#not touching the plot itself because it's such a mess i wouldn't know where to start

[youraverageaemondsimp]

Metanoia ;

Aemond Targaryen x Transmigrated!Strong!Reader

>> Chapter IV : The Fervour.

Summary: You decide to apologize to Aemond.

WARNINGS: nothing nsfw, I left it for the next chapter 🤭, canon typical incest, anxiety etc. + not proofread

A/N: divider credits @cafekitsune, this is a short chapter but the next one is gonna be long and intense 🤭🤭

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Your heart drummed loudly against your rib cage, each beat accompanied by a gasp of air as you stared into the emptiness of your chamber.

A dream— no, a memory.

Was this the original body's memory?

Is this body not yours?

It doesn't seem likely because this body has exactly all your features, each and every detail pasted right into itself, from your head to your feet; nothing was amiss.

A blanket of dullness washes over your body and you plop back down onto the mattress, hugging your cotton blanket and you laid sideways, pondering with curiosity as you thought about everything.

You have to apologise to Aemond.

Suddenly his hostility, hatred, sly remarks all made sense.

You mentally face palmed yourself.

How were you gonna save the plot or prevent war when knowing that you were the cause of major events?

Had it not been Viserys’ command, you would've been stuck deeper in the mess, his decision of marrying you and Aemond gave you a heads up.

Can you perhaps talk the greens out of it once you're Aemond's wife? Then again, if talking truly worked then there wouldn't be a show at all. You sigh heavily, closing your eyes before reopening them.

You lay on your back, staring at the ceiling before your eyes averted towards the window, noticing how it's still the heartbeat of the night. Going to Aemond's room would seem very scandalous at this hour; regardless of whether you're soon to be married.

And to make matters even more complicated; Alicent and Rhaenyra had caught you guys kissing. You wondered why Aemond kissed you in the first place so suddenly, was he containing his urge to kill through it? Most likely.

You decide that you'd think of everything on the morrow, choosing sleep over restlessness, closing your eyes and waiting for the slumber to grab you down to its depths.

The sound of footsteps awoke you from your sleep, looking around to see none but the maids who were bringing in a bath and water for you to freshen up and get ready for the day.

You zone out the process; having been used to it. Instead your mind now travelled to the matter at hand, which was also your main objective. You planned to go directly to Aemond and apologise, as stupid as it may sound you really had no other option before the situation got worse. At least by apologising you'll make him realise how sorry you are, which might console his inner conflict.

The maids finish touching you up. You waste no moment and immediately get off the stool, heading straight to the door and leaving your chambers.

You check the library where you first encountered him; to your surprise, he wasn't there. You then move onto the training grounds only for him to not be there either. You start wandering around the red keep in the search for him yet he seems nowhere to be found. The guards outside his room have also said that he had left his room in the morning.

You go to the garden, to the weirwood tree, hoping to find him there, yet he is nowhere.

Frustrated, you sit underneath the tree, huffing in annoyance and catching your breath. You grunt irritated; patience growing thin as time only passed with no signs of Aemond. You had searched practically everywhere. The sympathy you were feeling is slowly being replaced by exasperation.

You lean back against the tree, staring at the leaves.

It's moments like this that make you truly question your sanity and reconsider your situation. As much as you were a big fan of the show; being trapped in it isn't really ideal without any known way out. You sometimes miss your life before this.

How plain and simple it was, with no worries of a blooming war, you would work and just rest at home, cook your favourite meals by yourself, watch your favourite shows and then sleep. It's the simplicity you miss.

“I want to go back…” You say out loud, praying that the world would hear you and miraculously send you back home, however it doesn't happen; because if it did, why would you be here in the first place?

Your words were heard just not by the universe.

“You want to go back?” The voice breaks you out of your thoughts and you sit up straight, looking up at the figure who was now standing in front of you.

Aemond stood tall, with his hands behind his back, foot jutting out. Oh yes, his typical standing pose.

“Uhm, I- no? I don't—” You stutter not knowing what to say, you get up off the ground and stand straight, his gaze follows you, taking in your dress. His lips quirk up into a smirk.

You were wearing green.

“Your gown; it is quite beautiful.” He comments and you look down, not finding anything special about the plain material, “—especially, the colour.” He points it out, and that is when you realised that you were wearing green.

“The maids dressed me.” You imply slightly, indicating that you had no intention of wearing the colour of his family. He smiles mockingly, raising his eyebrows.

“You were looking for me?” He questions and you nod and take a deep breath, hoping the oxygen would calm your brain by magic but your nerves were still rampant.

You step closer to him, which he is taken aback by but doesn't move an inch. You look into his eye, your body now fueled up with the newfound determination of completing your goal.

“I apologise.” You choke out and Aemond frowns in confusion, “For the eye- the night, driftmark.” You stumble over your words unable to form coherent sentences as the previously felt anxiety blooms in your gut again.

Seriously, what is wrong with this body?

The atmosphere falls silent only being interrupted by the whispers of the wind blowing past both of you. Aemond opens his mouth to speak but he closes it immediately after; trying to find words that do not sound harsh as a response.

“Aemond.” His name left your mouth involuntarily and he snapped his gaze to you, he watched your form waiting for you to say something but you just stood there unable to speak, your tongue all tied up in your mouth, having no idea how to continue this conversation anymore.

“Aemond, I am sorry, I really am, I regret it; I didn't mean to hurt you, I was protecting jace- my brother; I never meant for any of this to happen— please.” Your voice croaks, breaking as your mouth begins to move on its own, the noise coming out of your throat— yet it wasn't you speaking, it wasn't you forming these words, they came from somewhere innate.

You grab his arm, eyes tearing up as you stare at him, searching for an ounce of forgiveness on his face, an expression of reassurance that can calm the brewing storm inside you. Your gut wrenched and turned as the silence only prolonged with every passing second the pit inside you became deep and deeper.

You didn't know what was going on, it was as if your body had a mind of its own; but it didn't feel that way. Although you felt like you were in the backseat watching it all happen; it also felt like you were the one that was operating as well.

“It was a cruel mistake, a mistake that ruined everything. Perhaps it is why the Gods have punished me, they put me in a state of death for years but never truly killed me. It was my punishment for that crime I have committed against an innocent boy. But was I not innocent too?” You stammered, your body shuddering out of control.

Aemond grabs your shoulders; a poor attempt at consoling you while you shivered, tears dripped down your face like streams of river, Aemond wiped them off, pulling you into him, engulfing in his embrace, holding your head as you sobbed into him.

He did not know how to react.

He did not expect any of this.

Yet he knew one thing, which he hated himself for, which he came to terms with just last night.

The fact that he had already forgiven you.

You both stand there like that for a moment, your cries dissipated from sobs to sniffs and that's when you pull away from the hug, staring at him back again.

Aemond tucked a stray hair strand behind your ear before resting his hand on your cheek, he didn't want to admit this to you but he had to; for his own sake— watching you cry felt like a thousand swords being pierced into his heart, he didn't want to see you like this anymore.

“You're forgiven.” Those two words left his mouth as he held you close and you did not know how much of an impact they'd have on you until you felt the pit in your stomach vanish completely as if it ceased to exist.

You felt calm.

Euphoric.

You felt lightheaded, the world spinning as you stared at him. You gave him a small smile in return, caressing his scar as your vision grew weary.

The last thing you remember seeing was Aemond's panicked expression before you completely blacked out.

@gabriella-aesthetic @delaynew @idonotknowenglish @dixie-elocin @intheheartoftheking @dracaryxzs @ladyoffandoms @zoleea-exultant @saturnssrings @uniquecutie-puffs @aleemendoza2425-blog @marvelita85 @feelingfaye @sylvievil @cypherpt5fttaehyung @ttysmfwna @void21 @technicallystrangereview @feyresqueen @evergreen9083 @mirandasidefics @org12 @blorbo-brainrot @thisishwrworld @shadowqueen09 @watermel0nsugarhigh @cottoncandyclouds-stuff @madislayyy @the-hufflebird-girl @hiatuswhore

[buckevantommy]

S8 bugs me so much because the way we went into it was so promising with so many interesting threads to pull and then... Gaah! Nothing has been handled well. How tf has TM managed to make it to the position he's at? He's so bloody useless! 911 could have been a really good show in more capable hands and I think that's what frustrates me the most, all the waste. 😭😭 The cast, the crew and the show itself deserve so much better!

Piss off to Nashville Tim, I beg of you!

truly!! there was so much to dig our teeth into, but then..

i know people enjoyed the planemergency, but imho it was wasted on guest characters and should've featured more of the 118 and their resident pilot ofc. the black book, gerrard, and ortiz were all done away with in a snap, and suddenly we had to deal with fanboy gerrard and all the brad bs?? likeWHAT??!! they traded some delicious workplace angst for THAT SHIT??!! throw in some nonsensical abby*tommy where the only link is a first fucking name, terrible advice to buck all around, and ofc follow that up with the commencement of everyone treating buck like a baby who doesn't know his own heart/mind for the rest of the season, then cap it off with turning his grief and attempts to help into attacks, blame games, and guilt-tripping (when he tries to distance himself from the toxic(written) people around him). and WHERE was tommy?? no interactions with his old pal howie?? barely any screentime for buck's boyfriend?? we all know how much screentime and individual plot taylor got - if tommy doesn't get that in s9 is2fg..

and that's not even touching on eddie's near-pointless texas sojourn and horrible treatment of buck. or maddie's non-existence as an independant character, she's just a house-zoned mom, suddenly terrible advice giver, and abuse victim who can't escape bc the plot apparently needs some rando to violate her for shock value. even hen and chim - who have long been entertaining as well as a good dynamic for difficult conversations - had too many of their scenes fumbled or just not exist.

but ALSO: the ensemble show has had its cast separated with little to no crossover in friendships and dynamics which not only makes the characters feel disconnected from each other but sever the audience from that beloved group dyanmic as well as the varied character dynamics. this season seemed to be all about plot twists - nearly every fucking ep had a plot twist, each one dumber than the last, like tim was trying to do something we wouldn't guess instead of, y'know, writing a comprehensible narrative for an enjoyable viewing experience - bc WE DON'T CARE if we guess what happens!! that means the story makes sense and we can journey with it!! what we DON'T WANT are plot twists done for shock value, like hell no - gimme character studies and nuanced fucking drama with technically interesting first responder incidents where the team does their thing!! gimme found family vibes, not: i feel sorry for these ppl being stuck working in that toxic environment vibes.

*HEAVY FUCKING SIGH..* 😤😩🙄😒

..rant over.

on a bright note: ravi's return and main team inclusion and budding friendship with buck was *chef's kiss* he's such a welcome breath of fresh air to the team and the show in general, y'know? this ensemble show needs to respect and keep more of their developed characters.

idk what the fuck happened in the creative team this season but it was a MESS. tim fumbled and torpedoed multiple characterisations, storylines, and plot. like. is he okay??? wtf??? now i'm thinking how wonderful it would be if he fucked off to nashville and let s9 be written/run by someone(s) else. i'll take anyone at this point tbh bc i don't want a repeat of that fucking dog's breakfast of a season.

s9 wishlist: ravi mainstay, buck in his own place AND transferring or taking some time off AND ravi/others friendship, bucktommy friends then love for the longrun, maddie gets to be a character again, captain/chief hen, tommy individual storyline, howie grief counselling, gerrard dies offscreen and no one goes to the funeral, ortiz return for vengeance(?), brad dies offscreen - only seen on the front of a newspaper in passing, may and harry living with athena(?), FIX EDDIE like idk - make him a medic and keep ravi as buck's partner and make eddie not be a dick, and improve josh's involvement bc he was annoying af and pointless in s8.

+ bonus: return of sal deluca - captain of elsewhere and friend of tommy, return of lucy - tommy's friend and coworker, and other first responder guest characters we see for more than 2 seconds.

[darkstarofchaos]

Yet more EarthSpark S2 spoilers.

And now for some general thoughts about the season itself.

Where was Nightshade during all this? They are a main character, why did they not have so much as a subplot in another character's focus episode? People talk about Thrash getting sidelined, but he had a whole episode plus a paired episode with Twitch. Nightshade is barely there, and when they are, it's either a battle scene or sharing the scientific spotlight with Wheeljack.

Speaking of Thrash, I liked his episode. I would like to think finding a random Quintesson on earth and then shooting it into space will have repercussions later in the season, especially with the Quint lore in the final episode. But now that the Decepticons are just flat and evil, I might not even watch that far.

Why are the Decepticons interchangeable now? Starscream and Shockwave are the only ones allowed a personality beyond "smash stuff". And yes, I'm counting Breakdown in that, because he's a shadow of his former self, and the whole thing with him being a parent to Aftermath got dropped after five minutes. And you know, I might be giving Shockwave too much credit, because disagreeing with your leader on one course of action isn't a personality trait. And Starscream's ultimate goal is apparently just smash stuff. So you know what, I'll amend that, why do none of the Decepticons have a personality beyond smash stuff?

Like. Twitch ends up in the Decepticon base in the guise of Spitfire, and we don't get a single characterization moment. I guess the Cons all just stand and snarl at each other when they aren't on missions.

On the other hand, I don't understand why so many people were confused that the Decepticons were following Starscream, because why wouldn't they? He seems to have been doing a fine job, judging by the number of Emberstone shards the Cons had. I get that most Starscreams can't get support to save their lives (often through no fault of their own), but the Decepticons here seem to have no reason not to follow him.

Moving on from the Decepticons, I'd have to call the trailer episode and the carnival episode the worst of the lot. The whole subplot with Robbie having a crush was the most uncomfortable thing I've had to sit through in a while, and I would not voluntarily watch it again. And the trailer episode was just tedious. I get having something more relaxed in between the Spitfire two-parter and the finale, but couldn't they have found any other plot for it? People rag on the bear episode, but at least that had a nice little lesson about not messing with people's prostheses rolled in. This episode was just. Nothing. But it did come with a distinct lack of squicky "feeling your brother's crush through your psychic bond" stuff, so I'll give it that it's rewatchable.

Okay, this was a problem with S1 too, but that psychic bond has to go. It's creepy and invasive, and it's only going to get more so as the humans get older and start exploring adult relationships. At least give them some way to close it or otherwise shield themselves from it (it's also a constant plot hole, because characters often end up in danger that the others somehow don't notice. Like, is there a range on this psychic thing? How far apart do they have to be before they can't feel each other anymore? This thing is not explained well enough, and I don't see why it even needs to exist).

Assorted episode nitpicks:

That is not how you dispose of hard drives. Why did you not wipe them before recycling.

No food ever touches the plates on the dinner table in the Quintesson episode. I am unreasonably bothered by this.

How did none of the adults think to address Spitfire's insistence on being part of the mission by pointing out that Twitch is older and more experienced than her? Like, yeah, Spitfire probably wouldn't have cared, but someone should still have put their foot down and said she can't go on a mission until she's had some training.

Megatron, you are the only non-participant who can fly and the final stretch of that obstacle course was over a ravine. Why were you not in a position where you could quickly help out if someone fell? Twitch wouldn't have had to go back to save Alex herself and the whole thing with Spitfire being mad because she crossed the finish line first wouldn't have happened if you had positioned yourself more strategically.

Actually, Megatron proposed the race, Megatron wasn't close enough to be helpful during the race, and Megatron said they needed to let Twitch and Spitfire sort things out themselves, which resulted in Twitch getting bodyswapped. Every problem in this episode was Megatron's fault. Optimus, why are you not vetoing any of this? Why are you just standing there and letting Megatron pit kids against each other? You're a leader, do some leading!

On the other hand, Megatron wanting to resolve everything by letting the arguing parties fight it out is on brand for him, so like. Kudos for characterization, now get an adult in here.

[kazarinn]

I watched Last Evolution a while back and found it to be extremely grim and cynical with its talk of "potential" but i'd be willing to watch the movie again if the translation was at fault if there was a more accurate sub. I see a couple sub groups did translations for the movie, but I wasn't sure if there was one you recommended or worked on? Otherwise I'd be very interested in hearing what bothered you about the official translation, regardless of my own feelings about what I watched, but I was having a hard time finding a post on your blog that talked about it directly.

Hello! Yes, I would absolutely agree the official subs are a mess to the point I can't even recommend the movie with them. Personally, I think any of the fansubs should be fine; the one I personally had a hand in was the L Subs version (which I did not translate myself but was lightly involved with the subbing process for), but to my understanding, there is at least one other well-done one done by a fan who clearly knows and loves the series.

(I actually am tentatively interested in maybe trying it out myself in the future for the hell of it, but I'm not super pressed to do it ASAP because there are so many other things with higher priority. Other than subs of the movie itself, I also personally translated the Shueisha Mirai Bunko version of the novelization, which doesn't have a 1:1 transcription of the dialogue but is still more accurate than whatever was going on with the official translation, or at least I would like to believe.)

I haven't made a proper post breaking it down yet, but what I will say is that, as someone who has spent a long time translating for this series and has gone through the movie's dialogue multiple times (way too many times?) in Japanese, it is absolutely, 100%, for sure, not supposed to be a cynical movie. The official translation had butchered a number of things related to that, such as:

The fact that they didn't preserve the nuances related to 宿命 and 運命, an issue that my senior translator (who translated the L Subs version) and I consider to be important enough that my senior wrote about it on Twitter and I touched on it in my own discussion of Crest names. There are certain distinct contexts where the word that means "something truly unavoidable" and the word that means "something we are guided towards" come up.

The fact that Menoa's motives make no sense in the official subs; certain lines are translated to suggest the opposite of what they should, and certain lines will directly contradict each other, meaning the only thing that a viewer can get out of it is that "she wants to save everyone" and that she might even be right about her ideas (which probably doesn't help the viewing of the movie as cynical, since it sounds like Taichi and Yamato are rejecting her "good but extreme" intentions at worst and not her distorted view of the world as a whole).

The conversation between Gennai and Taichi in the middle of the movie has about two or three critical lines that are mistranslated, and those are probably some of the most important lines in terms of establishing the movie's themes, especially given the issue of "potential"/"possibility" that you mentioned.

In general (well, this has very little to do with your question, but I feel the need to vent about this anyway) the official translation is just plain klutzy about everything. There's no conscientiousness about character voice, one of the most important things in translating Digimon works. References to the original series' plot points or lore don't match up at all, and I don't get the impression the translator or editor was familiar with the original series. (Adventure tri. and The Beginning's subs had this problem too, but not to the same degree; in the case of Adventure tri., the lore was vaguely referenced or contradictory in Japanese to the extent a compliant English translation probably wouldn't have even been possible, and in the case of The Beginning, the issues were less common and less plot-relevant.) Even beyond just plot-important lines, there are far too many lines that are semantically mistranslated. All of it makes the movie an unpleasant experience to watch in terms of sheer vibe, and that's something I think is far more important than people tend to treat it as.

I will give a disclaimer that I feel obligated to give during these situations: if you did not like the movie, while I think it is highly likely that you'll enjoy it better with a properly done translation, I cannot guarantee that it'll turn your opinion over 180 degrees and make it your favorite movie ever. I am a translator before I am a literary critic, so while literary analysis is important for a translator, there is a point I have to hold back before it starts turning into my own fanfiction. But it's exactly because of this that the official translation is so poisonous, because a translator's job should be to maximize potential for readings and interpretations for others. If a work could potentially have a "nonsense interpretation" and a "sensible interpretation", and a translation outright invalidates the possibility of having the sensible interpretation because of how sloppy and nonsensical it is, it becomes a perfect example of what I've referred to as "insidiously bad translation", where it looks passable on the surface but is far more poisonous than it seems.

[usagi-zakura]

Fandom sometimes needs to sit their ass down and chill... part 2

Decided to put this one in a separate post because its directed at a different fandom.

Hazbin Hotel.

No its not about expecting demons to be decent people this time...and its mainly criticism directed at the subreddit where some fans have decided to find a bunch of plot holes where there are none because they didn't actually watch the show...

Or something I've been seeing more of recently... people expecting this to be a direct adaptation of the Bible.

A question that keeps popping up is "How is Adam the first human soul in Heaven when he had a son who died before him??"

Referring of course to Abel, of Cain and Abel fame. God's favorite boi because he scarified meat instead of vegetables...so his brother got jealous and murdered him. Presumably Adam was still alive a this point as he went on to have another child.

Hazbin Hotel makes no mention of this... so there's no reason to belive it even happened. Hazbin Hotel borrows some characters from Abrahamic myths, but it has never advertised itself as a 1 to 1 adaptation of the Bible.

It would feel kinda awkward if Sera referred to Adam as "the second human soul in heaven after his kid who got brutally murdered by his own brother but we're not gonna talk about him ever because he's not important to the plot", that'd just be confusing to any fan who isn't familiar with that particular story. Making the bible required reading for an adult cartoon is a little weird.

Its easier to just ignore that story entirely if its not gonna be important to the plot.

Lilith isn't in the bible either.

Shocker I know... She was invented way later, maybe as a reason to explain why in Genesis 1 God creates man and woman at the same time but afterwards he creates Eve separately... Any mention of the name "Lilith" in the old testament doesn't seem to refer to a human, but is mentioned more like the name of a species... some scholars belive it was a bird, or possibly even some kind of demon that may or may not have been important to early Hebrews...or they borrowed the word from some other religion. Happened a lot back on the day.

I look at it more like Disney's Hercules. It borrows the names and general concept of the Greek Pantheon (but changes Hercules' name to the Roman one for some reason...) but does the story in a widly different way...I've never seen someone call out the lack of Hercules/Heracles's brother Iphicles as a huge plot hole in that film... yes he had a brother... or the fact that it features Zeus not as a massive perv with no respect for marriage, whether its his own or his great-granddaughter... Yea that's right... Harecles' mother was also Zeus' great-granddaughter... and that's not even the worst case of incest committed by the King of the Greek Gods...

Same with Hazbin. It borrows some of the characters, that doesn't mean they'll borrow the whole mythology... even if it sometimes would be interesting if they did.... they had 8 episodes... probably wouldn't have time to touch on Adam's messed up sons. Its too busy focusing on how bad both his marriages went.

My point is if you keep expecting creators do do something specific that they never promised they would...don't get mad at them when they don't do that thing... Its not their fault your expectations were wildly different from their plans.

Edit in case someone decides to go "um actually"... this post was made before Abel's Hazbin design was revealed.

However this still doesn't mean he must have died before Adam in this canon or that there's something else that resulted in Adam being the first human soul in Heaven.

[beevean]

How I’d fix Shadow The Hedgehog (game)

What’s this? The game is already 15 years old and there’s no point into talking about it? Maybe so but I really like this game and I wish it didn’t make so many stupid choices :(

Instead of starting from Westopolis every time you want to take a new route, let the player start from the stage they wish. For example: I completed the 100% Dark route, and I want to take the Miracle of Love route where Shadow gets redeemed by Amy, so I restart from Cryptic Castle and do the Hero mission instead of the Dark one, changing my path from here. Simple as that.

10 endings may be overkill (see below for an idea to make them more bearable), but if you expand on them, most of them could be interesting. Show the full consequences of your actions - oh, you wanted to play the bad guy but chickened out at the very end (Pure Dark-Hero)? Okay, you’ll get an entire cutscene (or an entire block of text à la Forces if the devs are lazy) of Shadow ruling over the Earth as its new misantrophic dictator.

The only endings I really don’t like are the Neutral ones where Shadow out of nowhere believes himself to be an android. It’s stupid because it can easily be disproven (people often say that Shadow could cut himself and see if he bleeds, but I’m sure Omega could also tell if he’s organic or robotic) and because it only makes sense if you reach that ending through Iron Jungle: if you pass through Air Fleet or Space Gadget it seems that Shadow wakes up one day and has a mental breakdown. I’d change the Neutral-Dark route to have Shadow join Eggman’s ranks (because I really want some justice for the poor doc), the Neutral-Hero to be like the Semi Dark-Hero ending (Shadow simply deciding he knows what’s best for himself, not really learning anything), and the actual Semi Dark-Hero ending could be Shadow suddenly trying to repent for his actions, but it’s too little and too late.

Don’t force the player to replay 10 times to get the final ending. I’d personally remove the Last Story entirely because it ruins the point of the game in many ways, but if it’s really necessary to keep that Devil Doom fight, it could be integrated into the Pure Hero-Hero ending, as a bonus.

Have the ally dialogue in the game reflect your choices. For example, Rouge in G.U.N. Fortress should sound dejected, disappointed and desperate to bring back what little good Shadow has left in his heart; Black Doom in Final Haunt shouldn’t ask for Shadow’s help as if he didn’t ignore him for almost the entirety of the story, he should express his anger and frame his mission as a “last chance” he’s generously giving him or as a threat. Make them reference past missions if it makes sense. Again, consequences of your actions.

The bosses are a mess. Not only they’re too easy (with the exception of Sonic and Diablon which is just annoying), the ones in the middle of the game don’t take in count the mission you’ve beaten before (typical example: Shadow helps Black Doom but he still summons Black Bull to kill Shadow) and the ones at the end need to be far more than just 3 for 10 endings. Either move some of the mid-game bosses at the end of the paths (the Egg Breaker would be a better last boss than the Egg Dealer, and the Blue Falcon would be fun to fight in Cosmic Fall), change the dynamic of the battles depending on the ending (Black Doom could take advantage of the different environments and situations in G.U.N. Fortress, Cosmic Fall and Final Haunt), or come up with new battles entirely (for example, you could face just Sonic at the end of the Pure Hero-Dark path since they’re both children at heart).

The enemy system needs to be reworked entirely. First, make so that they attack you depending on the ally you have - aliens don’t shoot at you if you’re with Black Doom, G.U.N. soldiers don’t shoot at you if you’re with Sonic or one of his friends, but both of them attack you if you’re alone (it makes sense in-universe that they don’t know if you’re friend or foe and it also compensates for the Neutral missions being the easiest by far). Second, no need for those pointless “kill all enemies to proceed” parts, unless you give the player a way to circumvent them (it happens sometimes, when you can either Homing Attack a row of enemies or drop to kill the enemies of the opposite faction, but not often enough). Third, related to the previous point, no more bullshit like what happens in Cryptic Castle or Mad Matrix - I shouldn’t be forced to kill enemies that earn me scolding at best and harm my score at worst. And especially no more completely idiotic parts like what happens in Glyphic Canyon.

While I would just remove Black Doom entirely because who cares about him, that would change the plot too much. I’d rewrite him to put more focus on his creepy “we’re saving humans by turning them into cattle” mentality and on his implied mind control abilities (like the way he toys with Shadow in The Doom) and by giving him more funny quirks - the one time I liked him was when he got scared of the thunderstorm at the end of Sky Troops, lol, give me more Black Doom not understanding how Earth works

You want an edgy game? Fine. Go really all the way. Make a parody of cheesy action movies. Make the players laugh intentionally. Cute little Shadow with a gun twice his size should be the entire vibe of the game.

I don’t mind most of the “kill all enemies” missions (some of them are really cathartic), but to improve them I think that at least there should be some spares - for example, the mission wants you to kill 20 enemies, but there are 30 in the level. A radar would also work fine, especially in labyrinthine levels like The Doom. But in any case, I’d like more missions as fun as Circus Park Hero, or missions where you simply take a different path like Space Gadget Dark.

why did you promote the bike so much if it sucks ass, fix that and the car while you’re at it, or better yet don’t put them and leave the vehicles that do something special like the high-jumping walker

Make the game a little prettier :( almost every level is so ugly to look at. Use more tropes and colors! Where are the ice levels, the fire levels, the water levels? Why aren’t the jungles greener, why does everything have to be grey and purple? I don’t ask for a Sonic Heroes aesthetic, but an Adventure/2 one would work well.

Feel free to add anything else I might have missed!

[damianbugs]

batfam taking care of dick grayson fics !! time travel fics !! heart wrenching batfam fics that actually analyse the characters and give a good character study and don't simply accept fanon crap (coffee addict tim drake im looking at u) !! ur top 5 all time fave batfam fic !! and also, i love ur stuff so much on ao3 thank u for sharing your work w us <3

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!! this is so sweet i am so happy you enjoy my work <3 i will do you one better and offer a list combining all your requests to the best of my capabilities !! you've caught me at a great time, because i am currently obsessed with batfam timetravel.

i will admit i definitely have more than five favourites (my 500+ carefully curated and organised private bookmarks should be proof enough) so i hope you like the ones i have selected here :D ! (these are in no particular order!)

MY TOP 5 FAVOURITE BATFAM FICS (on ao3) !

Tap by CKBookish

Bruce returns home from the time stream, haunted by phantoms and dreams. Dreams of a past that can't be real.

But all of that wouldn't be so bad if his home didn't feel so empty in the absence of one of his children. Jason, refuses to talk to him or even answer his calls and Bruce can't figure out why or what he did wrong, not after they had mended their fences before his disappearance.

Meanwhile,

Catherine struggles to hold it together for her and Jason as life falls apart around them. When all she has to give is love she does her best to give it all.

MY NOTES: one of my all time favourite not-exactly-time-travel time travel fics! features some wonderful character building and complicated relationships, and the plot itself is just incredibly. the way everyone is written is definitely realistic to how i would imagine them personally (especially dick).

A Good Place by LemonadeGarden

Damian Wayne is kidnapped and sent back years through time. Together, he and Father – who's only been Batman for a mere six months –must figure out how to return him to his own time.

Over the course of the next week, Damian discovers that Mexican gangsters do not mess around, that social workers find Bruce annoying, that Bruce might be a little messed up, and that crystal chandeliers create the fondest memories.

Oh. And Alfred has hair.

MY NOTES: not only is this one of my top favourite time travel fics, it is also one of my favourite bruce and damian fics. it is so witty and fun, but also hurts immensely. fics where the kids are forced to endure young bruce's ridiculousness is always a treat, and here it is infinitely more amusing because it's damian finding his father entirely silly.

Modus Tollens by fanfictiongreenirises

Dick is cursed to kill anyone he touches.

MY NOTES: this one is fantastic. really gut wrenching throughout and you really feel for dick when it gets tough, but the sweet ending makes up for all the pain. dick loves his family and his family loves him immensely.

I Used to Be an Adventurer Like You, Then I Took an Arrow to the Knee by audreycritter

Stephanie was just on patrol and now she’s stuck somewhere, sometime, with Bruce.

They bleed and bond and mostly try to keep each other alive— you know, just a Tuesday.

MY NOTES: don't mind me casually recommending just the best bruce and stephanie fic to ever be written. it is unhealthy how many times i have read this one. and it is time travel! this is my dream come true. it also features one of my most favourite studies on bruce and stephanie and what they represent to each other.

Keep Your Head, Your Backbone and Your Heart by MrMich

The last thing that Duke expected on what was supposed to be just a regular patrol was being suddenly thrown five years into the past, coming face to face with a darker, more violent Batman than the one he knew, a broken family, and a Tim who was a foot shorter than Duke, and not even Robin yet.

MY NOTES: there was a moment in time where i briefly made this fic my entire personality with how much i spoke about it. dare i say one of the best duke thomas centric fics and ITS TIME TRAVEL! it is so great. i have noticed that you rarely see tim as robin in time travel fics, and he is so lovely in this, especially his dynamic with duke. as always, young bruce is ridiculous, but how duke navigates through it all is so important to me.

OKAY i will stop here as i frantically try to shove the remaining 495 fics back into my metaphorical ao3 closet. i hope u like these anon! <3 also if you haven't already, check out all these authors other works too! they are all fantastic !!

[poguesarerogues]

🔞Warnings: (nsfw) Smut- pure smut, nothing but smut🔞Please don't read if you are a minor

Pairing: JJ x reader

word count: around 647+ per version (girl/boy)

Synopsis: making his s/o feel good is what JJ lives for.

A/N: There is both a female and male version for this request. Both ‘plots” are the same- it’s just minor detail changes in each version based on anatomy. Also, I'm not so good with writing for boy versions, but I do want to be inclusive, so I hope that anything in that version that doesn't make sense or that is incorrect/wouldn't happen isn't too bad.

I hope you enjoy.

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Girls Verison

He could feel your entire body shaking, your thighs quaking on either side of his head as they squeeze against his skull like a compactor trying to compress a watermelon. His face was flush against your pussy, his tongue lapping at it and inserting itself into your sweet hole while two of his fingers gently rub against your clit as he buries his face deeper into you. Your moans spur him to continue his pace as he strives to make your cum for the third time in a row. The overstimulation has you writhing in simultaneous pleasure and pain.

JJ lives for moments like these, when he can be with you and turn you into a blubbering mess just with his hands and tongue. The sight of your back arching off of the bed as your head whips back against the pillows from his touch bring him the greatest pride and joy in his life. He lives for the sensation of hearing your pleasured moans fill the room, nearly inaudible requests for him to keep going or to stop, even though the both of you know that’s not what you mean when you say that. He makes it his goal to swallow as much of your juices as possible whenever you reach your climax. The orgasms that he forces out of you causing your hips to buck upwards, his hands having to move from rubbing against your sensitive area to your hips where he’ll squeeze his nails into your skin as he forces you down against the mattress. Each moment after this he’ll readjust his position at the end of the bed as best as he can while your thighs still hold his head in place against your nether region.

If he could speak, he’d praise you for behaving so well for him. “You’re taking my tongue so well, always tasting so delicious my pretty princess. You’re my beautiful girl, aren’t you? Such a good baby for me!” Sometimes you’ll even let him venture in degradation, “such a dirty little whore for me aren’t you, princess? You can’t hold back your whines, begging me to keep going, hoping I’ll take all your juices into my mouth. I don’t even have to use my cock to make you feel good. But I bet that’s what you want most of all isn’t it? You want me to fill you up because you’re such a needy slut for me. How pathetic.”

He’ll continue swirling his tongue around, occasionally moaning into you before he feels the pressure of your thighs against his head subside. With exhaustion coursing through your body, your eyes will be shut closed as your heavily heave relieved breaths upon finally being given a reprieve from JJ’s ministrations. JJ loves this sight as he makes his way closer to you, hovering about your still shaking form. He’ll hang his head just above yours, waiting for you to open your eyes so that he can stare lovingly into them. “are you ok sweetheart?” He’ll ask, his clean hand coming up to caress your cheek as he smiles down at you, “would you like me to untie you now?”

Upon seeing that you’ve managed to shake your head, JJ will lean further over you as he reaches out to pull against the cuffs chaining both of your arms to the headrest of his bed. He’ll take both of your arms in his own, soothing the wrists with gentle circles. “Do you need any water? A snack? Would you like me to run you a bath?”

No matter what you order him to do, he’ll do it for you. That’s what a good boyfriend does for his girl after all isn’t it? Whatever you request for aftercare, he’ll fulfill it. But what he hopes for most, although he’ll never voice it out loud, is for you to beg him to continue.

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BOYS VERSION

He could feel your entire body shaking, how could he not when he had you in his mouth? Your girth stretching his mouth open as wide as it could go. His head bobs up and down, his tongue lapping at it as the length travels to the back of his throat. One of his hands working on handling your sack to give you even more sensation as he goes down on you. Your moans spur him to continue his pace as he strives to make your cum for the third time in a row. The overstimulation has you writhing in simultaneous pleasure and pain.

JJ lives for moments like these, when he can be with you and turn you into a blubbering mess just with his hands, tongue, and the walls of his mouth. The sight of your back arching off of the bed as your head whips back against the pillows from his touch bring him the greatest pride and joy in his life. He lives for the sensation of hearing your pleasured moans fill the room, nearly inaudible requests for him to keep going or to stop, even though the both of you know that’s not what you mean when you say that. He makes it his goal to swallow as much of your juices as possible whenever you reach your climax. The orgasms that he forces out of you causing your hips to buck upwards causing each of his hands to have to move from rubbing against your sensitive sack or whatever part of your cock that he doesn’t have in his mouth to move up to your hips where he’ll squeeze his nails into your skin as he forces you down against the mattress. Each moment after this he’ll readjust his position at the end of the bed as best as he can.

If he cares to remove himself from around your cock, he will speak to you as best as he can, praising you for behaving so well for him. “You’re handling me so well, always tasting so delicious like a 5-course meal. You’re my sweet prince, aren’t you? Such a good boy for me!” Sometimes you’ll even let him venture in degradation, “such a dirty little whore for me aren’t you? such a disgusting little man-slut. You can’t hold back your whines, begging me to keep going, hoping I’ll take all your juices into my mouth. I don’t even have to use my cock to make you feel good. But I bet that’s what you want most of all isn’t it? You want me to fill you up because you’re such a needy slut for me. How pathetic.”

When he chooses to continue taking you in, he’ll continue swirling his tongue around, making sure to lap at the slit and suction onto the head, pumping up and down with his hand on the rest of your length, occasionally moaning around you before he feels your body begin to shake even more. With exhaustion coursing through your body, your eyes will be shut closed as your heavily heave relieved breaths upon finally being given a reprieve from JJ's ministrations once he chooses to stop. J loves this sight as he makes his way closer to you, hovering above your still shaking form. He’ll hang his head just above yours, waiting for you to open your eyes so that he can stare lovingly into them. “are you ok babe?” He’ll ask, one of his hands coming up to caress your cheek as he smiles down at you, “would you like me to untie you now?”

Upon seeing that you’ve managed to shake your head, JJ will lean further over you as he reaches out to pull against the cuffs chaining both of your arms to the headrest of your bed. He’ll take both of your arms in his own, soothing the wrists with gentle circles. “Do you need any water? A snack? Would you like me to run you a bath?

No matter what you order him to do, he’ll do it for you. That’s what good boyfriends do for each other after all isn’t it? Whatever you request for aftercare, he’ll fulfill it. But what he hopes for most, although he’ll never voice it out loud, is for you to beg him to continue.

[deathbydarkelves]

Azerite does come up in this fic so I have to come up with what it actually can and can't do since Blizzard kinda designed it as a classic "it can do whatever the plot needs it to do" type substance, and to my knowledge, never outright stated its limits. Which are things I need as a writer.

So anyway here's what the wowpedia page says:

Touching it gives you a feeling of being completely unstoppable and being able to effortlessly achieve your greatest desires, regardless of whether you're good or evil at heart. For Anduin, it took away the grief for his father and made him feel like he could stop wars altogether via christianity the Light. For Sylvanas it made her feel like a, quote, "goddess of destruction" (very reassuring to hear for the people in the room with her, I'm sure lmao)

The effects vary from person to person but generally it seems like it heightens awareness and seemingly boosts intellect, filling you with genius ideas you wouldn't have come up with otherwise. Also makes you feel totally at peace. This is definitely not a drug you guys.

Also it's very explosive and can neutralize or amplify poisons.

It CAN become depleted.

It overrides feelings of thirst/hunger/cold/etc.

I didn't know this but apparently the Well of Eternity had something to do with azerite so there's that.

WITH THAT IN MIND, here's my headcanon-y type stuff:

The reason the average IQ of Azeroth hasn't doubled since this intellect-increasing substance started popping up is because extended exposure starts really fucking up your body and mind. Think radiation poisoning. This is a natural substance, yes, but it is absolutely not something mortals should be around. It's the blood of a god, it's not something we should be putting in or on our squishy bodies.

This is a big reason why, in my canon, the Heart of Azeroth was passed around from trusted hand to trusted hand, instead of being the responsibility of one or two people. These people would go around using it to heal wounds across the planet, then pass it to the next chosen person before exposure to such a strong concentration of azerite started really messing with them. (I still have yet to decide where the Heart is now, since N'Zoth doesn't show up during the war in my canon)

Yes azerite can give you these genius ideas while you're touching it, and that's because you're being imparted with a tiny fraction of a god's intelligence. As soon as you stop touching it, you can't remember any of those ideas. It's like a dream; you remember the feeling and general theme, but none of the details. People have tried to get around this by writing down what comes to them while under its effects, but almost none of what they write down makes any sense to a "sober" mind. Imagine suddenly being able to see and draw four-dimensional objects, then having that ability taken away just as quickly. Those drawings aren't gonna make any sense.

Due to the Well of Eternity thing, and stealing from someone else's headcanon (can't remember who, sorry T-T), since elves were created from exposure to the arcane, they're actually really sensitive to azerite (itself being arcane in nature) and can hear a low thrumming/humming when in the presence of a large enough source of it. Most other races can't hear this, unless they're very magically sensitive for other reasons. But maybe some dwarves and really good druids can hear it as well because rocks and nature and whatnot. I know in the game it makes a loud noise but that's so players can find it easier and I don't want it to do that in my canon jnskdnc

Also since it's so explosive, the reason Teldrassil could be burned in the first place is because the catapults were loaded with it :(

In low enough doses/concentrations, it can heal wounds. Repeated usage is not recommended unless you're into vomiting up blood.

It makes you feel physically stronger, but it doesn't make you stronger. Same with how it makes you feel not hungry/thirsty/cold/etc. That's just part of the weird high.

The goblins apparently got ahold of some before the Cataclysm, but after exposure to air it solidified and became inert. Only after Sargeras stabbed Azeroth did this sample regain its crazy properties. Thus, I will say that once the wound in the world is fixed, all the azerite currently above the surface is going to become inert as well.

Basically all this is to justify why the faction leaders aren't suddenly super geniuses playing 4D chess with each other just because they have a glowy rock in their pocket. I figure the royal mages (or whatever) figured out its negative effects pretty quickly and forbade the faction leaders from using it to try and get a leg up on their enemies, unless they want their bones to melt.

[lillyblogs]

[Insinuation 2.7]

(Sorry about posting these out of chronological order; I didn't have a Tumblr blog yet when I first posted this one. Also, consider my liveblogs of 1.1 -> 2.6 lost to the ether.) [Insinuation 2.7] Brian and Alec were good looking guys, in very different ways. Lisa was, on the sliding scale between plain and pretty, more pretty than not. So Taylor admits to checking all of them out and also to finding them all attractive. Undersider harem when? Bug Please don't stick please don't stick I still want her name to be something cool like Myriad, but there's bound to be something of a joke to it. Lisa, though, put one of her arms around my shoulders and gave me a one-armed squeeze of a hug. She was a little older than I was, so she was just tall enough to be at the perfect height to do it. What caught me off guard was how nice the gesture felt. Taylor is attracted to girls theory: Confirmed?????? Actually, I get the impression that Lisa is supposed to be this but it's not quite coming across right and makes it seem like she has a thing for Taylor. We passed a twenty-something artist and his girlfriend, sitting on the sidewalk with paintings propped up around them. The girl waved at Lisa as we walked by, and Lisa waved back. Guessing she's an important character, a cape probably, but not one of the Undersiders. Circus? Spitfire? IDK I know too few names at this point. Alternatively, that was Uber and Leet. If that's the case, Leet was probably the girl and Uber the artist. If Tattletale's really a hacker, it'd make sense for her to be friends with someone named Leet. I supposed they might have a TiVo, though I’d never seen one. TiVo?????? Seriously, though, the Undersiders have a pretty fucking sweet loft. Also, Alec's an artist apparently. Knowing young fiction, this will either be the only thing he talks about ever or he'll never mention it again. ```“I’m jealous,” I admitted, meaning it.

“Dork,” Alec said, “What are you jealous for?”

“I meant it’s cool,” I protested, a touch defensively.

Lisa spoke before Alec could reply, “I think what Alec means is that this is your place now too. This is the team’s space, and you’re a member of the team, now.”How all great friendships start.“Last time he went up against Shadow Stalker, he came back here and bled all over a white couch,” Lisa groused, “nine hundred dollar couch and we had to replace it.”

“Fucking Shadow Stalker,” Alec commiserated.OOOH! Shadow Stalker sounds like they might be a rival villain. (Part of Faultline's group, maybe? Or perhaps the Empire, though the Undersiders don't seem to have major issues with them yet.) Can't wait to see them.Brian came back from the other end of the loft, raising his voice to be heard as he approached, “Rache’s not here, and neither are her dogs. She must be walking them or working. Dammit. I get stressed when she’s out.” He approached the couches and saw Alec sprawled on the one.OK now I'm 99% percent sure Brian and this Rachel girl are a couple, or he wants them to be. Or alternatively, she really is a mass-murderer with a dog fetish and that's why he's worried. Either way, isn't her identity public? If so, _why_ does she walk her own dogs, instead of having the other Undersiders do it for her? Indication of obsession? Possessiveness? Or maybe they have someone who can disguise people; Regent, maybe? Not sure if it would fit with his name, though. Regent, to me, suggests he might be part of some sort of Parahuman lineage (not sure how far back it could possibly go, since didn't Scion only appear in the 80s?) and that his power is _really fucking good_. He's their heavy hitter, the one who packs the most punches. Maybe he's a mini-Superman, complete with the "powers as the plot demands".“We’ll get you one,” he said, like it wasn’t even a concern. It probably wasn’t. “We generally haul in anywhere from ten grand to thirty-five grand for a job. That gets divided four ways… five ways now that you’re on the team.”Sounds like Taylor will be rich very quickly; she'll probably be against spending the money at first but give in after a little. She is the Queen Of Slippery Slopes, after all. In fact, I suspect the Undersiders are aware of that, b/c of Tattletale and are actively baiting her into falling all the way down and becoming a villain. However, they probably won't like the new, unrestricted Taylor Hebert.“I do know everything,” Lisa said, “It’s my power.”Still thinking superpowered hacker, possibly with some sort of tinkery flavor to it, with a probable focus on spying on and tracking people.“What?” I said, interrupting Brian. My heartbeat quickened, though I hadn’t exactly been relaxed to begin with, “You’re omniscient?”

Lisa laughed, “No, no. I do know things though. My power tells me stuff.”

Swallowing hard, hoping I wasn’t drawing attention by doing so, I asked, “Like?” Like why I was joining their team?

Lisa sat forward and put her elbows on her knees, “Like how I knew you were at the library when I sent me the messages. If I felt like it, and if I had the know how, I’m sure I could have figured it out by breaking into the website database and digging through the logs to find the address you connected from, but my power just let me skip that step like that.” She snapped her fingers.Damn it. I was wrong, wasn't I? But honestly that's a _horrifying_ power; she just _knows_ things she shouldn't. Like "everything about everyone ever", apparently. Perhaps it's some sort of weird form of clairvoyance; her power sees everything going on at once, but she can focus it on a specific person/area and it'll relay whatever it finds to her for her to make sense of with her deductive skills. Like having an omnipresent, invisible and intangible drone. Heck, maybe she's lying and she's just a Tinker with a specialty in surveillance and cloaking; would certainly explain how Rachel's able to regularly go outside, seemingly.Not giving him a chance to reply, she turned to me and explained, “My power fills in the gaps in my knowledge. I generally need some info to start from, but I can use details my power feeds me to figure out more stuff, and it all sort of compounds itself, giving me a steady flow of info.”Honestly I'm not entirely sure what she means by this, but it definitely seems like _every single one_ of my guesses as to her power was wrong.Lisa’s smile widened, “I’ll admit I cheated there. Figuring out passwords is pretty easy with my power. I dig through the PHQ’s digital paperwork and enjoy a little reality TV by way of their surveillance cameras when I’m bored. It’s useful because I’m not only getting the dirt from what I see, hear and read, but my power fills in the details on stuff like changes in their routine and the team politics.”At least I was right about her tendency to spy on people. And the PHQ's the _Protectorate_ ENE HQ, right? So essentially where the heroes work, and possibly live. Makes sense that Taylor wouldn't want to join the Wards if it's actually like that; she rather seems to enjoy having _something_ of a normal life and the ability to just go home and get away from this, to just be her father's daughter for a while. (Angsty plot twist: He's actually her stepdad, in addition to being a cape (maybe Armsmaster if he isn't a villain; tinkers seem sufficiently bullshit for that to work, and he was relatively nice to Taylor, if a bit businesslike-- _just like her father_.) and she learns both of these secrets at an inopportune time (perhaps after her first mission with the Undersiders?) and ends up leaving him and her civilian ID behind and moving in with the Undersiders full-time.)she grinned her vulpine smileNo way this isn't a fandom meme. Honestly, this just feels like such a memetic phrase and Wildbow _just keeps using it_. There are other ways to call someone sly and mischevious that don't involve how foxlike their smile is. Still thinking she's going to end up with Taylor, eventually and probably only temporarily. Unless she's also a double-agent. Would explain why she hasn't been the nicest to Taylor (she went out of her way to mess with her...), despite seemingly wanting her to join the team and seemingly caring about her. Grue, Alec and Rachel probably aren't going to double-cross the team, however. They seem like they're actually villains, albeit probably sympathetic ones. I can't wait to hear how despite seeming to only be in it for the money, they all have tragic backstories. Actually, perhaps having a tragic backstory is part of gaining powers; Taylor's got a lot of trauma and the Danny interlude did suggest that things turned from idyllic to tragic rather fast. And logically speaking, it makes sense that the villains would all have a lot of mental trauma; they're the people who society has chewed up and spat right out. Calling it right now that every Undersider is some kind of minority or other oppressed group: Brian: Black, possibly not straight. Possibly a single (adoptive?) parent? He seems close to the other Undersiders, so it doesn't seem like he'd live away from them by choice. If he's got a kid who he's desperately trying to keep away from this, things suddenly make sense. Or maybe a little sister/brother (I'm leaning towards sister), if he's too young to even be adopting children? Either way, he's definitely doing this for someone else's sake. If said person is old enough (i.e. 13+; I don't think the Undersiders would employ such a small child), they'll probably join the Undersiders after a few arcs of melodrama. Or if they're not, they'll do it (complete with the melodrama) after they grow up. Which Wildbow may only do so they can be paired with whichever Undersider doesn't get paired up, since I'm 100% sure they're going to end up a set of three couples, instead of a proper team of five. Bonus points if this hypothetical sister thinks Brian's a hero before learning the considerably more unsavory truth. Alec: He's definitely either gay or bi. There is no way that boy is straight. Also, he's got a French name, which is a pretty good sign he's going to be a Flamboyant Gay, especially if he picked it for himself. Lisa: A woman, also gay (probably). Possibly asexual, maybe? (She's definitely not aromantic, though; there needs to be at least something to use for shipping bait and "will-they-or-won't-they" tension, as Worm is basically YA.) Rachel: Maybe she's transgender? I'm guessing here. Didn't Taylor describe her as unladylike in appearance or something like that? Also possibly a butch lesbian* / gender non-conforming in some other way. *If she's a lesbian, Tattletale isn't one. It's a rule of how these things work. Though in that case, Tattletale wouldn't be a proper token character and would instead exist as a plot device / excuse for exposition and probably only exists to avert the Smurfette principle.They didn’t get a chance to tell me. I heard barking from downstairs. A matter of heartbeats later I was standing, three paces from the couch. Three snarling dogs had me backed against the wall, drool flying from their mouths as their teeth gnashed and snapped for my hands and face.``` Rachel can't control her dogs = confirmed? Or maybe she's a bit more unhinged than I was thinking, or both? I'm currently thinking that she's actually the sweetest and most innocent of the Undersiders, appearances be damned (it also makes her alias of "Bitch" rather ironic), but I could be extremely wrong. Since she works with dogs, she also probably has some skill as a vet, and probably acts as the Undersiders' medic as well.

I'm also starting to think that the Undersiders are using their actual names, and that they really do trust Taylor. Unless they're all lying about their names to each other as well as to Taylor, though they seem too much like fire-forged friends for that.