#which is bizarre

[put-me-on-a-hitlist]

really missing my brother rn. He’s so awesome 😭

[crossf15]

Shelter is a fantasic visual novel. There's a lot of mysteries that won't get answered until Max's route is fully implemented. Like who sabotaged the cannon (it was probably Alon tbh), or what Cooper and Teak's final fate was, but there's one thing that's been bothering me since playing the first two routes. Where the hell was Burry during the black out?

He isn't in the gardens once during pretty much the whole black out, which is weird because he even says that that's their utmost priority. Like, my first guess would be that he got sidetracked to save somebody the same way we did, but there's no way it would've taken him that long to kill a couple monsters, and we're in the gardens for a *long* time.

Like, we can pretty smoothly predict where everyone else went. Rune is fighting off the monsters outside. We can assume from what we have of Max's route, that after he gets the power running, he probably tries to locate Teak and Cooper. Alon probably just leaves if you don't take him with you to the baths. Thistle IS in the gardens. Teak left Cooper out in the middle of the wilderness like an asshole, and probably went back to look for him when the blackout happened, but we don't actually know where Burry was!!!

What could he be doing that's more important than protecting Shelter's primary source of autonomy? Just where exactly was he? Maybe he hears multiple other people that needed help in the time you are in the garden, but he's a master of canine empathy. There's no way he couldn't feel Thistle and the students' presence in the garden, especially if he did actually head there? Did he actually head there at all? I think Burry did something extremely sus, and I wonder if this is going to be cleared up in the next few builds.

[feelin-woozy]

My mom just called me a stoner. Much to think about.

[daenerys-stormborn]

okay, so my latest obsession atm is clearly attack on titan and ever since I started getting really deep into, all I can think about is the parallels between eren and daenerys. and it makes me sad cause we could have gotten such a great story with Dany had she been in the hands of better writers.

I just look at erens journey and just think, this could have been dany

Anyone else feel this way?

[scooplery]

i actually have been getting enough sleep for the last like three or four months and it has made such a difference in my mental health

[meet-again]

Episode 213:

This conversation about bottled water is so foreign to me.

[restacks]

27 with dan (I don’t mind who with) 💙

27. "that one's mine"

Max has been on the sim for hours, punching out lap after lap at Spa, trying to carve his time down.

His doorbell rings.

"Fucking shit," he says without taking his eyes off the screen, where he kisses the apex into the final corner. He hasn't ordered food or anything today. If it's so important, he'll get a phone call or a text. Not that many people know his address anyway.

The doorbell doesn't ring again. He starts another hot lap.

Several minutes later, or some indeterminate time, Max startles back into himself when there's a knock directly behind him. He turns around.

"Sim, huh," Daniel says, leaning against the doorway to the sim room. He's backlit by the light from the hallway, his spare key dangling from one hand.

"Yes," Max says. His voice is hoarse; he clears his throat. "You know how it is."

"It's summer fucking break," Daniel says, coming into the room. He sounds tired. Is he getting enough sleep? "Barely a week into summer break."

"Okay," Max says, flexing his fingers on the wheel. "The championship is at stake, so."

"I know, Max."

Max hates when Daniel sounds like this: disappointed, worried. And it's a hundred times worse when it's aimed at Max, like Max is a little kid still.

"Come on, Maxy," Daniel says after a moment. "Let's get something to eat, yeah?"

When Max stands up he feels a shocky wave of exhaustion, and Daniel's hand is suddenly a warm weight against his lower back.

"I had groceries delivered yesterday," he says. He doesn't want Daniel to think he's completely incompetent. He wants to sink into Daniel completely and melt into nothing. He wants to win the championship.

"I know," Daniel is saying. "I already made lunch."

Max searches himself for annoyance, irritation, and can't find any. He shrugs, and Daniel takes his hand away from Max's lower back, leaving him bereft. "Okay."

The kittens are in the living room in their little play area, wrestling with each other.

"I have to lock them out of the sim," Max says. "Otherwise they run all around. I'm scared I'll step on one braking into a corner."

"They're cute," Daniel says, and Max feels a weird and unfounded flush of pride. Daniel's gotten a haircut recently, he thinks. He's even tanner than usual, too, the back of his neck warmly brown above the orange collar of his t-shirt.

He wasn't lying about making lunch: there are two plates on the kitchen counter, what looks like tofu wraps and a little salad. When Max reaches for the nearest plate, Daniel says, "That one's mine," swatting Max's hand away. "Yours has more stuff in the wrap. You're too skinny."

"Fuck off," Max says, smiling. It's humiliating, how the smallest, most casual touch from Daniel makes Max feel like -- makes Max feel.

They sit on the couch at opposite ends. Daniel stretches, winces.

"Are you okay?" Max asks. He's already done with his salad and starting on the wrap. He was hungrier than he realized. He can't remember if he had breakfast this morning.

Daniel smiles at him, although his eyes don't crinkle up as much as normal. "Just old age, Max."

Max rolls his eyes. Then something occurs to him for the first time. "Why did you come over?"

"You weren't answering my texts," Daniel says. His eyes are down on his plate as he composes a bite of salad.

"Oh." Max's phone is probably -- he doesn't fucking know. In the unmade bed, or on the counter or something. Maybe the kittens ate it. "Yeah, I didn't see."

"I know," Daniel says. "It's okay."

Max didn't apologize for anything. He sets his empty plate on the coffee table and one of the kittens, Sassy, suddenly launches herself onto his lap. She digs her claws through his shorts and into his skin, tries to bite him.

"Hey!" Max says. He scoops her up gently, holds her in front of his face so she has to look at him. "Don't do that. Be nice. Here." He picks up one of the cat toys from the floor, a little round mouse that jingles when it gets rolled around. He tosses it across the floor and Sassy jumps down, flying after it.

"You're a good cat dad," Daniel says. "Remind me their names?"

"This one's Sassy," Max says, pointing at her as she chases her little round mouse ball. "The lazy one asleep is Jimmy."

"Sassy and Jimmy," Daniel repeats. He gets down on the floor, sits with his legs out in front of him, and snaps his fingers for Sassy. She jumps onto him and he distracts her with the mouse ball, running it over his own legs so she scrambles all over him. He's laughing, delighted.

Max is exhausted, suddenly, a dull weight behind his eyes and in his throat. He's ready for the break to be over: he wants to get back in the car for real and wipe everything else from his mind, everything that hurts or doesn't matter. In his mind he starts another hot lap around Spa, Daniel in front of him.

[dtbird]

I guess it's guy fieri's birthday?????