#we literally need kris to exist. we are tied to kris like kris is tied to us. we too are a being in this world that is trapped and limited | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-puppet-bracket · 5 months

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Spamton propaganda:

"You know someone had to do it.

This guy's whole thing is not wanting to be a puppet anymore, but uh-oh-spaghetti-o! Dude now has physical puppet strings!"

"Making a [SPECIL] deal by placing his [#1 SALE SYSTEM] into a [CLASSIC!] body, Spamton believed he could be more than [HYPERLINK BLOCKED]. But the strings told him otherwise. He lunged at Kris in [LIMITED TIME OFFER], trying with all his [50% OFF!] to be more than a puppet."

"Spam email bot who was exposed to something that drove him mad and he spent the whole rest of his existence trying to cut his strings, only to die (maybe?) when he finally manages it."

"He is the most tortured dumpster man alive. Also, not literally a puppet, but metaphorically!!! There's some mysterious outside force controlling him and limiting what he can say and god, he desperately wants to break free, trying to kill the protagonist (his only friend in years) for the chance of ""being let loose from his strings"". In his secret boss battle, he thinks he'll be free after getting a new body but he isn't, as his new powerful body has literal strings attached. You fight him, because he thinks your soul (long story) will gain him access to freedom. During the pacifist route of the battle, you cut his strings until there's one more left, he's ecstatic, being able to break free from the narrative of the confines of the game. He decides to break his own last string, and he falls to the ground into pieces. It turns out he relied on the strings after so long, and couldn't recover without them. Afterwards, he's deshevaled, hung up by vines in the dark basement that resemble his old strings and he says ""It seems after all I couldn't be anything more than a simple puppet."" This ties back to how Kris, the protagonist of the game is feeling the effects of being controlled by the player and really shows the core focus of the game and it's characters. And that's why I entered him into this poll!

Also he is genuinely so fucking hilarious bro just play Deltarune already what the fuck are you doing the chapters that are out rn are free dawg (play Undertale first though, it's like ten bucks or something you'll be fine)"

"Spamton best blorbo. Very good blorbo. Exquisite blorbo even. He's sad and adhd and insane and weird and I love him and you should too. Pipis"

"he spamt"

"[[NUMBER ONE RATED SALESMAN 1997]]"

"he's living in a goddamn garbage can. let the big shot win. it'll be funny. does he deserve it? that is up to viewer discretion. but he is our beloved tumblr sillyman and as such we need to pay him respect in some manner. <3

(iirc spamton is a puppet? probably. oh well if he doesn't count ignore this i'm not read up on

my deltarune)"

"frankly i'd be surprised if he's not one of the most submitted. anyway his whole Deal is about being a puppet and having other things control him and so he seeks to regain that control through either manipulating the player into murdering half the city or to take the red soul and use it to become a god. yet in his super powerful NEO form he still has strings attached to him (that he won't even notice if he succeeded in the player manipulation thing) and in either case he ultimately becomes an item you use just for stats. guy really isn't a fan of puppetteers"

"you propably knew this was coming lol

Tumblr's favorite awful little puppet desperately fighting to get rid of his strings

the pinocchio references are strong in this one

HA HA HA ... THIS POWER IS

FREEDOM.

I WON'T HAVE TO BE JUST A PUPPET ANY MORE!!!!

...

OR... so... I... thought.

WHAT ARE THESE STRINGS!? WHY AM I NOT [BIG] ENOUGH!? It's still DARK... SO DARK!"

"Tries to become a real boy, ends up as another puppet look guy. He's shady, he's a scammer, he's got cringefail swag and I love him"

"He's just a little fucked-up little guy"

#puppet bracket #puppet poll #spamton #spamton g spamton #deltarune #deltarune spamton

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bloodsbane · 3 years

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okay, very quickly while im thinking about it, i want to offer my general theory for Deltarune based off shit that happens in chapter 2

this is all based off playing through the main ‘pacifist’ route AND watching/helping a friend do Snowgrave, plus various flavor text and personal interpretation of what happens at the end of Ch2; maybe ill come back to this post and throw up bits of ‘evidence’ i find if i ever find the time/energy to do so

i’ve sorta been waiting around to see if anyone else puts it into words better than i could, and there have been maybe one or two posts in my orbit that skirt around the idea, but aren’t focused on it

ANYWAY. basically, i still agree we are a force in kris who is controlling some (but not all!) of their actions. kris is still their own person, and is able to demonstrate their personal opinion/feelings, regardless of how we make them answer certain things. there are clearly choices that are ‘not how kris feels’ vs ‘how kris would probably answer’. in general, im sure this point has proven itself between chapters 1 and 2, and i don’t need to go over it too much

however, i feel chapter 2 offers a new key element to this dynamic that might backfill some things that i was wondering about at the end of chapter 1, because especially now that we’ve seen more of kris’ true behavior/personality, i find myself really reluctant to stick to the previous interpretation that after kris takes out their SOUL, they are in complete control of themself

it’s still pretty up in the air, exactly. but im finding myself more inclined to believe that, rather than it simply being a fight between us and kris, there’s some third element present in this battle for control over kris’ body.

something else is influencing kris in a way similar to how we do it, but the biggest thing is that they need COMPLETE control over kris’ will in order to puppet them. i feel like the way kris moves during these segments supports the interpretation that their body is being ‘puppeted’, given how their movements are so slow and limp and jerky when their SOUL is gone.

(i also realized, watching the game a second time, that every time kris removes their SOUL, they appear to be unconscious first: being asleep at the end of chapter 1, limply falling to their knees in front of the sink (passing out? fainting?) in chapter 2, falling asleep on the couch in front of the tv)

kris might not need US to function, but they always need their SOUL - i suppose the easiest way to get across what i mean is the idea that we’re just sort of hijacking controls that were already there. but we’re still tied, distinctly, to the SOUL, not the body. when kris(?) throws us out, we can’t do anything with them anymore. but at this point, i’d argue kris also can’t do anything without that force of will, or Determination, that powers creatures in this universe.

(the SOUL is said to be ‘the culmination of [someone’s] being’, but now im starting to wonder if the SOUL as we recognize it -- our familiar and beloved [[HeartShapedObject]] is distinctly different from how a SOUL in this universe naturally exists outside of extreme/dire circumstances?)

so, if kris isn’t the one casting us out and taking control when the SOUL is put away, who or what is?

there have definitely already been a couple of posts talking about how there’s some outside force influencing the game and the characters. we see it more explicitly in chapter 2 - i mean, Spamton NEO is literally a puppet on strings, and one way we can defeat him is by cutting all the strings allowing him to fight us. and clearly WE are not the ones giving spamton some semblance of control - we are not the voice on the phone, we are not [[Hyperlink Blocked]]

others have noticed this, which makes me happy, but i think another huge piece of the puzzle is magic in the light world - or the apparent lack thereof. monsters could really obviously and naturally use magic in UT, but that seems to be different in DR. kris has to look up how to use magic, and catti talks about the occult and spells; noelle shows an interest in magic, too. but being able to ‘heal with just a simple spell’ is one of noelle’s wishes for a better world, one of the reasons she likes the dark world so much - obviously this is because of her father, who is sick, and cannot be healed by magic in the light world... because there’s no magic? or because the monsters here have forgotten how to utilize it?

(on a smaller note, im also starting to wonder about the town itself, because it feels very contained for reasons that aren’t just ‘this is a video game with a limited scope, duh’. but this is a mere baby egg of a thought and i have little to add)

going back to magic: the basis of my current theory is, more or less, that kris did a spell or tried to summon something, and this is what begins the events in DR. is it that kris brought US into the world, thus unlocking the possibility of going into the dark world? is it that kris brought something ELSE into the world, which then pulled us in, offering us a vessel to pilot, but ultimately the way that body is used is predestined, and so we have ‘no control’ and ‘cannot choose’ and thus ‘the ending will always be the same’?

and, of course, if there is a third party, what is it they want? do they NEED us, too, or are we standing in their way?

the first entry into the dark world is, presumably, opened by kris before WE enter the game. assuming that the [[Mysterious Third Entity]] wants to use the power of a Lightner - kris - to open dark fountains, that means we might not necessarily be required for this, that kris always has the power on their own.

which kind of makes our presence in the story even more interesting? we are a force which can prompt kris to do certain things, but not just kris - noelle can hear us in the snowgrave route - ‘a voice unlike kris’s voice...’ - we have reach beyond kris. we can utilize that reach to commit HORRIBLE MISDEEDS like the little [[revolting slimes]] we are. so what are we, exactly??

...im not sure if i have a satisfying theory to offer here. the nature of us as an element in the game is becoming clearer, but it’s still pretty ambiguous, maybe even more so now that there’s a possible distinction between US vs [[Mysterious Third Entity]]

ANYWAY... i think that’s all my thoughts out! i may possibly re-write this post to be more comprehensive someday, or i’ll just reblog this one with some visual evidence of my points, but honestly i think there are plenty of other posts saying what im saying and i just haven’t seen them. but!! i did want to compile all my thoughts, just for me.

#banebabbles #dr spoilers #deltarune #uhhh #dr theory #for safekeeping

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mcmario · 3 years

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Deltarune Ch. 7 Secret Boss Crackpot Theory (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I believe the final secret boss of the game is the vessel.

To prove this, I’ll need to explain three major points.

1. The secret boss implication, one exists in every chapter

2. The Seven Deadly Sins Theory + Their connection to the theme of “freedom”

3. The Vessel’s connection to a sin through how they were discarded.

- 3a. Toby Fox’s Meta Narrative

So, let’s begin with the obvious:

There’s a secret boss in every chapter.

While it’s not directly proven, it’s most certainly implied that every chapter has a secret boss. Chapter 1 is Jevil, and Chapter 2 is Spamton respectively. There’s a pattern involved between the two. If you defeat Jevil when only fighting him, he mentions the villain of Ch. 2, the QUEEN. In chapter 2, Spamton himself sorta references Jevil (not certain), and talks about a TV related character named MIKE, who’s implied to be the boss of Ch. 3, given the hints about him being TV related plus the smile in the TV as well, it’s most likely true.

With that established, we can see a running trend where every chapter, from 1-6 will all have secret bosses. Where, a secret boss is required to give hints about what comes next, so there really only needs to be 6. Though, why do I say there’ll be 7 secret bosses despite there only needing to be 6? This will tie into my next point of exposition.

The Seven Deadly Sins Theory.

As we know, there are going to be 7 chapters, that is a fact. And interestingly, there are also the seven deadly sins, which lines up perfectly with the seven chapters. 1 sin per chapter. Now, who embodies these sins? The secret bosses. To prove that, we’ll begin with our two best, and only examples, Jevil and Spamton.

This one is relatively self-explanatory. In the fight with Jevil, he always talks about how he’s the only one who is free, and how he can literally do anything.

Another point to be made is the Christian bible’s interpretation of Pride, how it’s a “high or exalted attitude” towards God. One example was “throwing away gifts from god.” If we replace the word God with freedom, and combine that with how he pretends that he’s free despite throwing away his gift of freedom to be imprisoned, similar to how arrogant people think they’re better than God, it makes sense why Jevil would fit this category.

This ties into the theme of freedom, in that Jevil doesn’t have freedom, but pretends they do.

Paradoxical Freedom.

Spamton. This guy’s backstory is about him falling from grace because he followed his greed. He used to be a BIG SHOT, and that desire to be big led him to becoming a corrupted puppet living in a dumpster.

The definition of greed in the biblical sense is that Greedy people are “ruthless self-seeking, and an arrogant assumption that others and things exist for one’s own benefit.” This fits him rather perfectly. He uses Kris for his own ends, to become BIG in the form of Spamton NEO. And when that wasn’t enough, he tried to kill Kris and take their soul. If that isn’t the mindset of someone who uses people for their own gain, then I don’t know what is.

His story revolves around his deep desire for freedom, and how he’ll do anything to get it, yet he fails every time he tries.

Sisyphean Freedom.

So, we know there’s going to be 6-7 secret bosses, and there’s a clear connection between these bosses and the seven deadly sins. And every secret boss has some sort of connection to freedom. So...

... with this in mind, how does this all tie in with the Vessel? What is their connection to the secret bosses? The sins? Freedom?

It’s simple, really.

One word.

Wrath.

Now, why Wrath of all things?

To explain, we need to give some context.

Let’s start with Toby Fox’s writing, his Meta-Narrative. We know Toby Fox, and he has a tenacity to connect video game rules to his stories.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

* Saving/Loading: Time-travel in story, videogame function outside it.

* Shopkeeper NPCS: You can’t fight them. No matter what.

* Darkworld Fountains: Creating them is like creating a story, using real world elements to help create the fictional world and make it seem real.

* Muffet: Her being paid by Gaster in reference to the Kickstarter campaign for Undertale where she was added if a 1000 dollar goal was met.

These are but one of many, many examples of Toby Fox’s writing for a Meta-Narrative, taking video-game functions and incorporating them into the story while connecting them to real life. The Meta Narrative context is very important, because the vessel is another example of Toby’s writing.

The vessel, in Toby Fox’s Meta-Narrative, is a living example of the connection between player and character.

In a videogame, any kind of videogame, you have complete and utter control over the main character, the protagonist. We have seen this countless times, the only way to continue the story, to adventure through these vast, beautiful, fictional worlds, is through these characters. They are VESSELS to us, the player. That is their purpose, to be controlled by us.

Now, with this in mind, it is clear. The purpose of this vessel in Deltarune is to be controlled by the player, you. Just like in any other video game. Now, there’s a problem with that...

YOU DON’T CONTROL THEM.

You control Kris.

Their one purpose in this world was taken from them. We were supposed to control them, they were the vessel we should’ve inhabited. We were their purpose. Now, because of the world, because of how “No one can choose who they are in this world” they don’t get to fulfil their purpose. They become an empty shell, literally and/or metaphorically.

Now, this becomes a bit more interesting once we involve Kris.

Kris is someone who IS controlled, despite not wanting to be. You are forced to control, not a puppet, but an actual person. You were never meant to control them, nor were they meant to be controlled, but the world forced it to happen.

Now, imagine for a moment, that you were the Vessel.

Your desire, your fulfillment in life, your passion, your everything was to be controlled. And how, you were forced to lose that, your will to live, just stolen from you by things you don’t understand. And now, you face them...

Kris.

A being who is controlled, who has your purpose, your needs. You are like a poor person, who is in desperate need of money just to survive. And Kris is like a billionaire, someone who has so much, that they don’t even need it.

You don’t know how or why this happened, but you come to the best conclusion you could.

Kris took your purpose from you.

That thought would first come to mind. You have no concept of Gaster, or other otherworldly beings, all you can comprehend is that you are missing your purpose, and this child in front of you took it from you. All you know is that you were in the dark, you saw the player create you, make you who you are. Giving you a purpose to exist. And now all of the sudden, they are stolen from you, by this... this random person...

...Wouldn’t you be mad, furious even?

Wouldn’t you do whatever it took just to get what you need? To be happy? To have your purpose? Even if it meant killing someone for it?

... Maybe.

That’s why I believe Wrath suits the vessel, it would give the vessel’s story both a meta-narrative, (video-game character you control) one and a personal (wants to be controlled) one.

To further support this idea, let’s look into the definition of wrath for a moment. While it’s true wrath is “strong vengeful anger” it also has a secondary meaning. “Retributory punishment for an offense or a crime : divine chastisement, wrath.” This ties in to the idea that the Vessel wants to attack Kris, because they think Kris deserves to be punished. Punished for taking us, the player, away from them.

This also would tie into the theme of freedom in Deltarune, in a much more challenging way. While Jevil and Spamton both desire to obtain true freedom, the Vessel would be an example of the inverse, someone who is free but wants to be controlled. This would be such a great turn up for the story, as I’d imagine the other 6 secret bosses would all wish for freedom in some capacity, while the Vessel, a creature who truly is free, wishes for the opposite to be true.

In any case, this presents an interesting dichotomy, between both the Vessel and Kris.

Kris is someone who wants to be free, but is controlled.

The Vessel is someone who wants to be controlled, yet is free.

This would most likely develop into a nemesis relationship, where both of these characters would hate each other, because they both are the exact same, yet their ideals are complete opposites. The fight itself would most likely be a reference to the “you must fight a dark version of yourself” trope in videogames. Toby Fox himself would most likely incorporate that SOMEWHERE in his game, so why not in this game?

But, I don’t think it’s just that.

I believe this final fight won’t just be the vessel vs Kris. If what we said was true, and the Vessel wants us to control them, then they won’t want to just fight Kris...

THE FINAL SECRET BOSS IS NOT THE VESSEL. IT’S YOU.

The secret fight will be you, the player, against the person you controlled, Kris.

Suddenly, this would make the fight a lot more complicated. You are the one who’s up against the fun gang, along with everyone else they’ve accumulated because of your actions.

In a sense, it would be utterly ironic. You are responsible for setting yourself up to fight against the people you’ve helped, the ones you got to know so much about. In a sense, you are no different from the rest of these other secret bosses. You try to use what little freedom you have to help these people, and they end up trying to kick your ass.

Though, I doubt you’d lose and die, the only person who would want you dead is Kris, and I doubt their friends would let them kill you.

Though, what that would imply for the ending... I’ll let you figure that one out yourself.

CONCLUSION:

With all this in mind, secret bosses, the connection to the seven deadly sins, the meta narrative and the personal narrative alongside it, it’s clear that the Vessel will come into conflict with Kris, most likely a personal, wrathful vendetta against them for taking the player away from them. After that, Kris becomes free, and the player controls the vessel, you fight Kris in the end, after controlling them for most of the game.

With a narrative that important revolving around Kris, becoming free of the player’s control, I’d imagine it’d most likely take place near the end of the game. Where the Vessel taking away Kris’ strings for themselves holds a lot more meaning. The ending might even revolve around becoming free, probably not in the way we’d expect.

Though frankly, that would just be stretching an already thinned out theory.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading! Make a theory of your own!

Have a good night.

Potential Alternative Sin:

Another sin that could theoretically fit the bill in this aspect is Sloth.

Given the fact that the Vessel, having no puppeteer controlling them, after being discarded, it would make sense to assume they can’t do anything.

It would make sense, given the fact Spamton drops like a pile of rocks when he loses his strings.

Though, despite this variation, my idea would still hold firm. The secret fight will involve you controlling the vessel to fight against Kris and the gang. That’s still the same despite switching sins around. Though, it’d make the vessel less of their own character, and it’d lose a lot of character dynamics and whatnot, but that’s just me.

As much as I don’t like it, and think it’d be improbable, it’s not impossible, that’s why I have it here.

Feel free to correct my theory by the way! Criticism and arguments always helps with deciding to keep ideas or to just toss them for better ones. Cheers!

#deltarune #kris deltarune #deltarune chapter two #deltarune spoilers #kris #spoilers #future spoilers?#chapter 7 ideas #chapter 7 #chapter 2 #chapter seven #seven deadly sins #theory #jevil #spamton #vessel #deltarune vessel

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caitybug · 3 years

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It may be February but... why not haha.

Below the cut, organized in chronological order, are the fics I wrote in 2020! All put into one place :D. Thank you to everyone who read, kudos’d, commented, beta’d, and supported my writing. It was my first ever year writing fanfiction, and I am so thankful for all the friends I’ve made because of it.

<3 <3

If Not For You

Word count: 92,461 Chapters: 36 Rating: M

Summary:

Simon was born and raised in the midwest, and he thinks he has his life figured out. He has a girlfriend that he feels happy with, is excited to drive for his junior year, and can't wait to get away from his father when he goes away for school.

However, this all changes when his mom dies and he is carted to the east coast to start at a boarding school. Simon then has to deal with having a roommate (who hates him), living with his mother's death, and wanting to be anywhere but where he is.

To add to it all, one day he gets a strange phone call, and he wonders if his mother's death was really an accident at all.

author’s note:

This was my first like actual fic. And my first try at writing something. This fic will always have a special place in my heart because it helped lead me to all the amazing people I now call friends <3

Not only that but it was a bit of therapy for me. (Self insert? In MY fanfiction? More likely than you’d think!)

Anyway, whenever someone comments, leaves kudos, or otherwise acknowledge that the fic exists I get emotional haha. I also have like three playlists for it too haha.

The Heist

Word Count:7456 Rating:T

Summary:

It's the fourth year of the Halloween heist, and Baz is determined to win. He thinks he has it all planned, that he knows Simon Snow through and through.

Despite this, somehow Simon still manages to surprise him.

author’s note:

b99 AU bahaha. Need I say more??

Pay Your Fines, Snow

Word Count: 1524 Rating: T

Summary:

Baz Pitch works at the local library every summer. He's annoyed at kids who run around, people who don't follow directions, and Simon Snow- who can't pay a fine on time.

author’s note

This fic was the first of the fics that sparked all my crazy prompts haha. It was so much fun to do!

There is a wonderful podfic of this made by the amazing and beautiful @xivz, and it also has art now by @peachpit-gabe!! Go check it out here.

A Rebirth

Word Count: 3374 Rating: T

Summary:

Simon and Baz need to finish their presentation for their Art History class. However, Baz also got pulled into watching his younger siblings for the weekend.

Frozen 2, chicken nuggets, sword fights, and themes of Renaissance.

author’s note

I wrote this for the amazing @krisrix as a prompt! It was so much fun to do and I legit wrote the whole thing in like one afternoon and had it looked over and posted it haha. I still feel bad because Kris legit asked for babies and I kicked the babies out at the beginning of the fic LOL.

Coming Together in Three Parts

Word Count: 4639 Rating: M Chapters: 3

Summary:

Three snippets of their lives after Wayward Son.

author’s note:

The summary definitely leaves a lot to be imagined haha. But I decided to pull a @ninemagicks and give a metaphor of threes and I love yous. So it’s three lovely stages after Wayward Son. There’s the I Love You, the moving in, and then a marriage proposal. I was fairly proud of this! And I did this as an exchange fic as well.

The Three Acts of a Wizard

Word Count: 6439 Rating: T

Summary:

Today, Baz is giving Simon a reprieve (or, that's what he is telling Simon.)

Cue a removal of cursed body parts, a grumpy fireplace who *knows* what is happening, and a shrill frizzy-haired friend threatening to poison some scones.

(this is a remix fic for @ninemagicks HMC AU YWSAFS

author’s note:

I wrote this for Nena’s birthday in the summer! Their friendship has meant the world to me, and this story is what I think gave me the gall courage to message them and harass them with 2k word comments/metas haha. If you’ve not read their fic, make sure to do so!

Heaven is a Place on Earth

Word Count: 12,711 Rating: M Chapters: 5 Summary:

Five hours each week. That's all Simon and Baz get.

But we know that's all they need to fall in love...

A San Junipero AU

author’s note:

This fic idea came to me randomly and I literally wrote it in a week. I love it so much, and despite being MCD I think it’s still generally happy (I mean.. they do end up together??) Idk, it has a special place in my heart. And I made @krisrix read Baz with an american accent so... win win haha.

(Un)Sexy Saturday

Word Count: 6157 Rating: M/E Chapters: 9 (they’re different stories each chapter.)

Summary:

Summaries vary by chapter. Overall it’s just a collection of silly stories where sex gets interrupted.

author’s note:

Honestly this series was so fun to do. I need to continue it sometime! From beauty blender butt plugs, to swingers, to garlic allergies... it just makes me laugh haha.

5 Times Simon Wanted a Fistbump, and the 1 Time He Finally Got It

Word Count: 5489 Rating: T Chapters: 6

Summary:

Simon Snow hasn't had a lot of friends in his life. He has Penny, who is great, of course. He has Baz (but does he count as a friend?)

So now, seeing Shepard, he's got a chance at a friend. A bro of sorts.

Simon sees the final hurdle in their friendship to be a fist bump. A simple signal of their friendship.

But how long is it going to take to get it??

5 + 1 Yearning for a Fist Bump.

author’s note:

Simpard. Friendship. And art by @nick-eyre?? Perfection.

A Goblin’s Skull, Maccies, and a Door Handle

Word Count: 2017 Rating: T

Summary:

Simon Snow wakes up in a building he doesn't know, tied up and blindfolded.

Luckily his best bro Shepard is there too.

author’s note:

Wrote this as a little bday treat for @nick-eyre :D. Decided to give Simon a friend who would also lust after goblins with him haha.

One Word, Four Letters, A Lifetime's Worth of Pain: IKEA

Word Count: 2428 Rating: T

Summary:

Baz comes home and notices the house is suspiciously quiet.

When he finds Simon, surrounded by unfinished pieces of furniture, he can't help but ask... why?

Author’s note:

This was written as a birthday gift for @foolofabookwyrm! She is an absolute gem and has never been to IKEA, but now I hope she understands the struggle of building IKEA furniture haha.

The Beat of My Heart

Word Count: 2230 Rating: T

Summary:

Simon is kneeling on the ground, waiting for Baz to come home.

He has a question. One he's wanted to ask for a while.

author’s note:

This was written as a birthday gift for @krisrix! A little proposal fic for the rat king <3 <3

Out of My Mind

Word Count: 10876 Rating: M Chapters: 3

Summary:

Baz and Simon are living their lives, domestic and content. They have a nine-year-old daughter, a Sunday morning routine, and plans to be alone for the first time for a while.

But when a girl who is growing into her powers reads something she shouldn't, they get into a predicament they don't expect.

author’s note:

This was a COE gift for @krisrix! Body Swap! Parents! Married! I tried to do it all for him haha. 2020 was really the year where I was like yeah, let’s write Kris a million fics. And honestly—wouldn’t have it any other way.

Imposter vs Crewmates

Word Count: 754 Rating: T

Summary:

Everyone has their quarantine coping strategies.

Simon tried to bake bread.

Baz watched Twilight.

But Penelope...

She introduced the gang to Among Us.

author’s note:

Look. I’ve no excuses for this lolol. Just thought it’d be silly :D.

The Ethics of Wanting You

Word Count: 1417 Rating: T

Summary:

Simon Snow realized recently that he has a crush on Baz.

Penny suggested he find reasons to spend more time with him, so he suggests a study session for their ethics exam the following day.

(It doesn't go as planned, but the result is very much worth it.)

author’s note:

Birthday gift for @peachpit-gabe <3 <3. Just a cute one shot with snowbaz.

Pumpkin, Let’s Make a Patch

Word Count: 2516 Rating: T

Summary:

Simon Snow is trying to create a neighborhood pumpkin patch.

Baz, unknowingly, rips the pumpkins out of his front lawn.

(How will he make it up to him?)

author’s note:

This was done for the COC. I based it off this cute tiktok series with this kid who rode around on his skateboard and plants pumpkins around his neighborhood.

Weathering the Storm

Word Count: 2248 Rating: T

Summary:

Shepard was nine when he first met a boy he'd learn was Simon Snow.

He was in a ditch crying, and Shepard wasn't sure what to make of him.

This boy lived in his mind until he saw him again years later.

And today, when there's a storm unlike any other in London, he knows who must be at the center of it.

author’s note:

Honestly. This is probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. IDK. It’s so short but... I love it. And if you like to listen to fics— @bloodiedpixie did a phenomenal podfic of it! And @nick-eyre did AMAZING art for it too <3.

New Beginnings

Word Count: 2090 Rating: T

Summary:

It's the first New Years Eve after the Christmas that changed everything.

After Simon Snow and Baz kissed.

After they defeated the humdrum.

After the Mage's death.

But, as many of us do, it's time to take the New Year as an opportunity to begin anew.

author’s note:

Part of a server exchange I did for @knitbelove :D.

And, all of the prompts I’ve yet to put on ao3... lolol

#2020 masterpost #Caity did fanfiction #Caity does fanfiction #still #but wow I really DID that y'all #i wrote over 250k last year #YIKES #damn #anyway #this has been great #love you all

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rosesgonerogue · 4 years

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Presents

Daminette December Day Twenty-Four

There were very few things in life that could reduce Damian to actual panic; he could count the number of times he’d experienced the emotion on one hand.

Now was one of those times.

By some miracle, Damian had found a girlfriend who saw him, not Damian Wayne, not Robin, not the prince of the League of Shadows, but who he was. Marinette was everything that he wasn’t, kind, sweet, optimistic.

Good at giving presents.

In fact, Marinette was the best at giving presents. Her gifts always showed that she paid attention to the receiver, remembering things that had been mentioned once in a conversation well over a year ago. She also insisted on hand-making her gifts, making them specifically tailored to the tastes and preferences of the receiver.

It was amazing when you were opening your own gift, but gut-wrenching when she was opening whatever she was given. It could and would never measure up.

But this year Damian was determined to at least try to give her something worthy of… well, her. The only question was what that would be.

So, he began his investigation, asking the opinions of various people. He started the questioning with his own family.

“For Marinette?” Dick thought for a moment. “A package of needles? Some fabric? I don’t know, something like that.”

“I believe Miss Marinette will be delighted with whatever you may choose, Master Damian,” Alfred said. “I’m sure you will find something suitable for the young lady.”

“Paris is dangerous with all of those akuma thingies running around, right? Like a taser? I would say a gun, but I think Pixie-Pop would shoot me in the foot if you gave her one,” Jason had said before punching out a garden variety thug. In hindsight, asking Jason in the middle of a job probably hadn’t been the wisest option. At the same time, he probably would have given the same advice wherever they were.

“Women always like flowers and jewelry,” Father had said dismissively, only for Selina to look at him archly.

“Yes, most women tend to like those,” she said, eyes staring into Bruce’s soul, “but we prefer things that mean something. Like her favorite flower, or something that will remind her of something you’ve done together. On that note, I’ll be looking forward to what you decide to give me for Christmas, darling.”

Tim had given the question some real thought, but just as he was opening his mouth to respond, Damian cut him off. “What am I thinking? I’m not so desperate to go to Drake for help.”

Damian was lost. He even gave in and called a few of Marinette’s closest friends for help, but they only lamented how impossible she was to shop for. He was alone, well and truly alone.

He came up with an idea. Well, it was closer to half an idea, but it was all he had to go on, so Damian went with it.

When the time came, Damian wouldn’t say that he was nervous about how the gift would be received, but that was simply because Damian Wayne would never admit to being nervous. In reality he was shaking in his boots.

“Dames!” Marinette said, rushing towards him as soon as he saw her, arms outstretched. “I missed you so much!”

Damian opened his arms, chuckling lightly. “It’s been a week, Angel.”

Firm in his embrace, Marinette pouted up at him. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you.”

“And I missed you as well,” Damian said truthfully, pressing his forehead to hers. The two stood like that for a few moments before He reluctantly pulled away. “Come inside, I’d hate for you to catch a chill.”

“Oh, shall we go inside and play a rousing game of whist?” she teased. “A spot of tea while we’re at it.”

“I’ve told you before, the way I speak is not old fashioned, it’s timeless,” Damian groaned.

“Sure, sure.”

He led her into the parlor of the manor where everyone else had explicitly been banned via Alfred’s orders. They sat down, respective boxes in hand.

It only took a few moments for Marinette to thrust her box at him. “You go first, I want to make sure it fits.”

So she had made some sort of clothes for him. There really was no surprise there. She likely also had a bag entirely full of gifts she had made for his undeserving family.

He almost regretted tearing into her perfect wrapping, but he was also eager to see what she had made.

Time and experience had taught Damian to have high expectations of Marjnette’s work, but what lay inside exceeded that. An olive army jacket lay inside, doubtlessly made of the finest material and fit to his exact measurements, but upon removing it, he found that the back was embroidered in an intricate pattern he would have known anywhere.

Damian breathed in deeply. “Where… How did you…?”

Marinette smiled. “I got to visit some of my family in China, remember? I did some research while I was there.”

Sometimes it was easy to forget that Marinette and Damian had ties back to the same country. Grandfather had been a member of an ancient Chinese nomadic tribe, largely lost to history. He had shown Damian a few things he had kept through the years, simply to have some idea of his roots. On the back of the jacket, Marinette had captured the symbols perfectly, down to the exact shades of the colors they would have used. He hadn’t thought that would be possible without the dyes that literally no longer existed.

“Angel, I… I never thought I would see anything like this again,” Damian said, looking up at her. “Seriously, how?”

In truth it had involved little more than some time with Fluff, but Damian didn’t need to know that. Instead she smiled slyly. “Just remember never to underestimate women.”

“We were never in danger of me underestimating you, Angel,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her hand. “After this, I’m afraid my gift is going to pale in comparison.”

“I’m sure I’m going to love it, whatever it is,” she said, tilting her head up. “After all, I do love the person giving the gift.”

“I wanted to get you something that you loved because it’s a genuinely good gift, not because you love me,” Damian said, presenting her with his own (inferiorly wrapped) gift.

His heart was beating a little erratically while she tore off the paper. “It’s… a book?”

“Open it and see.”

“Oh, it’s a photo album! This is so sweet! It’s too bad that we only have a handful of pictures together, but it looks like there’s plenty of room to add in!”

“Keep looking.”

Curious, Marinette flipped through a few more pages. There were more pictures as well as letters lovingly placed inside. But aside from that, many of the pages were covered in Damian’s elegant scrawl. It told the stories behind the pictures, as well as the stories that had no pictures. But as Marinette had noticed, there was a lot of room for later.

“I want this book to tell our story, a story that I don’t plan on ending any time soon. I want there to be volumes upon volumes, because you’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Taglist:

@daminette-december2019 @cravethosecrazysquares @krispydefendorpolice @thesunanditsangel @sonif50 @kris-pines04 @persephonebutkore @tbehartoo @corabeth11 @caffeinetheory @drarryismylife101 @bluerosette23 @weird-pale-blonde-person @mystery-5-5 @heaven428 @thethirdwheelfriend @thetinymoonflower @interobanginyourmom @chocolate1721 @akana-sama @skyel0ve @katiegardneriscoolerthanyou

Again, I’m blaming the fever and the excessive family time. I haven’t had time to write for a hot minute, and it seems like that trend is going to continue the next few days. I love my family but I want to write.

Also, I was looking into the lore of Batman earlier, and one source told me that Ra’s was a part of a Chinese nomadic tribe. However, the more frequently cited source says that Ra’s was born somewhere in the Arabian Desert. I thought the Chinese thing sounded a little off, but China is also a LOT more diverse than we generally think it is. I’m keeping it as is for now, because the Batman lore is actually a joke. I can pretty much write what I want and there’s probably been something written to back it up.

#maribat #daminette #maridami #daminette december

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ralexsol · 3 years

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On the Subject of Underverse S2

You read that correctly: this is a post about one of the greatest shows ever created, the Undertale animated series Underverse, written/animated by @jakei95. I have a lot of theories that I’ve been pulling together ever since I watched both Underverse and Xtale (the Underverse prequel series). Maybe one or two have no basis in anything, but for some reason they popped into my head and I’ll stick by them until they’re proven incorrect. I will discuss the possibility of a Geno/Ink fight, Fresh!Ink, XI (you’ll definitely want to read their section!), and the fates of many different characters. This is quite the long post, so buckle up for a long ride.

Let’s begin!

GENO/INK FIGHT:

I’m putting this theory first because it is the least important. At some point in time, I somehow got it into my head that there is supposedly going to be a fight between Geno and Ink. I have no idea where I heard about this, and when I searched for any specific videos or posts about the subject, I found nothing. But I personally think a fight scene between Geno and Ink would be pretty cool, so I’m adding this in here.

FRESK!INK’S EXISTANCE:

This is a more relevant theory. Ever since Jakei announced that Fresh!Ink would be a part of Underverse, I have wondered how he would be incorporated. I don’t know if she means for him to be in the future “Beach Episode” or something more serious. (Of course, I know almost nothing about this supposed “Beach Episode”, which is apparently when Epic!Sans will be showing up, so I really wouldn’t know.) But there is an important thing to remember: Ink and Fresh made a deal in the first season.

Ever since I saw this Underverse - Xtra Scene 2, I have wondered what this “prize” could possibly be. What was Ink’s side of the deal? What did he promise Fresh? Hmm... maybe a new body to take over?

Ink’s body doesn’t have a SOUL- that’s basic “Undertale AU Knowledge 101″. What does this have to do in regards to Fresh? To my best knowledge, the actual parasitic creature True!Fresh feeds off the souls of other creatures to survive. In fact, his soul-feeding would kill his victims if he stayed long enough in one body, but he likes to play it safe and leave his victims alive in case he needs to use their body again. But he wouldn’t need to do this with Ink. Because of Ink’s SOULless nature, Fresh could theoretically feed off his body forever. Some might object that since Ink doesn’t have a SOUL, Fresh wouldn’t be able to feed off him. But then how does Fresh!Ink exist?

So, what was their deal? Fresh watches over the Xtale AU while Ink is gone, and after Cross and X!Chara are taken care of, Ink comes back and lets Fresh take over his body for a little while. There may be something else I’m missing, but the pieces seem to make sense.

XI’S PURPOSE:

For those of you who don’t know who XI is, I suggest you watch this video about Jakei’s Overwrite merch. This is when the character of XI was introduced to us, back on good ol’ April 1st, 2019. Haha, yes, the joke character of XI- funny April Fool’s Day video, a good laugh for everyone. Jakei has made a few comics about XI since then, but overall, XI hasn’t been involved in Xtale or Underverse so far. That has never sat right with me, and I’ve always thought there would be something more to him. I was proven absolutely correct when Xtale - The Movie came out. But before we discuss the little extra scene tagged onto the end of that video, I would like to point out some very interesting facts about XI.

On October 6th, 2019, Jakei posted a traditional speedart. Obviously, the art is gorgeous like always and every time I watch it I wonder if I will ever get to the level of skill she is at. But besides that, there is a very important aspect about this video. In the speedart, Jakei drew two pictures: one of X!Chara and X!Frisk fighting, and one of XI. In XI’s picture, they are depicted in full armor with a magical purple sword & shield.

Hmmm... I wonder who this could possible resemble?

Every time XI is shown, whether it be in comics or artwork, their bangs hang over their eyes. Their armor looks exactly like Kris’s from Deltarune. Heck, they both use a sword and a shield! What does this mean? XI is X!Kris. There is no way to deny this. This is why they are X!Chara’s and X!Frisk’s little sibling. I would also like to point out XI’s silver oval locket. I find it interesting how he has a different piece of jewelry from everyone else- all other important characters in Xtale have a matching golden heart locket. Does XI also have people he has given copies of this necklace to? Perhaps X!Susie and X!Ralsei, if they exist? But XI being X!Kris is only the beginning of this theory. Remember how I mentioned Xtale - The Movie earlier? Take a look at this picture.

This is a five-second frame pegged at the very end of the video, after an entry written in wingdings by Mister XGaster himself. The message is as follows:

Entry Number Eleven: As clear as a reflection in a mirror, I have found the most perfect projection of forbidden visions. Get ready. Your time is coming.

Okay, just whoa. Not only is the entry #11, but the person standing there is XI. Oh, and let’s take a closer look at what they’re holding in their hand.

I knew that silver locket was going to be important. There is no way that XI is not going to play a major part in either Underverse S2 or hmm... maybe a spin-off about the Xtale versions of Deltarune characters? To my knowledge, Jakei has not said anything about her plans after she finishes Underverse. She has her Metadora project, and I am aware that her husband @nyxtheshield is planning out his own Undertale series- someone will need to animate that, and I’m sure she would be able and willing to do the job. She has stated that there will be no seasons of Underverse after S2, and the finale will be 1.0. But that doesn’t mean she won’t make a new series. If she does, will it be about all the Deltarune characters? Will the other Xtale characters show up at certain points in it? Will XGaster play a large part in it? There is no way to know, as the idea of a new show is simply drawn from that there may not be enough time in S2 to fully expand what XI is.

In any case, XGaster states in the entry that “your time is coming”. This could either reference a new show or XI’s appearance in Underverse. I find it extremely interesting how XGaster words his message. “The most perfect projection of forbidden visions.” What does that mean exactly? XGaster has seen something in one of his many visions, obviously. The most perfect image of prohibited sights. XI is a person that stands for something that should not be allowed to exist. That makes sense- XGaster, a man, somehow got pregnant and birthed them, as shown in the Overwrite merch video. The “forbidden visions” might imply that he has seen something quite “cursed”, as us modern Internet-users would say. But then he tells this projection to get ready, because their time is coming. XGaster is telling XI to prepare themself. This just proves that XI and XGaster are tied together very closely, and that if XI does get their own series with X!Ralsei and X!Susie, XGaster will be involved.

Whew! That’s a lot of information to take in all at once. This was the big “theory” I wanted to discuss, so now we will move on to the different fates I believe may befall some of our beloved characters.

INK, FOR GOOD OR FOR WORSE?:

Ah, Ink. One of the true protagonists of Underverse. Remember: a protagonist is not necessarily a hero, just one of the leading characters. It has been seen that his story arc is the most important throughout the entire story. He is the one that inspired XGaster. He is the one that made XGaster’s plan succeed. And he very well might be the one to make it fail.

Wait, you’re asking me. I thought he was on XGaster’s side? What do you mean he will make it fail?

I didn’t want to address whether Ink was going to stick with XGaster or flip until a certain song was posted by Nyx two days ago on December 5th, “Soulless Heart”. If you haven’t listened to it yet, go ahead and click that link because the song is beautiful and absolutely necessary to continue on with this theory! The song is the Underverse 0.5 Ending Theme, and guess who it’s about? You guessed it, our good old buddy chum pal Ink. I’ve been listening to it on repeat since it came out, and it really is incredible. (Nyx, if you’re somehow reading this, I would like to personally congratulate you, because not only is the music amazing but mwah! Your voice is a joy, and I would not have any other singer do the vocals.) But the most important thing about the song is the lyrics. Here’s the first verse.

How long have I been longing

to be free and not broken

in this ocean of hollowness?

I don’t want to be forgotten.

Instantly, the lyrics hit you hard. This is about Ink, though, so you can’t expect anything less. Essentially, the song is about the emptiness that Ink feels without a SOUL. This goes along with one of his main aspects in Underverse. The only reason why he worked with XGaster to make sure XGaster’s game worked was so he could feel more emotions. As a chaotic neutral character, Ink literally only cares about himself and his personal goals. But what is interesting about this song is that he addresses the pain he has caused.

Sacrificial lambs

laid upon my path

now are broken worlds

killed by senseless wrath.

Ink knows that he has hurt people. I mean, in the present timeline when 0.5 is to be set, Ink’s actions just caused Error to literally “pull the plug” and destroy all the AUs. (Although, how many AUs were actually destroyed is impossible to determine, because there are still multiple Sanses that will be incorporated into S2 that were residing in their AUs at the time of their supposed destruction.) Ink knows that this is his fault. And now that XGaster has won, Ink will be receiving all those emotions he wanted! In the S2 teaser, which was released on the original Underverse 0.5 release date (the episode was unfortunately delayed due to issues with Nyx’s distributor, RouteNote), shows something very important.

Look at those vials in his hand. Those aren’t just colored vials. Well, they are, but their colors are especially important. Look at their specific colors: orange, yellow, and amber. Previously, Ink’s vials have been seen as very straightforward: roy g biv, that sort of thing.

You have one or maybe two variations, although in this picture there seems to be about four different aqua vials. But there certainly isn’t an amber vial. This goes to show that XGaster followed through on his promise, and Ink has a lot more variations in his color-coded emotion vials. The obvious conclusion from this is that he can feel a lot more things than he thought was possible- including guilt. With his newfound feelings, he could realize that what he did wasn’t just wrong, it was horrible. He might start to blame himself for getting all the AUs destroyed, which in turn might result in a betrayal of XGaster. With his emotions, he would become a real good person. But ultimately, without XGaster’s Overwrite abilities, Ink’s new emotions will fade and he will return to be the same old Ink as before. He will no longer understand why he sacrificed his emotions, and the cycle will start anew. Ink will never be truly happy, because being happy will always mean the suffering of others.

Or, Ink will stick with XGaster. It would be the same fate, after all; if the heroes defeat XGaster, Ink will still lose those emotions. This, though, might leave him feeling bitter and even more willing to do anything to get what he wants, which could potentially lead to him becoming a real villain. Perhaps XGaster isn’t the final boss of Underverse. Maybe the one to start everything will be the one to finish everything.

XGASTER AND UT!GASTER:

This wouldn’t be a real theory post without discussing our favorite fanfiction writer, would it? And yes, XGaster is literally a fanfiction writer. He has symptoms of OCD concerning the world-building of his universe and he just loves to add as much angst as humanly (or monsterly) possible. It just so happens that he lives in his own created universe, so his creations have the pleasurable chance at getting revenge.

Now, there are obviously two ways that Underverse can go: XGaster succeeds, or XGaster fails. This doesn’t necessarily mean that this will be the ending of S2. As I mentioned above, perhaps XGaster will be defeated at the end of 0.9 and 1.0 will be about everyone trying to stop Ink from taking the Overwrite SOUL for his own, I don’t know. In any case, I don’t really have anything to discuss about XGaster specifically, but I am pretty sure I know what his last scene will be if he happens to lose.

It is shown in the Underverse S2 Prologue - Owners that XGaster and UT!Gaster spent a lot of time together in the Void between the events of Xtale and Underverse. Not only do they hold an entire conversation together in Owners, but in Underverse 0.1 when Sans is hit in the head with a ball, he has a vision of the two of them standing together.

In XGaster’s and UT!Gaster’s conversation in Owners, UT!Gaster tells XGaster that he will fail in his quest for perfection. XGaster brushes him off because he’s an egotistical prick, yadda yadda. But this conversation is important because I believe it will parallel the ending of XGaster’s quest. In the end, UT!Gaster will approach his old Void-buddy and tell him to just give up on his pointless venture. XGaster will turn to dust after saying something like, “I will never give up”, and then we have Ink going on a rampage. That’s pretty much all I have to say on them, but I thought it would be worth adding.

DREAM AND NIGHTMARE:

Lastly, we have the brothers. As with XGaster and UT!Gaster, I don’t have much to add with them. But I do believe they will both play a major role in S2. They will be the overseers of the battle to come. Out of all the characters in the Undertale fandom, they are the most omnipotent. They are the protectors of the Tree of Feelings, which is one of three trees to give the Multiverse life. In Underverse 0.4, when X!Chara accused Nightmare of “watching us all this time as if we were part of a show”, Nightmare responded by saying:

Of course, Nightmare mostly means himself, Error, and Ink. Dream is much more active in helping people be happy, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t on the same god-tier level as his brother. Dream could sit back and watch the world tick, but he chooses not to because that goes against his morals.

In other words, Dream and Nightmare will probably affect the outcome of Underverse more than any other characters. They’re both pissed about what Error did: all those people that Dream cared about were murdered, and Nightmare can no longer generate negative feelings from innocents. They both have invested interest in this Multiverse war now, and their powers will certainly come to the forefront.

I believe that at the end of the story, the Multiverse will essentially go back to the exact way it was before Xtale was invented. XGaster will be dead, the Xtale characters will be put back in their AU, the other AUs will be restored, and at the end of it all, Dream and Nightmare will be once again pitted against one another. We may even see an alliance between them during Underverse S2 to stop XGaster, but afterwards, they will reestablish their rivalry. Unless the Omega Timeline comes into play, which it very well might, I don’t see the two brothers reconciling.

CONCLUSION:

Thank you everyone who took the agonizingly long time to read this! I hope this shed some light on certain characters (especially XI) and encourages to make some of your own theories. Stay safe and good night!

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fasa-umich · 3 years

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Jolene Soriano, FASA 2020-21 Co-Social Chair

Oh, hey FASA, didn’t see you there. It’s me, one of your co-social chairs this year, Jolene. You’re probably wondering how I ended up here. My story begins in a small town in the west side of Michigan where I had no real ties to my culture other than whatever my mom decided to cook up for dinner and the functions my parents had with the very few other Filipinos in Holland. I grew up always feeling a little out of place and always feeling the need to hide my culture from my friend group. When it came to my junior and senior year of high school, one of the biggest factors for me in deciding where to go for college was wanting to be in an environment where I could comfortably express myself and my culture. With that being said, I put in a deposit for Grand Valley State University, another predominantly white school. Not to bash on that school or anything, it’s a good school, it’s just I would’ve had a repeat of my high school days. Obviously, I did not end up going to GVSU and I ended up changing my mind and submitted my deposit for the University of Michigan the day before deposits were due. The biggest reason why I ended up changing my decision was because of the opportunities available at Michigan, that I couldn’t get anywhere else. One of these opportunities being FASA. So, when I got to Michigan, I waddled up to the table at Festifall, got info for their mass meeting, sat in on the mass meeting, ate some Insomnia Cookies, and ended up committing a large amount of time to the org.

For those of you who met me last year, you may know that at the first few events I ever went to I spoke a total of maybe five words. So you might be wondering how this literally silent person wound up as social chair, a position that requires speaking maybe more than five words. For this, you’ll have to thank Aber John Espinoza. I know I make fun of him kind of frequently (every chance I get), but I do genuinely have to thank him for providing a space in his Modern Tinik sets for me to finally get comfortable and start opening up to people. AJ’s naturally friendly and sociable personality allowed me, an unbearably shy individual, to start forging the bonds and friendships I have now. He was the one to kickstart whatever “sociable” nature I have in FASA. When I ran for social chair, the main thing I wanted to accomplish was creating a space similar to the 8PM to 10PM Modern Tinik practices in all of my social events and initiatives. I wanted to make sure everyone, new or old, had a place where they could express themselves and open up safely and start making those friendships in FASA that really will last a lifetime. Hopefully, that was something I was able to accomplish during my time in this position.

modern tinik origin story s/o aj (black shirt in the back set of sticks)

Social chair was not exactly what I had expected, granted COVID did not help anything. The ideas I had originally envisioned were no longer feasible, and online events were the only thing that my co-chair Jason and I could do. After our first few online events in June with Independence Day Spirit Week, I disliked hosting online events. At first, the events felt awkward, there were lag issues, the list went on. However, we pushed ourselves to think outside of the box and committed to making these social events fun, even if they were virtual. It was not easy to say the least. We didn’t have anyone to ask about how to make an online event “fun” since no one’s ever had to pull one off, and even if we did have ideas that we wanted to do, they weren’t exactly always feasible online. Nonetheless, we were committed to making these events as fun as possible and the result of that were literally hundreds of meetings and thousands of hours spent over the course of the year. You may think I’m exaggerating that time, but honestly I don’t think I am. Not only were we busy with these events, we were also launching the first ever year long FAM competition-- POTTER. This initiative had its own set of challenges from making the rules, the scoreboard, points, keeping in communication with FAM heads, the list goes on and on. We juggled our events, POTTER, and all the other board responsibilities that were asked of us.

welcomed the weekend with the best people

You could maybe say that we were a bit ambitious in our goals for our tenure, which might have caused us more stress than if we had just stuck to the traditional social events done. There could be some truth in that statement. I mean, we didn’t have to put in that level of effort into our events or into POTTER. But it would also be literally so embarrassing if we were that org and just did something basic like Kahoot at every social event. More importantly though, especially in the times of a panoramic and isolation, maintaining friendships and being social is crucial to one’s well-being. This is one of the main reasons why we worked especially hard. Although there were many instances where I questioned why I was putting in so much effort or allowing myself to incur so much stress, I feel rewarded at the end of the day. When I look back on the year and the things I’ve accomplished, I feel proud that I was able to do all the things I wanted and more. It also makes me feel good that I might’ve been able to create the same space AJ made for me. I would say that whatever stress or negative emotions I felt during my time on board was worth it.

FASA board has provided me with many invaluable experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world, from the countless midnight parties, boardie hangouts, stressful weeks and events, and meeting so many amazing people. FASA board has pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way, forcing my introverted self to initiate conversations with awkward freshmen trying to navigate their way through their first year and leading zoom calls filled with many people. I’ve also learned the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and asking for help. It’s so easy to think “this is my event, so I have to do this on my own,” but in reality that’s just making more work for yourself. I’ve never been a part of a team that has worked so closely together, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to have been supported by an amazing cast of characters.

charlie ft. trad #charlie supremacy

Ok, so this is the part where I’m going to go through a list of thank yous and messages to certain individuals. To Board, I don’t think there are enough thank you’s in the world to express the gratitude for you all. You all have been there for me whenever I’ve needed it the most and helped me throughout all the tough times this year. You all are smashing individuals and I wouldn’t have wanted to work with anyone else this year. To AJ, thank you for being the foundation of my time in FASA. I don’t think you realize just how much your existence has impacted my journey in FASA and on board and without you I don’t think I would have had the experience I’ve had if it wasn’t for you. I will dearly miss you when you inevitably graduate and I will try to continue your legacy of making FASA a safe space for everyone. Ok, I think that it’s for all the sappy words for you we’ll go back to our regularly scheduled programming of roasting AJ. To Sean Herrera and Bea Fandino, thank you for being the boardie boomers I could always go to. I will always be grateful for Midnight Party being the thing that brought us all closer together and started a friendship that no one saw coming. Also, sorry for all the random and questionable texts I’ve sent at odd hours of the night, but I hope you were able to get some entertainment out of it. To Kristina Mallabo, thank you for always entertaining my shenanigans and driving me to Fuller when I don’t want to walk 20 minutes. You truly have become one of my best friends and I wouldn’t trade you for the world (except for my anime boys but that’s to be expected). Hmmm… I think that’s all for my messages and thank yous… LOL just kidding how could I ever forget to thank the one person who’s kept me sane throughout this entire year… Park Jimin <3

KIDDING! I’M KIDDING! The last person I’d like to talk about in this testimonial is none other than Jason Portugal. A somewhat unlikely friendship born from the 8PM to 10PM Modern Tinik practices and late night Victor’s Pushes at Mojo. Mr. Portugal has been one of my closest friends since I joined FASA, and I don’t think there was another person I would’ve wanted to run for social chair with. I was really lucky to have one of my best friends as my co-chair and go through thick and thin with him. I genuinely do not believe I would’ve been able to make it through this year without Jason. I would like to thank him for making all of the late night meetings, stress, and countless hours bearable, for all the laughs, memories, and shenanigans, and for being someone I can be vulnerable with. I don’t think I could envision a life without Jason Portugal and he is a pillar of my life that I could not go without. Thank you, Jason, for everything you’ve done for me this year and for working together with me to accomplish the things we’ve done. We did it.

putting the “jj” in “jjk” (we love you kris)

Before I wrap this testimonial up, I’d like to write a message for next year’s socials. This board position is a lot of work, but I assure you that if you truly love what you’re doing, it’ll all be worth it in the end. I don’t think I can stress the importance of having fun with what you’re doing. You can’t expect general members at your event to have fun, if you’re not also having fun. The energy you give is the energy you’ll receive. Also, be sure to rely on your co-chair! You don’t have to be best friends or anything, but they are with you for your entire tenure and you go through so much together. Be sure to always keep in constant communication with each other! My wish for whoever carries on the social chair legacy is that they are passionate about instilling a welcome and safe space at every social event.

With that being said, I’ve come to the conclusion of this testimonial. I will miss working with everyone on board, contributing to FASA’s community through social events, and turning visions of event ideas into reality. I will not miss spamming the GroupMe with all of my announcement messages though. I’m looking forward to what next year’s board brings and am excited to participate in social events rather than planning them! Thank you FASA for allowing me to provide you with hopefully fun social events and activities this year. FASA has become such a large part of my life and I could not imagine my life without it. Maraming Salamat from the bottom of my heart.

<3 you all are the best

See you around FASA!:)

Jolene Soriano

#FASASocial #2020.21

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sansybones · 5 years

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Deltarune Reaction!!!

I finished Deltarune!!! My reactions/initial thoughts are UNDER THE CUT :))

S P O I L E R S

L O N G lol

So!!!! THIS WAS A SURPRISE haha I think this caught us all unprepared but it’s the kind of surprise that I’m thrilled to encounter. I have been having fun reading other people’s reactions and theories, but I wanted to record my own ideas before they get mixed in with the ideas of others.

These are my INITIAL impressions and theories, I’m VERY open to changing my mind and probably will. I like to sit for a long time and think about things before forming conclusions :) I don’t intend to stick to any of it really rigidly. Hopefully you find it fun to read!

OVERALL: oh my GOODNESS I am SO impressed with this game?? First of all -- it’s a whole game??? Toby????? It’s like 5 hours that was just snap-released for FREE? With a MUCH more robust battle system and some REMARKABLE improvements (like running! character creator! party system!!!) I’m *so* impressed. It was fun and funny and I was engaged and loving every minute of it.

I LOVE the new characters, which blows me away. I honestly didn’t think I had space in my heart to love new characters but... oh my goodness... I love all of them??? I ADORE Susie, Raslei was super cute and fun to play as, Lancer was hilarious, I love the new monsters and I love??? Roulxs??? hahaha I think Toby was REALLY SMART to focus this game on an (almost) entirely new cast.

Some specific ideas...

I don’t exactly know what to make of Darkners and their world. The whole cave experience felt un-real. I mean to say that it never really felt very real to me playing as Kris. It always felt a bit through-the-looking-glass... like this isn’t a real thing that is happening and I was never very scared that “I will die”. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it’s just a thing I noticed that I’ve been thinking about a lot. My impression of the experience was that it was something Asriel conjured. Like he wanted to take Kris through this DnD-like experience because he... missed them? Needed to teach them something?? That’s very unclear to me right now. I want to believe that Lancer and the Darkner crew are “real”. But in a meta-context... they’ll never be more or less “real” than Asriel or Sans and maybe that’s the point.

ASRIEL was SUCH a mindblowing twist!! I’m so excited that FINALLY Asriel gets the narrative exploration he deserves :)) But what is he doing here?? Is the Darkner world... college....? hahaha

Susie’s comments on use of force really struck me. I don’t necessarily agree with them, but it’s something that I have been thinking a lot about and will need to think a whole lot more about. I think that discussion was a “gap” in the framework of Undertale and it’ll be interesting to see how it’s explored. (That being said I think Undertale is complete in its thesis, it’s just an element that left me wondering after that game.)

“Your choices don’t matter” was a pretty strong message in the early part of the game, but it’s one that I don’t think actually proves out throughout the game itself. There is already evidence of multiple endings (@withtheworms and I got slightly different endings, even though early evidence seems to point to the fact that a no-mercy run isn’t possible.) The Amalgamates in the graveyard and the existence(?) of Happsta -- due to Alphys never becoming royal scientist -- is a pretty strong signal to the contrary. It’s almost like “It’s a Wonderful Life” in its sentiment.

Seeing UT Characters in the overworld made me SO SAD. Asgore... you’re a mess... The soul-coloured flowers REALLY freaked me out. Echoes of the other world... you see a flower portrait in Asriel’s bedroom too. But, I’m happy because it fits with my idea of ToriGori ;) I was bummed out that Undyne and Alphys aren’t together and Bratti and Catty are enemies :(( I think the person in the curved house is Hapstablook (!!!) AND SANS??? W-...WHY DO YOU HAVE GRILLBY’S??? WHAT HAPPENED TO GRILLBY!? W-... WHAT??? (I will dedicate a LOT of thought to wtf is up with Sans in this hahaha)

Toby has confirmed that this is an AU and I consider that settled, but just because it’s an AU doesn’t mean it’s not a *connected* AU, and I’m really interested in exactly HOW it’s connected to Undertale. The big reason I think it must be a connected AU is ... well “why use UT chars at all, otherwise”?

There’s so much space to make a “spiritual sequel” or a completely different game. If Toby really wanted a fresh start, he wouldn’t have kept so much from UT.

This isn’t a “shared universe” kind of AU, because the existing characters/history is very different. The UT characters seem like much more than just cameos.

This doesn’t seem to be a “Tenchi Muyo” style AU where they just use the same cast of characters and put them in a different context. The context isn’t that different! The characters do seem to be very deeply affected by some material change in the timeline.

This obviously isn’t a “reboot” type of AU like the Star Trek movies... the same story with some slight changes/updates. (Thank goodness for that)

I think it’s a “split timeline” AU. The rules of the world are similar, but some significant change in the timeline altered the course of history and the people within it.

As for that change... did the monster war never happen? Did Kris fall instead of Chara? We’ll need to hunt for the evidence and think about that one.

That all being said, I LOVE that it’s an AU... that ties in very well with how fandom has chosen to interpret the game and expand on its universe.

Plus... A lot of our UT fanon (including Gasters) lives on ;;)))

I think, ultimately, Deltarune is exploring a similar “self-aware NPC in a game” idea that Undertale was exploring. I’m so excited to see more of it.

The ENDING - was CREEPY. I didn’t realize on my playthrough that you could MOVE the soul in the cage, which has some specific implications imo. The ending had me thinking a lot more about the very beginning (with the “character creator”.) Who is running THAT part of the game? How does that connect to DeltaRune? To Undertale? If it’s an “experiment”, what is the experiment trying to determine?

In closing... I LOVED it. I can’t wait to think more about it and play with these new ideas. I hope Toby doesn’t stress out too much /:) I know he’s literally never going to read this but I still want to send positive vibes his way. Toby!! Don’t worry so much!! We love you!! I trust and believe in his ability to hire managers, programmers and artists to build the thing that speaks his vision as clearly as he desires. Follow your dreams, Toby, we support you!! Take as long as it takes just don’t get hurt <3 <3 <3

#deltarune #deltarune spoilers #deltarunespoilers

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fireflysummers · 5 years

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Delta Rune

Long story short?

I didn’t like it.

I like segments of it.

But as a whole, I didn’t really like it. It felt empty.

Game Meta

So before I get into any meta here about the story, I want to first focus on the story structure and its relation to Undertale.

The Dark World phase of Delta Rune was probably the strongest. There were very few visual ties to Undertale, and I was allowed to experience it without my own preconceptions getting in the way.

Plot wise? It was just a condensed replica of the orginal game. Zones, a mechanic for getting between them, puzzles, etc.... Which, for me, made it...boring, before long.

The new battle mechanics were...bad. I liked the ability to interact with and take damage from the environment, but really disliked the unnecessary levels of complexity added to the battles. It was distracting and reduced the entire thing to feeling just like a GBA era game. On top of that, the ‘ACT’ options were just....dull. And bad.

One of the strengths of Undertale was the fact that the battle system wasn’t a battle system, it was a mechanism for fleshing out and making real the NPCs within the world. Most of the NPCs of Undertale were unique in their backstory and problems, and even those with multiples of the same species (like moldsmal) were still limited in number, giving a sense of community. By making the battle system more complex, and making it easy to pacify enemies, the entire thing just got steamrolled into a lifeless version of its predecessor.

There was no weight to the actions, no sense of agency or choice. And while I acknowledge that that was by design (something I’ll touch on below when I talk about the story), it also made the Dark World segment....ultimately boring, and lacking any and all emotional punch.

It was harmless, though, and if it had just been the Dark World segment I’d have just kind of...shrugged it off as a cute little fangame made by the creator.

But. It wasn’t.

I did not like the Light World segment.

The entire scene was antithetical to Undertale as a whole, in a way that left me deeply, deeply unsettled.

The biggest issue was this pervasive sense of...meanness in the world of light. Kris is implied to be a not great person on most days--having to be forced into visiting hospitalized long-time family friends, refusing to talk and interact with the people around them, etc... And the rest of the town mostly just tolerates them, for the sake of their parents.

But on top of that, NPCs are unkind to each other. Alphys throws away Asgore’s flowers, and is regularly mocked and ostracized by her students. Catty and Bratty speak poorly of each other for their shared interests. Characters actively seek to exclude Kris, and are eager to gossip and spread rumors. The one kind classmate in class literally implies that her mother doesn’t have time for her. Kris rejects Asgore’s hugs, and seems totally indifferent to their dad literally sleeping in dirt. Toriel is portrayed as some kind of religious extremist who is crueler to her ex-husband than in canon, where he literally resorted to murdering children.

Contrast that with Undertale where people...cared. Admittedly, circumstances were different and a lot more extreme, but there was a deep sense of love. Catty and Bratty adore Alphys, who consider her their older sister. Asgore’s kindness makes him beloved in the community as a friend and father figure.

On top of that, all the major characters were entirely scrubbed of any meaningful relationships. Undyne’s an excellent example here, since she’s one of the most difficult ones to befriend in the original game. What endears us to her isn’t her goofy screaming and love of violence--it’s her romantic admiration of Alphys, her familial love of Asgore, and her protectiveness of Papyrus. Scrubbed of all that and she’s just...Not Undyne.

Even among the smaller NPCs, you get that same sense of love and care, like there is a community here, and you are lucky enough to be brought into it. To be told that they care, and you matter, and in turn you want to reciprocate that kindness.

And...again, I understand that a lot of this is probably by design, but in general it just left me...unsettled, but not in a way that makes me want to know more about the current situation. The world feels empty and cold, and overly-reliant on nostalgia to give anybody any kind of meaningful characterization.

In this world...I feel unwelcome.

And I don’t like it.

Plot Meta

The main redeeming part of this, for me, is that general feeling that all the unsettling wrongness is by design. If we’re operating on that premise, then I submit the current theory:

This entire game is a simulation created by Chara and Gaster using the human soul (your soul) from the genocide run.

Chara Points:

The emphasis that your choices do not matter, which echoes Chara’s lines at the end of the genocide route (since when were you the one in control?)

This world seems to fit Chara’s idea of an ideal world (the monsters are free, Asriel is alive, and humanity as a whole does not exist)

Chara seems to think the world presented in Undertale is wrong and should be erased (Let us erase this pointless world and move on to the next), a sentiment that makes a lot more sense if they are actively trying to shape a new world to their own happy ending.

The feeling of wrongness makes more sense if you’re imagining a world reshaped by a child to get their ideal happy ending, only for it to go wrong and everybody to be miserable instead.

Oh yeah that...ending is a thing that happened, huh? It’s got a Thing. (I literally don’t care about the ending, it was like...weird baiting)

Gaster Points

The style of speech present on the twitter, as well as the opening screen and the game over screen fits what we know of Gaster

Weird teleportation doors and empty spaces

That general sense that Sans seems to be calling you out on reacting too quickly/too familiarly

Calling your phone in the dark world produces that screech we associate with Gaster

Based on this, it feels like there’s a larger meta-narrative going on, but as a whole it completely failed to actually interest me.

Conclusion

So, I’ll be frank with you.

I’m tired. I don’t have the energy to do this whole, “secret fourth episode of Sherlock” nonsense.

Which is why I’m unwilling to just blindly trust that things will improve.

On top of that, I don’t need an improvement. Undertale was perfect the way it was, and while the world currently presented may feel more human and ‘realistic’ for being colder and less caring, but...I don’t need that. I have too much reality to feel that way about.

And maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. But I’m afraid to hope for that, especially based on this game...

In the end I was just left...unsettled.

I hope you know what you’re doing Toby.

#undertale #undertale spoilers #deltarune #delta rune #delta rune spoilers #long post #text

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tinystarscapes · 5 years

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intoyxurheart’s 2018 Holiday Follow F o r e v e r

Happy holidays, my lovely friends. Today is Christmas, so we know what that means: My 2nd annual follow forever! So as always, Merry Christmas to my lovelies who celebrate, and Happy Holidays to literally everyone. This year’s been quite a weird one, but I honestly couldn’t be happier that I’ve gotten to share it with all of you. I’ve gotten close to new people, formed new relationships, and overall just enjoyed every second of this year with all of you. I wish I knew exactly who to put on this list, but as always, I’m afraid to miss anyone. Just know that I love absolutely everyone of you who sees this post, and that I never ever want to be without you all.

A lot has happened this year, just like in the last one. Some was good, some not so good, but I want to take this time to focus on the positive things, because I feel blessed to have each and every one of you this year. I broke 700 followers a few months ago, and I never properly thanked you all for this. But thank you, because honestly I have no idea how any of you have put up with me, nor did I ever think I would make it this far. I’ll stop being sappy now, but here goes nothing:

♡ The Besties~

♡~ @thexsisters another year is almost over, and once again, you’re one of the most amazing friends I could ever hope to have. Your friendship means the absolute world to me, and I just want to thank you for being the reason I haven’t gone insane yet. I share things with you that I don’t feel like I can share with anyone else, and I’m honestly just happy to have you in my life. I believe that this is only our second Christmas, but it feels like we’ve been friends for so much longer than just two years. My day never feels complete if I haven’t spoken with you, and I just hope that you know that you can always come to me if you need to talk about absolutely anything. Thank you for being one of the best friends that I could ever ask for. You never fail to be there for me when I need support, and you’re always someone I can trust to tell what’s going on in my head without feeling judged or worried about what you might think of me after I tell you something. You’re always so encouraging when I’m down our when I decide I want to try a new avenue or venture out to a new career path, which I know I’ve done a lot this year. I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve someone as kind, caring, and supportive as you, but I’m happy to call you one of the closest friends I have, and I’m glad I did whatever it was. I don’t think there are words to describe quite how much I appreciate you and all that you do. Because even when I’ve felt down and out, you’ve helped me to realize that I can do and be more. Because you’ve never once given up on me, even though there have certainly been times where I’ve wanted to give up on myself.

♡~ @serenityxbecca wow has a lot happened this year. Honestly, I’m just gonna come out and say this: I love you. You’re one of the best people to ever have happened to me, and I just want you to know this. Before we were together, I had always had bad luck in relationships, and things never ended well, or even lasted longer than a month or two. Which is why I think at first I was so scared, but you helped me not to worry about any of that anymore. Because of you I truly believe that I’m capable of loving someone, and that’s amazing to me. Because god, I’ve never felt the way I feel about you about anyone else, and that’s just the honest truth. Back in May when I was meeting a family member for the first time, you really made me feel like everything was going to be okay, just the fact that I was able to turn to you made that whole day easier. During that panic attack I had that night when conversation got intense, I don’t think I ever got the chance to properly thank you for that. To be honest, you are my rock. And I can’t tell you how much I love you for that and for everything you do. Basically what I’m saying is that I’m glad you’re my person, because you mean the absolute world to me. I love you, babe.

♡~ @tripletroublefisher I’ve potentially never been happier to have made a new friend, if I may just be perfectly honest. Like I just really enjoy talking to you eVEN THOUGH I’M PRETTY SURE I RAMBLE A LOT BUT IT’S FINE. PS I hope you know that when you told me I could just throw my muses at you, you opened a door that can’t be closed LMAO I’m going to drown you in starters at some point, and I’d like to say I’m sorry in advance bUT DON’T LET ME FOOL YOU BECAUSE I’M PROBABLY NOT SORRY I’M A LIL SHIT.

♡~ @xaksirenx I’VE NEVER MET SOMEONE I HAVE SO MANY SIMILARITIES WITH. I’m seriously not convinced that we’re not the same person at this point, like honestly. ANYWAY I’m really glad to have met you and started talking with you, because I have no idea where I’d be without you, my friend. You understand me on a level most people don’t, and you know how to keep me from being the most anxious human being to literally ever exist. Like I just don’t understand how you do that, but like talking to you makes me mellow out a lot. YOU ARE ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS NOW, THERE’S NO STOPPING IT. If you ever need anything I’ll be here. Like, you need me to hit someone with a chair from a preschool classroom? Done deal. I’ll be there in three seconds flat.

♡~ @segrxti My bestest friend whom I love more than life itself. Honestly I don’t even know what I could tell you that I haven’t already. Thank you for putting up with me and my mental breakdowns, thank you for being there for me when I feel alone, and thank you for always being the one to make me smile when I feel like no one else can. I really do love you friend. So much more than I could ever tell you.

♡~ @crazyinlvv I absolutely adore your face and I’m glad I found your blog. Honestly, I really love all of our threads, absolutely every single one of our muse interactions, and Kris and Misun are literally one of the cutest ships I have. I’m proud to have made my first private muse one for you! You’re always so sweet when I post about being anxious or sad or whatever it may be, and you’re also incredibly supportive when I post about potential job opportunities. It’s REALLY TEMPTING to respond every time you have a plot to do, because I just want to love on you and your muses.

♡~ @trulyhopelessromantic My first follower ever across all of my tumblr accounts! You’ve been supporting me and my writing since the very beginning and I don’t think I can thank you enough for that. Even when I was abandoned by my first group rp because I was going through family troubles, you stuck by my side and that’s the biggest reason I’m even still on this site. I hope you know exactly how much that means to me, because it means so so much to me, and I don’t think I can even put it into words at this point.

♡~ @herethereismagic THE BAMBAM TO MY YUGYEOM! THE CHAN TO MY FELIX! THE YOUNGK TO MY JAE! THE SUGA TO MY J-HOPE! THE JIN TO MY JIMIN! Yous the bestest, and honestly, you’re one of the only people that I don’t speak proper English to anymore. Thank you for being the bestest friend I could ever have asked for, and for letting me spam you when I get anxious. I feel like I can talk to you about anything and you won’t judge me for it. Because yous just that great. I panic a lot and you just know how to calm me down and I just really admire that. I also really just wanna thank you for encouraging me to do what I need to do and to cut ties with the people I know aren’t good for me or my mental health. You’re basically the only one I listen to when it comes to that. Though I’m not always sure it isn’t because you just wanna be my only friend. Just kidding. If I made a list thanking you for all you do for me, it’d be a mile long and no one would want to read it. But I’m grateful for absolutely all you do. I will definitely never regret giving you my number and I will always be your hype man. Like I just really love you. Obviously you know I struggle to be sappy but like you’re the reason I’m still here just in general a lot of the time and I don’t know if you know that. But I hope you do because I love you.

♡~ @heavenlyprincex You are 100% one of the best people I’ve ever met. I’m happy to have you as a part of my life, and I hope that you know that I’m always happy when I get to talk to you. You maaaaaay very well be the reason I’m such a hoe for angst now, just... I hope you take pride in that. Because I make a lot of things angsty now just because I can. I hope that you know if you ever need anyone or anything, I will always be here for you. I’M NOT GOOD AT BEING SAPPY AUGH! Just know that I always want to cling when you’re around because you’re just that great.

♡ People I want to get to know better in the next year~

♡ @chisapuppy, @snhynwoo, @kionicat, @xhydnx, @kwobin, @the-ones-who-fall, @vivccious, and probably a bunch of people I forgot to mention... ♡

♡ People I admire from afar~

♡ @tuggeriisms, @hoseokwrite, @vangxards, @starguk-seoulstars, @oflunarisms, @boraxquinn, @sxoulmxses, and basically 95% of people I follow but don’t interact with/rarely interact with because I’m a shy bean who literally struggles to approach anyone ever, please know that I love you all already and I’m building up the courage to actually talk to you. ♡

#ι'м ƒιηє тнαηк уσυ (ooc)#follow forever #Holiday Follow Forever #Christmas 2018

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cinemamablog · 5 years

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Literal Cult Films

I spent a lot of time reading about cults as a young adult: books on Jonestown for fun and books on Scientology as preparation to play Karen Weston in August: Osage County. So I felt like a knowledgeable woman when I strolled past the Scientology solicitors on Hollywood Boulevard one summer evening. Kris and Adam stopped to talk to the smiling man, handing out FREE PERSONALITY TESTS to ideal targets: impressionable people with a weak sense of self. I kept walking, hoping that the boys would use me as an out: “oh, we have to go, that’s my friend/that’s my fiancé…” But no. They smiled, nodded their heads, listened intently, and walked away with an informational pamphlet.

“You guys know Scientology’s a cult, right?”

“How is it a cult?”

“They get you hooked with some pseudo philosophy that makes you feel good about yourself and then they start asking for money and bleed you dry.”

“How is that any different from Christianity?”

That stumped me. I never considered the fine line between religion and cult. I pondered the boys’ retort and I realized that I find cults so fascinating because their very existence reflects two innate human instincts: the need to belong and the desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Some people satisfy these instincts with religion, some through their work, or family, or art. And some unfortunate souls find a sense of belonging by putting their trust in something or someone with sinister intentions.

Cinema loves cults. How could it not? Ceremonial robes in rich colors, graphic rituals, charismatic megalomaniacs into which actors can sink their teeth, and endless potential for melodramatics. Satan, mass suicide, pleading parents of devotees, oblivious smiles of trusting followers. The subject lends itself to the dramatic arts.

While some of cinema’s cults defy categorization because their unique takes have yet to be duplicated onscreen (such as the powerful sex maniacs of Eyes Wide Shut and whatever the heck is going on in Suicide Club), most fit into neat boxes: satanic cults, witches, cults of religious personality, pagan cults, and cult aftermath/deprogramming.

Movies that center themselves on cults that specifically worship Satan tend to play the human sacrifice angle to create conflict. Usually a young woman acts as the sacrifice, as in Jennifer’s Body and Satanic Panic. If the plot does not revolve around a sacrifice, then the antichrist has been brought into the world by Satanists, as in the Omen, the House of the Devil and Rosemary’s Baby. One exception to this rule of sacrificial women and evil babies is the 7th Victim, in which the young woman on the other side of the Satanists’ condemnation isn’t considered a human sacrifice, but rather a traitor to her comrades and must die for it.

I find this common, sacrifice-crazed take on Satanic cults unbelievable: members delight in evil, yet don’t find answers in it. They worship Satan for Satan’s sake. They don’t get much in the bargain, only acting as foot servants to the devil. They’re easy “bad guys” to write, but lack motive. Not like the followers of cults of religious personality.

With clear references to the real life tragedy of Jonestown, Ti West’s the Sacrament captures the final hours of the Guyana massacre with realistic style, showing us the gritty details of coldblooded mass murder. One of my favorite found footage movies, Amy Seimetz (Pet Semetary, Alien: Covenant) shines as a faithful follower of the cult’s leader. In more fantastical films, like the Veil and the “Safe Haven” segment of V/H/S/2, elements of the Jonestown massacre surround more mystical forces, from ghosts of former cultists to summoned demoniacal monsters. (I can’t think of a better short in an anthology than “Safe Haven.” To quote the menu at Shahi Palace: simply perfection.) The followers in all three of these movies have been encouraged to believe in something bigger than themselves, regardless of whether their leader’s promises lead to fruition or death.

Pagan cults (or as I like to call them: ancient religions that Westerners don’t respect) are most famous for the human sacrifices in films like the Wicker Man, the Kill List, and Midsommar. That said, filmmakers have done paganism’s PR team no favors. Similar to the representation of pagan cults, witches also get a bad rap in film. Like the witchy predators in both the 1973 and 2018 versions of Suspiria and the coven in the Love Witch, most witchy cults onscreen use magic at the dear expense of their unassuming victims. Quiet a far cry from the sage and candles you’d find in real life when visiting pagan and witchcraft shops.

And now for my favorite category: cult aftermath and deprogramming. In both Riley Stearns’ Faults and Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke!, older men work as deprogrammers to cure younger women of their warped, brainwashed mindsets, at the behest of their desperate families. Both movies twist and turn in surprising ways around two strong lead actors. In contrast to these two films’ games of tug-o-war, Martha Marcy May Marlene presents the aftermath for one ex-cult follower as something closer to trauma. In Elisabeth Olsen’s breakout role, she plays her character with heartache and poor communication skills, who can’t help her loved ones help her get the help she needs.

While I recognize that the subgenre of cult films contributes to an aura of danger and fear surrounding the subject of cults, I think we can learn a lot about ourselves by examining the groups we demonize onscreen. Why do we worry so much about the devil? Why do we dwell on inhumane massacres when we have no tidy answers for why they occurred? Why do we fear women and men who worship nature or cast spells? Why do we ostracize, and get frustrated trying to fix, trauma survivors? I adore films about cults because they cut to our deepest fears about each other, ourselves, and the spiritual world. We don’t have the answers and we don’t trust those who claim to, yet we long for a sense of understanding. It’s a mad world and cults are just one way to make sense of it.

#critique

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: WASHINGTON DID IT!, Preds Force Game 7, Zucker, Hall, Reilly Smith – May 9

They slayed the beast, exorcised their demons, and eradicated their tormentor. In other words, the Caps beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a playoff series to move to the Eastern Conference Final.

Things looked bleak as we found out during warmup that Nicklas Backstrom would miss the game with a hand injury. Lars Eller moved up to the second line, and with the home matchup, things looked ripe for a Pittsburgh win, forcing a Game 7.

That is not what happened.

A goal early in the second period by Alex Chiasson – assisted by Australian Nathan Walker! – gave the Caps the lead, only to have Kris Letang score about 10 minutes later to tie the game.

Evgeny Kuznetsov sealed the deal with a breakaway goal a little over five minutes into the first overtime.

From just about start to finish, the quality of the game was fairly poor. Maybe that was Washington’s plan, though. Clog the lanes, force turnovers, and limit the high-danger chances. If that was the plan, Pittsburgh fell prey to it because the Penguins had seven shots on goal through the first 30 minutes of the game.

Whatever it was, it worked. And now Alex Ovechkin and (hopefully) Nicklas Backstrom get their chance to advance to a Cup Final. Congrats to the Caps and their fans. This would make for a heck of a story.

Thanks to their victory in Winnipeg last night, the Nashville Predators have guaranteed us a Game 7 out of this second round. A crazy redirection from Viktor Arvidsson as he was ducking out of the way of a point shot opened the scoring, Filip Forsberg added another on a semi-breakaway and that was all the team needed on this night.

For good measure, Forsberg added this circus shot in the third period to nail the coffin shut:

COME ON. pic.twitter.com/Gmg92eNSRp

— Goalie Blinnterference (@NHLBlinn) May 8, 2018

Considering the quality of the teams, it’s not surprising this one is going the distance. Buckle up for Thursday night, boys and girls.

Just wanted to chime in my two cents on Vegas moving to the West Final.

This is one of the best stories in all of sports. They are an incredibly fun squad to watch and I’m very much looking forward to the matchup with Winnipeg.

One thing that is getting a lot of run that shouldn’t be is the idea that this team is some sort of “misfit” team. Consider:

James Neal has scored 20 goals in each of his NHL seasons. He has one 30-goal season and one 40-goal season. Before getting to Vegas, he was tied for 13th league-wide in goals per game for his career. He’s literally one of the top goal scorers of the last decade.

Jonathan Marchessault was coming off a 30-goal season himself and was long hailed by pockets of the hockey community as a player who just needed a legitimate shot in the NHL.

Reilly Smith had two 50-point seasons in four full NHL campaigns, cracking 20 goals twice.

David Perron had three 20-goal seasons from 2009 through 2014. The two seasons he didn’t manage 20 goals were the lockout season and the year he played just 10 games due to injury.

Colin Miller and Brayden McNabb were both defencemen who, like Marchessault, were often praised by certain corners of the hockey world as guys needing a legitimate opportunity to be consistent contributors.

Shea Theodore was a first-round pick and a guy long coveted by just about any team in the league. Anaheim had to make a hard choice about which d-men to keep. They were going to lose someone good.

Marc-Andre Fleury had one bad year before he was supplanted by Matt Murray. He was a .917 goalie in the six seasons prior to that.

No, there were no legitimate superstars like a Sidney Crosby or a Nikita Kucherov. But there were a lot of both very good NHLers and guys undervalued by the 200 Hockey Men. Of course no one, present company included, expected them to be this good. Calling them misfits is, however, at best, not understanding the quality of the players they actually drafted, or at worst a purposefully misleading description.

Part of reviewing any fantasy season is looking at players outperforming their ADPs and why they did so. Not only does it help in identifying seasons that are unsustainable, they also help identify seasons whose circumstances dictate that this might be the start of a new trend rather than a blip in an existing one. It’s also a good exercise to look for players with low ADPs this coming September who fit the profile for a potential breakout.

Here some selected players who greatly exceeded expectations. Some are obvious, some less so. Stats from Corsica Hockey and Natural Stat Trick. I also used standard Yahoo settings, so people who play in leagues with real-time stats: please put down the pitchforks.

Taylor Hall

It’s easy to forget Hall had a three-year stretch that saw 168 points in 173 games, so being close to a point-per-game wouldn’t be a huge surprise. Coming in at 1.22 points per game – one of five players to manage at least 1.2 points per game this season and one of seven with 75+ games played to do so since the 2013 lockout – is a deviation.

Here’s the thing: nothing was terribly out of line for him at five-on-five. The Devils shot 10.3 percent with him on the ice; he had two seasons in Edmonton where the Oilers shot 10 percent with him on the ice. He scored 1.06 goals at five-on-five, not a career-high. He managed 2.38 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five, just the third-highest mark of his career. His assists per 60 minutes were nowhere near his career bests. Realistically, the five-on-five production wasn’t the reason for his superb output.

The difference was on the power play, where he set a career-high with 37 PPPs, by far a career best (his best prior to this year was 21, way back in 2010-11). He had 33 PPPs in 207 games over the previous three years combined.

This is where it should be noted that the league-wide power-play conversion rate (20.18 percent) was the highest since the 1980s. The Devils shot 19.1 percent with Hall on the ice on the PP, by far a career high for him. Even with the league trending to more efficient PPs, he still led the league among forwards with 200 minutes on the man advantage in this regard. It’ll be very, very difficult (read: unlikely) he repeats 37 power-play points.

Hall can still be a point-per-game player and the progression of Nico Hischier will help keep him an offensive star. Expecting a repeat of this year seems misguided, however.

Reilly Smith

If there is going to be one bone of contention this entire summer in the fantasy hockey community, it’s going to be what to do with the Vegas top line. I picked out Reilly Smith here but it could easily be applicable to any of he, William Karlsson, or Jonathan Marchessault. The latter a little less so because at least he was drafted inside the top-200 players, which means he was taken in most 10- and 12-team leagues. Karlsson is going to be left to a later date for a much deeper dive.

So here’s the thing. Vegas shot over 11.3 percent with that trio on the ice and the trio played over 690 minutes together. Since the end of the lockout-shortened season, Corsica has 25 line combinations with at least 600 five-on-five minutes together, and 13 of those had an on-ice shooting percentage over 10 percent. Seven of those 13 combinations were this year. This is how each trio fared the following season:

SH%

Following Year SH%

Change

Marchand-Bergeron-Smith, 2013-14

10.24 %

8.76%

-1.48%

Panarin-Anisimov-Kane, 2016-17

10.71%

—–

N/A

JvR-Bozak-Marner, 2016-17

10.73%

6.77%

-3.96%

Huberdeau-Barkov-Jagr, 2015-16

10.94%

8.24%

-2.70%

JvR-Bozak-Kessel, 2013-14

11.17%

6.31%

-4.87%

Palat-Johnson-Kucherov, 2014-15

11.59%

8.98%

-2.61%

Zucker-Granlund-Koivu, 2016-17

11.9%

7.48%

-4.42%

Artemi Panarin was traded so obviously we can’t do much there. Every other line saw their shooting percentage decline, some to catastrophic levels. Smith and company were on the ice for 406 shots and 46 goals resulted. If we’re optimistic and say that they drop off only 1.5 percent like he did when skating with Bergeron and Marchand a few years ago, they lose six goals. If that shooting percentage falls off about four percent, which half these lines saw, that means about 16-17 fewer goals. Smith’s 82-game pace this year was 72 points. If that four percent drop comes, assuming he figures in on three-quarters of goals scored at five-on-five when he’s on the ice, he’s knocked down to 60 points without any other mitigating factors coming into play yet, like loss in ice time due to increased depth. Or maybe teams hard-match against them next year and they don’t take the league by surprise in the first half again? Or maybe they just generate fewer shots, which in conjunction with the inevitable percentage crash, leads to a disaster?

We have all summer to argue about this and there’s no chance it’s not one of the oft-discussed narratives of the offseason. Value is going to depend on ADP, of course, but we need to prepare ourselves now for the decline in raw production.

Jason Zucker

In the table above, Zucker’s name appears as a player whose line’s shooting percentage cratered in 2017-18. Despite this, he set career-highs in both goals (33) and assists (31). Zucker managed 16 power-play points after amassing just six in his entire career to that point. He did spend some time with Eric Staal and Nino Niederreiter and that trio shot nearly 9 percent, so that helped matters.

Anyway, Zucker is an interesting case. Over the last five seasons, there are 178 forwards with at least 4000 minutes of five-on-five time. Out of those 178 forwards, he’s tied for 11th in goals per 60 minutes with Jamie Benn and James Neal. He’s ahead of names like Patrick Kane, Tyler Seguin, John Tavares, and Phil Kessel. Remember, that’s not a small sample. That’s over 4000 minutes spanning five years and Zucker’s not just among the good goal scorers, he’s among the elite. It’s really quite something.

The question becomes, what do we do with this information? A new GM in Minnesota is coming but most of the core is around for at least one more year. Zucker himself is an RFA so maybe they dangle him in a trade to shake things up? Maybe they trade someone else. Maybe nothing changes. I wouldn’t fret too much until both the draft and free agency have come and gone.

Regardless, Zucker seems like one of those guys who will fly under the radar this coming September despite a very good year. It’s doubtful he’s inside the top-100 and after that it’s a matter of where he slots in rankings.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-washington-did-it-preds-force-game-7-zucker-hall-reilly-smith-may-9/

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junker-town · 7 years

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Ben Simmons don't need to shoot no damn jumpers to dominate

Here’s how he can carve up teams without ever launching shots outside the paint.

Here’s the beautiful thing about basketball: it doesn’t really matter how you make the ball go in the hoop, it’s just that you do it often enough to not be Matthew Dellevedova.

Ben Simmons aka Baby Bron aka OG Shrimp On The Barby aka Yung Layups is a prime example of this. So many of you Internet Dweebs keep complaining that Simmons NEEDS to have a reliable jumper. That he NEEDS to space the floor. Something Something about stats and analytics and all that shit.

No. That is a lie. If you are distracted and think you are angry please look at Ben’s very nice fade and it’ll make you smile. See. That’s nice.

Anyway, Simmons doesn’t need to shoot the basketball ever until he actually knows how. Matter fact, someone should throw apples at him anytime he tries to. Shit is ugly. His jumper looks like a stapler flinging open.

What he does need to do and what he does better than most walking humans is get to the basket. If your basketball team possesses a “Baby Bron” and that Baby Bron is matched up with some trash wing defender, you would like your Baby Bron to run at him full speed once you clear out the weak or strong side of the court or create an isolated pick-and-roll situation.

Like here against Otto Porter:

Please observe, again, this time on Noted Bad Basketball Player Kelly Oubre:

Oubre literally waved his arms in multiple circles to try and play defense. Then he slid his feet under the screen (which is dumb but also kinda what he was supposed to do but also not really) and met half-speed Simmons on the other side. That’s kinda dumb. You should jump in front of the screen and stay attached to Simmons’ hip so he can’t generate GODLY BASKETBALL POWER.

But this is Noted Bad Basketball Player Kelly Oubre. Thus, he did whatever dumb thing he wanted to in an attempt to prevent Philadelphia’s Baby Bron from scoring. He did not do that. Because he is Noted Bad Basketball Player Kelly Oubre. Thank you for trying, Kelly. We will see you again.

The other great reason Simmons doesn’t need to shoot no damn jumpers: fast breaks exist in this here game of basketball.

Synergy Sports clocked Simmons being involved in transition opportunities 26 percent of his total offensive plays at LSU. In transition he was a ball-handler over 60 percent of the time. The only person in the same draft class that did better was Kris Dunn and Kris Dunn is very actively trash at this here game of basketball.

What that means is that whenever Yung Layups gets a rebound Philly’s Baby Bron can transform into Baby Magic and do whatever the fuck he wants in the open court. At times, that will look like this:

I feel sorry for Bradley Beal because, I too, would not know how to deal with one of my Large Basketball Sons running at me in the open court. I’d be like a matador. You can go right past me. Don’t look at me like that. Sometimes business decisions gotta get made when the only true descendant of whatever basketball planet LeBron came from is coming right at you.

Transition offense also works beautifully when you pass better than anyone else on the court. At LSU, Simmons was the best passer of any freshman forward or center in 17 years. He was also the 10th best passer of that same time span if you include all college frontcourt players of any age. No player in that top 10 was taller than 6-9. Peasants.

In a simpler way, please inject this into your eyeballs:

Beal ain’t wanna deal with that. Otto Porter ain’t wanna run to catch that. And Noted Bad Basketball Player Kelly Oubre just sat and watched. Great team effort from the Tied For 1st Place In The League Zardos.

Lastly, Baby Bron will destroy your weak defense (because no one man can hold Simmons) with that good ol’ dribble drive penetration. Mmmmmm. That’s the stuff.

This time Otto Porter decided he ain’t want them hands so he tagged in Other Noted Bad Basketball Player Marcin Gortat. Who, lol, I’m sorry, I have no clue what he was trying to do. It’s not his fault Porter ain’t wanna fight this fight after losing so many times all night. I get it. But Gortat has the lateral quickness and agility of Tom Brady after eating an avocado. He was set up to fail.

Oh, and Kelly Oubre was there, too. We don’t have to discuss it. But I know y’all saw him.

Anyway, friends. Let’s just agree to never ask Ben Simmons to shoot a damn jumper again. He is godly enough for a dude who was just able to drink legally. Maybe by time the Sixers are in the Eastern Conference Finals again (soon, btw) he will be able to shoot from 15 feet.

Other thing: even if he can shoot I hope he doesn’t. I’d rather watch all these assholes try to stop him. We know how the movie ends, but that doesn’t mean you don’t watch the Will Smith flick to the finish every time it comes on.

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