Tazercraft and Richarlyson: [ Talking about the butterfly effect that led to Cellbit and Roier getting married ]

Richarlyson: The real cupid is pa Mike.

Pac: If Mike was unintentionally the reason why Richas died*, and that caused Roier and Cellbit to— Wait, you're saying I'm single because you died?! Oh what the hell. No, it's fine, that's fine, that's fine, it's fine, I stayed on the ground so that others could fly, it's fine.

Richarlyson: KKKKKKK Pa, you misunderstood me 0_0

-‘❥’- PAC: What does your crush think of you? -‘❥’-

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.” (Neil Gaiman - The Sandman)

P1 ➣P2➣ P3

PILE 1

(5oS – knight of Swords – 3oP -The hanged man – 9 of Cups)

First of all, I feel that this is a distant crush. It feels as if you both just see each other in determined circumstances that are surrounded by an intellectual status…so your crush could be a co-worker, someone you hold debates with, maybe he’s in another department/class from yours… You could even just see each other in reunions or meetings… and this affects the way your crush sees you.

They think you are someone with a sharp and direct intellect, not scared of confrontation. You are focused on your ideas and taking them into term, witty-minded.  Focused energy, someone that would defend their ideas to the death but that’s also able to work in cooperation to carry a project forward. So, you could be a really good worker/student.  

One thing that stand here, it’s a confrontation, not directly towards them but they see you as someone really different from them. You may show new perspectives, new ideas and new energies. Intuitively, they have an interest in these new ideas and proposals you may do to other, but in their presence. Even if your ideas do not coincide, they must enjoy this new fresh air that you bring. You keep them on their toes and they like that.

Somehow, they are also able to see, in your interactions with others a more candid you. A bit childish, happier, creative…They see you as good person even if you are a bit stubborn. They are still able to see a sweeter energy, emotionally satisfied. Stability, a matured, even if young, woman.

I do not see a romantic liking but an interested for your ideas and progress.

PILE 2

(Ace and knight of wands – The High Priest – 2oC – 7oP) (W: A bit +18).

Pile 2, I gasped when I saw the cards. It was so amazing to see this.

With the ace and knight of wands, your crush may feel a strong magnetic and sexual pull towards you. They do feel sparks when they see you, you may inspire their creativity and thoughts torward a certain region. They could dream about offering themselves to you.

They see you as someone with a lot of creativity and with a strong will to pursue your aspirations. They may be working on their approach to you yet, they see you as mystery…They must have not had the chance yet to approach you.

With the High Priest, they think you are clever, intelligent, wise and with inner wisdom, you are in a period of a high attractive for them…they could even enjoy mental communication such as being able to communicate with you just by looks, eyes, touches…

They think both of you could be a nice match for each other, there’s an opportunity for a good and stable connection. They feel they could trust you to guide them and advise them, if they could, they would choose you for a long-term relationship, friendship or romance, they are interested in having someone like you in their life.

They could see you as a reward for their hard-work, it’s as if they were thankful that finally after so many times or relationships, they have finally found someone like you.

A perfect match.

PILE 3

(8oW – The Moon – 6oC – 9oS – The Lovers)

Hard-working, feminine, a mystery.

You arrived at their lives as a mere instant, a memory that was not supposed to stay for a long time… but I think they cannot keep you like that; they need more. They think constantly about you, unconsciously.

They don’t even know why but you stay in their minds, sometimes, because you remember them of good memories of their childhood, you have a warmness and a quickness that’s childish but soft and sweet.

They could be attracted to you because of your feminine nature, you have a personality and aura that makes some of you feel comfortable, like home.

Somehow, they think you also worry a lot, about things that maybe do not need worry. You could feel anxious about a lot of things due to your past experiences, but you do not share them, so they are unaware that your fears have an explanation.

Still, lovely in your social interactions, they would like to speak to you more often and discover a tremendous amount of things about you. A superficial opinion for maybe a small period of time you both shared?

Hi am back. yes i will so totally be 💋anon and i will probably be back a lot (i have reqs just gotta sort through em). more soft kisses for jealous tubbo, twas great :>

On the note of specifically tubbo + fit, you remeber how there was the joke(??) of them getting married in Vegas? maybe something on that actually happening and pac finding out? like offhandedly mentioned or like, them talking about marrying tubbo or smthn idk go buck wild.

(question do you prefer v vague reqs, a little detail, a lotta detail or options?) Hope youre having a good day :>

oh do I remember it. I think I was in tubbos chat when it happened. I remember watching it unfold live. I would LOVE to expand on it 

(I love all requests to be honest. but I do appreciate a bit of detail because it gives me a starting point to go off of) 

“Aren't you two going to get married?” Bagi asked. The three of them were sitting inside Bagi's house at her dining room table when she asked. She picked up the cup of coffee in front of her and raised her eyebrow before taking a sip. 

Pac laughed nervously. “Bagi, I don't know if-” 

“Can't people only get married once?” Fit asked. 

Pac and Bagi turned to look at him, twin looks of confusion on their faces. “Sim,” Bagi said. “Why do you ask?” 

Fit looked up and took a long swig of tea. “Oh, well, I'm married.” 

“Oh right to Spreen yeah?” Pac asked. “We can get that annulled with the Federation surely. Not that we need to,” he rushed to clarify. “Baby steps.” 

Fit shook his head. “No, not Spreen. That's a Federation thing only. I'm legally married. Of my own choice.” 

“To who?” Bagi asked incredulously. 

Pac felt a rush of jealousy go through him. It wasn't necessarily that he wanted to marry Fit but it felt weird that he had never brought this spouse up before. They told each other everything. 

“Tubbo.” 

The Brazilains stared at him. The jealousy dissipated as Pac laughed. 

“You are married to Tubbo??” 

“Why??” Bagi asked as Fit joined Pac in laughing. 

Fit shrugged. “We got drunk in Vegas. Made out. Tubbo acted like some kind of prudish Catholic woman. Said I had to marry him if I was gonna try and get in his pants.” He chuckled. “I don't think he expected me to take him seriously. But I carried him to the first courthouse I saw and we got married.” 

Pac perked up. “Did you have sex?” 

Bagi smacked him. 

“Ow!” 

“You can't just ask if they had sex!” Bagi slapped her forehead as pushed back her chair. 

“I'm sorry he was the one who implied it!” Pac yelled back. 

Fit laughed at both of them Not answering the question, Pac noted. 

-

Pac cornered him after they left. “Did you have sex? What does he kiss like? He's a good kisser isn't he? Can I sleep with him? Your husband, I should probably get permission you know.” 

“Whoa whoa, slow down.” Fit chuckled quietly. “You're not mad?” 

Pac stopped dead. “Why would I be mad?” 

“Uh, cause we're dating and I didn't tell you that I'm married.” 

Pac waved him off. “Oh please. It's Tubbo.” He perked up again. “Can we all be official? I want to kiss him. Can I kiss your husband?” 

Fit laughed, his whole body relaxing. “Yeah you can kiss him. Kiss him as much as you want.” 

Pac pumped his fist in the air. “Let's fucking go! Okay, bye Fitch. I'll see you later. I'm going to go kiss him!!!” 

-

“OI TUBBO!” 

Tubbo looked up from the chest he was currently searching. “Pac? What's up dude?” 

“You and Fit got married?” 

Tubbo's eyes widened in fear. Fuck. “Okay, yeah, hey I'm sorry I don't mean to intrude on you guys and-” 

He was cut off by Pac's hands on his face. “Calma. Be my boyfriend? You're very cute.” 

Tubbo blinked in surprise. “You… you want me?” 

Pac's eyes landed on his lips before licking his own. “Sim, sim, por favor.” 

Tubbo was nodding. Nodding and nodding. And he was being kissed and it was wonderful and soft. Pac tasted like sweets. He wasn't sure exactly what had just occurred but he was definitely not opposed to it. 

🌸🙈🌸🙈PAC: Channeled Message From Your Kids

🌸another channeled Message from your future kids. I feel that most of your kids will be honest with you guys. I mean honestly! These are Five piles of their channeled message to you. Enjoy and hope it brightens up your day. Take what resonates and what doesn't

Hey Mommy,

It's your son I wanted to tell you that you're the best Mom in the world. I can see that you are trying Mommy. Don't worry about Dad right now. He tells me that he loves you always. Can't wait to meet you. I wished that I was there with you right now. I've seen you struggle all the time, but I send you all my life Mommy. I know I'm going to be the greatest gift of your life Mom. You're my superhero, I will always protect you even if I'm the man of the house, I will always protect you, Mommy. Never forget that. Sometimes I wanna hug you, Mommy, even when you cry I just wanna hug you. I can't wait to share all the good memories with you. How happy you made me feel? I wish that I can make you happy even now I do. Daddy and I love you very much. I hope that this letter makes you Mommy. If you are not a Mom yet then I can feel that you will be a awesome Mom to me. Because in my eyes, you are an Awesome Mom. Even from a far distance, you are. Remember that you are special. Thank you, Mommy, smile more.

Hi Mom,

You are my favorite Mom in the world to me. I love how your heart is. The way you share it with other people. I love that. I love that when you have your bad days you still put a smile on your face. How was your day? Mommy. I know you see me in your dream. This is your Son and Daughter talking to you. Can't wait for you and Dad to be together. I can't wait to connect with you on a 3D level soon. I can't wait to travel the world with you and learn from you. Learn about different cultures and backgrounds on how you grew up. I wanna learn so much about my Mommy. Can I ask you a question? Are you feeling okay? Do you want to cry right now? Come here, Mommy, let me hug you. Let me give you a nice monster hug. Hahaha, peek-a-boo I can you Mommy. You're face I can't erase from my mind🌸💋. Once upon a time, I saw a beautiful Mom in the world. She had wished upon a star I had come down and granted her wished the end. I hope you like my little story. I had been watching over my little sister. She's okay Mommy I promise you that. She does miss you. But you should talk to her. She does want to talk to you. But I drew you a picture I hope you like it. 🙈🌸🌸🙈🌸🙈🌸. I drew you a flower. You are like a Lotus flower when I see your face. You will blossom Mommy. I love you, Mom. Get some rest, Mom.

Mommy, are you okay?

You don't seem okay. Are you feeling down? I know I ask too many questions. It's your Daughter. Can you hear me? I can hear you and feel you. I don't like it when you are down. It makes me down. I wanna say to you that get your ass up and take back your power Mom. Don't let anyone else tries to steal your shine. You meant to change something even before I come into the world. You meant to make something different with you and Dad. I can feel it. Can you? I know you do. Me and Dad talk about you all the time, even in his dreams we do. I know I wasn't supposed to tell you that but it just came to me. I am your first daughter talking to you. I want you to wake your ass up. Move up, mommy. Smell your bullshit, Mom. I have a little surprise for you Mom. Close your eyes. Daddy and I wanna talk to you. No need to check on the media. Just look out for our clues and signs Mom. I know you thinking about being a Mom, but Mom can I be honest with you? You, I, and Dad are telepathically connected. I know what he feels and thinks about. Again Dad & I talk about you in the dreams he is having. Even the moon, Daddy manifests you, Mom. I call you all the time, sometimes you ignore me that's not fair Mom. I watch over you while you be sleeping all the time. Even when you wake up in the morning I watch you mom. I watch over my little brother Zaire. I know I will come first. You and I Mommy are destiny. So as Dad. I know who my Dad is. But I just want to you get some clarity more. I don't like it when you're angry, sad, or hurt. I know that sometimes Dad comes into your dreams and visits you. So do I. I just want to tell you whenever you are feeling down, or anything I am here for you. No matter what. We are both each other wish fulfillment. Sorry for my language. But I just want to wake you up, Mommy. You're my Mom. Between you and Me, Mommy I miss you so much. I just wanna tell you that in person but in Spirit Mommy. I love you and I miss you. Take care of yourself and talk to me. I'm always right here. I'll send Daddy the message if that's what you want me to do. Then I'll do it. I'll make sure he gets it. Your sweet Goddess.

Mom, Do you know how blessed you are?

Let me tell you how. I seek through the universe. I watch you grow up so beautifully. Can you see how much you have grown up Mom? I mean what the fuck. This is your Teenage son. I love how much of a badass you fucking are. Again excuse my language no need to be cursing like that. Mom, I just wanna tell you that I want you to surrender you know why. No offense to Dad but you smoking hot Mom. Look how much of a badass you fucking are. I mean you keep Dad in check. Haha. I want that type of love you and Dad have. Fucking awesome. Okay, sorry for cursing. Watching you makes me not afraid to speak my mind. I love it when you are honest with me Mom. You are honest now. Look how much you care for others and you forget about yourself. Never do that okay? This is awesome talking to you. I know I'm your son no matter if I'm a teenager or a kid. Still your son. I know I shouldn't talk about Dad like that but Dad chats about you. Dad irritates me because he be ignoring the signs. You guys are match-made in heaven. Even I can't explain much of your connection with Dad. It is so amazing and I want it. Always will be my Mom. I'm watching over my sibling. They wanna thank you for being an awesome human being. Yes, you have your flaws but who cares your fucking amazing person. I know it isn't my job but I just want to protect your beautiful heart and you Mom. I mean Duh! You're my mom. I love you forever 🌸. The way you perform is awesome. I love watching you dance Mom even now I do because you are awesome.

MOMMY!!!!

Come and play with me. We have to play dress up and play dollhouse. Do you want to play with me? I want to give you a big fat kiss 😘😘. Mom, can I say something to you? Close your eyes. BOO!! Hahaha did I scare you? I hope I did it as a joke I'm just kidding around with you Mommy. Wow, I know that you have your problems to deal with but I’m glad I can talk to you, Mommy. I wanna give you a little message. You are going to have fun today, and every day because you are a fun person. You are an amazing person. Because you love Mom no matter what. Don't push the pain away whatever you feel, Mommy cry it out. I promise that your days will be better. Even through the years, it will be better. I feel always watching over you. And my brothers. Yes, I am your daughter, but I also feel free when I talk to you, Mom. The funny thing is Mom you are an amazing person. Can we still play Dollhouse? Thanks, Mom for being My mom. I can't wait to explore all the adventures and stories together. You can sing me a lullaby song. I miss you, Mom. Don't forget to take care of yourself, Mom. You are special.

Reblog and Comment. This is a message from your kids some of them are Teenagers talking to you but I hope you enjoy it. 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸.

So yeah as I was saying chayanne and tallulah desperately need people outside of Phil to make connections with.

And ramon is a good example of this, he leo chay and lulah are some of the loneliest eggs I think??

ramon is the best example of what I mean, he was alone most of the time he didnt really hang with people outside of his dad, pac, and tubbo. But he comes back from his monthly sleep lol. And he made 2 little sisters and admitted he sees tubbo as an older brother figure. and we saw that he can trust tubbo with important info, Like of his dads lovelife lol.

Of course he loves his other siblings and his dad but having someone that he chooses to vulnerable around is so important even if its a little bit. In his letter admitted he sees tubbo as an older brother, or just showing how much he loves his siblings. HIS diamond girl and panda he can take care of them, because he wants to, and still have fun. He gets to create and do projects with tubbo but also he can just run around with his sisters and be a kid. Yes he's still a protector, because its what he wants, when push comes to shove.

I will always remember him boxing sunny and empanada away to have a serious talk with Phil and tubbo. And just standing infront of them when the three were in phils basement?? THE PHIL MUSEUM. While phil is asking what's wrong and lil mans was just looking at him because the adults can be traitors now 2.

Chayanne wants to protect Tallulah so bad but hes so tired and just needs someone who can look at him and see him for what he is a scared, traumatized, tired child. (No hate to phil, cuz hew trying) And we see it first hand that chayanne wants to reach out to tubbo, he really does. The comfort and kind heart his godfather provided was probably so new. At the time tubbo was a little hard on himself for being a bad fighter but even then he fought of mobs for them. He comforted them when chay and lulah were panicked and in pain the day before they ran away. I don't blame chayanne for wating to run back to him

And Tallulah needs someone who will love her uncontrollably. That will look at her broken parts and help her put them back. In her head no matter what phil will always choose chay first and she hates the idea that she keep him from phil. At some point maybe she also wanted to turn to tubbo or even forever hell even slimescicle because they opened up their arms to her and she loves them deeply obviously. But she feels so alone

Do I sound crazy??? Am I making sense??

Okay but tbh Tubbo and Sunny's dynamic is so damn cute, like Tubbos is literally the person Sunny trusts and feels safest with, she needs him in her life because he's her dad and he showed her what it means to be loved, to have someone, to have things she'd never had before.

And by GODDDD does Tubbo need Sunny, he was always pretty reckless with his own life and he lived like he had nothing to lose which was why he was such a threat to the federation. He DIDN'T have anything to lose. Until he met Sunny. His daughter very quickly became his world and he, as someone who never felt respected or needed by anyone, grew so attached so so fast. Because suddenly he had someone who loved him and relied on HIM, someone who wanted him and him alone around bc he made her feel safe.

I honestly think this plus the kidnapping will make Sunny's future dynamic with her other parents (Lenay, Pol, and Slime) interesting since Tubbo is all she has rn and he was so willing to give her the world immediately bc she is HIS world

I remember the first time I saw Sunny all I thought it was how I wanted the sunglasses egg to be Tubbo's kid because I thought it'd be funny, never thought how much of a hold these two would have on me.

They have so many similarities they both think they need to prove their worth so people can be accepted and both feel safe with Pac and Fit. I'm dying to see how she'll react when Fit is all she has left and there's no one else for her.

I know it's not for long but I already miss seeing these two together <\3

What Happened in Quackity's Stream Today?

Today, June 19th 2023, Quackity went live with a qsmp stream in Spanish titled "El Fin de Quackity" (The end of Quackity) and I'd like to sumarize in English what happened!

I wanted to include as much detail as I could. (Anything added in parenthesis is my own speculation or additional comment)

First 20 minutes

Wearing professional looking clothing and sunglasses irl, he joins QSMP on his "ElQuackity" account, which is different from the account he ussually uses for qsmp. (He has logged in through this account before offline, but does not use it to rp as q!quackity and has in the past implied that there is more than 1 Quackity on the island) There are many past attempts of trying to join the server, which all say "no connection" over and over again, one sayd "limited lives" and the last one says "ETF EHR IER OYR KRO KER NBJ EAD." (?)

He waits in the room Cucurucho took (the former) Quackity to after the wedding, right before he was disconnected from the server. He just walks around and occasionally looks through the window of the door, he doesn't say anything, just sighs a few times, and cannot break blocks but punches a chair, seemingly bored and tired of waiting

Cucurucho arrives! Quackity tells it that its late, and it opens the door and leads him out of the room. He asks if he can be given a key for the doors, and Cucurucho responds by blowing bubbles at him. He laughs it off and says its no problem

Cucurucho begins walking, and Quackity asks it to wait. He asks "where does he work?" Cucurucho blows bubbles. "You don't want to tell me? Which office is it?" He walks down a hallway of identical rooms. "Do you not want to tell me, or do you not know?" Cucurucho stays quiet. This is still the same location Cucurucho took (the first) Quackity to after the wedding, when Jaiden saw them together.

He looks at a door that says "Storage Room" and looks at the button to open the door. Cucurucho looks at him, and then a different door. He follows Cucurucho, and they leave. He asks if Cucurucho also thinks its too cold in there, and says he doesnt know if they can do anything about the temperature. Cucurucho turns to look at him quickly when he mentions the cold, but then turns away and keeps lesding him out

They ñeave the ofices and arrive at the train station, and Quackity, seemly startled, says they should go a different way, back through the offices, because there is no way the other members of the server will be able to pass through there. Cucurucho says no, and Quackity keeps trying to convince it to let them go back. It laughs.

Cellbit says "THEY'RE AT THE TRAIN STATION" in chat, and not long after Mike, Pac, Richas, Fit, Forever, Cellbit, Baghera, Pomme, and Badboyhalo (I think thats everyone?) Show up. Right before they arrive, Quackity sarcastically says "perfect. Here everyone comes," then tells Cucurucho to disapear. Once they get there, he says "friends, friends!" And greets them, hapily saying "I'm back!"

Mike (I think) asks hin where he was, and he says he was with Cucurucho, against his will.

They ask where Cucurucho is, and he says he doesnt know, then asks if anything happened while he was gone, they said not much. He told them that he was taken, and told things, and it was hard. He then said he should probably step away for a moment, and would tell them later.

Forever follows him outside and asks "do you remember what I told you the day of the wedding?" Quackity responds "Forever, I can't talk right now, there are some things I meed to do. We can talk about that later, ok? Is tgat ok?" Forever nods his head to agree.

He runs a short distance away, out of earshot, and starts swearing in annoyance. He also realizes he doesn't have any items on him, and keeps running.

He is filling in new area on his map as he runs, meaning this Quackity has never been to the area outside the train station before

He keeps talking about how Cucurucho left him here with nothing, and didn't tell him about the map. He swears at Cucurucho

He finds a boat and sails for a bit, then gets out and runs again. He is looking for specific coordinates he was given

listened to a podcast talking about this a bit, so im gonna be unhinged for a hot second about the orange cassidy belt corruption arc

i would love one day to write a kinda comprehensive "guide" to all of this, but i'd have to go back to watch a lot of stuff for it (so it would probably have to be after im done with all kip vs oc rewatch stuff. ofc if theres critical changes to this situation that might change idk let me know if this is anything of interest?), buttttt heres a few misc highlights for what i can pull out from the top of my head

first of all, here. what i believe is one of the most pivotal moments in this whole thing. so during the match with pac where oc won the title, danhausen threw a curse at pac literally right above the title

now this was because pac was trying to cheat by using a ring hammer (twice). which honestly kind of already tells us a lot about corruption, i dont remember if he was already kind of mean and wicked with the hammers before his reign, i mean pac has always been a bastard, but you know. did he start doing this after he won the title? cause that would be saying a lot

this also goes hard in this match, cause after pac is caught trying to use the hammer, oc also almost uses it on him. at this point, its just almost tho. its very close, but he chooses to throw it away, and win the match clean. the key here is, what the title is already doing to him before he even gets his hands on it

anyways. so oc does this title reign. all is swell up until the point kip challenges for it, cause thats where the mind games begin which i believe is an important part of this whole deal. kip separates him from his friends effectively, continuous taunting and mind games, he pushes oc to his limits mentally, forcing him to tap into a very dark place in his mind to overcome the odds to beat kip (also oc was showing the first cases of more vicious behavior in this match so like)

like literally this whole storyline is confirmed by the man himself to be about this like. how could this not tap into and mess with ocs psyche going forward tho

also this is just my things but. at revolution, that one time he tagged with danhausen to challenge for the tag titles, oc was the one to change his gear to black. tbh this is personally for me where this whole corruption brainrot started, but its worth mentioning, cause he has not done it since. even when teaming with hook, it was hook who changed his gear colors to match the denim. im just saying (as in, danhausen has to have a finger in this pie somehow. he just absolutely has to)

i didnt watch a lot of what happened with house of black, but thats where the physical issues started. im just inclined to believe that the physical pains just amplified his need to push himself, to show the world that hes worthy of holding this belt and being a champion despite being injured - cause thats what all this was about, right? oc having to prove to the world that despite how hes been viewed up until this point, hes actually an incredible wrestler and a worthy champion. come hell or high water, he will prove that

and thats part of why the belt was so important to him, which could easily be also turned around to be the so called "siren call" of the belt. get me and keep me with whatever way is necessary to prove yourself as a worthy champion. yes even if it costs your mental and physical health and all your friends

and so this got pushed until he literally couldnt do it anymore as mox took oc to his limits and defeated him after physically beating him down worse than before (or i mean, a week after stadium stampede? yeah both of these are factors here lbr). and you saw the miserable creature oc was after losing that title. finding solace in friends that were champions (hook and kris. i think this is an important plot point, i dont think we saw him around chuck and trent during this time. the best friends with no titles....), maybe trying to grasp for some of that former glory that he used to have

until he won the title again. and he was HELLBENT on getting it back. and after he won it, well.. i shared thoughts about this here. which is a very interesting contrast to the first time, a year ago, when he won it the first time

i dont know if i had more thoughts rn, i have lost the plot so heres everything for now. just.. yeah. i have way more things somewhere in my blog and like said i should watch all this back to get everything, but quickly putting it together heres few key points of things. anyways enjoy or whatever. feel free to share thoughts im all ears (especially if i missed anything seemingly key stuff)

Ghosts ‘n Goblins (Arcade)

Developed/Published by: Capcom Released: 7/1985 Completed: 02/08/2022 Completion: Beat both loops (with save states and rewind, yeah.) Version Played: Capcom Arcade Stadium Trophies / Achievements: n/a

Super Mario Bros., released a scant few months after Ghosts ‘n Goblins, has undoubtedly the most famous opening of any platformer ever. I mean, you can visualise that first goomba encounter perfectly, can’t you? I mean, it’s probably taught in every class on level design you’ll ever sit through.

But Ghosts ‘n Goblins has to have, if not the second most famous opening of any platformer, certainly the second most burned-in opening of any game in the minds of anyone who has ever played it. You know it–the gravestones. The endlessly spawning zombies; the ladders that lead to that second level, and, of course, the Red Arremer that kills you.

I don’t believe, honestly, that before playing this through now, that I’ve ever personally seen Arthur past that Red Arremer, and I’m sure I’ve played this game (and I guess, all the sequels that all open basically exactly the same) tens of times. I actually only have one memory of ever seeing beyond that, and it’s so vague–still being in university, being somewhere that had a Ghosts ‘n Goblins machine (unusual) and an older student mentioning that he used to be “really good at it” and getting to the beginning of the second level and no further.

(I can’t remember if he ever claimed to be able to complete it. My brain wants to fill in details like he had access to the machine because his family owned a chip shop or something that had it, but I think I’m making that up entirely.)

Basically what I’m saying is: everyone these days is saying Dark Souls this and Dark Souls that, but no one is saying Ghosts this ‘n Goblins that!

Because this really does live up to its reputation. I suppose before I go into that I should mention what a stunning release it is in context. It’s 1985, Super Mario Bros. hasn’t come out yet, so when we’re talking platformers you’ve got basically Pac Land to compare it against, and if you’re talking run-n-gun games, well, I don’t have to hand an earlier side-scrolling example, with only Sega Ninja (or Capcom’s own Commando) really something you can compare this to–even something like Konami’s Rush ‘n Attack wouldn’t be released for months.

And the above frankly don’t hold much a candle to this if you were walking into an arcade, with Ghosts ‘n Goblins featuring some stunningly detailed and varied graphics for the time. It’s not just that you saw the opening of the game a hundred times without ever getting past it–it’s that it’s dripping with a sense of place. There’s even that iconic opening!

I’ll admit though… I’m pretty sure I’d rather play Pac Land, and even Sega Ninja’s level of brutality is preferable to this. I’ve read that the version of Ghosts ‘n Goblins I’ve played (Capcom Arcade Stadium) suffers some input lag, which might be partly why I found this so, well, unpleasant, but it’s also just that this ain’t no Super Mario Bros..

I do love to point out that the original Super Mario Bros. has pretty quirky movement every time I mention it, and I’ll do so again here, but Ghosts ‘n Goblins, for all its visual flair and level variety, does unfortunately feel like the pre-Super Mario Bros. game it is, with clunky, slow and difficult movement. Hero Arthur might be able to throw lances like nobody’s business, but he’s slow to turn, his jump is static, and climbing ladders is an insane risk as he loves to not actually fully get off them.

Honestly, this isn’t so bad for the first four (of six) levels, which I managed to finish with practice and letting myself save after each level. The game is insanely stingy with checkpoints (no checkpoints before bosses. Come on!) and barely ever hands out replacement armour, but all hell breaks loose on the fifth level as you have to deal with climbing a tower full of flying enemies where you literally can’t take a hit or you just won’t survive the final boss, Satan (basically just Red Arremer, but a bigger pain in the arse.)

It actually gets worse because I was playing the version Capcom Arcade Stadium defaults to: the US revision, which goes out of its way to not be finishable. Once you hit the sixth level, you face off against two unicorn enemies at once (where it’s impossible to not take a hit) and then have to face two Satans who have twice the hit-points of the Japanese Makaimura! And you have to beat them with the shield weapon, which has barely any reach!

I won’t lie. I was able to make it to the first Satan with saves, but after a while battering my head against that brick wall I had to bring out the rewinds… and bring them out I did. I just abused the shit out of them and still barely managed to finish this, it’s so stupidly hard. I probably should have played the easier Japanese revision (also available on Capcom Arcade Stadium) but more fool me.

I will say this–I do think the AI of the Red Arremer and Satan enemies is interesting; they genuinely seem to react to your actions in unpredictable ways, and it is quite a thrill when you take them down, even if for me at times it was like playing Braid. However, I keep imagining how this game must have felt to play back in the day if you were invested in beating it and not just a wee guy with a cup full of twenty pence pieces playing machines at random in Blackpool. Getting all the way to even the first Satan, dying and having to do that entire level again. It’s honestly abuse. Creator Tokuro Fujiwara should have been arrested. Maybe he still can be? I’m in favour.

Will I ever play it again? I have the NES version coming up in 1986. Now the question with that one is if I can be arse to do both loops… or even one loop.

Final Thought: Fascinating to consider that I imagine the game being this hard as being just as unpleasant to gamers of the era as it is to me, but Ghost ‘n Goblins’ long life of sequels and status as one of the top sellers of the era (“among the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1986 in Japan and the US, the year's sixth best-selling computer game in the UK, and NES version sold over 1.6 million cartridges” sez Wikipedia) so it’s obvious that gamers of the time were all masochistic perverts, essentially Capcom’s pay-pigs. Well, whatever floats your boat I guess.

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LOVE: How will they react when they see you wearing their clothes

This is really random because I'm an air sign. Anyway. This applies to anyone you are in a relationship with, just make sure they are not toxic sis. I didn't check the grammar because I have other things to take care of and I'm kinda in pain rn, as long as you can still understand me it should be fine. Remember this is a lighthearted reading don't take it serious,ly. Bye peoiple

Disclaimer: Here

Instructions:

Focus on the topic and think about the person. Choose a number/picture that you feel the most drawn to or that you can’t stop looking at. Trust your intuition. May the message resonate. Let me know which pile you choose!

Like my readings? Tip here!

PILE 1

Knight of Pentacles Rx, 3 of Swords (6 of Swords)

Lmao honey this person is not exactly open to the idea of you wearing their clothes. I’m sorry I’m not going to lie, look at the cards. I don’t know maybe they have had bad experiences with their previous partners, maybe those exes wore their clothes but never return them, or ruined their clothes/stuff, maybe they work hard to buy those items etc. I feel like your person is a bit possessive of their things, especially if they are male, they may have items that are branded or sporty that they treasure, some of them may not wear/use those items often simply because they treasure them too much.

So seeing you wearing/using those treasured items makes them feel a bit “mmmmmmmgh be careful with that will ya” and lowkey wanting to take them away from you lmaoo. It’s not that they will get angry or anything like that, it feels more like resignation and worry. They may not say it tho because some of them know this can hurt you, they will just try to get over it on their own lmao.

They will get over it and they will eventually surrender to the fact that this kind of thing happens, the fact IF they want to create a long-term relationship with you they may need to get used to sharing. This does not mean you can do whatever you want with their stuff tho, it’s always nice to ask for permission and respect boundaries. Eventually it won’t feel as tough as it will be at first to them. It’s almost like eventually, their go-to reaction will be them rolling their eyes like fine, shaking their head and smiling a bit.

PILE 2

Knight of Cups, 8 of Wands (8 of Cups, 10 of Pentacles)

Very interesting energy. Anyway they will probably be smiling or blushing if they see you in their clothes. Sparkly eyes, raised eyebrows, wide smile and little giggles. They will just want to be affectionate with you, maybe coming to you and holding your waist or playing with the hem of the shirt. Sometimes they may also initiate something sexual. They will like to be playful and to compliment/tease you. They will talk about it and point it out. This is not someone who will ignore it when they see it. You may also catch them staring at the clothes when you guys are talking, with soft smile on their lips, almost like their mind is somewhere else and they are not quite listening to the words you say because they are busy fantasizing.

With 8 of Cups, there is a hint of something melancholic underneath their openness and positive reaction towards you. This might trigger people; you wearing their clothes at first might remind them of their ex. OK WAIT LEMME EXPLAIN. It’s not that they miss their ex or that they are sad about not having this with their ex. It’s that… some of them probably have had a conversation about sharing clothes with their ex, and you wearing their clothes will trigger that memory and conversation. They probably saw their ex and thought that person would be their partner for life, and ‘probably would wear their clothes forever’.

But then things happen, and there you are, obviously better and obviously their person. So it’s like… the memories are replaced with this bright future that they want with you. They will have a further realization that what they had with their ex would not be the thing that can lead them to their 10 of Pentacles, a further realization that their future is looking different than what they previously imagined, and that this is okay since they know they are moving to a better place emotionally.

So yeah although it may not feel that good to think that they might remember the ex in whatever form lmao, remember that your main cards are Knight of Cups and 8 of Wands.

PILE 3

The Hermit, 9 of Cups (9 of Pentacles)

Some of you are currently in a relationship with someone who is not good for you, and if you are reading this wanting to know about that person, forget it sistur and brother bcs I’m not talking about them. This message for Pile 3 is specifically about long-term partner.

They may not expect that you will wear their clothes, or want/love to wear their clothes, especially for those of you whose partners are introverts. So they will feel pleasantly surprised, but it will be lowkey, they may not show it to you or talk about it with you. I think you wearing their clothes will make them rethink something about themselves. Maybe they have a low self-esteem or self-worth (some of them may not show it and may look fine on the outside), and you wearing their clothes may make them think “oh, so they like me that much” something like this. Maybe besides wearing their clothes, you will also tell them that you like how it smells and that you use it when you miss them, so it will make them realize that they are valuable. I hope that makes sense. I’m not saying they are a depressed and sad soul, not necessarily. It’s just that, some people devalue their presence in other people’s lives, or feel like they don’t make much impact on other people’s lives. Maybe your person is kinda like that.

If this person has extra money, they are probably the type of partner who buys clothes for themselves but they are actually buying those for you. It’s like, for example, they know you will want to wear their hoodie, so they buy one with that expectation in mind. They may just wear it once before you ask, and they are okay with you taking that hoodie since they are buying it for you anyway. It’s like that.

PILE 4

3 of Pentacles, 4 of Swords, Page of Swords

I just got the image of someone who tries to act calm about it but they sometimes can’t stop talking about it, pretending to fix it on your body, or asking you about it. They may like to remember those moments when they see you wearing their clothes. They may start a conversation about it, like “hey have you seen my shirt? The one you wore the other day”, or “yeaa and you got tomato sauce on my shirt”, something similar to this. They may also think about what kind of clothes you like wearing, the colors, the size, the fabric etc and they will remember it. If you guys are around the same size, they may like to wear your clothes as well. They may also like you wearing their clothes outside, so other people can see it, this is them low key showing off.

This is a specific message for those of you with partners who like to sew, they may also make clothes or alter clothes for you. For example, if they have a shirt that they no longer wear, they may turn it into something more fashionable for you. Like that. Or if their pants are too long for you, they may bend down and fold the bottom hem for you. Or if the sleeves of their shirt are too long, they'll fold them for you. If you want to wear their cap they'll fix your hair a bit and put it on for you. 3 of Pentacles, helpful actions. You will feel like they low key encourage you to wear their clothes.

They may also like to ask for your opinions before buying some of their clothes or think about you when they are buying them, since you like to wear them so much it can be considered a shared belonging that requires opinions from both parties lol. This is especially true for those of you who exchange clothes; when you guys buy an item, you guys actually buy for both.

“Out About on the Town” - HC [FLUFF]

Thanks so much to @in-a-world-of-my-own-invention for my first ever request! (So sorry this took so long to complete!) This was so much fun to brainstorm 💖💖

A/N: Basically these HCs each have 3 events. 1 is described in little detail, another is described in moderate detail, and the last one is described in great detail.I did try to make each guy about the same length. If I wrote all three events in great detail, I’d be writing fics lol (brace yourselves,-these are long) Also sorry if the last lines sound like karma lines RIP

Here are the boys being dragged around by MC~

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Gavin: "Memory Lane of the Youth”

(Ngl, this was the hardest for me to write for some reason, but I’m very satisfied with the results I think; thanks so much to @stehkotori for all the info/ideas on our favorite Birdcop ♡)

💫 The “Letters Through Time” segment that you did became a huge hit and Loveland TV want you to do a part two on favorite haunts of people from when they were young

💫 You finish your interviews and find that the favorite memories happen to be an old timey arcade in the middle of the city, an amusement park that had been open for several decades, and a cliff side park where people particularly enjoy stargazing

💫 You want to call Gavin to come with you, but hesitate, is he still on mission?

💫 Just when you make the decision to call him anyway, your phone rings. It’s Gavin and you almost hang up on him in surprise

💫 “Gavin! Are you back from your mission? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

💫 You hear Gavin laugh and your heart just swells “I just got back,” he tells you, his voice light, “It was a pretty easy mission this time. What’s up?”

💫 You tell Gavin about the show you’re shooting for “Do you have any free time? I’d like to ask you on a date for you to come with me. You were such a big help to me last time, and this excursion sounds like fun. If you’re not too tired, of course”

💫 He’s already in even before you asked “I’m free, where should I meet you?”

💫 You tell him the address of the arcade, intending to meet him there. Not even 5 minutes later, you hear the familiar roar of Sparky outside your apartment window. You run downstairs to meet him. “Gavin! Wha-”

💫 “Need a ride?” Gavin asks, leaning against Sparky. You eye him carefully and he smiles “I didn’t get hurt, I promise” You don’t believe him and inspect him carefully

💫 The two of you head to the arcade, your arms are wrapped around Gavin’s waist. It’s the first time in a while since you’ve felt free

💫 You arrive at the arcade and you gaze at the building, amazed. Despite its age, bright neon lights flashed continuously across its walls exactly how it did five years ago. Immediately, you pull out your camera and start snapping away. “It’s just like I remembered,” you say aloud, “I came here once with my friends.” Then you grab Gavin’s arm and pull him towards the entrance, “Come on! Might as well play some games”

💫 You go inside and an elderly man greets the two of you warmly “You’re welcome to play any of the games, just ask me for the tokens.” You look at the surroundings. There was Pac-Man, Galaga, Pinball, (wow hahaha I am old) and many more games of the past. Then you see a basketball machine and you spot a glint in Gavin’s eyes

💫 “Let’s go play basketball!” You suggest, remembering that Gavin loved to play basketball. You pass some bills to the elderly man and he gives you a handful of tokens. “Come on!” You hand Gavin some of the tokens, “I want to see you play”

💫 Gavin’s skills are unmatched, and you watch in admiration as he shoots ball after ball into the hoop. You snap a few pictures and the machine dinged

💫 “Young man,” the elderly owner says, awestruck, “You just beat the high score that no one has been able to in years”

💫 Gavin rubs his neck, a little embarrassed, “I just like it, that’s all” NAW homeboi was trying to impress you but also he is really good

💫 “Well you have some talent,” the old man says as you drop your unused tokens into a bowl, “Come back and play anytime”

💫 “Thank you so much!” You thank the owner for the interview and the two of you were on your way to the amusement park

💫 “I can’t believe this has been here all there years,” you marvel at the spinning rides, the Ferris wheel, and the carousel. “Now I can understand why this made it into the top spot for favorite haunts”

💫 For the rest of the day, you drag Gavin from ride to ride, taking pictures every chance you get

💫 It was twilight when the two of you get done with the amusement park. “What’s next?” Gavin asks

💫 You grin, “Our favorite pastime,” you blush a little at the word ‘our.’ Before he could ask, you blurt out the answer in excitement, “We’re going stargazing! And tonight’s perfect! Come on!”

💫 It’s quite a trek up to the cliff-side park, but Gavin is here and he has an arm around you, supporting you. The two of you hike up the mountain and the trail ends in a grassy meadow. Your mouth drop open, “It’s beautiful up here!” You exclaim, the tiny lights of the city seem so far way

💫 Luckily, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around so you and Gavin have the area to yourselves. Gavin settles himself on the grass and extends a hand towards you, “Come here”

💫 You sit and suddenly Gavin tugs on your hand, sending you flying into his chest. Your face flush instantly, “Gavin!”

💫 He laughs and you feel the sound rumble through his chest, warm and comforting, “We’re stargazing,” he reminds you and positions you so that you could comfortably look up at the sky. Your face turns a even brighter red, if possible

💫 You soon fall into a comfortable silence as the sky darkened to a inky black and slowly, twinkling stars start to appear

💫 “It really is beautiful,” you break the silence softly, wonder lacing your voice. Gavin makes a noise of agreement and he pulls you closer to him. “Gavin, I want to know about the constellations” you gently request

💫 And in his sure, soft voice, Gavin starts to name the constellations in the sky, pointing them out and telling you random facts

💫 You stretch your hand out towards the glittering background, “Don’t you ever wish you can just...reach out and grab them?” You ask softly, “Something about it makes me feel safe, like someone is watching over me”

💫 A calloused hand covers yours, the touch gentle, but you can feel the firm strength that you always associate with Gavin coursing through

💫 “The stars and I will always be there to protect you, no matter what”

Kiro: Night Market Expedition

(This isn’t exactly across the city, but MC does drag Kiro around. I thought it would be cute! This was loosely modeled after the Japanese Fireworks Festival, hanabi. This one is a little short - sorry!)

🎆 It’s summer and that means festivals galore! One of the key parts of the festival is the night market, full of food and quaint handicrafts. After the night market, there will be a fireworks show

🎆 You invite Kiro out since the two of you love to chow down his album recording wrapped and you thought he deserved a break. DON’T TELL SAVIN ABOUT THE FOOD

🎆 Kiro is super excited at the prospect of all that food getting the opportunity to spend time with you as well as being able to see the fireworks

🎆 He meets you at the bustling square in his typical disguise, a hat and black frames. The various vendors are already making food and delicious smells fill the air. Kiro is practically bouncing as you make your way to him. “Miss Chips! Are you ready for our food expedition tonight?”

🎆 “Yes!” You say as Kiro cheerfully wraps you in a hug as way of greeting

🎆 “What’s our plan of attack?” He ask as he surveys the sprawling vendors, cerulean eyes twinkling with anticipation

🎆 “I did some research,” you say as you pull out your phone, “I’ve narrowed it down to ‘Foods We Have to Try,’ and ‘Viral Foods.’ Where do you want to start?”

🎆 Kiro studies your list with intense concentration, “The King Takoyaki first,” he says finally

🎆 “That’s exactly what I was thinking!” You exclaim and Kiro sends a million-watt smile your way

🎆 “Just as I thought, Miss Chips and I are really connected!”

🎆 You pull out a map that you procured earlier and study it. “Let’s go!” You grab Kiro’s hand and pull him along to the vendor

🎆 Along the way, you can’t help but snap pictures of the various handicrafts that people are selling. Kiro asks if you want to stop and check some of these out

🎆 “Later! We’re here to eat first,” you pull Kiro along, with nothing but your destination in mind. You arrive in front of the “King Takoyaki” stand. You and Kiro share a gleam with excitement and order 2 takoyaki

🎆 Kiro is about to take a bite when you stop him, “I need to take pictures first!” He laughs and grabs your phone

🎆 “Miss Chips, let’s take one together!” He pulls you closer to him and holds up his takoyaki, grinning at the camera

🎆 He takes a picture of you two, grinning goofily with your takoyaki

🎆 “Ready? On 3, 2,1!” The two of you bite into the savory ball. 

🎆 “Mmm!” Kiro wriggles with delight. You laugh and sneak a picture of him when he’s not looking. “Oh this is so good! Good call, Miss Chips!” He high fives you, “What’s next?

🎆 You look at each other, “Ringo-Ame!” [apple coated in crunchy sugar candy] Both of you say in unison and the two of you break out into a fit of merry laughter

🎆 “Come on!” You say, tugging on Kiro’s arm. “I think I saw it earlier.” You lead the way amidst the bustling vendors and stop in front of a little cart filled with bright red glossy apples on sticks

🎆 You pause to take some pictures. “Here!” You turn towards Kiro’s voice and suddenly your mouth is filled with a sweet tanginess

🎆 Kiro grins, “Is it good?” You nod as you chew and Kiro laughs aloud. His laugh is bright and carefree; it makes you smile as well

🎆 “We’re supposed to eat it together,” you mumble when you finally finish chewing

🎆 Kiro hands you an apple on a stick, “Then it’s your turn to feed me!” He opens his mouth wide and you stick the apple in his mouth. “Just as I predicted, whatever Miss Chips feed me is unbelievably delicious!” His voice is a little muffled

🎆 You put your hands on your waist and pretend to glare, “Of course! I only introduce you to good food, you know!”

🎆 Kiro smiles and it’s infectious. Your lips tug up in an answering grin

🎆 The two of you go from stall to stall, sampling various foods when suddenly you hear a commotion near the river

🎆 “The fireworks!” You exclaim, “They must be starting! Let’s go!” You grab Kiro’s hand and pull him towards the crowd. Everyone is congregating on the banks of the river, getting ready for the fireworks show

🎆 You manage to find an empty spot a little ways from the crowd. After all, you didn’t want Kiro to be mobbed

🎆 The two of you sit and wait. Kiro pulls you close and there is a thunderous BOOM!

🎆 The sky bursts into dazzling colors and the crowd oohs

🎆 “So pretty!” you shout to Kiro over the noise. He nods, staring at the colorful bursts. You steal a glance at him. The various colors and flashes from the fireworks throws different colors across his face, and you forget to breathe for a moment. Kiro looks ethereal

🎆 Kiro glances at you and your eyes meet. You can feel the ever present warmth emanating from his bright blue eyes and it warms you all over. He pulls you even closer to him. “What are you looking at?” He asks loudly

🎆 You smile and press your lips against his ear, “I was just thinking, that just now you looked like you do on stage. With the lights flashing, only right now the stage lights are replaced with fireworks. A true idol, bringing light to his fans,” you say, speaking from the heart

🎆 He gazes tenderly at you for a moment and then leans down to whisper in your ear, just like you had with him, breath ghosting over your ear,

🎆 “But to me, Miss Chips is my light, she outshines even the most beautiful of fireworks”

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Lucien + Victor under the cut

Lucien: Cherry Blossom Tour

(FYI contains traces of Blossom Date-my Lucien creative juices has been used up by writing my other fic lol. NOTE: What I tried to write here is basically hanami aka a Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms and eating/drinking. Also, this might be a bit biased oops)

🌸 It’s springtime and cherry blossoms are finally in season! 

🌸 Cherry blossom themed everything have been popping up everywhere. Cafés, bakeries, ice cream shops, you name it. It’s the perfect time for couples to go out and enjoy spring under the cover of pink and white

🌸 You have been working nonstop for days and you were getting a little jealous at all the cute desserts that your coworkers posted on their social medias. This weekend, you finally have the day off and you want to go see the cherry blossoms before they’re all gone

🌸 You invite Lucien, and he readily agrees. He has been waiting for your invitation

🌸 He shows up in front of your door at 10am on the dot, dressed in a cozy white sweater with a black overcoat. “What’s the itinerary for today?”

🌸 You grab his hand and excitedly show him pictures on your phone. “So Kiki recommended this café and she said that the sakura latte is a must try! Also, afterwards, maybe we can go to this bakery! The mochi there looks so cute! And then after the bakery, we can go to this spot. I heard it’s the best place in the city for cherry blossom viewing!”

🌸 Lucien smiles as he lets you pull him along and ramble about all the places you want to see. “Slow down, silly girl, we have all the time in the world to see everything you’re interested in”

🌸 The two of you get to the café and settle down in a booth near the window. You eagerly order the sakura latte, Lucien orders the cherry blossom tea. As you wait for your drinks, the two of you chat casually about work. With Lucien around, the conversation is never dry, no matter how boring the topic

🌸 Your drinks arrive and Lucien waits expectantly, knowing that you wanted to take pictures. You quickly snap a few pictures of the pretty drinks and upload them onto your social media with the caption “Trying this for the first time!”

🌸 You take a sip carefully and Lucien watches with amusement. “Is it sweet?” You nod happily. Lucien chuckles, “Silly girl, you got foam all over your mouth”

🌸 Before you can grab a napkin, Lucien tenderly swipes his thumb across your lips. In the blink of an eye, his tongue darts out, catlike, to taste the foam on his finger. “You’re right, it is sweet,” he grins at your shell shocked face

🌸 LUCIEN CAn YoU nOT

🌸 After you recover from ProfessorSmooth Lucien’s antics, you finish your drinks and head over to the bakery to try the special sakura mochi

🌸 “Welcome! For today, we are having a lovers’ special! For every couple, we are giving them 2 free sakura mochi with the purchase of the special couple cherry blossom waffle set!” The cashier greets you cheerfully

🌸 “Er...” You are flustered

🌸 “We’ll take it,” Lucien answers for you as he wraps a arm around you, smiling politely at the cashier

🌸 Smooooooooooth

🌸 You collect your food and you once again take pictures of the delicate desserts

🌸 Lucien waits patiently until you’ve set your phone down and offers you a bite of the mochi. You close your eyes in delight as the fragrant taste spreads through your mouth and Lucien chuckles. “Good?”

🌸 You nod as you open your eyes to find Lucien gazing at you in adoration. Blushing, you move to return the favor and his grin widens

🌸 After finishing the desserts, you bring Lucien to the park where you can see couples setting up blankets underneath the pink blooms

🌸 “Careful,” Lucien warns as the two of you navigate through the crowd

🌸 You sigh, “I didn’t expect there to be this many people. There aren’t any open spots!”

🌸 “Look over there,” Lucien directs your attention to a little grove hidden a ways from the bustling crowd, “I think there might be some cherry blossom trees in there, would you like to check it out?”

🌸 You walk towards the grove and glance at the crowds behind you. They didn’t seem to be interested. The trees part to reveal a little clearing in which five cherry blossom trees sat undisturbed, branches laden with faint pink blossoms. You gasp in delight. “Lucien, how did you know these were here?”

🌸 He shakes his head, smiling, “I didn’t. I think we just happened to be lucky” WhAt a CoINcIdEnCe

🌸 You run up to the gently swaying trees, eagerly taking pictures. “It’s really so beautiful!” You gush

🌸 “Yes,” Lucien murmurs, but he’s gazing at you, “Truly beautiful” You don’t notice RIP

🌸 “Did you know that cherry blossoms are the embodiment of mortality?” He suddenly inquires after a moment. You look at him, a little startled by the topic. Oops here comes a lecture by Professor Lucien. He smiles as to reassure you and continues, “The Japanese Samurai believed in this principle to appreciate the inevitability of death without fearing it. This was carried over by the Japanese pilots during World War II who painted their kamikaze warplanes with cherry blossoms before embarking on suicide missions to ‘die like beautiful falling cherry petals for the emperor.’ It’s a beautiful contrast, isn’t it?”

🌸 You look at the delicate blossoms thoughtfully, “Yes, but you forget that cherry blossoms also embody spring,” you say quietly. “Spring and rebirth goes synchronously with cherry blossoms. The Japanese also worshipped these cherry blossom trees in the spring to grant them a bountiful harvest. So even though they are fleeting, they teach us to appreciate the fleeting moments in life and admire their beauty”

🌸 Lucien stills, “Indeed,” his dark eyes are on you, ever so unreadable, but you detect a faint fondness within those violet pupils

LOL this was my attempt to write a scholarly scene like the one they exchanged during the Blossom Date in the Chinese server EPIC FAIL RIP

🌸 You smile at him, “So instead being sad about these fleeting moments, shouldn’t we be happy that we get to see such beautiful blooms?”

🌸 “Yes,” he answers and his voice is a little thick with emotion

🌸 “These moments spent with you, no matter how fleeting, will always be beautiful”

Victor: Hidden and Exotic Foodie Gems Across Town

(Count how many times Victor calls you “Idiot” or “Dummy”)

🍽 You’re doing a segment on undiscovered food joints around town

🍽 You ask Victor to join you since he’s a chef he owns Souvenir (one of the original hidden gems)

🍽 Doesn’t want to (“Dummy, just interview Mr. Mills and film it at Souvenir”)

🍽 You explain that since you already covered Souvenir, people want to see new content and new restaurants

🍽 Dummy “I’m busy”

🍽 A little disappointed, you say you’ll go invite Lucien someone else

🍽 Are you an idiot “Goldman, cancel all my appointments for today” (GiVe GoLdMaN a RaIsE) “Which restaurants are we going to?”

🍽 You excitedly show him a list of restaurants which includes a restaurant that has a soup dumpling recipe spanning over five generations, another which all their ingredients come from their home farm, and another restaurant which promises a unique sensory experience like no other. “So I was thinking having soup dumplings for breakfast, then the farm-to-table place for lunch, and then finally the multi-sensory restaurant wrapping it up for dinner!” You ramble, not noticing Victor sitting at his desk watching you, a small smile playing around his lips

🍽 “Dummy, so are we going to get going or not?” He interrupts you, “I do have a company to run, you know”

🍽 “Let’s go!” You cheer, pulling Victor from his desk. He refuses to admit that your enthusiasm is infectious

🍽 The soup dumpling place is located in the older part of the city and you’re entranced by the architecture of the buildings and quaint cobblestone streets. You take pictures of everything. Victor rolls his eyes, but secretly he’s smiling on the inside. Seeing you excited, he couldn’t help but feel the tingle of excitement as well

🍽 The dumplings were delicious and you captured everything with your camera, even stopping Victor from eating in order to take that perfect shot

🍽 Dummy “You’re not running a food blog”

🍽 After breakfast, you inform Victor that the next restaurant is up in the mountains. His brows crease. “Are you going to drag me all over the city?” Yup

🍽 “These are the restaurants the viewers want to see most,” you tell him as you trek up the picturesque trail through the woods

🍽 Dummy “Watch where you’re going”

🍽 You don’t listen to him as you continue yammering away and taking pictures. You don’t notice how Victor is watching you intently to make sure you don’t trip over a tree root or smack into a branch

🍽 Suddenly your foot misses a step and Victor grabs your arm before you could fall. Your momentum propels you into his hard chest. You hear a sigh above your head, “Didn’t I just say to watch your step?”

🍽 “My oh my, what a lovely couple!” You hear a cheerful voice say before you can retort. Victor lets you go carefully, still holding onto your arm. You both turn to find a little old lady smiling at you

🍽 “Hi!” You break away from Victor, a little flustered. You introduce yourself to the woman and your reason for coming. She warmly welcomes you guys into the restaurant

🍽 “Would you like to see the farm first?” She asks and your eyes light up. You look at Victor. He coughs

🍽 “You know, you don’t need to ask for my permission,” he says, rolling his eyes

🍽 “The two of you are so sweet,” the lady coos as she leads you guys to the farm 

🍽 The two of you spend a lovely afternoon, eating the freshest ingredients. You ask the lady many questions about her restaurant until you feel like you got enough material. There were many pictures taken

🍽 By the time you guys leave the farm, the sun is just starting to set. “Perfect timing!” You beam up at Victor, “I can’t wait for the multi-sensory experience”

🍽 Idiot “You’ve done nothing except eat all day. How can food excite you to this extent?”

🍽 “It’s the experience, not the food,” you tell him, waiting as the two of you arrive before a nondescript steel door. “And...it’s who I’m with,” you add, more softly as your cheeks redden. The door swings open then, saving you the embarrassment

🍽 The two of you are blindfolded, with earplugs in. You hold on tight to Victor’s hand as a server leads you two inside. You are gently directed to sit down and a hand removes your blindfold. You blink, eyes adjusting to the light and then you gasp. Multiple lights in a wide array of colors are projecting lazily onto the walls and table. Soft music play in time to the revolving lights. “Wow!” You exclaim in delight

🍽 “I see that it doesn’t take much to impress you,” Victor says quietly and you turn your head just in time to see a soft smile across his lips

🍽 You stare at him because did Victor just smile? And he sighs, “If you keep ogling at me, you’re going to miss the show”

🍽 Show? You’re about to ask when suddenly the music stops and the room darkens. There is a blast of fanfare and lights explode. You smell something absolutely fragrant and your server enters the room. 

🍽 For the rest of your meal, every course is paired with a matching scent as the lights dance to the music. Your senses are completely assaulted. You miss Victor smiling at the way you eagerly scarf everything down

🍽 At the end, the music quietens and the lights dim. You put down your utensils and turn to Victor happily. He’s looking at you with something inexplicably soft in his eyes. You blush, feeling self-conscious. “Wh-why are you looking at me?”

🍽 “You have sauce on your face, dummy,” he says without skipping a beat. VICTOR, CAN YOU NOT

🍽 You pout at him, after wiping your mouth. “So...you didn’t enjoy it?” You ask quietly. You can’t help but feel hurt, and you wonder if you had wasted an entire day of Victor’s busy schedule

🍽 There is a sigh and Victor reaches for you, pulling you close and you tumble into his lap. GUYS, YOU ARE STILL IN A RESTAURANT

🍽 “That’s not it, dummy,” You hear him sigh and then-

🍽 “I’ll always enjoy the time spent with you. That time is never wasted, as long as it’s with you” 

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

See I can write fluff sometimes, it’s not just angst all the time and not smut 😅 Wow this ended up being longer than I had previously planned to be. They turned out to be like minifics whatttt rip i’m sorry (Also there were some technical issues-forgot to save) 😓 But I hope that this was what you had in mind! Hopefully I got the characterizations of the boys right!💖

Requests are open!

For more of my work: 📖

Y/N L/N AND THE HALFBLOODS

Percy Jackson X Reader -Y/N L/N met Percy Jackson and everything was now ruined.

CHAPTER 5: COMING TO CAMP

I woke up feeling sore all over, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. A short-cropped blonde haired guy hovered over me, looking down at me. When he saw my eyes open, he asked, "How are you feeling?" I managed to croak, "What?" "Are you feeling better?" "I guess," I mumbled, "I don't... where's Percy?" Somebody knocked on the door, and the guy slowly set the pudding down. "I'll see you when you're better." He smiled. The next time I woke up, the guy was gone.

When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt. On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry. My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it. "You're awake," a voice said. A blonde girl was leaning against the porch railing, looking tired and done. She was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMPHALF-BLOOD. "I should call the others," she said. "Where's Percy?" "He's talking with Mr. D." "Is he well?" "You've been through worse," She said with her eyebrows knitted(?). "And the first thing you ask is your friend?" "Percy, should—" "I'll tell the others." She looked at me one last time and left. I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight. Without Percy's presence I was reminded of everything I lost. Everyone I care about. "Hey," A voice behind me called. "Annabeth passed by and told me you're awake. Feeling better?" "Oh, hey." I smiled weakly. "Feelin real peachy." "Luke, Luke Castellan." "Y/N L/N..." We stayed quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry for what happened. I don't exactly know what went on but..." Looking at him, I gave him a sad smile, "Thanks... I guess. Even I'm not sure what went on honestly... I don't know what's going on." "Well, I'm not exactly much of an explainer so, we just gotta wait for Chiron." "I... remember everything. From the moment the sea pulled me, to loosing my parents and dog, to bringing us here... I just... don't understand..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming. "Don't strain yourself," Luke said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips. I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was (Favorite Food or F/F). Liquid F/F. And not just any F/F—my mom and dad's special F/F. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom and dad had just pet my head, fed me F/F the way they used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay. Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted. "Was it good?" Luke asked. I nodded. "Are you feeling better now? "Yeah," I said. "Thanks." "That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff." "What do you mean?" He took the empty glass from me, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table. "Y/N!" I turned to the voice and saw Grover. "Hey, Luke." "I'll take it they want her?" Grover nodded. "I'll see you later." Luke smiled and ruffled my hair, then left me with Grover. Grover watched Luke leave then turned to me, "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting." The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse. My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. I asked him where Percy was and he said he was already there. As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath. We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings. "Y/N!!" I was engulfed and tackled which almost made me fall. Percy looked at me with sad eyes, holding unto the Minotaur horn. He looked tired and sick. "Are you okay Percy?" He nodded and rested his head on my shoulder. Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl that I woke up to was leaning on the porch rail next to them. The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels— what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt. "Hate to break your touching reunion but we were talking." The man said. "That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron..." He pointed at the guy whose back was to me. First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard. "Mr. Brunner!" I cried. The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. "Ah, good, Y/N," he said. "You're awake. Percy couldn't focus since he was worried of you. He woke up an hour before you. Care for a game of pinochle?" He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you." "Uh, thanks." I turned to Percy who looked at me confusedly as well. "Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl. She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady and Luke nursed you back to health, Y/N. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy and Y/N's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now." Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron." She was probably my age, maybe same height, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight. She glanced at the minotaur horn in Percy's hands, then back at him. I felt a bit iffy and got closer to Percy. She turned to me and said, "You should thank Luke." Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her. "So," Percy said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?". "Not Mr. Brunner," the ex—Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron." "Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?" Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young woman, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason." "Oh. Right. Sorry." "I must say, Percy, Y/N," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you both alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time. And I am quite surprise to recruit two." "House call?" "Recruit two?" "My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence. And when the mist hadn't worked on Y/N, Grover and I thought she saw through the mist." "Mist?" "It's... something." "You came to Yancy just to teach me?" Percy asked. Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test. As for Y/N..." He looked at me skeptically then to Mr. D. "You're... still scentless." "Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?" "Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt. "You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously. "I'm afraid not," I said. "I'm afraid not, sir," he said. "Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less. "Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules." "I'm sure the girl can learn," Chiron said. "The other kid was bad, I doubt this one can do better." "Please," Percy said pulling me closer to him, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun—Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?" Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question." The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile. Chiron smiled at us sympathetically. "Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?' "She said... She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her." "And you?" He turned to me. "Nothing like this ever happened... Everything was normal." "Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young lady, are you bidding or not?" "What?" I asked. He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did. "I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient." "Orientation film?" Percy asked. "No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"—he pointed to the horn in the shoe box—"that you and Y/N have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods—the forces you call the Greek gods—are very much alive." I stared at the others around the table. I waited for somebody to yell, Not! But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points. "Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?" "Eh? Oh, all right." Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully. "Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God." "Well, now," Chiron said. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical." "Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—" "Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter." "Smaller?" "Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class." "Zeus," Percy said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them." And there it was again—distant thunder on a cloudless day. "Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you." "But they're stories," Percy said. "They're—myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science." "Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I felt Percy flinched when he was called—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me." I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut. "Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?" "You mean, whether people believed in you or not," Percy said. "Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you and Y/N a myth, just created to explain how children can get over losing their parents?" My heart pounded. He was trying to make us angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. Gripping on Percy I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods." "Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you." Grover said, "P-please, sir. She's just lost her family. She's in shock." "A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with kids who don't even believe.'" He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine. My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up. "Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions." Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise. "Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!" More thunder. Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game. Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits." "A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space. "Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time—well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair." Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid. "And ..." Percy stammered, "your father is ..." "Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course." I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master. "You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine." Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?" "Y-yes, Mr. D." "Then, well, duh! Y/N L/N. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?" "You're a god." "Yes, child." "A god. You." He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life. "Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly. "No. No, sir." The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win." "Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me." I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too. "I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment." Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir." Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson, Y/N L/N. And mind your manners." He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably. "Will Grover be okay?" Percy asked Chiron. Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus." "Mount Olympus," Percy said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?" "Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do." "You mean the Greek gods are here? Like... in America?" "Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West." "The what?" "Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know—or as I hope you know, since you passed my course—the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods." "And then they died." "Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in RockefellerCenter, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here." It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club. "Who are you, Chiron? Who... who am I? I-Is Y/N?" Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down. "Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. I believe Y/N had met one of them, Luke Castellan. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate." And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.. I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk. "What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson, Y/N L/N. Let's meet the other campers." I took Percy's hand, anxious of what is coming.

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Max Mayfield and Tory Nichols in a horror film, what would be the plot/monster and would they survive?

this is it. this is the tumblr ask. the ask i've been waiting for my whole life. my time to shine, here we go!

filming begins under the cut:

tried and true creature feature, this is a werewolf movie. let's go with a werewolf between the van helsing (2004) and trick r treat (2007) variety. the beast once transformed is fucking huge, clearly both lupine and human, head almost entirely wolf, body primarily bipedal in shape, but robust, sinew shredding claws and big ass bone tearing teeth. also tails!! bc tails are cute!!! powers include monstrous strength, accelerated speed, healing factor. weaknesses silver and decapitation.

okay, so van helsing (2004) werewolves are mindless rage monsters and trick r treat (2007) werewolves are cognizant. for our max & tory creature feature, they're gonna of the in between variety. i chose a werewolf movie for these two specifically bc they both have their anger problems and the werewolf has long been a symbol of anger unleashed in the horror genre, even tho common gray wolves are just like. i mean, yk, animals, they hunt and howl and pee on trees and most of the time would rather avoid humans. but obvi horror genre werewolves are not common gray wolves, they need to be scary, and like, the remnants of traditional folklore influenced by rabies and discourse in the middle ages...wait, where was i going with this? anger, yes, max and tory both have anger problems and i think this works for what i'm gonna do with this theoretical movie.

who's the werewolf in town? terry fucking silver. bc terry is evil and dramatic and also, i think it's rly funny for a werewolf to have silver as a surname. he's fully cognizant in his transformation and he's purposefully biting kids and teenagers bc he wants more talented karate students. and like. yk, with the enhanced strength, speed, and regenerative recovery of lycanthropy, well. there u have it, more talented karate students.

do max and tory know each other, if so, how? okay, so in this 'verse tory is a lil older than max. that reflects their canon ages, i think. let's say max is 13 and tory is 16. billy has tory in some of his classes and he more or less makes a deal to spilt his allowance with her if she'll babysit max bc he's tired of neil riding his ass to babysit max. tory needs money so she's like, 'sure, why not.' max finds it rly stupid that she's 13 and neil thinks she needs a fucking babysitter but as far as babysitters go, tory is fun. she likes to show max what she's learning in cobra kai and they spar together a lot. max would actually like to join cobra kai but 1) neil would throw a fit on various fronts and 2) lucas is in miyagi-do. max knows there's some rly intense beef between cobra kai and miyagi-do. ofc tory's filled her in on the karate war, how could she not?

well one day tory takes max to the playground to watch a plane fly like she does with miggy in ck, and it's nighttime, ofc, and lo, the full moon is out. shining up in the sky. they hear a howl. they both look at each other. max is kinda curious but tory's like nah, nah, we gotta go. she grabs her, starts pulling her along. but the next howl is a lot closer and they can hear smth running and it just sounds fuckin big. they're running too now, legs pumping hard, but there's no escape once the beast is right behind them, hot, rancid breath blasting the backs of their necks and harvest gold eyes glowing in the dark.

max gets bitten first. tory tries to kick the big ass beast off of her and then it rounds and bites her too. the terror is real now. and then shockingly, as fast as it'd come, it leaves. neither girl has an explanation for wtaf just happened but tory takes max home. billy gripes at her for being out late but helps her patch up. when susan learns what happens she decides to take max to get rabies shots right away. loads her up in the car, runs her off to the emergency room-- but when the bandages come off, they are no wounds.

tory's bby bro tries to help patch her up too. but he's like 4 yrs old and his idea of "help" is sticking bandaids with cartoon characters up and down the wounds in haphazard fashion. tory plans to redo it all properly once she's put him to bed. sure enough after he's asleep, and she peels the bandaids off from every open mouthed pac-man to every green teenage mutant ninja turtle, the wounds are gone.

meanwhile there's missing ppl err day on the news. terry turns kids and teens but kills adults for the lulz.

tory and max know what happened to them was an event that tangibly, definitely happened but neither have any explanation for their wounds just disappearing. max, our resident horror fan, is the first to propose a real life werewolf as an explanation. she cites the missing ppl on the news. tory thinks she's tripping balls but reluctantly gives an inch when she acknowledges no, she can't think of any other explanation.

life goes on. max tells lucas what happened only she leaves out the part abt tory bc she's not gonna tell a miyagi-do student she's kickin it w the enemy. he doesn't rly believe her, like how she didn't rly believe him about the upside-down in their canon. he thinks the horror movies are rotting her brain.

tory almost tells her dojo but she gets distracted being pissed off by sam and that should be her priority, right? sensei kreese is always going on abt getting back at the enemy. she spends her shifts daydreaming abt revenge bc it's more comforting than worrying abt past due bills and her mother looking paler by the day.

full moon next month comes around. neither tory nor max are cognizant of or during their first respective transformations. max's first kill is neil. she's seven feet of fur and fury, tears his ribcage open with claws like daggers and sinks her teeth into his putrid, maggoty heart. susan isn't home. billy is, but he doesn't hear any of the fracas. he's unconscious on the living room floor, crisscrossing impressions of neil's belt buckle blaring red on his back.

tory's first kill is sam. sam larusso wants to think she's a bully?? fine, tory will show her a bully. she hops the miyagi-do fence after hours. she just wants a fight. just a fight, they always fight. but then she's sprouting fur and tory as tory gives way to smth else. she'd not aware of being a person when she doesn't have fur. not really, all she knows is rage and ravenousness and the morsel below her has bunny rabbit wide eyes.

neither of them remember what they did the next day. not vividly, anyway. it's there but it's cloudy and hard to discern, like a groggy fever dream more than a memory. but max burps up neil's wedding band and tory finds señor octopus (sam's stuffed animal) bloodied in her bed. it's apparent what happened. max accepts this more easily than tory bc 1) she always kind of suspected she'd turn, since she sincerely considered what attacked them was a werewolf and 2) max isn't terribly upset abt killing neil while tory is acutely horrified she killed sam.

max kinda had some smidgen of attachment to neil bc like, he's the only father figure in her life and here and there they've had their moments. but his abuse (psychological/physical toward billy, sexual/financial/psychological/emotional toward susan, psychological/emotional toward herself) outweighed any and all of those moments. she is genuinely concerned that she tore a human being to pieces and only vaguely remembers it but like, if she had to kill anyone, she figures neil was the best to kill. max is mostly concerned bc she can't kill neil a second time. she's worried the next time she turns it could be an innocent person, or one of her friends, or her mom, or billy.

tory is blindsided and scarcely able to comprehend the reality, holy shit, max was right, she's a fuckin werewolf. and she's sick to her stomach bc she hated sam but she never wanted to do anything like that. she didn't want to kill, she just wanted to break her face. scare her. rough her up. she didn't want to eat her. she just killed someone. she's a literal horror movie monster and she just killed sam. what's miguel going to think?

tory and max talk. they decide they need to find the werewolf who turned them. we get montages of them going over the news articles with a fine-toothed *ba dum tss* comb and searching areas where it seems like a werewolf would be. the woods. some caves. max all of a sudden has a freakishly tall man constantly hounding her to join cobra kai. neil's gone but she still hesitates bc of lucas being in miyagi-do. also he believes max now and with the proff, she's decided to let the rest of the party in as well. they also exist in this 'verse. she showed them the crime scene and the wedding band she burped up. billy isn't a roid rage racist in this 'verse bc that would be a giant buzzkill. he doesn't believe the werewolf shit either. he thinks max saw neil get attacked by some animal and that the carnage was so traumatizing for her, she subconsciously created a werewolf fantasy to cope.

tory meanwhile spirals downward. bc she passes sam's memorialized locker in the hall everyday. her memorial table in the other hall, full of sticky note condolences and mournful teddy bears, and a picture of sam right in the center always, always accusing her. miggy is heartbroken and distraught. hawk didn't care for sam but even he's freaked out by what happened, how the news said there were only torn up chunks and bones picked clean found in her bedroom. tory is terrified of herself. she's desperate to find whoever did this bc she wants to make them pay. if sensei silver has been asking her extra questions lately and presenting her performance to the class more than normal, she doesn't notice at all. aisha notices tory's fucked up but tory can't exactly tell aisha that she *ate* sam. aisha is also mourning, she and sam used to be bffs. so she doesn't say a word.

max has a theory that if u can learn to control ur anger, u can learn to control urself when u shift. she is, after all, v familiar with angry horror movie werewolves. and she's savvy enough to know it's smth she and tory have in common. neil is dead but that doesn't mean max isn't angry anymore. she's still angry at the damage already done and tbh also angry that there's some werewolf around turning ppl willy nilly bc she recognizes the danger in that and it wasn't smth she consented to. but controlling ur anger is an easier feat for max than tory insofar that max has a support system w her friends, and better relationships with the remainder of her fam. tory has two mentors actively, adamantly teaching her and her friends to be ruthless, view the world as ur enemy, use violence as ur go-to solution, and that mercy is weakness not to be tolerated.

when the next full moon rolls around, they decide to spend it together under the correct inference that they will transform. they think it's better to be together. they're hoping they'll be able to control each other, if not themselves. or that if they are both mindless rage monsters again, that rage will be turned on each other. this would be a better outcome operating on the presumption that one werewolf will be able to take what another can dish out, at the v least more so than a regular human being.

max is successfully able to maintain enough of her consciousness to control her actions once transformed. she feels aggressive and hungry, but not enraged and ravenous. she can keep it in check. tory, on the other hand, uh...tory can't do it. she throws her wolf head back in the most bloodcurdling howl ever and takes off like a bat outta hell. max goes loping after her. they can't speak like human speak in this form, but max tries to communicate with her. whimpers plaintively. tackles tory at one point, not out of anger but just tryna subdue her, licks at her ears and tries to get her to settle. tory bucks her off.

tory runs off again, max in pursuit. they wind up at the skate park where billy n robby are prolly up to some fuckery or another. i could easily see pre miyagi-do robby n billy getting up to all kinds of mischief. ooh, actually, they're prolly arguing abt that. now that robby's in miyagi-do he has another outlet for all his energy and he's getting the positive attention he craves so he's not participating in hooligan activity or shenanigans w billy anymore and billy is like. offended. except suddenly there's werewolves. fucking. snarling, gigantic, toothy, hairy ass werewolves.

let's say robby kicked miguel down two stories in this 'verse too and tory recognizes him in her werewolf form even if she isn't exactly cognizant of herself. she tears straight for him, jaws open. billy doesn't exactly *mean* to protect him but it's kinda an automatic reaction from putting himself in between whenever he thought neil was getting too aggressive w susan or max. and like, sure, robby's the better fighter (not that billy would ever acknowledge this) but it's not like he's gonna karate kick the motherfuckin werewolf anyway-- billy is bigger, he's bigger and it's instinct and the next thing he knows, he's in between robby and the thing w sharp teeth (tory).

and that's when max gets serious. she bowls tory over, away from billy before she can bite. they're rolling, tearing at each other with teeth and claws. lo and behold, terry silver is lurking in the background like the evil mastermind he is, just watching them shred each other and evaluating his experiment. it's a p close match and tory is the more aggressive of the two but she's also been going, going, going since she shifted and she's burning herself out. she's also fighting with the blind instinct of a threatened animal while max maintains more precision bc she has better control of herself. max also isn't wasting energy unnecessarily. max gets her jaws around tory's throat and tory just goes slack. but she can think and she doesn't want to hurt tory, so she opens her mouth and relaxes her maw, teeth grazing harmlessly thru tory's fur.

tory's being shown mercy. possibly for the first time. it's so unlike her conception of others' ruthlessness, so unlike the worldview that's been instilled into her that it startles her enough to crack thru to her cognizance. she does the wolfy deference thing where they tuck their tails and lick at the dominant pack member's muzzle. max responds in kind and lets tory up.

this is when they notice terry lurking (billy's already worked out the werewolf that came to his defense is max so he's just dumbfounded watching all this shit, and robby's not abt to leave someone who just saved his ass, so he's stuck unsuccessfully tryna pull billy away and inevitably watching too). terry calmly slinks over, sizing up his charges. he's pleased with the performance. but tory and max are anything but, another werewolf fight ensues.

so while they all get huge after transforming sheerly on the basis of being werewolves, i'm gonna guess the size is proportionate to their human forms. so tory is a little larger than max and terry significantly outsizes them both. terry is also the more experienced werewolf. it's two against one but it's not the curbstop it would be if this was some weaksauce werewolf, it's dramatic evil karate werewolf terry fuckin silver. terry's shredding tf outta these two. their healing factor can't keep up, he's dishing out faster than either of them can recover and tbh they were already winded from fighting each other first.

but it'd be a major buzzkill if our movie had a downer ending. and also, the power of determination and friendship and shit. terry's got his jaws around max's throat now. he's a millisecond away from tearing it open. tory's pinned under him but she thinks fast, frees a hind leg, and rips her claws down his soft underbelly as deep as she can and doesn't stop ripping, like pedal kicking almost for a human, but with her hind claws. his intestines shoot out like paper snakes from a gag candy can!! okay, well, maybe they don't shoot out w that much gusto, but still. the bowels are free, the bowels are hanging low and tory's tearing 'em tf up, fluids n fecal matter errywhere. on tory. i'm sorry tory. ur under him, that's just how gravity works.

terry dies. healing factor can't keep up with the damage done, it's too critical. but nobody knows it's terry until the dawn breaks and he reverts back to his human shape.

max is v much 'i told u so,' in billy's face. robby promises not to tell. he doesn't want to get mauled or killed or anything. tory's able to cope better with what she did to sam knowing that it won't happen again, that she won't hurt anyone else she doesn't want to be she can control herself now. tory believes in mercy now bc max spared her, she trashes kreese's philosophy and joins eagle fang when johnny and daniel join forces in this 'verse too. max also joins eagle fang, takes her place in the front row right between tory and lucas at her v first practice.

credits roll.

after the credits we see tory considering turning her mother in the hopes that having the healing factor would help her mom's condition improve.

is that a teaser for the sequel?

idfk.

Survey #327

starting to run outta steam... haha.

What design is on your shower curtain? It doesn't have one. Did you get in trouble for cussing on accident when you were a kid? Ha ha yeah, for yelling "HOLY SHIT!" once, lmao. Ever made a snow angel? Yeah. Do you laugh at racial jokes? Absolutley not. What’s the highest you can count in a different language? 999, in German. How’s your flirting skills? I wouldn't know, ask those I've flirted with. Have you ever cried over a breakup? For a whole year and then some. I still have episodes. What does your dream life look like? Living isolated in the woods by a river and waterfall with a fantastic spouse, me being a very successful photographer and at least somewhat above *just* financially "stable," maybe having at least one poem published, lots of pets (mostly snakes), plenty of travel opportunities (mostly for photography), being free of my social anxiety and actually being reasonably confident, back in great physical shape... I'm really daydreaming now. What’s something you wish would happen, but know won’t? bleh Where did you meet your current or last significant other? YouTube, back when it was a much more social platform. Do you enjoy wine? No, it's way too bitter. What did you last ask your parents permission for? I asked Mom if I could snack on some chocolate chips she was saving for fudge (since Christmastime...). She was fine with it. Periods are fun. Do you get annoyed when you hear babies crying? I shouldn't, but I do. Me and babies just don't mix. Why were you in a waiting room the last time? I was at a doctor's appointment. What’s your lawyer’s name? I don’t have one. Do you own a lot of scarves? I don't think I own any... Would you ever get a face tattoo? I doubt it, but maybe something very small and subtle. Are your expecting anything in the mail? No. What would you like to see out of your window everyday instead of what you see now? Nature. The woods. Would you rather have a house exterior made from wood, brick, or stucco? Aesthetically, wood, but I don't support the continuation of wood housing in a society where we have many other options that don't harm the environment as much. So, realistically, brick. What is your favorite breakfast? Cinnamon rolls. Do you own a diamond ring? No. Have you ever stripped? No. Do you remember the last movie you saw while on a date? IT with Girt. Whose house did you last sleep over at? Sara's. Yes or no: foreplay? Lmao who the fuck does it w/o foreplay first. Would you ever record you having sex? No fucking way. Something nobody’d ever guess about you? I used to be in great shape. Would you like to be a journalist? I actually wouldn't mind it. It was almost my minor the last time I was in college, actually, but the required courses were a no-no for me. Last year for school, we had an assignment where we had to choose a popular song to write a story based on. What song would you’ve picked? I don't know popular songs, so I'm picking any song. Off the top of my head, given my love for dark and morbid shit, maybe "Voyeur" by Otep. That song is messed up as fuck. No, it's actually not about sex, 'cuz I ain't interested in writing about that. Did the vacuum scare you as a child? I don't think it did. Do you have a long driveway? No, it's actually very short. Have you ever begged someone to stay with you? Oh yes. Are you friends with anyone missing one of their five senses? Not to my knowledge. Are you good at Pac Man? I'm no better than anyone else. Do you have an embarrassing period story? If so, what is it? No. Have you ever gotten high off a prescription medication? No. Do you prefer tampons or pads? Tampons. Pads are mega uncomf. How old were you when your parents talked to you about puberty? I don't know, actually. What stereotype do you fit the most? Geek, maybe? Emo? Idk. If you’re a worshipper, how do you worship? I don't worship anything. What’s your favorite pain reliever? Advil. Do you have a lot of people blocked on Facebook? Not a lot, no. Does your father have facial hair? Yes. Have you ever had a hamster? Yeah, we went through a few. All of 'em were evil. Grape or strawberry jelly? Absolutely grape. What language would you most like to know fluently? German. Do you remember the last song you slow danced to? "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. Do you plan on having alcohol at your wedding? I don't know. Do you have an idea of who you might kiss next? I know who I WANT to kiss next, but that doesn't mean it'll happen. I hate psychic questions. Who’s the most controlling person you know? She's not in my life anymore. Do you own a microphone? No. Do you enjoy trailers at the cinema? I do. Name a pet you definitely wouldn’t want. A centipede, to name one. I've gotten more into the idea of owning invertebrates, and centipedes are in that hobby, but they creep me the fuck out. They're cool to watch, but I don't want one in my house. Do you have a picture of you throwing up the peace sign? Yeah, it's actually one of my favorite pictures of me without makeup. Has a very "me" vibe. Do you enjoy romantic movies, even when they’re cliche? Ha, yeah. Can you tell the difference between a Scottish and an Irish accent? Nope. Can you read music? Probably not anymore. Ever sang someone to sleep? No. What is the movie that you have waited the longest for/which film do you remember anticipating the most/are still anticipating? Finding Dory takes the cake. What is something that an interested guy/girl could comment about you, that would make you instantly open to them (e.g., “That book you’re reading is from my favorite author”)? If you compliment my Markiplier tattoo because you get it, we are immediately family. Out of all your usernames for websites, which one is your favorite? Do you use it for more than one site? Ozzkat. I use it essentially everywhere. Have you ever spent the whole day (or multiple days) just looking up one thing on the internet (e.g., videos of your favorite band, how-to videos, quizzes, etc.)? HA, way more than once. Hyperfixation is a friend of mine. Bow ties on guys, dorky or adorable? C U T E ! ! ! What are your thoughts on mini-skirts or mini-dresses? ALSO C U T E ! ! ! Have you ever died in one of your dreams? Yes. What appliance in your kitchen do you use the most often? The microwave. Do you use Skype to talk to your friends? Sara, yes. And Sam once in a blue moon if we're playing WoW together. Are you allergic to any animals? No. Have you ever had to go to the police department? No. Have you ever been called bipolar? Well yes, because I am. Have you ever made fun of a handicapped person? Hell no, and fuck you if you ever have. If a necklace/ring gives you green marks, do you still wear it? No. Have you ever had food poisoning? I don't think so, no. Favorite emoticon? Probably c: Do any emoticons annoy you? No, but an excessive amount of them I find disruptive to whatever I'm reading. Do you think there will be a WWIII? Yup, someday. Has anyone ever asked you if you were emo? Yeah, back in high school. The most interesting thing that’s ever happened to you at a grocery store? I dunno. Probably running into someone unexpected. Do you have any good book ideas? Having written RP since I was 10 years old... I could by now write a dozen dictionary-sized novels encompassing what I think are the greatest storylines. I genuinely do believe there's some fantastic stuff we've got, but there's just too many horribly dark and twisted parts in the evil mobs that I am not comfortable publishing. Are you gonna see Cars 2? Well, this is old. I never even saw the first one. In all honesty, can a person be too nice? Yep. *points at Weed from GDW* Have you ever posted a video onto YouTube? Yeah, mostly "meerkat music videos," I guess you could say. Some tributes to certain MM characters, others just music with meerkat clips. How often do you compliment other people? I try to any time I have a sincere one. I am very much for complimenting people openly and often. The Legend of Zelda series: Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time? I'm not a fan of the franchise, honestly. Never got the hype. Do you even game at all? Most certainly, but not nearly as much as I used to... You can only replay old games but so many times before you just can't anymore. And the "newest" console I have is the original Wii, so... I definitely don't have the modern equipment. Would you give Zumba dance lessons a try if presented the opportunity? Probably not. Definitely not while my legs are in such bad shape; the dancing is pretty intense and would seriously hurt. I could easily imagine myself fainting. Do you own a rosary? No, but I did in my Catholic-raised childhood. Do you like Adult Swim? No. Sorry excuses for humor everywhere. What’s the first thing you do when you get on the computer? Do a quick check on KM just to ensure everything's in order. What’s one thing that you just wish you could do all of your life? Not have to pay bills, haha. If someone asks for your honest opinion, do you give it? Yes, if they emphasize they really want honesty. When was the last time you felt uninformed or out of the loop? Apparently some politician (I think) died recently and people practically rejoiced on Facebook. I knew zip about him. When in a car, where do you like to sit? Passenger seat/shotgun. Have you ever fought with a good friend over something completely stupid? Oh, absolutely. There have been plenty of RP-related arguments with multiple people... In the big picture, it's laughable to fight over a game, but when you're so invested in your own creations, in the moment, it can seem like a big issue. Those drama days are long behind me now. Would you ever visit a third-world country? I don't think so, no. It would shatter my heart, especially seeing children in poverty. Are you the type that’s too ashamed to ask for or use directions? No. You overhear two people gossiping about you; what do you do? Probably call over something like, "I'm not deaf, you know." I highly doubt I'd sit there with my mouth shut. Have you ever felt manipulated? Yes. If you were homeless, how would you cope? If I was truly, entirely homeless, quite honestly, I'm almost positive I'd kill myself. Have you ever done something just to fit in? Yeah. When was the last time you tried to impress someone, for whatever reason? I'm not sure, but I've certainly done it at one point or another. Do you think that the world could function in a state of anarchy? Definitely not. How well do you know your U.S. [or your country’s] history? I mean, I know the bare bones of it, but I'm far from well-versed in history. It was one of my weak subjects in school. Would you ever wish to move to another country? I'm not kidding when I say if it weren't for family, I would probably move to Canada. What is something that you do that others might consider “nerdy”? The way I write, particularly for academic purposes. I'm very descriptive and have an exceptionally large vocabulary. Have you ever had anything expensive stolen from you? Not from me specifically, but our basketball hoop was stolen from my childhood home. I doubt it was very cheap. Do you understand/notice when someone’s using sarcasm? Usually, anyway. When was the last time you were fooled? HAHA there was this drama video suggested to me on YouTube that involved Mark in the title, and I was mega confused and inevitably clicked. Now it's basically a YouTube meme just how "perfect" Mark is, so there was no real drama; apparently some newer fans are just upset at him for playing the sequel to HuniePop, a very sexual puzzle/dating game that's honestly entertaining and can be really funny. Like... he's played the original and despite the discomfort of some scenes (which are censored, mind you), he still had fun, and it was a big hit on his channel. So him playing the sequel isn't surprising, but apparently some people got shit to say. What first Impression do you hope you make with other people? Something along the lines of "wow, she's very nice." Have you ever thought about how you make other people feel/think? Well of course. I think everyone should take time to consider this. What is your stance on getting revenge? A petty waste of time. Any wise/truthful/witty quotes that you live by? Ha, another Mark answer. He once gave the casual innuendo of, "Life's hard; shouldn't you be, too?" (this might have actually been in a HuniePop video!), but when you take the... uh... sexual theme out of it, it's a good way to look at life???? Have tough skin, unmoving willpower, y'know, that stuff. Who was the last person you sat beside at a restaurant? My sister Ashley. Spongebob or Patrick? Patrick is a whole-ass mood. Would you rather watch little kid’s cartoons, older kid’s cartoons, or adult cartoons? Hm. Probably little kid's, given my love for Pokemon. How about watching regular cartoons or anime? Anime. Who is the last person you spent money on? Myself. Do you own a copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon? No; I had SeaWold Tycoon instead. I loved that game. Do you have any birth marks in embarrassing places? No. Have you used Limewire before? Of course. Free music for the low price of a catastrophic virus. :^) When was the last time you required a band-aid? I think when I cut one of my toenails way too short. Are you afraid of snakes? Oh no! I adore them so, so very much. Not saying I'm gonna go scoop up the first copperhead I find herping or something, but I love and respect them so very much. They are such fascinating animals. If you believe in reincarnation, what animal would you want to become? I don't think I believe in reincarnation, but hypothetically, maybe a lioness. Who do you tell everything to? Pretty much whoever reads these surveys, haha. Did you have candles on your birthday cake? Not my most recent one. Exactly, how old are you? I just turned 25 years and one month old. Have you ever been bitten by anything? Besides bugs, I don't think so. I've had cats and dogs playfight with me, but none have ever seriously bitten me with actual effort. Do you wear hats? No. What was the last song you sang along to? "Lunchbox" by Marilyn Manson. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years time? I'd like to be, but idk if it's realistic.

black and white

So, love is complicated. When you go through what Travis has, love is complicated. So when he realises Emmett is falling in love with him, he knows he should stop. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t love Emmett, but he continues sleeping with him anyway.

(Or, the one where I fix the end of 3x16.)

read on ao3

Love is complicated. Everyone knew that. Travis knew that. He'd been in love more than a few times, and he knew what being in love felt like. It was the calm in the middle of a storm, it was warm blankets while snow (or rain, in Seattle's case) fell outside, it was the late morning sun falling over tan skin in bed, it was sacrifice. Every love is different, Travis learned throughout his life, with every passing partner.

The first time Travis fell in love, he was 19, in his freshman year of college, the first time he felt safe enough to truly be himself. He met a guy in his Intro to Psychology class, second semester. They sat next to each other on the first day, the entire lecture hall packed, every chair full. Throughout the semester the class got emptier, and more seats cleared out, but Travis still sat next to Matt, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Matt was cute, a senior in an entry level Psych class, getting his final Arts & Humanities credit out of the way. And he was terrible. He always told Travis how bad his exam scores were, how he never understood the things the professor was saying, or his own notes.

In mid February, a few weeks before midterms, Travis offered to help him study. Travis was surprisingly good at Psych, despite not really caring about the class itself. It was a Saturday night when Travis showed up outside Matt's apartment with his Psych book and notes in his backpack. They studied for a little while, Matt finding ways to scoot closer to Travis every few minutes. Eventually, they both ended up naked in Matt's bed. Travis thought he might've fallen in love when he woke up the next morning to muscular arms wrapped around him. They continued the same routine every few days, and surprisingly, somehow, Matt got a bit better at Psychology. Travis only told Matt his feelings when Matt was fast asleep, snoring and drooling into his pillow. They ended things when Matt graduated, and moved to Portland. Travis knew it was coming, and he moved on fairly easily, but it hurt.

Travis fell in love again the summer before his senior year of college, he studied all summer in Barcelona. He tried to perfect his Spanish, knowing it would help him when he became a firefighter. He met Alex at a gay bar in early June, not long after he arrived. They went home together that night, and almost every night after that. They both knew it would end when summer did, but Travis fell in love anyway. And he fell fast. By August, he was in love. He told Alex he loved him the last time they saw each other before Travis returned to the States. Alex said the same. They remained friends for a while, before losing touch. It was for the best, Travis isn’t good at remaining friends with people he’s loved. 

Travis met the love of his life at 23, fresh out of college, in the Fire Academy. Michael was, is, the best thing that ever happened to him. Travis doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but with Michael, he thinks that was the best way to describe it. He swore he was going to marry him, from the minute they met. Two years later, he was proved right. He and Michael were soulmates, he loved the men before, but his love with Michael was different. Gentle, soft, grounding. 

He and Michael weren’t perfect, technically. They fought, usually over stupid stuff. They weren’t perfect, but it was perfect. Travis was ready to spend the rest of his life cooking for his husband, because Michael was terrible, and couldn’t make anything other than Kraft Mac n’ Cheese and spaghetti with Prego sauce. Working with your spouse is supposedly forbidden, if you want the marriage to last. But Travis and Michael drove to work together every shift, slept side-by-side in the awful twin bunks at the station, ate breakfast at the beanery table, just as they would at home. Travis was the happiest he’d ever been in his life.

Until he wasn’t. 

Travis remembers every movement he made that day. Michael went out on his call, a fire in an apartment building. It was supposed to be easy, in and out, a grease fire. But the fire grew, and moved to the neighboring units. The building was built terribly, and the roof collapsed with Michael inside. The Captain knew the building wasn’t structurally sound, and he should’ve pulled the team out. 

Travis remembers the rig pulling back into the barn, and Michael not in it. He remembers the feeling of his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach. He remembers the Captain's voice telling him what happened, in the detached voice they were all trained to use when delivering bad news. He remembers the soft condolences at his line of duty funeral. He remembers sleeping in a empty, cold bed for the first time in six years. He remembers everything. Even if he wanted to forget. 

So, love is complicated. When you go through what Travis has, love is complicated. So when he realises Emmett is falling in love with him, he knows he should stop. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t love Emmett, but he continues sleeping with him anyway. To be fair, Emmett’s been saying he thinks he loves him since he was still with Alicia, but Travis knows he means it now.

Emmett tells him he thinks he’s in love for real the first time in bed. They finished having sex a while ago, then laid in bed together, their breaths slowing. Emmett must have thought Travis had fallen asleep, because he softly whispers the words into the dark. Travis knew he should of ended it right there, but he does genuinely like Emmett, and he’s selfish, so he doesn’t. 

It happens a second time in the showers of the station a few weeks later, after it’s announced that Emmett’s engaged to Alicia. Travis gets angry, or angrier, because he’s already angry that Emmett’s engaged to a woman he’s cheated on multiple times, and angry that he has feelings for someone that can do that to another person. So Travis tells him, he doesn’t love him or her, because you don’t do that to someone you love.

It’s brought up again when the team is partying on Dean’s houseboat. Emmett’s drunk, so is Travis, but Travis knows how to control his mouth when he’s intoxicated. They’re all having a good time, just partying and not worrying about work. They’re dancing together, Emmett is really cute like this; Bouncy, happy, drunk. It’s nice to see him being his true self. “I think I love you!” Emmett shouts over the pounding music, his eyes drooping with intoxication.

Travis just grabs his face and kisses him to shut him up. The way Emmett looks at him when they pull away tugs at his heart. “I can’t hear you!” he lies in return. 

The team decides to hang out again after the bomb call at Pac North. Emmett pulls Travis outside, and Travis knows what’s coming. Emmett takes a deep breath before speaking. “Look, I know I have a lot to learn about... pretty much everything.” he smiles. “But you got me here. And I owe you so much. I admire you so much. And... I’m so grateful for you, Travis.”

Travis speaks up. “No, you did this, Emmett.” He did, he was brave, Travis didn’t do anything, this was all Emmett.

“No, I couldn’t have done this without you.” Emmett interjects, and places a hand on Travis’ arm. “I love you.” he tells him. His blue eyes are shining, flicking in between Travis’ own. Emmett kisses him, and Travis lets him, kisses him back even, but he has to let him know, so he pulls away.

Emmett’s eyes are still looking at him with love, and it kills Travis that he’s about to ruin it. “I am really happy for you, you know. For how far you’ve come, for all this life that you have ahead of you. And I am really sorry...” he takes a deep breath. “That I don’t love you back. He watches Emmett’s face fall, watches his eyes go from shining with love to shining with tears. 

Emmett just nods and kisses him one last time, before walking away. “Yeah, me too.” 

Travis thinks for a split second, before speaking up. “Emmett.”

Emmett stops and turns. “What, Travis?” The way he looks at him hurts. He did that.

“I was married.” he starts, preparing himself for what he’s about to retell. Emmett’s brow furrows in confusion. Travis sits down in one of the chairs outside of the window. Emmett follows. “A while ago, I had a husband. Uh, his name was Michael. He... was... uh. Well, he was a terrible cook, a giant Seahawks fan... and he was a firefighter.” Emmett’s head snaps up and meets Travis’ eyes. “He was, is, the love of my life. And he... died, in the line of duty. About four years ago.”

“Travis, I- I didn’t know.”

“Saying ‘I love you’ isn’t that easy for me... because the last person I said it to, was... him. It’s been four years, and I’ve gotten used to the empty place in my bed where he used to be, and I took my ring off, but I don’t know if another person will ever compare to him. And... it takes time to recover from losing someone you love. A long time. And I’m not there yet. So, no, I don’t love you back.” Emmett drops his head. “But that doesn’t mean I never will. And it doesn’t mean I don’t still want to be with you.” He reaches over and grabs Emmett’s hands. “I like you, Emmett, a lot, actually. A lot more than I thought I would.” Emmett smiles a bit at that. “And just because I don’t love you now, doesn’t mean I want to end this. Okay?” Emmett nods. “So now it’s up to you, probie. Where do you want to go from here?” 

Emmett doesn’t say anything, just leans across the table in between their chairs and kisses him. Travis kisses him back, relieved. When they break apart, Emmett pulls Travis into a hug. Travis buries his face in Emmett’s neck, and they sit like that for awhile, Emmett running his fingers up and down Travis’ back, comforting him. Travis welcomes the serenity: Emmett’s cologne, or pheromones, or both, the sound of the waves crashing against the boat, the soft scratch of Emmett’s fingers tracing circles and shapes on his back.

And, yeah, he can fall in love with this.

X-Cabs feat. Mark Coates - “Infectious (vocal club mix)” Trance Nation Three by Ferry Corsten / System F Song released in 1997. Mix released in 2000. Trance / Progressive Trance

***Song starts at 38:00 and ends at 42:18.***

Welp, folks, looks like this is one of those instances where we're gonna have to separate the art from the artist, because I was just doing some research on Aberdeen, Scotland's X-Cabs, aka Vegas Soul, aka Chris Cowie, and it appears that this dude either is or was behind the cryptocurrency known as Trumpcoin, which acted as a "crypto-PAC" for Trump's 2016 campaign, and well, you get the symbolic bozack from me when you do foul shit like that.

Shame, cuz Cowie makes dope tracks. Here's a little bio, courtesy of critic Greg Prato:

X Cabs are one of several aliases used by DJ Chris Cowie...Launched during the mid-'90s, X Cabs got started with a string of singles, including the debut release "Neuro," which was initially issued via Cowie's own label, Hook Records. When the single was reissued shortly thereafter via the Positiva label, it became an underground hit, eventually selling nearly 80,000 copies.

What this bio doesn't mention, however, is Cowie's follow-up to "Neuro," 1997's "Infectious," which featured an unknown vocalist named Mark Coates (to this day, the song is one of his only credits), and was included in a sizeable number of compilations and DJ mixes, including Ferry Corsten's phenomenal Trance Nation Three double-disc.

There's two things about "Infectious" that really stick out to me. One takes a little explaining first though, so I'll start with that. Typically, it's pretty easy to get your bearings within a trance song. You can scrub to almost any random point in the track and figure out where you are in the song's progression between buildup, peak, breakdown, etc., in a matter of a few seconds. But this song actually throws you a little curveball. See, normally, a trance producer makes it quite obvious what the crowning piece of their production's going to be. They pump up the anticipation with snare rolls and the like, or just do something that's clearly trying to prepare you for the big moment when the whole thing's about to burst.

But this song ain't like that; like, you think you're cruising along uphill, on your way to that cresting portion, and then all of a sudden, without any warning, you're just in the thick of it. Cowie unleashes that beeping-on-every-other-beat melody and then he infuses the hard hi-hats, and suddenly you realize you've actually reached the top. Cowie just so casually slipped those two things in there, and bam, you're at the peak. Coy.

Now, the second observation. Doesn't that beeping melody sound kinda familiar? Is it just me, or does it remind you of the much more popular track, "The Launch" by DJ Jean, too? Remember that song? You might not know it by name, but if you've been to a sporting event in, like, the past two decades, you've probably heard it.

Interestingly though, that song came out in '99 and "Infectious" came out in '97. DJ Jean's idea has a bit more melodiousness to it, I'll admit, but one can't help but wonder if he at least partially divined it from this X-Cabs tune 🤔.

Anyway, hoping Chris Cowie saw the error of his ways over the past few years. I mean, there's no excuse for actually finding Trump's 2016 campaign run relatable, what with its awful appeals to all that is awful, but whatever. Maybe Cowie was just trying to con a bunch of rubes out of some bitcoin, which really isn't good either, but at least those rubes didn't funnel their energy-sucking electronic money into the Trump campaign. So, either way, Cowie immensely sucks for that, but cheers for the good tune, regardless.