CoD MW OC: Captain Lachlan Jones

G'day everyone! Today I can *finally* introduce you to my second oc, Lachlan! This post will serve as his profile and what not so I hope you like him and look forward to seeing more of him soon! (ᵔᴥᵔ)

*click for better quality!

Edit: also, just realised I forgot his sidearm. Gave him the mags but no gun to go with it HAHA 🤦🏻‍♀️ I’ll add it in soon.

Profile under the cut!

Basics

Name: Lachlan Jones

Nickname(s): Lachie/Lockie, Jonsie, Cap, Boss, old fuck.

Birthday: 1982, aged 40 (2022) in Perth, WA.

Nationality: Australian

Face Claim: Henry Cavill

Height: 194cm

Weight: 96kg

Occupation: 2nd Commando Regiment, B Squadron.

Rank: Captain

Call Signs: Bravo 0-6

Family: Ex-wife, two children – two daughters, Ava (13) and Mia (8). Remarried 2024.

Appearance: Brown hair, green eyes, chevron moustache + stubble, thin scar across the left eye that splits into two all the way down to collar bone, large rose tattoo on right side of neck.

Accessories: AMCU Operator cap with Aus patch, Oakley Batwolf sunglasses worn backwards on his head.

Personality and Traits

Look overall once you’ve got to know him a bit and have a few chats, he’s a pretty chill guy, easy-going. Loves a bit of chat or whinge every now and then over a few drinks. You wouldn’t know this at first though since he looks so done with everything and everyone in conjunction with his gruff voice constantly sighing or telling people to go fuck themselves.

In reality, if you catch him at a time when he’s not busy, he’ll be happy enough to have a chat with you (as long as you don’t get on his nerves), same applies for everyone else in the unit. Just for fun, I see him as a guy who likes listening to drama even though he says otherwise - “I don’t have time to care about stuff like that” as he recalls the info the next day.

Though don’t get me wrong, he can lash out quite easily thanks to his developing anger issues after being in the military for so many years as well as family issues I suppose…but he tries his best to control it and is seeking help over it, for the sake of himself and being a good role-model to others and his children.

Speaking of his unit, he can be an absolute hardass on them, putting them through the worse of the worse scenarios so that they’re prepared for anything as well as being an outstanding solider on the field. He just wants them to have the best chance of survival out on field, and all while being one of the oldest members in the unit, shares his many years of experience with them. In short: when training or on operations, he shows little to no mercy on his men, will yell and scream at them to get on top of their shit, and if they don’t, suffer consequences later.

With that being said, he just cares a lot for them like they’re his own, especially the more time they’ve taken to grow and work together. He will check in on them and see how they’re doing like mentally since he knows how taxing this job is on the mind. Sometimes when they’re back in Australia, he’ll take some of them out on trips (like fishing or like driving to a nice Airbnb somewhere) or to grab food.

Pre-MW

Lachlan was born in Perth, WA to his father (who was an ex-SASR solider) and his mother who was a primary school teacher. His upbringing was pretty standard, not much to comment on, went through school pretty smoothly and was in the Aus Army Cadets in high school.

The start of his military career started when he was young. His father was still in the SASR for majority of his childhood and so when he wasn’t on deployment, he would take Lachlan to base a lot, showing him the various equipment, medals and even letting him have a go on the range once he was old enough. After hearing stories from his father and seeing all his achievements, he really was influenced by him to sign up once he was old enough to.

He enlisted at 17/18 (2000), into the Aus. Army where he served as an infantryman for a couple of years before going for commando selection, approximately at age 22 (2004). His father wanted him to go for SASR selection instead to follow his own footsteps, but Lachlan decided that the commandos were more his style.

Sometime during the mid years of him joining the commandos, Lachlan marries his wife and has two children whom he loves dearly. Few years later, they do separate on good terms due to the both of them not being able to sacrifice time for one another, along with Lachlan’s long departures and just the entirety of his line of work in general. He was paranoid about something happening to his family just because of their ties with him. When on leave, they all do meet as much as they can, especially his children who he’ll take care of. In short, he loves his children so very much and does hope to rekindle things with his ex-wife once he leaves 2CDO.

Current Events – Modern Warfare

Just like Damien, he spends most of their time out in the Middle East – Urzikstan – following orders dished out from the Ministry of Defence, unless specifically called upon by Price.

2009: Lachlan joins Lieutenant Price alongside other SAS members to raid a Russian chemical lab whilst also saving Farah and her brother, Hadir.

2019: Seen in Piccadilly and Clean House alongside Damien, Gaz, and Price. Returns to Urzikstan with Damien.

2022: Violence and Timing: help rescue Kate Laswell from AQ fighters.

Sometime in the future: Lachlan states he’s getting a little old for the full-time commando job. He plans to retire from 2CDO and transition into 1CDO (reserve commandos), where he will primarily work in the West Australian Police Tactical Response Group (WAPOL TRG), focusing on domestic counterterrorism.

Involvement with 141

As previously stated, he doesn’t particularly work alongside TF141 very often UNLESS Price specifically asks for his and/or his team’s aid. He’s met some of the members before with Damien, but very rarely do they work together with the full task force.

The two actually go waaaaay back! They’ve been good friends for years, ever since they met at an exchange exercise between 2CDO and SAS when they were both just sergeants. I think they admire each other in the sense that they both hate following certain rules/orders that go against their own morals, so they’re both willing to go against them. They’ve worked together in many operations over the years, either side by side or across the globe, and have earned each other’s trust. In general, they do have similar personalities, but Lachlan is a bit more hot-headed.

In their downtime though, they love bantering. Particularly poking fun at each other’s hats…

 Lachlan has also gotten to know Gaz pretty decently too since he’s always by Price’s side in recent years. He and Price are always talking about Damien and Kyle like proud fathers ;’)

Another interesting note to add is Lachlan’s relationship with Simon Riley, rather than Ghost. There was a line in MWII suggesting Price knew Simon before he became Ghost, so taking reference from this, Lachlan has definitely met him before and has worked with him/trained him.

He could see that Simon was different from the rest of the SAS members in the sense that he was more quiet and observant, but above all, incredibly skilled in a multitude of things. He really took a liking to him – often calling him ‘kid’.

I don’t know Ghost’s lore in the reboot/if it’s the same as the OGs, however, you could imagine when Lachlan met up with Simon after a while he was taken aback by his new identity as Ghost. Of course, he was naturally inclined to ask why Simon had suddenly just changed, but he stopped himself when he looked at his overall demeanour. He knew something had bad happened but ultimately decided it was up to Ghost if he wanted to share.

Again, I don’t know how much Price knows about Ghost’s past but if he does, then Lachlan would too sometime later, either through Price dropping subtle queues or Ghost just outright telling him.

That’s all for now! This post may or may not be updated over time (bc I am incredibly indecisive, and things change over time) so keep a look out 👁️👁️

AHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!

I’m looking at the new cast for Total Drama and I LOVE THEM !! I know I’m late BUT WHO CARES

All my thoughts and feelings under the cut, as well as a lot of shit talking/posting.

Group 1

Priya - Her design is simple, like most of the this cast, but I really do believe they look good ! THESE ARE TEENAGERS. Anyway, she probably has one of my favourite designs, I love the blues <3. I don’t have much theory on her personality, but I’m thinking in between the lines of smart/shy or direct/nervous (smart-mouth but doesn’t say much to peoples faces). She’s definitely gonna be one of the ones I’m looking forward to the most !

Millie - She’s giving country/small town vibes from her outfit, which I do love ! She’s going to be the girl that’s going to encourage her team, I think. Not to much else to say, but I do think she looks great ! Actually, I do have one more thing, I think she’ll be one of the people to get a love interest, which if she does I really hope it’s cute ^^

Ripper - Bet he’s going to be one of my faves, but I also think his character could go two ways: 1, being one of the main comic relief characters (ie, slipping up a lot, but I don’t think he’ll be dumb) or 2, the laid back go along guy. He’ll help in challenges and be a good member of the team, but I think he won’t become in charge in most of them. With my limited knowledge of baseball, I do think he’s “backstory” or sorts will be that he enjoys it, mainly because of how he dresses. Out all of them, he’s 1 or 2 characters that I think I will love.

Damien - He looks badass. Definitely going to be a level headed camp member, and call out Chris on his bullshit. I think he’ll be the one that everyone likes, but not to many favourites. I mean, his design is so COOL. The colours are sending me <333

Axel - I really hope she isn’t, but I think Axel will be the antagonist, but she’s so cool looking lol. Imagine if she’s first induced in a typical mean way, like Heather, but than during challenges and just hang out time she’s one of the nicest campers. She helps out, chats to people and actually being a good team player. But people are skeptical of her because she has the ULTIMATE resting butch face. I love this idea but I don’t think it’ll turn out that way, but I can wish and dream. But she’s still badass looking.

Chase - Fuckboy. No, wait, but in all honesty he’s probably gonna be part of one of the main couple of this season, he radiates that energy. Nice Guy TM, but that one nice guy that most people like. He looks like he’s wearing some type of one piece underneath his jumper, or he just really likes yellow, but I think he’ll be some type of dancer, which would be pretty cool. But I’m betting he’s the token nice guy.

Zee - My guy needs to work on their posture, like is their back alright ??? Beside from that joke, they looks pretty chill. ~Good Vibes~ I also think they’re going to be non-binary, but I’m not 100% sure what the creators have said on this topic, but than again they could be just some chill dude. I’m not sure what roll he’ll play, but I can see them just talking to someone slouch down but when they get angry Zee gets to their full height and towers over that person Lol. That would be really funny.

Scary Girl - The goth, crazy bitch & everyone’s favourite girl rapped in a gift with two pigtail ribbons. I’m just kidding, but she does look pretty bloody cool/cute. She’ll be the sike out villain, but I think she’ll be just some crazy goth chick and I’m LIVING for it ! But, does she not have a name ?? I’m excited to know that backstory and reveal of her name. Her outfit is so bloody cute, I can’t get over it ! But I bet she’s the character to randomly walk out of shadows.

Group 2

Caleb - Dat ass 😩 but, I think he’ll be the hottie for the season that all the girls flock over, plus Bowie tbh. I don’t have much else to say than I had one look at him and completely forgot he was a character. He isn’t doing much for me, but I think I won’t dislike him, Caleb has a cool design so I’m excited.

Nichelle - SHE ! Nichelle has such a good design, my artist brain is electrocuted with how her hair is LMAO. She just looks so cool ! The colours are everything !! I can’t tell what her personality/roll will be but I’m betting on the more “popular” side, but I’m not going to say mean because she doesn’t exactly seem that way.

Julia - Unpopular Opinion: I really like Julia & Emma’s designs, I think they look really cute ! My favourite part about Julia atm is her hair/eye shape, they give off more bitch energy but I still really like her <3 the colours are really nice as well, plain but simple and you gotta love plain stuff. She’s coming off as sly/smart tbh.

Bowie - DAT ASS 😩 I’m sorry but I can’t help but look at his triangle point LMAO. Anyway, I think they’re supposed to be one of the new gay characters (I’m using they/them because idk if their just feminine gay or not, if that makes sense). ANYWAY, I like their design, it’s cute, it’s classic it’s colourful ! Their chin is giving me shittly done dot-to-dot but hey, it’ll grow on me. I’m more nervous to see if they have a higher voice, like with my fear if most female voices (I have very sensitive ears and they are pretty bad to high voices, I can barely listen to family with high voices with out cringing), but overall I like them, but they won’t probably be on my top 5 fave list.

Wayne - Nervous, hockey looking-ass, that I’ll be very mad if he leaves early. I like his hat and hair tbh, idk why but I do. I also love his chunky looking shoes. Obviously he gonna be part of a bff pair, but I hope they aren’t like Katie & Sadie where they are nearly carbon copies of each other, but they don’t look like it, so that’s a good start. Bet he’s the more rational friend due to how he looks nervous, probably was asked to audition by his buddy RAJ.

RAJ - Highschool Ray William Johnson is that you ? LMAO, that’s the first thing I thought of seeing his design, next was, “Oh, he’s gonna be the trouble maker”. He looks like he’s going to be in the category “Dumb: Goes first into danger” but he also seems neutral ? Idk. I think he’s cool and I like the hair for some reason (hairs my favourite thing about drawing so of course I like it on these characters lol).

Emma - She looks so cute ! She has a similar body shape to me and idk it makes me very happy !! Her outfit is killing me with cuteness. She’s probably gonna be kind of like Beth, the awkward teen or I really hope she’s a twist with having a sweet personality most of the time but when she needs to she can be RUTHLESS ! Idk, I love her though.

MK - I LOVE HER. ALREADY MY FAVOURITE. She’s so bloody cute ! Her beanie, her outfit, THE COLOURS ??? I love her. I want her to be the final girl PLEASE. I want her to be chill, smart, fun, and idk not a dick ??? I just love her design a whole fucking lot. Her, along with Ripper, Axel & Wayne are going to be who I look at the most !

————————————————————

I’m so excited for my comfort series to come back <333 I NEED IT, but HBO isn’t really an Australian thing, so I’m joking everyone in pirating until they make it available here lol.

The Difference 10 Minutes Makes ~ A Markiplier Ego Fanfic

SO I'VE BEEN WANTING TO WRITE A FIC WITH OUR FAVOURITE ARGUMENTATIVE TWINS DAMIEN AND CELINE, SO LET'S GET RIGHT ON IT!

When the body of Darkiplier sleeps, two souls take rest, not one. Two siblings in fact, both alike in dignity, and who keep a weather eye on the consciousness of the form they inhabit as they take their own rest. However tonight, there is conflict afoot. Nothing of the serious sort of course, it was nothing more than the pettiness of a sibling spat wherein love is at the root of it all; well, love and slight desire for smug influence over the other.

'You've attended 75% of the ego meetings Damien, you cannot deny the figures and you know that I have a right to having an equal proportion of involvement as you.'

Damien sighed through his nose as his body sunk into a squishy armchair, running a hand through his hair as the frustration of the discussion started to rise. That's the problem, when both people are suggesting things out of love.

'Yeah, that may be, but you attended 100% of everything when all this first started for god knows how long! I still don't think you've had enough rest Celine....'

Damien tried to implore to his sister, who was currently pacing in their little ''cabin''. I put that in italics since this is not actually a real place, but rather the design of where their souls resided inside Darkiplier when neither of them were in control of the body; aka, when Dark was sleeping. Celine sighed and shook her head, folding her arms as she fixed Damien with an insistent stare.

'It isn't as if that time drained me Damien, I'm not a feeble little girl who needs protection!'

'I know you're not!'

Damien replied in a slightly louder voice...and they both descended into a slightly awkward silence. They knew that the debate was idiotic, but they were both equally as stubborn as one another, which no-one and nothing would change. Damien picked lightly at the fabric of one of his chair's arms, and looked back up at Celine, still imploring. The last thing he wanted was for her to think that he thought she was weak, because it was quite the opposite. Damien knew she was the strongest out of both of them, but in order to keep that way she had to engage in SOME degree of self-care.

'Celine, I know better than anyone how strong you are. It would be completely stupid not to see how your strength keeps our moralities and sanity going....you're the strongest out of the both of us. But that doesn't stop you from still getting tired, I see it Celine, you still need more rest....'

Celine sighed softly through her nose, pursing her lips as her brain whirred. She knew he was only looking out for her, her sweet, innocent soul of a little brother. Celine couldn't deny that so much of her ached for more rest every single day...but if she wasn't there in some form in an emergency, then what would happen? No. No she couldn't risk it. See? Stubborn.

'Damien....I hear you, I really do, but I still have a responsibility to you. As your older sister I cannot just simply let you shoulder everything-'

'Oh heeere we go, you'll never keep that measly 10 minutes between our births out of anything will you?'

Damien groaned and rolled his eyes, slumping in his chair with a huff; that old damned argument, she BARELY counted as an older sibling, they were born on the same day! She just HAPPENED to be the one who popped out first, Damien didn't see why that instantly put her in charge of him all the time. At his, somewhat childish complaint, Celine raised her eyebrows and gave him a warning stare.

'Damien.'

Damien took no heed of course, he was an adult dammit! No degree of scary eyes was going to make him concede. So he rambled on, not angrily though, it was just his repressed immaturity coming out; that thing that happens when words happen before you even think them through. That was what happened...right here....right now.

'You always dig out every childish excuse. Not that it's a surprise, I mean, we both know that you just want to be in the body more so you have more chances to drool over Wilford and his new look.'

There as another silence. This one wasn't an awkward though. This one was electric. Damien's brain had caught up with his mouth, and Celine's brain was still trying to convince itself that those words had ACTUALLY come out of Damien's mouth! What a fucking nerve he had, and what a completely bullshit accusation too! There was no truth to it....none....nope.

'.....if you have any regard for your own self-preservation, then you WILL take that back.'

Now, any sane person would apologise right away and say they didn't mean to make such a rude accusation. Not Damien though, oh no; the bastard was grinning, smugly. This reeeeally took him back to when they were younger, embarrassing Celine was one of the most fun things he did as a child, and it was just as fun now. Seeing Celine with gritted teeth, narrowed eyes, and dare he say it, pink cheeks, just made Damien forget any semblance of sense. He'd gotten to Celine, and that's all that mattered.

'I don't see why, it is the truth after all. Strange though, I always thought you preferred red over pink-'

'ENOUGH!'

Celine interrupted, exclaiming in a similar tone of a mother who has just called you by your first, middle AND last name, just to let you know that you fucked up. Damien realised he fucked up. Especially when Celine stalked over, grabbed him by shirt collar and hauled him from the chair; this was not intended to hurt though, this was simply a throwback to familial rough-housing. And, just like when they were younger, Damien was caught off guard. Pretty soon he was pinned down on his belly on the floor ,with Celine gripping and pinning his wrists at the small of his back. Oh yeah, he fucked up.

'C-Celine I was joking i-it was a joke!'

Celine merely scoffed, I mean, even for Damien that was pretty lame.

'Come now, that sort of excuse never worked when we were children....and it isn't going to work now. Do you remember what I used to do when you were getting too cheeky, little Damien?'

Celine cooed as she looked down at Damien, and smirked when she saw his face turn a wonderful pink. Despite them being twins, throughout much of their childhood she'd always had a good inch of height over him, which she'd always lorded over him, figuratively AND literally. Now, nickname aside, Celine's query also contributed to Damien's blush. He remembered all too well. Before he could formulate a reply however, it was like he'd gone back in time to being eight years old up past his bedtime...and being punished for it.

'A-AH! N-Nohohoho C-Ceheheline nohohohot thihihis!'

One of Celine's hands had initially snuck under his jumper and t-shirt to scratch at one of Damien's bare sides....ahh the nails, he certainly hadn't missed those. He'd started giggling instantly and wriggling about, so Celine decided not to waste time. Using her knees to keep Damien's wrists pinned at the small of his back, she now had both hands and ten nails free to scratch at her brother's exposed sides.

'Ahahahaw, still a ticklish little baby hmm? Why am I not surprised....'

Celine smirked as she teased....oh how she'd missed wrecking him like this. Damien tried to hide his face in the rug as embarrassment started overtaking his system, and his bouncy giggles were getting louder and louder too.

'IHIhihi ahaham nahat AHA BAHABYYY!'

Damien kicked his legs, as if subconsciously trying to emphasise his point, but Celine just kept on cooing and scratching.

'Awwww but you aaare! You were always a sweet baby with sweet tickly siiiides!'

Damien whined as he realised that Celine was bringing out her worst weapon in full force...the baby voice. Being talked to like a baby had always wrecked him in so many ways, simply because the embarrassment fricking consumed the poor guy. On top of that, with Celine deciding to up the intensity and dig into her brother's soft sides, poor Damien was well and truly cackling his head off. 

'NOHOHO OHOHO CEHELIHINE DOHON'T TAHAHALK LIHIKE THAHAT!!'

Celine smiled fondly at the sound of her brother's tender, whiny begs; she just loved how adorable Damien could be, especially when he was laughing like this. She'd loved making him laugh for as long as she could remember, Damien had kept his babyish giggle right into when he was a toddler, and bringing it out when they were young had always warmed Celine right to the core. She let out a giggle of her own now, but it was a malicious one. She resumed gripping his wrists with one hand as he rolled him onto his side, and used her free hand to claw at his belly as she teased.

Don't talk like whaaaat? Don't talk about your wittle tickly sides? Okay Dami, how about your tickly wickly tumtum instead?'

Damien let out a humungous squeal as his cackles came out harder and at a deeper pitch, his diaphragm certainly had its work cut out for it. Needless to say, Damien had quite the ticklish tummy, and now it was the target it spurred Damien to crane his neck and look up at Celine desperately through his mirth.

'AAHHHAHAA NAHAHAT THEHERE! YOHOHOU'RE EHEHEVIHIL!!'

Now, Celine had to admit, that seeing Damien's sweet, pleading puppy eyes was VERY nearly enough to sway her into a merciful mind-set. Those sweet eyes had gotten Damien out of a lot of trouble over the years, they just enhanced his whole demeanour of innocence. Oh....but if only Damien had managed to stop himself from insulting Celine, he might have saved himself from the clawed hand digging into his belly. Alas, no such luck for sweet Damien.

'Evil? Why Damien, you and I both know this is what you deserve. In a way I'm doing you a service with my sisterly discipline....'

Damien's eyes widened....oh hell no. He let out the most indignant noise that was possible amidst his cackles as he exclaimed in defiance of Celine's....oh, what do you call it? Absolute bullshit.

'BUHUHUHULLSHIHIT!'

'Language!'

Celine exclaimed right back with raised brows as she now actually stopped her attack...but Damien knew it wasn't going to last long. As he caught his breath though, Damien couldn't help but giggle at Celine's feigned shock at his swearing....and then his giggling got nervous. Damien knew his sister, and he knew that she was going to use this as an excuse to absolutely destroy him.

'First you accuse me of chasing after Wilford, and now you swear at me too? Perhaps some hysteria will help wash your mouth out!'

Celine growled maliciously, and soon Damien was squeaking and squirming weakly as he was forced back onto his front...and he swore his heart nearly stopped when he felt Celine crawling down over his legs. Then there was an immovable weight on his shins. Then....his shoes and socks were being removed from the equation.

'N-NOHO NO WAIT C-CELINE IT JUST S-SLIPPED OUT!! D-DON'T GET MY FEET PLEASE CELINE PLEASE!'

Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but if it was me tickling Damien right now then I would just crumble at hearing such desperate cries. Celine would do no such thing though, but this was because she KNEW her brother; she knew his limits better than anyone on the planet, so she knew he still had some strength left to handle what she was going to give him. Besides, as the elder sibling, if it wasn't Celine's job to keep teaching her brother manners, then whose was it?

'Ohhhh but Damien....this is my duty, I really have no choice.'

Celine smirked with diabolical satisfaction....as Damien screamed. Now, there are nails, and then there are Celine's nails. With each one filed to a devilish point, as they scratched up and down Damien's desperately scrunched soles at the speed of light, it was no wonder that Damien sounded like he was literally being tortured.

'AAHAHAHAH NAHAHAHAHA NAHAHAHAAAILS!!!'

Damien's mouth was wide as hysterical laughter poured out of him, and Celine merely giggled at the sound of Damien thumping the floor with his fists insanely. She crooned as she focused her ferocious scratching at the balls of his feet.

'Aren't they so wonderfully sharp? Usually I'd have them a little shorter, and maybe rounded off at the ends....but I think I'll keep them like this for a while.'

All Damien could do was keep on scream-laughing as his face got redder and redder, practically reaching the hue of a beetroot. On top of that, tears were trickling from the corners of his eyes as sweat beaded at his forehead.

'NOHOHOHAHAHA NOHOHOHO CEHEHEHELIHINE!!!'

Celine kept on smirking, kept on scratching, and just kept on teasing.

'Awww, you don't like them? Well they like you....they like you and your tender, ticklish feet so very much....'

Damien wailed and started thrashing like his whole body was being shocked, and honestly it was in a way. Damien's feet were a death spot when it came to tickling anyway, but for them to be tickled by the one person who really KNEW how to tickle them? There was no other tickle sensation like it....especially when those skilled nails reached and scratched under his tender toes relentlessly.

'AAAHAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHAAA!!!'

Celine hummed happily at Damien's incoherency and decided to keep up her current technique for a minute or two; you must remember of course thought that Celine was being most attentive to her brother's state, she knew that he could handle it. After those sweet moments of screeching, wailing, and squealing though, Celine decided to croon for the last time.

'Are you sorry for being so cheeky and rude to me?'

Damien let out a soft sob through his laughter as he nodded, reaching the end of his tether as the incoherency really hit him; he was definitely going to sleep well tonight after all this.

'YEEEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHA!!!'

Celine couldn't help but smile smugly as she finally stopped her onslaught, sliding off of her brother's legs, tilting her head down at him fondly as he panted and gasped. Celine's smile became kinder though as Damien sniffled and giggled residually, wiping his face as he weakly started trying to curl his body up. Celine shuffled close and immediately pulled him into her chest, and immediately felt warmth in her tummy when Damien started to cling to her.

'Shhhhh....shhh Dami I've got you....'

Celine whispered as she tenderly stroked Damien's hair, smiling at how his blush was not dying down, and how it probably wouldn't for about an hour. Damien meanwhile was starting to recover himself, but ended up whispering just because of how fricking exhausted he was from it all.

'....'L-Line....'

Celine felt even more warmth swirling in her stomach now, and smiled bashfully as she recalled all those time on the past. Damien was tired, clinging to her needily and slurring his words because of how tired he was....and he never had enough energy to say her full name....so he shortened it. Celine wiped away the last of Damien's tears as she whispered, constantly soothing him.

'I'm here Dami.....'Line is right here....'

Damien smiled at his sister's gentle voice, and he nestled closer with a light mumble as his eyes started drooping.

'.....m'tired 'Line....'

Celine smiled, still stroking his hair as she watched Damien's eyes flutter shut completely. She carefully maneuvered them both so they were laying on the rug next to the lightly warmth hearth, and Celine whispered more.

'I know....I know. You rest Dami, it's okay, you just rest....'

Damien never stopped smiling as he dropped off to sleep....and for a moment, Celine made a move to get up...but realised that Damien was still clinging to her. Not just cuddling, not just holding...he was honestly clinging to her like she was his lifeline. Celine sighed softly....but felt herself relaxing with Damien's warmth and the hearth's safe crackle surrounding her. Then, as Celine herself dropped off, she finally conceded that maybe.....just maybe....the best way to protect Damien, was to look after herself too.

WOOOOOO HOPE YOU LIKED THIS FIC LEMME KNOW IF YA DID WOOOO LUV YOUS XX

Do you mind posting a list of all the good otome games you've played or are really interested in? Or if that's too complicated, maybe a list of your top 10 favourites? I see you posting about them often and I've been wanting to try some of them because...hello hot guys galore...😱😱😱

you don’t know how much i love gushing about otome games and my harem of husbandos (also lmao i’ve outed my terrible tastes here)

pc games

steam prison // so so good, definitely recommend! my only complaint is that you can’t romance Good Boi finn (by proxy depriving us of that wonderful cyrus/sachsen banter), but i guess i can settle for adage lmao. hits a very good balance between humour and seriousness, but it’s a really long game to complete

nightshade // honestly, one of my absolute favourites ever. ost is kickass, sprites are gorgeous, and the plot is pretty good. they’re literally all such good beans ugh i love them all. depending on the play order you do, and whether you do the bad ends or not, it can be not-too-painful sad to wow-just-rip-my-heart-out-and-stomp-on-it sad. goemon is honestly the best though, just saying

hakuouki // i’d recommend both games, but if you can’t afford it, then get edo blossoms, since that’s where most of the romance is. also, they get their western uniforms in that one!!! hachiro is still my best boi (sorry okita, heisuke, harada, and everyone else). suuuuuper long to play through, i think it took me ~60 hrs to complete everything, but it’s a labour of love

amnesia // okay, i trashtalk this a lot, but it’s a solid game except for when they did my boi toma dirty >:c ikki is definitely best boi though. some routes are better than others (read: toma’s route is pretty meh while everyone else has pretty great ones), but ukyo arguably has the best and saddest one. i feel like this is almost an otome staple at this point lmao

nameless // another classic and favourite of mine! yandere galore, more than a little heartbreaking, and wow just wow overall. they’re all such sweet guys (yes, tei and ??? included), and the side characters are all fantastic and very memorable. it’s kinda long though, i think 50+ hrs to finish everything, but oh my god is it worth it. i teared up quite a few times

ozmafia!! // a controversial choice, but i loved all the characters in it, and in the end, the plot did pay off. it just feels like a very cramped and rushed game at times, but the characters make up for it, honestly. i’m just mad over how they did my boi hamelin so fricking dirty #JusticeForHamelin #HamelinDidNothingWrong yes i’m still salty about it

cinderella phenomenon // highly recommend this one since it’s free! it’s probably my favourite oelvn to date -- beautiful art, great storyline, and wonderful characters except when they did my boi varg so so dirty :c the last 2 routes are definitely more painful than the first 3, and way more important to the plot.

the rose of segunda //another oelvn i highly recommend! pretty, a great read, and lovable characters. there’s a secret romance too, and holy god it was so good! frederique and mc are so great together, and i honestly fell so hard for leopold because w o w  i love me an ambitious man like him

monochrome heaven* // i have so many feelings about this one, but i’ll still recommend it lol. it’s very...depressing and can get difficult to read at times. honestly, it says a lot when the worst boi turns out to be the best boi. i remember just feeling so hollow after finishing the game, but it was worth the hours i invested

‘till death do us part* // a very questionable addition to this list, but i really liked it. marcus and jack are probably the most ‘romantic’ of the bunch, but i guess it’s not really an otome game

boyfriend to death 1 & 2* // 2 more questionable choices a la the above, but i enjoyed them both. lawrence, damien, and strade were my favourite guys

mobile games

ikemen sengoku // l o o k, i’m a sucker for the sengoku era, beautiful art, and great casting choices for voices okay??? i like playing softer and more light-hearted games sometimes, and this is the perfect game for that. honestly, every single guy is likable and none of them treat mc terribly (yes, including the yandere, the snek, and the playboy).

ikemen revolution // honestly, the same as the above. a great light read, lovable cast, and beautiful art. also, super stoked for mousse atlas to get over here because i’ve already decided that i’m completely in love with him

ikemen vampire // yeah, i know this isn’t out yet in english, but from what i played of jpn and what i’ve read of translations, i love it already. kinda feels like fate meets otome, and i love all the character designs, voices, and concepts

samurai love ballad party // like ikemen sengoku, but angstier lmao. i don’t really like the art and the sprites, but the story and characters are great, so i don’t really mind. i just wish my faves would stop being such disasters (ieyasu, sakuya, nobuyuki, kotaro)

love and producer/mr love queen’s choice // HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT MY LORD AND SAVIOUR BAI QI/GAVIN???? if you’ve played love nikki, it’s the same kind of grind, but i don’t even care??? the cards are beautiful??? the bois are all so wonderful and cute and perfect (yes, even shady af scientist)???? have i told you how wonderful and perfect my husband bai gege is??? also, download the japanese voice pack, the eng dub is kinda crappy

mystic messenger // so time-consuming, but so addicting lol. very fun, surprisingly dark, and all the characters are great (except for rika, we all hate rika). 707 is my home boi, but saeran is fantastic and i demand a proper unknown route because i want to get terrified by this lovely edgy angsty kid

my last first kiss // i can sell this in 3 words -- childhood friend romance. like, that’s my jam right there. i love the guys and their relationships with mc (fussy ayato is so cute, and mako and taka are so so sweet with mc). super fun and sweet read

lust in terror manor* // an elusive horror otome! it’s too bad it never got properly completed, but i guess there’s some kind of closure? translation’s kinda crappy, but good enough to read. rui and naoto were kinda meh, but hayato was the best boi, sorry i don’t make the rules.

several shades of sadism* // okay i can explain -- i love trashmen, i love guys with serious emotional baggage, and i love guys with flaws that make them oh so very real. minato is my favourite trashbag and i actually almost cried during his route because even though he’s an asshole, he’s really trying his best

cinderella contract* // this is where you realize i have no taste/standards whatsoever. trashy, i know, but goddamn i’m so invested in this. yuri is the trashiest of them all, and therefore he’s my husband sorry i don’t make the rules

princess of the moon* // ah yes, the trashiest of the trashy and i’m so ashamed i read this, let alone enjoy it as much as i do. very very smutty but i’m disappointed my boi dean didn’t get released on the og app

(*) -- game contains dubcon/noncon and just very questionable content in general. not for the faint of heart at all

At Amanda’s House

Amandas home 

On October 29th Amanda texted the group chat (me and Fala ) to inform us that Damien was not ready to have us in the studio this week either. For the last few weeks Amanda had anticipated our weekly meeting to happen in Damien’s Studio so that me and Fala could help him prepare his materials for the upcoming fair. However, Damien still was not ready for us, which previously was frustrating to Amanda who often referred to the artist as children and her self as mama but was now great news because now Amanda had a task that she was even more excited about. Amanda excitedly texted us about Jon Grey who was buying one of John Rivas’s pieces. Her text read “ this just in. Jon Grey wants his piece. I’m going to see if he can rcv it tomorrow. If he can, I need you ladies to come here, help wrap and drop it at ghetto gastro. Stay tuned.” “We are confirmed for Jon. But like a true celebrity he’s not giving me a time ** head explode emoji **” Fala and I congratulated Amanda even though later on we admitted to each other that we had no clue what the big deal about Jon Grey was. Fala also showed amazing initiative in the group chat and offered to bring all necessary materials for packaging the art.

When I got to Amanda’s home I had to wait infront of the skinny entrance for a while until they came downstairs to open the door. Amanda’s building was on 55th st, what I would consider smack in the middle of midtown. Her apartment building was sandwiched in between two very busy business’s and it was hard to imagine that any one passing by was a resident of this neighbourhood. As a New Yorker, I get living in the hustle and bustle but this area just seemed so unfit to be someone’s neighbourhood. What would community look like in this area that seems to only share wealth in common? Once Fala came down to open the door I got my first expereice inside of Amandas apartment. 

I recall in previous conversations Amanda brought up her housing situation as if it was a situation. She had previously told us she was living with her parents, her parents had been moving for some time and that she was using her apartment to generate some extra income by running it as an Airbnb. Amanda told us the story of one time she rented it to an Australian couple. She said that when she was showing them around the apartment something felt off. She told us that the Australian couple then messaged her and said that they had decided to stay somewhere else even though they understood that they wouldn’t be getting a portion of their money back. Amanda struggled with us to not take it personally. She talked about how cute and well decorated her home was and asked us what could have been wrong with those people, even though we had never seen her place to vouch for the cuteness level. 

Now standing in her apartment I saw that conversation differently. She had a studio apartment with a bathroom door to you right when you first walk in. That was the only door. The rest of the apartment could be taken in in two head turns. The tiny space was covered wall to wall in art. Large framed pieces hung from the wall. Nearly every artist was identifiable from our collection of artist. As we stood in her apartment she told us for maybe the 5th time about her living situation. That she was using her apartment as an airbnb to pay the rent on the very same place and that her parents lived in the same apartment building as her and that she was living with them while they finalised their move. In the elevator she asked Fala (29) if it was lame that she was still living with her parents at 40. Fala assured her that if the opportunity arose, Fala would also live with her parents for ever because of the convince of food and chores and that it made a lot of financial sense too. We looked at the art on her walls for awhile, most of it was her own that she had collected at discounted rates or she was holding on to for the gallery. One of the pieces was a sculpture of a monkey holding a functioning light bulb. According to Fala who recognised the piece, the monkey lamp was apart of modern pop art and Amanda said it was one of her favourite possessions. Amanda said that on the market the lamp cost $600 but she had won her lamp for $400 at a charity auction event. She did not speak at all about what charity event she had attended. One of her other pieces was actually going to be lent out and shown in a museum, Amanda expressed that she was excited to have her name written in the contributed by line. 

The piece we had to package for Jon Grey was the biggest in the house. It was hanging on one of her walls and stood roughly 10 ft high and 8 ft wide. It left a gapping whole in the middle of her other pieces. So Amanda pulled out a  large folder that was tucked away in the side of a table, in it held EVEN MORE ART. This folder held some of her prized pieces that still needed to be framed and were just waiting for their chance to be rotated in. Amanda also said she shared art with her mom so she might potentially bring one of her moms pieces into her home and trade it for one of hers in her collection. 

When we got to packaging the massive piece we did it on top of her bed, primarily because there was absolutely no floor space in the house. It took all 3 of us to lift the piece from its mount on the wall and 20 minutes to securely bubble wrap it. Amanda complimented our professionalism in dealing with the art and said it was one of the finest packaging jobs seen had sent out. Which was surprising to me because although the job was well done it didn’t go beyond my idea of packaging standards, especially for a piece worth so much money. Efficiently using the bubble wrap so it hugged every corner and securing the tape along the extensive side was our focus.  

Once that was done Amanda told us that Jon Grey STILL had not confirmed the drop off location, which frustrated Amanda because she had already texted him twice for the information with no response. She asked us if it would be too much or annoying if she sent a third text. We advised her to send a text about another topic but that if we needed the information that she should text him again. Amanda was even more nervous to text  Jon Grey because of his celebrity. She told us that he had a Ted Talk and was so handsome and sweet. Amanda admitted that she might have a little crush on Jon Grey and assured us that we would fall inlove too even though he might seem intimidating at first because he was so tall. While we waited for his response Amanda insisted that we order breakfast from the local bagel shop and have the gallery pay for it. Once our breakfast was delivered we moved downstairs to her families apartment. Her families apartment was in the same building as hers but it was set up in a more traditional apartment way with two bedrooms, a seperate kitchen, dinning and living room. We sat at her families newly moved into dinning room. There was less art in this apartment but still quite a lot. Amanda pointed to one dark, ominous piece and said it was the oldest one in their collection and that her grandmother had collected it. Amanda said that her grandmother and other family members loved the arts even though her parents did not work in them instead they both were accountants. Amanda also mentioned that her family was from Peru and Chile. She also mentioned that she was divorced. We talked a little about the current political climate of Chile and the need for protest to happen to insight real change. Amanda told us about a recent video she had seen of Trump in the DC baseball field were they chanted “lock him up” at him. Amanda also scoffed at Melania wearing a jacket that said “ I don’t care, do you?” Or something of that nature. After an hour of small talk Jon Grey had finally gotten back to Amanda with the location of the delivery and then me and Fala were off. Amanda put us in the largest possible Uber that would accomodate the size of the piece and sent us to the Bronx. Amanda advised us to take an Uber to a fair mid point between where Fala needed to be in LES and where I needed to be in Brooklyn but also was not a gizzilion dollars for the gallery to pay. 

During our Uber ride me and Fala watched Jon Grey’s Ted Talk. Jon Grey and his team are the founders of Ghetto Gastro a space where Colored cooking and art combine. Jon himself seemed to be an artist with a rags to riches story that ultimately has helped his community thrive. The outside of Ghetto Gastro looked like a pretty typical residential building but the inside held a large cooking island with lots of coloured people and colourful smells. In the back of was a studio space designed to look like the outside of a bodega. Jon Grey was a black man of nearly 7ft tall. He helped us set the piece in the back and was very kind about letting me photograph him with the piece. Amanda really wanted us to get a photo with him and the piece. When we confirmed with her that the piece had been safely delivered and sent her the photos she asked if he consented to the pictures being taken. I hadn’t thought to ask for permission to post the picture and regretted not keeping consent at the forefront of my practice. 

10 Questions Tag (2/2)

Tagged by my lovely TD, @greenmountaingirl and a continuation of an earlier post :) Sorry I keep forgetting this was just sitting in my drafts, oops! Got a bit stuck on making up my own questions...

1. What is the hardest part of writing for you? 

The actual writing. Putting words down on a page or document.

2. What is your favourite part of the writing process?

WORLD BUILDING. DESIGNING MY CHARACTERS AND THE SETUP AND POSSIBLY THE MAGIC AND MAYBE EVEN A WHOLE NATION. *Bounces excitedly at the mere thought of that.*

3. Do you prefer/ find it easier to write characters of your own gender or a different gender? 

I find it easier to write characters of my own gender, for sure, but I like to have more non-females in my stories (which, honestly, always end up like 75% female-dominated, which is awesome but I do wanna branch out more). Versatility is goals, and I need to practice writing all kinds of people. 

4. What is something you wish you could express better in your writing? 

I wish my straightforward descriptions can give people a clear picture of things. I tend to ground my writing in a lot of abstraction and/or personalization, so much that sometimes the perspective takes over the actual LOOK of things. I need to learn to say some things as they are.

5. Description or action?

I find that my best descriptions happen while I’m describing action? Like, if I’m just gonna describe what a place looks like, I might miss bits and pieces, but when it’s grounded in the perspective of someone in action, it’s easier. So to answer the question... both?

6. Internal monologue or third person narrator?

Third person, but close third that switches every section (yay, branching out!). Occasionally internal monologue is nice, but having too much of that makes me go on tangents. Third person POVs can hold me back a little.

7. Do you ever write epistolary segments?

Not a lot, but I do enjoy writing letters out when I can hear a character’s voice very well inside my head. I hope to write more.

8. What is your favorite character you have ever written?

Gah! You’re asking me to pick ONE character? ONE?! Okay. Fine. Umm based on the characters already in a work of mine that’s completed, I’ll have to say Aleksandr. You haven’t met him yet, but he’s going to be part of Veracity Verse, and his last name is Makarova (for those of you who know what that implies!) and he’ll be Damien’s Cluster-mate and eventual boyfriend. His character is... Just think of a blend of Riley, Lito, and Wolfgang, and you’ve got him. Sad with a big heart and a murderous streak.

9. Villains or heroes?

Someone who’s not clearly one or the other, depending on each reader’s perspective ;)

10. Do you like to redeem characters who do bad things or let them stew in their nasty comeuppance? 

“Nasty comeuppance”. Love that phrase, TD! Now back to the question... I believe most people can redeem themselves to different extents. I try to give villains redeeming factors, and the more morally gray characters with a choice that (if they take) can bring them a bit over to the good side. But that can’t be said for all my characters. Quite a few people in The Ever Rift, despite being given redeeming factors as villains, are gonna rot in whatever iteration of Hell they believe in. There’s only so much forgiveness to be given.

My 10 questions:

If you’re running low on motivation, what do you do to hype yourself up for writing?

Give us a link to your writing soundtrack, if you listen to anything while you write. Or list the songs in there. Reveal your secrets. Please?

Do you write a little bit each day or huge chunks at a time and not much in-between?

Are any of your characters based on real people you know, or yourself?

Have you ever gone to any real-life writing events?

Would you rather always know the right word to use when you’re writing, or always have the opportunity to write when you want to?

How often do you write at work or in class or somewhere you’re not supposed to write?

How do you determine which of your characters you’re gonna kill?

Any common writing/character tropes that you absolutely have no idea how to tackle?

Do you use any writing softwares like scrivener or cold turkey writer or something else to assist your creative process?

Tagging @gear65 @hidden-inside-of-you @peacocktalk @lilyaceofdiamonds @kinoglowworm @nerdygaykitten @adhdwritewithme @whjteljghts and anyone else who wants to do this!

Russian Roulette - A WKM Missing Scene Fanfic

Summary: The Colonel and the Detective aren’t the only ones who play Russian Roulette when the drinks start flowing. And someone’s calling it a double or nothing. So what are the stakes?

(as implied by the game it is a heavy fic - warnings in the read more for those who require and I can assure you it’s not like warning - immediate subject underneath - partially cos that’s shoddy tension building and/or world building - - The fic starts at the ‘-’)

Warnings: Death, Violent Death, Blood, Guns, Possession - Murder or Suicide? Or Both?, Russian Roulette, Acting against will?

Do Not Read If You Are Easily Disturbed or Triggered by Any Of These. I wouldn’t blame you so from here on out proceed at own caution.

-

The Colonel looked about the room. It was wonderful, just as it had always been. God, did he need a drink. The waiter – the nervous bumblebee that he was – rushed straight up to offer him a drink. He was very thankful and mumbled his thanks as he grabbed two glasses and drank one immediately and set it back down on the silver plate. He really wasn’t sure why he had come, it wasn’t like everything could be fixed with Markiplier. While the Colonel used his alias to be closer, Markiplier did it to distance, although after everything that had happened maybe the Colonel didn’t blame him for that at least. His eyes caught Damien and he remembered exactly why he had come.

Damien had so been looking forward to it. He had begged the Colonel to accept the invite as soon as Celine had let slip that he had received one. It had completely isolated Damien to be without his two truest friends and had come to a truce regarding him a while before. For who was he to step in the way of the wants of his sister. So both agreed to treat Damien the same but avoid the subject of each other. It had done greatness for Damien and he had become The Mayor. While The Colonel and Markiplier fought the one thing that they agreed upon was that was a role he was designed for. He was a peacekeeper – a kind, honest, respected and respectable man. Many towns wouldn’t have needed that, this town however needed nothing more.

The Mayor shot him a smile. How he liked calling him that. His brother-in-law, The Mayor.

He watched Markiplier give the speech and downed his drink during the end. He didn’t really want to listen to Mark’s inane ramblings when he looked and sounded so ‘la-di-dah’. Fame had got to Mark and it was what had drove Celine from him – if he could only see it. He sneaked around to the kitchen and quickly lifted a bottle of bubbly from there. The chef was quick to notice it but had let it slip for ‘Old Times Sake’. He took sips straight from the bottle. Ah, that was a lot better. Mark encouraged them to get wasted.

At one point the attorney looked at Mark’s drink and back at Mark as the Colonel noted.

“I’ve had more than a few myself, young friend. Dutch courage don’t you know. I will be drinking much more presently once you have all caught up.” He replied with an elegance he always put on at parties. The Colonel rolled his eyes and took a large swig from the bottle in his hand. Mark in response only smiled and raised his glass before grabbing an hors d'oeuvre and eating it. The district attorney gave a smile that seemed genuine and for once The Colonel remembered he was here for amends by himself and for whatever reason Mark had invited him. Tonight was an outreaching hand and The Colonel was determined to grab it. He had been in the army long enough to know a foolish decision and ignoring the man he had grown up on an important night of his life was one such foolish decision. Instead with a genuine half smile and nodded at the attorney and Mark both. Both seem pleased by this.

The room seemed to spin and time seemed to zoom past as he got more drunk and in the blink of an eye they were in a betting room with a poker table. They had been keen players all 3 of them in their youth and was the only practice they had brought with them through time, although they all played separately now. Some things just hadn’t been the same without the trio. He drank away the pain that ebbed into that thought and picked up his cards and prepared for everyone to take their turn.

With almost a full bottle down – when did that happen? He swore he had half… With almost a full bottle down he realised it had been a while he drank at this pace, the house was the weird thing it always was and this detective was exceedingly good at cards. Which was ironic because he didn’t consider him an exceedingly good detective. One more thing, that the district attorney definitely did not have as high a tolerance as them. It seemed sober they may be good at cards but still feeling awkward about the whole situation he had resolved to leave with the dawn and head back to his beautiful wife and throw himself at her mercy for being away for so long. She’d probably laugh, he hoped so, he loved that laugh. He had been distracted so had been surprised when Mark went all in. He held in the urge to give him a stern talking to and resolved to fold and go to the toilets. He didn’t remember going or in fact coming back but knew he had been inside the toilets as he got back. In his short change the district attorney, with help from the butler was currently winning. They looked like they were enjoying themselves and he liked that but the smug look made him want to wipe the floor with them. He would do just that.

Between endless drinks and merging games he had begun to win, lose and was nearly on equal turf again. Such began the keg stand, the beer pong, the drunk card games and importantly Russian Roulette. His favourite game. For a long time after the war he would play with anyone that came along. The detective downed his shot and insisted, the room blurred and for once everything made sense whether he questioned it or not which meant he really must be incredibly drunk. Off it span and a shot fired, blank. He knew it was blank before the trigger came fully back, he just knew. Then he aimed at himself and did the same, it was very quick and he practically giggled as he heard the trigger. Damien threw a card at him and pointedly rolled his eyes, “Oi, you. Take it outside if we’re playing extreme sports.”

Time passed on like a spinning roulette wheel and sometime around 1 am the DA had a shot and hit the floor like a tonne of bricks. Though barely standing himself Damien insisted on helping them to bed then joining one more game and heading to his own room, almost tripping down the hall. The chef took his leave at night to go have drinks with old George and bring him his dinner and the butler took the time while their attention was elsewhere to head off himself to bed before they harassed him more. After almost half an hour the detective insisted on going to find the butler but both Markiplier and The Colonel found him asleep on the stairs on the second floor barely 10 steps away from his own designated room. They both grabbed him and - like they did when they were kids with whoever out the trio fell asleep first – flung him onto the bed. It wasn’t until now that The Colonel noted that for the last while he had actually been getting on with Markiplier. It was almost like old times. However, with how absolutely plastered he was he barely took notice. Markiplier however was as well-bred sophisticated as he was earlier in the night. The Colonel almost mentioned it but if he was going to be honest with himself he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“What now, Markiplier?” He slurred.

“I have some brandy old George used to have. The one we used to try and nick as kids. Want some, Colonel?”

“That’s what my friends call me. It’s Mr Barnhum to anyone else.” He mumbled but nodded all the same.

They headed downstairs and Mark had a hold of his elbow as The Colonel swayed. He replied, “This night is to even the score, the playing field if you will. We’re about to crack open the one thing we never got away with as kids, I hope you’ll find it in you to let the bridge begin to build with being called Colonel.”

“Fine, Markiplier.” He chuckled dryly, “Markiplier and Colonel now.. How we’ve grown.”

Markiplier’s laugh seemed genuine but something had been off about him for a while now. He’d been too stubborn at first and now he barely had the sobriety to stand solitary. The house blurred around them and he saw the stone wall of the stairs to the cellar as he got down. It had a funny habit of happening that, The Colonel chuckled at it and Markiplier gave him a questioning look to which The Colonel only laughed harder. They sat on the table and began sipping the strong brandy.

After half an hour or half a day, The Colonel wasn’t sure or didn’t care Mark suggested a game. The bottle was surprisingly full for 2 people drinking it but The Colonel didn’t notice and didn’t question.

“What?””

“A game to put all this behind us. It’d be so cool, come on, Colonel. Go on.”

“Fine, you’re playing to my humour, old boy, so I’ll humour you. What game?”

“Russain Roulette. Just like you and the detective played.” Markiplier seemed positively giddy, not taking the bottle this time.

In response, The Colonel laughed. A great hearty laugh then sipped another bit of brandy, “No. Dear boy, no.”

“Why?”

“For one, how are we to trust that the game isn’t rigged?”

“Rigged?”

“Yeah, Markiplier. How are you to trust me and how am I to trust you, not to make sure that the bullets going straight for that barrel?” He laughed again.

“Get this. For mine, you spin, then I spin. So then the person whose turn it is, can be sure they haven’t been cheated and they can be watched by the other player to assure they aren’t cheating… Foolproof.” He smiled, victoriously.

“Bully! The downside there is I won’t do it.” The Colonel rolled his eyes and took a sip again.

“Come on, we used to be brothers in arms Colonel. We grew together, we owe each other something but there’s a lot of anger. This way we get it out.”

He made a point… maybe. Maybe he had drunk too much…

“What are the rules then? How is this to make amends? What are the playing stakes?”

“Rules are spin each and immediate shot. One each and never again. This is the only of George’s brandy I ever bought so it should be fair the game is played only once too. Consider the odds as double or nothing. Double means one of us will be dead and the other a killer and must make amends with the family for everything they couldn’t for each other. Nothing means that everything, I mean everything, must be forgiven. Everything from our past must be erased if the shot is empty.”

There had been a lot behind them. Both sounded like intense things and truth be told The Colonel often felt guilty for falling for his foster-sibling’s spouse and the other things he had done so while he had his own anger from their years just after they had been brothers-in-arms he didn’t have to feel so crap about himself. This was an escape though. In one shot either him and Markiplier would be on level ground again or it wouldn’t be his problem anymore. Markiplier would do the same and the trio could be together. He didn’t think about Markiplier’s shot. Anyone with a higher understanding of the mansion would have known that he didn’t think of it because the house didn’t want him to think of that. After a few more sips each he agreed. The deep, intense want to be forgiven by the boy he grew up with and to find the will to do the same on the flip of a game was too hard to pass up.

Colonel put down his gun on the table and they sat at either end, in their seats, finally.

The gun and the brandy sat in the middle of the table and Markiplier added a penny to the middle line.

“Flip?”

It was Colonel first. He took a good swig as he watched Markiplier place it in and spin it in and locked it in. They swapped the gun and the brandy and Colonel span it and locked it in and placed it straight to his head. Forgiveness or not his problem anymore his mind repeated any more. For once he couldn’t figure it out. He always had a feeling before he shot but now, gun to his temple… he couldn’t be sure. He clicked the safety off his revolver.

If it was the only barrel with a shot in he wouldn’t have a chance to say it later, “Mark.”

He gave a curt nod and pretended not to notice the importance addressing Mark by his name implied as his finger pressed on the trigger. A quiet click responded. Empty. Nothing. Mark however had the reaction he did when The Colonel first played it; ready for a heart attack. He took the barrel out and gave it a spin once again, locked it in and handed it to Mark who kept the bottle one last time to give a long gulp and a sigh before handing it over. Maybe had the Colonel been sober or Damien been there, maybe someone would have realised that that had been the first real drink, real swallow of liquid that night. Then again maybe not. He brought out the barrel and gave it a look a spin and as The Colonel drank, stopped it and locked it in. The Colonel put the drink down as Mark brought the gun up.

For the first time since suggesting it or in the whole night or even in fact… for the first time in a long time – Mark looked hesitant. He took the safety off.

“William.”

His word was barely a breath and there was something there that showed the Mark he was before. The one they were actually friends with, the one Celine had fallen for. Something had been wrong and different with Mark for longer than anyone had noticed. His voice for the first time that night, was his own.

William knew it as he looked at him and his eyes for a moment coloured red and blue. Just a moment but he saw it.  He was sure. As sure as he was that the moment the eyes coloured the old Mark was gone again and as sure as he was that that round was loaded. The new Mark smirked.

It was effectively sobering.

Many things happened in the 2 seconds that lasted an eternity. A voice in William’s brain shouted that Mark was too far gone, whatever had changed him forever now. At the same time he stood and clambered over the table to push the gun out the way. The bottle broke. The colour of red and blue took over Mark momentarily. William pushed the gun… just not far enough. The shot rang in his ears. The smirk plastered permanently on Mark’s face. Blood was everywhere. The body slumped and William tried to scream. It must have been the shock because the scream stuck in his throat as if to strangle him. He hadn’t done this. This wasn’t how it was supposed to work. It was either him or reconciliation. Why hadn’t he thought of Mark? Now he had lost his brother-in-arms and the game. One was dead, one a killer. That’s what was said. His hand had been on Mark’s, from the handle to the trigger as he had pushed it back. He killed Mark. What was there to do now?

It felt like a nightmare and The Colonel wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t. What to do now was to clean the body and the gun, put him to bed and hope it was the nightmare it seemed.

As he finished cleaning he heard a voice in his head like Mark’s. Like new Mark’s.

“You nearly made me miss, nitwit.”

The laughter that ruptured from The Colonel was unstable and he turned back to pick him up and take him to bed. He’d barely took a few steps in the dark before he was at Mark’s bed. He placed him down and stood over him a moment before walking. Walking was good. He needed a walk. He wouldn’t be sleeping tonight. Not for a long, long time. William wondered as he walked if you could go an eternity without sleep and just what it would do to you.

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Different Methods of working as a designer

Waterfall - 

The Waterfall method is thinking of and carrying out the process in more of a straight order starting with feasibility then carrying out the other stages such as plan, design, build, test, production, support.

Advantages - 

Any Potential issue that is carried out in the piece would be noticed early on in the stage through research. The development process is also likely to be better documented since requirements and design documents are more heavily focused on. As this process is also linear people would often find it easier to understand and in turn, would make this method be more likely used in a team.

Disadvantages - 

An issue with this process could be that once one idea has been fully carried out from the plan to the final production and presentation it’s very committing and risky as it could turn out that this is a piece that the client doesn't like and therefore the process would have to be carried out again from the start which would waste time and money.

Agile - 

Using this method often includes short feedback loops where designs can be changed multiple times with no set piece leaving many options available with the ease of being able to change a design. The process involves creating multiple pieces that are not as thought out but are diverse and therefore having the option for one of them being what the client likes.

 Advantages - 

Working designs can be delivered at a quicker and consistent pace along with relationships between the client and the designer being stronger. As well this method gives the option for continuous improvement throughout any stage of the process.

Disadvantages -

The process is often more difficult to understand whether it be to the client or other people if the design is carried out in a team. Some aspects of the design or other ideas in general can be neglected which would be a waste of time. If the Agile method is carried out poorly this can cause inefficiencies in larger organisations.

Different idea development techniques -

Crazy eights - 

Crazy eights is a thought process that involves thinking of eight different ideas in eight minutes with each idea lasting one minute then having to be moved on, of that one minute generally 40 seconds is spent coming up with an idea then the remaining 20 seconds would be used as reflection time on the idea. Often these ideas involve quick sketches and or written thoughts. The task also tends to get more difficult when going through each stage as the obvious ideas tend to be already used up.

Advantages - 

Some advantages include this method being very quick and easy to carry out as well as some ideas being created that would have never been thought of if this process hadn’t been carried out as it may have been more limiting.

Disadvantages - 

The ideas are never really developed that well and thought of so a lot of potential ideas could involve problems, and since all of the problems are not well thought of this could lead to all of the possible ideas not being able to work which would overall just be a waste of time.

Reverse Brainstorming -

Reverse Brainstorming is a method of problem-solving by first doing the opposite of the objective to the extreme for example to make people healthier one extreme opposite could be to ban all fruit and vegetables, once thought of a few opposites just flip it again so, in this case, it would be to promote fruit and vegetables.

Advantages -

Thinking of ideas that would have never been thought of before. Easier to come up with ideas in the first place because finding problems is easier than finding solutions.

Disadvantages -

A lot of the problems that are reversed could end up just being impractical which would just waste time.

Brain dumping -

This Brain dumping method of idea generation is basically just sketching and writing out different ideas quickly without thinking about it much.

Advantages -

Doing this could lead to a lot of potential ideas to work on as well as not taking much time to do.

Disadvantage -

Braindumping could cause the person to go off topic without realising causing a waste of time.

Plussing -

Plussing is thinking of a really simple idea then adding one thing to it each time. This method could work particularly well in logo design as it could help keep its simplicity and allow the designer to experiment in easy to understand stages which could be shown to a client.

Advantages -

Plussing works better with more visual people as it would allow them to get a more thorough understanding of how something will turn out and allow them to be more specific with their idea since they’re just adding one feature at a time.

Disadvantage -

Plussing could take a while if the person is thinking of multiple ideas as this technique can be quite slow.

Mood boarding -

This method is the taking of other references such as images and text then compiling them all together into a collage.

Advantage -

This method doesn’t require much for actually coming up with ideas and allows the person to just pick out aspects from other people that they think would best fit their creative objective.

Disadvantage -

Doing this Moodboard method could cause copying to take place instead of taking inspiration which could be illegal.

Action verbing -

This is done by listing and researching different action verbs that may or may not be related to the design then applying them to the idea. An example of this could be by using the verb “grow” some aspects of the design could be enlarged to create a whole different look.

Advantages -

Doing this allows the designer to become quite creative depending on the types of verbs they would like to use. This could also give more character to the idea and therefore making it standout.

Disadvantages -

Some verbs used could be very hard to incorporate and might not work that well with the idea.

My own crazy eights idea about a shoe company -

Developing my favourite crazy eights idea by listing action verbs then applying them.

I ended up coming up with two athletic mascots for the shoe company with their own personalities, so as a conclusion for my first time using the crazy eights method I would say that this turned out successfully with in my opinion a strong final idea.

Researching designer - 

The modern designer I have chosen to do my case study on goes by the name Jonathan Barnbrook who is a British graphic designer born in Luton 1966. His most famous work would probably be an album cover for David Bowie called “pronounced Blackstar”. Before knowing David Bowie and Damien Hurst, he was best known for his type design where he designed Exocet which became the most pirated font on the web shortly after it’s release in 1991.

The way Jonathon Barnbrook usually comes up with certain typefaces is by rough sketches in his notebook the ideas are also not very exact as they are just from ideas or concepts he’s had. After the ideas had been drawn Jonathon would replicate these drawings digitally and try to get the right essence by adjusting them each time, this process is “painful” and by the hundredth time, the design could just look “ok” with it just building from there.

Jonathon Barnbrook also considers the context of what the typeface is going to be used for and tends to focus more on the emotions related to certain times or ideologies over historical accuracy.

I decided to research a second person. The person chosen is a VFX artist as I think the final piece could end up relating more to visual effects with motion instead of a still graphic design image.

VFX artist -

Joe Letteri is my chosen VFX artist to be researching on, I chose Letteri as he is one of the most famous and well-known VFX artists and supervisors as well as him being one of the most successful.

Letteri was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States in 1957 and has been in the industry from 1989 to the present day. During this time he has won four Academy Awards, four BAFTA awards and four VES awards. He is also the current Director Weta Digital of which he joined in 2001. He has received several awards and nominations as a visual effects supervisor in some works like War for the Planet of the Apes and Avatar.

How he develops his ideas -

Letteri doesn’t tend to draw or paint his ideas that much but would focus more on the digital side of things using computers to develop and achieve the specific look he wants. He likes to “Understand how and why something happens, moves or works in the real world” and that he wants to “stretch the techniques and the technology” so he can apply this to pursuit realism.

He uses many different types of technical techniques with different software such as “ Imagemotion “ from Sony, “ Imocap“ from ILM, “ Face Robot” from Softimage and “Contour” from Mova. Effects would be constantly overlapped and removed whilst “looking at the strengths and weaknesses so you can tune which technique/s you use in the situation”. He would also intentionally look for problems and try and use the correct technique to solve the issue.

Imocap software -

Contour software -

Sources -

Waterfall - https://airbrake.io/blog/sdlc/waterfall-model

Agile - https://luis-goncalves.com/what-is-agile-methodology/

Crazy eights - https://blog.thiga.com.au/ux-design/run-crazy-8

Jonathan Barnbrook - http://www.barnbrook.net/about/jonathan-barnbrook/

 Jonathan developing David Bowie album cover - https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/jonathan-barnbrook-david-bowie-blackstar

Joe Letteri - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Letteri

Letteri developing ideas - https://www.ibc.org/production/craft-leaders-joe-letteri-visual-effects-supervisor/3001.article

Letteri techniques and software - https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/joe-letteri-talks-digital-acting-and-3d-environments

The 9 Best Men’s Fragrances – just In Time For Valentine’s Day

Even though we’ve been together for 18 years, my heart still leaps when Damien puts on a nice shirt and a delicious fragrance. I’m a sucker for man-scent full stop. I’ve been known to stop men in the street and ask them what they’re wearing and then track it down like a bloodhound to give to Damo. Naturally, he has become quite the connoisseur! He even built special shelves in his wardrobe for easy access to his collection. 

As V-day looms I’m aware how overwhelming the fragrance aisles can be, so I sat down with my beloved and we went through his all-time favourites (and discovered a few newbies to add to his collection, too!). These are the most ridiculous swoon-worthy scents that will make him feel powerful and smell irresistible. It’s a win-win for you both.  

Creed Aventus 

If not my favourite then this one is definitely in the top three. The bestseller from one of the oldest French fragrance houses, Aventus is a tycoon of a scent. It’s bold and zesty but completely unique with notes of bergamot, Moroccan jasmine and musk. “It’s pungent, it wakes you up - almost like smelling salts,” Damien says. “It’s like getting a big old kick in the pants,” he laughs. I couldn’t agree more. 

Bottega Veneta Pour Homme 

This is a new one I convinced Damo to adopt because it smells like a well-dressed Italian man – expensive, leathery and woodsy. Funnily this is exactly what Tomas Maier – designer for Bottega Veneta - told me he was going for when I interviewed him at the launch in Milan. He said it’s based on a man who comes down from his house in the mountains carrying with him the smells of the forest, his leather goods and a fresh icy breeze.  

Hermès Terre d’Hermès 

A work of art by legendary perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena – this fragrance has earned its place in the perfumery hall of fame for being beautifully balanced between earth and mineral elements: there’s citrus and cedar see-sawing beautifully with patchouli and vetiver .“It cuts through the air and it lasts.” says Damo. “It’s instantly recognizable, I can always smell it on someone else.”  

Tom Ford Ombré Leather

With their identical bottles and around 50 scents on offer, choosing a Tom Ford fragrance can be bamboozling, but Damo reckons this is the best of the bunch. I think this is influenced by the fact it’s the scent he wore when we once borrowed a Ferrari for the weekend, (true story). “It’s like the soft leather of a sportscar, what’s that baby cow leather? (Yep calfskin). You want to run your hands over the smooth texture…” Eloquently said.   

Maison Margiela REPLICA By The Fireplace 

I discovered this recently at a L’Oréal press day and I’m obsessed. The Replica line is meant to evoke a scene – a time and a place. In this instance “Chamonix, 1971 – burning wood and chestnut” And that it does. There’s the smokiness but also sweetness of vanilla and caramel. It’s the ultimate winter scent – best worn with a big cosy cable-knit jumper. I can’t wait for winter when we can wear it (it’s unisex) at a log cabin somewhere fabulous. 

Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme 

One of Damien’s favourite picks for Date Night (and mine too) this is a seriously sensual fragrance. It’s warm and spicy with notes of bergamot, pink pepper, patchouli over a warm base of amber, incense and musk. It reminds me of a Swedish sauna and it has a touch of smokiness about it too – which I’m obviously very into (see the last scent!). When Damo wears this I can’t help but nuzzle and sniff him, it’s that delicious.   

Chanel Platinum Égoïste 

While this is categorized as a woody floral musk, it smells quite fresh to me. I think it’s the oakmoss and vetiver that give it a really gorgeous green burst. In time though it settles into a more a delicious soapy herbaceous mix of rosemary, lavender. It’s definitely more of a morning scent – beautiful on a freshly shaved, suited up man. A good one for meetings and breakfasts and being energetic.

YSL La Nuit de L’Homme  

As the name suggests, this is the perfect after-dark elixir. Damien always loved the original YSL L’Homme and then we went to the launch of this Nuit variant (referred to as a ‘flanker’ in industry-speak). It was a decadent and fabulous affair at Ivy Penthouse - around ten years ago now - but it hasn’t dated one bit. The spices (cumin and cardamom) are beautifully balanced with lavender, cedar and vetiver and it’s just as modern today. Wear it with a tux and black tie for next-level sophistication.

  Byredo Super Cedar

Woody scents are high on my lust list: there’s just something so manly about smelling like forests and woodchips. Super Cedar is no exception. I was surprised when I read it contains rose because I can’t detect it but I do love the cedar notes (obvs) over a musky vetiver base. It’s actually really nice in hot weather, because just like in a dry sauna, the wood seems to soften the heat. It certainly doesn’t feel cloying or overpowering as some pungent perfumes can. Good for humid climates but it would be equally as delicious in the cold.

Pro Tip: It’s hard to discover new fragrances that suit you just by browsing through the fragrance section and trying everything that catches your eye. They dominate each other and you can’t tell which ones last well. Damien tries a new fragrance whenever he’s at the airport and wears it for the day to get the full experience before deciding what he likes.

Story by Sigourney Cantelo; Photography by Maria Simon; Sig’s dress by Barbara Bonner.

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Otome Tag

I’m moving this from my main blog to here! Also, I’ve added in a few games that barely fit the definition because if you like the otomes I play, you’ll probably enjoy these. Anything that gives you an option to romance someone but also fucks with your mind is fair game in my book.

1. What is your favourite otome(s)? Nameless, Amnesia: Memories, Mystic Messenger, Hakuoki. I haven’t played a ton because I don’t own a vita, but those really have stood out. I also really liked DRAMAtical Murder, though I didn’t have a particular favorite route.

2. What is your least favourite otome(s)? Pretty much any mobage. I’m not a fan of the F2P structure or the lack of interesting plots in most of them. Exceptions would be some Shall We Dates which I found tolerable enough to play a route of (THE NIFLHEIM+, Scarlet Fate+).

3. What is your favourite route(s)? I play purely for that WTF moment when the game goes off the rails so: - 707 (Mystic Messenger) - Both V & Ray/Saeran’s routes are pretty darn good too. - Ukyo (Amnesia: Memories) Actually almost all of the routes are great. - Tei (Nameless) His probably goes off the rails the most of all the boys. - Robin Hood (Ozmafia!) Maybe not a total fav but VERY WTF since I played it before knowing a lot about him. - Okita Souji is probably my fav of the Hakuoki bunch.

4. What is your least favourite route(s)? - Kent (Amnesia: Memories), the only boring route. - Zen (Mystic Messenger), he’s so annoying I JUst CANT. - I found a lot of Hatoful Boyfriend routes lacking, but stuck it out for BBL. - The transferred ends to Caramia (Ozmafia!) kind of bother me. It’s not exactly character assassination but I don’t like him sitting around plotting to win you over, especially against Axel.

5. How much money do you think you’ve spent on otomes? I really do not want to think about that number. Cheritz alone has at least $100 from me and Idea Factory another $60, with more to be spent when the second half of the Hakuoki revamp hits.

6. How many otomes have you played? I’d estimate 20 if you count mobages I’ve completed at least one route for. I have an ongoing list in my #emberplays link.

7. Do you prefer male or female love interests? The whole specific otome industry (so true otomes, no bishojo entries) isn’t really marketed to having female LI, and when they do they’re usually pretty bland. I can’t answer this question because I’ve only really ever seen male LIs, so if I had as many female LIs to compare to I could make an actual judgment.

tl;dr female LIs rarely exist.

8. If you could make any LI in real life so you could date them, which would you pick and why? I’m trying to think of someone both well-adjusted and one I could stand:  - Jumin’s particulars mesh with mine, but I don’t think he’d like me.  - Lance is pretty solid, but also probably wouldn’t like me. - Ukyo (not Ura Ukyo) from Amnesia: Memories was a good bean. - Heishi from Norn9 is truly a good bean. Maybe him. - I don’t do clingy shotas, tsunderes just aren't a good idea to fall for IRL, Casanova-types bother me with their narcissism, and the boys I go after usually would be dangerous to my health.

Perfect would be 707 if he figured out his shit. Funny, not clingy, and with a bit of a mysterious past. Not as overdramatic as Red, but just as sweet and a bit troll-y. I’m playing through Code:Realize and I’m hoping maybe Lupin is this???

9. Have you ever cried while playing an otome? If so, who’s route(s) made you cry? - UKYO MY POOR BOY LET ME HUG YOU ;_;  I was in tears. - Yuri (Nameless) made me cry ngl. I ended up really liking him despite usually hating characters with his personality. - A fair amount of Hakuoki routes even though I KNEW. Saito’s for some reason with the way he was treated made me. - I may have shed a tear during one of Kyrie’s bad endings and the grand finale too. My other poor boy ;_;  - Also I don’t know what was going on when I played DD but I cried during Robert’s route???

10. Top favourite LIs based on personality? 707, Jumin, Tei, Kyrie, Scarlet, Ukyo, Ikki, Okita Souji, Shuu Iwamine, Damien, Heishi, Masamune Date from Ikemen Sengoku (yes, that much i played through a CYBIRD mobage lol).

I was surpised at how much I liked the bunnies from Dandelion and disliked the cats, considering my preferences. Go figure.

11. Top favourite LIs based on visual design? Ukyo, 707, Kyrie, everyone in THE NIFLHEIM+ and Code:Realize. Also Nightshade and Hakuoki are really pretty if you want some guys in traditional clothing.

(I wiSH tHe WizArD COunTED)

12. What is your favourite plot(s) from an otome game? Overarching plots I really enjoyed all Cheritz otomes. I think they really have a knack for hiding how crazy their stories get and sucking you into their games. I’d say Nameless is the least convoluted and best paced, and probably holds the crown as my favorite otome thusfar. The overarching plot of Amnesia” Memories is great too, as well as the individual stories. The tension in every route except Kent’s (esp. Toma’s route) was top notch. Also very WTF when you find out why things are they way they are. I definitely cried at the end.

I really liked the BBL route and explanation of the events in Hatoful Boyfriend. I was really not expecting that from a game about dating birds.

Notable additions who may not make the cut are: Doki Doki Literature Club has a PHENOMENAL PLOT. And if Joseph’s cult ending mined from DDADDS is true, that might also be a high contender. I have so many issues with how information is given to you in OZMAFIA! but goddammit did it have a great actual plot buried underneath everything and tons of story arcs going on. Like WOW was not expecting 80% of that and how serious it got.

13. Do you name the MC your real name or a nickname? I learned from Ozmafia! to NOT rename the MC, lol. Sometimes I do though.

14. What kind of LI would you like to see in future otomes? Some nonbinary and/or trans LIs handled well would be great. I suppose that's why I love Damien (DDADDS) so much. 

ALSO FEMALE YANDERES. Actually, just more female LI’s in general. I think this is especially egregious after seeing the disparity between how you interact with boys and Pashet (Ozmafia!) and the boys and Jaehee (Mystic Messenger).

15. Which LI do you think you’re most like? I’d be interested in what people think, because I honestly have no idea. I see parts of myself in lots of characters but never one I wholly looked at and said YES I IDENTIFY WITH YOU SO MUCH so I dunno. It would be interesting to see how this answer changes.

tagging any new followers who would like to do this as well!