including Turing, who just took longer than everyone else to annoy me).
Do yourself a favor, play VA-11 Hall-A (which this game gratuitously references) instead. You'll get all the benefits of cute pixel art and upbeat soundtrack, but with an actually good story\character cast to match. I swear it says something about 2064 that one of its most exciting moments was seeing throwaway lines from a VA-11 character!
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (PC, 2015) [♪ Climbing the Ginso Tree]
This is a game that won awards back when it came out almost a decade ago. Unfortunately, it feels like it was made to win awards and little more. While the credits scrolling up the screen tried to convince otherwise - with the usual special thanks given to families and pets of the developers - I sat there, unsure of what I was supposed to take from this experience (once again, the less words you try to use to tell your story, the more it usually suffers!).
The heart of any platformer is its movement systems - and, while eventually Ori's tools open up just enough to make you feel at least a little free and alive in its world, they also never go beyond what is almost painfully typical. Double jump, wall climb, ground pound, glide, charged projectile? None of that is going to wow anyone. The way it comes together is not too pleasant, either - Ori's too floaty and the obstacles before him, while painted with a talented stroke, are too unclear in their presentation to make for truly fun traversal. The exception to this is the escape sequences - sure, a lot of the time they're not much less frustrating than the rest of the game, but they're definitely more memorable, to the point where the accompaniment to one was the only part of the soundtrack I could think to showcase.
I don't regret the time I spent on this, per se, but what I can tell you is that it probably didn't deserve the awards. Also, the way the wall jump worked was annoying! Pushing towards the wall to do it feels very counter-intuitive, and with this I found that I much prefer when games have you face away from the wall to register wall jumps, or do not require you to press a direction at all.
Celeste (PC, 2018) [♪ Checking In] + Celeste Classic (2015, played as part of full game) :)
I was in high school when this made waves. I pointedly feigned disinterest as it splashed all over the internet, while making sure to download the soundtrack quickly and listen to it - more than occasionally - over the next three or so years. Lena Raine's work carried me through my school years and empowered me, and all the while I hadn't a clue what playing the game is actually like.
Those were the better days.
Now, the things about this game that seem to appeal the most to a lot of people are how refreshingly simple Madeline's moveset is and how much the game respects your time with death transitions and reloading, and the story it tells through heartfelt cutscenes and gameplay working in sync. To which I boldly say... none of those things are good enough.
Having to climb and manage your stamina adds another layer to navigating the rooms, sure, but to my simple ass, that's one layer too many. To the game's credit, there's a setting to make climbing toggleable instead of requiring you to hold down the trigger, and using that was the only reason I managed to push past the hotel and Oshiro (call me a scrub, it was genuinely overwhelming otherwise), but it still did nothing to change how I feel about this mechanic fundamentally.
I get it, it adds precision and verticality to your movement, and, seeing as you're literally supposed to be scaling a mountain, it's more than a natural inclusion... but its existence did nothing but add pressure for me, somehow. I would frequently forget it's an option at all before realizing the room in question expects me to utilize it. Instead of feeling like climbing expands my options, I felt constricted and awkward.
My second issue is much simpler. I'm a spoiled brat, and Celeste's respawning process involving that annoying whoosh sound effect and a transition that, yes, takes only about a second, but is still not quite instant, was not good enough. I recognize that having it be truly instant would not be ideal, either, but I can't help but wish that was the case.
As for the story... It underwhelmed me even back when I was doing surface level research at the time of release, and it's not impressing me now. It's okay, and I recognize why it would resonate with people - the themes of self-acceptance and resolve are plain to see (and just as plain to mull over). But in my time with the game, Madeline never began feeling less like an avatar for my failures and more like an actual character, never changed into someone I would truly like.
By the time I reached the Mirror Temple, I was certain that this game, in most respects, is just not what I would ever want. I pushed towards the summit anyway, and left it feeling profoundly... nothing.
However... Celeste Classic did not have any of those things! That little prototype gem of a game wastes zero time trying to set the stage and make you feel things with ~a story~, doesn't give you any opportunity to climb whatsoever, and neither does it waste your time having the screen fade to black when you die! And these three things, I reckon, are key to why this smaller version, that's supposed to just be treated as an Easter egg now, a relic of the past, and to be forgotten in favor of the project it grew into... resonated with me so much more! I beat it twice! It's lovely! It's what I actually needed Celeste to be!
IT'S COMPLICATED
AI: The Somnium Files (PC, 2019) [♪ MonzAI] + AI:TSF - Nirvana Initiative (PC, 2022) [♪ Nefarious Institute 1]
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You know how they say not to judge the book by its cover? This is a story of me learning (once again) to judge a game neither by its reception nor by the credentials behind it. When I plowed through this duology, I came to understand that sometimes, lightning might strike just the once.
Of course, most of my bitter feelings about it stem from just how miraculous of a fuck-up Nirvana Initiative ended up being as a sequel (it's impressive how much it had to twist everything its predecessor stood for to even have a chance at making a mediocre point!), but a lot of the disappointment came from the way the first game carries itself in general, and maybe even from the presence this game has among fans. 'Oh, if you want more of the magic and mystery that you so enjoyed in Zero Escape, you have to try this! It'll be just as good!'
I should have had my doubts from the start, given how little I had enjoyed the ZE series after 999. AI1 flounders in many things, like its obtuse, deeply unfun gameplay loop - most of which is pressing random buttons until you see the most ridiculous shit present itself. There's also the overt reliance on stale and perverse jokes, and a story that can barely do much except trudge to the finish line and attempt to convince you the journey was worth it with a trite dance number, of all things.
But the thing is… even with all that, the first entry was somewhat compelling during its runtime, though most of that comes from its bold novelty. The idea of taking advantage of the surreality of dreams to find deeply concealed truths is fun to occasionally ponder, and there's just enough fluff to the places you visit and things you do to string you along for the ride (though having to check the same spots for flavor text on each revisit to very little results is a deep annoyance I have with both entries). The characters actually got a chance to grow (if not by much… this series' urge to be immature at every turn is nothing short of ruinous, sometimes), and their designs strike a wonderful line between outstanding and cringeworthy that makes them just… stick out in your brain, you know?
So while I thought the song and dance (both the literal and the metaphorical) were ultimately not worth much, I was still convinced, fooled by the magic just enough to see things come to an end; and the resolution itself was satisfying and believable, if nothing else. And with how exhausted I felt reaching this point, I figured that'd be enough.
To me, AI1 is all about finding shards of diamonds in the rough, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that its fandom runs away with what little they have to try and improve on it (and often succeed). As such, you'd expect its sequel to take advantage of how much room there is to grow, capitalize on this chance to refine things, and use the few strong themes the original presented (value of bonds and family made both by blood and by choice, finding those you can rely on to carry what you have done forward, etc)... right?
Um, yeah, turns out it twists over itself even more than I'd already thought possible in order to make sense (not to mention seemingly forsaking most of that mess right at the true end in order to approach the established universe from a contrived meta angle). If AI1 can be described as having extremely unrefined gameplay coupled with a decently intriguing story, NI is just about the opposite of that.
While I'm glad they bothered to make exploring the dream worlds enjoyable this go around, there's no way in hell that makes it worthwhile to bear witness to the innumerable ways in which this mess of a sequel sullied the already weak foundations laid down by its predecessor. When I had finished that game, I wrote, on impulse, that 'I haven't been this confounded by a sequel's existence since Chrono Cross'. It just… did not need to happen, like, at all.
Nirvana Initiative posed to me one of the worst questions you can have while playing a game, which is…
'Why am I doing this, again?'
Let's be real, it was mostly for the soundtrack. Unlike AI1, this game had passable music! Though having to watch ANOTHER dance number (like half a dozen times, actually! and no, there's no skip button!) just about had me gagging.
That's not even the worst part about that sequence, no - that would have to be the way it almost actively ruins and undermines what's probably the only passable character arc in NI (and even then, you have to squint hard for it to pass your judgement, given how it starts... gotta hand it to this game for managing to have multiple relationships with genuinely questionable setups involving uncomfortable age gaps).
I wanted to feel touched by the new, somewhat expanded narratives, I wanted to see the world grow a little, despite all the grievances I was certain I would have... But not even halfway through the plot, I realized that my true wish was to just move on. I think that's what I'll do here, as well, as even reminiscing on this chaos is quite dreadful.
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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch, 2022) [♪ Agnus Colony]
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Don't become prey and victim to your own expectations - or to bad advertising.
Xenoblade is a special series, full of wonder and power. Words fail me this year, as they did the year before, when it comes to describing how much of an impact these games - the second entry most of all, a game I think about now and then with a bittersweetness on my heart that I oddly never can get enough of - had had on my mental well-being last year. They might as well have saved me back then, and while getting to experience them was something I'd been planning to do for a while, the specific circumstances it all had happened under were just so special, so exceptional, so wild, that it's hard to think of those days as anything but a gift.
And yet, there are plenty of things in this particular journey I still have to reconcile with. I never settled on what my impression of 1 is, in the end (or, some might say, I never properly played it); I could use a fresher look at 2, and… I never, ever, will finish Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It's a game I once had hopes for, but nowadays don't ever want to think about.
I thought it a privilege, of sorts - the fact that I was there to witness (and acquire) a brand-new release in a series that became dearly important to me. I ended up hearing many things - the trailers, the rumors, the leaks. They all spoke of a definitive resolution to the series, of levels of refinement never seen before, of intrigue so big you can barely take it, of key character appearances we were all dying to see.
Turns out most of what we were so eagerly expecting came with an extra price tag.
The base game of Xenoblade 3 is a mirage, a mere shade of what came before it. The environments are open and vast, but they look more drab than ever - and with the new autowalk feature, it takes even less time to get sick of it. The music takes you on a journey, but you forget what it sounds like far sooner than you'd prefer. The battle system promises lots of options and a nice learning curve, but it only overextends, overwhelms and forces you to grind. The cutscenes look every bit the part of a Xenoblade story, but meander and stretch things out to the point of boredom, which means none of the characters get enough time to grow on the player, either… Though a lot of them would probably go nowhere even given all the time in the world.
And the setting as a whole? Well, it's a simulation, so who cares about it feeling unique or fun? That's the point, the game says, you're supposed to empathize with these characters breaking out of their bonds, out of this miserable existence! Well, I say that things can be made appealing even in decay. You don't have to actively worsen things to make a point.
Future Redeemed is an impressive demonstration of how things could have been. It fixes practically every point where the base game falters - and it is in this part of the game where all those promises that once seemed hollow finally come true. Sort of. The exploration process is smooth as butter in the way none of the games before were, characters are at last back to having defined roles in battle, and all that teasing becomes a thing of the past as 3 acknowledges its own roots and past in full, and you think to yourself… 'If only we'd got this in the base game all along!'
But we didn't. And the credits on Future Redeemed roll far too soon to truly be satisfied. Is this how you wanted the saga to end?
honorable mentions
Butterfly Soup 2 (PC, 2022) [♪ Night Tourist] *I hope you'll forgive me for not finding a GIF for a mostly static VN...
It's so funny. For me it has been two years; for the creator, it'd been five. But I guess time doesn't matter when it comes to maturity, as I feel like both myself and this game have done plenty of growth. And for that, I love it all the more, just as I am now thankful to be able to call Butterfly Soup a short series.
Compared to the first game, the art is more refined, the tone is more consistent, and treatment of serious topics is more grounded - in more ways than one, this sequel is like a fond, yet melancholic look at what you once had, what changed since then, and what you hope to make of things. But between all that, it stays sincere and silly in the best of ways - the ones that make you feel cozy on the darkest of nights, the ones that endear you for a good while yet. Truly, this game was a ray of light in a sea of mediocrity this year.
Road 96 (PC, 2021) [♪ Hit the Road]
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Yeah, I know. The fact that I have played a goddamn walking simulator at the behest of a good pal (who might or might not be reading this, hi on the off chance that you are!) is nothing short of a miracle. Not to mention the fact that I ended up having a good time with it!
I'll put it plain: the vibes of this game are almost impeccable. It wastes little time setting things up - it's the turn of the century, and a massively corrupt government is practically folding in on itself as it closes its borders. It's up to you, as you're literally put into a blank-slate teenager's shoes, to go on a desperate journey and see whether or not you make your way out.
Over the course of Road 96, you do this six times, and the people you meet on the way and choices you make with them may or may not shape not just your own future, but that of the whole country. There's nothing for it, then, but hit the road and see what awaits you, as you sit in a car that's probably stolen, blaring music from your carefully curated tapes… or are dropped off on the wayside with nothing but a paltry backpack to speak of… or find yourself biding your time near a gas station… or… whatever it is the game throws at you, as you hope that the strangers you run into actually deign to help.
Yes, the biggest way this game attempts to stand out is with our good old friend, RNG. Even reading blurbs about it, you cannot escape the all-too-typical claims of 'your own personal journey', 'a thousand unique paths waiting for you' and all that… months later, I find myself unable to decide whether this helped the game or harmed it more, as it's definitely smaller than it makes itself out to be.
As a story hook, this setup is clever and delightful, as I tried to illustrate a moment earlier, but the moment you begin to overthink it, you realize that the randomness aspect clashes hard against the continuity the game tries to establish. You, as the player, indeed learn more about the world and colorful characters in it each time you venture forth, but the avatar you control is supposed to be clueless as ever, setting out on a path that is, in fact, not quite their own any more. It's a weird gripe to have, and I found it an easy one to ignore, but I wish something could be done about it anyway.
As for the rest of the plot, let's just say it's... surprisingly binary, and the supporting cast small and not always compelling in turn. The game sacrifices some of the personal intimacy and uniqueness it has built up to make a sweeping, painfully boring statement of 'freedom good, suppression bad' before credits roll, but as damaging as that is to the overall experience, I feel like one can't deny the fundamental appeal of just being asked to go on a journey with sweeping stakes and truly, truly banging music. Seriously, it was meant to be put on speakers and blasted as the world passes you by!
In a word, Road 96 is ambitious, and in a sentence, it is ambitious, yet falling short of itself. Nonetheless, I was impressed by how it managed to worm its way into my heart for a while.
A Space for the Unbound (PC, 2023) [♪ Don't Have Much Choice]
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Wouldn't you know it? I had actually played two games involving entering people's subconsciousness to solve their problems this year!
Truth be told, I'd been looking forward to this game for about a year, given that it was published by the people behind Coffee Talk (which, if you recall, I had quite enjoyed). The warm and inviting screenshots on the back-then almost empty store page, showing off awesome art and promising a sweet little journey with slice-of-life tropes and a mystery waiting to be solved… well, to say all of that was alluring is to say nothing, really. I just about jumped when I received a notification for this game releasing at last at the beginning of the year, and wasted little time trying to dive in.
The sad thing is, what you see is not always what you get. The cozy, comfortable, sensible vibes of the early game - running around the city, doing chores at your school, naming every stray cat you come across, watching the protagonist's diary fill up as he crosses all the little goals he had set in life off his precious list… Yeah, those things won't last - definitely not long enough to get you attached to characters living in this world.
As the plot begins to unfold, it fumbles over itself trying to introduce various cliches and supernatural elements, to the point where you recognize the whole experience as a tedious drag as you see exactly where it's heading, and think to yourself that you have heard all this before. It's yet another heartfelt story about self-actualization, and as the game hammers it in harder than ever before, you sigh and wish you could go back to the times of bottle cap collecting and cat petting. Sometimes, simpler is better.
Unfortunately, that's not exactly true when it comes to actually playing A Space for the Unbound. The gameplay is as simple as can be - basically all you do is walk around (quite slowly) and interact with things. I can appreciate how linear the game is, for the most part, but I wish it let us accomplish our goals without wasting too much time! Not to mention, if you try to see everything there is, you have to be prepared to deal with quite a few mind-numbingly repetitive mini-games for far longer than you have to. Don't do that. It'll just sully your impression of the game.
If you're somehow still interested in this after reading this messy opinion of mine, don't be too discouraged - you'll see plenty of beautiful sights, hear some cute music, and, maybe, be affected by the story far more than I was. (Besides, for a cat lover, it's always nice to see others appreciate them!) Just... try not to waste too much time with the game's superficial sidequests.
Tales of the Abyss (3DS, 2011 port of a 2006 release) [♪ The Distribution Base]
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There's something ironic in how playing (most of) this game has been one of the best things I have done with my lovely 2DS since I homebrewed it earlier this year... and yet I quite regret not checking how (ahem) easily available the PS2 version is, instead. They may be functionally identical, but the hardware is not - you have no idea how hard some of the goddamn Mieu Fire puzzles become when your character is taking up a mere four or so pixels of an already tiny screen. Man, that was trying my patience at its finest.
These horrors aside, though, what kind of game are we even dealing with here? Well, it’s a Tales game first and foremost. I can’t deny claims that Abyss has a few strengths of its own (most notably, of course, actually bothering to have coherent character development arcs), but it’s not quite enough to obscure the ever-prevalent issues this series has:
exploration and side-questing is still annoyingly obtuse, not to mention traversal is painfully slow in the first half of the game,
some characters (in this case, Anise more so than others, but I'd argue Mieu's whole existence is part of this too) are obligated to suffer because Tales has to meet its unhealthy anime tropes\wackiness quota per game,
the skit system has not, unfortunately, evolved one bit (the amount of times I would skip a skit on accident, because any input halts its playback entirely…),
while I’m inclined to say the battle system is, for the most part, an improvement (the Field of Fonons mechanic is quite a nice change given the foundations of Tales gameplay, I have to admit), any goodwill you might want to give it gets shattered when you realize Free Run breaks bosses in half. And aside from that, it’s just your usual button-mashy fare.
So why did I push on with this game as far as I did, pulling the classic move of quitting right at the final boss instead of, well, any earlier? A lot of that is because I was just in the mood to mash some buttons in bed until I realized I was slightly underleveled for the finale and caught myself groaning at the mere thought of trying to even cheese it. A shame, that, because the ending of this game is pretty wonderful for what it set out to do, and it was the only bit I did not see on my own. It's like my experience with Final Fantasy VI all over again…
That's not all there is to it, though. Abyss has some of what's probably the most involved and curious worldbuilding (once you get past all the awkward made up jargon it loves to throw at you) of any Tales game I know! Not that this says much, because that's a low bar, and I'm not too familiar with the series at large, but it was enough to keep me engaged for a long while. And, as mentioned earlier, it puts in greater efforts than I expected to endear you to the cast as they slowly band together and uncover their own talents, purposes and aims in life - Luke in particular.
I liked him almost immediately - because I'm not too hard to please when it comes to this series, and his design is, I feel, particularly sweet and striking (especially given how nicely the game used the Important Haircut trope with him, and of course, the contrast between him and Asch). But that alone doesn't a good protagonist make - it's the fact that the story allows Luke to make mistakes (from small ones to straight-up catastrophes), get his comeuppance and grow from them organically, at his own pace, that makes him stand out in my mind.
As Luke sheds his sheltered ways of thought and accepts his responsibilities, those that were traveling with him, either out of obligation or by chance, begin to support him more and stand by him in earnest. It all comes together gradually and at a satisfying pace, and is definitely a highlight of the experience to me.
Growth and connection are probably among the biggest themes of the game, so it's nice to see that it applies pretty much equally to both protagonists and antagonists. Sure, it's the job of a Tales' Big Bad faction to be goofy and up to nefarious activities, but beyond that, the group has solid enough chemistry both among themselves and with the party that I actually ended up looking forward to most encounters with them, even if ultimately it felt a little predictable. As an aside, for a game this old, the voice acting was really good and plentiful (though there is none for skits, which sucks), and further piqued my interest in the story along the way.
To conclude, I'd like to say that the biggest thing I learned while playing this game is that I'm a sucker for grounded tales of (ha) self-actualization even this many years later. And also that once you play one Tales game, you truly, to some extent, know them all.
SANABI (PC, 2023) [♪ Warm Hospitality]
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Do you want to know why I ended up playing this one? Of course you do, that wasn't really a question. I only bring this up because the answer can be revealed with a single screenshot:
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...yep, the inspiration is that blatantly on display. I was expecting it, of course - the Katana ZERO community is the only reason I know of SANABI in the first place, and even as you read people's thoughts on it, the extreme similarity is practically all they ever bring up, be it in a positive or negative light. It pleased me and warmed my heart, while also making me feel wary - it's one thing to be inspired by something, and another to actually carve an identity of your own.
That said, KZ is far from the worst thing to try to replicate, particularly when it comes to visuals - SANABI has some awesome scenery that makes me feel right at home. And while the story at times feels so much like an amateurish copy that it leaves me confused more than anything (I'm sure the awkward English translation sadly does not help matters, not to mention the fact that I'd played this game in an unfinished state - you might expect me to write about it again next year!), the gameplay is anything but.
I'm sure there are quite a few platformers out there that have you use what's essentially a grappling hook to swing through the stages, but SANABI is my first experience with something like this, and in this regard the game absolutely manages to shine on its own. Movement is lightning-fast and responsive, enemy targeting is extremely generous - almost to the point of being handholdy (and, of course, they all die in one satisfying hit - as do you, if you set the game to the highest difficulty. It's nice to be given an opportunity to learn the ropes before engaging with the game earnestly!), and there's something to be said about how the level design has that extreme kind of clarity to it that I always appreciate and favors speed over precision, with how spacious everything is.
My only big issues with how the game plays are how it doesn't seem to be designed with a controller in mind (it is an option, but I found myself moving much more precisely with KBM! Me! Someone who never plays games with that!), and, once again, the just-a-bit-too-long death animation\transition. Being able to skip it helps, but I just yearn for no time to be wasted...
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flydotnet · 5 months
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Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me requests according to this marvelous card! (Red cross is the completed prompt, character headshots are prompts I’ve already filled).
He's a child with the brain of an adult, the biggest moron you've ever seen!
I cannot get over the fact I somehow didn't write for Detectice Conan until this week. This franchise was my actual gateway into whump when I was 6 and my ass still didn't write any juicy stuff with it. I got back into DCMK back in 2017, have rewatched select episodes and/or movies of it (mostly the 1st and 2nd ones, which are both part of my formative whump experience lol) every year… but nope!
Actually, this prompt was supposed to be for IDOLiSH7, and I had the idea for it written down for two years; but let's be real, I was never going to write it, especially this late, and instead, I jumped onto the first other opportunity to get rid of this prompt.
That opportunity came in the form of Tekiro who, to my surprise, actually paid attenion to my stupid ramblings about my stupid bingo card for whomst knows what dark purposes, and handed me an idea on a silver platter: DCMK, Shinichi as Conan and Ran, post-falling-into-some-water-during-a-case. I was smitten with the idea and ran with so hard.
I think the final product did diverge from Tekiro's original idea, unfortunately. Ran was meant to play a much more proactive role in this, but instead, I ended up with mostly Shinichi doing what he does best: overthink absolutely everything and also simping for Ran while he's at it. The image of Conan buried in blankets was fun though!
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Blanket Statements
Summary: Shinichi, buried underneath three and a half blankets, ponders upon the orb (his feelings on the situation and also how cool Ran is).
Fandom: Detective Conan Relationships: Shinichi/Ran
Word Count: 1.7K words
AO3 version available here.
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Somewhere through the haze of fever, between two approximate tons of blankets covering from chin to toe, one statement rings through his mind: this is somewhat humiliating.
Well, Shinichi supposes being a genius sixteen-year-old stuck in a six-year-old’s body is embarrassing to begin with since nobody takes you seriously anymore (except, like, two cops, a fugitive from the criminal organisation who got you there in the first place and one jackass from Osaka who somehow guessed you were a genius sixteen-year-old stuck in a six-year-old’s body). Being treated like a child has certainly not stopped irking him, even if with time, the mask has started sticking with a little less discomfort to his face; but this is another humiliation altogether, even compared to what’s sadly become his daily life.
For all of the mishaps he’s had on cases and outside of his favourite activity in the whole world, Shinichi had never pictured himself buried in a pile of blankets, with just his face sticking out from there, in the Mouris’ flat of all places. Maybe Prof Akasa’s lab would’ve felt less shameful, since that man has seen him in states Shinichi can only hope to forget the memory of, but the Mouris’? Where Ran lives? Mortifying.
The way he ended up in this situation is a farce in itself – that much he knows from how Hattori mocked the hell out of him on the phone when he had to explain the context behind one of Ran and Kazuha’s conversations that stupid Osakan had caught word of. He wouldn’t have needed said Osakan’s opinion to think that, of course, but it only serves to corroborate what he already deducted.
It was just a run-of-the-mill criminal case in Beika: suspicious death near a river, three suspects without any alibi and possible motives all around, foul play clearly involved. Truth be told, it was almost insulting how easy it was for Shinichi to untangle the whole thing and straighten it into a single timeline to take everyone along for the side with Uncle’s cigarette-laden voice.
Or, well, it’d have been, if he hadn’t fallen straight into the cold waters below when trying to showcase something to Inspector Megure.
Instead, it very much had the opposite effect: not only did it then take Inspector Sato around fifteen minutes to deduce what he was trying to hint at, it also threw the whole situation for a loop because, for all of his athletic prowess, Shinichi had trouble swimming with the heavy winter gear Ran had dressed him up in and drowning became a possibility much too fast to his liking.
Ran did save him from the waters, at least, but not before he was thoroughly soaked and had to stew in his own juices for a little while. There was no hiding behind the bushes to pretend to be Sleeping Kogoro either, so it was a long, drawn-out time session of whodunnit – one Shinichi was very frustrated not to be participating in and very satisfied to leave.
If it had stopped at an uncomfortable half-hour spent watching not-that-sharp-witted detectives (and Inspector Sato) try putting together a puzzle that wasn’t that complicated because nobody had noticed the clue left by the riverbank, Shinichi wouldn’t be stewing in his frustration and pile of blankets. No, that’d have been too easy, and someone in the skies above has something against him, he’s certain of it.
It’s a cliché. It’s such a cliché and he’s certain hypothermia isn’t supposed to do that to you aside from, well, hypothermia – but Shinichi has fallen ill after a dip in the water and it pisses him off.
Yeah, okay, he’s caught what can honestly be called a nasty cold, but this doesn’t mean Ran isn’t going overkill with it. He loves her, he really does, including when she gets protective over him (even when she doesn’t know it, courtesy of his current form); but this really is too much.
Ran’s always been like that, though. Once she gets into caring mode, there’s nobody that can stop us. Not even a tsunami could, Shinichi is certain: if he, or her father, or Sonoko, or Kazuha was trapped in the midst of a deadly flood, a wall of water heading for all of them, Ran would swim back to them, put them to safety, and only then maybe think of saving herself. It’s nerve-wracking to be around her, sometimes, when you know she’ll absolutely destruct herself if it means saving someone.
Long reasoning short, it’s not surprising that she’d bury him under a bazillion blankets too much for a simple cold; so imagine one where his voice, usually so childish and disgustingly high-pitched for a teen (let alone impossible to take seriously, let’s be real there), has almost gone instinct on him and where he can spike a fever whenever his body feels like it’s not doing enough damage to the virus inside it. Delightful, really.
It’d be more delightful if it didn’t feel like being smothered in a thousand heavy blankets by the strongest arms in the world – but what can Shinichi say? That he doesn’t like the attention? That’d be a lie. He couldn’t even say that without breaking into a terribly tense smirk. That’s ridiculous.
Ridiculous, but also somewhat humiliating. And also, he’s dying from blanket overdose.
Time to do something about it, he supposes.
“Raaaaan,” he takes on his whiny little snotty brat voice (even if it sounds more scratched than Prof Akasa’s dust-covered records that he still uses, for some reason), “do I really need all those blankets?”
She turns around in half a second (Shinichi refuses to think for even a second this fever and the mucus in his brain are slowing his mind, he’s more than above that) and rushes in a swift run, hair flowing behind her and picking all of the daylight in the room.
“You’ll be cold if you take them off!” She replies without a single grain of reluctance. “And you need to be warm!”
“But… I’m way too hot, Raaaaan…”
Instead of getting at least one blanket off him, out of three (a meltingly comfortable plaid, a scratchy blanket Uncle keeps in his office for some reason and Ran’s favourite, he can tell by the fragrance, it’s very pleasing), she kneels in front of the couch with a worried frown that’s both endearing and infuriating.
“Let me see,” she tells him in that voice she always gives the Detective Boys, always gives Conan.
Maybe it’s because having a head cold is making him snappier, but he can’t jive with that tone as well as he usually does. Most days, he can just bypass the infantilization of it all to focus on what matters (Ran paying him her upmost attention and spending all her time with him).
Ran does what she tends to do when confronted with someone with too red of a cheek: she puts her left hand on her forehead, palm against skin, and the back of her right on someone else’s forehead. Strands of his hair, soaked with sweat, are clinging to the base of her fingers, but she doesn’t complain, doesn’t as much as frown in disgust or discomfort, not even slightly.
“Your fever’s gone down a little,” she concludes with a slightly less concerned voice and alleviated features, much to his own relief. “But we need to keep it in check!”
“I know, Ran, I knooooow.”
She gets back up and stares at the pile in front of her, tilting her head left to right and back to left, a pout on her lips.
“On second thought, if you’re feeling better, maybe we could take off a blanket… Do you feel too hot, Conan?”
He vigorously shakes his head to the point of dizzying himself. This would be embarrassing if he wasn’t too busy trying to get himself a little freer, and also, dealing with a stupid head cold that has turned everything about his sharp senses into nothing but meaningless mush.
“I see,” Ran muses, fingers dancing on her chin before she finally goes for the top blanket – the scratchy one Kogoro keeps in his office. “Is it better?”
He nods again and, to his pleasure, it’s both cooler on his overheated skin and bringing a smile to the girl he’s officially dating when not obligated to be in a six-year-old’s literal shoes.
“That’s good, then! Do you need anything else?”
Shinichi hesitates on that one. Ran’s pretty much been hovering him nonstop for two days, and it’s starting to show on her face. Not so deep down, he knows he doesn’t need much: he has water near him, there is no painkillers he can take for a couple more hours, his eyelids are drooping again and he’s, at the end of the day, a teenager used to living alone.
However, being Conan has a couple perks; most importantly, if he wants to be a needy brat who just has to have big sis Ran by his side during a boring Sunday while sick with a killer head cold, then he gets to be that brat all over again. Ran can barely say no to Conan, much more than she’d be with Shinichi, and there just have to be perks about his current situation. Moreover… Faded memories of frankly lonely days spent wasting away in bed or on the couch with barely any attention other than Prof Akasa’s have left him wanting for more, and if usually he can keep it at bay with a passion for crime mysteries, now, it’s a whole other story. A distraction is always welcome.
All in all, with a dashing uniform vote from all of his sides, Shinichi decides being whiny as Conan is the best use of his stupidly boring sick day.
“Can you stay with me?” He asks, sniffling, as miserable as the most cliché Victorian child possible.
As always, to his upmost happiness, Ran’s face softens and she gives him the sweetest smile as she comes to sit next to him.
“Of course I can do that, Conan,” she replies with words like honey. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s good enough.”
He lets his head droop on her shoulder and falls asleep right here and there.
He can think about this being humiliating or not when it doesn’t feel as fuzzy and warm to be bundled in so many blankets.
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