#servant writes nier automata

[neoyi]

I've been catching up Kidd Commander, a webcomic that I described as "dense and raw." (note: I mean this with great compliment, I can't even begin to describe the sheer envy on how the author writes the dialogue for the characters, it feels like water flowing gently off a bridge.)

I recently finished its second arc, "A Wretched Analog" and my GOD, it was an incredible, satisfying read. At about 200+ pages, it's a good, manga-sized volume story that appealed so directly to the shit I love.

And now I'm gonna talk about it and this shit is gonna be long, so I'll the rest under a "Read More" because I have a lot of thoughts about this particular arc.

So, I'm kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to "Robots Talk About What It Means To Be Human" stories because, I don't know, they often seem to come off as pedestrian and pretentious to me (sorry, I didn't like NiER: Automata). And I don't mean this isn't an excellent vehicle to talk about the nature of free will philosophically nor do I not enjoy plots like these, but I've find a lot of them appeal to me more when the robots in questions end up DOING more than just sitting in a chair talking.

Agatha Goddard does a hell of a lot of DOING.

I mean, they still talk, but I was immediately drawn to her not just from a design POV (I love the contrast of her striking blue hair with her metallic body), but the immediate fact that 1.) She's already self-aware and 2.) Everyone knows she's internally not happy with her situation as a robotic slave. After all, she has no "feelings", she's just a machine. Which is SO fascinating because the comic also states a lot of machinery like her has achieved sentience and basically live and are treated like regular folks. Which must piss off Agatha more.

God, even from the first page she's introduced (pic above), she looks like she has a massive chip on her shoulder (She has permanent resting bitch face and I'm all, "Girl, same.")

Like Agatha isn't just pretending she has to be the perfect robot servant, she's not speaking in a chipper tone to please her master and fake how she really feels. No, she's already pretty damn surly when you first meet her. She's already got a life and hobby; she rides motorcycles and raises pigeons. She has befriended an engineer kid genius who adores Agatha. She's already doing and feeling and thinking of her own accord. She has a life.

And Phineas notices. She notices the hell out of Agatha (omg, she crushed on that tall robot lady instantly and that's so valid) and as is wont of Phineas who sees any form of injustice, she's gonna fight hell and high water to free Agatha from her curse. And they do. But Kidd Commander is a comic that raises a lot of questions on the nature of the consequences of your actions based on your self-entitlement. A big, reoccurring thing is whether Phineas is any better than the Gods she wants to punch in their big, stupid eldritch faces because they deign to be uncaring and apathetic to the mortals they fuck over, and yet she herself is a powerhouse of raw emotion who will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants (a crew for her personal quest) whether they want it or not (and this arc in particular really questions it and I love it so damn much.)

God, I haven't even gotten to Ulrich pulling a Giles and killing Monterey because he'll do what Phineas won't and I'm on my knees going, "oh, this is good shit."

Any who, yeah, so Agatha also ties into the greater worldbuilding because she's a star spirit (more or less) encased into the body of an automaton, built by her late scientist mom because she desired a child. And then Monterey, the scientist mom's nephew, being so hideously jealous after his own tragic parental loss, kills her and then spends the next several decades torturing Agatha. And then proceeds to be mayor of the entire city. And then rules that with all the bread and circus it implied. And then proceeded to be killed by Ulrich... only to be revived in a new robotic body with no memories of his previous deeds and continues to be mayor because the city needs stability (especially after Phineas raised hell.)

He gets away with his crimes and Agatha is left to stew in anger over it.

And this goes into another kind of plot I love: the comic sympathizes with her anger.

Being angry has often been treated as a very negative emotion. There's been approx. forty million pieces of media where a character had to learn to be calm and collective; do not let wrath consume you. And like, contextually, depending on the story, that is very true and good advice.

This is not good advice for Agatha. Because why wouldn't she feel angry? Tormented all her life, stripped of autonomy, treated and infantilize. The last one is such a sticking point for me because GOD, I relate heavily to this because I spent most of my damn 20s being treated condescendingly; like some goddamn child because of how I behaved (read: being neurodivergent and nerdy.)

The thing about Agatha was that she was built to be a living person, to act and choose of her own accord. Monterey ended up erasing her data (read: memory) several times the moment she showed any sign of autonomy and rebellion. He expected compliance. What he got was a soda bottle ready to pop. Agatha was never designed to be a soulless bot and it's why she had her memories altered so many times. She would always rebel and remember because she is a person. And so, Agatha seethed, she raged, and there's a few points where she finally lets loose and it's so, so cathartic.

"A Wretched Analog" leaves with the crew banned from the city of Decodenn. There isn't any "we're going to fix this city's problem" like you'd imagine. I'm sure Phineas could do it if she felt the city needed to be saved (the last arc had her save an entire town, albeit a very small one, but no less meaningful to the people who live there): her goal was specifically to get Agatha out and only Agatha. There is something inherently selfish that Phineas is so one-track minded to do that just that. But it's still infinitely personal and feels grandiose and big because the comic so intensely focuses on how much of a disservice Agatha has been done.

Agatha decides if she can't strangle Monterey and toss him off the city (she, at least, got in a punch, but that feels so small to what he deserves), then she's going to take all the anger in her and put it to good use: help others who have been done dirty. She is justified and she is going to be a force of wrathful nature when prompt. And this is treated as a net positive. Anger need not be a negative emotion: it can be a fuel for determination and what you personally feel is retribution.

And I like that, it's a different kind of raw anger than what Phineas often demonstrates. Phineas has Luffy energy and quite often screams and kicks her legs in defiance if she so much as sees someone having a bad day. She's an unstoppable force who needs Ulrich to exercise some bit of restraint lest she burn cities for her cause. Agatha seethes on the inside and lets it fester and grow before she unleashes it all out. Each of them are very good and justified in their own ways, and has helped them in their personal dilemma and further achieve their goals.

"A Wretched Analog" is currently in the running for favorite arc. I've just started "Green Thousand Sing", so we'll see if that can top it. ;D What I'm saying is, AWA is just s rock solid 200+ pages of storytelling that I am imploring and shaking you to please consider and read.

Kidd Commander as a whole is often asking us to question the actions behind the protagonists' motivations as much as we want to root for them. It's the best kind of "Please understand" the further you read. It rewards patience (I'm not even joking when I say I've read each of the dialogue as carefully as I could because every word bubble feels meaningful and relevant) and leaves so much behind for you to consider how each of the characters think and behave, and yes, some of them are going to be ugly, but there's always a method to their madness, whether you agree or not. That shit is SO good. That's another thing I love when stories do. No clear cut "oh this character has to be Pure and Good because it's the only way to root for the protagonists." Naw, brah, they behave in ugly, ugly ways and that's the goddamn point.

[by-glass-and-waves]

Intro post time :o

Hi I'm Glass, 30F (she/her). I spend way too much time with worldbuilding or story ideas or exploring themes SIGH. I'd enjoy building/upgrading my computers if I had the money and space for it >:( I also find driving (without traffic or a ton of stoplights) while listening to music super relaxing (eg my story playlists)

Bluesky

AO3

Dragon's Dogma 2 screenshottery

I really like to draw/write about Narinder/The One Who Waits 🙃

I've got four Cult of the Lamb AUs/storylines on a sliding scale of dark to lighthearted:

Depression Quest (fic, cw: abuse, self harm, depression)

The Courtship of the God of Death (fic, cw: unhealthy/toxic relationship, obsession, jealousy, manipulation, violence, gore, emotional/psychological abuse)

Restart (cw: violence, gore)

19th Century AU

More on the AUs below the cut

Interests: Dragon's Dogma, Cult of the Lamb, Star Wars Outlaws, Final Fantasy IX, Neon Genesis Evangelion, No Man's Sky, Rune Factory 4/5, Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas/4, Nier Replicant/Automata, pre-Destiny Bungie lore + Destiny's Book of Sorrows and a few other bits + Halo's Forerunner Trilogy

My name comes from something I wrote for my oc worldbuilding project:

He pressed against the glass of time, feeling it crack beneath his fingers. He stepped into the tides of space, seeing the water part for his feet. … He broke through the glass, looked down at them again. … He swam through the rising tides to a new world.

Depression Quest:

My very First Idea™ for Cult of the Lamb. It follows the canon ending of Lamb conquering The One Who Waits. Essentially, the Lamb turns Narinder into a trophy husband, and Narinder does not have a good time.

This is my darkest au and includes things such as abuse, self harm, depression, etc. My favorite thing is the fact that Ratoo and Narinder eventually become friends. I've written a chapter but the fic won't be updated often. Tag: #cotl depression quest

The Courtship of the God of Death:

This is the fic I've published on AO3. Follows the alternate ending of The One Who Waits regaining the Red Crown and his freedom, but instead of sacrificing the Lamb, he accepts their proposal to become his Consort and rule over the Cult by his side. He enjoys his victory, deals with the Lamb's affection for him, and processes what happened between he and his siblings.

It starts out lighthearted, then becomes a descent into darker themes such as obsession, jealousy, manipulation, emotional/psychological abuse, and the toxic relationship between the Lamb and Narinder. It also includes some violence and gore. It borrows some stuff from Depression Quest, and involves the majority of my headcanons/worldbuilding. Tags: #cotl courtship, #cotl the courtship of the god of death, #the courtship of the god of death, #cult of the lamb the courtship of the god of death

Restart:

Follows the alternate ending of The One Who Waits sacrificing the Lamb and regaining the Red Crown. He gets bored and decides to time/worldjump to another version of The Lands of the Old Faith, replacing Ratau/the Lamb as the crusader against the Bishops. Too bad he's a thousand years out of practice.

This is more slice of life and includes Narinder and Lamb arguing like a married couple but there's some drama in there. It does include violence and gore since Narinder does have to go on his Crusades and fight his siblings. This one does not have a fic written, it's more ideas I've doodled. Well, I did have a chapter written, but it may be posted as a separate piece instead.

tl;dr Narinder goes New Game+ and becomes the player character (but he really sucks at it). Tag: #cotl restart

19th Century AU:

Created after watching of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma. It follows Prince Narinder of the Kingdom of the Old Faith Amenthes, investor of Ratau and Ratoo Trading Company, who has just moved into Acheron Estate. He bumps into the Lamb by chance while meeting with Ratau, and hires her as his servant after being intrigued by her fiery personality.

It's a slice of life and is a silly, self-indulgent AU written as if it was a screenplay. Maybe I'll post the scenes on AO3 even though they're out of order. Tag: #cotl 19th century AU

Also made a concept playlist (ask box post with song list, WIP) on the AUs because I'm absolutely nuts

I've also written mad ideas and wrote a few bits on an OC worldbuilding thing I've had since like 2010 or something no idea if people might be interested in it and it's as convoluted as the Kingdom Hearts series soooo Tag: #three kids and their pet ghost

[therealmofamorus]

My Mood

Original Male Stud AU:Alien AU, Slavery AU: Slave Master AU/Breeding Slave AU, Domestic AU, College AU: Teacher AU - Art Teacher AU, Beach AU: Lewd Beach AU, RWBY AU: Faunus Slave AU/Grimmborn AU/Arcest AU, Free Use AU, Lust Virus AU, Brothel AU - Gigolo AU, Bimbo Maker AU, Fate Servant AU, Farmer AU, Stolen Hearts AU

Alpha Male Stud AU: Alien AU, Slavery AU: Slave Master AU/Breeding Slave AU, Super AU: Supervillain AU, Law and Crime AU: Criminal AU - Fugitive AU, College AU: Student AU - Club AU, Beach AU: Lewd Beach AU, RWBY AU: Faunus Slave AU/Grimmborn AU/Arcest AU, Free Use AU, Lust Virus AU, Brothel AU - Gigolo AU, Bimbo Maker AU, Fate Servant AU, Farmer AU, Stolen Hearts AU,

General Moods: Dark, Noncon, Romantic, Loving Sex, Degradation, Corruption, Genderswap AU, Breeding, Master/Slave, Public Sex, Incest, Body Writing

Muses: RWBY, Xenoblade, Highschool DxD, Tekken, One Piece, Overwatch, Legend of Zelda, Fairy Tail, Sonic the Hedgehog, Jujutsu Kaisen, Total Drama Series, Drakengard, Fate Series

Main Male Muses: Arthur Arc (RWBY OC), Issei Hyoudou, Jin Kazama, Monkey D.Luffy, Ganondorf, Gajeel Redfox, Sonic the Hedgehog, Trent (TD), Mako Rutledge / Roadhog, Rex (Xenoblade), 9S (Nier Automata), Yuji Itadori, Archer Emiya

Main Female Muses Female: Five (Drakengard), Salem, Pyra/Myrthra, Xenovia Quarta, Midna, Bridgette Lindholm, Cana Alberona, Lindsay, Rouge the Bats, Kazumi Mishima, Nobara Kugisaki, Kozuki Hiyori, Sakura Matou, Salem

Meme: Free for All

[servantwrites]

You are to be mine. Mine to love. Mine to hate. Mine to kiss. Mine to maim. Mine to fuck. Mine to kill. My 2B, and mine alone.

My hand slips around her neck, followed by her left. We brush away the dirt and dust tainting her pale beautiful skin. Gently our digits lace together, push into her flesh, as tears drip down my face. I leak choked giggles, remarking at the irony. “I finally get to kill you, 2B. Now I see why you did it to me. It feels GREAT!” Laughter spills with salty drops, and the pressure increases. “C’mon, I know you love it too.” Ripping off the black visor, revealing her dead, motionless stare. Skin begins to cave into circuitry, blood and metal. It seeps into my leather, and her lace. My glove and her satin. My hand and hers. 

“Gihihihi… AH HA HA HA!” And we crush her pretty neck. Serving the head and torso. Ripping it off and lifting it above, to show the world how much I love 2B. Cradling her head in my right, while she cradles mine in her left. Touching foreheads, I ponder the act to kiss her. But no, not now. We have to deal with that bitch that attempted to separate us. But now we will never part.

[kronecker-delta]

Felt weirdly inspired so I wrote a little more exploring the Starcraft/Nier: Automata crossover idea that I got from @callmeaxely‘s post.

Fanfic snippet stuff below.

A little brief snippet/set-up for the Starcraft crossover idea. Mostly exploring how the altered timeline/background of Starcraft might effect some elements here. *** The hologram flickered into existence in the dark room. An ancient man, face cragged yet eyes burning with an intensity that carried over even in the electric blue gloom of his digital memory. "Dr. Eugene Adler, submitting Spring Quarter Report 12 regarding progress on Project Gestalt." The image distorted, focusing on his face. Lines of distortion and the crackle of static an ever present companion. Not surprising given the extreme age of the recording. "I regret to inform the distinguished members of the committee that the notable resistance of some of the youths among the Crusades is not immunity as we first hoped. The genetic mutation, while greatly increasing the effects of Luciferase, is not matured enough to provide immunity." "Sadly it appears that samples of the human genome with more advanced forms of this mutation were noted for elimination during the Purification. Given the current timetable forced breeding and genetic engineering alone will not allow us to explore this option further with the current human population." "Furthermore, with the destruction of the colony ships from Dr. Routhe's program no remaining samples of those genetic lines exist. It is in my humble opinion quite unfortunate that more extreme members of the committee felt it necessary to eradicate even the genetic records from storage. Even if such research was to remain out of public knowledge it could have provided numerous avenues of exploration that are now forever closed to us." "I am thus recommending we move forward with the mass production of Noire. We should be able to produce the necessary quantity of copies and distribute them to the relief center without provoking further incidents. Once a stable example is located mass application of the corrected system can be used among those pre-selected as high value individuals for civilization reconstruction. Such as the esteemed members of the committee and other members of the party in good standing. Given our preliminary studies from the test candidate population I doubt we will have to expose more than a few million in order to locate a stability template." "If all goes well we should have the stability template within weeks of mass testing. By this summer at the latest." "Once again I thank the committee for their patience in this trying time. Despite our many unfortunate setbacks as of late it we are finally at the cusp of a solution to our problem. We will survive and future generations will speak of our accomplishments as a lasting testament to the glory of Mankind." The hologram cut off, the digital ghost banished once again. On the screen nearby the words, Archive Sample Alder-304 2323 were displayed next to the S-Class security authorization. No one other than her and a select few high ranking members of the Army of Humanity had ever heard this recording. And for good reason. The full nature of UPL's actions had been classified from general public knowledge. Given that the last time it had been well known had lead to Australia going rogue during those brief years between the last human death and the Alien invasion there was a good reason for that. When she'd been given access to the full files it had left her more than a little sympathetic to the Independist motivation. Hell, she'd briefly thought over how hard it would be to acquire a shuttle and get to one of the old abandoned colonies orbiting Jupiter. So far from Earth and all it was that it would be just one more dot in the sky. "Well, you got your wish now," White said to herself as she looked out the window as the stars streaked by in the haze of FTL distortion. They hadn't been able to keep the signals from ATLAS secret. Bad enough for possible reaction among the Androids, given how it could have ruined the lie about the lunar colony, but the Machine reaction... To suddenly lift off as they had with an entire fleet, once hidden underground? What could they want with humans? What would drive them to act like this? White had no idea. Even with several months on them the warp engine they had used should be inferior to what Android forces were using. They might even beat them to the likely destination of living humans. Though she had no idea what could await them there. Living humans... Or just another battleground against the Aliens and their machine servants. *** (Why do I always end up using White so much? I suppose it's because I keep writing crossover related material with sci-fi commanders/captains as important characters...)

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2017, Take 1

Scrapbook for 2017, because I actually kept up with it last year (for the most part) and it helped a lot. So, rules!

Italicized titles = enjoyed muchly, bold titles = love, titles with an asterisk* = OBSESSION and titles in (brackets) are re-watches/re-reads. And lastly, strikethough = DISLIKE.

Goals are: read thirty-five new books this year, finish four video games, finish writing and publish the Sabriel AU, and write something original. Even if it’s just a collection of short stories.

MOVIES

January:

(Flubber)

Arrival

(Spirited Away)

KH X

iBoy

February:

The Awakening

(Finding Dory)

(The X-Files)

(V For Vendetta)

La La Land

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

(Interstellar)

Ex. Machina

March:

No Country For Old Men

Beetlejuice

Pontypool

Logan

Get Out

Beauty and the Beast (remake)

It

April:

Tales From Earthsea

(The Secret World of Arriety)

(Inside Out)

(Kubo and the Two String)

May:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

(It)

The Secret Life of Pets

(Moana)

Stargate

Your Name

BOOKS

January:

Vicious | V.E. Schwab

Goldenhand | Garth Nix

Frankenstein | Mary Shelley

Illuminae | Amie Kaufman [Fin]

February:

Before the Fall | Noah Hawley

The Martian | Andy Weir

March:

Before the Fall | Noah Hawley 

The Martian | Andy Weir

Annihilation | Jeff Vandermeer

April:

Annihilation | Jeff Vandermeer [Fin]

Vicious  | V.E. Schwab [Fin]

A Conjuring of Light | V.E. Schwab [Fin]

Love for the Cold-Blooded: Or: The Part-Time Evil Minion’s Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero [Fin]

May:

(American Gods)

PODCASTS

May:

The Bright Sessions Eps 1-31

Alice Isn’t Dead Eps 1-2

TV SHOWS BY SEASON

January:

Stargate Atlantis s5

Sherlock s4

Gate

Steven Universe

Travelers

Trollhunters

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Skam

Voltron

Konosuba

Stargate SG-1 (s1)

Taboo

February:

Stargate SG-1 s1, s2

Yamishibai

Frequency s1

(The X-Files)

Grey’s Anatomy s3

Taboo

Legion

The Flash

Black Mirror s1

March:

Legion

The Flash s3

Taboo

Supernatural

(Hannibal s1)

April:

Legion 

Rick and Morty s3

The Flash

Grey’s Anatomy s4, s5

(Hannibal s1)

The Expanse s1

Trollhunters s1

American Gods

May:

American Gods

Sense8 s2

The Flash

Grey’s Anatomy s5, s6

Wynnona Earp

Grace and Frankie

Riverdale

Steven Universe

VIDEO GAMES

January:

Pokemon Moon (7 hrs)

Dragon Age: Inquisition (Dwarf Rogue; 1 hr)

Final Fantasy X (2 hrs)

Dragon Age: Origins (Male Human Mage; 52 hrs)

KH 2.8 | BBS; A Fragmentary Passage (3hrs)

KH DDD Remake (1 hour)

February:

Pokemon Moon (15 hrs)

Dragon Age: Origins (Male Human Mage; 52 hrs)

Mass Effect 2 (Male Soldier Sheppard; 1 hr)

Assassin’s Creed 2 (8 hrs)

Silent Hill 3

March:

Fallout New Vegas

Horizon Zero Dawn (80 hrs) [Fin]

Mass Effect Andromeda (Female Ryder; 41 hrs)

April:

Mass Effect Andromeda (Female Ryder; 83 hours) [Fin]

Persona 5 (80 hrs)

May:

Persona 5 (96 hrs)

Nier: Automata (4 hrs)

LoZ: Breath of the Wild(40 hrs?)

DELIGHTFUL FIC

January:

Stargazers by Ruby_Wednesday (Captive Prince; Laurent/Damen;  Five years after the Truce of Marlas, Damen and Laurent meet again in Delpha. They're forced to work together to soothe the growing tension between their countries. But Laurent does not forgive easily and Damen's not that sorry.)

con·tra·dic·tion by caseyvalhalla (Yu Yu Hakusho; Kurama/Hiei;  Mukuro raised the paper until it was out of range, just to make Hiei lean up on tiptoe, just to see that curl of anger on his mouth again, and she smiled sweetly enough to bare all of her teeth. “Why are you exchanging love letters with the right hand of my political rival?”)

in another time in another castle by caseyvalhalla (KH; AkuRoku; No one grows up without regrets.But time moves in cycles, winds back on itself, and sooner or later that kid you used to play video games with is gonna reappear just in time to ruin your day.)

Hernandes & Jones by antistar_e (kaikamahine) (SU; Japis;  In Miami, it's a statuette. Jasper tells her, "Come on, I need your help," and Lapis says, "That's nice. What part of 'I'm not wearing a catsuit' do you not understand?")

i have my body (and you have yours) by astoryaboutwar (YoI; Yuuri/Victor;  Yuuri overflows with the weight of things that have been said, trembles with what remains.)

A Somaal Universe by antistar_e (kaikamahine) (SU; Japis; Connie flips over the next card. "'Most likely to -'" She reads out loud, and then dissolves into laughter and has to start over, propping the card up on her bump. "'Most likely to freak out when you go into labor and break the speed limit getting to the hospital?'" "Pearl," Amethyst and Jasper say in unison.)

Let's Give Ourselves Promises of Our Unending byaimmyarrowshigh, nichestars (SW; Shara/Kes/Cassian; Captain Cassian Andor tries to define what it means to live after he should have died. His second life is a softer one.)

Abstain by resonant (SGA; Mcshep;  Aliens force John and Rodney not to have sex.)

Advantage by resonant (SGA; Mcshep;  This slave-owner thing was a lot of responsibility.)

Streets In A World Underneath It All by ISMENETRUTH (SGA; Mcshep; "Puddlejumper One: An Exclusive Portrait of John Sheppard on Atlantis," John reads aloud, smirking. "Funny, I'm pretty sure I've never met the author.")

Faith healing by aesc (SGA; Mcshep; The signal had started a year and a half ago, maddening, popping up in Chicago, D.C., Charlotte, New York City, Santa Fe, Montgomery, Santa Cruz, Seattle, a town in Kansas with a name like Desperation and a place in North Dakota called, from what Rodney could remember, Sweaty Groin.)

The home front by aesc (SGA; Mcshep; “This had better be the Sheppard residence,” Rodney says, brilliant, agitated life and volume against a monotonous day and Dave’s subdued welcome, “because I’ve been driving around for hours and if I ever find the woman who did the voice on my GPS system I’m going to personally amputate her vocal cords.”)

Reality by Resonant (SGA; Mcshep; McKay was the perfect object for a crush you never intended to do anything about.)

Cultural Exchange by lamardeuse (SGA; Mcshep;  "What does he think we are, Fine Arts majors?" Rodney grumbled.)

Do You Know What I Know? by DevilDoll (SGA; Mcshep;  "You need to come here, "John said, crooking a finger, "so I can slap you in the head.")

Pegasus Non-Verbal by igrab (SGA; Mcshep;  John always gets a little thrill when he sees Rodney sign at him across the room, casually dissing people literally standing next to him and John is the only one who knows.)

Junk Cheap by DevilDoll (SGA; Mcshep;  If you were thinking you'd love to read an AU where Rodney is a college professor and John owns a junk shop, this is the story for you.)

Denial by DevilDoll (SGA; Mcshep;  "John talks about you all the time.")

All The Way To The Bone by respoftw (SGA; Mcshep;  John is ready for a new beginning and he wants the tattoo to commemorate it. )

February:

Calling Down the Lightning by dreamwaffles (SGA; Mcshep;  Dr. Rodney McKay, PhD PhD, is a wizard.)

Forget Me Not by maisierita (SGA; Mcshep; John the servant turns out not to be anything like Rodney would have imagined.)

Unidentified by fiercelydreamed (SGA; Mcshep; Fourteen years, eight months, and seven days after John and Rodney meet, the clock starts all over again.)

into that secret place where no one dares to go by verity (TW; Stiles/Lydia; 4k; The first time he felt Lydia's soul, it felt like a sneeze.) 

Black Helicopters at Dawn by whizzy (SGA; Mcshep; 240k;  Screw the bet. Rodney was going to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Oh, and incidentally, he might just catch the United States Air Force with their pants around their ankles.)

Out in the Open by Xparrot (SGA; Mcshep;  It's Situation Normal for the team when they're caught in an avalanche, but digging themselves out uncovers more than they counted on.)

A Rational Universe by Xparrot (SGA; Mcshep;  "You're a lot more encouraging than my last friendly hallucination," Rodney says.)

Speech Deprived by Xparrot (SGA; Mcshep;  Rodney was released from the infirmary with painkillers, icepacks, and a strict injunction to limit all unnecessary speech for at least three days.)

Lord of the Sea (masterpost) by Multi (SGA; Mcshep; Among the Goa'uld, Mer'deth was something of an oddity.)

The Return to Normalcy by  Cypher (SGA; Mcshep;  The three month anniversary of the exile--as John thinks of it--falls on a three-day weekend.)

Still by murron (SGA; Mcshep;  On any other day, John might have shot Rodney a quick look, broadcasting his doubt and checking whether Rodney shared it. With a sinking heart, Rodney admitted it would be foolish to expect that kind of exchange right now.)

March:

Surrogate God by PepperPrints (The Flash; Reverb/Harry;  When Harrison Wells returns to Earth-2, someone is waiting for him. Reverb survived Zoom, but with the cost of losing his abilities. Convinced that Harry can return his powers to him, Reverb holds him captive, and he's asking for more than Harry can deliver.)

My Father Before Me by telleer (SGA; Mcshep;  Even after twenty years, Rodney still has no idea how to raise children.)

We Cannot Live Within by laureltreedaphne (SGA; Mcshep; John grinned. "So McKay's attractive to everyone?")

Before We Get Going, Here's Some Books I'd Like You to Read by Chash (The 100; Bellamy/Clarke;  Two months into her new job at the library, Clarke knows the following things about Bellamy Blake: they reserve a lot of books, they have good taste in said books, and they're really good at avoiding her.)

Livewire by marauders_groupie (The 100; Bellamy/Clarke;  Clarke Griffin finds 'Atlas' written on her wrist and Bellamy Blake sees flowers bloom on his skin.)

For Love of the Hunt by acidtonguejenny (Horizon Zero Dawn; Nil/Aloy;  If she’s hard on Nil, it’s because she understands more of him than she wants to.)

Heavy Weapons and How to Use Them by Armengard (Horizon Zero Dawn; Aloy/Petra;  The world ended, and then it didn't, and Aloy seeks a new purpose. In the meantime, visiting Free Heap and one Petra Forgewoman every so often is certainly worthwhile, as Aloy eventually finds out.)

Like a Lightning Strike by miss_aphelion (Hannibal; Will/Hannibal;  In a world where omegas are instant celebrities and treated like royalty, Will just wants to be left alone.)

babel by spqr (X-Men; Charles/Erik;  Two days ago Charles screamed loud enough that Erik heard him halfway around the world, but he didn’t listen.)

Under the Sea by astolat (SGA; Mcshep;  "Oh, thank you," Rodney yelled over the howls of do that conga!, "because what my night was missing was being groped next to the beer keg by a guy in a tiara.")

Lord, Save Me from Your Followers by anamatics (Supergirl; Lena/Kara; Kara, perhaps out of a want for thoroughness in her story, perhaps out of a Millennial-born urge to creep on a the social media of a woman she finds intriguing, discovers that Lena Luthor has a pretty active following on Instagram one afternoon not long after their first meeting.)

The God Machine by robotboy (Marvel; Loki/Tony; Tony goes undercover to spy on Loki. It's a fucking disaster.)

April:

Debt by Storynerd (Marvel; Tony/Loki;  Tony Stark shouldn't find Loki fascinating, but he does, because all he’s ever wanted to do is take things apart to see how they work. Besides, he’s never been any good at following the rules.)

in stasis by ilgaksu (Voltron; Keith/Lance; The story starts like this: with a story where you think you know the end, until it turns out you don’t, until it turns out you didn’t have a clue.)

Yuri!!! in Space by Fahye (YOI; Yuuri/Victor;  "No, see, we've all been trained a certain way. The training system is traditional; it's centuries old. Nobody taught you. You ballist like it's got nothing to do with war at all." A sleepy, extraordinary smile crawls over Victor's face. "Nobody else does it like that. That's why we're going to win.")

hood & glove by Fahye (YOI; Yuri/Otabek;  "I don't mess with the fae," Otabek says.)

between the motion and the act by Fahye (Captive Prince; Damen/Laurent; "They don't want it to be real," Laurent says. He touches lightly, with his fingertips, where he's written LOVE WINS. "They want us to sell them a fantasy, and they want just enough reality that they can pretend it might happen to them, one day.")

May:

A Perfect Commotion by Ruby_Wednesday (Captive Prince; Damen/Laurent;  Laurent needs this job. Not in the I need to put food on the table and a roof over my head kind of way. He's got a generous inheritance, thank you very much. No, he needs this job to prove he is a functioning adult who did not waste his late mother's money on an expensive education. He can be normal, whatever that is.)

Don't Turn Me Home Again by gyzym (Hawaii Five-O; Danny/Steve;  After a rough day of island living, Danny wakes up in New Jersey and learns the hard way to be careful what he wishes for.)

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (HP; Harry/Draco; Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.)

Favor for Your Four-Chambered Heart by @kaikamahine (SU; Jaspis; Never Let Me Go AU)**

With Fire in Their Eyes by Asuka Kureru (Askerian) (YoI; Yuuri/Viktor; He lands butterfly-light in a swirl of hair and glittering gauze, and the ceiling crashes to the rink all around him.)

An Unpredictable Amount of Turtles by skoosiepants (TW; Sterek;  Stiles says, “I have a five year plan. A five year plan to popularity that will tank the minute I meet this guy.”)

Bring a Towel by verity (SGA; Mcshep;  It was just Rodney's luck that the guy with the strongest expression of the ATA gene on Earth was some lanky alpha who couldn't follow an order as basic as "don't touch anything.")

Crypsis by zoemathemata (SGA; Mcshep; Rodney McKay is the pissiest Alpha John Sheppard has ever met. And that’s saying something.)

Zen and the Art of Jumper Maintenance by Indybaggins (SGA; Mcshep; The one where Rodney gets sucked in and John… follows. Featuring a quirky John, Rodney in orange robes, crazy Ancient-worship, sheep milking and jumpers that aren't broken but need to be fixed anyway.)

Out of West by rageprufrock (SGA; Mcshep;  In 1991, Desert Storm began, Pete Rose got banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Rodney McKay was framed for academic fraud.)

A Slightly Different Quality of Light by rageprufrock (SGA; Mcshep;  John's very first memory, the one Rodney finds after he goes through six separate data terminals--all of which he has relocated to a roomy lab with lots of windows--is of the sky.)

Bell Curve, or, Ladies Night at the Boom Boom Room by rageprufrock (SGA; Mcshep;  In his rational mind, Rodney knew that following a girl who'd just dumped you into a strip club was really, really pathetic.)

Lock the Door by rageprufrock (SGA; Mcshep; "You can't possibly be this stupid," is what Rodney finally decides to start with.)

No Less Unthinkable by rageprufrock (Yuri On Ice; Yuuri/Viktor;  In which Katsuki Yuuri fights a losing battle with chronic anxiety, the quadruple Salchow, and his own judgment four drinks in — but wins the war.)

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

January:

Glitter & Gold (Voltron)

► Multifandom | Saturn

Yuri On Love

A Sadness Runs Through Him - a Gravity Falls PMV

win | multifandom (2015 mashup)

hero | multifandom (2016 mashup)

Multifandom | Goodbye 2016

take it slow | multifandom

ruins | The x-files

McShep - Run Baby Run

McShep - Can't Pretend

February:

Superhero; SGA, Mckay/Sheppard (mcshep) 

Burning Desire (Peter/Roman)

►Purple Lamborghini

►MAD HATTER

Multipsychos | I got blood on my hands

Dean Winchester | Born to be wild (8k)

multifandom || The Apotheosis of War (TYS) 

star wars || timelines

Captain America • Symphony of Violence

March:

N/A

April:

As Much As If You Were A God 

►MultiFandom | Believer

"Lenny"/David [Legion] || give it a twist

►MultiFandom | Stay

May:

Kylo Ren || believer

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

January:

Fassine | Feather Jesus 

DJ Earworm Mashup - United State of Pop 2016 (Into Pieces)

What’s The Use In Feeling Blue - Steven Universe\

Caravan Palace - Lone Digger

Yoga Session 08 - Music for Meditation and Relaxation

Utopia (Jana Hunter Remix)

Not Afraid Anymore

Susanne Sundfør - (LidoLido Remix) The Brothel

Run Baby Run - The Rigs

February:

The Man Who Sold the World - Midge Ure (2010 Remaster) 

Donna Burke - Sins of the Father

Liz Phair - Got My Own Thing

Seinabo Sey - Pistols At Dawn

Laura Marling - Rambling Man

Willy Moon - Railroad Track

March:

Undiscovered First - Feist

Kubo Soundtrack

Matt Maeson - "Cringe"

Tribe Society - Kings

Elephante - Black Ivory

BISHOP - River

BISHOP - Wild Horses

Lisa Hannigan Oh You Pretty Things

Nina Simone - Feeling Good (Bassnectar Remix)

MIX - MAURICE RAVEL Bolero

Rag-n-Bone Man - Human

April:

The Judge - Twenty One Pilots

Horizon Zero Dawn - Complete Soundtrack (OST)

Believer - Imagine Dragons

Kygo, Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me

K.Flay - Blood In The Cut

Stargate - Waterfall ft. P!nk, Sia

Portugal. The Man - "Feel It Still"

Doc Robinson - Golden Daze

Iko, Iko - the Dixie Cups

Brian Reitzell feat. Mark Lanegan - “In The Pines”

May:

Feist - Century 

Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon - Rafferty

Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra

Guardians Inferno (feat. David Hasselhoff)

Moby - Memory Gospel

Above & Beyond - Good For Me

Jack Johnson - The Sharing Song

Lamb - Wise Enough

Otto Knows feat. Avicii - Back Where I Belong

Emmit Fenn - Painting Greys

Bon Iver - Holocene

Made In Heights - Murakami

DVBBS & Shaun Frank - La La Land

Totemo - Host

Years & Years - Worship

Klyne - Paralyzed

Embrace - Goldroom

MØ - Say You'll Be There

Zella Day - Sweet Ophelia

Every Other Freckle - Alt J

Angel Haze - Moonrise Kingdom

BANKS - Better

Marian Hill - Got It

Glass Animals - Holiest Feat. Tei-Shi 

WRITTEN FIC

January:

Piece From a Satyr Play (SW; Reylo; 141 words; Her hair is done up in white ribbons, three enormously lopsided buns trailing down the back of her neck.) 

Wasted Early Sunday Morning (SW; Reylo; 434 words;  Her skin is smoother than his, smoother than many of the people that he’s touched in his life, and he aches to touch it now, watching her stretch lazily in the early morning sunlight, spine arching like a cats.)

Cosmic Love (SGA; Mcshep; 786 words;  There’s solid matter under the palm of his hand, a beating pulse, and a heart to go with it. A living person that Rodney thought that they’d lost.)

can’t help but be wrong in the dark (The Flash; Barry/Julian; 2,942 words;  The day that Allen had snarled an insult back in response to one of Julian’s cutting remarks, he’d gone home and fisted his cock furiously, thinking about the slant of Allen’s mouth and how it would look smeared with come. How Allen’s hair would feel, knotted in Julian’s fingers as he fucked his mouth.

eat flowers, breathe light (SGA; Mcshep; 1585 words;  John gives Rodney a dreamy smile, swaying slightly towards him, and says, “You have really beautiful eyes, you know that?” )

February:

Bifurcation Theory (TW; Stiles/Derek/Lydia; 7208 words; Lydia sucks in another shaky breath, trying to think of a polite way to explain that she's sorry, that this was a mistake, and she didn’t mean to bother him. Just as she’s opening her mouth, Derek sighs gustily, the sound breaking apart with static in her ear. “What’s Stiles done now?” he asks, his tone resigned.

March:

Ain't At Home (Home's Where I'm Going) (Horizon Zero Dawn; Aloy/Vala, Aloy/Avad; 2 Chapters - WIP; 3420 words;  “Not all comforts are bad,” Vala whispers, and Aloy shudders apart.)

April:

Ain't At Home (Home's Where I'm Going) (Horizon Zero Dawn; Aloy/Nil; Aloy/Petra; 2 chapters - WIP; 1872 words;  She’s beautiful, deadly, her eyes gone sharp and flinty as she stares down each of her victims. Nil licks his lips, throat working when she turns to him afterwards, eyes soft again, now that the killing is done.)

love, can't protect you now (SGA; Mcshep; 1635 words;  “When they come,” Rodney tells him quietly, “I won’t kill you.”)

May:

Ain't At Home (Home's Where I'm Going) (Horizon Zero Dawn; Aloy/Erend; Final Chapter; 1539 words) 

Say You'll Be There (The Flash; Barry/Iris, Barry/Thawne; 1159 words;  Barry swallows, fingers tangling with hers, and says, “Storms make me think of him.”)

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

January:

Keep Your Heart Inside: A mix for love, hazy and undefined, the kind that leaves you wanting.

February:

N/A

March:

you know the words: a mix for your inner weeaboo.

April:

Cotton Candy Skyline: music for picking at scabs.

May:

[recentanimenews]

Ani-Gamers Podcast #087 – EA’s Going to Video Game Rehab

We had to postpone our NieR: Automata episode due to scheduling problems, but there’s a lot of news for Evan and David to go over in the meantime, like the Batman Ninja trailer, Nobuhiro Watsuki being a pedophile, and EA’s Battlefront 2 loot box shenanigans. Then it’s time for David to actually watch anime for once: In This Corner of the World, Fate: Apocrypha, and Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel. And at the very end: a special call for our listeners to help defend Net Neutrality! Topics include: Who's That Pedophile?, Duke Nukem the Fate servant, and the fact that Phos from Land of the Lustrous is just Gem Akko.

Runtime: 1 hour, 12 minutes

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More episodes

Show Notes

Opening/Ending Song: "Blues Machine" by Scott Gratton

News

Batman Ninja trailer

Gunsmith Cats Blu-ray Kickstarter

Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin) charged with possession of child pornography

EA got owned trying to launch loot boxes in Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and now the government is on the case.

Topics

In This Corner of the World

Fate: Apocrypha

Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel Part 1

Twitter: Evan, David, Ani-Gamers

Mastodon (new decentralized social network, more here): Evan, David

Evan writes for Otaku USA Magazine and his side blog Anime Burger Time.

David’s got a new article about YU-NO on his blog.

Help us protect Net Neutrality and the open Internet by visiting Battle for the Net and sending messages to your elected officials. The FCC votes on December 14 to overturn the protections guaranteeing a free and open Internet, protections that allow Ani-Gamers to deliver content to you without charging extra for faster speeds.

originally appeared on Ani-Gamers on December 8, 2017 at 8:04 AM.

By: Evan Minto