#its like....white hat hacking for language

[bananonbinary]

yeah i don't really see how being able to say waiting for godot is about abortion is a skill that you should hone.

if i am being charitable, i might think that two different skills are getting conflated here: the ability to analyze and the ability to argue.

it IS true that arguing about bullshit is a fun and useful way to practice forming arguments in general, that's what people do in debate clubs and formal logic classes. and ideally, that's a skill you would then put to use to explain things you DO care about clearly and concisely. but analysis....how is learning how to make shit up the same skill as learning the building blocks of literature and how to notice what the author did with them? it is NOT good analysis to just lie about what something is about. it IS good debate skills, but that's not what yall are claiming here.

The biggest misconception in public schools is that literary analysis is about proving you can be right or wrong about a book you read

Literary analysis isn’t about the book

It’s not even about being right

It’s about performing an investigation and presenting your case to the jury

It doesn’t matter if your defendant killed that guy or not. If you can convince the jury he didn’t, you’ve won

And the incredible life skill of spinning bulletproof bullshit out your ass with a handful of facts and a prayer is soooooooo much more valuable than anyone’s ever gonna tell you

[laughtalelogs]

impossibilities pt. 2 - different mindsets

PAIRING - zoro x fem!reader

WORD COUNT - 5.1k+

WARNINGS - mentions of sex MDNI, no beta, minor injuries, enemies to lovers, no use of y/n, strong language, zoro bullying, slight mentions of anxiety, reader is a geologist, reader is pretty highstrung and combative in this fic- this is all setting up for eventual smut in pt.3

SUMMARY - after getting lost for hours, you and zoro continue to find yourselves in the same problems as before. will you both be able to handle yourselves after spending so much time alone?

AUTHOR’S NOTE - I spent an unnerving amount of time sitting on this fic (3 fucking months), and have came to the executive decision to split it into multiple parts. this is so different from the first part, and I use it more as inspiration than a true continuation of that story.

you can honestly skip reading part 1 if you want!

pt. 1 (x) , pt. 2 (you are here) , pt.3 (coming soon)

In the hour that followed Zoro’s hack job on the engine, the caravan filled with silence, accompanied by soft breathing that made you grip the steering wheel tighter.

Must be nice, you thought as you peered over your shoulder.

Zoro’s arms were crossed, short tufts of green poking out from his winter hat. His head was dipped down, nodding with each rock of the vehicle. The ruddy blotches that covered his cheeks and nose told you he had to be cold, despite his stubbornness. You thumb the scarf around your neck with hesitation.

Fuck it.

You let go of the wheel and pulled off the fuzzy scarf that suddenly felt like lead in your hands. You leaned over Zoro for a moment and stared down at his peaceful face. His breathing was slow and even, the tell-tale signs of a deep sleep. Testing the waters, you poked his cold cheek, jerking back as if you expected him to jump at you.

He didn’t though, gentle breaths rose his chest up and down.

He’d be cuter if he stayed like that, you thought. Rather than doing everything in his power to get under your skin. Even so, you held your breath and carefully draped it around his neck, wrapping it around twice. You sighed, turning back to the sea of white as you settled back down in the driver's seat, rubbing the crease in your brow.

Why the hell did I do that?

You glanced one more time over your shoulder. Zoro’s face sunk into the fabric on his neck, the wool nuzzling his nose.

You quickly turned around again, taking your sweaty palms to grasp the wheel again as you continued to drive.

Maybe it wasn’t that bad. At least you had a moment to think with him asleep. With the silence, the fog of annoyance cleared from your mind. Before the storm, you spotted a small structure that you had wanted to explore, but Zoro was hellbent on getting back to the ship.

Maybe you’d be able to find some semblance of shelter there— though that was proving to be difficult with the passing minutes.

You smacked your lips together, and mixed emotions bubbled to the surface when thinking about Zoro’s warnings of the storm.

You tried to pinpoint the exact moment that it all went wrong.

What the hell was taking him so long?

You fanned your scowling face and covered your eyes from the sun, pacing on the bank of the beach. Zoro‘s absence already put a sour taste in your mouth, and the expedition hadn’t even started yet.

Luffy was crouched by the sand while he dug into the sand with a stick. “Can’t we go yet?”

“Not until Nami is finished.” Sanji said, blowing smoke from the corner of his lips.

Luffy whined and flopped onto his back. “But Robin, Usopp, and Chopper already got to go!”

Beside you, Nami scanned the horizon of the island and jotted notes in her logbook, tapping her foot impatiently. She threw Luffy a stern, pointed look, snapping her book close. Its echoing clap stopped your restless feet, and you shot a glance their way. Luffy rolled onto his stomach and muttered under his breath, poking at the ground again, not willing to fight the beast inside his Navigator. she shoved the journal in her bag, and dug around for something else before pulling it out.

“Luffy, Sanji, and I will circle the island going east using the waver,” She held the transponder snail out toward you. “That leaves you and Zoro to cut through the middle while Jinbe, Brook, and Franky watch the ship. If you see anything of interest or run into trouble, call us on this.”

You couldn’t stop the groan that slipped from your lips and plucked the snail from her hands. Its wide eyes stared back at your disgruntled face. “Can’t you or Sanji switch with him?”

Nami let out an exasperated sigh, her freckled nose scrunched up in disappointment. “You said you were fine with this.”

“I said I’m fine with making sure that dumbass doesn’t get lost,” you grumbled, “I didn’t say I was fine being alone with him that long.”

Sanji turned around. “I mean, I don’t mind-”

Nami held up her hand and cut him off, “-It’s an hour tops, they’ll be fine.”

Before you could protest more, Nami continued, “you both are very capable, mature adults and crewmates. I am sure you both can handle yourselves for an hour.”

“Luffy, help me here?” You whined to your captain.

He turned attention away from the sand beetle he dug up, and it burrowed back into the ground. Luffy’s head swiveled towards you, a frown on his face. “Huh?”

“Do I have to go with Zoro?” You asked again. You watch him think on it for a moment, and the words he said made you deflate.

“We pulled straws, it would be unfair if we changed now.” A rubbery hand stretched forward and wrapped your shoulder, giving it a good shake of encouragement. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“You think getting punched in the face is fun.”

But you couldn’t argue further than that, and you weren’t going to go against your captain. You shrugged his hand off. “Some help you are…”

“-It's not like I bite, you know.” Zoro's voice cut in from afar, the sound of his swords jostling behind you as he climbed off the ship.

Your shoulders rose to your ears, and you turned to face him as he made his way towards you and the remnants of the crew.

“Doesn’t mean you aren’t a pain in my ass. You better not slow me down.”

Zoro’s shadow eclipsed you as he leisurely strolled over with crossed arms, blocking the festering heat.

“As long as you don’t get me lost.”

You scoffed. “Me? Get us lost? What a joke.”

“You’re the joke,” Zoro lips twitched upwards. “Acting selfish as usual, like a pathetic baby. Nami said we were adults, right?”

“I am not a baby.” But as soon as the words came out, they felt childish. His words ring in your head, anger stirring inside of you.

Zoro stuck his chin high and glowered down at you. “That’s what a baby would say.”

“Babies can’t talk.” You always felt ridiculous under his scrutiny. “So you were just up there wasting time eavesdropping?”

“No, I was doing my job. You wouldn’t know about that, though?” He reached into his haramaki and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper, shoving it your way.

You took it between two fingers. When you flipped it around, you found notes on how to operate the vehicle that sat off in the distance.

“Franky stopped me to give you this. In case you forgot.” He added.

“Oh,” Your voice faltered as you averted his gaze, folding the note and slipping in your pocket. “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?”

He shrugged, scratching his neck. “You’re welcome.”

“ …Anyways,” Nami ignored the both of you and placed her book into her rucksack. “I have a sneaking suspicion a snow squall is approaching. I put two snowsuits in the brachio for you two just in case. Make sure to head back before then. I just want to chart this place and dodge, but keep your eyes peeled for treasure.”

“A snow squirrel?” Luffy jumped up with newfound purpose. “Sounds awesome!”

Sanji took Nami’s bag from her hands and placed it on his back, his gaze flickered in between you and Zoro. “-Sounds like a bigger pain in the ass than Moss.”

“Shitty cook, I’ll show you a pain in the ass-”

Zoro’s proclamation made you double over in laughter. Sanji doesn’t miss the way Zoro stiffened at the sound.

How could that idiot be so emotionally constipated? The cook thought to himself.

You smiled Sanji’s way, amusement bright in your face. You miss the way Zoro’s eye darted from you to him. “Good one.”

Sanji shook his head and eyed you, who straightened up and inched away from the other man, stepping out of Zoro’s shadow. Not like you were faring any better.

“Can I fight the snow squirrel, Nami?” Luffy was bouncing in anticipation, ignoring his quarreling crew.

“It’s not a-” She pinched the bridge of her nose. At this rate, the crew, this island, and the weather was going to give her a headache. “Sure, whatever. Let’s move out.”

You watched Nami grab Luffy, stomping away as Sanji followed suit. You try to say something again, but the three of them are already off, waving their goodbyes.

“You two don’t kill each other, okay?”

“If you find the squirrel, save it for me!”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Marimo.” And with that, they were on their way.

You and Zoro stood there for a second, the awkwardness from your desperation to get rid of him sat in the air. He cleared his throat before beginning to walk off. “Come on, we’re already losing time.”

“Wrong way, genius.” You crossed your arms, motioning with your head. “Brachio’s the other way.”

He stopped in his tracks, and grumbled, turning around, “just testing you.”

You rolled your eyes, “sure, whatever makes you feel better.”

As time went on, you had made several stops on your way down the middle of the island.

You were surprised how many rock formations you found. This made it a perfect time to grab undisturbed samples. You itched with anticipation as you thumb a rock on the ground and slip off your backpack, taking a small vial and placing the pebble inside.

“The hell are you doing over here?” Zoro's voice pulled you out of your excitement.

“My job.” You snapped back, His comment earlier still stung. It wasn’t the first time he had called you immature, and it had dug into the wound he created long ago. “I just thought I saw something, just making sure.”

“You said that at the last two stops, too. We’re running out of time before the storm.”

You shrugged, looking up at the sky as you stood. You weren’t an expert like Nami, but the soil was compacted, the rocks eroded by wind. If there was a storm coming, It would be the first time the island had it in years. “It’ll be fine, plus It’s hot as shit right now.”

“I don’t get why you’re so interested in finding anything here.” The look you see Zoro shoot your way showed he was unconvinced. “All we’ve found are just some dumb rocks.”

You walked past him and let a finger swipe against the hilts of his blades as you passed him. You saw his jaw tighten from the corner of your eye. “These just dumb rocks to you, like those are stupid swords to me.”

“Don’t disrespect them like that.” Zoro bristled behind you, his heavy steps following yours.

“Then don’t disrespect my rocks like that.” You offered.

You see something shine on the old trail, a glint in the terrain that jutted out from the tough ground, as well as a shack off into the further distance. You buzzed with excitement. Maybe it was a precious stone you could dig up, or even some sea prism stone that would help further your research. It all was worth checking out.

The obnoxious moan that you heard behind you as you made your way to the rock only spurred you forward. As you crouched to reach for it, a strong gust of wind dislodged the stone, and it tumbled away, rolling into a patch of grass.

“We don’t have time for a treasure hunt anymore. Look up.”

You turned your head to the sky, watching as a sheet of gray creeped at an alarming speed towards you. You cursed under your breath and chewed your lip. Shit.

“We still have time to make it back.”

A prickle of embarrassment rose up your neck and made you shivered, but you shoved it down and tried to make sense of the snowy tundra.

It’s too late now, no matter who was right.

The objective was to either find the crew, or find a signal for the transponder snail, who was also taking an undeserved nap on the control panel. That plan definitely didn’t include the thoughts of him swarming in your brain.

Besides, you swim back to the surface of your murky thoughts, nothing else could go wrong.

Right?

The brachio mini’s power flickered, jerking you back to reality.

The bright lights waned off above you— a short warning before the emergency power kicked in again. There was not enough time for you to brace for impact. You lurched forward as the wheels jolted to a halt, the engine sputtering out sparks from the gash. The hull screeched against the ice like a dying whale.

“No—” No. It had become your personal mantra.

No. No. No. A prayer to whatever omnipotent being that found your suffering entertaining. “—No!”

You screamed and banged a fist on the control panel that you were unceremoniously splayed over. It screamed back in response, flooding the cabin with bright red light as bold letters flashed on the screen: Engine Failure. Please contact Franky immediately.

Your eyes darted to the mini transponder snail again, but its stupid, sleeping face mocked you, turned on its side from the sudden stop. You were out of range. Still.

“Not working?” Zoro grunted behind you, voice coated in grogginess. You whipped your head around, surprised to find him leaned over you, staring at the screen beneath you. The tassels of the scarf you donned him dangled in front of you. You’re shocked to find he hadn’t removed it. The fresh scent of mint mingled with vanilla and fanned across your face. You flinched.

“You tell me, Sleeping Beauty.” You swiveled your seat around and shoved his shoulder, leaning further back to gain distance.

Of course, he didn’t budge an inch, “I wasn’t asleep, you’ve got a real bad staring problem, you know.”

“Must have been some weird dream, as if I haven’t seen enough of your face today.”

“Whatever makes you feel better.” He mocked, throwing your forgotten words back in your face.

You scowled, but decided to change the subject for both of your sakes. “Head still hurt?”

Zoro blinked, and his gaze softened at your question. “Nah, I’m good now.”

“Good,” you sighed in relief. At least that wasn’t another problem to deal with. “I’m glad.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow, and something flickered in his gaze that made you more restless. “That crash didn’t really help, though. You’re a horrible driver.”

“I didn't crash!” You snapped back. “Maybe you can actually help instead of letting me do all the heavy lifting for once.”

Zoro frowned. That’s more like it, you thought.

You continued, “Franky’s gonna have our asses for this.”

“Eh,” Zoro offered an uninterested shrug, as he backed away. Air willed itself into your lungs again.“He’ll get over it.”

You threw your arms up in exasperation, balling your fists up as they fell. “You tell him then.”

“Sure,” you watched his jaw tighten, “Whatever.”

He climbed the ladder beside him and opened the hatch. Cold air surged forward and nipped at your skin.

“What are you doing?” You winced at the sound of your own voice echoing off the tinny walls.

“We’re walking back? Don’t see this as something that’ll come back on.” Zoro doesn’t even look your way, unbothered by the wind that bit at his face, gesturing around at the hunk of metal that encased you both.

Nothing unusual, just snow. Zoro thought after he scanned the area.

He climbed back down and tightened his swords to his side. They clanged together awkwardly, hitting the seat behind him as he tried to keep his distance. He had had his fun, but it was starting to become too suffocating, being stuck with you.

He stole a glance at you and watched your furled up fists tremble from the cold that began to creep in.

Cute, he thought.

He didn’t think about the word that popped up frequently when he looked at you. The way your snowsuit had crumpled in the crash had mangled it, the zipper halfway down, hat sliding down the back of your head.

Annoying, but cute.

He suppressed the urge to reach out and fix it, to pull it over your frozen ears.

He frowned. Why the hell would I want to do that?

Zoro tried to roll the thought down his shoulders, stretching through the tension that surged up his spine.

The idea made sense. You mulled over his words, but you watched the snow falling from the porthole and felt your body fill with dread. The last thing you wanted to do was trudge through snow. Zoro tapped his foot impatiently, each second passing by quicker.

“No,” You said, “we should wait for someone to come get us.”

“That’s what we did last time, remind me—” Zoro’s voice low and calm, “—how’d that work out for you?”

You unclenched your fists and buried your face in your hands; letting out a long, frustrated groan. “We’re both at fault, don’t pin this on me.”

“Of course,” his chuckle tight, “and how long has it been since we left?”

“Four hours,” you mumbled into your palms, “four hours and thirty-seven minutes.”

Each of those minutes weighed heavier than the next.

“I don’t plan to wait longer.”

“Plan? You know what that is?”

“Cut the shit already.” He bit back. “Get the stick out of your ass and let’s go. If we move fast, you won’t have time to get cold.”

You threw an incredulous look his way, not surprised when you are met with his serious face.

“Of course, a dumbass like you would think that.”

Normally, your spats would be short-lived moments of anger before one of you gave in and escaped somewhere else in the ship. You could run to Nami or Sanji and spew vitriol about Zoro with no judgment. By then, enough time would have passed for you both to calm down from the other, and didn’t affect the ways of life being on the same crew.

This, though, was probably the longest you both had to be together; and definitely your first time alone like this. It chipped at your patience, and by the strained look he kept throwing your way, you suspected Zoro wasn’t far behind.

You racked your brain for a solution, an escape from him, yet nothing came to mind. A gentle tap on your shoulder jerked you from your thoughts.

Peering in between your fingers, you found Zoro, close again. He gave you a once over with a soft, unreadable eye. It made you want to curl up into a ball.

“Come on, we’ll do it together.” he offered a hand, his calloused palm an unexpected olive branch. “Trust me.”

Your heart thrashed in your chest like a wild animal as the moments of an hour ago flashed in your mind. You felt heat rise up your neck. You squeezed your legs shut, reminded of the heat of his own between them, his shadow that engulfed you as he loomed over you. Your mind was flooded with thoughts you reached out to control.

Horrible, horrible thoughts you couldn’t get rid of.

“-Fuck you.” The words stumbled out of your mouth like a bad habit you couldn’t quite shake. They were words that come out too quick, too harsh— ones that you don’t even truly mean.

But, they’re better than the alternative: staring at his hand, imagining it in places that would make you lose your mind.

Before he could respond, you shot up and snatched the transponder snail, shoving it deep in your pocket. You shuffled awkwardly through the limited space and squeezed past, scrambling up the ladder. You kept your eyes glued forward as you faced the frigid unknown.

“Real adult of you,” You heard him call out below you. The guilt that bubbled at the back of your throat tasted bitter. You swallowed it down and leapt into the snow.

As you sank down, your socks soaked up the wet, cold slush that piled up at your legs. You regretted the decision to not fight him more on leaving.

That's what you get for being distracted.

Refusing to turn around, you marched forward, despite the numbing cold that is crept through your snowsuit. The faint crunching of snow behind you was enough to tell you he was not far behind. You kept your eyes on the snow as you tried to settle your nerves.

There had to be some way to get out of this wintry hell.

Zoro drank in your silhouette, a stark image compared to the snow before him.

He narrowed his eye. You were pissier than usual, maybe even more than on a bad day. He thought he might’ve pushed you too far, but it was too easy, and it wasn’t like he didn’t have time to kill.

He adjusted the scarf around his neck and your forgotten backpack he’d slung over his shoulder. With each tug, vanilla and sea salt filled his nose and clouded his judgment. It felt like he was going to be choked by the strong aroma.

Still, he didn’t move to take it off, and didn’t want to think about why he pressed his face deeper, letting his breath fog in the material.

His eye flicked up from your waist, trailing up the back of your annoyingly pretty head that shook in anger.

How desperately he wanted to grab it and hold it still. He wondered what thoughts you had rattling in there that made you so irrational. Your hat desperately clung to you, before it slid down your back, into the snow.

You were always like that, Zoro thought as he plucked your forgotten headwear as he passed by, stuffing it in his pocket.

He forced his eye to not creep back upwards and watched your feet march forward.

Damn body, reacting on its own.

Zoro ignored the stirring in his chest that travelled like an inferno further and further down, where the desires he kept a tight lid on lay dormant. Sure, he meant to make you riled up, but he didn’t expect himself to still be affected. He tried to steady his heart beat, to focus on the dire situation you both were trapped in.

But still — He couldn’t shake away the thought of you, peering up at him, thighs clenched around nothing for the second time in a row, before you delivered the most immature ‘fuck you’ of the century. The beating of his chest he still couldn’t quell reminded him — you were so distracting while doing so.

Exhaustion pulled you down into the slush with each step you took.

At some point, Zoro fell in line beside you. You trained your eyes to the ground and watched your feet and Zoro’s disturb the fresh blanket of snow, only to steal a look at him out of the corner of your eye. You saw something oddly familiar slung across his back.

“When did you get my bag?” You asked.

“Finally noticed?” His lips stretched into a grin. “While you threw your temper tantrum, I grabbed it.”

“I can carry it, give it here.” You reach for the bag, but his hand swats yours away, adjusting the strap.

“Just for you to leave it again? No chance. I thought you wanted me to do the lifting, anyways,”

The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity as you continued to walk. You wondered what he was thinking, or if he was at all. Maybe he was using this experience as some weird training technique, but the quick gazes you shot his way show that same, unreadable face, eye locking with yours for a moment only to look away, far into the distance.

He must be exhausted, especially from you.

Anxiety had begun to gnaw at you, thinking of that outstretched hand from earlier as your eyes darted back to the snow. Thinking of the words he called you before, selfish. immature. control freak.

You had been giving him a hard time, you thought.

Insecurities of being too much, too commanding, too, well, you, bubbled up to the surface. Maybe what he said about you was right. You had been unforgiving all day. The same warnings he had told the crew before you had joined all those months ago ring like alarms in your head. It was your fault you guys were in this situation, ultimately, no matter how much you twisted it in your mind.

Before you realized it, the word slipped off your tongue.

“Sorry.”

His walk faltered for a moment, a strangled noise coming from his throat. “Huh?”

“For earlier.” You garbled out and picked up speed, as if your body was searching for an escape from the awkwardness of it all. “For everything.”

“Say it again.” He demanded, jogging to keep up with you, “Don't think I caught that right.”

You felt the hole he was boring into your skull, but you kept pushing forward, willing your burning thighs to go faster. You felt clammy and hot all over, despite the freezing temperatures. “You know what I said.”

“Is this a prank?” He laughed, and you felt every nerve in your body set ablaze. “-or are you seriously apologizing?”

How was this funny?

Humiliation swallowed you whole. Your poor attempt at sincerity had been brushed off, despite the nerve you had worked up to do so. To hell with it all. If he wanted you to be annoying and high-strung, you would give it to him.

You turned to tell him off, to give him what he wanted.

But, as you stepped closer, your foot gave way underneath the slippery surface below you. You yelped as your foot twisted in the other direction, erupting in a searing, blinding pain.

Zoro was next to you in a flash.

Concern and shock laced his face as he carefully pulled you back to sit up. Jaw tightening as he wiped the snow from your face. The snow mingled with the tears that threatened to spill. You felt the heat radiating from Zoro’s body and fingers, soothing the burn on your cheeks. It was ridiculously comforting, and that thought unnerved you.

“Oi,” he brushed off your back and front, snow falling to the ground, “you good?”

You bit back the pain and blinked back the tears and ducked your head down. “Peachy.”

“Idiot,” He sighed, and his hand reached into his pocket. When did he get that? Before you can ask, your vision is darkened when you feel something pull over your eyes. “You need to watch where you’re going.”

“Hey!” You reached up, pulling the hat he had unceremoniously crowned you with above your brows. You were about to counter, how could you see anything underneath the snow? But the stormy look Zoro’s eye that pored over made you forget whatever you were about to say.

You shivered. He frowned, taking off the scarf you placed around his neck, draping back over yours. “You sure?”

Zoro's genuine question made you feel worse.

You let out a shaky breath. “I’m sure I want to get out of the cold, hurry up.”

You stood up and tried to walk, wincing at the shooting pain with each step.

Zoro sighed, and began to walk with you.

Only after a handful of steps, your footing buckled again, but this time Zoro caught you before you could hit the snow. Suddenly, your feet weren’t touching the ground, swept up in his arms.

Zoro smacked his teeth, breath warming your numb ear. “Impossible.”

“Are you a broken record or something?” You mumbled, wiggling in his grasp.

Zoro shook his head, adjusting to make you comfortable, “I’ll keep saying it the more stupid shit you do.”

You said you were fine, but he wasn’t having it. Zoro motioned with his head for you to tell him a direction. You wordlessly point, trying not to think about his hands holding you to his chest.

As he walked, you see those same rosy splotches on his cheeks begin to darken again. You carefully wrapped the end of your scarf over his neck, and he stood straighter.

“What are you doing?” He hissed, glared down at you, his face close to yours.

“You’ll get cold too,” you murmured and turned away.

“I’m not, though.”

“Your face says otherwise,” You tugged on the side of the scarf still wrapped around your neck, adding some slack. “Don’t get yourself sick, or we’ll both freeze and die.”

His quiet chuckle rumbled through his chest and vibrates against your side. “You know, you’re the most positive person I know.”

“Haha, but really,” you turned to face him again, and Zoro was the one to turn away that time. “How does the cold not bother you?”

You watched him tilt his head up, contemplating the question for a moment before finally giving you an answer. “It’s a mind over matter for me. You’ll be surprised how things can change with a different mindset.”

You mulled over the thought as you admired his tenacity to be so unbothered. His lips pink and soft, the small clench of his chiseled jaw, the way the muscles of his neck peak from behind the scarf, stretching as he swallowed. You cleared your throat and leaned against his chest.

Just for heat, you told yourself, and your body relaxed a little in his gentle hold. His heartbeat was steady in your ears. You tried to ignore the thumb that traced tiny circles on the side of your knee.

A different mindset.

You looked up, Zoro’s earrings shimmered in the snow. He glanced down at you, raising an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on your ogling. He looked back down at your finger that was lazily outstretched, using it as his guiding compass as he continued to walk.

If you ignored everything about the day, if Zoro was anyone else, you would have considered his actions sweet. Gentlemanly, even. You feel a slow heat bloom in your stomach, spreading warmth towards your ankle, soothing the ache.

Maybe he was onto something.

“Your scarf stinks. What did you spray on it?” And just like that, he dashed those kind thoughts from your mind.

“It doesn’t stink, it’s just a little perfume!” You scowled, craning your neck up at him. “You weren’t complaining earlier.”

“It’s making me nauseous, you don’t need that sweet shit.” He turned his nose upwards, averting the fabric that swaddled him. You hit his chest.

“I like it! Doing a lot of complaining and not enough walking.” You hit him again, harder this time as you continued to point.

“I should just leave you here to freeze.” You felt Zoro’s loosen his hold, and you slipped slightly in his hold. You clutched onto his shirt, screeching as you felt gravity threaten to pull you down.

“You ass! You wouldn’t dare-“

“-That’ll teach you to be nicer to your ride, hm?” His laugh is wicked.

Even though you grumble, you can’t stop the twitching in your lips. “I can’t wait to get away from you.”

AND END SCENE! Finally, thank the heavens that this part is done.

Not sure how I feel about this one, I started hating it in the middle of writing it because I didn’t have any real direction of how I wanted this to play out. This took very long to write because I realized I never gave a reason for their rivalry which took me forever to come up with. I still feel like zoro’s still ooc, but I feel like I learned a lot while writing this nonetheless.

Probably will pivot and try to get one of my sanji fics done now, but part 3 is already 60 percent completed.

thank you for your patience with me! school continues to kick me in the ass :’)

liked this? check out my other stuff :) - (x)

[aaronminyardthebettertwin]

Ok so I’ve been back in my brain-rot and I can’t stop thinking about marauders criminal mind au where the lions and snakes are two different teams that work together from time to time.

Enjoy my ramblings as I can’t sleep and don’t have the willpower to plot this thing out right now I might write a ff about this after I got some sleep

The lions are like the main team:

James is team leader he is like the only one without childhood trauma he just wants to do good. He was always agent and worked organised crime before he stayed at the bau. His specialty that, hostage negotiations, spree killers and group dynamics

Sirius - the black family is still bad but not that bad (at first I was thinking mafia but I don’t think that really fits with what I pictured). So the idea is very strict military family with traditional values and an abusive approach. Sirius does not want that he rebels runs away at 16 lives ok with his uncles support finishes school and starts at quantico the same time James does. They become friends and keep in touch. He start working sex crimes. James brings him into the bau after some years. His specialty is victimology and sexual based offenders.

Remus- worked as a cop before becoming a profiler. Is their communication specialist and does anything press related. Has the task of “choosing” the cases (like Jj). Has a chronic illness (his worsening and diagnosis lead to the job change) that limits his mobility and does most of his work in the precincts. Is also the one that speaks to most of the family members. His father died in a home invasion (the reason he became a cop to catch people like grayIForgotTheRestOfHisName) his mom raised him as a struggling single mother and supports him through all his decisions.

Peter- tech specialist. He is VERY good at what he does. Is a white hat (never hacked for himself or anyone else than the good guys). Has a degree in computer sciences. Taught himself most of his skills as a teen cause he got bored and was discovered early the state payed for his degree. He travels with the team a lot and works with his mobile rig unless its very tech heavy cases where he needs to be near the severs or it’s in the middle of nowhere and the connection would be to bad. His parents where killed when he was a teen & computers where his save space.

Lily - was a lawyer before the bau (a prosecutor like hotch) her specialty is geographic profiles, comfort zones and crimes involving children but she is also very good at everything else. Her parents where very harsch on her, she only has partial contact and is trying to fix her relationship with her sister who is the “perfect poster child” and became a doctor.

Marlene - is the Teams linguist. She speaks a lot of different languages and profiles all the messages left by unsubs. She is also very good at reading body language and figuring out if someone is lying. Her parents are diplomats so she moved a lot as a kid and had a hart time making friends.

Mary- has a law degree but never practiced she decided she wanted to be an fbi agent instead. Her specialty is phycology and signatures. She spends a lot of time Time to get into a killers head and compensates by keeping in contact with survivors and organising ways for them to support eachother.

Now the snakes are more like a red team (they also all speak multiple languages):

Regulus - is team leader. Did not get away form his family like Sirius did. He joined the military the first possibility he got (17 I think is the soonest you can join don’t quote me on that I am not American) he met Evan there and had his first real friend. He became a military cop and after a few years policing soldiers reconnected with his brother. Sirius inspired him to become a profiler as well. He is very good at it and ambitious so he got promoted fast and was offered his own team that he could hand pick (he is also one of the youngest team leaders there is)

Evan - also comes from a military family. The abuse in his family is more phycological than the black family. He bonded with regulus is basic and the kept in touch. Because of a phyc eval and other reasons he became a sniper. The military also payed for his med school and he was planing to become a coroner after. Regulus recuted him for his team instead and he took some curses in profiling. His specialty is victimology and body language. He is very good at interrogation by phycing the person out and being very unhinged. He is the least freaked out by violent crimes scenes but very compassionate even if he doesn’t show it.

Pandora- is Evans twin in this (because she always is in my AUs). Evan has protected and shielded her as good as he could as a child. She rebelnd and didn’t go to the military. Worked 2 jobs so she could pay for collage after being cut of. Is a computer and tech (software and hardware) Spezialist. Did some environmental hacking before joining the team but was never official caught or charged. Regulus chose her without knowing the connection to Evan and they laughed their ass of about it afterwards, he basically stole her from another team by offering her more field work and freedom about how she wants to handle things.

Barty- Senior is still a politician who wanted him to follow in his footsteps. Barty didn’t want to. His dad was really abusive to both him and his mom. He tried to get her out of it but she doesn’t want to so he cut contact to both (but still sends her money in hopes she may get the strength to get herself out). He decided to become an agent to help kids like him and women in similar situations that wanted help. He has a big problem with authority where he will speak his mind even if it hurts your feelings. That quality got him ridden up a lot but is also why reg chose him, he likes that he tells him what he is thinking without all the social bullsh*t. Barty has an eidetic memory and perfect recall he is basically a specialist in everything but especially good in thinking like the unsub.

Dorcas- has a history in going over her superiors heads without asking because they where sexist idiots and the work needed to be done. She has a degree in phycology and is the one that interviews most of the family’s and surviving victims. Before joining the team she was interviewing offenders because they didn’t want her anymore at the anti terror devision.

Ships because it’s maunders and there is always ships:

Wolfstar- they go through a painful slowburn and finally confess after Remus ends up in the hospital with a flare up. Just after they get together Sirius gets seriously (hehe) hurt and we get more angst. After that they fast track their relationship move in after ca. 3/4 months married after a year.

James/lily/regulus - lily is the only one who has figured out being poly before we begin she is interested in both but concerned about dating her boss. Regulus and her go on a few dates until he confesses he might also be interested in James. They bond over it and make a plan to get James to consider. They find a way around the whole boss thing by lily becoming a supervisory special agent and technically being in the same level as both her boys. They plan a lot before starting their family and take turns staying home with Harry after he is born combined with really good child care services (they have the money and James parents)

Lily/Marlene - they date separate (like poly people do). There is a little bit of a hierarchy but it is communicated properly and not that big. Harry just takes priority. They stated dating after Harry’s birth.

Mary/original nb character- her partner is an emt they meet at the job. Later they are involved in a case where emergency responders are targeted. They exchange numbers and start dating but decide to take it slow. No angst here they are a perfect pair and live their truth as lesbians (the nb character identities as an nonbinary lesbian cause I say so)

Peter/NASA Person (haven’t desided on the gender jet) - they are neighbours and keep running into eachother cause they both keep weird hours. They go on cute Coffee dates and nerd together.

Rosekiller- they have a will they won’t they thing and finally kiss is a life threatening situation just to decide to not speak about it afterward. Their team is shortly before staging an intervention when they finally get their sh*t together but tell no one except for Pandora (cause she knows everything). When it comes up on a case that they are dating money changes hands.

Pandora/xeno (Genderfluid)- they are a wild life specialist that she met through a university friend. They are dating the whole time and everything is fine. Luna is a nice surprise especially cause she is born in the same year Harry is. Xeno does a lot of work from home anyways so she stays there most of the time. There is also grandparents and the potters if he is away in some jungle.

Dorcas/original female character - she is dating a lawyer. They met over a case that the gf is prosecuting. There is some drama from time to time but nothing they can’t fix.

Side characters:

Frank and Alice- lilys childhood friends. Sometimes babysit Harry. Frank is a banker, Alice a baker.

Black cousins- andy is a social worker amd married to teacher Ted, Bella is a high ranking officer in the military, Narcissa is a pharmacist and divorced from Lucius, they are still friends they just didn’t work out it was a kind of arranged marriage and they got the best thing of their life’s out of it Draco.

Emilia bones- is a reporter. One of the good ones that does investigative work and doesn’t harass victims.

Dubeldore is a corrupt superior

mcgonagall -is the best boss ever and becomes director

Tom riddle is a cult leader- snakes do some undercover work.

Mad eye moody- is an unsub that nearly kills Evan barty has a crisis over it and nearly goes rouge

Lockhart- is a serial la offender who charms his victims a d drugs them with rohypnoll

Hagrit- is their door man/ security officer at the main building.

[carlaexpesito]

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[lee-pulp]

The Last Spelaea

In the uninhabitable east Antarctica desert, a man's legs tussle between thick and deep snow.

5 feet 9 inches wearing a cyan wool hat with a white pom pom that wiggled, fleece lined neck buff hugging his neck, vivid orange coat, fitted zipper and velcro pockets, fitted larger inner pockets, dingy grey gloves, inky skiing trousers concluded with rubber, ski goggles and pages of a small book bound together a flexible red binding engraved in the middle 'The Higher Reality' while near the bottom it reads written by Dr. eldritch, a big dry bag taking a ride on his back.

"What the *** is that circular metal object comparable to that of the sewer hole but with a more ritualistic flavour... or more aboriginal to the more liberal representatives of society" he mentioned with his eyebrows down but not drawn together accompanied by vertical creases, eyes had the lower lid raised and his lower face had cheeks uplifted, upper lip had elevated, tongue struggling to escape the choomers seal before kneeling down to brush off the rest of the snow to somewhat uncover or if any further meaning to such an artefact in such an explored piece of land man.

He opened the book with chapter 1 entitled...

The Last Spelaea

This causes his impermeable scowl into a huge grin that almost disappears into his temple warmer. After, a short introductory paragraph was a rough sketch of the artefact labelled Awakening Place, with the diagram showing it to be one metre in length and three inches thick.

Much to the traveller's disappointment, it did not provide any translation, not even a sentence of the inscriptions. The artefact had engravings which were a mixture of cat claws that had the liking of Viking runes but the grammar of Eskimo-Aleut language.

"*** barbarians and Eskimos making my job harder", he spat venomously and gripped the book tighter before he grudgingly focus his eyes back on the current page. He looked at the illustration of the Panthera Spelaea; it had a sense of familiarity with the modern African lion. In contrast, though it lacks a mane, twelve per cent larger with a dense coat of compressed white wavy downy hair, and a smaller mass of darker coloured guard hairs.

A delightful rant followed of the supposed sunken Spelaea island that came across as ludicrous as Plato's Atlantis before skimming down the page as the traveller reached a poem or summoning spell he could not tell. It read.

He who all knowledge laid hidden away

Recite these words to see such an entity today

Brrol of Spelaea island oh great guardian

Keeper of the secrets of old

Give me a reason to trust something foretold

He recited the words with such a monotonous tone it made 1970s text to speech sound eccentric but to no avail. He repeated the summoning chant. Still nothing.

" I knew this book was the typed word of a Hack," He said with a smug grin sown to his face before flinging the book away like a frisbee. He bent his fingers inwards the palm while making his thumb lay across his middle finger.

A Cold breath followed by a few snarls surrounded him in an instant. He froze where he stood. He turned around to see.

The Last Spelaea.

He trips over himself. His body almost sprawled over the artefact.

The creature takes a deep breath through the nose as it prowls towards the lone explorer.

" Who dares wake me from my slumber" A voice boomed as the snow beneath danced with pace so wildly. Its tail swished with intent from left to right. It stared as those eyes, unmoved, blackened like an abyss of space, with only the glimmer being the sparkle of the stars getting reflected.

The man lets out a whimper since all that masculine rarr rarr was gone. In its place was a shivering lip. A hand discreetly slipped into the coat as the rest of his body lay there already being tucked in by the snow. Slowly, he pulled out a pistol. A Glock nineteen, to be exact. As his hand shook

BANG.

Side of the skin tears off the bone. Exposing a cheekbone that was as white as milk, dripping in the antarctic sink. Slowly, it turned its head as its wound healed in a blink then you will miss it in the moment.

" What the *** are you?" The Man demanded an answer

The creature growled and then flashed its teeth in a malevolent grin before scratching at the inner wrist leading the man to involuntarily release the pistol. The blood dripped and the frost crept into the cracks of the split skin. His eyes widened as he felt a claw penetrating into his side. Not long before the big cat bit his hand off whole in one bite. It regurgitated it out. He looked back at the feline with an open mouth and widened eyes in a perpetual state of fear.

The feline spat out the fabric in revulsion before a murmur of the wind blew the snow for sheer moments. When it settled, the Spelaea was gone but so was the man. All that was left were the strips of orange and grey fabric along a vague smell of rust alongside the higher reality book. The publication was open on page three with the following quote:

"To fear the intellectual apes is cowardice since they do not cease, they simply take, take and take from each other while diminishing the surrounding habitat, such a phenomenon must be dealt with accordingly"

[whatthe4355]

Scooby Doo Headcannons

since everyones posting theirs, here mine

First off, basic facts.

Everyone except for shaggy attended the same community college, and shaggy worked in the college cafeteria.

Mystery Inc. finds cases bc Shaggy runs the mystery machine as a food truck gathering info on local cases the police wont bother with.

Shaggy funds the mystery solving via a food truck, and a good one at that. Said food truck is the mystery machine, which isnt modified to be a food truck. theres a foldaway tent, chair, stair case, and table that shaggy sets up when running it for food service. These are stored on the roof rack.

Theres a couple of running gags. shaggy locking the mystery machine when something spooky or monsterous shows up. The gang goes to drive the mystery machine w/o freddy b4 remember he made it fucking STICK SHIFT. Fred knows a lot of languages, mostly by accident, but hes only fluent in three. Velma has a large willingness to commit crimes at the drop of a hat. Daphne does get kidnapped, but she escapes off screen and when she returns she tells a very nonchalant story about a very deranged escape attempt, often scaring both the gang and the monster. EX:[ “Well, I was tied up in a tomb. So, I used the pocket knife I keep in my sleeve to undo the knot. Then, I opened the door by melting the lock open” “Daphne what the fuck” “What? Like its hard? It wasn’t even a good knot!” ]

Scooby Doo can talk, but only when its funny

Fred is a mechanical engineer and a mechanic as a hobby. He is mixed, Dad is palestian and mom is hispanic. He is white passing. Parents are supportive but don’t understand why he refuses to work at “a small parts manufacturer”, local to his hometown. They don’t know its actually a defense contractor. This is a running gag where he tries to explain it but he has to keep swapping between three different languages to fully explain. He repaired the mystery machine, got it from an older hippie who was sad it got in this state, but can no longer drive safely due to macular degeneration. The paint job was alright but the engine was bad. Fred electrified it, but kept the manual transmission by choice. He’s the only one who can drive it now, as he learned to drive on the family beater car. Not the brightest man, but has incredible blue collar charisma.

Velma is a comp sci major and a forensics minor. She’s the one who figured out the mystery solving gimmick. Shes passionate about human freedom, but has no filter on how she discusses crimes. She’s black and got into college via stem programs. She chose a smaller community college over a bigger university, as the bigger university kept blocking her applications to more advanced programs. Big into ‘hack the planet’ and that sort of hackivism. After she left her university to go the community college, she hacked the university’s system for revenge. She refunded as many tuitions and finical aid to the students as possible. Lesbianisms.

Daphne is a transwoman who got kicked out of a catholic boys school for coming out. Her mother is irish and had a father who worked in finances. Dad died young, and mom raised “him” as catholic and boy scout. To correct Deviant Morals, as her mother would put it. Catholic raised but not catholic herself. Became a fashion major after moving out of catholic school, and onto the dorms of the community college. Knows a concerning amount about knots, wilderness survival and styrofoam napalm. She helps with the traps before fred and velma realize her plans are INCREDIBLY VIOLENT. Like, she knows way too many ways to cause harm w/o realizing it. Appears bimboish at first pass and disconcertingly violent if you are her friend. Should probably have more therapy but only does the minimum for her hrt. Has an only fans to prey on the wallets of so called chasers. Velma does a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure Daphne doesn’t get doxxed to hell and back.

Shaggy is a foster kid, and no idea who his actual origins are. He prefers to keep it that way. Incredibly ACAB and anxious about the future. He actually does go to therapy, and got prescribed weed gummies for anxiety. Couldn’t afford them but found out the company that makes them was doing poorly. He agreed to help sell their gummies, as long as they came up with a dog safe variant. Turns out they already did, so he sells them at the food truck. He tried to go to culinary school but his anxiety made him drop out. Adopts the attitude of “I’m not fucking with that shit” in terms of ghosts. Hes also a vegetarian. He uses the mystery machine as a food truck with a menu that changes constantly with a couple of signature items that sound batshit crazy but tastes incredible(mole mac n cheese perogies for instance). He usually is the one to find leads from customers, bringing them up when fred comes along to drive and help pack the van up.

Scooby-Doo is a service dog, but flunked out of training late in the stage. Shaggy needed an emotional support dog but couldn’t find any actual ones in his price range. He found Scooby-Doo in a shelter and went “well this is good enough for me”. Adores the gummies so much shaggy nicknamed them after scooby doo. The combination of the nick name and the mascot made the gummies sell like hotcakes at the mystery machine food truck. The company doesn’t actually put weed in the dog safe gummies, but scooby thinks so. Shaggy hides his actual gummies and only sells weed gummies by request (The Scrappy-Dum Snacks). Scooby is mix of pit bull and brown lab for the most part.

[helaintoloki]

The Overlook Hotel

pairing: Dan Torrance x reader

warnings: language, some graphic imagery, possessed Dan, slight angst, fluff, about 2k in length

notes: I’ve wanted to write a Doctor Sleep piece for so long but was always hesitant because I knew my audience would be small. But what’s the point of writing anything if it’s only for the amount of notes you’ll get? anyway, this was created with components from the book, movie, and my own imagination. In the book Dan is legitimately Abra’s uncle by blood, but for this I thought it would be interesting if the reader was Abra’s mother and Dan was her estranged father. A lot of this is up for your interpretation so have some fun with it and enjoy! :)

The watchful presence of the spirits that reside in the hallways of the decaying hotel is the first sensation to strike you. A chill runs deep in your bones accompanied by the knowledge that you are not entirely alone in the Overlook. The musty smell of old wood and grimey carpets mixed with your own anxiety make you sick to your stomach, but you swallow down both your fear and the bile inching its way up your throat for Abra’s sake. You must get her somewhere safe, you must guard her with your life, and you must fulfill your promise to Dan.

You can understand now why little Danny Torrance had his apprehensions about this place. With its winding, disorienting hallways that never seem to go anywhere important and the lost souls that linger about

(“Great party, isn’t it?”)

in search of its new management, the Overlook is the bringer of nightmares and creator of evil. It takes and It destroys only to take and destroy again when It becomes understaffed. Well, you weren’t going to let It take Abra and you certainly wouldn’t let It take Dan. Over your

(his)

dead body.

But it isn’t until the hotel “wakes up” that you realize your lives are in danger. You wouldn’t necessarily say you have the shining because you don’t, just a natural instinct when it comes to your daughter and her father, and from your hiding spot in the hallway

(Both Dan and Abra refused to have you out there with Rose present. Stay close but stay hidden, that was the plan)

you could sense something was wrong. Abra didn’t have time to explain as she sprinted towards you, and you didn’t question it as she took your hand and guided you along with her. You trusted that your daughter knew what she was doing, and you had to assume this was all part of the plan.

“When I say the word, you two need to run. I’ll come get you both when she’s dead,” Dan had hastily instructed you whilst preparing for the arrival of Rose the Hat. With the axe still gripped tightly in his hands did he give you a hurried, sloppy, desperate kiss that was too rushed to convey just how much he loved you but had a long enough duration to blanket you with a sense of comfort. No matter what happened, you would be okay. That was the mantra you chanted over and over again in your mind as you navigated the maze-like hallways of the hotel.

After stumbling across countless horrifying guests of the Overlook and struggling to access safe passage among the many locked rooms, the two of you finally stumble across a suite with the door cracked slightly ajar: Room 237. Anxious glances are exchanged between Abra and yourself, but there isn’t time for any apprehensions the two of you may have. The room exudes violent energy, that much is certain, but so does the rest of the hotel. Your options are to stay out in the open and face whatever may come your way- and something is coming - or take your chances inside the suite.

“Inside, Abba-Doo,” you instruct calmly, but the frantic nature of the way you gently push her inside reveals your inner turmoil. You pray that Dan has finished Rose the Hat off once and for all, you hope she suffered and you hope her death was agonizingly slow because that bitch messed with your daughter and you will not tolerate such nonsense. Your hatred for the woman could easily be compared to that of Abra’s, her vengeful smile always at the forefront of Dan’s mind. It scared him to know his own daughter, the sweetest little girl he’d ever met, could be so spiteful. It almost reminded him of his father in a sense, and that just made his stomach sink with guilt.

(If Dan had a dollar for every time he’d hoped and prayed to his higher power to make sure Abra hadn’t inherited any of the bad Torrance genes, he could buy the three of you a nice house along the coast of California.)

You shut and lock the door behind you, though you’re not sure what good it will do at keeping the spirits out. They know this place better than either of you do, and they’re probably laughing at your pathetic attempt to protect yourselves right this moment.

“Mom?” Abra calls quietly, voice lilting ever so slightly. Her wide eyes are faced towards the bathroom, body unmoving and skin paling significantly at what sits before her.

You smell it before you see it, the decaying flesh, the mold and mildew collecting not only in the tub itself but on her corpse as well. The sagging skin of her arm leaves brown droplets of water on the bath mat below her as she ploddingly pulls back the shower curtain. It’s her undead smile that makes your knees weak in a way that almost forces your legs out from under you, a smile full of rotten teeth, a smile that conveys her intentions to harm the both of you. Instinctively do your arms wrap around Abra’s shoulders as you pull her close to your trembling form, eyes never once leaving the woman in the tub as she begins to rise from the murky water.

“Abra, if she takes even one step out of that bathtub, I want you to run,” you breathe shakily, glancing around the room for any item you could possibly wield as a weapon. Maybe you should have stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a knife, but there hadn’t been enough time.

“He’s coming,” Abra says suddenly, her muscles tense underneath your fingertips and her eyes tightly shut. “Mom, you have to remember that it’s still Dan. He’s still in there, you can’t forget that.” There are tears in her eyes now, voice trembling as she pleads for you to understand.

“Abra, what are you talking about?” You urge uneasily, but your question is answered by the sounds of shouting coming from down the hallway.

“Where are you, you little pups?! Come out and take your fucking medicine!”

“No.... Not Dan,” you utter helplessly. “Oh god, please not him.”

“Y/N!” He shouts louder now, prompting an unsolicited scream to tumble from your lips. A hand quickly slaps over your mouth to silence yourself but the damage is done. Out in the hallway he grins wickedly, grip on the axe tightening as he limps towards room 237.

“Little pig, little pig, let me in,” Dan taunts menacingly, knocking the wooden end of the axe against the door. His voice is warped, coarse and rough and not his own. Though they come from his lips, those are not his words.

“Abra, get behind me,” you demand hoarsely, coaxing her to act as if you were her shield. She can feel you trembling against her, sense the rapid beating of your heart, and feel the anguish swimming inside of you as if it is her own. You don’t want to lose Dan, not now, not after finding him again years after you’d last met, not when you had just started to rebuild a family together.

The doors slam open so suddenly you nearly trip over your own two feet and land on the dingy couches behind you, Abra following close behind. The figure that stands before you is a shell of the man you love. He flashes a deranged grin your way while limping closer and closer to you both, and his grip on the weapon is so tight his knuckles are almost as white as the milky haze over his right eye. This murderous man is the same man who had held you close in bed just nights before

(“I love you, and I’m never letting you go again.”)

and he’s itching to hack you and Abra to pieces.

“There you are, pups,” he coos with false tenderness. “You bitches have caused me a lot of heartache, dragging me into your bullshit like I’m some kind of a chump!”

“Dan...” You step backward, and he staggers forward.

“You’re just two mouths to feed, two mouths to bitch and complain, two mouths who cost money and time.”

“Danny, please,” you weep, stomach summersaulting as you back into the couch with nowhere left to run.

“Well I’ve had just about enough,” Dan seethes. His shoulders roll back as he begins to raise the axe, and he intends to make you his first victim. “It’s time to take your medicine, y/n. Let’s see if you can handle it-“

“You’re a false face!” Abra blurts, causing Dan to momentarily falter. “You’re not my dad.”

“Who else would I be?” The monster jests with a condescending smile painted across its lips.

“You’re the hotel.”

“Masks off then,” it replies unbothered. “Step aside child, your mother’s about to get what she deserves.”

“Maybe you should think about where you’re standing before you try to hurt us.”

“Abra,” you whimper, hands gripping almost painfully at her shoulders. Tears stream steadily down both of your faces, but her voice is much more relaxed and steadier than yours. “Abra, what are you doing?”

“The body you’re standing in, the face you’re wearing, that’s Dan Torrance. My father.”

“Dan Torrance,” the Overlook cackles mockingly.

“The man who stopped by the boiler room as soon as he got here.” The laughter stops abruptly then at her revelation, and for the first time tonight the Hotel is afraid.

“You little brat,” It seethes before swinging the axe forward. A scream escapes you as you yank your daughter back, but the blade halts its slice midair as the fog over Dan’s mind begins to fade. He falters with a moan, allowing Abra to gently guide the weapon away from endangering you both.

“Abra?” Dan groans, his voice now his own.

“Dan!” You all but cry, immediately throwing yourself into his arms. He wastes no time in pulling you desperately close to his body, his nose buried into your hair and his bloodied hand coming to cradle the back of your head.

“I told you both to run,” Dan scolds gingerly.

“We couldn’t leave you,” Abra admits in a trembling voice only to be pulled into the hug by her father. “Not when we just got you back.”

“My girls,” Dan all but sobs, “I’m so sorry for everything. I could never hurt you, I could never lay a hand on you. You don’t deserve this.”

“All that matters now is that we’re together,” you sniffle, a tearful smile gracing your features as you rest your hands upon his cheeks. “And from now on we always will be.”

Both Dan and Abra understand it’s not that simple, but at the moment neither of them care to voice their concerns. It’s been years since anyone has had a happy moment in this dastardly hotel, and Dan intends to savor this time for all its worth. His father hadn’t been able to escape his inner demons, and he hadn’t been able to protect his family; the Overlook hotel had consumed Jack Torrance.

But it wouldn’t take Dan. Not without a fight.

*note: the gif used above is not mine !

[gorebabybunny]

Furby wish list!

Welp, its happened yet again...

I’ve found another thing I want to collect. So, might as well compile this list since tumblr is a pretty big furby hot spot. 

Lets divide this shall we? I’ll be going by generation, most of these are in want to either custom or theme after a character!

1998 FURBIES;

These are the original furbies, small, less fluffy, but had a lot of generations that came in its surrounding years. It received no major style changes until 2005, so any furby with this look is called a 1998 furby. In 1999 furbies were banned from the NSA as they could theoretically be used to record information. This is because furbies are an early AI based toy, using now outdated tech to have the toy respond and learn from you.

1) Red wolf furby 

I want this more just for myself, though I imagine a Tord themed one could be done with it if I change my mind!

Preference: Working... Though a nonworking one would be nice to have if I didn’t plan on modifying. 

2) Dragon furby

This was the first furby I set my heart on! I want one to make a Sonic the hedgehog custom with. I do not want the fresh new look version! As those ones have a black face and Sonic does not.

Preference: Open to working or nonworking

3) Racing furby

This is considered a special edition furby! Which means he would be really special! I want to modify one to be a Tom custom! I mean duh, he’s perfect for one!

Preference: I’d love a mute one for him but I doubt thats very possible to find!

4) Santa furby

like the racing furby, this one is a special edition. I want this one just to have, though I would take that dumb hat off.

Preference: nonworking so he can’t spread holiday cheer thx

1998 FURBY BABIES:

The furby babies were actually released 1999 but as stated before, because they have the original furby shape that is how they are referred to. Furby babies are smaller and hvae limited responses/interactions. They also feature more pastel colours. 

1) Sunny yellow furby baby

Look, I have no clue why but the second I saw this furby I was in love. This would be one to just have and if I modified it would be to add freckles or something. I just... Look at them, theyre a little baby bird!

preference: Working

2) Pink and blue furby babies

I would either take both or just one of these duo. I think they would make pretty cute twins though. 

preference: Creepy twins? Working please!

3) Lime green baby furby

I want this one to make an Invader Zim custom with... Cuz he’s baby obviously! He would be pretty heavily modified. MIGHT become a long furby.

Preference: LOUD AND PROUD WORKING MAMA

2005 FURBIES:

These furbies are probably my favorite... Likely as they’re the ones I had as a kiddo. In this generation they had their first total redesign. Features were remodeled but were arguably not as good. They did not have a light sensor and in touch relied totally on touch and sound to communicate. While they responded better to humans, among other furbies this posed a challenge.  

They are also larger than the original furby, had plastic immovable feet and silicon covered mouths. For me, I remember the weird little mouth most fondly. Because the creators were going for a more realistic look, they have a permanently drugged expression. They are also supposedly pretty hard to skin and customize. 

1) Strawberry swirl 2005

This is by far my favorite furby, something about them look so delicate and sweet, like someone I wanna come home and be comforted by after a bad day. This model is also more pricey than others for some reason.

Preference: Working

2) Sleepy blue 2005

Something about this furby looks so sweet, I just love him! 

preference: Working

3) Sleepy pink 2005

NOW! I actually have already gotten this one, it is on its way to me through the mail. I will be turning it into a working Edd furby!

4) Charcoal 2005

I just,, Love this boy so much, look at his lil ears,, He feeds my dark soul energy

Preference: Working or nonworking I love him all the same

2005 FURBY BABY:

Now these ones are special.

Based off the 2005 furby (as it was released the same year) the 2005 furby baby had a unique look. Their legs were more defined and pose-able. I would say these are the most alien looking of all the furbies. 

1) Any skinned furby 2005 baby. Any. 

I want a skinned 2005 furby so I can make a Gir custom! I would be hand making the skin into a little costume! This is the only image I could find lol

Preference: I’d be fine with it not working but my world would be made if it was.

2012 FURBIES: 

These furbies were basically the major tech update! At this point they are increasingly less releastic (a sharp contrast from the 2005) and more robot based. This is likely because modern tech had reach a high with children. They can develop a different personality based om how you play with it. They resemble the 1998 body shape but nothing else quite lines up. At this point, the ears are now plastic and their tail has become an interaction point. 

Because these are newer models and can still be bought in some stores, I will not include my preference towards working or nonworking as most should still be active. 

1) White 2012 (AKA Yeti furby)

I just love this little white fluff! He’s just super cute and soft. 

2) Black cherry 2012

I want this one for a Tord custom! Though customizing 2012 and ups are difficult.

3) Festive Sweater furby BOOM

This is technically a separate model but there isn’t much a difference aside from the ears and colours. I love his metallic look though I could care less about the Christmas pattern.

FURBY CONNECT:

Furby connect is the most recent model of furby as of may 2020. It has bluetooth capabilities and the most language skills. Despite the age gap in products, all furbies can communicate with one another. This model is extremely soft and fluffy... Though it should be noted that they can be hacked into if in direct contact. To make these furbies go to sleep, they have a plastic face mask you insert into their above sensor. These are the most interactive. There LCD eyes are lit up with better graphics than the 2012 and booms.

1) Blue furby connect

I’m in love with their softness and sweet eyes. He is definitely on the top of my list!

LONG FURBIES:

Long furbies are home made furbs with (usually) authentic faces and bodies that are sewn into a long tube like thing. The practice is to actually extend the furby. These can be commissioned by artists but most people make them at home. They often have a plastic skeleton inside. 

I will include one example photo THAT IS NOT MINE but the rest of the images will be the bases I want for the long furbies. 

Typically it is only done with 1998 furbies. 

AGAIN THIS IS NOT MY PICTURE, JUST AS NONE OF THESE ARE, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER SOMEONE HOME MADE THIS AND CREDIT IS DESERVED WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.

1) Blueberry 1998 furby base

I want to turn this into a long furby custom based of Dib from Invader Zim... I would attempt to make it a working model but if thats not possible then a simple plush would do

List of customs from character I want to make that were not listed:

Matt (eddsworld)

As of right now, these are the furbies I want! I will probably add more later... Especially since I’m not quite satisfied on my Tord choice

[gh0stlightblog]

Hot Damn

Summary: George fucking dies and Phil takes him to Hell Court™

(i had so many options for puns for the title-)

(warning: swearing, mentions of death)

  ~*~

George jolted awake, eyes wide with panic and shaking slightly. A black void surrounded him and whatever flooring was beneath felt cold, almost like water.

"W-what the hell?!" he stammered, his words echoing and bouncing around the... room? He didn't know where he was, in fact he didn't even remembered how he got here! All he remembered was sitting in his friend's speeding car, the sirens behind, and then-

"Hello." A calm voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked around. A man with pale blond hair and green-and-white striped hat was stood behind him, black robes covering his body. George was quick to notice to gleaming scythe in his hand that was just taller than the man himself.

"H-hi?" George replied, putting on a nervous smile. "Uh, where am I?"

"The afterlife."

George felt dread pool in his stomach. "O-oh... So I did get shot..."

The man nodded, a sad smile on his face. "Yes, you did," he said with a nod. "I understand if you need to mourn but I will also need you to follow me."

George nodded and stood up to follow him, feeling slightly intimidated by the giant scythe hovering its blade over his head. As they walked, George noticed the large black wings on the man's back but decided not to question it.

"Hey uh, actually where are we going?" George asked, the shock of suddenly being in the afterlife finally wearing off. "I thought you said this was the afterlife? Seems pretty boring... Also uh, who are you?"

The man chuckled with a surprisingly warm smile on his face. "I'm usually known amongst mortals as the Grim Reaper, but since you're dead now you can just call me Phil. I'm taking you to the Court of Souls, where you'll be put on trial to see whether you go to heaven or hell."

"Oh, I thought you just automatically go to one or the other?" George asked, tilting his head.

"Well for most it is," Phil explained. "But for some people, like you, it's harder to decide what your moral compass is. Small white crimes usually just go to heaven, terrorists go to hell, but a hacking into and robbing a bank takes some more thought."

George was about to ask how he knew about that when Phil put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from nearly crashing into a ridiculously tall door. He gazed up at what looked like a cream colored palace with gold accents and a red carpet peeking out from under the door.

Phil glanced at him and smirked. "Hope you're ready."

The doors burst open dramatically and George was met with a large throne room and 7 people, all of which seemed to be arguing with each other.

"We really couldn't have done this at Pride's place?" a tan man complained, slumping in his golden throne. "It's so much nicer there, this place is shit."

"Language!" a man with strawberry blond hair yelped, eyeing the raven-haired. "There's children here!"

"For the last time I'M NOT A FUCKING CHILD!" a blond yelled from the other side of the line of seats.

Phil fake-coughed in an attempt to get their attention and the pink-haired one in the middle turned to him. He quickly straightened up and snapped his fingers a few times. The rest of the group looked over and seemed to notice George and Phil standing there.

"Oh, hey there," a man with curly brown hair said, waving at the two from where he was laying down. "Nice to meet ya."

The blond next to him gave him a harsh shove with a disgusted look. "Ew, don't hit on him, you're like a hundred years older than him."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "Who gives a shit, we're dead," he scoffed. "Plus, I'm not gay, I'm just being nice."

"Well you make so many jokes about it I can't tell anymore-!"

"Shut up you two," the pink-haired snapped, giving them both a harsh glare. He glanced back at Phil and George, staring at both of them with a withering glare. "So this is who we have to trial?"

"Yup, George Nolfund," Phil said with a smile that seemed too bright for the situation they were in. "He's come down here because he was out robbing a bank with some friends."

He turned to the brunette next to him who was staring at the rag-tag group with pure bewilderment. "George, this is the 7 Deadly Sins of Hell," he explained, gesturing to them.

"Pride-"

The pink haired one in the middle glared at him with scarlet red eyes. He was sat on a golden throne with ruby colored cushioning, and adorned in a dark red cape with a fur trim. A diamond sword leaned against his throne, gleaming dangerously, and a shining golden crown sat on his head.

"Envy-"

The raven-haired with tan skin was sat in an identical golden throne, one leg propped up on the velvet seat. He wore a bright cyan beanie and matching t-shirt hoodie, black irises glaring at George with a scowl on his face.

"Greed-"

A dirty blond man in a lime-green hoodie was sitting in a similar throne, although his was lavished with even more riches and spoils. A strange white mask covered his eyes and a silver sword was at his hip, shining as brightly as the snarky grin on his face.

"Lust-"

The brunette laying on a victorian-style chaise lounge flashed him a smile, adjusting his black beanie slightly. He had a black jacket over a white collared shirt, the top few buttons undone, and a slick guitar was strapped over his back.

"Wrath-"

The blond in a red and white shirt bared his teeth in a glower, crossing his arms. He was sitting on a generic stool that looked to shiny to be real wood, not to mention the various chunks taken out of it.

"Gluttony-"

The strawberry blond look up from his muffin and waved, sat on a throne that looked to be made of various sweets and deserts. A dark gray cloak covered him and he had on a checkered gray sweater underneath, with little devil horns on the top of his hood that George couldn't tell if they were real or not.

"And Sloth."

A man with black hair was slouched on a beanbag, looking up at George sleepily from under a white headband. He was wearing a black turtleneck with a white t-shirt thrown on top, the flame design on the front crumpled and folded like it'd never seen an iron in its life.

"You will be judged by them to see if you go to Hell or Heaven," Phil said. "So I suggest you be on your best behavior," he added with a smirk.

"So what's the crime?" Greed asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Phil snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared in his hands. "Well, George here is from a rather well-off family but ended up being disowned by his parents and turned to a life of crime, working as a hacker for a group of well-known robbers in the city."

George shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable at how much the man knew.

"Well G-"

"Well George," Pride interrupted, glaring at Greed. "That certainly doesn't sound like heaven material." He glanced over at his partners then back at George. "I say we just send him down. Greed you can take him, he seems boring."

Greed clapped his hands together happily. "Wonderful!"

"I- whoa, hold on!" Gluttony cut in, nearly choking on his mouthful of muffin. "We need to talk more! He's here on trial for a reaso-"

"I say send him down," Lust said, grinning slyly at the brunette before him. "I'll take him in if he seems like a bother, the more the merrier as they say."

"Guys we need to talk-"

"Actually, I'll be taking him, thank you very much," Envy hissed, shooting a glare at him.

"SHUT UP I WANNA HEAR GLUTTONY!" Wrath yelled, making Lust who was sitting next to him nearly fall off his chair.

Gluttony sighed, taking another bite of his muffin. "As I was saying," he began again, giving a pointed look to Envy who turned away sourly. "Whilst I do agree he doesn't seem like heaven material, we need to actually agree what faction he'll go to. No just calling dibs Greed."

Pride huffed, rolling his eyes. "Well I'm not taking him," he grumbled. "He doesn't even seem proud of his sins, hell he seems remorseful." He made a fake gagging noise which made Lust giggle.

"I don't think he fits Lust either," Lust commented, rolling onto his back to look at George upside down. "Robbing a bank isn't very sexy."

"Not Gluttony either," Gluttony added, voice muffled from a mouthful of muffin. "Least he didn't burn down a house trying to make a cake! Actually, 3 houses," he added with a giggle.

George winced slightly, imagining the flames consuming the building all for the sake of a measly pastry.

"Yup, definitely not Gluttony," the strawberry blond said, seeing his reaction. He glanced over at Sloth who seemed to have fallen asleep. "Got anything to say Sloth?"

The raven-haired jolted awake, spluttering for words and trying to grasp reality for a moment. "Uh- I- yeah, did you say something?" he asked, grinning slightly.

Gluttony huffed in frustration. "We're trying to figure out what faction to put uh..."

"George."

"Right. What faction to put George in. You got anything to say?"

Sloth shrugged, resting his head in his arms. "I dunno. Didn't you say he like, robbed a bank? Probably not fit for Sloth then."

"Geez you actually have something to contribute," Wrath muttered.

"Well do you have anything to add dipshit?" Sloth shot back, smirking.

Wrath bristled, gripping the edge of his stool tightly. "You're the dipshit, dipshit!" he retorted, before glaring over at George and making the brunette flinch. "He's too nice, acts like one of Lust's bitches."

"I don't want him either," Envy quickly added, looking away. "He looks... dumb..."

"Then I do get him!" Greed exclaimed, grinning. "Hell yeah!"

Phil smiled that all-too-friendly smile again. "Alright then! Trial over! You guys can get back to whatever and I'll take this one down on under!"

Sloth was gone before he even finished speaking, and Pride quickly followed in suit. Lust waved goodbye before vanishing as well. Gluttony sent him one last smile before disappearing and Envy sent him a glare before following.

"Bye bitch boy," Wrath sneered before leaving.

Greed gave him a final smile and a wave. "It was great to meet you George!" he exclaimed with a smile that seemed almost fake. "See you in Hell."

[cleaduvalls]

i watched “spy kids” 4 times in 1 week and here are my thoughts

carmen your nightgown is like 200 years old, get a new one

you clearly know this story by heart, you’re saying parts of it. why are you questioning what “take him out” means

a double wig should be more obvious than that

we can see that that’s a glass elevator. people can see you changing, ingrid

nice hat

why did you kill the swan

is that paul rudd???????

how are jets ripping pages out of a book

heart shaped parachutes shouldn’t be working that well

why is there a guitar on your bed. how do you sleep

i think the kids would have seen the track in the floor at SOME point

why is there a jungle gym in their house. i know they’re spies but who has a jungle gym.... in their HOUSE

carmen you’re a frog

i think juni just legitimately try to kill carmen

why are both parents going to school. is that like, a Thing????

juni how do you do that

who puts a video screen in the front seat

hey look its floop. love that guy

they’re not picking on you for the bandages, it’s cuz you brought the toys OUTSIDE your backpack. always put them inside. trust me

did his mirror just.... zoom in?????

h*ck yeah beat him up greg

do all the other kids hate him too??????

dang that hurt

“chief” that’s so white

stupid kid. his dads a spy

that floop doll isn’t even close to accurate

hey look its floop again. love that dude

Big Willy Wonka Energy

oooh skipping numbers i see. love that

why do the subtitles have “mr. floop” as his name. its just floop, yall

“sometimes in order to think big you have to think small” pretty inspirational tbh

oh hes fidgeting!!!!!! love that

woah what are you doing this is rated pg ingrid

i wish my uncles would tell me im shrinking. they just make small talk abt school 😔

this gradenko lady looks like jan from the office

hey its floop again!!!!! love that dude

yes juni. its a fire drill in your own home

these dudes have a jungle gym AND a pool. what the h*ck

why did you pull off your mustache to prove you’re not related. if anything that makes you more related. greg does that too

why did he put the mustache back ON

where did those boats come from

carmen says manual weird. man-yull

right, cuz adrenaline causes warts

“don’t touch anything” *immediately touches everything*

basic boat ettiquette: don’t shit in the boat. those toilets can’t handle anything

is that globe..... punched in???????

floop!!!!!!! love that dude

feet on the desk????? i dunno seems pretty gay

since when did carmen get keys to that

i might be wrong but i dont think thats every country

what does pressure have to do with positioning a laser

this floor is the best mechanic in the whole movie. reminds me of a richie rich comic i had as a kids

why did they not run into the wall. i wanted to see that

is the slide there when floop films his show????

HEY ITS FLOOP!!!! love that dude

theres a bunch of normal food like.... sour worms. why did they pick the slime from charlie and the chocolate factory when johnny depp finds the oompa loompas

thats a sick coat. best one in the movie

that was a good snap. nice acoustics

God what a power move. something thanos would say

listen floop i love you but thats not how you say research

fELIX NO

and hes gone. cool

did she kick the camera?????

haha author unknown. cuz hes a spy

why did you take that one specifically????? plot convenience????

he can still be a spy, just not a good one. learn to read

is that supposed to be a question?????

FUN FACT if you listen closely when carmen says “like felix said” you can hear a weird cut in “said”, almost like its a new clip

theres no keyhole

i think juni can read. why are you spelling it

did you have the floop toys in your pocket????

OKAY THIS SCENE WHERE THEY PLAY IT BACKWARDS?????? THAT MESSED ME UP AS A KID 

what do those things do?????

i can feel the pain from the fan blades

how did that break the chain????

why would you annouce that. they can hear you. just because they’re thumbs doesn’t mean they’re deaf

that’s a thing, not a place

FLOOP!!!!! ON A BILLBOARD!!!! love that dude

how are you slipping. shes holding YOU

YOU DROPPED HIM GENIUS

how do people not notice the jetpack dudes

DOES NO ONE CARE THAT CLOTHES WERE STOLEN

that’s a cute coat

why is the lady cool with carmen just... doing that

HEY I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!!!!! AND THAT DUDE!!!!!

ofc you can’t think “straight enough” you’re gay

why is mexico sepia tone

when do you think juni had time to change and learn a new language

IF IT HURTS TO HIT HIM, S T O P

i wanna be on that merry-go-round

HOW DO YOU K N O W THAT HIS CODE NAME. WHY “MUST” IT BE HOMBRE

i love how junis just like “we already got a fake uncle”

LOOK AT HOW FLOOP IS SITTING!!!!!!!! THATS GAY!!!!!!! HE IS A HOMOSEXUAL!!!!!!!!

ALSO MORE FLOOP!!!! say it with me, LOVE THAT DUDE!!!!!!!!!!

minion looks like barry from friends

wait i lied this coat is better

we DO have uncles like that!!!!!

if your inventions are so good why is your font so BORING

hey wait carmen said that. hmmmmmmmm 🤔🤔🤔

glowsticks dont help you see like at all

the map looks like gallifreyan but its not. spy kids is older than the doctor who reboot

they go ZOOM

THATS NOT HOW YOU SAY MANUAL!!!!!!!

great job carmen YOU wrecked the plane

WHATS A REGULATOR

oh its just a breathing thing

haha pee joke. funney

where are the brains coming from???? that factory is Not Correct

if i were juni i would look back over all the floop’s fooglies tapes and see what the agents were saying backwards. once the mission was done, ofc

it took me like 5 minutes to figure out what sknaht meant the first time

SEE THIS MECHANIC IS GOOD BC NOW THERES NO PLEXIGLASS

WHY DOES NO ONE RUN INTO THE WALL

F L O O P  I S  G O D

love that dude

you discussed with the spy parents that juni watched the show. he just told you that you took his parents. you KNOW this is juni, why are you surprised that he watches it????? you already know!!!!!!

tbh i kinda want some of those colorful chains. they’d look cool somewhere

haha voice crack

no wonder your shows not doing well. those are awful times

why is there a sexy thumb nurse. why did floop make the thumb nurse sexy

use her first name?????? you’re clearly dating

!!!!!! THEY USED THE SAME TOOL MULTIPLE TIMES!!!!!! UNHEARD OF!!!!!!!

he cares so much about this show!!!!!! its so sweet!!!! love that dude

YEP THIS COAT IS BETTER, LOOKS A M A Z I N G IN A RUNNING SCENE

haha you killed carmen

ok this scene with the acid crayon is like my absolute favorite. something about using a crayon to escape and then floop (love that dude) opening the door a second later and then doing a double take. FAVE

wheres belize

ok so apparently its a country by mexico

no you CANT tell her you need to ESCAPE

we finally got a clean outside shot of the castle.... that place is wack

haha minion can’t sit in the hand chair correctly because hes STRAIGHT what a loser

hey juni HOW DO YOU DO THAT

minion you know what the robot costumes look like AND what juni looks like. dont be stupid

what..... what do you want carmen for, exactly, minion??????

floop is supportive of others’ art!!!!!!!!!!! love that dude

HE SAID “WHERE’S MOM AND DAD” LIKE THEY’RE HIS OWN PARENTS THAT’S SO C U T E

ALSO ANOTHER SCENE WITH THE GREAT RUNNING COAT

he says doppelganger beautifully

“its too late” that timing was BEAUTIFUL

you COULD take 500 brains out if you just TRIED HARDER. still love that dude

his control panel has buttons that spell “floop”

WHY CAN MINION TALK NORMAL

if its reversible why do you have it in later movies

carmen fights fake juni and juni fights fake carmen because they didnt have the fancy clone (?) technology

THREE TIMES!!!!!! THEY USED THE SAME TOOL T H R E E  T I M E S THIS HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!

nice censorship

HOW DID MACHETE SMASH ONLY THE CLEAR WINDOWS AND A L L THE CLEAR WINDOWS THERE ARE NO MORE CLEAR WINDOWS!!!!!! ANYWHERE!!!!!

wow nice 3 buttons thats totally how you hack

oh look they have all died

oh. guess not :((

machete you better rip off your mustache

HES GOING TO JUNIS LEVEL TO TALK TO HIM!!!!!!! HE RUFFLED HIS HAIR!!!!!!!!! HES GONNA MAKE A GREAT DAD!!!!!!!

wow no shit ingrid

did he leave his wart bandaid on the kitchen counter?????

ALAN CUMMING!!!! ON A CEREAL BOX!!!!

ok CLEARLY other people watch floop’s show, he’s rated number 2. kids at the school are gonna recognize juni and carmen. they better get popular

is that george clooney

well that’s not how it works in spy kids 2. or 3. or 4. or the tv show

[meetthetank]

Perversion of a Desperate Prayer

Rating: Mature                                

Archive Warning: Graphic depictions of violence

Category: F/M

Fandom: NieR: Automata (Video Game)

Relationship: 2B/9S (NieR: Automata)

Characters: 9S (NieR: Automata), Masamune - Character, 4S (NieR: Automata)

 Additional Tags: feral androids, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Route C/D

Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the Overdose Delusion series 

Due to recent tumblr fuckery I won’t be putting a link to the Ao3 page in this post. Next time it should be good to put a link in though. Hopefully.

Summary: 9S gets his wish.

Why 9S hadn’t killed the machine blacksmith yet is a mystery to him. Watching the armored thing work, with its back turned to him, it would be so easy to run him through with a spear, cleave him in two with a sword, or pummel him to death with a bracer. He could hack the thing, and it wouldn’t have the time to react before its controls are overridden. Yes, it would be simple, quick, painless. More than any machine deserves.

Yet as he holds his hand out to prepare a hack, he fails to go through with it. Seeing the little machine restore the worn white blade to a pristine state halts his attack. 9S lowers his hand with a tired sigh. Every one of those thoughts becomes harder and harder to not act on. He wonders how long it’ll be before he finally does.

9S’ head snaps up as the gears in the little armored machine click and whirr to life. Its torso turns completely around with its legs following soon after.

“There. Good as new,” it says in that grating mechanical drone shared by its brethren.

9S gives the machine a half-hearted thanks as he takes the massive white sword. He nearly loses his grip on the heavy blade before letting it be digitized by his pod for storage. His fingers trace the fading pieces of data with a will of their own.

“...Where is your partner, the owner of that sword. I haven’t seen her in some time.”

The machine’s words cut into his chest, making his whole body tighten as if he had been hit with a physical attack.

“She…” 9S isn’t sure why it’s so hard for him to explain this to an unfeeling machine, but forcing the words out is like swallowing coals, “She’s gone.”

“Ah...my condolences.”

9S turns away from it to hide the sneer that twists his face. What could a machine know about loss, about his pain? What could it know about 2B?

Drawing in a shaky breath, he exits the hidden workshop to resume trek to the resource unit floating nearby. Yet just as he’s about to leave, the machine calls him back.

“Wait, young android. Before you go, heed this warning.”

He stops, casting a tired glance backward at the blacksmith.

“There’s something lurking around the castle of late.”

“...What is it.” 9S curses his curiosity.

“I’m not sure. It seems to be an android...or rather, it seems like it used to be an android. It looks closer to a beast now.”

9S wishes he didn’t know what the machine was referring to. In the time since he's woken up, he’s seen more of these androids turned beasts than he ever wished. He counts himself lucky that they don’t seem to go out of their way to attack him. n Ifact they seem more like skittish animals than the monsters he recalls.

“...I’ll keep an eye out for it,” he mutters before leaving the machine blacksmith to its work.

“It’s like a living shadow. You’ll hear its simple weapon scraping across the ground before you see it.”

Despite 9S being nearly certain that this beastly android won’t drop from the high towers of the castle on him, there’s a distinct feeling of unease that puts him on edge. He instinctively reaches for his sword at every warped shadow or rustling leaves. How silly of him to be so scared by the words of a machine. The senseless thing probably saw a boar or moose inside the castle walls and thought it some monster.

And yet…

If it’s right…

9S keeps his sword in hand. Just in case.

There’s one more thing he has to do before taking on that floating tower of scrap that haunts his peripheral vision. Deeper within the castle lies the library, a sprawling collection of unreadable rotted books and home to the older scanner, 4S. 9S isn’t sure why he chose to isolate himself so far away from the other androids, if something happened to him it’d be hours or even days before anyone would know something was wrong. With this creature supposedly lurking around, his visit to 4S is twofold. To share enemy data as he requested, and to make sure the older model is okay. A part of him says he’s being too paranoid but ever since...He doesn’t want to lose anyone else.

The castle itself is eerie without the hoards of machines loyal to their king. Trekking through used to be a chore as he would have to fight through countless armored machines trying to stop him from getting too close to the infant king. But he could always rely on…

…

But she’s gone now.

And he’s alone.

She called him “Nines” here. She tried to deny it, but he knows what he heard. Her icy demeanor crumbled and was rebuilt in an instant, but he saw someone who cared about him. Someone who…

9S takes a deep breath and wipes the moisture pooling at the corner of his eyes. He lies to himself, it’s just the humidity and dust in the air. He doesn’t have time to sit and cry.

Emotions are prohibited anyway.

4S waves to him as he enters the library then hops down the series of ladders and balconies to meet him. His enthusiasm brings a little smile back to 9S’ face.

“Hey, Nines.”

As soon as that smile appears, it’s gone, replaced by pursed lips and clenched teeth, “Hey.”

4S studies him quietly for a moment before continuing, “Brought me some more data?”

“Yeah. Here you go.”

There are only a few enemy data files to transfer over, simple variations on stubbies and the like. The transfer is over in an instant.

“Hm, I wonder why the machines have such a fascination with hats. They don’t seem to have any purpose in combat.”

“There’s no reason behind anything the machines do.” 9S growls.

“I-...Well yeah, I guess.”

4S dismisses his screen and places his hand on 9S’ shoulder in a gesture of comfort that the younger model has to force himself to accept.

“Hey...do you want to take a break? You’ve been going nonstop ever since-...You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine.”

“...Okay. Well, if you want to talk at all I’ll be here.”

Beneath his visor, 9S stares at the ground between their feet. He can’t meet the other scanner’s gaze. He doubts he could even look at himself right now.

“Thanks.”

There’s a long pause between them, both unsure of what exactly to do. 4S lowers his hand at steps away from him, “...Be careful, okay?”

“Yeah,” 9S mutters as he turns to leave the library and continue his grim quest.

“It’s not just the machines now, you know.”

9S stops in his tracks, “What?”

“Yeah, there’s more than just machines to worry about now. There’s the infected YorHa units too, not to mention this...thing that I’ve seen in the castle.”

“You too, huh? That machine blacksmith by the throne room mentioned something unusual as well.”

“Masamune was the one who warned me about it. I didn’t pay much attention to him until I saw it myself.”

That takes 9S by surprise. The blacksmith’s word only served to unnerve him a little, good for nothing except a bit of paranoia. Coming from 4S, however, it’s far more credible.

“Is it...dangerous?” 9S asks.

“Dunno. It ran away the moment I saw it. It did have this...scary looking weapon, though.”

“So it has the potential to be dangerous.”

“Definitely.”

“Right. Be careful, then. Odd’s are it’ll get bored and wander off.”

They two scanners say their goodbyes to each other before 9S leaves the library, nearly sprinting through the halls of the castle to reach the exit. Even though both the machine blacksmith and 4S said that the monster lurking around is nothing more than a scared animal by nature, the idea that something unknown could be waiting in the shadows disturbs him.

Yet…

Curse his curiosity. If he could, he’d search for the beast. He could already hear 2B-...

…

He’s sure that 2B would chastise him for not focusing on their mission.

But she’s gone now.

…

It’s just him.

Him and his mission.

The blinding light of the never changing sun takes him by surprise. 9S finds himself in the large courtyard that separates the two halves of the castle, yet he doesn’t remember the trip here. A dense fog clouds his mind, but that’s been the case for some time now.

How long has it been?

The red-haired twins said he was out for two weeks after 2B died but after that?

Days? Weeks? Months?

Time has been moving so oddly lately. Not that it matters.

None of it really matters.

9S looks to the sky, to the sun locked eternally in the center. A few clouds drift by, giving him a small reprieve from the blistering, unrelenting sunlight. Staring up at the vast expanse of blue obscured by the clouds and the heavy vegetation of the ancient forest, he suddenly feels small. Insignificant.

Alone.

Really, truly alone.

There’s a dull, yet deep ache in his chest that lingers no matter how much he bunches his coat in his hand.

“2B…” he mutters to no one but himself.

If she were here...things would be so much different. No YorHa, no missions. They would be free. Free to explore, free to feel, free to do whatever they felt.

“If I could see you, just once more….Maybe I could finally-”

A sudden intense jolt of electricity runs from the back of his neck to the rest of his body, literally shocking him out of his daze. He whips around to see exactly what had attacked him, only to find his pod floating close behind him, with arcs of electricity jumping between one of its claws.

“Pod?! What the hell, why did you do that?!”

“Unit 9S did not respond to the previous five warnings. Preventative measures were taken to assure unit 9S was operating properly.”

“Warnings?” Had he really been that oblivious? “What warnings?”

“This pod detected a black box signal eleven minutes ago but was unable identify the unit it belongs to.”

“What does that mean?!”

“A black box cannot be identified when the unit has suffered severe corruption that affects the identification chip of the unit.”

“Where is the signal coming from?”

“Five meters away.”

9S scans the courtyard frantically for anything hiding in plain sight. The longer he goes without finding anything the more panicked he becomes. A loud scrape echoes across the castle, something metallic being dragged across the stone floor. It’s impossible to pinpoint and only serves to further stress 9S.

“Come on...where are you…”

He searches for any movement, anything out of the ordinary hiding in the bushes and shrubs that dot the courtyard. Any oddly moving shadows or misplaced shapes, but it’s difficult to discern anything through the mess of vegetation. The two bright lights that shine through the underbrush-

“Pod!”

At 9S’ command, Pod 153 fires a barrage of shots into the foliage that obscures the creature with glowing white eyes. Whatever it is lets out a pathetic high pitched whine as the energy bullets rip apart its hiding place. A massive shadow darts out of the bushes with speed that shouldn’t be possible of a creature that size, dragging what appears to be a length of rusted iron. Pod’s fire trails it as it bursts out of the vegetation in a shadowy blur, any bullet that does manage to hit it simply ricochets off of the thick black fabric that covers the monster.

Like Masamune and 4S said it doesn’t pay 9S attention at all, it rushes past him, only trying to avoid the pod fire. It moves so fast that he can’t get a decent look at what exactly it is. There’s at least one arm, the one that clutches the hunk of iron that drags behind it. Another arm ending in fearsome claws appears as it leaps up the wall of the castle, scrambling for purchase on the sheer stone.

“Pod, fire laser at forty percent power at its empty hand!”

Pod 153’s body splits in two, revealing a series of lenses that immediately begin surging with power. As if sensing the incoming attack, the monster scrambles up the sheer walls as fast as its claws can pierce the bricks. With precise calculations, a beam of light explodes from the lenses and hits its mark on the shrouded creature’s hand just as its claws dig into the stonework. The brittle stone explodes with from the force of the blast, and with its handhold gone the beast plummets to the ground with an ear-splitting scream.

It lands on its side, a sickening crack echoes above all other sounds the moment the monster hits the earth, its crude weapon landing a moment later. A cloud of dust and dirt erupts around the beast and its weapon, obscuring them from 9S’ view. He shields his face from the rush of rubble and dust despite wearing his visor and coughs when he accidentally inhales a lungful.

As the dust disperses, 9S watches the monster writhe on the ground. It wails in a hauntingly familiar yet distorted tone as it tries to right itself. Its claws tangle in its shroud and prevent it from standing up. It manages to rise only to stumble over itself and crash back to the ground with another pathetic shriek.

9S strides forward with his black katana in hand. This thing was threatening his friend and one of the few machines he’s keeping alive. He has to put this shrieking thing out of its misery. Its unblinking eyes lock onto him as he approaches, gaze unwavering even while it forces itself to its feet. One of its arms, the one it landed on, dangles uselessly by its side. It breaks its focus on the encroaching android to try and make its damaged limb move to no avail. Its focus returns to 9S the moment he gets within a yard of it, and to his surprise, it cowers away from him. This creature that looms over him is... afraid of him.

Now that it isn’t running at breakneck speed 9S can finally get a good look at this thing. Beneath the tattered black shroud that covers most of its body, there are several shards of metal that jut out of its chest and stomach. Some of them look like broken weapons, others are rusted chunks of the same material as its weapon. Its arms and legs have similar patterns on the exposed bone, muscle, and frame as the android corpses that litter the city ruins. However, the beast’s warped claws, twisted feet, and those piercing white eyes are distinctly inhuman. He can’t see its face as its covered by the thick black cloth. In fact, that cloth seems to be made up of pieces of fabric and...hide stitched together haphazardly.

Its unblinking eyes flick between him and his sword, the arm that still functions feeling around for anything it could use to defend itself. Sometimes it nearly touches the handle of its iron cudgel. Fearing what would happen should it hold its weapon, 9S lunges forward with a shout. Just as he’s about to strike the beast across the chest it swings its body with enough force for its useless arm to beat him out of the air. 9S tumbles to the ground and prepares for a retaliation from the creature, but nothing happens. All it does is take hold of its weapon and watches him right himself.

9S snarls as he prepares a plan of attack. He won’t let this idiotic monster humiliate him in combat. He is a scanner, a top of the line model, and he’s fought far worse things than some rotting android. A ring of golden energy appears around his arm and around the hilt of his blade just before he throws it at the monster. It spins in an arc, circling the creature but never actually hitting it.

The beast crouches low to the ground, its joints cracking and groaning audibly. It tries to keep track of 9S’ sword but 9S forces it to move faster and faster until the monster stops trying to follow it and simply stares at him and whines. Seeing his opening, 9S forces the sword to return to his hand and dashes forward. With a pathetic yelp, it deflects this blade with the mass of iron, but the second attack hits its mark. The katana slices through its shroud but it doesn’t connect with the beast itself. It shrieks as it leaps back, batting away 9S’ sword with its own weapon.

Each strike from 9S either glances off the monster’s crude weapon or carves through its shroud. The already tattered fabric is shredded even further by 9S with each attack. It isn’t the fact that he doesn’t even hit the creature that makes him roar and scream at it, but the fact that it isn’t fighting back. It’s just mocking him, effortlessly blocking or avoiding strike after strike with its weapon or shroud. A twisting rage builds inside 9S that drives him to attack with reckless abandon.

Pod 153 acts without command, firing a barrage of bullets at the shroud and shredding it faster than any of 9S’ strikes could. It tries to huddle behind hits massive weapon but 9S is just as unrelenting as Pod’s bullets. He puts all his effort into a strike aimed directly at its head, and just as he expects it shreds the last of the cloth that still shields it from his attacks.

With a roar the beast finally strikes back, clubbing 9S across the body with its crude length of iron. The pain is so great that for a moment he loses visual feed as he crumbles to the ground. It only takes a moment for him to regain his sight only to be greeted by the creature’s face hovering just inches from his.

Its putrid breath nearly makes him gag, its pointed fangs grazing his cheek with how close it is. Without the shroud obscuring its face, 9S can see the skinless face of what used to be an android. No facial features remain beyond the searing eyes and animalistic teeth. A shock of white hair, now yellowed and filthy, masks the exposed wiring of its skull. 9S scrambles backward as far as he can, just so long as he’s no longer underneath this vile creature.

As 9S holds his sword tight in his hand, the monster does the same with its own weapon. Its stance changes to that of a fighter, rather than a scared animal. Still, its eyes remain trained on 9S even as they size each other up. 9S makes the first move, launching forward to strike at its feet. Just as before the monster flings its mangled arm down at him, but this time he’s ready. With his lingering momentum, 9S swings up, slicing through the brittle metal and rotting wires of the monster’s arm. As the useless limb falls to the ground, the creature reels back and lets out a horrid corrupted shriek. Its retaliation comes faster than 9S expects, the creature twists its body around and strikes 9S again. This time he’s only forced back a couple of feet before he charges once again.

“Now you decide to fight back, huh?!” he shouts.

A rumbling snarl echoes from the monster. It swings the iron cudgel effortlessly in broad strikes that keep 9S out of range of it. He has to focus on evading, after taking two hits from that hunk of metal he’s not keen on taking any more. Especially since it seems that it’s suddenly decided to fight seriously.

But then again, so had he.

The creature leaps into the air, flips, and slams the mass of iron into the ground just inches away from 9S. Again, it leaps and strikes, and again. Each time 9S barely avoids it, the force alone winding him.

“Well, come on then! Do what you were built to do!”

He isn’t sure where this fury is coming from, but it roils in his gut and burns in his veins. A vile hate that spurs him to strike and strike without a plan.

“That’s all you know right?!”

The beast meets him blow for blow, striking with great spins and flips. It moves with the grace and precision of a YorHa android, and with the crushing power of one as well. The stone beneath their feet shatters each time the creature’s weapon.

“All you know is war!! All any of us know is war!!”

The tip of the makeshift weapon tears a long gash in his coat and drags him with the backswing. He crashes against the castle walls but doesn’t take a moment to let his jostled systems reorient themselves. The beast strikes its weapon against the ground and roars at him.

“But no...you’re different from the rest, right?!”

It charges him, or rather it runs a few feet then lunges at him, dragging the weapon behind it and carving great gashes into the earth. It spins furiously as it lands and strikes at 9S with everything it has left. There’s nowhere for him to run. He takes the full force of the monster’s attack. Something in his chest shatters and the rest of his coat is torn to shreds. Yet just as before, he refuses to stay down for long. He rises to his feet, albeit hunched over and clutching the wound seeping a thick red fluid.

“You...Your job was to…Kill us.” he struggles to growl at the monster, “An...executioner.”

Something jolts through the monster’s body. As if that word had physical weight to it, it freezes mid-swing. A low, pitiful whine escapes the beast, like the grinding of metal on metal.

“That’s what you are...right?!” he shouts, “That’s your job?!”

It charges him again, and 9S matches with a roar of his own. The fire churning in his gut swells and numbs the pains in his chest. He goes on the offensive, his unrelenting attacks chip away at the rusted iron and rotting android frame.

“So do your job!! Finish your mission!!”

9S fights with a feral anger, looking not unlike the monster he’s facing. His blood flows freely without the pressure of his free hand. A trail of crimson coolant follows each rabid attack he makes.

“Do it already!!”

He slices across the monster’s stomach, emptying it of what seems to be gallons of festering black sludge.

“Kill me!!”

The monster screams and slams the iron maul down, but 9S rolls forward to bury his sword in its chest next to the countless others.

“Kill me!!”

It grabs his face in its claws and pins him against the ground. Its claws constrict around his throat, the tips digging into his skin. He stains for air and beats his fists weakly against the monster’s crushing grip. Error messages cloud his vision as he gasps and chokes on the fluids that pool in his mouth.

“K-kil-....M-...”

Just as his visual feed fades to vague shapes and blaring warnings, the monster’s grip loosens. It draws its claws away from his throat and places them on his chest with a tenderness ill-fitting a beast. It presses its palm against his wound and lets out a pathetic sound that almost sounds like speech.

“N-....nnnn….Ni-”

9S screams and wrenches his sword out of the monster’s chest, then plunges it back in. And again, and again, and again, until he’s coated in the sick black sludge that bleeds from its wounds. His screams turn to roars, he puts every ounce of strength he has into throwing the beast off of his body. The synthetic muscles in his arms and legs tear under the strain, but he forces himself through the pain to pin the monster against the earth.

The wailing creature thrashes in a growing pool of its own fluids, feebly swatting at 9S with its remaining arm. With each stab its attempts to resist grow weaker and weaker until it falls still. Even as a lingering whine escapes the dying beast, 9S continues his onslaught.

He isn’t sure why tears start to fall or when exactly his vocal processors give out, but his rage fades only to be replaced by that crushing emptiness from before. His furious roars turn to choked sobs, the strength in his arms leaves him slumped over with his shoulders heaving from the effort of breathing.

With what little remains of his strength he reaches out to the creature’s face. His touch lingers on a bit of skin on her chin just barely attached. After wiping a bit of grime away, a little blemish appears, one that he’s only seen on one particular android. Such an insignificant thing; how could it tear into his heart like this? His fingers comb through the remnants of her hair as his tears and blood mix with the foul-smelling sludge.

9S moves in a daze, climbing off of her chest to cradle her skeletal head in his lap like a precious object. The wounds he’s suffered seep with each sob that wracks his body. He barely notices Pod trying to staunch the flow.

He sits there till his cries are reduced to quiet wheezes and tears no longer fall. Beyond the crushing exhaustion, there’s a tension pulling at his skin where the staunching gel holding him together hardens. His body is caked in sludge and blood that cracks when he forces himself to his feet. Something that mourning android said ages ago rings through his clouded mind.

With Pod’s help, he drags her body to a quiet spot surrounded by bushes and budding flowers. The pair collects pieces of rubble and loose stones broken during the battle to gradually pile them around her corpse. Once her body is completely covered with several layers of stone he and Pod embed her weapon, her real weapon as opposed to the crude iron bar, at the head of the memorial. He sinks to his knees once again, pain and sorrow draining the last reserves of strength he has.

“I’ll be with you soon...”

[laniakeabooks]

March Wrap-Up

I read books 17 books in March! I did post a few individual reviews and have tagged them here in case you’re interested.

Gemina by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

I just have so much love for this series. When I finally get to Obsidio and finish it (still waiting for the paperback), I’ll write a whole series review!

 Asteria: Into the Fray by Adrienne Enfinger - ⭐⭐

It's not every day that your suicide attempt is interrupted by a handsome archangel. But then, nothing remains ordinary for long on the day Asteria meets Micah for the first time.

Talking her down from the ledge, Micah reveals to Asteria that she is no ordinary young woman. She is the descendant of nephilim - part angel, part human - and her parents did not die in a car crash, they were killed by the fallen angel, Azazel, in the eternal battle of good versus evil.

Asteria finds herself thrust into the middle of that war and discovers that she is part of a prophecy that can finally bring about its end - if Azazel does not kill her first.

She soon joins forces with angels, good and bad, in an epic battle that could save mankind...

...or bring about its demise

Not great… it definitely read like a fanfiction of Supernatural and the quality of writing was… ehhhhhh it was weird like Enfinger was trying too hard.

 Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moral allegory and spiritual autobiography, The Little Prince is the most translated book in the French language. With a timeless charm it tells the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. His personal odyssey culminates in a voyage to Earth and further adventures.

Full review soon to follow!

 Little Pills by Melody Dodds - ⭐⭐⭐

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Navarro never asked to be anyone's hero. If you're a hero, your sister isn't supposed to hate you. And you're definitely not supposed to get hooked on Gramma's painkillers. Even so, Charlotte's sister's friend Mia looks at her like she's some sort of hero. As Charlotte starts taking pills more and more, she has to question how it could hurt herself and others, even Mia. Is it a harmless habit or a dangerous addiction?

Review here! Publication – 2nd April 2019

 You Do You by Sarah Knight - ⭐⭐⭐

Being yourself should be easy, yet too many of us struggle to live on other people's terms instead of our own. Rather than feeling large and in charge, we feel little and belittled.

Sound familiar? Bestselling "anti-guru" Sarah Knight has three simple words for you:

YOU DO YOU.

It's time to start putting your happiness first--and stop letting other people tell you what to do, how to do it, or why it can't be done. And don't panic! You can do it without losing friends and alienating people. Knight delivers her trademark no-bullsh*t advice about:

The Tyranny of "Just Because"

The social contract and how to amend it

Turning "flaws" into strengths--aka "mental redecorating"

Why it's not your job to be nice

Letting your freak flag fly

How to take risks, silence the doubters, and prove the haters wrong

Review

 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 50 contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras.

But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.

BWAHAHAHAHA THIS IS JUST MY TYPE OF HUMOUR!! Granted, my humour is a… specific brand so just beware going into this.

The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

  Grace Carter's mother --- the celebrity news anchor GG Carter --- is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace --- an aspiring astrophysicist --- is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits. Then one day GG is just ... gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace's family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG's disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school's golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother's long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted ... or did she leave? And if she left, why?

Review here! Publication – April 2nd 2019

 ReWired by S. R. Johannes -  ⭐

Sixteen-year-old Ada Lovelace is never more alive and sure of herself than when she's hacking into a "secure" network as her alter ego, the Dark Angel. In the real world, Ada is broken, reeling from her best friend Simone's recent suicide. But online, the reclusive daughter of Senator Lovelace (champion of the new Online Privacy Bill) is a daring white hat hacker and the only female member of the Orwellians, an elite group responsible for a string of high-profile hacks against major corporations, with a mission to protect the little guy. Ada is swiftly proving she's a force to be reckoned with, when a fellow Orwellian betrays her to the FBI. To protect her father's career, Ada is sent to ReBoot, a technology rehab facility for teens...the same rehab Simone attended right before killing herself.

It's bad enough that the ReBoot facility is creepy in an Overlook-Hotel-meets-Winchester-Mansion way, but when Ada realizes Simone's suicide is just one in an increasingly suspicious string of "accidental" deaths and "suicides" occurring just after kids leave ReBoot, Ada knows she can't leave without figuring out what really happened to her best friend. The massive cyber conspiracy she uncovers will threaten everything she cares about--her dad's career, her new relationship with a wry, handsome, reformed hacker who gets under her skin, and most of all--the version of herself Ada likes best--the Dark Angel.

Uh yeah here’s my rant review. I just... yeah if you want to know what I thought just read the review I can’t be bothered to reiterate.

Zenith by Linday Cummings and Sasha Alsberg - ⭐⭐⭐

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

You know what, not as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, it wasn’t anything special and I’m not very attached to the characters, but hey there are only two books so who knows maybe I’ll just finish the series.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

I knew I had a good feeling about this book. It’s eerie and I was stressing the fuck out the entire book about that dog’s wellbeing. 100% do recommend if you’re into brutal, creepy and dark books. Be forewarned, when I say dark, I mean DARK. Like zombie babies and children that are subsequently decapitated dark.

Losing Adam by Adrienne Clarke - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 What happens when the person you love most in the world suddenly becomes a stranger?

Adam and Jenny’s world is falling apart. Their dream of attending college together away from home quickly becomes a nightmare when Adam begins hearing the voice of the Snow Queen. Adam’s startling transformation from popular drama student into a withdrawn, suspicious stranger leaves Jenny frightened and confused. How can the person she loves most in the world suddenly become someone she doesn’t recognize? As Adam drifts farther and farther away into the Snow Queen’s mysterious world of ice and snow, Jenny believes she must fight to bring him back or risk losing him forever.

Holy fuck. This book probably has the most accurate representation of any mental illness I’ve seen in YA. Adam’s schizophrenia wasn’t watered down in the slightest and it wasn’t romanticized. I would have liked to read more of Adam’s perspective than Jenny’s since Adrienne Clarke writes mental illness so accurately. Does that make sense?

I liked that she gave us a look at how mental illness affects the individual in question, but also their loved ones. Although I would have preferred if we had focused more on Adam as for the reason above.

Whisper by Lynette Noni - ⭐⭐⭐

For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four — ‘Jane Doe’ — has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word.

As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new — and unexpectedly kind — evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.

Review Here!

 The Thirteenth Guardian by K.M. Lewis - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Da Vinci’s secret pales. Michelangelo concealed an explosive truth in his famous Creation of Man fresco in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. Everything we have been taught about Eve is wrong—she didn’t cause the fall of man. Instead, Eve carried a far more devastating secret for millennia; one that will change the world forever.

As the modern-day world suffers the cataclysmic effects of the “Plagues of Egypt”, Avery Fitzgerald, a statuesque Astrophysics major at Stanford, discovers that she is mysteriously bound to five strangers by an extremely rare condition that foremost medical experts cannot explain. Thrust into extraordinary circumstances, they race against time to stay alive as they are pursued by an age-old adversary and the world around them collapses into annihilation. Under sacred oath, The Guardians—a far more archaic and enigmatic secret society than the Freemasons, Templars, and the Priory—protect Avery as she embarks on a daring quest that only legends of old have been on before. Avery must come to terms with the shocking realization that the blood of an ancient queen flows through her veins and that the fate of the world now rests on her shoulders.

Release date – June 7th 2019

Review Here!

Angelfall by Susan Ee - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Yesssssss I like this. I find that many angel stories are overdone or hyper-religious, but this, this seems pretty promising.

Dead of Night by Carlyle Labuschagne – ⭐

In a dark and desolated After Earth, love still does exist, but the cost of bearing such a flaw is death.

World War III has left Earth in utter turmoil. People’s beliefs are said to be the cause of the worldwide destruction. After The Clearing new laws are set about - to show certitude in anything besides the law is weak and chargeable as mutiny. To be illogical and have faith in religion is illegal, to be limitless is dangerous. And Illness is seen as a defect – all flaws that are inexcusable.

But to love is the greatest betrayal of all man kind. It is a fault the world has long forgotten and punishable by death, a fatal risk Aecker and Opel are fully prepared to take - because in love there is freedom. But how far can they push back before it claims their lives and of those they care about?

This is the worst book I’ve read in my entire life.

Oh my god it was just so bad I don’t even know where to start. There is no plot, the characters are flat, every single scene was chaotic (I swear I got [metaphorical] whiplash), and it ends out of fucking nowhere. I thought I was missing part of my copy then ending was so sudden.

The world development was non-existent, and I was just confused all the way through.

I would write an individual review on this since I received it in exchange for an honest review, but honestly, this is all I have to say. I’m not even entirely sure as to what happened. 

Unfortunately, 0 stars is not an option on Goodreads, so I had to stick with one even though I don’t think it deserves it.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

Yessss another thriller. I love the internal conflict Jazz is dealing with and it’s expertly woven in with the plot. Would recommend, and will definitely be continuing on with the series!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – ⭐⭐

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

You know… it’s a classic. I don’t really like classics. I feel like I need to read them you know? Oh well.

Everyone’s a Aliebn when ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here is the unforgettable story of Jomny, an alien sent to study Earth. Always feeling apart, even among his species, Jomny feels at home for the first time among the earthlings he meets. There is a bear tired of other creatures running in fear, an egg struggling to decide what to hatch into, a turtle hiding itself by learning camouflage, a puppy struggling to express its true feelings, and many more.

The characters are unique and inventive—bees think long and hard about what love means, birds try to eat the sun, nothingness questions its own existence, a ghost comes to terms with dying, and an introverted hedgehog slowly lets Jomny see its artistic insecurities. At the same time, Jomny’s curious presence allows these characters to open up to him in ways they were never able to before, revealing the power of somebody who is just there to listen.

Oh my god this was just so cute and filled with so many important messages than hit very close to home. New favourite for sure.

Number of books read: 17

Number of pages read: 5806

Average Pages per Book : 341.5

Average rating: 3.4

Favourite book of the month: Gemina by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I love love love the Illuminae files! Definitely my favourite sci-fi series to date.

Least favourite book of the month: Dead of Night by Carlyle Labuschange. It’s just so bad, you guys.

[zedecksiew]

DIY D&D, October 2018

Google Plus, where I found all my best nerd-friends, is closing down. It was where I found the DIY D&D / Old School Renaissance community. This community:

Gave me my best roleplaying game experiences; Gave me the confidence to start writing RPG material; Taught me a lot about building a functional community. 

I’ve gotten paychecks from people in DIY D&D. I’ve gotten postcards. In this day of social-media instant connectivity? Postcards. In my mailbox. With actual ink, and a stamp.

+

Google may be killing G+, but DIY D&D isn’t going away.

The OSR started as a network of blogs. Here’s a list. (Here it is as a thingy you can plug into your RSS reader.)

People are moving en masse to different platforms. Here’s a massive Discord server. Here’s a cool forum. Here’s a nice MeWe group.

+

Zak S has a questionnaire up for DIY D&D types. I’m answering because it’ll brew a snapshot of the scene + myself, as part of the scene.

OSR Guide For The Perplexed Questionnaire 

1. One article or blog entry that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me:

“... after a run-in with some "filthy dwarf-types" (kobolds from the wandering monster list) Max lopped off a monster-leg and stuck it in his backpack. At the time, I thought he was just being weird. But later he very effectively distracted some white apes by throwing the grisly limb among them. The apes were much more willing to brawl among themselves over a quick snack rather than fight people bearing torches and swords. Max wasn't content to let his brief character sheet dictate what he could and couldn't do. He went out there and grabbed that dungeon by the collar and gave it a good shaking. And here's the kicker: Max is twelve years old and today was his first time playing D&D!”

All Hail Max, Jeff Rients. Pretty basic stuff, at this point. Still pretty fucking baller.

2. My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark:

“The thing I really really dislike about how people use terms like problematic and "interrogate"  "critical awareness" etc is they rarely (if ever) provide a framework to objectively measure harm or benefit. So if you say "classic adventures are problematic because it's kinda like a Victorian narrative about invading people and taking their stuff" that's your subjective opinion , which then , when one publishes or writes something extremely similar, you can turn around and declare you have "critical awareness"  , and therefore not problematic. Which is utterly perfect for performing wokeness for marketing purposes while never actually doing anything different, e.g Evil Hat's whole business model Compare this to saying to pointing out something which can be used to hold ones on behaviour to a standard: "There are very little women artists in rpgs", "there needs to be more takes on colonialism other than one favourable to the invader" "freelance writers don't get paid a living wage" Then , you yourself can demonstrate that you are actually committed to your wokeness by doing something you can be held accountable for. Because you actually pay people, hire people and publish people in ways that benefit the people whose struggle you are using for marketing purposes.”

Scrap Princess, from this excellent G+ thread. Saying stuff that needs to be said about woke white indie RPG creators who’ve made a career handwringing about how games might be sexist / racist / colonialist / queer-phobic / etc -- 

But who never quite get around to hiring or paying non-white people / queer people.

(PS: the OSR does. Zak’s paid me. Hydra Cooperative is publishing something I wrote.)

3. Best OSR module/supplement:

“Veins of the Earth”. That blackest brick of a book. I love it most.

4. My favorite house rule (by someone else):

I like usage die! “Torches (d6)” means you roll d6 after every turn that torch is used? 1-2, it drops a die size. 1-2 on a d4 means it’s gone. From The Black Hack, I think?

5. How I found out about the OSR:

Back-of-the-book blurbs, for real. Le Guin, who blurbed China Mieville, who blurbed Scrap & Patrick’s “Fire on the Velvet Horizon”. 

6. My favorite OSR online resource/toy:

Not really a utility, more a personal thing. The Lavender Marshes. Filling in a few of its hexes was my first taste of Gygaxian Democracy. Thank you, Ramanan S.

Otherwise, Links to Wisdom.

7. Best place to talk to other OSR gamers:

It is still G+, right this very moment ... 

8. Other places I might be found hanging out talking games:

Feel free to add me, at these places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zedeck.siew Twitter: https://twitter.com/zedecksiew Discord: zedeck.siew#4237  MeWe: mewe.com/i/zedeck.siew

And these forums, I guess?

(I really want to do comments on this blog, too. But Tumblr makes it fiddly.)

9. My awesome, pithy OSR take nobody appreciates enough:

“Play your character, not the screenwriter writing your character.”

Because I hate hate HATE games trying to get into Creative Writing 101 rules-of-good-narrative nonsense.

10. My favorite non-OSR RPG:

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, because I have a strange inexplicable love for Warhammer.

11. Why I like OSR stuff:

Nowhere else in roleplaying games do you get writing this fecund, this poetic, this muscular, this good. Serious: I’m in with the DIY D&D crowd because of the writing.

12. Two other cool OSR things you should know about that I haven’t named yet:

Khairul Hisham is a old-school Star Wars nerd who’s written about Malay-language references in Star Wars; Dirk Detweiler Leichty should get gallery shows:

13. If I could read but one other RPG blog but my own it would be:

Patrick Stuart still has my heart.

14. A game thing I made that I like quite a lot is:

How to kill a god, and then turn it into a mine.

15. I'm currently running/playing:

Patrick’s running Yoon-Suin using Johnstone Metzger’s “The Nightmares Underneath”; Camilla Greer’s running Luka Rejec’s Ultraviolet Grasslands with The Black Hack 2E.

16. I don't care whether you use ascending or descending AC because:

Honestly I wasn’t around for this particular nerd bush-war, so I haven’t the faintest what’s ascending vs descending AC is even about???

17. The OSRest picture I could post on short notice: 

Is at the top of this post. (Source)

The roundabout ingenuity required to turn the arse of a demon entity from mad alter realities into something as mundane as a cannon is totes OSR.

[minipliny]

we ALL need escapism in our literature, a sense of having other, different problems in our lives, and i feel like the comments of william abbe, harvard law student and whaling crewman, on the delights of charlotte bronte are a great example of this:

Found “Jane Eyre” among the books in the round house.  Delighted to see it — Mary H. Blacker on cover.... Mate again “came out” in white duck, which becomes him.  I have now an immense amount of sewing to do, but cant muster energy enough to begin the labor, but must begin before long.  “Old Woman” has lined & braided a new straw hat for me.  All hands got new hack knives from Old Man the other day.  The thieves will soon make them scarce again.  You cant lay anything down for a moment, but you are sure to loose it, so dexterous & watchful are the light fingered gentry of the forecastle.  Commenced Jane Eyre — very pleasant to meet here on this old illiterate barke any traces of home refinement & taste. 

and:

I am full of excitement about “Jane Eyre.”  What a book for a woman — no, a mere girl — to write!  What originality, piquancy, energy, imagination & language!  I read it & forgot whaling.  The crassness of the forecastle, the low thoughted vulgarity of the crew, the insolent condescension of the officers, & my stagnant, un-mental life.  I does me good, its fervor quickens & its sentiment elevates me.  Its authoress died while the snow was on the ground — her death wintry as her life.

at the end of his 1859 diary he lists books read including “Jane Eyre (twice)”

[speedsitekosher]

Best pc hacking forums

Reddit » Ethical HackingĪ forum for discussion on computer hacking done for ethical purposes.ġ. ZSecurity ids a place for ethical hacking courses, tutorials, news, products and more!ĥ3.8K ⋅ 6.8K ⋅ 19 posts / week View Latest Posts ⋅ Get Email Contact 6. The most users online at one time was 41,450 on 04-20-2020 at 12:54 AM. HowToHack is a Zempirian community designed to help those on their journey from neophyte to. What we are about: constructive collaboration and. Please welcome our newest member, Markers69. A subreddit dedicated to hacking and hackers. We currently have 139,453 members registered. Hack The Box is an online platform allowing you to test your penetration testing skills and exchange ideas and methodologies with thousands of people in the security field.ģ0.4K ⋅ 73.7K ⋅ 28 posts / quarter View Latest Posts ⋅ Get Email Contact 5. Our members have made a total of 946,266 posts in 127,963 threads.

This section is a place for discussing Ethical hacking.ģ.3K ⋅ 1.6K ⋅ 1 post / month ⋅ Aug 2004 View Latest Posts ⋅ Get Email Contact 4. The game will only count the 'Complete Act on whatever difficulty' trophies if the player is alive at the end of the saferoom all the missions. carding forum, carding forums, carder forum, carders forums, underground carding forum, best carding forum, top carding forum, russian. Penetration Testing and computer security, 1. Go4Expert is a community of tech professionals. There were also PC hackers who were called out on the Turtle Rock Studios discord for this game so they do exist. is a friendly game hacking forum, freeload game cheats, learn how to hack games and program with hacking video tutorials. Feel free to practice hands on with available Zempirian labs and resources.ġ.6M ⋅ 1M ⋅ 12 posts / day ⋅ Sep 2012 View Latest Posts ⋅ Get Email Contact 3. Welcome! HowToHack is a Zempirian community designed to help those on their journey from neophyte to veteran in the world of underground skillsets. What we are about: constructive collaboration and learning about exploits, industry standards, grey and white hat hacking, new hardware and software hacking technology, sharing ideas and suggestions for small business and personal security.ġ.6M ⋅ 1M ⋅ 13 posts / day ⋅ Apr 2008 View Latest Posts ⋅ Get Email Contact 2. It’s more like a directory, consisting of various hacking and programming related materials.A subreddit dedicated to hacking and hackers. You can request to join the forum, although theyve a really strict. It’s a deep web forum, and it’s rather restricted when it comes to communications as users can’t exactly talk there. KickAss is one of the best hacking forums, specializing in malware, exploits, and accounts. Grey-hat online forums bring together individuals interested in hacking. But I’m still enlisting it here it does have some really good topics and tutorials. Using natural language processing to understand online hacker communities and. Okay, this one isn’t as “traffic-rich” as some of the other hacker forums on this list. It’s probably more active than Hack5 forums, and has most thread replies time- stamped with “few hours ago” which is a good sign. Welcome to MPGH - MultiPlayer Game Hacking, the worlds leader in Fortnite Hacks & Cheats, PUBG Hacks & Cheats, Combat Arms Hacks, Crossfire Hacks, WarRock Hacks, SoldierFront Hacks, Project Blackout Hacks, Operation 7 Hacks, Blackshot Hacks, A.V.A. Although language isn’t an issue anymore because you can simply translate it to English with one click. in domain, it’s not an Indian, rather a Russian site. You can request to join the forum, although they’ve a really strict captcha system, and your request needs to be manually approved by an administrator.Īs their description says, they’re a legal hackers’ forum, sharing tips, tricks, tutorials, and tools only for educational purposes.ĭespite its. Here, you'll find the latest cybersecurity news, hacking news, cyber attacks, computer security, and in-depth reports on current and future Infosec trends and how they are shaping the cyber world. KickAss is one of the best hacking forums, specializing in malware, exploits, and accounts. Buffalo, New York, US A leading cybersecurity news platform for IT professionals, researchers, hackers, technologists, and enthusiasts. Hacker forums basically are exactly what the phrase translates into, forums made primarily with the aim of discussing topics related to hackers. Searching for the best hacker forums on the darkweb and/or the clearnet? If yes, you need to look no further, we’ve compiled quite a few of those here, along with a lot of other data related to the topic.

[inextures]

Importance of Learning Java For Cybersecurity

As a new generation of threats pop up, Java has become one of the most-used programming languages for applications, including cybersecurity. If you’re into application development, you’ll know that Java is ubiquitous for daily use. Knowing the language can be useful for a career in cybersecurity.

Java has Its Own Prons and Cons for Cybersecurity

When protecting user data, it’s important to remember that simply knowing Java or any programming language for that matter, is not enough. Knowing the quirks of the programming language is important, which you can derive from a solid understanding of the language itself.

Unlike more modern programming languages like Python, Java is quite verbose in its execution. It uses lengthy programming lines, as well a highly complex code that needs experienced programmers to fully comprehend.

These issues can prevent even experienced Java developers from countering hack attempts, especially if the code is poorly-designed in the first place.

Java Provides A Secure Learning Environment

When using Java for website development, one distinct advantage that you have is that the language has designs for running untrusted code safely, without much trouble. One class that you need to keep watch is the Security Manager class, which monitors actions that one may deem potentially sensitive.

Among the many sensitive actions that the SecurityManager class will check includes execution of other applications, as well as access to local files. It will also keep tabs on the systems loading extra Java code, together with opening network sockets to name a few.

Java Helps You Protect More Systems

Java is a general-purpose programming language, originally designed as a write once, run anywhere (WORA) code. Its design revolves around its reduced number of implementation dependencies and it can run on all platforms that support Java. This makes securing Java environments much easier.

Java Can Help Fix Other Coding Issues

Java has several vulnerabilities as a programming language, so much that some organizations moved towards other languages such as Python. Even then, this does not mean that Java is not in use anymore. On the contrary, Java’s consistent updates encouraged more businesses to use it.

Penetration Testing With Java

Penetration testing is must-have knowledge in cybersecurity. Pentesting checks for security vulnerabilities within your networks, as well as threats and risks from hackers. Most white-hat hackers use this process to identify what the system needs to function and repel malicious actions.

Final Thoughts

Java in cybersecurity is one of the most essential programming languages you’ll find. Apart from its breadth and scale of adoption, Java has a variety of uses in learning and improving your cybersecurity skills.

If you’re interested in secure web design, Java should be your first choice. Read Importance of Learning Java For Cybersecurity.