#Finally my silly video can COMMENCE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

some-pers0n · 7 months

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I can't think of anything for the assuming thing that you reblogged, but while I'm here uhhm. I'd like to hear abt tf2 if you're willing to explain.

I don't know a lot abt it but I see the stuff you reblog!! I know the game, but I've never heard any lore or anything abt the characters.

No pressure ofc, you don't have to :]

You're. asking me..to infodump? About TF2!?

Okie okey I can do it. Uh. Keep in mind it's going to be pretty long-winded and incomprehensible. I just really like this game...

Oh! And if you're a follower or mutual, read on as well! I put a lot of effort into this. If you're at all interested in understanding my madness even a little bit, this is for you.

Before we even begin, I HIGHLY recommend first checking out the Meet the Team videos and perhaps Expatriation Date. It will take you roughly half an hour to watch all videos. They are simply fantastic. They are humorous and show off the personalities of these characters in a great and short way. Plus it establishes the tone of this game (which is very silly)

With that being said, let it commence.

Okay, so, I guess we start with the basics. Team Fortress 2 is a sequel to Team Fortress (Classic), which was a mod for a game called Quake using the engine for Half-Life, Source. It was made by a couple of friends who would later on become a part of Valve, a game company known for their own games such as Portal, Half-Life (as previously mentioned), Counter-Strike; Global Offense, and of course, Team Fortress.

Team Fortress 2's development is pretty interesting and cool in of itself. I could go on for a bit, but just know that TF2 was announced back in 1998. Over this time, it went by the name of Invasion, following an art style similar to TFC and Half-Life with them now being on some alien planet thing. However that sort of style became outdated, so they then went under a major art style shift. After nine years in development, they final released it in 2007 as a package called the Orange Box. It released alongside Portal and Half-Life 2, Episode 2.

Since then, Team Fortress 2, or simply just TF2, has become a cornerstone of the internet and general team-based shooter games. Its influences can be seen all over, with the most prominent example being games like Overwatch being a spiritual successor to it.

You don't want to hear me ramble about the actual gameplay and such though, I assume. I really like watching people play the game, but I would be lying if I didn't find a smidge more enjoyment from the characters, hm? I mean, how could I not? They're one of, if not the best parts of the entire game.

But before we get to that, even more ground work. Here's the basic lore you need.

In the 1800s, a man called Zephaniah Mann owns a company. He's your generic richy-rich upperclassman guy. His business partner, Barnabus Hale, co-owns this. This will be slightly important later. He has three children, Redmond, Blutarch, and Gray Mann. Redmond and Blutarch practically come out of the womb hating each other, while Gray Mann? Well, he's. special. He's incredibly intelligent for his newborn nature, being able to speak fluent English as well as supposedly inventing a new kind of algebra.

Zephaniah Mann freaks out. He tries to kill the child, however he is, and I quote, "absconded by the Eagle". This is a random eagle that's been apparently terrorizing the small town that Zephaniah Mann lives in. It breaks through the windows and literally steals Gray Mann, saving him from an untimely death.

So that happened.

Years later, Zephaniah grows old. Blutarch and Redmond are the only real heirs of his company, but the both of them won't come to a single agreement on anything. Pissed off about it, Zephaniah writes in his will that he's giving his company to Barnabus Hale, leaving his servant, Elizabeth, with all of his "gold", and jack-shit for Redmond and Blutarch.

Well...not nothing. Redmond and Blutarch convinced Zephaniah to buy up a bunch of land in New Mexico. Gravel pits and dustbowls. When Zephaniah died, the two of them tried claiming the land for themselves. This sparked the main event: the Gravel Wars.

Blutarch and Redmond hired a bunch of mercenaries to fight for each other. This was the original team. Yes, that is Abraham Lincoln you see there. Get used to it.

The mercenaries fought and fought, yet there was no clear victor. In the end, Blutarch and Redmond were growing old. By 1890s, it was becoming obvious that the two would die before they saw the end of this fight.

Or...until a certain other party emerged. Radigan Conagher. A brilliant inventor that catches the attention of Blutarch Mann. He brings Radigan to him and asks something so simple of him.

Build him a machine to make him immortal.

Radigan agrees to the task.

However, this also gets the attention of another person. Remember that servant I mentioned? The one who inherited Zephaniah Mann's gold? Well, it turns out that it isn't gold, but actually an incredibly powerful material called Australium.

Australium is native to Australia. It is a precious mineral that is capable of incredible power. Among giving the people around it super-strength, heightened intelligence, and generally being very Australian, it can also be used to make a person immortal through extending their life.

Elizabeth knows about this, and for some reason that we still don't quite know, she wants to continue on this war. So, she approaches Radigan and asks him to build another life extender machine for Redmond. Also for her probably.

So now the old men (and also this chick) are immortal. Cool!!

The 1930s roll around and there's another group of mercenaries. We don't care about these ones that much. Just know that they are the same mercs from Team Fortress Classic and they'll be somewhat important later. Understand also that Barnabus Hale's company is now called MannCo. and is the main supplier of weapons to this war.

NOW IT'S THE 1960S YAYYY IT'S TIME FOR THEM!!! THE SILLIES!!

Something to also know is that there's somebody pulling the strings. The Administrator. For some reason, she wants to continue this war between Redmond and Blutarch. She's not Elizabeth though!! Definitely not. Totally not. Definitely not a plot twist that WOULD'VE HAPPENED IN THE FINAL COMIC HAD IT RELEASED- but it's fine.

Anyways, I digress. Elizabeth and the Administrator (also known as Helen) are pretty much the same person. Working as her assistant is Miss Pauling, who (among other things) hides bodies, gives contracts to the mercs, and generally does whatever the Admin wants her to.

Whew!! There you go. That's the general gist of the lore. Back in the 1800s there was a guy who had two kids who hated each other. They hated each other so much they went to war over a bunch of useless land. Over 100 years later now we've got the mercs.

Finally!! We can start talking about them.

Scout, aka Jerma985

The Scout, real name Jeremy, is a loud-mouth, obnoxious 20 something year old from Boston. He fights using a shotgun, baseball bat, and a pistol. He's got 7 older brothers (he's the youngest of them all) and has an affinity for baseball, Tom Jones, and a soda drink named Bonk! that is apparently radioactive. He's what I'd argue to be the most ""normal"" merc, since he's just kind of an asshole who likes killing people. He talks and acts like an obnoxious guy, but he's overall not that bad.

Oh I forgot to mention he's canonically God's gift to women.

Here's a snipbit of the scene where Scout dies and goes to Heaven where he meets God Himself and tells Scout that he was intended to have sex with as many women as possible.

Scout is also illiterate and can't read. He's actually a pretty good artist though. He's got a Tom Jones memorabilia collection that he once used to try and impress Miss Pauling. Oh right! He's also got a massive crush on Miss Pauling. The Expiration Date short is all about it, with him trying to get a date with her before he dies of cancer.

Soldier, the American Idiot

The Soldier, real name Jane Doe, is a red-blooded American patriot from somewhere in the mid-west USA. He fights using a rocket launcher, a shotgun, and a shovel. He is not a real solider. In fact, he was turned away from WWII because of his mental instability. That didn't stop him from buying a ticket and going to Germany himself, beating the crap out of all of them Nazis. He only stopped when he was told that the current year was 1949 and the war had ended four years ago.

Soldier is what I'd argue to be the character the narrative focuses on the most. You'd be pressed to find a comic that doesn't feature him a lot. He's the second half of the WAR! update, the first merc that Miss Pauling recruits when the actual main comics happen, generally pops up a lot in bits and pieces of the lore, and is one of the stars of Expiration Date.

Soldier was roommates with a 6,000 year old wizard named Meramus. Meramus is a character from TF2's annual Halloween event, Scream Fortress, and is a silly wizard who attacks them once every year. Despite this, the two of them lived together. Past tense because Meramus was kicked out. Here's a panel from a comic about this that I find funny.

Soldier also drinks lead water. The water in the base is the same water that the people from a nearby town, Teufort, which is all full of idiots from the water situation. We don't know if he's like this because of the water. It's probably not the only reason.

Pyro, the Silly!!

The Pyro has no identity, no backstory, nothing. Anything we know about them is pretty much nothing. They, along with the Spy, are the most unknown of the mercs, but even then we still know more about Spy and generally what he's like. Pyro? Nothing. We don't even know their gender.

Pyro fights with a flamethrower, shotgun, and fire axe, however they see these items as a cute and wholesome version. In Meet the Pyro, it's revealed that Pyro sees the world through a oddly sweet lens, full of lolipops and rainbows and whatever. This isn't reality, obviously, and what Pyro sees as them petting a dog is probably them gutting it.

Pyro and the Engineer have some sort of bond and connection, most likely stemming from how Pyro's in-game help out Engineers by keeping away spies and whatnot, as flamethrowers are the best ways to get rid of them.

Anywho, that's Pyro. The silly!!

Demoman, Man I Love Being Drunk

The Demoman, real name Travis Finnegan DeGroot, is a self-proclaimed "black Scottish cyclops". He fights with a stickybomb launcher, a grenade launcher, and a bottle of his beloved whiskey: scrumpy. Demoman is a full-blooded Scotsman hailing from Ullapool and has a long, long lineage of fellow bombmakers and general stuff.

Demoman is actually one of the more intelligent members of the team, being knowledgeable of chemicals and bomb making. This is however not exactly known as 90% of the time he's black-out drunk. He gets drunk so often that his liver actually changed to adapt to this sort of environment, now drawing minerals from booze as if it were water. Now Demo basically gets poisoned by drinking water.

Demo's eye is actually cursed, by the way. No, he didn't lose it during some fight or some accident. Well, I mean, it technically was an accident. He opened up a cursed book, the Bombinomicon, and now his eye is just. fucked.

In fact, the Medic tried giving him a new eye. Several times in fact! Why doesn't he have it still? Well, uh, this.

He's so silly.

Heavy, The TF2 Guy

The Heavy Weapons Guy, real name Mikhail (or Misha), is a Russian man hailing from Siberia. He fights with his miniguns, a shotgun, and his fists. He's rather fond of his guns, in particular his main one, Sasha.

Heavy is a family man and generally a lot different than how a ton of the internet characterizes him. He's intelligent, having a PhD in Russian Literature, and a lot more soft-spoken. When he was young, his father, a counter revolutionist, was taken by the KGB. Soon enough, his entire family were imprisoned in a gulag. They escaped and found refuge, but Heavy became protective over his sisters and mother.

TF2 goes hard, like if you agree. Every time I think about Heavy I just get increasingly sad.

Heavy likes sandwiches. A lot. In fact, you can swap out his shotgun in the game for a sandwich (or some other food item). Apparently in TF2 canon, Heavy just hunkers down in some corner after taking a good amount of damage and starts eating this ham sandwich to suddenly have his bullet wounds be healed.

Engineer, YEEEEHAWWW!!!

The Engineer, real name Dell Conagher, is a hardworking man who's come round from Bee Cave, Texas. He fights using a shotgun, a pistol, his trusty wrench, and a little tiny box called the PDA. That lil' box gives the Engineer a major advantage, being able to now make buildings. Dispensers that give ammo and medkits. Teleporters that make traversing the maps easier. Lets not forget the sentries now either, stationary automatic guns that fire upon any enemy that gets too close.

If the name "Conagher" seems familiar, that would be because Engie is the grandson of Radigan Conagher from all the way back. Also Fred Conagher, who was the Engineer for TFC. Here's the both of them when Engie was a kid.

Engie is commonly mischaracterized as being normal. This is because he seems smart and okay. He is not. I need you to understand that his Meet the Team video has him using a BLU Sniper's body as his campfire and he shows little to no reaction to bullets being mere inches away from his face. He just sits there and plays his guitar while his sentry guns mow down anybody nearby. Also the whole being a mercenary and his job being to kill people.

Unfortunately for Engie there's not too much Funny comic book stuff about him. His big break was mostly with the Loose Cannon comic. In other ones he's usually a supplemental character to the others. In the main comics he's the sort of caregiver to the Administrator, just sort of standing around her while she says stuff.

That doesn't make me any less terminally ill about him in this one comic though. They make me SICK!! I love them,,

And, well, speaking of these two...I suppose it was only a matter of time before we got to him.

Medic, You Already Know Who This Is

The Medic, real name maybe Ludwig Humbolt? I dunno. It's unclear. All that's really confirmed is that his last name is probably most likely Ludwig. Some people like Ludwig Humbolt. Others like Fritz Ludwig. I like calling him Ludwig Ludwig.

Anyways, this is Medic! He hails from Stuttgart/Rottenburg, Germany (it's not very clear where he's from) and he is a bit of a silly little fellow. He fights using his trusty bonesaw, a syringe gun of sorts, and a unique device of his own creation: the medi-gun. With this machine, he's able to heal people as well as deploy an übercharge, which makes both the Medic and whomever his medi-gun's healing beam is connected with invincible for eight seconds.

The Medic is a silly little fellow. One fascinating thing you can see about him is how his character has been shifted since the launch of the game. His voice lines in-game are a lot more...er, how should I say this...Nazi German stereotype-ish? Hehh, uh... So not particularly great. He's barking orders and generally seen kind of like that.

However, as time goes on and more and more updates come out, his character shifts. The Pyro goes under similar changes in presentation, going from a mysterious and scary character to more friendly and cutesy. With Medic? He forgos that previous stereotype and more or less just becomes a mad scientist archetype. He's got a silliness to him that wasn't present when the game first launched.

My favourite example of this shift in character is the change in how the Meet the Medic videos would've been. Did you know there was a scrapped Meet the Medic video? It was a lot more like the earlier ones, styled like an interview he was giving. He's doing it on a train(?) and it shows how he created the medi-gun. There's a noticeable lack of silliness, aside from when the Spy head begins talking. The Medic is a lot more stern and serious, mentioning more how he's proud of being able to make gods out of men.

Then, of course, we see the actual Meet the Medic. Medic is preforming surgery on the Heavy, and it's all fairly silly and wacky. Medic explodes Heavy's heart, his birds are just straight up inside Heavy's organs, he basically tells the Spy head (which is actually a reference to the OG Meet the Medic video) to shut up, and laughs away like what he's doing is no big deal. He's got a manic twitch to him. He's a brilliant scientist, though a mad one at that.

I have a lot to say about Medic if you can't already tell. He's my silly!! He's the guy giving me all of this brainrot over this game. I just go into detail about his characterization because it's a major pet peeve of mine when people label him as a uncaring sadist who hates his team and wants to experiment on them all. He IS an uncaring sadist, but he's sill and I will go down swinging on this hill that he, at the bare minimum, cares about his team. I rationalize his in-game voice lines by saying it's from him a) dying a lot and getting pissed off at how his teammates just let it happen and b) he's having a manic episode every day at work and has zero filter. All of them have zero filter when battling. If they all acted the way they did in the game, then characters like Scout should be GO GO GO GO!!!! 24/7 without rest, something that's certainly not the case in Expiration Date. On a similar note, let's not forget that Medic and Engie decided to spend their last few days trying to develop some kind of cure for their tumors.

Anyways, deranged EngieMedic fangirling aside (these two make me violently ill and they are the only characters I could even dare to say I "ship")(even then it's as a QPR because I'm diseased and hit Medic with my aroace-ification ray)(you cannot convince me that this man in alloro in any way shape or form he does not even know what an emotion besides mania and blistering rage is), Medic is a fascinating character who I feel not too many people really get. He's either written as a pencil-pushing busy-body vaguely Nazi stereotype or as a soft uwu twink cinnamon roll who wants to help his team and only has a small sadistic streak and only wants to be railed by Heavy. You guys don't get it. He's silly :)

Oh, yeah, right, Heavy. Heavy and Medic definitely do have a connection established. I left it out in Heavy's section, mostly because I want to give focus onto Heavy as a character and leave Medic out of it. Heavy already gets piss pour treatment by the fandom, where he's just reduced to "the other guy" in every ship. He doesn't deserve that...

But, yeah, Medic and Heavy certainly is kinda pushed. Medic and Heavy duos in the game aren't that uncommon, as Heavy is a good tank and Medic can hide behind him, leading to Heavy more or less becoming a stream of bullets to mow down anybody nearby. In Meet the Medic, Medic experiments on Heavy's heart and the big climactic end has him activating the übercharge on Heavy. In the comics themselves, Classic Heavy, the inverse of our normal Heavy, is antagonistic and extremely rude towards Medic. The complete and utter opposite of what Heavy and Medic had back in the day. Then finally he shows up when Medic is literally About To Die.

Blah blah blah, there's a lot of stuff relating back to Heavy and Medic at the VERY LEAST having some sort of ties and liking to each other. That's the reason why there's like 1100+ fics on Ao3 tagged with them.

Medic is a silly goober as previously mentioned. As shown in the Engineer section, he experiments on random civilians. I like to imagine that he doesn't particularly do random fucked up experiments on the RED team, but rather he more or less does everything on civilians. He enjoys putting somebody through pain and suffering, but he wants it to mean something. He doesn't want to just mess with people. He tests out the bounds of which a person can go to, which he does on random people he plucks off the street because there's replaceable to him. His teammates? Not so much.

Oh, and also the Classic Team. He doesn't care about these people. They suck! They aren't his friends. So he just does. this sort of stuff.

He's a bit special. Love him dearly for it.

Sniper, Aww Piss

The Sniper, real name Mick Mundy (real birth name being Mun-Dee), is an young Aussie from the outback. Yes. Young. This man is roughly 30 in 1972 (when the comics take place). Can't you tell by how stereotypically young he looks? Sniper fights using a sniper rifle (duh), an SMG (or other items), and a kukri (big knife).

He's one of the most level-headed of the mercs. Not sane, but rather a man who sticks to being professional and a set of rules. Despite this more refined sense of mercenary work, his parents don't exactly support him being a crazed gunman. Also his parents aren't his biological ones.

That's right, Sniper is adopted. Why do we care? Because he's not Australian, but rather from New Zealand. New Zealand is at the bottom of the ocean, by the way. In 1932 they sunk their entire country because Bill-Bel, Sniper's dad, convinced everyone that the world was going to become an uninhabitable wasteland if they didn't otherwise do this. Ten years later, and when little baby Mun-Dee was born, Bill-Bel and his wife began working on a rocket to escape to space because now they were convinced that earth was going to explode or something. They only built the rocket big enough for one person though, so they fought over who would survive. While fighting, Mun-Dee crawled into it, was shot up into the sky, and then crash landed immediately onto Australia.

So Sniper is Superman.

Also, remember how I said that Sniper sticks to rules and such? Yeah, apparently being a professional also means throwing jars of piss at people. Jarate, a form of jar-based karate invented by Saxton Hale, owner of MannCo.

Sniper's just like that.

Spy, Fr*ch

The Spy, real name unknown, is the second most mysterious character. He's from France (no idea where particularly) and he's just kinda. yeah. There. He fights using his butterfly knife, which he can instantly kill anybody he backstabs, a revolver, and a sapper so he can destroy the Engineer's buildings. Also, an invisibility watch, where he's able to cloak himself and become invisible, and the ability to disguise himself as the enemy team.

The Spy is a richy-rich upperclassman. He likes the finer things in life. Smoking, wine, expensive suits, all that. He's a lot more refined and generally snobbish than the other mercs. However, I don't think of him as exactly mean or rude. Definitely stuck-up, but he cares about his teammates. In Expiration Date, he takes the time to ask everyone what their final wish is. When that's a bust, he then happily spends time with Scout and teaching him how to get ladies.

Ah, yes, right. Scout and Spy. Spy is actually the Scout's father. It's a theory that has been around since the release of Meet the Spy, with the RED Spy being in pornography staring Scout's mother. It's been tossed around and hinted at, with their dynamic and Expiration Date as well as a couple references to Spy and DNA tests. Then, in The Naked and the Dead comic, it's pretty much outright confirmed. While Scout is bleeding out and on the verge of death, Spy takes a moment to finally give Scout some peace.

...while disguised as Tom Jones, of course.

I could go on and on about this scene and how I feel about Spy's characterization and his dynamic with Scout, but blah blah blah...yeah. Spy TF2.

Annnddd that's it for now! Basic summary of it all. The characters, the lore, all of it. I've reached the image limit and have been sort of dancing around it for a while now. Hope this was informative. Toodles!!

#ask #fave #long post #Sneeb #sp-rambles

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megsiepoo · 4 months

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"It's about time someone freed me," the toad growled in a gruff, feminine voice. "I was sick of those iron walls. Is the squid around? The arachnid? This foolish charade must cease." "Be rid of that thing," the challenger barked from the table. The card disappeared and Lambert returned to their seat, continuing onto a battle space on the map. As the map disappeared and the battle commenced, both speaking cards rose to hold a brief conversation. "It's you!" the squid greeted enthusiastically. "Yes, this welp managed to free me," the toad grumbled in response. "I did tell them where to look," the squid responded smugly. "Any ideas on how to correct our predicament?" "Our other sibling is present here," the toad answered. "By the stars above, then surely we will be free soon!" he exclaimed. Both cards then settled back into the deck, allowing the fight to continue.

I TOLD YOU GUYS I HADN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT

Another chapter finally posted! I'm honestly stoked to be getting back into this AU. With all my silly bishop family shenanigans finally written, this should primarily have my attention now. And I managed to work out some of the mechanics kinks I had been struggling with for so long, so hopefully you won't be waiting as long for the next update.

Anyway! I really hope you guys enjoy. Feedback appreciated as always!

Also! I created a Spotify playlist to go along with the story which I've never done before. Listen while you read and see if you can find hints at later events. Would love to hear some theories! Playlist here

#cult of the lamb #cotl #inscryption #inscryption au #cotl au #fan fiction #ao3 #ao3 link #ao3 fanfic #writers on tumblr #hard drive of fate #hdof #no beta read we die like the bishops

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arabellaflynn · 1 year

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Advent Calendar 05: Backwards Combat-ibility

Greetings, and welcome to Advent Calendar 2022! This year we're being self-indulgent and rambling about video games.

As usual, the Advent Calendar is also a pledge drive. Subscribe to my writing Patreon here by December 15th for at least $5/mo and get an e-card for Ratmas; subscribe for $20/mo (and drop me a mailing address) and you'll get a real paper one!

I hope you're all having a happy winter holiday season. Let the nerd rambling commence!

My parents broke down and bought a Super Nintendo the Christmas they wanted to play Final Fantasy II (IV in Japan) and were annoyed that the new machine was not backwards compatible with NES carts. It wasn't necessarily a silly thing to expect. Microcomputer games sometimes had a version for 8K and 16K machines on one disk or tape; I remember a lot of PC games had 5.25" and 3.5" diskettes in the same box, to account for whatever drive you had. And on the console end, a big selling point of the Atari 7800 was its ability to play your existing library of 2600 games.

They would not have run into the same problem if they'd gone with a Sega Genesis, where a reasonably inexpensive accessory called the Power Base Converter allowed you to play 8-bit Sega Master System games on your shiny new 16-bit console. It was an easy trick to pull off, because while the Genesis had a blazing fast 7.6MHz Motorola 6800 processor for all of your sick new graphics needs, it used the brain of a Master System, a Zilog Z80, as its sound controller. All the PBC did was short a couple of wires to direct the CPU requests to the sound chip and voilá! Your Master System games were communicating with a chip that spoke their language.

This technique has been used to great success in quite a number of consoles. Nintendo used a Gameboy Color CPU as the tone generator in its Gameboy Advance handhelds that doubled as a way to play GB/GBC games, and straight up built a DS into their 3DS consoles specifically for DS compatibility. Their Wii console was essentially an upgraded GameCube, and played GC discs, and the easily-forgotten WiiU was based on Wii architecture. Sony pulled a similar trick in its Playstation 2 consoles, where a stripped-down Playstation board was used to handle controller input.

A more interesting case is the Playstation 3. Moving from the original Playstation to the PS2 took Sony from a CPU compatible with a pretty widely-used instruction set to an entirely custom chip, the Emotion Engine, which was compatible with basically nothing else. The PS3's Cell processor and architecture not only strayed farther from industry standards, but was not particularly close to the Emotion Engine either. The ability to play PS1 games was a very popular feature of the PS2, so to maintain backwards compatibility on the PS3, early "fat" 60GB deluxe models contained actual PS2 hardware that handled discs from the previous generation.

This was an expensive feature in an already very expensive console. It was not a surprise to anyone when Sony opted to implement PS2 compatibility in software in later models instead. PS1 games were already handled via software emulation, and that worked reasonably well, but a PS1 was a bear of very little brain when compared to PS3, whereas the PS2... well, there were some issues. Most games worked mostly fine. A few games were a disaster. Behold:

youtube

Microsoft took an entirely different approach, where they effectively ported a lot of popular games to their new hardware and used your old discs as a "proof of purchase" that let you download the new versions. Which is great, until they decide to stop hosting the ports. Microsoft has historically been pretty pig-headed about their ideas (see: the 'always-on Kinect' controversy) so I doubt they'll ever provide first-party native support for previous generations of games. Sony has also ditched direct compatibility; the Playstation 4 has only a Blu-Ray drive, which can physically read DVDs but doesn't recognize the format of PS2/PS3 discs, and can't see PS1 CDs at all. PS4 and PS5 play previous games through a subscription service that gives access to some, but definitely not all, of the past library.

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averykedavra · 3 years

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A Conversation I Overheard (1/5)

It’s been a while since one of these, hasn’t it? A little one-shot turned out not-so-little and I figured it was about time to give multi-chapter fics another shot. This self-indulgent little beast is courtesy of a prompt by the lovely @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors, which you can find here! The title and plot are entirely their creation. @sleepless-in-starbucks encouraged me to write this awhile back (read: months and months ago, because I’m slow at writing) and here I am! Finally! Better late than never. So...commence fic!

Update schedule is to be determined. This fic is on Ao3 here!

Pairings: romantic LAMP

Warnings: insecurity and self-hatred, anxiety, depressive symptoms, spiraling, a crap-ton of miscommunication, and mentions of kissing

Summary: When Roman eavesdrops on a family meeting post-wedding, he hears the last thing he expected--the sides confessing their feelings for each other. Which is lovely for them, but it means Roman is stuck as the fourth wheel. Helpful, quiet, and doing his best to keep them from remembering that they're still mad at Roman.

And doing his best to keep himself from dwelling on the heartbreak. Because of course they don’t love him. Why would they?

(or: the four times the sides tried to tell Roman they loved him, and the one time he finally believed them.)

Chapter One: Denial

First. Next. Masterlist.

Roman knew it was petty. He knew it was a petty, selfish, unchivalrous thing to do. He should treat his fellow Sides with more respect. He should own up to his mistakes. He should make like the fabulous prince he was and lead the discussion, fix everything, listen to the people who knew him best.

Roman knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t force himself to answer the door.

“Kiddo?” Patton asked for the third time. “Did you hear me? I said we’re all going to have a--family meeting. To talk about what happened. I think it would be a good idea for us all to...get things off our chest.”

Roman clutched at his sash and stared at the ceiling. If he called out, Patton wouldn’t hear him. He’d have to walk over to the door and open it. That was one excuse to stay still. That was one excuse to keep quiet.

“I know you’re upset,” Patton said. “It’s okay. We want to hear you out. Maybe we can help you work through some things.”

Roman would cry if he tried to work through things. He would start blubbering in front of everyone he knew. That was one excuse to keep the door locked.

“You don’t have to.” Patton sounded upset. He always sounded upset these days--maybe it was the door muffling his voice, or just because he was talking to Roman. “You really don’t have to, kiddo, it’s okay. I get it. You’re--perfectly within rights not to come. I don’t want to pressure you.”

They didn’t want him there. Roman would ruin the whole thing, say something cruel and hurtful as he always did, and leave the situation worse than it started. That was one excuse to stay away.

“I get it,” Patton said, his voice barely making it through the door. “Janus won’t be there, and it will be calm, and we’ll talk things out. I get your hesitation, kiddo. It’s okay. I’d just--love if you gave us a chance.”

Would they give Roman a chance? How many chances were left until Roman ran out? What were the conditions of this chance--did he need to look better, act better, be better? He’d barely managed to put on makeup this morning. That was one excuse to stay inside.

“I guess that’s all I have to say.” Patton laughed a bit. “Maybe you’re asleep, and I’m just talking to myself. That’d be pretty silly of me, wouldn’t it?”

Roman was tired. He’d been tired for weeks. He was always tired. That was one excuse to avoid the meeting.

He had so, so many excuses.

They were probably the only things he was creative at.

“Well...goodbye, I guess?” Patton hesitated. Roman could see his shadow under the door. “Talk to you later, kiddo. My invitation stands.”

The shadow flickered and vanished. Roman didn’t move from his bed, splayed on the red-and-white quilt, staring at the ceiling.

They’d be arranged on the couch when the meeting started. He could picture it well enough. Logan in the armchair, Patton on the couch, Virgil on the arm of the couch--or, if he was stressed, the top of it. He probably would be stressed. They all would be. Patton would be worrying the sleeves of his hoodie, and Virgil would be chewing on his nails, and Logan would be shifting his thermos between his hands or drumming his fingers on his knee. Maybe they’d invite Thomas. Maybe Patton would double back and invite Janus after all.

It didn’t matter, though, because Roman wasn’t going.

Patton would start the family meeting. He always read the minutes, as it was, and thanked everyone for coming. Virgil usually bristled at the gratitude. Logan always returned it. Roman always bowed with a little twirl of his hand--ridiculously dramatic--and if Thomas was there, he’d smile with his nervous smile. It was a combination of Patton’s optimism and Virgil’s anxiety. Roman could always see them in Thomas, because he knew them so well, he knew where every jagged edge fit together.

Roman remembered how the family meetings always went. A problem, a discussion, a solution. It wasn’t like it was in videos. Videos were for Thomas issues. Family meetings were for family issues. There was often overlap, which made it common to pregame a video with a quick discussion, or to pile onto the couches when a video was concluded. In Roman’s memory, which was often wrong, this meeting was almost two weeks after the disastrous wedding. Two weeks was the longest time between a video and a meeting that Roman could remember. Two weeks was far too long, and yet, not long enough.

He’d known this was coming. He’d prepared himself. He’d even rehearsed apologies, perfectly crafted to gain sympathy--and what kind of manipulative person did that? Who tried that hard for affection? He couldn’t be truly accepted, truly loved, unless they knew the truth about Roman.

Except Roman couldn’t bear to let his walls down. He couldn’t bear to see the looks on their faces, if they knew everything--how much he failed, how much he wasn’t who they needed, how much he felt for them.

He couldn’t even imagine apologizing without his stomach flipping.

He wondered what they would talk about. He knew how the meetings usually went, but he wondered what would fit into the format, what would make Patton wince or Virgil shift on the couch. He wondered what solution they would find. They always found a solution. Sometimes it took several hours, but they did. Roman was usually the largest obstacle.

Maybe they would solve things easier, if he wasn’t there.

Or would they? If Roman was the problem, could they really find a solution without talking to him? Would they pass judgment on him while he sat in his room, alone, or would they dance around the issue? Pretend they weren’t missing anyone? Pretend everything was fine?

Roman glanced at his closed door. Patton would be downstairs. The meeting would be starting. He could picture the way they’d tug each other into a group hug at the end, or the way Virgil curled into himself when anxious, or the cute way Logan always bit his lip when thinking--he knew them so well, but he could see a million ways for the conversation to go. There were too many blank spaces between lines. Too many ways for the story to end.

Would they knock on his door later? Tell him what happened? Tell him--tell him they’d decided, that Roman needed to leave, that he was better off on the other side of the Mindscape? That they’d made a mistake in trying to be his friend?

Roman ran his hands down his arms and pressed his fingers into his skin. Chin up. Act like a prince. He wasn’t in the mood to cry again, although if everyone was busy downstairs, he had the least odds of being heard.

He felt greasy. Maybe it was because of the clothes he’d slept in for three days, or his unshowered and unbrushed hair, or the distinct lack of vegetables in his recent diet. He’d avoided eating with the others. He’d avoided the others in general.

He had no idea what they were talking about downstairs. What was so unimportant--so important--that Roman didn’t need to attend? Perhaps they were simply nice enough to leave him be, but he could hardly believe there wouldn’t be another shoe to fall.

Something would happen. Roman just couldn’t decide on what.

Curiosity gnawed at his empty stomach.

He didn’t want to be unprepared. He should get ready, should prepare an apology, should pack his things--his room was teetering with cushions and lace, and he winced at the prospect of cleaning it out. If he knew what they were planning, if he knew who he would face, he’d be ready.

Patton would be painfully nice. Roman could talk him out of banishment if he tried--a horrible thought. An evil thought. Roman could never manipulate Patton like that, could never take advantage of his trusting nature or the guilt he was sure to feel. So he’d stay silent. He’d let Patton stumble through platitudes before saying “sorry, Roman, but you have to go.”

Roman would smile and nod. He’d let Patton hug him, if Patton wanted, if that made Patton feel better. Or maybe Patton wouldn’t touch him. He certainly hadn’t in weeks.

Roman rubbed his arms.

Logan would be painfully clinical. If Logan decided something, it was almost impossible to change his mind--see every argument Roman had with him ever. He’d share his evidence, if Roman asked, if Roman was brave enough to ask. Maybe he’d even let Roman argue a point or two. But it wouldn’t change anything. It never did.

Roman would bite back his retorts. He’d avoid saying goodbye. If he did, he’d get choked up. Crying in front of anyone would be humiliating, and Logan would be more so.

Roman swallowed.

Virgil would--he could barely imagine a scenario where Virgil would have the courage to kick him out alone. But maybe Virgil wanted to do it himself. Maybe Virgil would shuffle his feet on the carpet, hands deep in his pockets. Maybe he’d chew his lip. Roman would reassure him, calm him down, coax a relieved smile out of him--and then he’d tell Roman to leave.

It was more likely that Virgil would have backup. Maybe Logan and Virgil, since Logan always calmed Virgil down--or Patton and Logan? Patton might want that logical reassurance. Or Patton and Virgil, if they wanted to be as emotional as possible. Or all three.

Roman didn’t know. It could be any of them, and Roman wasn’t ready.

If only he knew what to expect.

Roman glanced at the door.

The hallway was quiet. Roman slid on his socks past the doors, and paused at the stairs to gather information and courage. He could hear murmured conversation below--stops and starts, sounding hesitant. How long had it been since they started? He’d forgotten to check the time. All he could make out were singular vowels. Nothing concrete.

Roman inched closer to the top of the stairs, trying to stay out of sight. If he could get to the kitchen, he’d be hidden, but how could he get past--

Oh. Roman almost laughed at his stupidity. The next second, he appeared in the kitchen.

To avoid being spotted, he’d decided to sit on the floor, leaning against the counter. The kitchen tiles were cold under his feet. He wrapped his arms around his chest. With bated breath, he waited, but nobody entered the kitchen. Nobody said his name. The living room was silent.

Roman let out a long breath. He was already regretting this. What prince eavesdropped on his companions? If he was caught, he’d get an earful. Or worse--a disappointed look from Patton. Roman shuddered at the thought. Patton was exceedingly good at the disappointed look.

He didn’t want to move, or he might alert them. That was enough of an excuse to stay still and listen.

“...can’t keep putting this off,” Patton was saying when Roman tuned in. “I’ve given you all time, and I get that you need it, but we can’t just glare at each other forever! We have to actually talk about this.”

“Not now,” Virgil argued. “Roman’s not even here.”

“Roman--needs space.”

“So Roman gets space, but I don’t?” Virgil didn’t sound angry, at least to Roman. He just sounded upset. “How’s that fair?”

“You agreed to be here,” Patton said, with patience. “If you want to leave at any time, you can--”

“Cool--”

“But I think it would be a good idea for you to stay. If you want.”

“This is highly confusing,” Logan said. Roman tried not to overanalyze the entire situation, but Logan’s voice was clipped, strained in the wrong ways.

“Look,” Patton said with a sigh, “I’m trying to find a compromise. This isn’t easy and I’m pretty sure I’m messing some part of it up, but even an imperfect conversation is still a conversation. And we need one of those, guys. We really do.”

Roman heard the sound of a zipper. Virgil was probably pulling at the zippers on his sleeves.

“You’re doing fine,” Logan said. Reassuring and reluctant and quiet.

“Thanks,” Patton said. Reluctant and quiet.

“What now?” Virgil asked. Quiet.

It was just quiet for a long time, long enough for Roman’s knees to start aching. He didn’t move. He didn’t want to break the silence.

“I’m sorry,” Patton said.

Both Logan and Virgil started to say something, but their words jumbled together and they both went quiet.

“I’ve messed up a lot,” Patton continued, chuckling a bit. “Gosh, it’s been a lot. And that’s hurt you guys, and I’m sorry. So--maybe I’m going about this all wrong. I know you don’t really want to be here, but...I want to listen to you more. All of you. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Virgil mumbled something that Roman didn’t catch. It must have been something self-deprecating, because Patton clucked at him, and Logan murmured something back.

“So I’m giving you the floor. Even though it’s Thomas’.” Patton chuckled more at his own joke. Roman caught a snicker from Virgil as well. “Just...say what’s on your mind, okay?”

Another long moment of silence.

“Uh, who goes first?” Virgil asked. “Do we like, pick straws, or--”

“You can go first,” Logan said quickly.

“Dude! Don’t feed me to the wolves!”

“No wolves,” Patton reassured them. “You can go in any order you want.”

Virgil huffed. “Shouldn’t Princey be here?”

“If Roman doesn’t want to be here, we can’t make him,” Logan said with a touch of irritation. “I’d rather have a calm conversation with three people than an argument with four.”

Roman curled a bit further into a ball on the kitchen floor.

“Jury’s still out on calm,” Virgil muttered. “Yeah. So--me?”

“You don’t have to,” Logan said.

“But go for it,” Patton added.

“Yeah. Okay.” Virgil took a deep breath. If Roman listened closely, he could hear the faint rasp of an echo in his voice. “So--the wedding, huh? That was something. That happened.”

“Yes,” Logan said, when Virgil didn’t continue. “It did happen.”

“Yeah, I--ugh.” Virgil groaned. “I don’t know where to start. What to talk about, or whatever. Don’t you guys have any specific questions?”

“Uh--” Patton made a noncommittal noise. “I don’t wanna limit you, Virge.”

“I could use some limitations right about now.”

“Alright.” Roman could picture what Patton was doing--gesturing at Virgil like he was handing over his words on a platter. “How did the wedding make you feel?”

“Bad,” Virgil said.

“Good start,” Patton encouraged. “And?”

“It was like--” Virgil sucked in a breath and let it out. “Like I didn’t want to get involved, right after, ‘cause you guys seemed pretty busy and all. I was just trying not to freak out. Logan let me in his room, which was nice--”

Logan made a small noise. Maybe of surprise.

“--and that helped, but he was also talking to you guys so I couldn’t really avoid the whole thing, and then--” Virgil paused. Roman could just make out a muttered four-seven-eight, maybe from Patton, maybe from Logan. “And it was. Not fun. I wanted to help out, Pat, you seemed so upset and I really did want to--and--and Roman was upset, and Logan was telling me he could handle it--”

“That was…” Logan paused, but Virgil didn’t say anything else. “A bit of an error on my part.”

“Not your fault you got impersonated, L.”

Patton made a small noise. “I am really sorry about that, Logan.”

“Not your fault he got impersonated, either.”

“I could have noticed,” Patton said unconvincingly. “And I did press the skip button.”

“You did,” Logan said.

Silence fell.

“Uh--is it still my turn?” Virgil asked. “Did I--am I done?”

“I don’t--” Patton sighed. “This isn’t working either, is it.”

Nobody argued with him.

“Have we ever found a conversation tactic that does work?” Logan pointed out, sounding uncharacteristically glum. “Have we ever managed to fix every problem at hand, without simultaneously exacerbating several others?”

“I don’t think so,” Virgil said.

“It was rhetorical.” Logan sighed. “My point is that we’re stuck in a loop. We do this every time, and we’ve never managed to successfully communicate the root issues.”

“We’ve gotten better,” Patton said.

“Have we?”

Quiet again. Roman was beginning to stiffen in his position, and one of his feet was falling asleep. Roman shifted it as quietly as possible. It tingled.

“And I thought I was supposed to be the pessimist,” Virgil teased. It fell flat. “Look, L, I don’t think we should scrap the whole thing just because it doesn’t fix everything flat out--”

“But there has to be something we’re missing.” Patton’s voice was determined. “Logan’s right. There’s stuff at play deep down here, and we’ve never talked about it, because--because we don’t know how to get those real answers. Because we don’t know what questions to ask. So we need answers to the questions that we don’t know need answers.”

“You lost me,” Virgil said.

“He’s saying we should try to cut to the figurative heart of the issue.” Logan paused. “I agree, in theory.”

“Oh.” Virgil paused. “Stop--lying?”

Roman gripped his knees tightly.

“Lying has a place and time,” Patton said. “But--you know, there’s a reason why I didn’t invite Janus, right? He’s a good friend and an important part of Thomas. But he’s not--you guys. You guys are different. And--and I don’t think we can have true love if our relationship isn’t based on truth.”

“True love,” Virgil repeated with a snicker. “We’re not each other’s Disney princes, Pat.”

Logan snickered too. “I’m sure Roman would disagree.”

“We love each other!” Patton protested. “I--I love you guys, at least. I love you.”

“I know,” Virgil said after a moment, his voice bittersweet. “I know, Pat. You’re a good friend.”

A very long pause.

“We ought to do something about that,” Logan said, “shouldn’t we?”

“Do something--” Virgil laughed. “What are you--”

“Patton said we ought to be honest,” Logan said. Pointedly. “I also think it would be a good idea. For both of you.”

“What?” Patton sounded confused, but it was only the sound of confusion, not the real thing. “What’s up, Lo?”

“Yeah, L,” Virgil said, both an invitation and a warning. “What are you saying?”

A brief pause. Roman pictured Logan fiddling with his glasses and almost smiled.

“I have to admit this is not my area of expertise,” Logan said, his voice quiet. “However, I think observations have painted a clear picture of the situation. Our--issues with each other are myriad, and stem from a variety of sources, but it is as Patton said. We need to be honest. I believe there’s a very clear culprit for some of our communication issues, and I think you know what it is.”

Silence. Roman’s stomach was slowly dropping to the floor. He bit his lip and tried to stop himself from sinking out. He still needed to hear what they decided--although, the more the conversation continued, the more he felt like he was intruding. Things were getting personal. This wasn’t his place.

As if he heard Roman’s thoughts, Virgil blurted out “Should we really talk about this right now? While Roman’s--”

“We can think about that later,” Logan said. “I think the three of us need to admit a few things.”

“Dunno what you’re talking about.” Patton giggled weakly. “We can’t all keep up with you and your brain, Lo.”

Logan paused for too long to be natural. He was worried. Roman wondered what worried him--he should sink out now, before things got personal, but his feet were rooted to the kitchen floor--

“We aren’t friends,” Logan said.

“Uh, dude,” Virgil began, “you might wanna--”

“We aren’t just friends.” Logan let out a breath. “You know that.”

Roman needed to go. He wasn’t meant to hear this part. His breath was already catching in his throat. How dare he ruin this moment, how dare he toss himself into a private conversation, how dare his legs refuse to move--

“What are you talking about?” Virgil’s voice was harsh. Too harsh, not only for the conversation, but for Virgil. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” Logan said. “You know there are other things at play, it’s foolish to deny--”

“I’m not denying anything!”

“We’re not just friends!” Logan almost yelled. “The evidence is practically a mountain--we have sleepovers every weekend! We eat breakfast together!”

“Yeah, we’re friends!” Virgil fired back. “That’s normal friend stuff!”

“We’re family,” Patton amended, the first time he’d spoken. His voice was hollow. “Besides, it’s always just been us, of course we’re different.”

“We’re different,” Logan agreed. “Virgil falls asleep on your shoulder. You give us forehead kisses. We cuddle. That isn’t platonic.”

“And what’s your evidence, wise guy?” Virgil’s voice pitched upwards. “Platonic is weird! Romantic is weird! How are you supposed to instantly tell the difference?”

“I’m simply stating that there could be something else at play!”

“You’re my only friends!” Virgil burst out. “I don’t have anything else to compare it to--it’s normal. All of it. How I feel--it’s normal.”

Logan’s voice suddenly quieted. “And how do you feel?”

“Normal,” Virgil said.

Patton still hadn’t said anything else. Roman would have peeked around to see if he was okay, if he could remember how to move, how to think.

“Normal,” Virgil repeated. “It’s--we’re friends. We love each other. It’s normal.”

Logan hummed. “You were friends with Deceit, correct?”

“Janus,” Patton said faintly. Nobody acknowledged him.

“No,” Virgil said. “Yes. Kind of. It’s complicated.”

“Would you ever be comfortable with cuddling him?”

“I hate him.”

“We’re working under the assumption that you do not.”

“Look, I--it’s complicated.” Virgil huffed. “I wouldn’t be, but that’s because I hate him, and I’ve always been way more comfortable with you guys anyway, ‘cause I don’t have to act--mean, or whatever. You guys are different than him. Always have been.”

“Different,” Logan said.

“Yeah, because I literally hate him--” Virgil groaned. “Look, L, don’t make patterns where there aren’t any. It’s fine. We’re--we’re friends.”

“Logan has a point.” Patton’s words came out in a rush, like he’d been bottling them up. “He has a point.”

Logan made a surprised noise. “I do?”

“Et tu, Brute?” Virgil’s voice softened. “You think so?”

“Janus is really nice,” Patton said. “We’ve been talking for a while now, ever since--well, everything. I’ve appreciated his support. He makes me laugh. And--and he’s not like you guys. Not just because he’s a newer friend. You’re all different.” His voice dipped. “You’ve always been different to me.”

A long, long silence. Roman couldn’t feel his legs, or his lungs, or his heart.

“This isn’t my area of expertise,” Logan said. Quietly, quietly. “I suppose there really isn’t any way to tell, objectively, what we--are to each other. All I can say is, to me, you are a lot. Not everything--I don’t believe anyone could be everything--but...more than on average. More than I’ve admitted to myself.”

“You’re kidding,” Virgil blurted out, an edge of hysterical laughter in his voice. “You’re--that’s not it, that can’t be it, you can’t--”

“Doesn’t it make sense?” Patton pleaded, his words all in a rush again. “It--it doesn’t have to, gosh, I know it doesn’t have to, but if you could give it a chance--”

“A chance?” Virgil repeated incredulously. “We’re not--we’re not--”

“I’m sorry,” Patton said. Quietly. Roman was so tired of quiet. “I’m really sorry, Virgil.”

“You’re--you’re serious.” Virgil sounded inches from a panic attack. “You’re--”

“We can all take a moment to think,” Logan suggested, sounding inches from his own. “We can--we can take time to process, it’s fine, we don’t have to work this out right now--we can forget this ever happened--”

“It’ll be okay,” Patton said. Maybe to Virgil. Maybe to Logan. Maybe to himself. “We’ll handle this. We always do.”

“You’re--” Virgil’s voice broke. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Virge,” Patton said. Quietly, quietly, too quietly for Roman to sneak away. “You’re the coolest emo around.”

“No.” Virgil’s voice pitched frantic again. “No, no--I love you guys, don’t I? I--you’ve always been there for me, and you always looked after me, and Logan always calms me down and Pat, you always make me smile, and--”

“You don’t have to do this,” Logan murmured. “I understand that I miscalculated, you don’t need to--”

“No!” Virgil might have laughed. Or sobbed, it was hard to tell. “No, L, you genius, you got it exactly right.”

Roman swallowed and realized his mouth was dry.

“I love you!” Virgil said, triumphantly, like he’d solved everything. Like everything made sense. Maybe it did. “I love you, I love you so much--what am I even saying, this is so stupid--I love you, I was an idiot, I didn’t--”

“I--” Patton laughed breathlessly. “Virgil--”

“Do you--” Virgil’s voice dipped. “Do you--”

“I love you too,” Patton said, as if it was the first time he’d ever said it. Maybe it was.

“I--” Logan coughed awkwardly. “Not to seem obtuse, but can we clarify if--”

“If you’re included in the ‘you’?” Virgil laughed. “L, obviously, it wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Ah.” Was Logan blushing? He sounded like it. Roman would be ecstatic to witness a flustered Logan, if he was not currently frozen and terrified. “That--ah. I...likewise, I hold an amount of affection towards you that is commonly considered romantic. So to speak.”

“Aww!” Patton cooed. “Really?”

“Yes, really!” Logan said. “I think we’ve established that we all love each other! I think that’s clear!”

“Always has been, I’m just an idiot.” Was Virgil smiling? He sounded like it. Oh, if only Roman was able to appreciate it. “Y’know, it’s been...an understood thing.”

“Yeah,” Patton said. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Silence.

“This doesn’t solve anything,” Logan said, as if he was obligated to point out the flaws. As if he couldn’t let himself enjoy the moment yet. “We still have much to discuss, not least--”

“I know, I know.” Patton was smiling, Roman could hear it, and it made Roman’s chest hurt. “But it’ll help, that we were honest--and aren’t you guys happy? That we can--”

“Do what?” Virgil asked, when Patton petered out.

“Be...together,” Patton finished. “If you want.”

Roman’s stomach twisted in Celtic knots. He shook his foot, almost hoping that they’d hear him and stop talking--and then he could distract them, remind them of him and why they’d started this meeting in the first place, ruin their moment like always--

“I’d like that,” Logan said.

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “Me too.”

And then it was entirely the wrong kind of quiet. A movement or two, then quiet--and Roman could come to all sorts of conclusions, imagine them clearly in his head, but he settled on the obvious one. He cursed his mind for supplying him with a clear mental picture. Oh, so he couldn’t think of a video idea in a week, but now his imagination worked?

The quiet stretched on longer. Too long. Too long and Roman was itching at the seams, thumbing at his sash, regretting ever stepping foot out of his room.

But it was fine. It was fine. He’d just leave now.

If they were doing what he thought they were, they probably wouldn’t notice.

Roman steeled himself, pushed himself onto his knees, and stood up. As quickly as possible. Raise his hand. Teleport. It was easy--like reaching out and plucking a string, tensing a muscle, lighting a fire. A flourish of the hand, and the kitchen slipped out of reach, and he didn’t want to see the others, but he did--Patton beaming, and Virgil covering his smile with his hand, and Logan tilting his head forward and then Roman closed his eyes because he didn’t want to see, he didn’t--

But, well, he could imagine.

His room was empty. When he flopped into the same position he’d started the day in, and covered his head with his blanket, he could almost pretend he hadn’t left. That he’d dreamed the whole thing. That they weren’t downstairs, right now, holding hands, cupping cheeks and--

Roman yelled something inaudible into his pillow.

He should be happy for them. He should be happy--and he was! He was happy for them. They deserved each other. They were his best friends--his friends--his--

They were...something, that was for sure.

They deserved each other.

Roman should be happy.

It would be good for the family, now that they were no longer on bad terms. Roman couldn’t count the number of awkward glances they’d had over the years. Maybe this had finally helped to clear the air. That was one excuse to be happy for them.

Roman thrived off romance. He could hardly turn down the opportunity to support such a cute couple, especially when they were so adorably awkward in their confessions. That was another excuse to be happy for them.

It would take the pressure off him. They seemed to have entirely forgotten their meeting’s goal, which included deciding whether Roman deserved to stay. Maybe they’d keep forgetting. Maybe the beauty of love would soften their hearts towards him, and Roman could scrape by on table scraps and glancing smiles, surviving on the edges once again. They’d tolerate him. They’d forget he existed, because they’d be enamored with each other, exactly as they deserved.

That was another excuse to be happy.

And they wanted this. They’d clearly pined for so long, and now they had what they wanted, they had each other--Roman was thrilled for them, ecstatic, over the moon. It felt right, somehow, to see them all together. The perfect fairytale ending. If this was their happy ending, who was Roman to stand in their way?

Did he want to be more of a villain?

No. He couldn’t ruin yet another perfect thing. He just had to suck it up and be chivalrous. He wasn’t their hero, wasn’t their friend, wasn’t their--wasn’t theirs. He was nothing but a fourth wheel.

We love you.

Right.

Roman pressed his hands to his eyes to stop the tears. There was no reason to cry. This was fine. He should be happy. He’d faked happy for years and years, why was this what he couldn’t handle? What had he expected? He didn’t get a consolation prize after what he’d done. He didn’t rescue the dashing princes. He hadn’t earned his happy ending, and now he was alone in his room, while the three most important people in his life found solace in each other.

And it was fine.

They were happy.

So Roman would be happy, too. Roman would be everything they needed him to be. Roman would make the most of this, and he would be a good friend and a good person, even if it killed him. No bitterness. No jealousy. No longing for something he knew he didn’t deserve.

No excuses.

They were in love. They were happy. And that was enough.

If Roman truly loved them, he would let that be enough.

But, well, Roman didn’t truly do much of anything. And he spent most of the day in a pile on his pillows, ignoring the knocks on his door, and getting absolutely nothing done. He was out of ideas and out of passion. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could imagine was being shoved out his door, and the soft look in his best friends’ eyes as they kissed each other on the living room couch.

But it was fine, Roman was fine, and everything was fine.

Princes didn’t complain. Princes moved on. Princes were gracious and helpful in the face of true love.

Princes got true love.

Roman wasn’t much of a prince, though. And it was fine. He was fine.

Everything was so incredibly fine.

When Roman finally fell asleep, his last thought was worry--that he’d summoned Janus with all his lying. But Janus didn’t appear. It was just Roman, slipping into dreams on his rumpled quilt, glad of an excuse to stop thinking.

First. Next. Masterlist.

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@ohheavenlylord

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@remy-the-lemon-berry

@drarrymalecsolangelo

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@multi-fandoms-posts

Taglist from @the-taglist-repository:

@katelynn-a-fan @dwbh888 @royal-stormcloud @awkwardjester @smileyzs @robinwritesshitposts @thatgaydemigodnerd @callboxkat @potatsanderssides @idont-freaking-know @nonasficcollection @supernovainthenightsky @evoodo123 @hekking-happy-nonsense @cottonwoolsocks @aceawkwardunicorn @somehow-i-got-an-account @grouptalekindnesssoul @the-hoely-bleach @anvil527up @fanficloverinthesun @brain-deadx0 @the-grounded-raven @a-fandom-trashdump @demoniccheese83

Ask to be included (on a specific taglist for this fic, or my general one)!

#roman sanders #sanders sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders angst #lamp #romantic lamp #averywrites #a conversation i overheard #if i don't update all the links/masterlists/everything before i go to bed #shhhh u didnt see that #i'll organize it all in the morning i promise djbhgsfshsj

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blondiewholovestowrite · 4 years

Note

Male Stranger Things&HP matchup pls? 5’1 F,long dark hair&dark eyes,Taurus&ISFJ. Introverted with extroverted qualities. Can fake being social while heart is racing. Intellectual&passionate about improving lives. Scared of dark, blood, horror but intrigued b/c I like mysteries. Insomniac-trouble sleeping b/c I get stressed/anxious&overthink but don't give up&persevere. Have trouble letting things go&a perfectionist. Try to be optimistic esp 4 others. Dorky,awks,rambly. 💖

anon: silly- like to laugh(esp at own jokes)&make others laugh. Sassy friend that lovingly teases/roasts. Speaks mind&stands up 4 others. Empathetic. Super supportive&friends ppl go to 4 advice. Romantic, says i love you often&loves hugs/cuddles. Openly show emotions/thoughts. Emotional&cries easily b/c i care so much. Food photography is a hobby of mine. Likes: karaoke, eating/cooking, makimg handmade gifts&board/video games. Tysm!💖

hi girly! so for stranger things i ship you with... steve harrington!

protective mother steve + y/n :') we stan

steve was... well, you're typical teenage popular high and mightier douchebag so when it got around he had a thing for you, everyone was surprised nonentheless

however, he thought you were THE person to be, your personality was perfect and he admired that: he loved the way if someone as much as sent a strange look towards your friends with no hesitation you'd defend them, you're passionate about what you do but he just didn't know how to approach or talk to you whether it was his idiot friends making snarky remarks or the fact he was scared he would say something embarassing or sarcastic but one day he heard you playing a tape from your car

his ultimate song: sweet dreams by eurythmics. just blasting in the parking lot with your windows down. he loved not only your taste but the way you didn't care what everyone thought. and suddenly without realising he was leaning against your window making the first move

and it really just blossomed from there, he learnt more about you, and expanded his knowledge on your admirable personality, while to everyone you seemed outgoing and passionate. him (and your friends) knew that you were a total softie with a huge and sensitive heart :') he would tread lightly sometimes when it came to his humour in fear of hurting you but when you would send harmless but funny sarcastic comments the war commenced lol

he'd always make mixtapes with you, it was basically your favourite thing to do besides...

CUDDLES! oh my god, hugs and cuddles and just showing affection to each other was something you and steve loved to do.

although you and steve love to show affection to each other, talking was not a strong suit for him, you could openly express your feelings and he was like your rock but steve on the other hand doesn't like to show "vulnerability" and you were okay with that, but would never hesitate to tell him if he ever needed anything you were there

so there were times where he would come to you, needed someone to talk to and that's also how you found out about the "things" that went on in hawkins. which of course you didn't understand and didn't believe until it was night and you were called to the byers residence where you saw ur boyfriend beaten up and heard what dustin called a "demodog". that's when you believed and also when you almost fainted from the blood but we don't really speak of that

on the topic of dustin, him and steve were practically a package deal. which you didn't really mind, dustin was super funny,lighthearted and was basically your little brother.

hey! so for harry potter i ship you with... fred weasley!

fred+y/n! aw the perfect match

you and the prankster balance each other perfectly! when you're anxious/stressed he'll calm you down and make you laugh with his funny anctics, and when he's not concentrating enough for his schoolwork you'll let him know and help him as much as possible :')

you and george show affection all the time, mainly just in front of each other but sometimes just to annoy/gross out his friends he'll catch you in a passionate kiss, probably tickle your sides too most of the time lmao

he knows you super well and can tell when ur anxious by small signs and you find that super cute aw

he's taller than you and he never lets you hear the end of it "shorty" or "little stack of pancakes" is always thrown in to a converstion. ALWAYS.

you and fred support each other fully with your future, when he said he wanted to open a joke shop you weren't as reluctant and disapproving as molly and the others but you also weren't as up for the idea as the twins. but you realised fred+george knew what they were doing and you should support him no matter what and he loves you so much more for that

fred also supports your choice to become a healer, you love to help people and he also believes that it's the perfect job for you!

fred also didn't find out about your insomnia troubles until he had to keep elbowing you lightly to keep you awake in class, you had been studying all week/weekend and you'd been stressing leading to you not being able to sleep all week. that was until fred helped you sleep on night by getting into bed with you and holding you while playing your favourite song, ride by lana, until you finally closed your eyes and drifted off.

the yule ball ahhh! fred obviously asked you straight away and when he saw you that night you looked STUNNING. he couldn't take his eyes off you and he loved dancing with you, at first jumping around and having a goof off but then slow dancing, a perfect way to end a perfect night.

cooking. yes yes yes. fred loves to try your food, no matter what food you make he'll try it. desserts: omg chocolates :') mains: PASTA. you're his favourite little chef, quite fitting to your pancakes nickname haha

A/N: heya! so i really hope you like this :') i am so so sorry that i spent so long writing it, i had just started school and i had a really tough time getting around to doing requests but i hope this is good for you! i shipped you based on personality and also based on compatibility through your personality types and through your zodiac signs too! i sprta winged it with the songs and i really hope they're close enough to your music taste but if not i would totally go back and edit it for you to make it more fitting for you! once again im super sorry that it's late and i hope you have a fantastic day/night, thank you sm for the request and enjoy!

#harry potter matchup #harry potter imagine #fred weasley x reader #fred x reader #fred weasley #fred weasley imagine #stranger things matchup #stranger things ships #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #ships open #ships #matchups #matchup #x reader

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shamelesslypoetic · 4 years

Text

The Sugar Mentality

Summary: Virgil doesn’t like sweets. Patton will simply not stand for it. Shenanigans ensue as Roman and Logan make bedroom eyes at each other in the background.

Wordcount: 3.5k

Pairings: Moxiety, background Logince

Warnings: A light make out at the end (but don’t take my word for what ‘light’ means) and cavity inducing fluff.

Read on ao3

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Mm. Bliss.

Laying on the sun-warmed couch feeling all dreamy and smiley and happy, Patton settled fully beside his very own personal cuddle partner. Except Virgil was much more than that; Virgil was his boyfriend. Through relentless waves of emotions, countless brief glances and a thousand smiles exchanged across the rooms, it was finally true.

Patton marveled at the word ‘boyfriend’, letting it roll pleasantly around in his head. He was enjoying a cup of hot chocolate laden with marshmallows, reveling in Virgil’s warmth, taking in the fruity shampoo he used to wake himself up in the mornings, and another smoky smell Patton couldn’t quite place. He took a sip of his drink as Virgil went on with a ramble about My Chemical Romance’s music that Patton had long since lost track of, absorbed by Virgil’s eyes, his bangs, his fingers, his everything. Just, him, in all his glory.

Virgil, without missing a bit, twirled an imaginary mustache and Patton licked the cream away from his own upper lip.

To mask that he hadn’t been paying undivided attention to his shadowy but angelic songbird, Patton pressed the rim of his mug to Virgil’s mouth, offering him some of the chocolatey goodness.

“No thanks,” Virgil’s nose scrunched up—more often than not an adorable expression that Patton held as dear as any of Virgil’s faces. But this time he leaned his head back slightly too. “I don’t like marshmallows.”

A blanket of silence draped across them as Patton’s heart sank to his stomach in shock.

Virgil, ever fine-tuned to the signs of distress, asked, “Pat? Are you—?”

“But, but how can you not like marshmallows?”

Patton gave his boyfriend a doe-eyed, incredulous stare as he propped himself up on his elbows, practically sprawled across the anxious side’s lank form. They were flush from chest to knee.

Virgil��s face relaxed into a fond smile, moving the hair out of Patton’s face with just three of his fingers, feather light as he brushed the stray strands back from the slope of Patton’s freckled forehead. Tentative, despite the fact they’d just been cuddling on the couch with cat videos on Virgil’s phone. Patton wondered how Virgil could be so open, full of affection, and adoration in certain situations, yet so hesitant and closed off in others.

A clear example of the anxious side’s shyness presented itself in the way Virgil barely let himself touch Patton’s skin as he spoke, “I don’t know, Pat, I just never found them particularly tasty.” His eyes averted away as he fiddled with his fingers. Patton took his hand and gently traced his fingertips along Virgil’s knuckles, urging him to breathe out the tension. “They’re too sweet, sugary enough to turn bitter. And their texture’s kinda all wrong.”

“Does that mean you’ve never tried them?”

“No, I have!” Virgil chuckled. “I just wasn’t keen.”

“Wh-What about other sweets?” Patton tried desperately, grabbing Virgil’s hand with a pleading look. “Chocolate! Cotton candy! Cookies!”

“I’m sorry, babe.” He didn’t sound very sorry, and the glint in his eyes as he pressed their foreheads together would not distract Patton from his question. “I can only handle so much sugar in my life with you here. You’re an overwhelming sweetness I’m far more willing to bear though.”

The little sparks fizzling in Patton’s stomach as Virgil leaned in for a kiss certainly distracted him. Their noses brushed first and then Virgil’s teasing smile dropped. He let out a short breath that warmed Patton from his lips to his shoulders and spread down his back in twinkling tingles. The contact was slow and sweet, Virgil’s lips like melted chocolate sliding against Patton’s mouth.

Virgil shifted slightly, lacing his fingers with Patton’s and bringing his other hand to cup the side of his face. A slab of vanilla sunlight shined across Patton’s eyes and he opened them through a haze of delight to meet the warm caramel brown of Virgil’s. Then and there, he decided Virgil would grow to like sweets at any cost. Patton would make cakes and cookies and doughnuts and bring out all of his best cookbooks. Immediately.

Virgil let out a deep throaty noise, not unlike a purr, followed by a low whine as Patton drew back.

After he found a way off this couch then. Out of Virgil’s arms, out of his mind that screamed it didn’t want to have to move its body, out of this gumdrop sweet adoration.

Giving tender touches to show all his clumsy words couldn’t do justice, Patton completely fell into strong, grounded eyes and Virgil’s kisses and Virgil’s voice and Virgil, Virgil, Virgil.

A few hours later, once Virgil had had his fill of snuggles (for the time being), found Patton in the sunlit kitchen wearing his favorite polka patterned apron. His eyes roved over the counter with an indecisive frown. The flour, eggs, butter and sugar rudely neglected to transform into delicious cookies that would fill the mindscape with a warm aroma sure to lure Virgil out of his room. Patton forgave them, shifting his gaze to his cookbook and skimming the words.

“Patton,” Logan’s voice jolted the moral side awake, hands safely clasped around the heavy book to keep it from falling. “Would you be so kind as to remind me why Roman and I are here?”

What he meant to say was, Patton belatedly realized: My room’s door was locked and we were making out, how dare you interrupt us for such silly displays!

“To help me bake these cookies, of course!” Patton explained as he took the book from Logan. The moral side’s arms stooped under the weight, wiggling like overcooked noodles as he hefted it onto the counter with a puff of flour. “Hey, Lo, do you think milk chocolate would be better for this recipe?”

“You’ve never asked before, Padre,” said a still flushed Roman. His mouth had a ‘just punched’ look like he’d unevenly smeared lipstick across his face and since Roman’s make up applying skills were top notch, Patton couldn’t help but be a teeny tiny bit embarrassed as their gazes met. “What gives?”

“These have to be perfect,” Patton explained, hot to the tips of his ears. “They’re for Virgil!”

Roman’s tune changed into a passionate flurry immediately, his eyes lighting up. “Ah, I see, an endeavor of the heart!”

“I thought,” Logan interrupted, tone reserved. God, he could be scary sometimes, “you said on May 24th, seven weeks, four hours and thirty two minutes ago that any food will automatically be good if done with love and care.” There was an expectant pause. “And a dash of sugar,” Logan relented.

Patton turned to Roman for assistance, who’s lidded eyes took a moment before opening long enough to scold Logan instead of continuing to admire the logical side. “My love! These aren’t just any old cookies! Our Padre has asked for assistance in his quest to woo Surly Temple! We must deliver!”

“Well, if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s assistance,” said Logan.

“A little vague, my dearest nerd.”

“Feel free to take the words out of my mouth and twist them on your tongue any time, my halfwit.”

Patton cleared his throat. Logan staggered back as gracefully as one could, having unknowingly taken a few steps towards Roman. He blushed as he adjusted his neck tie.

Roman grinned proudly before sashaying towards Patton, hands eagerly clasping together. “Let the baking commence!”

A disaster, Logan called it; a marvelous attempt at baking done in the fashion only a true prince could achieve, Roman retorted. However much Patton wanted to encourage Roman though, the first batch of cookies came out lumps of coal that Roman slathered with icing and cream to mask the...overwhelmingly wonderful taste.

“Perhaps it was a bad idea letting Roman be in charge of taking the tray out.”

Patton went about doing chores and Logan needed to answer Thomas’ call. Who else could Patton have asked?

Fixing his gaze on Roman, Logan continued, “Especially since he doesn’t have much finesse when handling heat.”

Patton couldn’t help but notice the hint at an inside joke even as Logan’s wryness only invited a ghost of a smile to his features.

“I do, thank you very much!” Roman managed to say through his offended princey noises. Which were louder than usual…for some reason? “I only burned them because I’m hot as heck.”

Logan shook his head. Patton’s next words withered on his lips as Virgil came rushing down the stairs. “Guys! I smelled smoke! What’s happening?”

Catching sight of the tray, he stopped short and stared. His shoulders dropped from their tense line, fists eased open as his face became lax, then confused.

No, Logan had been right. It was a very bad idea leaving it up to Roman.

“Finding Emo! Huzzah!” Roman said. Why did he look so happy? “These fiends have put down my stupendous work. Would you mind taking a bite and disproving their drivel?”

Virgil gave Roman an unimpressed look. Thank goodness.

“Sure, whatever.”

Wait, what was that? Why was Virgil reaching for the white-painted black bricks?

Patton tried to say something as Virgil popped a ‘cookie’ into his mouth but found he couldn’t. He waited for Virgil to spit it out, to grimace, to scrunch his nose up, or to do anything. Instead, Virgil inhaled sharply, swallowing.

His eyes didn’t waver as he brushed off crumbs from his lips.

“Mm,” Virgil hummed. “These are actually really good, Princey. You makin’ more?”

For a moment, they all thought his usual sarcasm took over in such crucially called-for situations, but then he reached for another one and they all looked on in horror. Even Roman.

Virgil’s chewing sent a crunch-crunch like gravel rumbling through the kitchen. His eyes slid between their faces as he swallowed. “What?”

Instead of luring Virgil out with the aroma of cookies as planned, Patton had to go get the anxious side and resist the invitation for cuddles Virgil made. Red faced and mildly tired from kneading the dough, he longed for the embrace more than ever, but as his situation deemed it necessary, he ushered Virgil down the stairs, placing him in front of the dining table. A fresh batch full of chocolate chips with golden honey glaze waited for him.

“Oh,” Virgil breathed, eyeing the tray uncertainly. “These look really nice. Just kinda...too sugary?”

Roman snorted, reaching for one after the long wait where Patton had to repeatedly swat his hands away from the raw dough. “Just try it, Gerard Gay.”

Under their expectant gazes, Virgil ambled towards the sweets, almost sheepish as he took a bite. He winced, though it was evident he’d tried not to.

“These are…lovely, Pat,” Virgil said, smiling a smile absent from his eyes. “But I think the chocolate is a bit much so I’ll pass, thanks.”

Patton slumped, a tiny niggle of disappointment zinging through him. He quickly shoved it down. He wouldn’t give up. He hadn’t even started yet. No tree falls from the first blow, after all. Even if Morality didn’t favour cutting down trees in the first place.

Logan looked up from his book, wide-eyed as Roman spluttered, “But, how can you not like chocolate?”

From then on it was a series of trials and errors, ending mostly in the same way the first event had.

The following endeavour was Project Cotton Candy. Patton wanted to give Virgil the full carnival experience complete with the delicate spun sugar melting on your tongue as soon as it entered your mouth. He had Roman arrange a date in the mindscape in exchange for two coconut cream pies.

And by the sweet pasta, he’d delivered.

The creative side perfected the weather into a cloudy, airy atmosphere that sent a soft breeze into Virgil’s hair. As Patton took him from one ride to another, the Ferris wheel lights reflected rainbows in Virgil’s eyes and Patton found neither of them could stop smiling. Until.

“Pat, this date to the mind carnival is amazing, really,” Virgil said, squeezing Patton’s unoccupied hand. “I couldn’t be having more fun.” He glanced down at the cone of cotton candy in Patton’s other hand. “But, I don’t want the cotton candy. Can we go on the dark train again?”

The next morning, Patton managed to rouse himself out of bed and be rid of yesterday’s roller coaster nausea before Virgil could wake up. A cake with chocolate icing, blueberries and all sorts of decorations stood proudly in the kitchen not two hours later with Roman’s swirly ‘Happy Birthday, Virgil!’ written in icing on the top. In stunning script, Roman repeatedly pointed out.

“Pat, my birthday’s in December.”

That was right. Just a tiny oversight on the creative and moral sides’ parts.

But at least Virgil took a slice and didn’t grimace like a lemon had been shoved down his throat.

“Pat, I’m sorry,” Virgil said to the weekend’s macaroons, eyes on them instead of Patton’s sugar-dusted face. “I’m allergic to coconuts.”

“Pat!” Virgil said on one morning’s breakfast table. “I don’t want the waffles, honestly!” He dumped his round, perfectly golden circles onto Roman’s plate. “Let Roman have them.”

For the most part, Patton didn’t mind. The food, never wasted, was happily gobbled up by anyone close enough. Patton loved making the sweets anyway but the question of how Virgil could stand for this sort of happiness to be left unshared still baffled him.

Patton sank into the couch, tummy hurting from all the waffles he’d eaten to compensate for the stupidly hollow feeling in his stomach. The toasted, buttery circles didn’t taste like they usually did, as if a plate of water had been dumped over the top and dried by the time Patton took a bite.

After a while, Virgil had caught on to his game. Patton had seen suspicions dance in that pretty head of his but only smiled over his food all the while. Patton was no quitter after all. He would keep persevering like Roman on his quests, like Logan nearing his deadlines, like someone trying to make his boyfriend happier.

Virgil wandered into the living room as if breaching past unregulated territory, voice scratchy and barely audible. “Pat? Are you mad at me?”

“No, of course not, kiddo!” It was, even in Patton’s opinion, unseemly that he called Virgil ‘kiddo’ when they’d made out for a lengthy period of time not a day before and he shook his head, going on, “I just thought—”

“Oh, thank Brendon Urie!” Virgil cut him off with a relieved sigh. “Every time you came up with another one I thought you were gonna give up on me altogether.”

“What?” Patton propped himself up, the words flicking him on the raw. “Virgil, sweetheart, of course not. I love you.”

“I know. I love you too.” A subtle difference in the lilt of Virgil’s voice, even as he lowered it on those magical three words, told Patton he meant it that way. His tone shifted into one of worry immediately after, fingers knotting with reckless abandon. “But you’ve been working so hard on ‘em I felt kinda a lot bad.”

“It’s nothing a few cuddles can’t fix,” Patton soothed, patting the space next to him on the couch.

“Look at you, so cute…” Virgil muttered, almost absently. “Now how can I say no to this?”

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAY NO TO THIS!” Roman trilled across the living room, bustling overhead and riffing like a stupidly talented moron. “OH MY GOD HE LOOKS SO HELPLESS, AND HIS BODY’S SAYING HELL YES!”

“Shut up, Princey!” Virgil growled, staring daggers from where he stood.

Roman’s voice continued in the same tone he’d sang Hamilton in, fading slightly as he made his way to Logan’s room. “To not like sweets! Virgil, you must have forgotten the Earth’s oldest language! The one of skin on skin and wind in trees! Oh, how my heart mourns for your self-inflicted misery!”

Virgil’s jaw clenched and his brows bumped but the scowl softened. Or was that just Patton, unable to see Virgil for anything other than the one he loved and treasured, never feared?

“Shut up or I’m coming over there and pounding you into the ground!”

Roman cooed back, voice distant, “I appreciate the offer but I have a boyfriend.”

A decisive click as Logan’s door room opened and shut guided Virgil down onto the couch’s pillows with a grunt. His face was blushed a deep red, nose flaring slightly from that little argument, lips parted as his breaths came in a hitched in-out in-out.

“I’ll be right back,” Patton whispered as he pressed a quick kiss to Virgil’s forehead, finding something in Virgil’s high cheekbones and his violet-veiled eyes.

What Roman had said about skin was only vaguely related to the cogs working in Patton’s head, but he was pretty sure this was a brilliant idea. A very non-Patton idea, too. It led him to his stash of spare marshmallows and what remained of the Nutella jar in the pantry. With such ingredients in the mix, this could only be described as sweet.

After lightly garnishing a few marshmallows with some chocolate, Patton appeared in front of Virgil. “Close your eyes!”

Patton’s urgency forced Virgil into a sitting position, weary eyes wandering until they settled on his boyfriend’s hidden hands. “What do you have behind your back?”

“Viiirrge!” Patton whined, not giving himself a chance to start feeling ridiculous. “Close! Your! Eyes!”

Virgil huffed out a confused laugh, but obliged. “Fine, fine.”

“No peeking!” Patton sat back down on the couch. He had no idea what he was doing. “Open your mouth for me.” He draped a thigh across Virgil’s lap in a too casual to be natural move.

“Babe, is there a point to this or…?”

Patton’s face heated up even more, Logan would say he’d caught glandular fever. His voice broke with rising desperation. “Just do it, please!”

Patton set the chocolate covered marshmallow into his mouth and bent, closed his eyes, breathed in, breathed out and ignored his heart trying to break through his ribcage.

Virgil’s voice came out garbled, “P-Patton, what’re—!”

Too shakily to be gentle, Patton reeled forward, colliding with Virgil in a messy, wet meshing of lips. His rapid breathing steadied as Virgil’s hands found their way to his hips and gripped there. Virgil tensed for the first few moments, bony shoulder digging into Patton’s but he didn’t lean back and sure enough, relaxed, his heart a steady thump-thump reverberating in Patton’s chest.

Patton’s every cell scorched as he pushed his tongue into Virgil’s mouth, the taste of his mint toothpaste and the chocolate and marshmallow overwhelming. This wasn’t quite what he pictured and most of their previous kisses, as they’d decided to take things slow, were soft, hesitant. But this was different. Patton’s body had been locked in a trance ever since the idea lodged itself into his cobbled brain. Even after, the only anchors stopping him from floating in mid-air were Virgil’s lips, Virgil’s hands gliding across his back, Virgil’s hair in his hands like mounds of silk and shuddering breaths and half-giggles, half a delicious sound an entirely different sweetness from the one melting on both their tongues.

Patton didn’t know the days that had passed or the soreness in hours spent preparing sweets. He didn’t know the birds were twittering outside or that the microwave was beeping far off. He only knew the taste of caramel, milky white where the tips of his fingers roamed. He only knew the cold burn of mint in his lungs and faint traces of chocolate and marshmallow. There was only this, only his body being coaxed onto Virgil’s lap, only the back of his head supported by Virgil’s fingers. Their eyes opened slowly, lips unwilling to part as quivering smiles met in the internim. The two sides stared for a moment, caramel brown into blueberry blue, caught. Patton looked away first, hiding his face in the crook of Virgil’s neck and at long last tasting its curve like his own personal lollipop.

Virgil’s hand slipped under Patton’s shirt to his lower back, the touch itself feather light, the press of it heated, eager. “Maybe marshmallows aren’t so bad after all,” Virgil rasped, raising Patton’s face to his level. Patton grinned at him, all smiley and dreamy and happy again, drawing ever so slightly closer. “Can you—?”

Patton didn’t wait long enough to let the anxious side finish his sentence but when he grabbed another marshmallow off the plate Virgil didn’t hesitate to meet him.

“Yes,” Virgil’s lips said against him. “Yes, yes, yes…” Again and again, turning from a whisper to a rasp to something less a word then just one syllable holding for a second and then fading into the air.

Patton smiled, melting into a relaxed puddle of giggling joy. He’d gotten his wish. It was giddy, the thought. He couldn’t tell how long it had taken in this addled state of mind but as he leaned in again, it was all he could think of.

The kisses that followed attempted at a proper lock but, interrupted by gentle smiles and bubbling laughter from both sides, only ended in the occasional peck. Patton, through a thudding heart and shaking fingers, couldn’t remember ever being happier.

Victory is sweet.

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A/N: Huge thank you to @ace-corvid for beta reading this, they're a life saver and their edits were very very much appreciated! Also thank you to my qpp and treasure @drown-in-lava-choke-on-rubies for her continued support. Love ya, my Ruby!

I hope the words are treating you all well. Stay safe! <3

Tag list (ask to be added/removed): @drown-in-lava-choke-on-rubies @ace-corvid @ymmm-someone @seouqi @shitpost-sides @theraymondgem

#sanders sides #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #my writing #og post #moxiety #logince #moxiety fic #fluff #moxiety fluff #dried ink #long post

7 notes · View notes

tabloidtoc · 4 years

Text

OK, August 31

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bindi Irwin’s baby surprise -- twins

Page 2: Contents

Page 3: Contents

Page 4: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s make-or-break vacation with their kids to the Dominican Republic -- Kim and Kanye may have saved their crumbling relationship

Page 6: Amber Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp’s nasty courtroom bombshells made headlines across the globe but now that the case has wrapped up the actress is ready to move forward

Page 7: After temporarily living in a few of their friends’ properties Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally purchased a home of their own which is a jaw-dropping $14.7 million estate in the ritzy Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito and they intend to make this their forever home, Cameron Diaz confessed she felt at peace with her decision to ditch the Hollywood scene in favor of motherhood but that lifestyle change came a shake-up in her social circle because Cameron can’t be bothered with people she sees as superficial, Paris Jackson’s inner circle is concerned about her mental health in the wake of her sudden split from beau of two years Gabriel Glenn because she’s already such a fragile character so a ton of people worry she won’t be able to cope without Gabriel by her side

Page 8: After a few tough years Lisa Marie Presley is ready to leave L.A. and head to Graceland because she’s convinced that being close to her dad Elvis Presley’s spirit is the best shot she has at getting her life back on track, January Jones is known for keeping her personal life private she’s recently turned over a new leaf and is ready to spill her best-kept secrets in a juicy memoir but the name of the father of her son Xander probably won’t make it into the book, though Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been best buds for decades Ben’s girlfriend Ana de Armas has no interest in getting to know Matt’s wife Luciana Barroso -- the guys hoped they’d hit it off but Luciana thinks Ana is an opportunist and Ana snipes that Luciana is stuck up

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars reign supreme in purple -- Keke Palmer, Karlie Kloss

Page 11: Tracee Ellis Ross, Carrie Underwood

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Diane Kruger vs. Cindy Bruna, Padma Lakshmi vs. Katharine McPhee Foster

Page 14: News in Photos -- Kylie Jenner in L.A. on her birthday

Page 15: Pierce Brosnan and son Paris on the golf course, Joy Bauer after taking a yoga class, Kate Hudson showed off her green juice, Serena Williams while dressing up in princess costumes with daughter Alexis

Page 16: Drab to Fab -- dropping the extra weight gave these celebs a boost of confidence -- Adele, Ben Affleck, Kelly Osbourne

Page 18: Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams on the day they were supposed to get married, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade and daughter Kaavia, Reese Witherspoon and her affectionate dog Lou, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari riding bikes with masks on

Page 20: Alessandra Ambrosio played volleyball on the beach, Rita Ora lounging during a vacation in Ibiza

Page 21: Gordon Ramsay gave son Oscar a lift while exploring the coastline near their new home in Cornwall, David Beckham at the beach in Greece, RHONJ star Melissa Gorga tried on a swimsuit while taping promos for the Bravo reality show

Page 22: Mayim Bialik and her cat Addie promoting Royal Canin’s Take Your Cat to the Vet campaign, pro wrestler Ariane Andrew out and about in L.A., Mark Wahlberg and wife Rhea Durham during a family day at the lake

Page 24: Lynette Barbieri and Raffaela Pontecorvo and Vanessa Coppes and Jennifer DeCillis and Amanda Ringel at Bella Magazine’s eighth annual Hamptons Cover Lunch, Shia LaBeouf played it up for the cameras while on a jog, pregnant Katy Perry took a quick snooze while shopping for baby supplies

Page 25: Kevin Hart running errands in L.A., Kristen Taekman modeled a pair of overalls for her blog, Bachelor in Paradise alums Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour showed off their silly sides while shooting a video for Dr. Scholl’s

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Selena Gomez’s expansive estate -- check out the star’s plush new pad

Page 28: Chip and Joanna Gaines are no longer seeing eye to eye when it comes to their future -- Joanna isn’t thrilled about the revival of Fixer Upper and they’ve been bickering since Chip signed the deal

Page 29: Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn will star alongside brunette beauty Emma Mackey in a biopic centered on Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte and although filming won’t commence until next year Taylor is already sweating bullets -- she trusts Joe but this will be the first time in literally years they’ll have to be apart for a while and the idea of him spending all that time with someone as beautiful and charming as Emma has her anxious

Page 30: After nearly four years together Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka are ready to become husband and wife, Sacha Baron Cohen has been working nonstop since the lockdown started to lift leaving wife Isla Fisher to do all the heavy lifting at home with their three kids all under the age of 13, Love Bites -- Jennifer Garner and John Miller split, Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcomed a baby girl, Duff Goldman and wife Johnna Colbry are expecting their first child

Page 32: Cover Story -- Bindi Irwin’s big surprise -- mom-to-be Bindi is pregnant with twins

Page 36: Close Calls -- these stars cheated death -- Jennifer Aniston, Antonio Banderas

Page 37: Rachel Bilson, Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio

Page 38: The Next Generation -- get to know the talented up-and-coming stars who are taking Hollywood by storm -- Joey King, Chase Stokes, Halle Bailey, Charles Melton

Page 39: Hayley Kiyoko, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Zendaya, Lucas Hedges

Page 40: Interview -- Keanu Reeves -- the veteran actor opens up about his reputation for being one of the sweetest stars around

Page 42: Beach Body Winners -- how these stunning stars stay in swimsuit shape -- Brooke Shields, Julianne Hough, Olivia Culpo

Page 43: Nina Agdal, Carrie Underwood, Jessie James Decker

Page 46: Style Week -- Swimsuits for All and Ashley Graham have collaborated once again on a supersexy collection of size-inclusive swimwear

Page 48: What’s Hot Right Now -- elevate your look with products from these empowering female-owned beauty brands -- Tracee Ellis Ross, Amy Schumer is bringing a little humor to a serious topic in hopes of making period conversation as normal as periods

Page 49: Foot Notes -- fashionable footwear

Page 50: Say Anything -- make a bold statement in a cheeky graphic tee -- Yara Shahidi

Page 52: Beauty -- Chill Out -- beat the heat and humidity with these cooling beauty products -- Sofia Richie

Page 54: Entertainment

Page 55: Q&A -- Elizabeth Pipko

Page 58: Buzz -- just got paid -- Forbes reveals which actors earned the most money from June 2019 to June 2020 -- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Jason Sudeikis on being a father, Kelly Clarkson on daughter River, Ariana Grande on Lady Gaga accidentally scratching her face while rehearsing their Rain on Me music video, Ben Schwartz, Kate Hudson on what she tells herself when she’s stressed

Page 61: Tamera Mowry asked if she wanted a quarantine baby, Gwen Stefani correcting Dua Lipa who thought she was married to Blake Shelton, Simon Cowell after breaking his back in a cycling accident, Kate Bosworth on whether she’s willing to do a Blue Crush sequel, Bruno Mars on songwriting

Page 62: Horoscope -- Virgo LeAnn Rimes turned 38 on August 28

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Linda Cardellini

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manifestation86-blog · 4 years

Text

One half Each Year With Manifestation Mind

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hiveswapbigbang · 6 years

Photo

HIVESWAP BIG BANG FAQ, SCHEDULE + SIGN UPS info for mobile users. If you have any additional questions, comments or concerns the ask box is always open!

FAQ

What’s a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a fandom challenge where writers and artists collaborate to create fanworks over a set period of time. You do not have to be at any specific skill level to join!

Where do I reach you?

Email me at [email protected] or reach me through ask! I’m here to help. There are no silly, dumb or bad questions.

What can I make?

Writers:

Tier one (Birdgeoning talent): 2,000 words

Tier two (Step up): 5,000 words

Tier three (Over? But we just started!): 10,000 words

Tier four (Hope springs eternal): 15,000 words

Tier five (Accidental astronaut): 25,000 words

~ All works must be able to stand on their own! Sequels and such are fine as long as they’re comprehensible without having to read up on previous works.

~ In the spirit of adventure and fairness all summaries will be anonymous, which is why works that have been posted elsewhere are not eligible for this event!

~ Exceptions to this rule can be made if you’ve written something that’s largely unfinished and unposted. If you feel like your work falls in this category contact me and we’ll work something out!

~ You can, however, post about what you’re writing! Snippets, teasers and such are wonderful. Don’t spoil your work or point to what summary is yours to make sure you can stay reasonably anonymous during claims. The reveal is part of the fun!

’I’m writing fic about [x] and [y]! I love this ship’ and ’I’m doing an essay and it’s turning out great’ is fine!

’[x] is my fic’ and ’[x] is my summary, it’s about [y]’ is not. If in doubt reach out! I’m here to help.

Artists:

Tier one (Let the rumpus commence): One artwork

Tier two (May I have this dance?): One artwork or two smaller ones

Tier three (It’s a living): Two artworks

Tier four (Don’t encourage him): Three artworks

Tier five (Sequence breaker): Five artworks

~ Digital and traditional art are both welcome! Please make sure to scan traditional pieces or take high quality images. Blurry phone pics are cool for cryptids, not for us.

~ Complex backgrounds and full colour are not required. Grayscale and b&w are fine!

~ Post as many previews and teasers as you’d like but hold back on posting your finished piece(s).

Other:

~ Including but not limited to: gif makers, musicians (making remixes, songs or playlists), animators, podfic and audio wizards, video editing folks and cosplayers!

~ If you sign up in this category please email me/send me an ask with what you’d like to do and we’ll get you sorted! I don’t bite, promise.

How do claims work?

There will be more information on this as the date approaches but here’s a short rundown:

- Writers turn in their summaries and they’re posted anonymously

- Summaries are looked over by artists

- Artists send in their top picks to claim a work

- Every work is (hopefully) claimed

- Additional claims open once every work has been partnered with an artist

- Claims close and everyone gets paired up

What if I already have a partner?

That’s fine! Sign up and write your partner’s name on the form and cross off on if you’d like to be included in art claims or not.

Can I write more than one work?

Absolutely! If you feel like you have the time and energy you’re welcome to make as many works as you want. There is no upper limit as long as you’re still able to meet the deadlines.

I signed up for one tier but I want to downgrade/upgrade to another!

No worries! Let me know on the check ins and I’ll write it down. If you’ve been partnered with an artist please make sure to tell them too! Communication is key. In events like these it’s important to keep in touch!

Can I claim more than one writer?

Yes! Keep in mind what you’ll be able to do and make sure you can turn things in on time!

I’m 18+ and I don’t want to be paired with minors/want to make content with a higher rating

Alright! Go to @hiveswapbb and sign up there instead.

What is a pinch hitter?

Pinch hitters are people who step in when someone drops out/goes MIA and make magic happen. They often work with tight deadlines or step in last minute. They’re a godsend for any stressed out mod or lonesome participant.

Pinch hitter sign ups will be open during the entire event! If you sign up you will be put on a list and contacted as needed. There’s no obligation to pinch hit and you can drop out any time!

I have another question!

Don’t panic! Shoot me an ask or an email and I’ll get to you as soon as I can. You can also check the #Answered tag to see if someone else asked the same question.

SCHEDULE

04/16 (April 16th): Sign ups open

06/12 (June 12th): Sign ups close (except for pinch hitters)

07/12 (July 12th): Writer summaries due + Check in #1

07/20 (July 20th): Summaries posted for artists to look at

07/28 (July 28th): Art claims begin

08/05 (August 5th): Art claims end + Everyone is contacted and paired up.

09/20 (September 20th): Check in #3

10/20 (October 20th): Check in #4

11/10 (November 10th): Final drafts due (at least 80% done if not given an extension)

11/11 (November 11th): Posting details sent out + Final check in

11/15 (November 15th): Posting begins

#Hiveswap #Hiveswap Big Bang #FAQ #Schedule #Long post #Mod post

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cierralabocaputa-blog · 6 years

Text

How to Earn Lots of Money in Grand Theft Auto 5

Gta five On the web Generator

Some sensible man or rapper (I don't truly bear in mind) after said that cash guidelines everything about him.” The significance of income can't be overlooked anyplace, not even in GTA five. With enough GTA 5 money in your coffers, you could get yourself a higher-end sports vehicle, a luxurious apartment, designer outfit, artillery, weapons, ammo and so a lot of other items. Zbierz nie wiecej jak GTA$ 100 000 000, przekroczenie tej kwoty moze skutkowac banem w GTA On the web. Numero Uno (Bronze): GTA On the internet: Receive first location in all competitive game types. The income inside the game fees for largest packages a lot more then $one hundred+ but still it really is a GTA game so i would purchased the funds inside the game to if i had some cash in my pockets.

https://www.thegtaplanet.net/

Once you have entered your username choose Submit, if you username is accepted you will be redirected to our package selection page exactly where you will have a decision of Four GTA five funds packages. Furthermore, this glitch only works on the unpatched version of Grand Theft Auto five.

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Like its predecessors, GTA five offers the players the potential to commence their own organization. We have worked incredibly difficult to produce a undetectable GTA money cheat and update our algorithms along with Rockstars updates and patches. You can study Leading Comments under by the top users worldwide who employed our tool and received massive quantity of cash inside the GTA On-line game with no any pressure, as it really is super effortless to use.

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Save your income for Weapons , Ammo, and Armor , and invest in a $25,000 Garage if you happen to be interested in collecting Automobiles At the moment you can only have 1 home in your ownership. Some of the folks who have been playing the mode for a Grand Theft Automobile V player have been wondering how the GTA V On the internet narrative correlates or crosses.

In simple words you are completely secure although creating use of the hack tool and have greater sources to play the game. Missions nevertheless supply substantial amounts of cash, but sub-missions, which debuted in GTA III, serve as an extra supply of earnings, awarding the player with increasingly far more income as the sub-missions progress.

The hack tool has got an anti ban program and all your cheating activities will go undetected. GTA V is a game exactly where every single second counts and if you do not have the most current ammunition and firearm then you can neglect your life in this action packed game.

This is purely because there appears to be a lot of Bots creating silly amounts of income putting our service at risk so we had no choice but to implement a cap. Jobs are quick missions that you can attempt solo but are often far better with a group because you make far more cash at a larger difficulty level.

And let's face it hacks and cheats are element of gaming and will be as long as games are made. In the beginning hours of the game, one of the easiest ways to make funds is to rob an armored vehicle They seem randomly as blips on the minimap even though you are driving around.

Following setting up this update, the shortcut to commence GTA On the net will be unlocked in your activity menu. If you choose to put your money into bricks and mortar rather you are going to make less money general, but your money's significantly safer.

Otherwise, you will see the tough earned income speedily disappear from your pocket. You can bounce especially to GTA V On-line by implies of the fourth slot on your GTA V character wheel. Finally a working web site where everyone can get unlimited Cash and RP any time they want to!

Of course, if you are seeking to do it the systemic way, then you must be prepared to commit much more time and work in producing enough cash to boost your progress in the game. Driving a jacked car to a nearby Mod Shop will garner a little additional spending income.

The GTA V cheat that we receive one particular of the most inquiries concerning is a cash cheat. However, I know of very young children, even infants, becoming exposed to games for Call of Duty, gta five hacks, and Mobile. At the mission fail screen press 'retry' (A, X), do not press 'exit' (B, ) or you will not get your money back.

Though the capacity to kill individuals in Grand Theft Auto tends to work the media into a frenzy about video game violence, undertaking so is one particular of the quickest techniques to accumulate money in the game. Also Grenades are situated right next to the wreckage (go to the side where the funds is and go straight down and the grenade will be proper there).

There will be a pop-up or window which will ask for the amount to be redeemed for GTA 5. Furthermore, yet another method to obtaining the funds to respawn is switching to a diverse character, and then switching back to the original character. Yes, our service functions with all platforms this includes Xbox One particular, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation four and of-course Microsoft Windows (Computer).

There are lots of GTA five codes for the single-player portion of the game, but not for GTA 5 On the internet. I heard of hackers providing players cash against their wishes, receiving stated players banned for gaining unrealistic amounts of funds. There is true money in the first Heist , sufficient to give you a hefty Stock Market place bankroll.

If you want to purchase costly toys for online play you either need to have to work difficult to earn the income or commit real funds in the game. The difficulty has been with gamers in GTA 5's on the web world, a multiplayer version of the game's fictional Los Santos county exactly where players roam the streets with each other, cost-free to race their cars or kill other players.

Distinct as all other GTA Games, in GTA III the player has the capacity to earn cash by crashing automobiles. The more cash you invest, the much better the return, and if the stock does poorly, just load up your previous save and you will have all the cash you invested without having any reprecussions.

Platforms can be used: PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox A single, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3D Video Game Console, Computer, iOS and Android. Utilizing our GTA 5 hack has in no way been so straightforward, to get started enter your on the web username into the text box supplied and press the submit button.

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thisiswhereifall · 6 years

Text

PIDGANCE MONTH DAY 2

HOLY QUIZNACK, GUYS. THE LAST POST GOT OVER 50 NOTES AND IT WAS UTTERLY SHOCKING. I never expected the fic to be so well-accepted by you, guys, thank you so much!

Although I said I may not be able to contribute every day because I lack the time, I guess it still doesn't stop me from trying. After all, I rarely ship characters in everything I watch but once I do, I ship hard.

Plance/Pidgance had me hooked bigtime.

Also, I think I'm supposed to tag a specific tag, and I'd be happy to! I love your notes, people! Also, it seems 'pidgance' is more commonly used than 'plance' or was it just me?

So, this may not be as satisfactory as before, but *sniffle* I tried.

Happy reading!

Day 2: Together

--------------- o

They are so weird together

At least, that was what Matt thought. It was like seeing a cat and dog as human beings, and he remembered watching a video of dogs annoying cats while the little felines were trying to scratch the pups – well, trying. They were declawed. And so was Pidge.

“But, seriously, dude. We should totally do the arms thing! Every superhero does the thing.” Lance's hands were placed firmly on Pidge's little shoulders as he went behind her with a rather exaggerated smile on his face. Matt cocked his head to the side and squinted as he watched the pair across the table, sipping his space coffee while noting down his observations.

Lance was a good guy, albeit too excited and somewhat loud. Matt didn't really have any reason to dislike him and Lance didn't do anything to hurt him. Maybe except when it comes to Allura.

Lance likes Allura. Huh.

“Exactly what is the 'arms thing'? I mean, Voltron automatically poses whenever we go in formation. Every. Single. Time.” The girl remarked, and Matt almost spit out his coffee.

Voltron poses?

While spitting out his coffee seemed like a bad thing, Matt's eyes hovered over the sight of Lance's hands still on Pidge's shoulders, fingers dangerously close to her collarbone, and holy quiznack, does he have long fingers. He felt his grip tighten on the mug and realized that he'd choose spitting coffee over breaking mugs anytime.

Pidge moved her shoulders, causing Lance's grip to loosen until his hands fell to the sides of her arms. Matt tried to convince himself that it was involuntary movement. His hands just fell. That was just it. Matt brought the mug to his lips once again, taking a sip. Did Hunk just improvise cinnamon? There was a tingly sensation in the drink, and boy, did it smell relaxing.

“We're both the arms of Voltron now, come on, Pidgey, you know what I'm talking about! We read comics in my room back at the Garrison together!”

Matt spit out his coffee.

And to his horror, the pair was staring at him as he coughed. Abort mission. Abort mission.

“Wrong throat?” Lance commented.

“Uh, you mean trachea?” Pidge corrected.

And when Matt looked at them, he swore he saw Lance squeeze her arms in a non-violent way. Dare he not say it, but it was an affectionate squeeze.

Matt accidentally broke the mug.

-------------- o --------------- o

To test a theory, experiments had to be done and variables need to be established. These were simple rules that every scientist must know and must do. All of it was to prove a theory and probably get rich and famous, considering the world would actually believe your statement. In simple research, you may only have two things to prove. The actual hypothesis or the null hypothesis.

To Matt, it was the latter.

Ho = That there isn't anything going on between Lance and his baby sister.

And Matt was the independent variable. All he needed was to interfere with the situation, and gather results. That was easy. No one will get hurt, and everything will be just fine.

The training room was larger than anticipated, Matt was sure he still needed glasses to be able to see to the farthest corner of the room. He stood in the observing deck with Coran, looking down below at the four Paladins positioned in a circle.

Man, Allura looked so beautiful in her Paladin suit. He felt a blush creep up to his face.

“Ready, Paladins? Training commence!” Coran announced, pulling down a lever. Not long after, complaints were heard over the comms, but Coran seemed unfazed.

“CORAN! WHAT THE HECK?” Lance.

“Hey, I can't see! OW!” Pidge. Matt's eyes narrowed as he watched them below, Allura accidentally bumping Pidge with her elbow.

“Apologies, Pidge.” Allura spoke, her voice amazingly calm. “This is a test of senses. We must be able to rely on our instincts to pass the challenge.”

Matt smirked. This was going to be interesting. Not to mention, the ship's technology was outstanding. It caused Matt's smirk to settle into a genuine smile, remembering how excited his sister was while showing him around, and the total mess which is her room. Yeah, her room was definitely filled with junk.

“Woah, woah, woah, wait. Who was that? Was that the gladi—AH!” Hunk's panicked tone invaded the comms, and Matt blinked as the big man fell on his bum as the gladiator swiped under his feet. This caused him to bump into Lance, who dropped his bayard from the impact.

The door behind Matt opened, catching his attention despite the comms being raided by countless screams and complaints. He turned to see his old friend entering the room to watch the younger paladins in training. “Why aren't you out there?” Matt held out a hand to Shiro, who firmly shook it in return.

“Went on patrol in search of nearby Galra ships.” Shiro simply answered, smiling at the silly sight at the training deck. Pidge was getting quick in her reflexes, swinging her bayard around so she could move around the room with ease. “Besides, these kids don’t always need me. They're tougher than you think.”

Matt wondered about that. He could see his sister using her brains while fighting, and it was a fantastic improvement. The Katie he knew didn't even know how to ride a bicycle to school, more or less, even flunked out of the ballet classes their mother signed her up for.

She had definitely grown.

And Matt wasn't sure if he was happy. Sure, he was proud of how badass his sister has become after accepting her fate as the Green Paladin, but for her to grow up means new things for her to overcome and feel.

Such as when she threw her bayard in the wrong direction, accidentally colliding with the gladiator's staff with her feet. “Pidge, look out!” He couldn't help but yell, when Pidge's quick thinking caused her to kick at the staff, sending her flying backwards.

And straight into Lance.

Uh-huh.

Matt moved towards the controls, earning a puzzled look from Coran. Before the Altean could say anything, Matt had pushed a button, to which Coran quickly protested. “Now, wait a minute there! You just activated the Geyser Mines!” Coran frantically fiddled with the controls, pushing Matt aside.

“HEY, CORAN, WHAT--" Lance was the first to react, jumping just in time when a surge of water burst from the floor. He pulled Pidge closer, and Matt felt his eye twitch.

“Coran, this isn't part of our regime! Turn the mines down now!” Allura barely made it from two geysers surrounding her on the sides. Matt swallowed.

“Okay, guys! Is the castle still haunted? Because I'm starting to have second thoughts here.” Hunk was running around in circles. Matt hesitated to turn around because he was pretty damn sure that Shiro was staring at him now.

“I-It wasn't me!” Coran shouted back, his fingers sliding off the controls in panic. Matt whistled.

Okay, sure they were in a room where they can't see anything at the moment, and a killer gladiator roaming around somewhere with them, and also, splashes of hot water that chase movement. How bad could it be?

That was when Matt looked down, and knew it was bad.

“Paladins, don't move. These are geyser mines. They track movement like regular ones.” Allura explained as she ceased to move from her spot. Matt didn't even mind what she said, utterly distracted by the sight of the two other Paladins a few meters away from her.

Lance and Pidge were clinging to each other for dear life.

Okay, this was normal. They were just scared of moving.

“Alright, Paladins. Geysers are off. You can move now.” Coran spoke, glancing briefly at Matt. The latter finally turned his head sideways to see Shiro still staring at him questionably. This was going to be a long day.

---------------- o -------------- o

The last thing Matt wanted to see when he entered the lounge was Lance and Pidge talking to a cow.

“Were you lonely, girl? Sorry we took a while to take you around the castle.” The little sister gently rubbed the bovine's muzzle, while the animal lovingly responded.

“Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll go buy some snacks for you when we get back to the Space Mall.” Lance was even more endearing to the cow. But maybe it was just their thing. Lance was the sweet dog, while Pidge was still learning to love.

A hand on Matt's shoulder snapped him back to his senses. “I get that you're worried.” Shiro's reassuring voice slightly calmed him down, but neither looked at each other. They were enthralled by the heart-warming sight before them – Pidge petting Kaltenecker, while Lance chuckled. “But even if there's something or nothing between them, just know that they will always protect each other.”

“I know.” Matt spoke, not realizing how different his voice sounded. It was calm and quiet, and he didn't feel the need to launch Lance into space with nothing but his boxers on. “Maybe I'm just not used to seeing her with people who aren't relatives. She didn't have any friends before. She was always hurt in some way.”

Shiro lifted his hand from Matt's shoulder, his chest rumbling from a silent laugh. “Well, she has them now.”

“Yeah. She has him.”

Shiro wondered if Matt misheard 'them' for 'him', but he chose not to comment on that anymore.

-------------------- o ----------------- o

They are so weird together.

At least that was Matt thought. When Lance cracks a joke, and Pidge rolls her eyes, it was a weird kind of friendship considering they go at the same scenario every day. And Pidge would hit him playfully because she was a declawed cat, while Lance would nudge her softly. Matt sipped his coffee.

And Pidge looks at Lance as if he was lost sunshine in outer space; like a fresh morning of dewdrops and singing birds back in her old bedroom. And Pidge was never a morning person to begin with. But one look at Lance and she decided that mornings aren't so bad, after all.

Matt smiled when he catches his sister looking at him that way once again, as Lance argued with Coran over which the best missions that were accomplished by their team were. Matt’s eyes followed Lance as he sat beside her, her fingers paused from typing while her eyes gazed upon the very first person outside her family who ever wanted to know her better.

Lance notices, and so did Matt.

Lance looked behind him in a confused manner, then back at Pidge. “Are you looking at something?”

And she didn't flinch nor tear her eyes away when she answers.

“You.”

#plance #voltron #pidgance month 2k17 #pidgance #pidgance month #plance month #may be platonic #may be romantic #your choice #matt is a cutie #flirtyrobot #otp #vld #vld pidge #vld lance #pidge gunderson #voltron pidge #pidgancemonth2k17 #plance voltron

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autodeskpostproductionsoftwareuh · 4 years

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Post Production Editing Timelapse

OpenDrives is the first to admit that expensive all-flash drive technology is not always the best solution for higher resolution, large capacity workflows. There are ways to ensure that a filmâ€™s sound is diligently handled, while working within a budget. This often comes from a transparent discussion at the onset of the project about a directorâ€™s expectations versus the reality of the budget/schedule.

What is pre and post production?

â€œThat's a wrap!â€ When a movie director makes the call, cameras stop rolling, and a film is ready to move into its final phase: postproduction. This the final step in taking a story from script to screen, and the stage when a film comes to life.

A lot has to happen between the time when the director yells â€œcutâ€ and the editors begin their work. Raw video also takes significantly more processing power in order to view, edit, or transcode. With a few exceptions, raw video is almost always much larger than non-raw video. That means more memory cards, more hard drives, and more time spent copying files.

Companies will hire runners who have experience in post, or wish to progress their career in this field. The hours will be long, and the list of task unrelenting, you need to wish to work in some aspect of post to get the most out of the junior roles.

Come see us at #NAB2019. Schedule a demo and when Strawberry knocks your socks off, we can help you out with our show goodie. We are co-exhibiting with #ToolsOnAir in the South Lower Hall SL14813. https://t.co/WSoJb3hJGR pic.twitter.com/mvqvilAIb7

— Projective Technology (@ProjectiveTech) April 1, 2019

The VFX editor will then create a proxy with the same codec thatâ€™s being used for the rest of editorial and drop it back into the sequence to make sure that it works as planned. When a VFX shot is completed and signed off on, the VFX house will render out the finished version of the shot to a high-quality Mezzanine codec or to an uncompressed format and send it back to the editorial team. Animatics â€“ A group of storyboards laid out on a timeline to give a sense of pace and timing. Helpful in lengthier sequences, they allow the editor to work with music or voice-over to help create the flow of the sequence(s) prior to commencing computer animation.

Fortunately, plenty of marketers and production managers have already gone through the steps and learned from their mistakes. That's why we decided to put together a list of 20 video pre-production tips that'll help save you a lot of time, money, and hassle. He is also editor-in-chief of the GatherContent blog, a go-to resource on a range of content strategy topics. Rob is a journalism graduate, ex-BBC audience researcher, and former head of content and project manager at a branding and design agency. Online collaboration tools, like Trello, can help teams track their workflows, possibly using a built-in calendar to give a graphical view of the editorial calendar.

Is editing post production?

In the industry of film, videography, and photography, post production editing, or simply post-production, is the third and final step in creating a film. It follows pre-production and production and refers to the work, usually editing, that needs to be completed after shooting the film.

In addition to using a structure map similarly to how you would use a wall of index cards to track your story, you can also use it as a way to track your editorial progress through your first cut using colored labels.

Joined by our primary VFX supervisor Ben Kadie, we developed a plan to address the impact of VFX on 100-plus shots in our film.

Any number of workspaces can be created and can be assigned to individuals or entire teams.

But you will have the ability to leave time-stamped feedback, which makes it much easier for video professionals to interpret and implement requested changes.

Since they are the final stage of production, they are under huge pressure to make deadlines on time. Therefore, this can be a very stressful job and many may have to work nights or weekends close to deadlines. If you work as a post producer, you may spend significant amounts of time working on the computer in a dark room.

XML is a much more flexible format, and so itâ€™s possible to include much more data in an XML file than in an EDL file, but this actually creates another potential issue. Because XML is so flexible, itâ€™s possible for different tools to create XML files in different ways. An XML exported from one piece of software is not guaranteed to work in another.

mediaCARD Densu X

What are the 8 elements of film?

Post-Production is the stage after production when the filming is wrapped and the editing of the visual and audio materials begins. Post-Production refers to all of the tasks associated with cutting raw footage, assembling that footage, adding music, dubbing, sound effects, just to name a few.

I understand that I will pay an additional $1.00 per month for bank processing fees included in the dues amounts in this application. I can at any project manager time resign from PPA and stop charges being made to my credit card. If PPA is unable to successfully process my monthly payment, my membership will be considered void, and I am required to pay the balance in full to reinstate my membership.

Top 5 Questions About Working in Post-Production

VEGAS Pro is non-linear, so you donâ€™t have to edit your project in sequence from beginning to end. If you decide to work on scenes or sections separately, nested timelines make it simple to work on individual scenes and then bring your entire project together.

When working on your CV check it through (or ask someone else to) to see it reads well and is correctly formatted. Correct spelling and grammar are crucial; you have to stand out from the hundreds of other people applying for the role so silly errors will mean your CV automatically gets disregarded. Post-production companies are always looking for keen new entrants to take on the role of runner. If you look at the larger companies, the turnover of staff can be very high, not because people drop out but because progression can be quick for the right candidate. However, you should know if your dream job is working in production then working in post production isnâ€™t for you.

Purchasers of the book can download Chapter 10:

Time Savers in the Title Tool.Â See page 2 of the book for details.

Going to IBC? Visit us at Hall 3 A.28 and see how Strawberry Skies will dramatically improve how media productions create and share media content! https://t.co/utOdCiSYAw pic.twitter.com/7x8FhVZ9GL

— Projective Technology (@ProjectiveTech) September 5, 2019

As with any project, having a workflow can help you manage resources effectively, invest your time efficiently, and keep different teams and individual contributors on taskâ€”even if youâ€™re working remotely. Managing video production requires input from many different teams, creatives, and contributorsâ€”and that can get messy fast.

ACES aims to solve that problem by creating a single, standardized workflow that can work for everyone who really cares about preserving all of their image data through the entire image pipeline. StudioBinder is a film production software built out of Santa Monica, CA. Our mission is to make the production experience more streamlined, efficient, and pleasant.

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hentaigamer594 · 3 years

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Technical issues and fatigued tropes aside, the match is really a largely prosperous synthesis of this show' disparate identities.

In hentai games, the long-running FPS series could have finally discovered a workable identity. Through every single entrance, programmer hentai games has held onto the core gameplay that identified that the participant original jaunt across Egypt. You may consistently backpedal that you will generally circle-strafe, and also you will always fight with dozens of this participant unforgettable cadre of alien enemies in the same time. But, at times, this loop was jaded by a few of the strange conclusions hentai games has left with all the set. It had been never busted, but just about every video game discovers the developer hoping to repair it. Enter hentai games, still another reinvention which appears to attract from every stage of this series' lifetime. Like in hentai games, the pictures are reasonable (however just a modest rigid ). Like in hentai games, there is a combat and comedy to spare (plus a sudden portion of the jokes territory ). And, as in Initial and Second Experience, the gameplay is razor-sharp and front-and-center. It's been nine years since the last main-line entrance, also in the point we've seen the revival of circle-strafing shooters as a result of matches both big (Doom) and small (Dusk). But, in this recently crowded landscape,'' hentai games comes with a secret weapon. hentai games is only eager to throw some silly amount of enemies in you personally at all situations plus it's got the technician to pull off it. In this excursion, that serves like being a prequel into hentai gamesthe participant and also a tiny number of resistance fighters working hard to push the villainous Mental's assault on Earth. The alien horde has recently won, however, the immunity hopes to evaluate a tactical gain by observation the ultimate goal, which is really an alien artifact hidden somewhere one of the art and architecture of the impressively unspoiled Italy. Because the gamer embarks on this pursuit, he faces down a comfortable horde of enemies with a recognizable arsenal of weapons. In the event you have performed hentai games before, you will recognize nearly all of these. There is the Sirian Werebulla fleshy creature with horns that charges headlong in youpersonally, if you don't can simply take it out using a couple well-timed blasts from your dual shot gun. Even the Beheaded Kamikaze, which boasts a couple of bombs place of fingers and a scream you may hear out of a mile away, is back, and also will make you pick off it until it gets close enough to burst. It may also be led to some larger crowd of enemies until you shoot, putting a powder keg of blood and gibs. Certainly one of my favorites, the Reptiloid, regularly posts up on a tower, then and then hurls acid homing missiles that will accompany you till they see their own target, or until you shoot them from their air. It has an astonishing roster written of some of their most notable and most bizarre enemies in gaming. The hentai games model--shed a huge amount of enemies in a stadium and dare you to come out at the very top--only works because every enemy isn't difficult to recognize as well as as a outcome, internalize and bear in mind how to handle. Say you listen to exactly the Beheaded Kamikaze's signature shout and change to your assault rifle to deal with the dozen the game yells at you until they get close to explode. Once they truly are dispatched, you notice that the ground rumble under the toes of the Sirian Werebull and pull out the rocket launcher to complete the herd off with a string of one-hit kills. However, after that the couple of Reptiloids looks on far off openings, and that means you switch to the sniper rifle to choose themand their homing projectilesoff from a distance. Most of this occurs within the space of a few minutes along with the match infrequently does you the favor of sending each group independently. However, the opponents are characterized by distinctive layouts, behaviours, and frequently audio cues, and that means you are rarely caught by shock .''

Whilst the ball player handles the audiences, the protagonist pulls on the playere notable arsenal he's summoned because the beginning (and also a couple of new instruments ( also ). The rocket launcher yields, now using an upgrade which allows one to lock on to many enemies. The minigun is critical for crowd management, and ripping through dozens of extraterrestrial beings in a matter of moments. And, my personal favorite, that the portable cannon, is back, also, making it possible for the gamer to establish substantial cannonballs to enemies, ruining even the meanest minotaurs in afew hits. Each weapon has its use, also that I loved the procedure for finding out that which weapon worked better against which enemy. You are able to also enlarge your roster of programs from completing side quests--a recent inclusion in hentai games. Sometimes these diversions give you a weapon mod, such as this rocket launcher update. Other occasions, it may possibly give you a gadget, that may run the gamut from wellness kits into portable black openings along with a-bomb which slows down time for everybody but also the ball player. These devices can help reverse the tide in conflict, however you find them rarely you will need to become choosy together with how you use them. Like a outcome, they tend not to feel like a important addition; much such as an interesting touch.

My biggest gripe with this game is it rarely offers you distance and moment and energy to marvel at a weapon energy. When you get the cannon, you will be launched to a battle which requires you use it contrary to every enemy just to keep up. Within this manner, the game often disturbs one of some true sensation of energy. Sure, whenever you're obliterating Reptiloids in one strike, which is trendy. However, the match overcompensates by hurling twelve Reptiloids at you at once. Rather than providing a chance to relish the cannon's OneShot one-kill power, hentai games skips right to which makes you really feel as though you are barely scratching by, cannon notwithstanding. You're constantly in your back foot, which can make the (otherwise excellent) combat start to really feel just a little repetitive. I really like the tension of hentai games's struggles, rushing round hordes of enemies, attempting to select the most suitable weapon to buy myself a moment's peace. But the overall game scarcely provides that strain that a release valve, and as a consequence, it may be exhausting to playwith. In tough conflicts, it really helps that, at the least some of this moment, the gamer has a team they can rely upon. Within this entry, you are joined by a group of troops that might help take enemies down into conflict. Considering how feverish late-game battles have been, '' I had been always grateful to have any help that I could find. Each participant of the squad matches fairly neatly into well-known archetypes: the warrior who's practical having a shotgun; the most paranoid conspiracy theorist; the feminine soldier who can kick just as much ass because the boys; the newest recruit that can not fairly hold their own in conflict yet. All these are reliable stock figures, and I primarily appreciated viewing the collection banter. A working joke contains each of those squad mates attempting to proffer the ideal one liner after dispatching baddies. These moments left me chuckle out loud on some occasions and, more astonishingly, the narrative actually handles to property an heart felt beat or 2 on the manner. hentai games's reliance on tropes is not always harmless, although. You can find two adult males from aspiring backgrounds on the player's group, and also fall rather neatly to religions. Rodriguez, a Mexican-American soldier, even peppers his speech with phrases like"cajones,""culo" along with"pendejo." This trope, that sees Latinx figures falling Spanish phrases to differently words that are English, is common in matches, utilized by authors to emphasize a character Latin-ness. However, as Latinx critics have stated, it's a dumb portrayal of the way Bi Lingual Latinx individuals basically speak. Likewise a Black character within this game falls to a well-known trope that feels obsolete and contains for years. I'd have loved to have experienced hentai games put even merely a little bit of consideration into the manners they managed the composing about these character's racial customs. The story will be also sometimes jaded from the match's technical issues. Whilst hentai games PC conducted at roughly sixty fps throughout hectic activity, frequently hitched during cutscenes. Pop-in was also a persistent problem in and outside of cut-scenes, with desktop flaws often arriving mid way through a shot or a few seconds after a degree commenced. Both of these problems plagued my preliminary playthrough and persisted even after hentai games placed a gigantic afternoon one patch on Wednesday. Additionally, I experienced a corrupted save, that caused the game to crash to desktop when I experimented with load it. This all contributes to this impression this game is a little rough around the borders. Whilst hentai games plays (and largely appears ) great in fight, its own personalities appear pretty inflexible. This suits your ball player only fine; in the event that you played with hentai games in the day, you'll bear in mind the minutes when the camera shifted to a third-person view whilst the player conducted, ramrod directly, to another level. It satisfies the player's specific assortment of regular actions hero cool. But also for other characters? Not really muchbetter. One scene which demonstrates a bunch of resistance soldiers cheering following the generally equaling that the ball player gives a rousing speech is particularly uncanny, with each personality's eyes peeled inside their balmy faces since they applaud woodenly. I've rarely been more aware that I was seeing 3 d models proceed throughout the moves these certainly were rigged to perform. Luckily, the combat is very fast and fluid since the cutscenes are lethargic and slow. Because of hentai games's impressive technician, hentai games may now throw a even far more ridiculous number of enemies in the at a period than before. Some late-game fights set the gamer within the middle of the largest conflicts I've experienced at a game; they truly are the closest approximations I Have seen in a first-person shot to the true dimensions and scale of what exactly a barbarous battle for our entire world could actually appear to be. The one problem is the frequency by which hentai games stinks with this particular trick. I like the beat a great deal, but outside watching this story unfold through cutscenes, it is in fact all that you do. This is a tense and exacting game which will often get you leaning side to side because you strafe, completely engrossed in the ball player's damn struggle for success. But it really is precisely because core is therefore tense that I wish hentai games experienced some thing to supply between conflicts. Using the fights pushing you into all out war so often, most periods I felt just like I was able to call it a day after a single assignment. Overall, hentai games can be a prosperous synthesis of this show' disparate identities, with comedy to both spare and jaw-dropping large scale battles. But technological issues, fatigued tropes and also a deficiency of gameplay array create it simply a good base in the place of the usual new pinnacle.

#video games #video game #games #mobile games #android games #pc games #online games

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jessicakehoe · 4 years

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Self-Isolation Diary: A Day in the Life of Amanda Brugel

As we complete Month 4 of self-isolation, and many parts of the country enter various phases of re-opening, FASHION is winding down its months-long self-isolation diary series, spotlighting how some of our favourite Canadians have been living their lives in lockdown. Rounding out the series featuring actors, designers, influencers and artists is actress Amanda Brugel, currently starring on The Handmaid’s Tale, Snowpiercer and Kim’s Convenience.

Amanda Brugel, actress

So, we are nearing the end of June and approaching Day 4768 of isolation. I’m kidding. Kinda. Two months ago, this would have been a much more depressing, wine-soaked journal entry, however, like many of you, I have finally stopped fighting this new normal and started to accept the unconventional and misshapen gifts it has offered.

6:30am I share custody of my two boys Jude (nine) and Phoenix (six) and since they’re with me today, my morning opens with Phoenix’s wet mouth pressed against my ear, whispering that he wants “a snack”. I don’t know why his mouth is wet and I do not wish to find out. I throw a croissant, apple slices and a gummy vitamin on a plate and turn on kid-friendly animal blooper videos. I then head back to bed, but can’t resist the urge to reach for my phone, where I inevitably fall down a news wormhole. Somehow the world has, yet again, changed within the seven hours that I was asleep.

7:30am Jude is awake now and it has been 60 whole minutes since Phoenix last ate, so I prepare breakfast and a bucket of coffee which I will put down somewhere and forget to consume. The three of us watch CNN for a bit and Jude grills me on what the journalists and guests are discussing. At the beginning, when the headlines were dominated by COVID-19, my boys were much more interested in their cereal, but now that the majority of news coverage hovers around police brutality and systemic racism, they are much more open to what Chris Cuomo has to say. My ex-husband is a police officer and my children are bi-racial. They have been exposed to these types of discussions since birth, but ALWAYS in private. I didn’t realize how much, they too, would be riveted by public conversations about race.

10am We now begin the excruciating task of homeschooling. My partner, filmmaker and actor Aidan Shipley, has been quarantining with us, so today, he works with Jude in the dining room and I cover Phoenix. We have discovered that the most effective way to get Phoenix to focus is to promise him full body ankle swings above the couch after every completed assignment. This morning we soared through “sh” words, so Aidan just sprinted over to our work zone, grabbed Phoenix by his ankles and swung him towards the ceiling ten times to celebrate. It’s bonkers, but it works.

11am Snack number 5.

image courtesy amanda brugel

12pm I have a Zoom read-through with the cast of Kim’s Convenience for our Season 5 scripts. It’s a very strange exercise to act alone opposite my laptop with zero physical human connection. Also, comedy requires laughter, however, in this medium, we all have to try to stay relatively quiet so that the writers have a chance to hear their work spoken out loud for the first time. So I wind up sitting with my hand clamped over my mouth for forty minutes in an effort to not ruin the read-through. I fail three times. Hopefully, I don’t get fired.

1pm I now have 45 minutes to respond to texts, emails, phone calls and article requests from allies. Wait. I should back up. About three weeks ago, I posted a few controversial messages on Instagram, inviting non-BIPOC to become more vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement and subsequently implored them to join the now viral, global conversation about systemic racism. I did not intend it to be contentious, however, maaaaany Black Americans did not approve of my willingness to answer questions or give suggestions. To be honest, this portion of my day has almost become a second job. And while, yes, it can be emotionally draining, it is also the moment in time that I have been waiting for my entire life. My theory; I have asked people for help. I can take 45 minutes out of my day to teach them how to do so.

2pm For the love of God; SNACK TIME.

3pm This is my favourite part of the day. Me and all of my boys head to a creek near my house for “Gym Class”. The boys take their scooters and race ahead, while Aidan and I saunter through a forrest decorated with painted rocks left behind by kind strangers. We read their messages that say “Smile” or “You Are Loved” and “Keep Going” and we proceed as instructed. We eventually end at a small beach beside the creek and skip stones, walk over fallen trees as if they were tightropes and the boys take a dip and search for sea glass. This part right here has been my greatest gift from COVID-19.

image courtesy amanda brugel

5pm NO YOU CAN’T HAVE A SNACK DINNER IS ALMOST READY. I’m mid dinner prep which is my second gift from COVID-19, because I did not cook before this mess. I would dabble. Reheat. Definitely dine out. Or, wait for my amazing mother to show up with foods. But, tonight I am making Butter Chicken with garlic naan and I haven’t set anything on fire and it smells almost good. We sit down to dinner and commence “Dinner Theatre” games, where we improvise scenes or pass silly questions around the table.

7pm The boys are in their PJs and we take a “night walk” around my neighbourhood. Now that summer weather is here and everyone has stepped a little further out of their homes, we take this time to scream talk at our neighbours from a safe distance and compare notes about the their isolation experience. It’s 28 degrees and smells like fresh cut grass.

8pm Phoenix is tucked in and now I am able to steal a private moment with Jude and allow him to watch the latest Daily Show or Shaun King post. Tonight we are discussing the disparities in African American healthcare in the US. I show him a Nat Geo video on the conditions in slave ships. We talk about how a bunch of K-Pop stans high-jacked Trump’s return to the campaign trail. I have a moment where I wonder if any other parents are having these quiet conferences with their nine year olds. Is this the new bedtime story? I hope so. I have learned more about systemic racism, slavery in Canada, accountability and even my own privilege as a fair-skinned person of colour in the last 18 days than I have in 43 years. I am heartbroken and emboldened, but mostly grateful to take my child along for the ride I didn’t have.

9pm Wine. A bit of news. And an episode of Legendary as a night cap. Aidan and I snuggle on the couch and I recognize that although I miss my old life, I would not return to it for a second. I have grown tremendously from this discomfort. As a mother, a partner, chef and activist. I am watching my world, in real time, attempt to do the same. I am tired. But emboldened. Good night.

The post Self-Isolation Diary: A Day in the Life of Amanda Brugel appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Self-Isolation Diary: A Day in the Life of Amanda Brugel published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

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carasueachterberg · 4 years

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I’ve realized that there is a correlation between how many dogs are in our house and the amount of stress in my life.

I’m pretty sure the stress brings the dogs, not the other way around. I tend to pile on the animals when I’m feeling stressed or uncertain. Their needs, their affection, the immediacy of their presence is calming for me.

Yes, the world feels upside down right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that this dog needs to be walked or these puppies need to be dewormed. And when I finally sit still, there is always a warm, furry body cuddled against me or a wet nose pressing my hand demanding attention, pulling me away from my worries.

The house is full of dogs and my heart is full of their stories. Fasten your seatbelts, there’s a lot to tell.

Let me start with a happy ending. This one has been 13 months in the making. Yesterday, Daisy B, the mama dog whose story unfolded tragically a year ago February in my ‘Diary of a Rescue’ was finally adopted. Daisy was with us for nine months from her shattered beginning –the fevers, the slow loss of all eleven of her puppies over the course of a few days that involved multiple trips to the animal emergency room and to our OPH vet to her recovery and the slow and steady unfolding of her silly, affectionate personality.

Daisy was possibly the most fragile, frightened dog I’ve ever encountered. She always struggled in our busy, active household full of new people and new dogs and too many men. She had several angels who reached out to her— OPH volunteer and friend, Paul, who wooed her with turkey hot dogs and tenderness and more patience than nearly anyone I know. Friends like Tanis, who visited her to reinforce her trust of humans. Kassie, Daisy’s adoption coordinator who worked behind the scenes screening potential adopters and championing Daisy. And then Deb and Scott who volunteered to foster Daisy last September. At their quiet house, with their steady love, she finally came into her own and yesterday she was adopted by a family who seem meant to be her forever home.

Sometimes when a rescue takes such a long, long time it’s easy to get discouraged, but time after time I realize that we can’t rush the adoption magic. It will come. Dogs will find their families. There’s a reason we say, “Together we rescue.” Sometimes it really does take our rescue village.

Last week brought another adoption, one that happened much faster! Tennessee Shenanigans, my sweet pup who accompanied Nancy and I home from our Shelter tour, was adopted by repeat OPH adopters. He’s destined for a great life with a fun family. One lucky dog.

Shenanigan’s adoption was my first adoption from our cabin in Virginia. And also my first socially distanced adoption. I was at the cabin for a few days with Ian and his friend AJ working on a few projects and getting in some hiking. We’d left Siobhan, our beautiful Husky foster who is awaiting heartworm treatment at home as we’re trying to keep her world calm. Siobhan is an easy, sweet, low-key dog.

“It’s going to be a quiet week,” I thought on Thursday after Shenanigans left.

And then my phone rang. It was the OPH Puppy Coordinator. I knew that couldn’t be good. Barb usually messages me via Facebook with potential litters or mamas. The phone ringing meant it was urgent.

And it was. A mama dog and her ten 1-week-old puppies were in a shelter in Sampson County, North Carolina that was planning to close its doors on Saturday. This family had to be out of that shelter or they would be destroyed. The staff would be doing only the minimum and couldn’t care for a family, nevermind that it wouldn’t be safe for them in the shelter where they could contract parvo and other infectious diseases and parasites. Many rescues have stopped transports as their states shut down. Could I take this family if they could figure out a way to get them north?

Is there really a question here? Of course, I told Barb. I can do this.

So, the next day I met an amazing pilot named Kay, who flew the family from North Carolina to Winchester, VA. Kay, who I instantly knew would become a friend (she drives the same Element that I do, lives in VA, and has flown over 500 dogs to safety in her little plane) unloaded the mama dog from a crate behind her seat and unlocked her hatch to pull out a box of puppies.

The puppies and mama had been crated separately because it was reported that she was very protective of her puppies. I won’t lie and say this information didn’t make me more than a little frightened. It was one thing to agree to foster a mama and pups, it was something else entirely to foster a dog who might be threatened by my presence or the handling of her puppies. I wondered how we would handle her in the wire crate (the only one I had with me in VA). I brought along a plastic bin for the puppies and a bag of chicken jerky for the mama.

Mama dog (now Mia) was not what I’d pictured. She was small (maybe forty pounds) and her butt immediately commenced wiggling in happiness to be out of the plane. I ran her over to the grass to do some quick business, fed her a handful of jerky, and then loaded her easily into my crate. I said good bye to my new friend Kay and put the puppies in their bin and took off.

I wasn’t ten minutes from the airport when I began to worry about the puppies. They’d been away from their mama much too long, no matter how I worked the math in my head the journey from shelter to airport to plane to car added up to at least three or four hours. Too long. The puppies were quiet – were they dehydrated?

I spoke with our medical coordinator who said, “I don’t want you to get hurt, but if it was me, I’d rather get bit than lose a puppy.”

I agreed, so I looked for a place to pull over so I could transfer the puppies to the crate. I saw what looked like a school up ahead with immaculate grounds and neat buildings, so I pulled in. Only when I’d already committed to the turn did I realize I was turning into the Virginia customs and border patrol.

I considered turning back out and driving on, but my worries for the puppies overrode that fear, plus I thought, what safer place could I do this? My actions would probably all be on tape somewhere in one of those buildings as I unloaded a mysterious gray bin and then opened the hatch of my car and transferred its contents carefully one at a time into the crate in the back. Mia was happier to see me than the puppies, but she did finally settle down and nurse them as we drove home.

Now they are safely ensconced in our puppy room proving quite the distraction from all that is going on in this world.

I’ve been posting lots of live videos to the Another Good Dog facebook group, scattering a few pictures on my Instagram, and started another Diary of a Rescue on my Facebook writer page (seems kind of perfect that I started a new Diary and Daisy was adopted a few days later!). I’m hoping the journey of this little family will be a healthy counter to the uncertainty that is filling all our lives right now.

Thanks for reading!

Cara

If you’d like regular updates of all my foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips from OPH training, be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.

For information on me, my writing, and books, visit CaraWrites.com. I have a new book, One Hundred Dogs and Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues, coming out in July. If it sounds like something you’d like to read, I’d be beyond grateful if you’d consider preordering it. Preorders contribute to the success of the book, not only giving me and my publisher some peace of mind but hopefully attracting media attention.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org.

Our family fosters through the all-breed rescue, Operation Paws for Homes, a network of foster homes in Virginia, Maryland, D.C., and south-central PA.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs . It’s available anywhere books are sold.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at [email protected].

Many of the pictures on my blog are taken by photographer Nancy Slattery. If you’d like to connect with Nancy to take gorgeous pictures of your pup (or your family), contact: [email protected].

Combatting Quarantine Stress with Foster Dogs #puppies #happyendings #hope I’ve realized that there is a correlation between how many dogs are in our house and the amount of stress in my life.

#dog rescue #dogs #emergency transport #foster dogs #longterm dog #puppies

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