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abhorrenttheorizer · 10 months

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PART 1 OF ???

Special thanks to my dear interwebz buddy, @skullmalice, for helping me out with the naming and biology of these little muppets!

Long post/textwalling warning.

Well fellas, you know what they say:

Another day, another downward spiral.

Lately I have been on a bit of a nostalgia kick, looking at some of the things I've been into as a child, and speaking to other people that have been spelunking in the same caves, per se. I met a friend who showed me a piece of my childhood that I had almost completely forgotten. Like a wild animal being reintroduced to its natural habitat, I have been all over this shit, reliving everything I once did as a young maggot. Since that fateful reintroduction, that childhood memory has since become one of the most dangerous hyperfixations I have possibly ever had. /j

Said childhood memory? The Mr. Men and Little Miss franchise. More specifically, The Mr. Men Show, because I am early 2000s old school All American™ zoomer scum. (besides that, the only other thing about the franchise I remember is reading some of the books in 1st grade)

So because I got that dawg in me (read: autism), my naturally inquisitive nature leads me to territories that I should never have even considered for the sake of my own sanity.

Namely one question that's been chewing at the few neurons I have:

Just what the hell even are these things, anyway?

I know the canonical answer. They're stylized, abstract humans. But that's not satisfactory.

Call me a stubborn mule, but you simply cannot convince me that a pill, circle, bean, or rectangle shaped technicolor abomination is in any way, shape, or form, a human being.

Not happening.

Especially not when (at least in every version but the 2000s one) these things have been shown next to and interacting with actual humans on multiple occasions.

These fucking things look like muppets, so I will make them muppets.

It has to happen.

Being the fiend for speculative biology that I am, I simply had to pounce on this opportunity, and promptly tear it a new asshole.

With that being said, Mr. Men speculative biology? Mr. Men speculative biology.

The funny little shape people we all know and love belong to a species of chionophilic, semiaquatic, faerie-like pseudomammalians.

The figure on the far left, is a frog. More specifically a common rain frog (Breviceps adspersus)

reference source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breviceps_adspersus#/media/File:Breviceps-adspersus-adspersus.jpg (forgive me, this is literally, and I don't use that word lightly, the first time I have ever drawn a frog)

The figure in the middle, is a hamster. More specifically a Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

reference source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/cute-funny-syrian-hamster-gm1019886932-274048800

The figure on the far right, is a frog's sad attempt at being a hamster's sad attempt at being a human. (Mirabilis phasmafigura)

One of the main things that separate Mirabils from other animals they may be morphologically similar to is their bright, vibrant pelage. Unlike animals that utilize certain structures within hairs, scales, or feathers, Mirabils have genuine green, blue, and purple pigments. But why is this? Such unnatural coloration doesn't work well when you're a small cotton ball in a big world of both predators and prey, that is, unless you're an aposematic species.

Mirabils exhibit vibrant fur colors with genuine rare pigments for the purpose of warning potential predators that they are exceptionally poisonous. And venomous. At the same time.

The inside of the Mirabil's mouth also displays a high amount of contrast, a black inner mouth with a vibrant, pink, hot pink or red tongue.

As shown by the image above, there are multiple different ways for mirabils to assert to potential predators that they are not to be reckoned with.

The "Poisonous" warning (as modeled by Mr. Nervous, on the left), involves arching the back, raising the tail either straight up or curling it over the back (if it is long enough), and exposing the front and hind claws (unless they've got kicks on). All parts of the Mirabil are exasperatingly poisonous, so even accidentally sharing food with or ingesting a few hairs from one can and will lead to a 20 minute lifespan with no hope for any antidotes that would work.

The "Venomous" warning (as modeled by Little Miss Bossy, on the right), involves standing straight or with the front end lowered (preparing to strike), spitting their toxic saliva (Unlike with venomous snakes, the venom glands on a mirabil are their salivary glands, so their saliva normally adopts a greenish-yellowish tint (it's not bad hygiene, it's neurotoxins!), and baring the teeth. Mirabils are capable of opening their jaws up to 90 degrees. Similarly to snakes, the bottom jaw is loosely attached by soft ligaments, which aids them in getting a good hold on either potential predators, prey items larger than themselves, or on rivals for mates (they're immune to their own venom, but the pain of being envenomated for a mirabil is similar to that of a yellow jacket sting). Their venom is just as powerful as their poison, and if bitten the lifespan also shortens to about 20 minutes. Also no antidote for magic hellvenom lol.

It is hypothesized that specimens of M. phasmafigura were first discovered in the late 10th century by populations in Northern Europe/Asia, and the far south of South America respectively. Since then, they were first hunted for their luxuriously soft, silky, colorful pelts, then promptly domesticated and assimilated into human society.

Mirabil domestication has a very complicated history, especially with the fact that they as a species were always, and still are in affiliation with wizards, witches, and other alchemists (though usually unwilling on the Mirabil's terms). They were first utilized as hunting and fishing companions, then taken by wizards as servants and laborers (due to their small, nimble hands, swift movements, and magic properties ofc), then as pet-like companions by both wizards and the general populace, and finally as their own independent, sovereign "people" between the late 1970s to early 1980s.

While the species is currently global, existing in many different cultures, elevations, and climates, the natal habitats of the mirabil lie in freshwater polar regions across the world. When freshwater is not available, Mirabils prefer coastal regions where they can hunt in the open sea, but these sorts of populations are relatively uncommon. Populations living in the Southern Hemisphere generally prefer to stay near freshwater regions in the far south of South America, and South Africa, though there are several populations of Mirabils in Antarctica.

Despite the wide birth of location between Arctic and Antarctic populations, Mirabils have highly variable appearances, and are extremely difficult to categorize into any specific groups besides certain trends in sexual dimprohism, though even those contain many traits that are highly variable, and thus difficult to determine.

Similarly to other animals such as the puma, Mirabils have many names based on the regions they are native to.

Some of the names this species has received in it's respective locations are as follows:

BRITISH ISLES - Dillies (for their somewhat immature, "dilly-dallying" nature)

NORTHEASTERN EUROPE/EURASIA - Poumpoffs (puffy creatures)

NORTHWESTERN EUROPE - Eba (onomatopoeic for the paternal calls of most males)

SOUTH AMERICA - Mirabils (for their magical properties)

SOUTH AFRICA - Sagtmense (literally "soft people")

While some gravesites in their native range contain Mirabil bones, or Mirabils buried with human owners/companions, their skeletal and bodily structures have not differed from prior "feral" forms. This is mostly due to the species as a whole actively resisting human advancement in terms of domestication, meaning they have kept almost all of their wild traits.

My lawyer has advised me not to tell you how these things reproduce, so I won't.

Not on Tumblr, anyway. /wink

But that doesn't mean I can't show you what these hellspawn look like as babbies, and how they develop.

Mirabils are an ovoviviparous, holometabolous species, meaning they lay eggs that hatch inside the body, and go through complete metamorphosis with a larval and pupal stage.

The lifespan of the larval mirabil is as follows:

Unfertilized egg

Fertilized egg

Embryo

Mature egg (Eggs hatch within the body anywhere between 6 and 4 months before the larva are born. The growth process of larva quickly damages the egg membrane and splits it open, freeing the young inside.)

Newborn (They have no limbs and a very underdeveloped notochord, so physically they're basically a kitten-maggot. They're completely blind (eyes covered in skin, with just a barely noticeable fold to where the eyelid would separate), but not deaf (though the ear isn't developed, and is still covered over with skin.). They will respond to auditory input by writhing in the direction of sounds they are familiar with, but are unable to produce any noise themselves, besides forcing air out of the nostrils to "squeak" if they are disturbed.

Oral anatomy of the baby mirabil (As well as having no limbs or bones besides the skull, mirabil larva are jawless. The mouth is designed to form a seal while feeding. Larva will stop suckling to breathe, but they will remain attached for several years).

5 year old infant. As the mirabil reaches around 5 years, they will detach and their mouth will start to seal itself shut, leaving only a small hole for wax to exit from as it prepares for pupation. Before the mouth completely seals itself shut, they may swallow liquified regurgitated materials, usually of heavily chewed plant or fungal matter brok the parents. Once the mouth is completely unuseable, what they have eaten as their "final meal" will repeatedly cycle back and forth from what would be the end of the digestive system, similar to chewing cud except there's no chewing and it's far nastier. Mirabil larva from birth to pupation are unable to defecate, the divet on their rear ends is meant to produce a glue-like substance so they can properly anchor themselves while feeding so they don't dangle, so the stored milk and regurgitated matter that remains in the body will ferment, getting pushed back into the esophagus to be cycled again and again until pupation occurs and the entire internal body digests itself.

Mature infant of 9 years, just about to pupate. The mouth is completely sealed shut, and the salivary glands are modified to produce a brown, waxy substance that the pup envelopes themself in prior to pupation. Eyelids are more developed, but still completely sealed shut until pupation is complete.

Completed cocoon of the baby mirabil. Pupation takes an extra 9 months as the infant produces extra bones, a completed digestive system, and extra organs they did not previously have.

What finally emerges after 9 long months of gross shit, is a variably-sized cotton ball with legs and a face.

Mature babies emerge from their cocoons when they're about 10 years old (our human equivalent to a newborn). Their eyes are open, and they are somewhat mobile, able to shuffle around on their stubby legs and "sit" upright. They don't have any teeth, instead clawing their way out of the cocoon, and will continue to suckle until they are weaned at about 11 years old. Mirabil aging is around 10 years behind their human equivalent (a 21 year old human and a 21 year old mirabil are not the same, the latter is developmentally on par with a human 11 year old).

Their lifespans are also quite long, with an average lifespan of 210.5 years for females and 215.5 years for males.

Baby mirabils will begin to develop a personality and thus recieve their titular names once they are able to move around more independently. Names for physical characteristics are usually given immediately after the baby leaves the cocoon. When named for a personality trait, the most emotionally significant (or lack thereof) moment in a mirabil's life that occurs before they are able to walk upright becomes their strongest personality trait, and thus their name.

Not all Mirabil larvae are a solid white, however. Some larvae have slight indicators as to how they will look like in adulthood, though some indicators of traits present in adulthood do not present themselves until after pupation.

Such indicators include:

Nasal spotting (for Mirabils with noses that are different to the base fur color, their larval forms will almost always have a colored nose with a ring of differently colored fur surrounding it. The bottom larva in figure 2 and the yellow pup in figure 4 are the same, with the larval form indicating that the pupated, and finally adult form will be a yellow individual with a purple nose.)

Brow spots (This indicator does not show itself until after pupation. The pup in figure 3 has dark spots above the eyes that, after puberty will form a bar or 'unibrow' in adulthood.)

Dipsticking (This indicator also does not show itself until after pupation. Dipsticking in Mirabil pups, like the individual in figure 5 have a spot of differently colored fur on the tip or most of the tail. This implies that the pup will grow up to have "hair", or a differently colored mane and tail from the rest of the body. In this case, this individual will grow to have a mane and tail that are a dark purple in color.)

And so that concludes my first of probably several Mr. Men specbio posts.

Uhhhh ermmmm thanks for reading i guess 😳

#brainlet hour #mr men #mr men show #mr men and little miss #tmms #speculative biology #exobiology #xenobiology #specbio #creature concept #hey guess what fellas i still have no fucking idea how to format posts teehee /shits my pantaloons #still making walls of fucking TEXT FUCK #tw pant pissing #the mr men show #bruh bruh bruh buh bruh #pees

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kingluffy5 · 4 months

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Playing Detectives Pt 7 (Wednesday x Male Reader)

After investigating the Gates’ mansion Wednesday finds herself more alone then ever and Y/N contemplates how much he can trust those around him and how much they trust him, when Mayor Walker thinks he’s cracked the case he’s suddenly hit by a car, and after putting her friends in danger the Sheriff has forbidden Wednesday from investigating the case.

Last night in the hospital someone killed Mayor Walker, pulled out his breathing tube thingies, and I would bet my life on the theory of the person who ran him over was the one who killed him. Now everyone is in attendance at his funeral. It’s raining, me and Wednesday are sharing a black umbrella. Despite our fight it’s not my place to be mad at or to forgive her, it’s Enid and Tyler’s, we’re in a mature healthy relationship so we don’t fight over petty stuff like this. And also despite our fight we have a case to solve and a monster to hunt down, my chest still hurts from the wounds the monster gave me, but Wends’ stitches are holding up alright. During the night Wednesday discovered a music box that belonged to Laurel Gates which contained many pictures of her, I’m not saying I want a stalker taking pictures of me but it feels kind of inconsiderate that only she got stalked.

Me and Wends look over across all the people here, all the potential suspects. Bianca and the mayors son share some glances and Ajax is there for Enid, the Sheriff and his son look at each other.

All of a sudden a shadowy figure is hiding behind some trees, he runs off and me and Wednesday share a quick glance before we run after him through the trees. We lose sight of him and slow down, he then drops down behind us and Wednesday grabs the sword hidden in her umbrella and jabs it towards him.

He then holds the blade between the palms of his hands and he sends an electric shock through it causing Wednesday to quickly drop the sword.

“Still as sharp as ever, my pig-tailed protégé.” The man says, wait what, he knows Wends.

“Uncle Fester.” She says as she gives him a big smile. I’m sorry Uncle who now.

The man takes off his hat to reveal an incredibly bald head.

“Uh, hi.” I greet him.

“Who is this?” He asks.

“Y/N Barron, Wednesday’s partner.” I answer.

“Barron, oh I’ve met a few of you in my lifetime, whenever one’s around you know it’s going to be a good time. And might I inquire what kind of partner you are to Wednesday?”

“A few different kinds.” I answer causing him to laugh a little.

We start to walk through the foggy forest.

“How long have you been stalking me?” She asks.

“Just blew into town this morning and was hit by a wave of nostalgia.”

“I thought you didn’t go to Nevermore.”

“I didn’t. Your dad got all the brains, but I used to drop in on him. Usually from the ceiling with a dagger clutched between my teeth, just to keep him on his toes.”

“Of course.”

“He filled me in on what’s been going on. Monsters, murder, mayhem. What fun! I told him I had a job in Boston, but I’d be checking up on you.”

“What kind of job?”

“The kind that means that I need a place to lay low for a couple of days.” I love Wednesday’s family more every time I meet them.

Me and Wednesday take him over to the bee hives.

“This place belongs to a friend.” She informs Fester.

“You actually made multiple friends. That poor kid will be going home in a body bag.” Wednesday looks down in guilt and I do the same. “I like a hideout that comes with snacks.”

“Those bees are hibernating.” I tell him.

“They’re practically Eugene’s children.” Wednesday says.

Fester opens one of the hives to try and get one.

“That means do not eat them!” She yells at him.

He looks disappointed but puts it back while Wednesday glares at him.

“You know, when you give me that death stare, you remind me of your mother. Speaking of scary things, you know what kind of monster you two are dealing with?” Alright that was just hilarious.

“We haven’t been able to identify it.” Wends says as she shows him the drawing of it.

“It’s called a Hyde.” He says handing back the paper.

“As in Jekyll and Hyde?” I question.

“Hm-mmm.” He confirms.

“You’ve seen one before?” Wednesday asks.

“Oh yeah. In ‘83, during my vacay at the Zurich Institute for the Criminally Insane. Where I got my first lobotomy. But you know lobotomies. They’re like tattoos. Can’t just get one.”

“Tell us about the Hyde.” She cuts him off.

“Ah. Olga Malacova. Jeez, she had it all. Beauty, brains, and a penchant for necrophilia. Olga was a concert pianist, until one night she transformed in the middle of a Chopin sonata. Massacred a dozen audience members, and three music critics.”

“What triggered her? Or did she just change on her own?”

“No idea. I only saw her in group electro-shock therapy.”

“There’s never been any mention of Hydes in any outcast book. And Nevermore is reputed for having the best collection.” I point out.

“You guys try Nathaniel Faulkner’s diary?” He asks us. “Before he founded Nevermore Faulkner traveled the world, cataloging every outcast community.”

“How do you know this?” Wends asks him.

“You think your parents can’t keep their hands off each other now, oy vey. I showed up unannounced one night in Gomez’s dorm room. Let’s just say I wasn’t interrupting a pillow fight.” NO NO NO NO NO, I did not need to hear that now, I did not need to hear that ever, I need to pour bleach into my ear later so that way it will wipe this memory from my brain.

“Uncle Fester. The diary, where is it.”

“The Nightshade’s Library. Your dad parked me there and said I should settle in for a long stretch. And that’s when I found this nifty little safe, I was hoping for a stash of cash or jewels but instead I found a diary.”

“We’l sneak into the Nightshades Library tonight. In the meantime lay low. If you are discovered I will disown you and collect the reward tied to your capture.” Wednesday warns him as we turn to leave.

“I’d expect nothing less.”

After a second Wednesday barges back into the shed and shout at him to leave the bees alone.

— — —

Apparently Enid went to go find something from their room while she’s bunking with Yoko and they got into an argument, she ended up saying that Wednesday endangers everyone that she comes into contact with, which is honestly kind of true.

We are currently heading down into the Nightshade’s Library.

“Uncle Fester?”

“Who’s uncle Fester?” Xavier says appearing from the shadows.

“What are you doing here?”

“Since I’m an actual Nightshade, I don’t have to explain myself. What’s your excuse for creeping around in the middle of the night.”

“Research.”

“On the monster? I’ll save you two some time. There’s nothing in here matching that thing.”

“Isn’t that convenient.” Wednesday says.

“You know what your problem is Wednesday?”

“I would love to hear your piercing insight.”

“You don’t know who your real friends are. I’ve been on your side since day one. I literally saved your life. I believed your theories when nobody else did. And what do I get in return? Just nothing but suspicion and lies.”

“Fine you want honesty? Here it is. Every time the monster’s attacked, you’ve been right there. Starting with Rowan at the Harvest Fest. Then on Outreach day, you arrived just minutes after the monster disappeared, yet you say you didn’t see it.”

“I didn’t realize proximity was a crime.”

“Then there’s your drawing obsession. You have drawn the monster dozens of times yet you’ve never seen it. Or so you claim. You even drew where it lived. Then when Y/N and Eugene went to investigate, you tried to kill them so they wouldn’t spill your secrets.”

“You think I would hurt Eugene? Y/N, you think I would try to kill you?” He asks us, I remain quiet, I haven’t know what to believe over the past few days.

“Let’s not forget your oh-so-convenient appearance after Y/N and Tyler had been attacked at the Gates mansion.”

“If I am the monster then why haven’t I killed you?”

“Because for some reason I cannot fathom or indulge you seem to like me.”

“What’s to like?” He says.

“Dude just back off, she doesn’t owe you blind faith, she deserves to think for herself about who she trusts.” I tell him.

“And your problem, your a psycho. Be honest here, your not trying to stop this monster to avenge it’s victims or to bring peace of mind to their families, you’re just bored and want something interesting to do. You have no empathy, you don’t care about anyone, you are just as heartless as that monster.” He tells me.

This may have started as me being bored, but after Eugene got attacked this was personal. I care about him, he’s my best friend, I care about Wednesday and I don’t want to see her be the monster’s next victim.

Wednesday looks angrier then I’ve ever seen her. “He has to go through more pain then you will ever know.” She says spitefully, her words laced with venom and I smile at her.

She could be talking about my panic attacks, or she could be talking about her vision of me, what did she see, what was so bad that it would garner this kind of a reaction. I’m glad she defended me though, it’s nice to remember that she likes me too despite not showing it much.

With that Xavier leaves and Fester jumps down behind us.

“How long have you been lurking?” Wends asks him.

“Long enough to feel the tension between you guys. Yowza. Seriously, you could cut it with an executioner’s axe.”

Thing comes into the room and Fester hears him. “I’d recognize the patter of those fingertips anywhere. Hello Thing.” Thing taps angrily at him.

“You can’t still be mad about the Kalamazoo job. It wasn’t my fault.” With that Thing lunges at Fester and starts to choke him. “ You said you could crack that safe in 30 seconds. Five minutes later we were still standing there, you’re all thumbs.”

“Enough.” Wednesday says commandingly like a mother breaking up two kids. “Let him go. Show me the diary.”

Fester walks us over to a portrait of Ignatius Itt

“Here it is. Iggy was Faulkner’s right hand. Trained a generation of Nightshades. And behind Iggy Itt.”

“Wait you guys know Ignatius Itt?” I ask them.

“He’s my cousin.” Fester answers. Ok, cool, perfectly normal that my girlfriend is actually related to my personal hero, not like I am freaking out right now. Maybe Wends can introduce us.

“Do I have time for a snooze, or can you crack this quickly?” Fester remarks as Thing begins to try and crack the safe.

After a few times Fester says that this is turning into a replay of Kalamazoo. Finally he opens the safe revealing the diary.

— — —

We make our way back to Wednesday’s room as Wednesday begins to look through the journal.

“These are some sweet diggs. How’d you swing your own single?” Fester asks her.

“My former roommate couldn’t handle my toxic personality.”

She finally lands on the page about Hydes. “Faulkner describes Hydes as artists by nature, but equally vindictive in temperament. Born of mutation, the Hyde lays dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unlocked through chemical inducement or hypnosis. This causes the Hyde to develop an immediate bond with its liberator who the creature now sees as its master. It becomes the willing instrument of whatever nefarious agenda this new master might propose.”

“Artist by nature, doesn’t that sound like someone we know?”

“Anyone willing to unlock a Hyde is a next-level sicko.” Fester says.

“That means we’re not looking for one killer but two.” I point out.

“The monster and its master.” Wednesday says.

Someone knocks on the door, me and Fester go to hide in Enid’s pile of stuffed animals.

Ms. Thornhill walks in and begins to talk with Wednesday about how Enid is going to room with Yoko for the rest of the year, how she cares about Enid, how she’s becoming a better person, and that she clearly misses Enid. Stuff like that.

“Uncle Fester, Y/N.” She shouts looking for us, he accidentally knocks over one of the plushies causing Wednesday to walk over and uncovers us.

“Hey! Being a solo lobo has its perks. You get to live by your own rules, do whatever you want. Just look at me.”

— — —

We went to Xavier’s shed.

While Wednesday distracted him me and Fester put a tracker on his bike.

“Did you two place the tracker?” Wends asks us.

“Don’t worry we got you covered.” Fester answers, handing her the device to track Xavier.

“Okay. Let’s hit the road.”

We walk over to the transportation Fester has arranged for us and reveals it to be a dog walking company’s motorbike with a Dalmatian pattern. We look at him for a few seconds.

“What? I picked it up on my way out of town. You know me. I like to travel incognito.” He hands us a couple of helmets with a matching pattern.

Fester drives the bike as Wends sits in the passenger car and I hold onto his back.

We follow Xavier to a secluded spot by the lake where a car is waiting.

Dr. Kinbott’s car. Kinbott’s the master.

— — —

Me and Wednesday go to Weems’ office to tell her about the doctor.

“Principal Weems, it is imperative we speak with you about Dr. Kinbott.”

“Wednesday, Y/N. We were just talking about you.”

“Speak of the devil.” Kinbott says behind us with a tray of tea.

“And she shall appear.” Wednesday says.

“Dr. Kinbott was just discussing your assessment Wednesday. I need to sign off on it before she can send it to court.”

“Well, what’s the verdict, Doctor? Am I cured?” She asks Kinbott.

“I’m glad you find it amusing. The judge assigned to your case won’t.”

“I’ve explained to Dr. Kinbott that you’ve recently been taking small but meaningful steps towards embracing your new Nevermore family.”

“Yes, I think I’ve actually reached the half-hug stage. I’ve been reading about hypnotherapy. It might be a good technique to unlock my inner Wednesday. Are you a devotee?” Babe I love you, but dropping hints that we know that a serial killer is a serial killer isn’t the smartest move.

“Yes, very much so. I applaud your new willingness to delve deep into yourself. We see each other on Monday, we can start then.”

“What did you so urgently need to discuss?” Weems asks us.

“It can wait, now if you excuse us we have homework to finish.”

— — —

Me, Wends, and Fester sit in the Weathervane to discuss our approach.

“Kinbott has to be Xavier’s master. The Hyde lays dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unlocked through chemical inducement or hypnosis.” I say.

Fester starts, I don’t know how to say it, drinking, chugging, slurping, the ketchup.

“Are you listening? She must’ve figured out he’s a Hyde and used hypnotherapy to unlock him. That would explain their secret sessions.” Wends says.

“I think the kid behind the counter has clocked me. Yeah, he’s walking over. I’m going to put him in a Romanian sleeper hold. Cover me.” Fester says referring to Tyler. Oh dear god, I would love to see that.

“Relax. He’s not interested in you.” Wednesday tells him. Cmon Wends, it would only have been a few seconds worth of Fester choking out Tyler.

“Uh, made you a quad. On the house.”

“Hey, thanks kid. Need a refill on this puppy too.” Fester thanks him. This man is my idol.

“Tyler, this is my uncle Fester.” Wends introduces right when Tyler started looking confused.

“Oh uh. Hi nice to meet. Ow!” He shouts as Fester zaps him chuckling.

“Is that?” Tyler asks recognizing the monster from when it attacked us.

“It’s called a Hyde.”

“That’s it, from that night.”

“Your father gave you explicit instructions not to be near me.” Wednesday tells him.

“Yeah, my dad’s not here and I’m on my break.”

“Well, apparently a Hyde needs to be unlocked by someone. It’s master.”

“Holy shit.”

“Tyler! What did I say?” The sheriff shouts from the entrance way as Fester disappears again.

“Uh. For the record Wednesday was trying to keep a distance. I was the one that sat down with her and Y/N.”

“All right. Putting these up around town. It’s a bank robbery suspect and he’s a real creep.” He says handing us a wanted poster of Fester. “You haven’t seen him have you?”

“No.” Wends says.

“Yeah, he’d be pretty hard to miss.” Tyler chuckles. “I’ll pin it on the bulletin board.”

“Barron, how’re the stitches holding up?” He asks me.

“They’re alright Sheriff.” I tell him.

The sheriff shakes his head at Wednesday before turning to leave. “Why do I waste my breath.”

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah your family’s very colorful.”

“Ironic considering Fester’s the black sheep. He’s harmless.”

“So about rescheduling our date.” I’m sorry, what?

“Between the monster and my uncle.” Yeah she’s busy, she doesn’t have time for dates, believe me.

“Hey, no excuses. Figure after what happened last time, you owe me.” That entire sentence was just one big red flag. Plus you got off light compared to me.

“I can’t sneak off of campus. All eyes are on me.”

“You won’t have to, I’ll come to you. 9:00 p.m., Crackstone’s Crypt.”

After that he goes back to work and me and Wends leave to head back to Nevermore.

“I don’t have to go.” She tells me.

“I know but I think you should go.” I tell her despite hating the idea.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I know we’re pretty certain that Xavier’s the Hyde but until we’re one hundred percent sure, we shouldn’t rule out anybody else. I don’t trust Tyler and if we make him think you actually like him then we can keep him from knowing we suspect him. I reason.

She smiles the tiniest smile ever at that. “I knew there was a reason I picked you as my partner, for the case and for life.”

“And believe me Wednesday Addams, when this case is over I will take you on a lovely picnic date in a cemetery.” I tell her, causing her smile to grow.

— — —

While Wednesday is on her “date” Me and Thing are going to watch over the diary.

We are sitting around talking about random stuff, favorite movies, favorite books, opinions on Mondays.

“Look, I understand that you enjoy the consistency of hatred that Monday provides but I personally only find comfort in knowing a grumpy orange cat that enjoys lasagna agrees with me.”

Me and Thing argue a bit more before I go out to get a breath of fresh air.

I wonder how Wednesday’s manipulation of Tyler is going right now. Why did I suggest this plan, it’s stupid, damn it.

Suddenly the door swings open and a hooded figure barges in, before I can reach for my sword they stab me in my back several times and I feel a sudden pain in my head before everything goes black.

— — —

I wake up in the bee shed. Me and Thing are lying on the table both of us seemingly having just woken up. Wednesday seems like she’s about to cry and Fester is standing over us having used his shock powers to save us.

“For a minute we thought you picked your last lock buddy.” Fester tells Thing.

“Who did this to you two?” She asked us.

“They covered their face, it was my own fault, I didn’t keep my sword with me.” I answer.

“Cowards.” Wednesday spits. “I promise that whoever did this to you will suffer. An dit will be slow, long, and excruciatingly painful.”

Thing and Wednesday pinky promise on that before we do the same.

“I’ll stitch you two back up. They found your motorbike so the sheriff wont be far. You need to go.” She says getting up. “Maybe next time steal something a little less conspicuous.”

“Where’s the fun in that? All right I’ll lay low here tonight, keep an eye on Thing, and I’ll skedaddle in the morning.”

“I guess I’ll see you at your arraignment or the next family reunion.”

“You’ll always be my favorite Wednesday.”

“Be sure to tell Pugsley that. It’ll give him a complex.”

While she stitches the wounds on my back she notices my frown. “You’re sulking, more then usual.”

“Scars on someone’s back are their shame.” I answer.

After saying that she kneels in front of me. “I promise I will give whoever did this much worse.”

“I am sure you will.” I say smiling. We kiss and she goes back to stitching me up.

— — —

After stitching me and Thing up Wends went to go report her room being ransacked to Weems.

Turns out she knew of the monster being a Hyde and revealed that they were banned from Nevermore 30 years ago and that she didn’t tell the Sheriff to protect Nevermore. The two of them argued, noting really different from every other interaction they have.

We are now walking to our next class when Bianca walks up to us.

“Come with me. I have information about Mayor Walker’s murder.”

We walk with her down to the Nightshade’s library to find the Mayor’s son handing us some papers.

“Printed these off of my dad’s computer. Seems he was trying to track down someone. Laurel Gates? Looks like he started right after Outreach Day.”

“Must have recognized her there.” I remark.

“According to British police Laurel was presumed drowned, but no body was ever recovered.”

We look through the files.

“The gates mansion was purchased a year ago by a 90-year-old candy heiress. She then mysteriously died and gave all her belongings to her caregiver, Teresa L. Glau. It’s and anagram for Laurel Gates.”

“Laurel secretly buys her old house and then comes back to Jericho as someone else. Why?” Bianca questions.

“Revenge on all the people she blames for her family’s misfortunes. Your father. The coroner. My parents. Most of all, Nevermore.”

“How exactly does the monster fit into all this?” Bianca asks.

“The monster is a Hyde and it’s doing Laurel’s bidding. She controls it.” I answer.

“You know who Laurel is, don’t you?” The Mayor’s kid, Lucas that was his name, that was really bugging me shit, gotta remember that next time.

“Yes, but the real question is how are we going to get her to see us?” Wednesday asks.

“I may have an idea.” I respond.

— — —

“I’m sorry, you two want couple’s counseling?” Kinbott asks.

“Yes, despite how perfect it may seem our relationship has a few problems.” I say.

“Um. Okay, sit down, I guess. What seems to be the problems?” She asks us.

“He doesn’t appreciate my cello playing.” Wednesday said quickly. Okay I asked her one time through factime on Enid’s phone to keep it down because I was trying to sleep.

“She forgot to feed my pets the one time I asked her to.” I retort.

“He has an unhealthy obsession with anime.” She says. Unhealthy is a strong word, do I watch a lot of it yes, does it take up most of my time, yes, do I sometimes ignore other tasks to watch it, yes. Alright I might actually have a problem.

“She doesn’t tell me everything that I need to know.” This gets her attention.

“What?” She asks.

“The night Rowan died, when you touched my hand you had a vision. What was the vision Wends?” I ask her.

“It was nothing important, can we get back to our plan?” She asks referring to our plan to lure Dr. Kinbott into a false sense of security and tricking her into confessing.

“No, it’s about me isn’t it? What did you see?”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“Bullshit. What was it that has you so rattled that not even you are willing to tell me?”

“It wasn’t anything!”

“What was it Wednesday!”

“You’re going to die!” She reveals.

“What?” I ask hoping I misheard her.

“You die fighting the Hyde.” She says again.

I remain silent for a moment before sitting back down. “Ok.” I simply said.

“Aren’t you scared or angry?” Wends asks me.

“No, not really, I mean, I’d rather die fighting then being killed without putting up a fight. Besides I never really believed in fate or destiny to begin with, and if it comes down to a fight between me and the Hyde, I think I’d win, I got great swordsmanship skills and now that we’ve narrowed down our list of suspects then we can stop them before they kill me.” I explain. Honestly even if I die fighting, it’d be good to know that I died protecting everyone I care about and that I’d die as a hero.

“I think this is a little above of my pay grade.” Kinbott says nervously. Understandable, not every day you find out a teenager standing right in front of you is destined to die a horrible, brutal death. Also she probably wants to remain as far away from anything involving the Hyde since it was her who awakened it.

Wednesday gets up looking angry. “This is your fault to begin with. We know you’re Laurel Gates, we found this in your childhood bedroom.” She says handing her the music box from her bag. “You’ve come back to Jericho to seek your revenge. And so did Mayor Walker, which is why you had to kill him. Who better to slide in and out of the hospital undetected than a psychiatrist under the guise of visiting another patient?”

“Wends, what happened to the plan?” I ask. She really has a problem with just explaining to our suspects that we know that they might be killers.

“You’re not actually accusing me of murdering the mayor?”

“The roses you left in Eugene’s room were your mistake. They’re the same variety I found near your childhood bed.”

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“There’s only one reason an overqualified psychiatrist like yourself would settle in the inconsequential backwater that is Jericho. It allowed you to crawl through the troubled, young minds of outcasts until you found one that you can manipulate to exact your revenge.”

“You know what. I don’t have time to deal with your delusional fantasies. I have a patient emergency.”

“Who? Xavier?” I ask.

“We know all about the secret sessions you’ve been holding in your car. I also found the cave where you’ve been holding sessions to unlock his Hyde.”

“And even if you guys aren’t the killers, it’d still be kind of weird that you hold sessions in your car.” I point out.

“You are so out of line.” She tells us.

“Do you know hoe violently unpredictable a Hyde can be? It was your plan to have Xavier committed before he could turn on you too.”

“Wednesday, Y/N, you two need help. More help than I can give you.”

She reaches for her phone. “Who you calling? Xavier?” Wends asks.

“Judge Reynolds. I’m going to recommend that you two stay in a juvenile psychiatric facility for observation.”

“Oh, please. We all know that we’d be running that place in a week.” Wednesday says. “Times up Laurel.”

We both leave the office.

— — —

Me, Wednesday, and Weems are sitting in the Jericho ER. Turns out Kinbott just got attacked by the Hyde while calling Weems to talk about our recent visit to her office.

The Sheriff comes out of the room and walks up to us.

“She’s gone. Dr. Kinbott’s dead.” He tells us.

“This ends now.” Wednesday says dramatically.

We both leave the hospital.

— — —

We both go to Xavier’s art shed with an ambush planned. Wends waits inside for Xavier while I hide outside with the cavalry.

We can hear faint talking inside when Xavier goes inside as he and Wednesday argue about the case.

The Sheriff and I barge in seeing Xavier holding a knife.

“Freeze. Drop the knife. Down on your knees.” He says arresting Xavier. “Cuff him. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you. Appreciate the help Addams, Barron.

“You framed me! I shoulda let Rowan kill you.” He shouts at us as he gets dragged out by the cops.

— — —

Me and Wends go back to her room to find Enid putting all her stuff back.

“Hey.” She greets us.

“You’re back.” Wednesday says.

“I’m gone for a few days, the place gets trashed, and Thing and Y/N almost die. Someone’s gotta look out for you guys.”

“What happened to rooming with Yoko?” Wednesday asks.

“Yoko’s great. I just decided I needed a few more boundaries.”

Enid starts to put down a line of tape to separate the room in half which is apparently something they’ve been doing.

“Skip the tape.” Wednesday tells her.

“Don’t tell me Wednesday Addams is mellowing out.”

“Never. More like evolving.”

“Well, one inch of duct tape at a time.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because we work. We shouldn’t but we do. It’s like some sort of weird, friendship anomaly. Everything you’ve said about me is true. But I don’t apologize for it not anymore. It’s just who I am.”

“Thing said he missed you.”

“I missed him to. I’m sorry about Xavier.”

“We’re not. He’s a liar and a killer.” Wednesday says

“Besides there’s nothing quite like the feeling of being proven right.” I say as me and Wends smirk at each other.

“OMG, I ship you two so hard. I was honestly expecting you to get with Tyler at first but you two just work so well together.” Oh shit, right, Tyler.

“I still need to tell him about us and how he and I won’t be together.” Wednesday says.

“Well I heard he’s working the late shift.” Enid says.

“Alright, you go talk to Tyler, and I’ll leave so you guys can catch up.” I say before leaving.

— — —

I make it back to my room. I feed my pets. I lay down on my bed.

I look over to Eugene’s empty one. “We got him buddy. I can’t wait for you to come back.”

I start to contemplate the future. Now that the case is over me and Wednesday can go on a few dates, the Nevermore Hummers can get back to it’s usual routine when Eugene get’s back, Wednesday’s made peace with both Enid and Bianca. Everything feels perfect. It’s never felt this way before. Why does it feel like this won’t last, I’m probably just being paranoid but it feels like there’s one piece missing.

Suddenly I get a text from Enid, or at least Wednesday using Enid’s phone. When I read it I’m shocked, it makes so much sense yet I can’t believe it.

Tyler’s the Hyde.

#wednesday #wednesday x reader #wednesday adams x reader #wednesday netflix #wednesday x male reader #wednesday oc #the addams family

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fonulyn · 5 months

Note

So Death Island and how bad it is in expanding on the lives of our fav RE characters beyond just the games/movies in a believable organic way (like seriously Chris not even mentioning Piers to Jill before this???) - I'd love to hear your thoughts on what Jill and Piers' relationship could be. Like give me your thoughts on Piers desperately working or communicating with Jill on how to find Chris pre RE6. Maybe even what their first meeting was like. What do you think Jill felt at first about this puppy who I imagine to be so similar to STARS Chris before Wesker betraying them.

I don't at this point headcanon her to be overly involved with Nivannedy happening in comparison to Chris but I'm happy to be educated 👀👀

(also omg bonding and support following Piers' recovery from the C-virus and how she could relate from being Wesker's puppet and experiment)

honestly, DI was fun, I enjoyed it, but mostly just the Jill & Leon parts if I'm honest and okay some of the Redfield siblings interactions. the main villain was weak, Maria was completely wasted, and idek I wanted more. but SERIOUSLY. "THIS GUY CALLED PIERS"???? FUCK RIGHT OFF. there is no way that Jill didn't know who Piers was. even if they didn't have a personal relationship, she would've known OF him and I absolutely refuse to believe otherwise. insinuating otherwise is a damn insult to Piers, and the movie lost SO MANY points from me with that. it could've been a lovely callback and a nod to him but they ruined it. RUINED IT. assholes.

coughs. anyway.

we canonically know that at least Claire was in some kind of contact with Piers pre-re6 so to me it'd make perfect sense if Jill was as well. I know it's a bit vague where Jill was actually recovering, but i doubt she was somewhere completely cut off from the rest of the world, so she would've still been in contact with her friends. and when Chris disappears? there's no way she didn't know. remember how Chris moves heaven and earth to find Jill, multiple times? Jill would do the same for Chris. Jill would not necessarily be in the thick of action if she wasn't yet cleared for it but she wouldn't stay completely out of it.

and in that vein I actually kind of like the idea that when Chris goes missing, Piers is charged to find him, communicates with Jill, and Jill then directs him to Leon, who could potentially help. since, you know, you mentioned nivannedy 😇 she might not necessarily make it happen lmao but she could be the initial point of connection, potentially!

but like. we all know Chris is the type to act without thinking, and both Jill and Piers have had to be the person to rein him in and try to talk sense into him. so post-re6 it would be amazing if they could bond over that. they'd only need to exchange a single look and they'd both know what it means. they would have this camaraderie, all "what did he do this time?" and "yeah that's him" and "oh i knew it". not in a mean way lol, in an affectionate way, but still very frustrated :'D

and I genuinely think Piers would look up to Jill so much. he already respects Chris greatly, as we know, but I think he'd think Jill is even more badass tbh :'D he'd be all heart-eyed over her in the "oh my god she's so cool i want an autograph" kind of way, until they'd get to know each other better lol. but even then, some level of admiration would remain, 100%.

as for the other way around, I think that Piers would remind Jill of young Chris in more than one way. there's the determination, the drive, the temper too. I bet she'd first keep secretly giving him these bewildered looks at moments when he does something that REALLY reminds her of the past lol. she would get used to it, but i think it'd be a learning curve at first. and it doesn't help her mind has been fucked with tbh, these blasts from the past would be equal parts sorta nice nostalgia and actually disturbing because of everything she went through.

if they'd made Piers and Jill work together to find Chris that would've been such a dream team. they'd both do anything to find him.

and you're so right, damn, once Piers recovers from the c-virus infection they'd have even more in common. granted, he wasn't exactly being puppeteered by anyone like she was, but there'd still be enough common ground for understanding each other on a level not everyone can.

and since I'm obsessed and my brain is never far from Leon lol, that is one thing I wish was around more; Jill and LEON bonding over their experiences. Leon was infected with the plaga and although it only took over very briefly he knows the feeling, he knows the sensation, firsthand. and Jill spent so long being controlled, doing things she didn't want to do... they'd understand each other on a deeper level others couldn't.

damn this makes me regret i've written Jill so rarely. but honestly, i love her, but i'm also a bit intimidated that i wouldn't get her right so I've been a coward 😅

ANYWAY I rambled. I don't know if I actually answered anything you asked :'D

#anonymous #ask and i shall answer #re answers

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coldgoldlazarus · 2 years

Text

Honestly, the more I think about a Bionicle G3, the more I feel like doing a Slizers G2 might legitimately be the way to go. Even setting aside my Slizers nostalgia, (I got Blaster and Millennium well before any of the Toa) I feel like it makes a certain amount of sense.

-Bionicle has a lot more recognizability, but a lot more baggage as well; there would be Expectations for a reboot, and the fandom has already proven it could be rather volatile.

-While I do think Bionicle still has lots of unexplored potential and that all nineteen of the central Toa across G1's run (Mata+Takanuva, Metru, Mahri) could carry a reboot, it's also had enough time in the limelight that we don't need more.

-Meanwhile, Slizers had just enough material to be ripe for deeper exploration, while also being vague and brief enough that most directions a reboot could take it in wouldn't come across as too much of a departure.

-Set-wise, they never experienced the gradual size creep that Bionicle did, so they would be easier to keep relatively small and cheap.

-System has come a long way; between Mixel joints, greater levels of technic integration, and more fine detail pieces, they could have the same sort of functionality and aesthetic uniqueness as the originals, while being more in line build-wise with conventional Lego.

-Also, you wouldn't have as many people rioting in the streets over taking that approach.

-Much as I love Bionicle, it is a lot more aesthetically conventional next to non-lego action figure lines; whereas Slizers is inherently a lot more distinctive in silhouette and general vibes; potentially offputting, but potentially a selling point.

-Has the potential to be like Mixels and X-Pods and other similar lines, where you can have multiple possible configurations or characters from the same pool of parts in each Element-themed set.

-Also the chance to learn from what worked and what didn't with the Ninjago Spinners and Chima Speedorz in creating an interactive game out of the Disk-throwing gimmick.

-On that note, the potential to revisit the disk molds or create a new system for them entirely.

-While the idea of a canister or container is probably well dead by this point, there's still the possibility to integrate the cardboard packaging in some way, if it's designed well, while being more eco-friendly.

-And again, thanks to its relative obscurity and lack of pre-established expectations, it might be easier to focus on marketing it to new fans instead of trying to pander to nostalgia or stave off angry mobs.

-Finally, a good way to use Teal now that they've brought it back!

#not a reblog #bionicle #bonkle #bonkles #slizers #throwbots #lego

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ssaalexblake · 1 year

Note

Out of curiosity, do you think anything in particular will cause people to come around on 13, or it’ll just be that their perspectives kinda soften with time?

Hm. I don't really think there will be a particular event that'll cause people to suddenly change their perspective, the only way I see any kind of ~catalyst to changing opinions on 13 in a dramatic way is if RTD really does Whedon himself, and to be fair even thought I said i doubt there will be a catalyst, I genuinely think there's at least a chance he will actually do this because fandom is a fickle beast that will turn on people as if a bird on the wind. The fatal mix of hero worship and nostalgia, the time gap where fandom has had More than enough time to become attached to their own view of things were back in the day even if that view doesn't entirely mesh with what actually transpired. The passage of time leaving viewers nowadays far less forgiving of the type of things rife in his work that can be written off on 'product of its time' for 2006 but will not be if they show up again in 2023. The expectations being So high. People only have So much ability to write things off before the straw breaks the camel's back.

I have seen this pattern in fandom before, and yeah it might not happen, but this is also potentially whedon after the first avengers movie being everybody's best buddy straight to being their most disdained after aou.

Generally speaking, when shit like that happens, people tend to reassess preconceived notions. a 'why did we think that one was ever bad?' as a result of the above eventuality is the only way i see some kind of Thing happening that softens people on 13.

But, also, those tags was me kind of responding to the op's tags on their gifset, because despite the fact that the people on the internet have been sipping the nmd's misogynistic koolaid light without even realising it for years, the vast majority of viewers Not being chronically online haven't been doing that and were fine with her era. Judging her popularity only from the people obsessed with the show on the internet is absurd, and i include my positive views in that. I am not the average viewer lol, neither are the weirdos being hateful, no matter How much it benefits them to make people think Everybody hates it and that they're peddling the Bestest Opinion and that it's not cool to like the girl doctor.

So with the caveat that I do not think she's actually unpopular (radiotimes favourite doctor poll my beloved. 10 & 13 coming in highest with 21% of the vote each. Over 50,000 votes in total and he received only abt 90 more than her. There was no way to victimise anybody on this poll with strategic voting, no amount of block voting to support one doctor could dent her total and she came second out of all the doctors by a few measly votes. The general public Like Her.)

In time, it will soften. The misogynists will stop spending all their time talking about how uncool it is to like her to peer pressure people and the ones who don't eventually stop will be marked as losers obsessed with insulting her not worth listening to, so people will just watch it with no one sitting on their shoulder telling them it's bad. People will rewatch it with an open mind instead. I literally have had (multiple times) people in my activity page saying once they stopped listening to people saying how bad 13's era was and went back to it with an open mind it was good! This was a few different people! This has already happened and will continue to.

The nmd squad, quite successfully, were allowed to make it uncool to like her. They were open that their reasoning was misogynistic and even if they didn't use the word, anybody who knows what that means knows they are, but it was not called out as such and it poisoned the well because it gave them legitimacy they did not deserve. It won't stay that way forever, though. People will watch it and judge it Fairly without their influence. Let it have flaws without using them as an excuse to express hatred they already felt for no reason. Let it shine where it shines. Discuss its issues analytically instead of as a gotcha. Talk about themes. Discuss the characters.

This bullshit shall pass, basically.

idk how long we'll have to wait, but i'm willing. I got through being in the fandom and open about my love for it when it aired, and i sure as hell am not missing the moment when people stop being weird and can just be normal about it. I earned that sense of peace through suffering and i intend to collect. I'm not letting it go though. Being an active fan Really Really Sucked.

(shout out to my man colin baker who told the misogynists to get over it from points A to Z. Had everybody had the balls to do what he did they'd never have gotten a foothold and would have been booed out of the room as they should have been.)

#gwengoodrich #dw shit #this is not a comment on if rtd would theoretically deserve it #i honestly cba to have That discussion #but fandom Is Like That and imo #he's shoved himself in an awkward spot #it's a gamble what he's done here #might pay off but oof if it does not it's gonna hurt #dw meta

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dazzlerazz · 10 months

Text

Three Hopes DLC Wishlist

A masterpost of things I wished for in the past for a Three Hopes DLC

Subject to be edited and is admittedly half finished cuz I realize I left this in the drafts and then forgot and I did not proofread lol

--------------

Gameplay

A bit for myself, but a paralogue betweeen Byleth and Shez where they test their strength against each other, like training, where you switch to playing Byleth halfway through. It eventually comes out to a tie regardless of how well the character played

Alternate training grounds maps. I mentioned it in another post, but Constance as a unit is SPECIFICALLY hindered by the current training yard map, as its always sunny. There's also so many times you can train in the same small rectangular boringly-brown place before you just stop trying to use the training feature. Here is the aforementioned post

Easier S Rank Cycles of Nostalgia Paralogue. Possible other units to play as, potentially other nameless soldiers, like a gremory, a wyvern flier, and an armored unit. It is grueling to run around the entire battlefield as a single unit, I spent lots of time trying to get S rank, something I've complained about in multiple posts

Story

Azure Gleam - Fix Edelgard's role in the story

I went into this in multiple posts, but I don't like how Edelgard was dealt with in Azure Gleam. It felt like the developers intentionally took her out of a villain role and put her into the role of "trapped heroine", a clearly right vs wrong storyline with Thales instead of moral gray between routes like it was in Houses. I know this is something a dlc would not be able to fix, but I'm putting it in here anyway cuz I can

A return to Abyss. Sitri is absent in Hopes, because of course she is. Maybe there would be a paralogue if Byleth and Jeralt survive that bring them back to the monastery to find Sitri. I don't have any ideas for this at the moment

The return of the cut Blackened Embers

Characters

Post timeskip outfits for most church members. Hopes had the option to do this, as it was a complaint in Houses, but it was never done

Playable Hanneman, Gilbert, Anna, Alois, and Cyril, who were all playable in Houses

Hanneman and Manuela both can be recruited outside of Scarlet Blaze, whereas in the game they're both route locked to SB

Caspar and Ashe support chain

Little Things

Change a unit's outfit to their post timeskip Houses outfit

The return of dlc costumes. Make costumes able to be worn by any gender, unchanged to how they look in Houses (ex. suits for the girls and maid outfits for the boys)

More interactions with characters of your choice that feel more personal. We have expeditions, and to four locations at that, it would be nice to have something else just like it. Also the ability to go to a fifth location, tho I'm not sure what. I mentioned this in another post, but possibility the ability to leave off of wyverns instead of horses (inspired by Yuri's being allergic to horses)

Outfit accessories, such as glasses, bows, or other hair accessories, similar to how it is in (base) FE Engage

Alternate Lighter Asura outfit. The original looks bulky, more like a tanky unit, where Shez's original armor looks lightweight and easy to move around it. This is just a me thing, but maybe an alternate Asura outfit. it is possible to use Shez's lighter armor while in the Asura class, but cmon, that's no fun!

MORE SAVE SLOTS

Shez

Alternate hairstyles for Shez. More specifically, a longer hair alt for M!Shez and a shorter alt for F!Shez

Camp

A return of fishing. Please. I really liked the fishing minigame in Houses.

#I forgot this in the drafts #important post #fire emblem #fire emblem three hopes #fire emblem warriors three hopes #fe3hopes #few3h #few3hopes #razz makes a list

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des2dream · 2 months

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Winx Club Nostalgia!

The First Dub You Were Introduced To:

The Nickelodeon Dub when it started off as four 45-minute animated specials with the first three being just a shorter/reanimated version of season 1 with the last special being extremely shortened/reanimated for season 2. Season 3 was kept in full, but re-dubbed.

The Dub You Favor The Most:

Personally, I enjoy the 4Kids dub! I know it's flawed and it made a few changes, but there's this certain charm to it that I adore very much as well as the voice acting and the soundtrack. It's very nostalgic and special to me!

Which Character Is Your Favorite?:

I can't choose one! There are so many enjoyable characters! Though, I'd have to pick Bloom, Stella, and Flora. Bloom is a good protagonist who went from trying to find her identity to becoming a proud fairy who protects those she cares for! Stella is a diva princess with attitude, but she is always there for her friends no matter what! Flora is a sweetheart through and through! I love her! She cares for all life including plants...she is the fairy of nature!

One Thing You Think This Show Can't Be Without:

The fashion! If there is one thing these girls know, is how to look good while doing good! I love the art style and their many MANY outfits are so beautiful! There are days when I look at my wardrobe and think "I wish I had one of their outfits!" They have many iconic looks! So eye-catching and astonishing!

Favorite Season?:

I'm stuck between 2 and 3. Season 2 gave us the one and only Layla/Aisha, The Pixies, Musa's first stage performance, Charmix, and The Dark Bloom arc. But, then there's season 3.....SEASON 3!!! That season gave us more world building, multiple arcs, the continuous threat of the fan-favorite villain Valtor, and ENCHANTIX! I love them both equally!

Seasons Ranked:

Season 3/Season 2

Season 1

Season 4

Season 5

Season 8

Season 6

Season 7

Transformations Ranked:

Enchantix

Magic Winx/Charmix

Believix

Harmonix

Sirenix

Bloomix

Cosmix

Tynix

Butterflix

Mythix

Honorable Mentions: Lovix, Sophix, Dreamix, Onyrix

Any Other Thoughts?:

Roxy (the new Winx girl from season 4) deserved more than just one season and should've been more involved in the group!

I like the inclusion of The Pixies but I'm not too keen on watching the PopPixie spinoff show.

The Specialists are enjoyable, but I wish there was more to them besides being love interests for the girls. I would've liked more lore into their work as being potential Heroes without having magic.

I don't know why season 8 decided to give the cast a whole new art style that doesn't capture much of what made Winx Club so unique. Also, the look of The Specialists is DEFINITELY a downgrade in that regard!

I appreciate how even though the animation and art style got changed around, the music remains to be good and fun to listen to.

I wish we had more lore with the students from Cloud Tower and WHY there seemed to be this Witches vs. Fairy tension in the first place!

I am very upset that the Netflix live-action adaptation hardly gave us any iconic outfits OR good-looking fashion from transformations. How do you do Winx Club WITHOUT the fashion?!

I didn't finish the other spinoff, World of Winx but I like to think that it takes place when the girls are much older taking care of who they can save while they star in a television talent show undercover.

Conclusion:

After all these years later, this show still holds a place in my heart and it's something I love looking back at whenever I feel like watching something nostalgic. It's been 20 years since the show aired and the fact that it's STILL relevant makes me so happy! These fairies deserve the world....well, they deserve the whole Magic Dimension!

#winx club #winx club 20th anniversary #nostalgia

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calowlmitygoddess · 10 months

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Answering that ask meme i rebloged earlier with Meira, Orick and Teri. Under the cut so it doesnt clutter yalls dashes ; )

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

Meira: Not long at all, her tail is always sort of moving even when the rest of her body is completly still

Wisteria: A loooong time, girl can be a statue if she wants, has mastered staying still.

Orick: a few seconds, after that he starts to fidget with his sleeves or leg bouncing TM

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

Meira: easy to make her chuckle, but hard loud laughs are rare

Wisteria: surprisingly hard, you can never be too sure if her laugh is genuine or not

Orick: Also hard, hes a very dead pan person, tought not entirely humourless, he just usually doesnt show it.

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

Meira: doesnt have any rituals, she just lays in bed and sleeps, she had no access to books before, and would likely get punished for making too much noise in the night.

Wisteria: Overthinking more like it. She has an habit of staying up into odd hours working and will likely just collapse out of exhaustion.

Orick: he likes to read before sleeping, but doing so under candlelight hurts his already bad eyesight, he does it anyway.

How easy is it to earn their trust?

Meira: Hard, is wired to think everyone is out to get her + bad self esteem few relationships come off as genuine in her eyes

Wisteria: Once again hard to tell, in the past she used to be very trusting of others, but nowadays she keeps herself at arms leght to almost everyone

Orick: Only hard if you have already wronged him in some way. Hes willing to give some amount of trust to anyone

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Meira: have any amount of power over her.

Wisteria: After becoming queen she has started to see everyone as a potential enemy, and thus just being a noble or involved in politcs makes her suspicious of a person

Orick: Wrong him or a person he cares for.

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

Meira: Flexible to some degree, she's more concerned in doing good than following any law

Wisteria: Stricter, she is the law in a sense, and she wants people to obey it, so she must set the example

Orick: Flexible, has used banned spells multiple times in the past.

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

Meira: dragonroot, a Hielegharrdian delicacy she rarely ate as a child, it was the happiest memories of this time. It represent a time she wasnt burdened by guilt and responsability.

Wisteria: Anything to do with her parents, there's many paintings as well jewelry she inherited from them. She dislikes it for the pain their loss caused her but it reminds her why she must keep going.

Orick: Just walking down the city, visiting places he used to frequent before becoming king. He enjoys it, as well seeing old comrades.

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Meira: Raised as a soldier/builder she was told most to stop playing and start training.

Wisteria: Start paying attention to her responsabilities instead of running off into the woods to play hunt with the other kids.

Orick: Stop staying locked inside his room and to go start palying with the other kids at the orphanage.

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

Meira: Meira used to swear a lot, she still does but knows when isnt appropriate

Wisteria: rarely swears.

Orick: Also tended to swear a lot in his teenage years, still let it slip sometimes

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

Meira: She would lie about being tougher than she was, like saying she had killed and eaten humans before. She cringes at this now.

Wisteria: she lied about her identity for a few months while in hiding. Not really.

Orick: No large lies, hes a very honest and blunt person

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

Meira: has become a lot more curious about things in the current years, still will sometimes default to pretending to understand things she doesnt.

Wisteria: She will seek clarifications, hates not knowing things

Orick: Seeks clarification as well, often many times.

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

Meira: roll on the ground like a horse, or back up against a surface like a bear.

Wisteria: deal with it, she has more important things to focus on

Orick: probably get something to scratch it.

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

Meira: As is Hielegharrdian tradition, she usually wears neutral colours. Looks very good in yellow/red

Wisteria: purple/yellow are her colours

Orick: white/light yellow are his colours

What animal do they fear most?

Meira: fears no animal, is a little intimidated by horses tought

Wisteria: Wolves.

Orick: Insects

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

Meira: Very rehearsed, also has a very thick accent when speaking silenian

Wisteria: also rehearsed, very polished speech

Orick: blunt and tought on the spot.

What makes their stomach turn?

Meira: in the figurative sense people using others they have power over. In the literal sense she cant handle milk.

Wisteria: Betrayal in the figurative sense. In the literal sense carriage rides

Orick: In the figurative sense ignorant people, in the literal sense going to fast.

Are they easily embarrassed?

Meira: Yes

Wisteria: no

Orick: yes

What embarrasses them?

Meira: usually herself.

Wisteria: failing social interactions

Orick: public displays of affection

What is their favorite number?

Meira: never tought about it.

Wisteria: Also never tought about it

Orick: 22

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Meira: has a hard time, as she was never shown much love growing up, as such she doesnt know what familial love feels like, and confuses platonic and romantic love.

Wisteria: Familial love is something youre so used to you only notice when its gone. Platonic love is a comraderie where everyone has eachother backs. Romantic love is like you share a soul

Orick: Familiar love is unity, is a group of people eating and playing togheter. Platonic love is sharing of ideas and ideals, romantic love is always waking up next to them.

Why do they get up in the morning?

Meira: She wakes up and immediatly stretches, she never sleeps well while in Silenia.

Wisteria: Always gets ready for the day, prepares her hair, dresses up, and checks her agenda.

Orick: Similar to Wisteria.

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?

Meira: Possessivness, she always had to fight for whats hers and if jealousy strikes she becomes quite possesive

Wisteria: Passive-agressive.

Orick: Represses it.

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?

Meira: Resentful, once again she never had much.

Wisteria: Takes what she wants.

Orick: Represess it

Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?

Meira: Yes, unless its related to her, the idea someone could want her like that is alien to her.

Wisteria: Yes, in private with Orick

Orick: Not as much, unless Teri brings it up he doesnt really think about it.

What are their thoughts on marriage?

Meira: Marriage is a concept that doesnt exist in her culture, so she's quite curious about it

Wisteria: She always saw it quite cynical, being princess heir and then Queen she always believed it would be political. The fact she married out of love is still something she gets giddy about it.

Orick: It was something he never tought he would have, being of a poor background and socially awkward. Also gets giddy when he things about the fact hes married.

What is their preferred mode of transportation?

Meira: flying, flying all the way

Wisteria: Horse riding

Orick: Carriages

What causes them to feel dread?

Meira: So much, shes almost always on edge.

Wisteria: The Council, having to deal with the other politicians and never solving any issues

Orick: Having to do the politicing by himself.

Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?

Meira: Truth all the time

Wisteria: She wants the truth, but she will lie to others

Orick: also Truth.

Do they usually live up to their own ideals?

Meira: she tries, doenst think she does

Wisteria: No and she knows she doesnt but pretends to.

Orick: likes to think yes

Who do they most regret meeting?

Meira: Wisteria

Wisteria: Darian van Silas

Orick: Meira

Who are they the most glad to have met?

Meira: Wisteria

Wisteria: Orick and Meira

Orick: Meira

Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke?

Meira: No.

Wisteria: old gossip from the court

Orick: funny story about a failed experiment, is very niche and only funny to people familiar with arcane theory

Could they be considered lazy?

Meira: by Hielegharrdian standarts yes.

Wisteria: Absolutely not

Orick: as a king, yes, as a researcher no.

How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?

Meira: always guilty, this girl can fit so much guilt

Wisteria: Its for the greater good dont worry about it

Orick: Very defensive, will blame anyone else before he blames himself.

How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?

Meira: mild interest, will actively listen and make questions

Wisteria: excited interest, will cheer you on

Orick: Will be blunt about wheter or not he thinks its interesting. If he thinks yes you two could spend the entire day discussing. If not then you lost him.

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?

Meira: She doesnt but she does, shes so down bad but shes so in denial about it

Wisteria: She goes for it,once she realizes the feelings

Orick: He was willing to go to his grave in eternal pinning.

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?

Meira: No

Wisteria: Just associating people with things they are responsble for.

Orick: he looks like the kind of guy who would do some king of convoluted system to remember stuff

What memory do they revisit the most often?

Meira: The few weeks she and Wisteria spent togheter in their youth

Wisteria: The few weeks she and Meira spent togheter in their youth

Orick: Doing magic for the first time

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?

Meira: Easy, she's used to it

Wisteria: easy, she needs to make things work

Orick: hard, he will clash with peiople

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Meira: Very, she will lower her head and admit to anything

Wisteria: Says she's very aware about them, continues to do nothing about it

Orick: Very but in the oposite sense, he gets defensive

How do they feel about children?

Meira: Doenst know what to do with them

Wisteria: She knows she will have to have a kid soon to protect the bloodline but also she's quite scared of them, too fragile, too needy and too streesful.

Orick: Beloved by children, also enjoys interacting with them because of their curiosity.

How badly do they want to reach their end goal?

Meira: Willing to die for it

Wisteria: People will start dissapearing misteriously if it will help her

Orick: He will do many things, but will try to avoid causing harm

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

Meira: confused because her species has no gender and thus humans sexuality concept doesnt really apply to her. After being explained she likely would self identify as bisexual

Wisteria: Something basic like 'oh im Bisexual, that means i love more than one gender'

Orick: would get flustered as to why you need that information and then say hes not interested.

#just noticed the formating got fucked up #whatever #owl rambles #owl writing logs

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misakialter · 2 years

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It's been a while since Sonic Frontiers came out and I feel a random urge. I would like to rant a little bit about what I think about Cyberspace Levels conceptually, there's GOOD but there's BAD too so we're gonna be here a while.

The Goob :)

Let's sing it's praises a little bit because the idea of using familiar level designs as bite sized little distractions in an Open World Zone is pretty damn inspired. It better compliments the game vs how Forces made them short and sweet, but at the same time the main focus, therefore far less interesting and lacking to the Player.

Why, of course I would like to run across the Greatest Hits of the series for like a minute or two since that isn't the main attraction and YES, I would love to replay those since they have multiple missions. It's thought as an obstacle course that still rewards me with progression and presumably a pleasent one in terms of level design at that, in a way it doesn't bother you that much going back.

Then there's what these uniquely offer and let me tell you right away, the Adventure and Unleashed levels are exactly what the Boost Level Design has been lacking for a while. The corridor mentality can only get you so far when it comes to creating a stage, but when the 3D space is better utilized by these stages the Boost Gameplay shines a lot more and enhances the experience a lot.

There's also the usage of Nostalgia: Through the levels structure, little gimmicks and mechanics it generates a sense of familiarity that plays into the idea of "Sonic's memories" but the assets and odd ambience, plus the incredible DnB soundtrack, makes it feel alien enough to feel absolutely odd.

Yes, I just cited the reusage of assets as a positive, because in truth, that was enhances the Nostalgia that these levels create through every other mean.

HOWEVER this is what leads me to...

The Smelly :(

Oh, you know.

We never really fucking left Green Hill since Generations.

As much as the reusal of assets enhance the experience I'm not gonna deny the implementation of Zones that have been used a ton through the Modern Era have been a torn on the side of the series for Nostalgia pandering's sake. This is like the fourth or third time we've seen iconic locales so it really doesn't fully evoke what it sets out to do and it hurts the overral experience at the same time, to the point of going wholesale with the homages is completely valid in spite of it not being the point — People want to see something different.

There's also the fact that the game's variety shuffles across some 2D segments and some of these are stages designed for Classic Sonic wholesale. And these are not enhanced in the slightest by Modern Sonic's gameplay, which is just not adapated to it, or playing to it's strengths.

And while the idea is genius in a way and the implementation is pretty great overral, there's one tiny little thing that defeats the purpouse of one's investment on the Open World Zone to compliment these little detours, uh, THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR ABILITIES FROM THAT SIDE OF THE GAME, you know? It's a damn shame because a lot of the fun of that section of the game, the main focus of it all, is lost as soon as you enter the Cyberspace Levels. Don't get me wrong, they may still be a blast to play through, but there's a lot of merit and potential to enhance the experience with this aspect in mind.

Wrapping It Up

I love to gush about this idea because it was a really good one which overral compliments the game and it's central focus in a positive manner, but I won't deny there's certain stink to the way it's executed regardless of what one thinks of the core gameplay.

It is also a really interesting case study in regards what Sonic Team has thought of the Boost Gameplay since it's inception in Unleashed. From day 1 they've stated that on it's own, it would be unable to hold it's ground, needing support of a second type of gameplay much like what we've seen in the aforementioned Unleashed, Generations and even Forces. Lo and behold, it once again is supported, but for the first time in history the Boost Levels are not the star of the show, therefore instead it is supporting something else.

In the end, I'm hoping they learnt quite a bit of things from this, the dimensionality of the 3D stages that could enrich what could've been a "corridor" type of stage, what works from the best of the series in order to create original content, how to implement these cool new features from the Open World Zone and if they so insist, how to properly make the 2D sections as good as the 3D ones.

But also, I would like them to adopt these Cyberspace Levels mentality of "short and sweet detours" as a spice to a larger game rather than the main course. Not that they wouldn't work that way, but because it's time to let them evolve and the games we will be getting in the future.

I sure as hell hope so.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic frontiers #cyberspace #sonic team #level design #green hill is looking a lot like glitch hill #i talk a lot

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threewaysdivided · 2 years

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As someone who just recently rewatched some of young justice through clips on YouTube for nostalgia, perused a little around the tags and found the absolute goldmine of writing analysis in your blog I just wanted to say thank you! Your knowledge and your care for these characters really shines through and reflect some truths that I feel are more appropriate than ever: no one individual should be pedestaled for the success of a narrative, especially when he seems to misunderstand his own themes. It's very refreshing to see criticism so pointed and razor sharp, especially for a series I wish was better than it is. Your essays certainly gave me a lot to think about in my own writing!

Thank you! 💜 That’s really lovely of you to say.

It always makes me happy when someone stops by to tell me that they enjoyed/ got something out of my analytical posts. Part of why I write things like the YJ Narrative Breakdown Essays is to get the thoughts out of my head, but a lot of it is that I want to share them with other fans who might feel similarly and want to talk. (I’m especially proud of the YJ: Invasion Case Study - it doesn’t get a lot of love because it’s so long but I’m super happy with how it came out as a capstone to the set.) It’s really gratifying to hear that someone found them useful or that it helped articulate a feeling they were having or gave them some new concept/ framework to use when thinking about other stories.

If you want more Young Justice stuff, I’ve done some Season 1 metas on The Light, A Different Take on Martian Racism and Dick and Wally’s Friendship. I also made a short list of other stories that I think capture similar vibes to Season 1 in aspects of their theming/ genre/ character-writing/ structure/ tone etc. which might help any lingering cravings.

I also have a general writing tag if you’re looking for writing discussions, as well as this resource primer for analytical readings.

pssst! If you want to see me try to put some of these ideas into practice, I’m also writing a fic. It’s a YJ crossover (canon-divergent post S1) and Arc II which started this year at Chapter 18 is intended to emulate some of the things I really liked about S1, including an overarching mystery and missions.

When it comes to pedestalling individuals, I completely agree. I think Auteur Theory and Great Man Theory are mostly fallacious - not only in art but in general. A lot of successes are collaborative (“self-made entrepreneurs” who were actually financially supported by family or succeeded through connections etc.) and, while the lone-visionary idea makes for a simple and compelling story,it can also cause IRL problems in how it disproportionately elevates certain voices, devalues less visible work and creates unrealistic expectations. It’s good to have a healthy scepticism about those narratives, especially when they centre on people who already had privilege greasing their wheels.

I also think we often underestimate just how many people are involved in commercial art production. Even Books (one of the closest mediums to sole-creator) often involve input from editors and possibly a publication house - as well as potential ghost-writers, co-writers etc. Television teams can have dozens of staff across multiple production areas, and for big-budget films and AAA Games that number can balloon into the hundreds.

The role of developer/producer can be a real mixed bag in that space. Some are close to the visionary/ auteur type - very involved with their teams and in steering the creative process - but others can be coattail-riders or even active liabilities that their teams have to work around. (The Danny Phantom fandom has some real showrunner war-stories).

Still, it’s easy to see how we could go from talking about a team lead/ spokesperson as convenient shorthand for the idea of The Author™, to accidentally treating that person like they are the only significant member and attributing all the credit to them personally.

Whether by accident or design, Greg Weisman definitely presents as the visionary type on the surface (something that the fandom and the wiki creators have unintentionally and well-meaningly contributed to). His ask blog’s visual style certainly makes him look like The Gargoyles Guy™, and the Young Justice wiki editors put a lot of emphasis on him, often directly inserting information from there and his social media straight into main page content as “unconfirmed canon”. That ask blog also creates a very parasocial environment; I’ve seen fans write posts like they’re talking to/ about him as a friend, and directly attribute specific lines or episodes directly to him. To look at the wiki, his blog or hear the fandom talk he is the mind behind.

However, once you look closer, he has much fewer direct creative credits than you would expect for that reputation.

And, as it turns out, Young Justice is one of 3 separate series to see substantial drops in story quality after Weisman assumed control as primary writer, with common complaints including weak/inconsistent character-writing (even for characters he supposedly helped create), poor story structure and a seemingly shallow understanding of those stories as a whole.

Now, if it was just a case of Weisman just being a passionate doofus - someone sincerely having fun exploring ideas that interest him but who shouldn’t be left creatively unsupervised because he can’t hack it narratively - that would be frustrating but ultimately fine. It happens. Unfortunately though, there has been… quite a bit else that has pushed me more towards parasocial enemies territory.

As I’ve mentioned before, all three series contain instances of Weisman disempowering strong female characters; rewriting their narratives to centre on men and/or a sudden desire to conform to traditional gender roles. Plus other sexism that resonates uncomfortably closely with pick-up-artist/ incel rhetoric. His work on both Magic: the Gathering and YJ: Outsiders was also criticised for casually racist and overtly queerphobic writing - especially in his treatment of feminine bisexuals. A lot of the most egregious instances can be found in the book - the medium where Weisman had the most direct creative input. Weisman also doesn’t seem to understand the difference between organic character-conflict, manufactured “negative drama” and abuse - something that combines really badly with his seeming unawareness of the invasive implications of telepathy; which results in several telepaths being written as borderline predators/rapists, only for Weisman's narratives to either make no comment or take their side.

I also find his conduct very disingenuous. I have no problem with ask blogs but the fact that over 80% of Young Justice’s critical narrative content can only be found there, and the implied attitude that fans who are surprised by the sudden appearance of information that was never previously set up in-story are at fault for not seeking it out strikes me as creatively dishonest. I’m also not best pleased with his responses to the criticism over his insensitive writing (discussed above). One instance that’s really emblematic to me is Weisman getting kudos for posting a snarky twitter-clapback to a bigot asking him to remove the diversity from Young Justice, despite himself having actively attempted to erase the sexuality of one of Magic: the Gathering’s fan-favourite queer characters (a scandal that made it onto his Wikipedia page). Respect is something that really needs to be Shown not Told, and Weisman’s work frequently shows the complete opposite.

And look, I don’t know this guy; I can’t claim to understand what Weisman’s deal is or what’s going on in his head. Maybe he’s always been like this and it just passed under the radar until recently because previous co-creators were skilled enough to pull him up with them. Maybe he used to be better but let the success of other series he’s been involved in, and the showers of personal praise from his ask blog, go to his head. Or it could be something else entirely. I think the only answer we’re going to get is that we’re not going to get an answer.

Which is super disappointing and frustrating. Like I said in this post, we come to stories in good faith; we want to put our trust in the promises made by the narrative, we want to be able to take the creators at face value, and we want to see the love and respect we have for their story and characters reflected in the effort they put into telling it. Fandom in part reflects the passion creators have for their work, and when those creators start treating that work carelessly, cynically, or taking their audience for granted, the fandom can start to wane. (Danny Phantom being one of the only communities I’ve seen thrive after completely severing ties with their producer.)

Circling back to the pedestal/auteur thing, I think that mindset makes it much easier to take this kind of thing personally when it happens. It starts feeling like a single person chose to make all those promises and show that potential to you, only to intentionally betray them; rather than the Swiss-cheese model of compounding changes, failures, mistakes and/or poor choices from multiple people that more likely happened.

In these situations it helps to remember that we are the ultimate arbiter of our personal relationship to a story. We don’t even have to be part of fandom; our fan experience can be just between us and the part of the work we found compelling, or us and a small group of buddies who feel similarly. There’s no rule requiring us to perform fannishness or conform to the mainstream fandom consensus. A good book/ game/ movie/ season/ comic can stand on its own, even with a few unresolved threads - we don’t have to personally accept subpar sequels, poor-quality prequels, rubbish retcons, superfluous side-content or extraneous add-ons just because they happen to exist.

a good plot was one which made good scenes. The ideal mystery was one you would read if the end was missing. -Raymond Chandler

There are fine things that are more brilliant when they are unfinished than when finished too much. - François de La Rochefoucauld

And, for stories that are created by multi-person teams, it can really help to change how we talk about them; to step away from that auteur mindset and start giving credit where it’s actually due.

So, in service to that, here is a breakdown of main episode credits for Young Justice Season 1:

Putting this together actually made me realise that I’d had too narrow of a focus; I’d previously speculated about changes to the writing staff but I completely overlooked the impact of episode directors. Which is nuts because directors can potentially have major influence over the structure and presentation of the finished narrative.

A few things strike me. First is that Weisman doesn’t have a lot of direct writing credits; he has the most (albeit only by 1 episode) but it barely amounts to 25% of the season, and you can see that the specific episodes he scripted aren’t ones that put a lot of character focus on the main cast or paying off the emotional narrative. (Which isn’t to claim that he wasn’t doing other developmental/ production work behind the scenes, but it does make sense; characterisation and narrative resolution are not things Weisman is good at).

The two names that really started to stand out were Jay Oliva and Michael Chang; each individually credited as director on over a third of episodes, and covering more than 75% of the whole season between them. That’s not to say that they alone were the secret sauce that made S1 so good (that would just be applying Auteur Theory to a new target and, while their IMDB resumes are impressive, it’s likely that other, less-visible team members were also involved) but having that level of direct input across so much of the season would have given them opportunities to maintain consistency and provide structure/ guidance.

And notably, neither Oliva nor Chang have any major credits post Season 1. For whatever reason, the directors who handled over 75% of the episodes never returned for future entries. (Compare most of the Season 1 writers, who do make repeat appearances - although no writer other than Weisman or Vietti gets more than a single episode per season of the revival.) Which is a pretty substantial gap to leave behind. From that perspective it’s not surprising that the show saw big changes going forward; to some extent it really wasn’t the same creative team driving things.

At this point we might be tempted to speculate that, if Oliva, Chang and the rest had stayed on (or come back for the revival), then Young Justice would have stayed good or at least been better than how it turned out. But the truth is, we can’t know. It’s possible that Season 1 was too much a product of that specific team, time, production environment and media landscape to ever last. Maybe it was always a doomed venture; the lack of proper planning, Weisman’s creative weaknesses and aversion to endings, Vietti’s relative inexperience with original storytelling, Cartoon Network’s infamously awful treatment of “less marketable” PG-rated series, and executive mandates from DC Comics as they pivoted to push the New 52 and got increasingly spooked by the astronomic rise of the early MCU inevitably destined to force changes which undercut the narrative. The only answer we’re going to get is that we’re not going to get an answer.

But, you know what?

Despite everything, as frustrating and disheartening as things may have turned out… Young Justice Season One is STILL really good. It has a distinct creative verve with its combination of espionage-meets-superheroics, grounded-but-still-positive tone, character-focus and interwoven plot threads that pay off as a remarkably self-contained fair mystery. There is a reason why Season 1 is so enduring; why people still make art, and write fic and reference those characters even now.

So, to that original team; to Michael Chang, Jay Oliva and all the other creative staff - be they writers, directors, story-boarders, animators, colourists, composers, sound designers - who are so rarely mentioned when we gush about how clever and good Season 1 was: thank you for what you gave us.

Because that first season, when Young Justice was just trying to be itself?

It really was lighting in a bottle.

Hats off to them for that.

#Young Justice #Greg Weisman #Greg Weisman Critical #Michael Chang #Jay Oliva #Anonymous #3WD Answers #Scattered Thoughts #YJ Essays Collection #I’m really really flattered to hear that you like my approach to criticism #the rule I try to go by is that (even when I’m being uncharitable or unkind) I should still try to be fair #(believe me there is a LOT in that book that could easily be used to make Weisman look very terrible)#(including some Humbert-Humbert-adjacent nonsense)#(but doing that would be intentionally misrepresenting him and I don’t believe in that)#Weisman’s writing strikes me as that of a deeply incurious person who aestheticizes intelligence and progressivism #someone who wants to see themselves as those things (because it makes him feel good) but who doesn’t do the work to embody those values #which is how you get things like token 'girlboss’ moments for female characters who are still written in fundamentally chauvinistic ways; o #empty dialogue about ‘pronouns’ or ‘identity’ from characters who are still written in fundamentally prejudiced ways; or #lines that sound superficially profound/philosophical but turn out to be contradictory/meaningless/nonsensical when examined.#it’s definitely the mistake of thinking ‘I used the language of [thing] therefore I am [thing]’#Not 'I am [thing] because I try to act in ways that show respect to [thing]'#It's telling that Weisman wants to release tweets positioning himself as better than the bigots #and yet he has a million excuses for why THE SAME bigotry in HIS OWN writing is 'not his fault'/ 'not a big deal'/ 'a misunderstanding'#he looks down on others for not meeting a standard while effortlessly carving out exceptions for his own substandard behaviour #it's all very hypocritical (and in ways that are consistent with other patterns of right-wing conservatism throughout his work)#In short: a deeply tiresome and condescending fellow #I think a much healthier approach would be to talk about the people who made YJS1 good than dwell on the guy who bollocksed it all up #So I propose that we henceforth refer to Weisman as ‘That guy from War of the Spark: Forsaken’ NOT ‘the YJ/Gargoyles Guy’#and talk about the season 1 production TEAM instead #Weisman's writing credits could be covered if every other writer picked up just 1 episode. Meanwhile Oliva/Chang would need 20 substitutes

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button-mash · 1 year

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What I played last week #6

Metroid Prime [Nintendo Switch]

I have a lot of nostalgia for Prime, and outside of making FPS platforming actively satisfying, I think it's biggest achievement is that it does what Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time managed where it took a game firmly rooted in it's 2D identity and transitioned it into 3D whilst still making it feel the same at its core. However, I think as an actual metroidvania, its a bit lacking. The opening few hours are pretty great - it weaves that web all the best games in the genre do where it slowly reveals an intricately designed area that subtly guides you around where you need to go next without ever feeling linear. After a while though (around the Magmoor Caverns area), it starts to lose its way a bit - it starts to become really vague, and the map is so spawling and confusing that it starts to become harder to track where you are in a way that the 2D games don't feel as confusing. Once you get past that section, it then has a massive stretch where it's actually kinda linear and combat heavy, befor having a solid final section again.

When it clicks it really clicks, and it's incredible how good a job they did bringing the game into a 3D setting. There are little touches like seeing Samus' face reflecting back in the visor after an explosion, or like steam from the jungle fogging up the vents that seemed mind-blowingly immersive and atmospheric at the time and they're still really effective even now. They've just done such a good job of brining all of the visually iconic enemies and items into a 3D format, and hearing the rearranged music is such a powerful nostalgia burst, especially the stuff they've taken from Metroid/Super Metroid

The game isn't without it's flaws though, and I definitely think this is one of those games where it's become such a beloved fixture in gaming and was so revalatory at the time that people just seem to completely look past it's issues and it's just been cemented as some sort of perfect game. I think one of it's main troubles is that it doesn't do a good enough job of working in it's mechanics and teaching you to use them - you can easily get caught in a loop of backtracking around because you're forgetting to religiously scan a room so you'll miss a switch, or forget to use a certain vision because you've not had to for the last 4 hours, etc. The move to 3D just makes it a bit more visually muddled sometimes where it's just easy to miss things. Such a Nintendo thing as well where there doesn't seem to be any in-game brightness settings and some areas are so dark it's hard to properly see. Also a lot of it's required backtracking is the worst kind where it'll send you all the way back and forth from one end of the map to the other, etc.

Also to get to the very end of the game you have to collect these 12 artefacts hidden around the game world. Some you might find from naturally exploring, but some are actually extremely well hidden, and the game only gives you a relatively vague clue as to the location of each one. They're not impossible to find by any means, but some of them are tucked away behind puzzles or tricks usually reserved for a game's most tucked away side-secrets, and I can see plenty of people simply getting to the end, not having all of the Artefacts and just having no real idea what do to or where to go without looking up a guide. Obviously Metroidvanias are focused around exporation and backtracking, but I think Prime gets a pretty soft go of things for how obtuse it can be to be honest.

It also has a few moments people always seem to completely ignore in beloved games, where it's just objectively bad design that doesn't respect the players time. The very last boss is a good example, which is a potentially tricky, multi stage boss that is a long fight even if you speed through it - basically I can see a few people needing multiple attempts to beat it if they've never done it before. Yet to get to the boss from the save point, you have to do a relatively time consuming platforming section with some strong enemies that can knock a decent amount of your health off if you get unlucky - it's just a stupid thing to have before a final big fight imo. You see a lot of games really bin the pacing of the game with the final few encounters, but peple always seem to overlook it, and I don't think Metroid Prime is an exception, even if Meta Ridley is very cool

As a remaster this game is incredible. It looks beautiful and runs really well, and the dual stick controls were really the main thing it needed to update it and bring it into the modern world. It's a testament to the original art design and Gamecube performance that I felt like the game looked barely any different to the original until I saw them side by side - it shows not only how good and memorable the original was, but also how much a good art style and world design can shine with a new lick of paint without losing any of it's identity or style.

I absolutely love it and I think it's a really influential and important game in a lot of ways, but as an actual Metroidvania I actually think it's pretty average, and that's from someone with a lot of affection for it and can remember a lot of roughly what to do/where to go. The game is incredible for something that came out almost 20 years ago, but there are plenty of bits of 20 year old game design I feel like a lot of people just don't want to accept isn't actually that great. Still well worth a play for anybody interested in the genre in my opinion

#nintendo switch #nintendo #nintendo gamecube #gamecube #retro gaming #retrogaming #metroid #super famicom #super nintendo #super metroid #metroid prime #90s games #90s

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corkcitylibraries · 1 year

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Cork in Verse | Ana Spehar Interviews Morgan Lyons

Morgan has a passion for writing both stories and poems depicting body respect, intersectional feminism and queer representation. She is currently writing a fantasy novel featuring a strong female protagonist without a love interest, as she feels it is important to showcase platonic love as well as romantic. Morgan has had poetry published with the Louisville Review (Kentucky), University College Cork's The F Word magazine, a publication run by UCC Feminist Society of which she is a proud member, and with Good Day Cork. Morgan has also attended the Rainbow Library Writing Course in Cork and is collaborating with other LGBTQIA+ artists to create stories where children and young adults can see queer characters in fiction. She currently lives in Cork where she is studying Spanish and Asian Studies at University College Cork.

When did you start writing? Where do you seek inspiration from?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid; when I was 10, we moved to the United States for a few years, and my fourth grade teacher had everyone in the class pick out a Writer’s Notebook- something just for us to write down ideas or poems or whatever came to mind. So, every night I would write something, and usually I would write about nature. There was this pond right outside my school in Connecticut, and if you waited long enough you could see turtles, beavers and red winged blackbirds, all creatures I hadn’t seen before when we were living in Ireland. I was so excited to write about them; I always feel so relaxed in nature, and I loved visiting the pond because you never knew which animals you’d see. My mind was blown that I was seeing so many creatures for the first time, I just had to write about it. After I left that school and we came back to Ireland, the habit of a Writer’s Notebook stuck. I always make sure to carry one with me (or have a good notes app available on my phone) because I’ll have a random thought or phrase that I need to write down and come back to later. My inspiration definitely comes from emotions, from me discovering my voice and what I want to say. I can’t wait until I know for sure what I want to say in a poem, or I’d never get started. My poems feel like a stream of consciousness around one concept like my period, then as I write I realize I want to portray negative and positive aspects. I’m angry I spent so many years ashamed and stuffing pads up my sleeve; yet writing about that shame and anger led me to write a stanza about my passion for feminism. I end up using multiple emotions in one poem even if it gets messy.

Does the creative process of writing affect your mood?

Absolutely! When I write it's like I’m putting a piece of myself into every poem and story. For poems like Notes to Make Up, Notes to Face, I need to remember a time when I wasn’t as comfortable in my body. If I’m writing a sad scene in one of my stories, or one where the main character is having an anxiety attack, I’ll need to tap into what it's like for me to have anxiety. It's tricky; you have to be careful about what you tap into, at the same time writing about things like a lack of self-confidence can be pretty satisfying, just to get your thoughts out on paper. Luckily it works the other way too - that feeling when I’m throwing words around, realizing I like the sound of them and instantly knowing what the next line should be…that makes my day. Or when I’m just free writing as a warmup exercise and I see the potential for a short story, completely lose track of time because I literally can’t put the pen down, it's the best experience in the world.

Who are your poetic influences and why?

For me, I find I’m influenced by song lyrics. Pale Hound is definitely one of my main muses, their work always encompasses so many emotions; it can be gloomy, vulnerable, heartfelt, all at the same time. There’s references to anxiety, songs about queer relationships and nostalgia; its their personal experience, something only they could write about, yet its so relatable. That’s something I strive towards when I write- to create something that resonates with myself as well as the reader.

I also get inspiration from my younger self. All the things I wanted to say but was too afraid to, the questions I had, about my body and identity, I still carry those with me. I’m still asking some of the same questions, and still learning to respect myself. Sometimes I’ll need to write a poem about my past experiences to show myself how far I’ve come and how far I still need to go in life. When I was a kid I never would have believed you if you told me I would one day write a poem about my period and have it published; I aim to write something the younger me would both cringe at and secretly be in awe of. My younger self still influences my work, and one day I think I’ll look back at the person I am now, take a snapshot of my insecurities and hopes, and write a poem about them.

In your opinion, what are the most important elements of a good poem?

Rhythm. Some lines need to be long, to get your point across, and some need to be shorter to have maximum impact. I think it's important to get the balance right; with the right ratio of short lines and long lines it's almost like a poem is breathing as you read it. I also think a poem needs to be sincere and not out to please an audience; if you try to write what you think people want to read instead of something you yourself are passionate about, the poem can have less of an impact.

What book would you recommend to our readers?

Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair by Ella McLeod. It's an amazing blend of prose and poetry, fantasy and real life. The main characters are all young women with so many layers and the majority is told via second person, something that really adds to the depth of the story. It's definitely a book I’ll be going back to in the future!

We Bleed. We Ache. We Fight.

I bleed.

Hot, sticky, damp.

At first I think it’s diarrhoea; dark brown, not red, not powerful

I’m supposed to feel powerful, something more than a child

My first period makes me ache

I hide.

Stuffing pads under my school jumper

Feigning a stomach ache, a headache, anything to avoid saying it

Period

Vagina

Uterus

They are me, inside me, making me bleed and hurt and hide

Yet I can’t say the words out loud

Gross, icky, private

I wonder.

Stains in my underwear

Sometimes red, sometimes not

Is this normal?

Afraid to wet my hands

Will blood ever fade?

My body has no schedule; In the middle of class

Standing up

That sinking feeling of damp leaking out

Does my body hate me? Or do I hate my body?

I leave.

Graduate.

Summer.

College.

Bleeding, aching, hurting

Cramps trapping me in bed

And the fatigue; was it always this hard?

Students handing out condoms; sex on my period

Is it dangerous? Stupid? Slutty?

It is still my body, and it is still a foreign place.

I...notice

Clubs. Societies.

People standing in the rain, collecting sanitary products

Sanitary products...so, my vagina, my uterus, they really are unclean

Filthy brown blood

Sanitary, feminine hygiene...are periods feminine?

EqualiTea night

Small group, biscuits, coffee

Talking

Smiling

Laughing

I listen

And learn

No.

So many no’s.

No shame. No whispers. No silence.

My vagina...they say the words

All the words, and more

Blood. PMS. Sex.

Sex on your period? Go for it

Orgasms chase away the cramps

Towel on the bed, ready for a crime scene

But the blood, it is not dirty.

Not disgusting. Not feminine

Menstruators

A new word

Not all menstruators are women, not all women are menstruators.

Where are our free tampons? Free pads? Free information about our bodies?

Our bodies bleed

Our bodies ache

Our bodies are whole

Not broken, not identical.

This is what they do, feminists, menstruators, people.

We stand.

We speak

We shout. Yell. Scream, so they will hear us

So we will hear ourselves

VAGINA. UTERUS. PERIODS.

They hand us free condoms; we need period products

Not a luxury; a necessity

We do not hide our words, our stories, or our questions

No more of that.

No more shame.

This is what we do:

We bleed. We ache. We fight.

Notes to Make Up, Notes to Face

Make up

What do I have to make up for?

Having Spots

Pores

Oil

Flaws

Imperfect

Imbalanced

A dab here, a dab there

Conceal. Tone down. Clean up. Don’t just clean up, give up.

Pay up. Get up, give up. Time, money, freedom.

Lips. Eyelashes. Cheeks.

Smooth them over.

You’re only human. Now make up for looking the part.

Make up; make time

Time to learn, time to realise, time to experiment

You are not anti feminist, anti expression

You bring joy,

You make some people soar

There is freedom in wearing you, freedom in leaving you

My freedom is raw, organic, imperfect

Dark circles under my eyes

Pimples along my cheek bones

Wrinkles when I furrow my brow

Make up?

Make space

Space for my face, my preference, my comfort

Space to sweat, space to laugh and space to exist

Face, don’t apologise. Just emphasise.

Enunciate every pore.

Make your own foundation, one of steadiness, one of loyalty, one of acceptance.

You can blush. Go splotchy, go red.

If your face is a canvas, then let life hold the paintbrush

You don’t need to panic, don’t need to hide

No need to justify Face, you exist. You are whole. You are free.

#corkcitylibaries #corkinverse

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le-souriant · 2 years

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#MusicMonday Review - September 2022

#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check August's review for more music.

Fall season is here! This month, our artists will take us all over the world through the multiple feelings their songs evoke. Let's have a listen, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

Tidal Wave – Sunbleached

Tomorrow is the last goodbye And if you recall This is where we met

In the space between it all I can't look to you But now I can see what I have done

When all of the letters burn After all of the ashes fall When will we see each other When all the pictures are Sunbleached

We start with a mellow Art Rock track from Toronto, CA. Truly atmospheric, the song will make you look for those old photos you may still have:

"I remembered looking at my old books on a shelf that had lost their colour. Realizing that it was years of them sitting in the sun it made me think of an image of a photo of two people left on a wall. A lot of my lyrics are post apocalyptic and that’s kind of where the thought of due to a huge event things would be left behind to be exposed to the elements later to be found by potentially those people again.

The idea I had in my head was of a couple that broke up only to find a weathered photo again wondering if they’d ever see each other."

Juan Pablo Pardo – Mariana

Debo enamorado yo de estar No te puedo dejar de pensar Cada vez que te volteo a ver me haces suspirar Solo llegaste y ya eras tan especial

Oye y nunca vayas a pensar Qué yo te vaya a dejar de amar No te lo imaginas cada día te quiero más Y eso yo te lo voy a demostrar

From nostalgia, let's go now to Puebla, Mexico for an enthusiastic love song that loses steam at the end (for a reason):

"I composed this song many years ago to my ex-girlfriend Mariana. As our relationship began I started composing the song and I finished it when we were braking up. That's why the songs starts with a happy melody and rhythm that reminds the excitement of the beginning of any relation, and it finishes like a ballad, which reminds the sadness of an ending.

At the end, I tried to transform Mariana, the person, to Mariana, the concept of the teenage love."

The Inflorescence – The Button

Why does it feel Like you’re just a dream Slipping so far away from me I can’t seem to escape this All I can do is try to hide

I don’t think you understand me I look into your eyes and you can’t recognize me Will we meet again in another life or Would I just pass you by

From breakup, we now go to San Diego, CA for a Pop Punk track full of heartache. Would you push the button and forget?:

"The song is actually based off the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” 🙂

The idea of erasing someone entirely because the pain of what wasn’t was really the thing that inspired me the most. It’s a heartbreaking thing but something I’m sure everyone wishes they could do sometimes."

Sleeping Haze – Acedia

We’ve been stuck for so long Just keep going on and on A circular path is trampled down from our mindless running around

Come see the apathetic show Where everyone pretends to be in control The curtain cuts you in two When it’s over there’s only you

From brokenheartedness, let's go now to Gothenburg, Sweden for some Alternative Rock with a different kind of grief. Is there a fix that will let you go? Band member Per answers:

"It’s basically about a time where we just felt like we were stuck as a band, as the first line of the lyrics says.

The song I think started with Henry’s guitar-melody and thought the feeling of that melody captured the state that we were in, so it seemed best to use that to our advantage and actually write about it. Of course I mixed in some of my personal experiences too, but I think in a very broad strokes kinda way, so it’s also very easily relatable for everyone.

Then there’s the thing about depression connected with musicianship, with the “the curtain cuts you into” line, where I at the time felt like the live shows were when I could feel alive, only to start sinking again after the show’s over and the high from the moment has passed.

It’s not as drab as it may sound though, we love music and making music together for the most part, but sometimes you just get frustrated trying to make things work, since the practical parts of life easily can get in the way."

Baby Shower – Worms

10 days without you in my reach And I slept with someone new for each

Woke the baby and now she's screaming I'm train spotting not daytime dreaming

Got a little devil on my back Cold sweats and panic attacks

Might be nice to be healed and mended But I just want a toxic codependent

Things do not look good for me

From depression, let's end this month's selection with snarky optimism from Melbourne, Australia. Oh me, oh my, I think I'm buried alive 🎶:

"There's a whole other set of lyrics that we used to play it with and had to replace every verse on the day of recording cos they were a bit too... controversial... and lyrically it was extremely obvious who they were about which was great therapy for me but I didn't want to like hurt anyone too much if they heard the song you know.

The chorus I wrote years and years ago and used to be a much slower tempo we would play with a piano accordion. The chorus is about like... I guess sarcastic like hey I'm totally f'd but look at the bright side I'm gonna be a great meal for a bunch of worms.

Then new verses are about I guess just intrusive thoughts you can't get rid of and trying unhealthy ways to do anything to shake them."

Listen to them and much more on the Playlist

@osornios

#music #MusicMonday #review #september #2022

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kieraelieson · 3 years

Text

No Rest for the Deathworlders

Logan had always loved the stars.

Still did, though his love had been dampened by the way in which he was currently seeing them.

He watched out the window, or rather, screen, but it was made to show the outside of the ship, and thinking of it as a window was oddly comforting. A bit of something close to home.

A lump grew in his throat at the thought of home, pressing against the collar. He forced himself back to a neutral, tugging the collar away from the front of his throat as far as it would go. A brief flicker of anger replaced the nostalgia. Anger at the collar, at his own inability to remove it, at the monsters that had forced it onto him, at his own complacency now that it was on.

He didn’t have it as bad as some other humans did, he was well aware. All the collar did was teleport him to the location of the person holding the remote. Granted, it was unpleasant and incredibly disorienting, but nothing like the near-torture he’d heard was the more common method of keeping humans captive.

The captain of the ship was smart in choosing Logan, as far as the welfare of the ship went.

“You’re invested in your own survival,” He’d said through the translators. “If the ship goes down, you’ll go with it. If you sabotage the ship and try to escape on a pod, I can get you back to me immediately, and you’ll meet the same fate as you intended for us. It’s in your best interests to cooperate and to bond with the crew.”

Well, Logan could agree that it was in his best interests to cooperate. But no one could make him get attached to anyone. And no one could stop him from making little problems.

Like ignoring the insistent, “Human, where are you? Human!” that was coming from his communicator.

The window dissolved in front of him, and Logan felt abruptly as if he were on the world’s worst rollercoaster for several seconds. It took him a minute to register the angry captain now in front of him. He was yelling something, but not through the communicator, so Logan couldn’t understand what. And he was far too dizzy and almost nauseous to pay attention even if it was understandable.

He shook his head slowly from side to side and up and down once, hoping to clear the vertigo somewhat.

“You must come when called!” The communicator translated. “Or at least answer!”

Logan stubbornly remained silent, the dizziness gradually clearing.

For an alien that looked more like a slime monster than anything with a real face, the captain still managed to look extremely displeased. Not that Logan cared.

“There are ------ trailing our ship,” the captain said, one of his words not translating properly. “We need to go faster or we’ll get boarded.”

Ok, maybe Logan did care.

“Humans are supposed to be good at making ships go faster, fix it.”

Logan frowned. “I’ve been here three days,” he said into the communicator. “I hardly know how anything in the ship works, much less how to improve any of its functions!”

“I’ve studied humans, I know better than that, fix it.” The captain said shortly.

Logan opened his mouth to protest, but the room around him dissolved, the horrible spinning sensation back. His legs gave out and he dropped onto the floor in a different place.

He swallowed hard, his stomach threatening to upend itself.

“And they call you deathworlders,” someone scoffed. “A transporter has you on your knees.”

Beyond his sick feelings, and the anger at being mocked, he caught onto that plural reference. Was there another human on the ship?

In addition, there were apparently multiple remotes to the teleporter around his throat, which ruined his plan of trying to steal or fight the captain for the one.

He slowly sat up, his head still spinning. He hoped that his body would eventually grow accustomed to the teleportation and the dizziness would stop being so awful.

There was a chittering sound beside him that the translator didn’t attempt to process. He turned to see an alien that would likely be very tall if it wasn’t on all fours. It was very thin, with long arms and legs, which ended in smooth nubs, without hands or feet. The front two, which Logan thought of as arms, though the alien probably would have a different name for them, seemed to be perforated along the last six inches. As Logan watched, one of them was extended towards him slowly, and something softer could be seen on the inside. It was able to be extruded through the holes, and was likely the way in which the alien could grasp things.

He backed away from the limb before it could touch him, and the alien also backed away a step, making a low woody sounding whistle, like air blown over a jug. It’s head looked rather moth-like, with antenna that curled and straightened, and large eyes.

The alien seemed sentient, though Logan was confused that the translator wasn’t picking up on its speech.

Until he saw a very familiar collar, only around their waist. They were also captive then. And possibly, though it disappointed his hopes of meeting another human, they were the other deathworlder, also affected poorly by the teleportation.

The strange attempted touch then, could have potentially been intended as comfort or aid.

“You’ve been sitting long enough, get this ship to move faster,” the other alien in the room grumbled.

Logan glared. “How am I even supposed to do that?” He snapped. “I don’t have training or experience, I don’t know what half this stuff is and I can’t read your labels!”

“You can either fix it now, or we can teleport you between here and the captain until you do.” The alien's tone was disgusting and wet, and Logan was glad he could focus on the robot sound of the translator as his stomach lurched again.

He could try.

If nothing else, he might learn some new things and be able to convince them that he really wasn’t able to just do things he’d never tried before.

The room was smaller than he would’ve expected, presuming he was in a kind of engine room. Around the edges of the room were a number of bins, holding substances ranging from powders to liquids.

In the center of the room was a glass tube that went from floor to ceiling, and seemed to be filled with a glowing crystal stalagmite. From the top of the tube dripped some kind of liquid, and at the bottom it flowed out in small pipes, glowing the same as the crystal and possibly converted into fuel.

He could assume that with all of the powders and liquids that there was a chemical reaction causing the substance to obtain the glowing quality and become fuel. But what that was, and how to know what was safe to change about it, he had no idea.

“Well?” The alien, whom he now assumed to be what served as the ship’s engineer, asked.

He was making so many assumptions, and still was barely anywhere. They could all be wrong.

“Explain to me how it works,” Logan said. “Then I’ll try to ‘fix’ it.”

The alien made an unpleasant sound that the translator interpreted as a sigh. “This is a ——-, the liquid is a mixture of ——, ——, ——-, and ——, but it could be made with any of the ——— family instead of the ———, or you could replace the ———- with ——— for better efficiency at different energy levels. We also have several forms of ———-, which ought to make more potent fuel for higher speeds, but every time we’ve tried the ———- smokes and explodes and there’s residue in the tubing for several rotations which puts us at a standstill.”

Logan grimaced. He had a very small idea of what was being said based on gestures, but he’d much prefer to have names and details. It seemed this was a very large and dangerous version of chemistry experiments, with no textbook, and his only advice coming from someone who hadn’t studied.

Well, there was the other ‘deathworlder’ in the room. He could only hope they knew something about any of this. Though the difficulty in communication might make that knowledge impossible to access.

He turned towards them anyway. “Can you understand me at all?”

They made another low whistling sound, followed by chittering. One arm waved, with… could he call them fingers? gesturing towards Logan.

He hoped desperately that he could consider that to be a yes.

“What would you do in—“

The engineer’s communicator interrupted him. “We thought we’d have a few more rotations but they’re closing in, has the human done anything yet?”

“No,” the engineer said. “It’s just staring at everything.”

“Well get it to hurry!”

The other ‘deathworlder’ made a long series of noises, pointing at one bin in particular and then at a place where it seemed the not-yet-fuel liquid was.

It was a foolish thing. A very foolish thing. But Logan took a scoop from the bin and dumped the powder into the liquid.

It bubbled and fizzed on contact, sending up thick clouds of a dark blue smoke.

An alarm blared.

The ship lurched, knocking them all to the ground.

And then the new ingredient actually hit the crystal, and there was a loud, high pitched ringing.

Logan covered his ears and shut his eyes, feeling like a weight was pressing him to the floor.

Everything was spinning, and loud, and then it was loud in a very different, but no less painful way.

“Protect me!” The captain shrieked.

There was a pained, screeching scream.

Logan was shoved, but he was barely aware of which direction, let alone what he was supposed to do about any of it.

Something grabbed onto his shoulders, and he flailed, hitting and kicking indiscriminately. Something burned on his side, and he kicked into something much more solid, sending a throbbing pain up his leg.

Everything was noise and pain and lights and movement and he didn’t understand any of it!

Logan struck out blindly at anything that came near him.

He thought he’d backed into a wall, but something must’ve been behind him, and it hit him hard over the head. He dropped to the floor, tears swimming in his eyes and blurring everything even further.

Everything dissolved around him and he was falling, spinning, dropping, tossed.

He was grateful more than anything when unconsciousness took him.

•^*^••

He woke slowly, feeling hazy and heavy. It was quiet, and not too bright, nothing was touching him. So he didn’t bother to open his eyes, just laying still.

He wasn’t dead at least.

Probably the pirates had attacked. Definitely he’d ruined the ship he’d been on.

The question was, was being with pirates any better than living on a ruined ship with aliens that considered him to be some kind of hyper-intelligent slave?

Or perhaps the question was, where was he now?

He forced his eyes open.

He was in a relatively large, empty room. The floor and walls seemed bare, though patched, not all of a single material.

He pushed himself up. There was a loud skittering noise away from him, and he yelped, flinging himself away clumsily.

He turned, and saw the other deathworlder, front legs shaking and making a rattling noise. He wasn’t sure if it was a fear response, a method of communication, or even some kind of threat display.

“It’s alright,” he said quietly, backing up a little farther.

The other alien didn’t try to come close again, so he figured it was mostly likely not interested in threatening him. There wasn’t an echo of his words in an alien language though, and he patted his shoulder to discover that the translator had been taken. His hand went to his throat, disappointed to find that they’d left the collar.

It was still there on the other alien also. They were both still prisoners then, wherever they were.

Looking around, it seemed that they were in an empty cargo space, rather than a proper holding cell, so there was a slightly greater possibility of escape.

There was that low whistling sound again. Logan was certain it was meant as a form of communication.

He tried whistling back, as low as he was capable of.

The alien chittered and shook its legs again, but Logan couldn’t tell even if it was a positive or negative reaction.

“I… don’t know how to talk with you,” he said, keeping his tone low and calm. He sat in a comfortable, loose position, hoping to get across the calm in his tone and posture. “But I’d like to try. I’m not sure what anything you’re doing means, and it’s possible you’re in the same situation. I’m hoping that you have more knowledge of humans than I do of your kind, and that you’ll be able to make better inferences than I’m currently capable of.”

The alien cocked its head to the side, watching him as he spoke. It took a tentative step forward on its spindly legs, and then propped itself on three, holding the fourth out to him.

Logan eyed the appendage. The softer inside substance was filling the holes, making it appear to have small bumps, rather than holes. He held out a hand to it, but didn’t try to touch.

The alien bumped the end of its leg into Logan’s palm.

That seemed… good? Perhaps this was a greeting similar to a handshake?

Logan very gently grasped the end of the appendage, the softer inside substance feeling cool to the touch, and almost like a stiff putty, whereas the harder outer shell felt very smooth and rigid, similar to metal, but light.

The alien retracted their arm, and then looked between their arm and his hand. The inner substance reformed, pressing out from several holes into a clear attempt at fingers. It seemed to be fully controlled by the alien, and moveable, albeit much more slowly than Logan could move his own fingers.

“That’s very impressive,” Logan said.

The alien chittered back at him.

Perhaps they could get somewhere through a kind of charades.

•^*^••

“I think that’s all we can carry,” Roman said, looking over the wreckage.

“We can hold more, we aren’t full yet,” Remus protested, still sad that some of the ship’s inhabitants had taken the escape pods. Aside from the power crystal, which was far too unstable to take, they were the best value on the little ship.

“The whole 3rd cargo bay is empty for the two deathworlders, we’re full.” Roman insisted.

“Oh. Forgot about them. Well, if we can hold ‘em, they might be enough to make it worth it.”

“If we can refill,” Roman grumbled. “I was expecting usable power from this ship.”

It had really been a not-very-great raid. They’d lost Aide, and Bill, and Rahgezis, and hadn’t even gotten much of anything good out of it.

And the deathworlders were far too grumpy to join the crew. If they’d had enough room they would’ve separated them, but he just took away the translators and hoped they weren’t already pack-bonded, and wouldn’t become so. Two single deathworlders were bad enough, two together? Their ship would be a wreck from the inside out.

They needed to give them a rotation or two to calm down, try and have a talk, and then drop them off at the nearest Embassy and get away before bad things happened.

Maybe the Embassy would even pay them for handing over deathworlders. Or maybe they’d arrest them for being pirates.

But without Rahgezis, Remus didn’t want to attempt anything on the black market with such a high demand as deathworlders.

And the teleportation bands should make it a little easier on them. They were super old, and no one in their right mind would use them, except as a practical joke, or a way of keeping enemies too off balance to attack. The ones on the two of them had been fused closed, rather than the usual buckle, so he felt more safe trying to hold the deathworlders than he would otherwise.

They’d only found one remote, but Inshes was already working on making a second.

“I’m going to see if the Scraascik is on any registries,” Roman said. “And I’ll check for the Human, but that’s less likely.”

Remus nodded. “I’ll handle getting us moving again. If they’re awake, maybe you could see about dropping some food into the cargo bay.”

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Roman sighed.

Remus set a claw on Roman’s back. Roman grumbled, leaning into Remus’s side, and then went off to do his research.

It’d been a hard day for both of them.

•^*^••

They’d managed to exchange names… sort of. The alien’s name was two notes, whistled lower than Logan was capable of, and likewise there was no way of the alien being able to pronounce the word Logan.

But the alien made a deep, almost resonant sound, that was as close as it seemed they could get to anything involving vocal cords. And that was their version of Logan.

Logan considered the two note sound, and came up with a slightly similar-sounding name. Virgil.

Neither of their names for each other were really very similar to their actual names, but they were able to understand each other, and that was what mattered.

As it turned out, Virgil was stronger than he was at pushing things, or hitting, but they couldn’t pull with any strength.

Logan was focusing his attention on the door, and had been so far unsuccessful in prying it open. It was solidly locked, and the lock seemed to only be on the other side of the door. Which likely meant that this room was detachable from the rest of the ship, in case of emergency or danger.

“Virgil.” Logan said, and Virgil turned to look at him from the patch on the wall they’d been inspecting.

Logan hit the door with his palm, his arm straight, in an imitation of the way he’d seen Virgil hit some of the patches, trying to break them. “Hit here.” He pointed at Virgil, and then at a spot where he suspected the lock was.

Virgil made a chittering sound and shambled over.

Logan again mimicked the strike, and then pointed at Virgil.

Virgil got into position. They were able to balance on three legs and rock their whole body weight forward to strike that small point their arm hit with all their strength and weight together.

They tried three times, but the door held firm.

Logan was impressed that they did not seem hurt by the attempt. Their exoskeleton must be very strong indeed. Which was possibly a part of why they were considered a deathworlder.

Logan wondered what their home planet was like.

The door suddenly opened, an alien clearly holding up one of the remotes to the teleporters.

Virgil backed away, turning and running to the other end of the room.

The alien spoke into a small microphone, which translated. “I brought food. Don’t come near me.”

The alien’s body looked almost bear-like, but with longer legs, clearly bipedal. They were only about half the size of a bear though. The fur also was shorter and sparser, and a very reddish kind of brown. The hands looked more useful than a bear’s paws as well. The head though was very unlike a bear’s. Logan didn’t know what to compare it to.

The alien was wearing clothes, which Logan had learned was entirely optional to most aliens, in bright reds and goldish yellows.

Perhaps this meant that this particular alien was more… Logan hesitated to say civilized. He scarcely knew anything about aliens, and could hardly make such judgements about them. Still, he believed he had a bit more chance reasoning with this one.

“Let us out of here,” he said, grateful that the translator picked it up and interpreted it.

“No.”

“We will leave you alone, we will not harm the ship. Let us go,” Logan said calmly but firmly.

The alien again said no, pushing in a tray of what could be food into the room with their foot, already starting to close the door.

“Wait!” Logan said, stepping forward.

The alien jumped, and pushed the button on the remote.

It didn’t seem to affect Logan, but instead Virgil was teleported close to the door. Virgil stumbled, falling against the wall and letting out what could only be described as a scream.

The alien who had delivered food looked even more scared now, and quickly shut the door. Logan pushed through his shock and alarm to try to open the door before it could be locked, but he was too late.

Virgil slumped to the ground, scream fading to a whistling wheeze.

As bad as the teleportation felt to him, Logan was scared that Virgil was being injured by it. Perhaps on the inside, where they were softer. Or perhaps it put too much strain on their rigid exoskeleton.

Was there anything he could do? He didn’t have any idea about what Virgil could need for medical care, and he didn’t want an attempt at comfort to be construed as an attack, especially while Virgil was vulnerable.

He knelt close to Virgil, a bit farther than an arm's length.

“Virgil?”

Virgil’s eyes opened, and from this close Logan could see the differentiation between pupil and iris. Virgil’s eyes were moving back and forth, like Logan had seen before in children who’d been spun in circles. He was likely still extremely disoriented then.

Virgil lifted one arm and waved it around slowly. It knocked into Logan’s shoulder lightly, and Virgil kept tapping it against his shoulders and head. Logan allowed it without complaint, guessing that it was grounding to Virgil, being able to verify that Logan was in one place and not moving, not spinning.

Virgil gradually steadied, taking their arm back.

Logan wished he had a way to ask ‘are you ok?’, but he didn’t. The best he had was, “Virgil?”

The whistle-clack he got in return seemed more positive than negative, though he had no way of accurately judging alien tones.

“Logan.”

Logan nodded, as it seemed the correct response.

Virgil pointed towards the nearly-forgotten tray, and Logan went to get it. Virgil struggled to their feet, looking something like a very large baby deer first trying to stand. If Logan had to guess, Virgil’s kind didn’t frequently sit or lie down.

The tray had a number of small round roll-like things that Logan was now accustomed to seeing. They were similar to banana bread in texture, but the taste was salty and rather bitter. When he’d asked, he’d been told that they were the standard in rations as they kept for a long time, and held an array of nutrients that was sufficient for the basic needs of a majority of species.

He suspected that he would require some greens or fruit if he continued eating these primarily, but he hadn’t seen any anywhere, only these.

Virgil stood over him and leaned down as much as they seemed easily capable of, which still left their head several feet above the ground. Logan was just wondering if they would need assistance to eat when a very long tongue, or perhaps proboscis, unrolled from their mouth and curled around one of the rolls, pulling it up into their mouth.

“What do you eat natively?” Logan wondered aloud. “And do you need water?”

There was a pitcher of water and two small cups. Logan poured one cup full and held it out to Virgil.

Virgil seemed to still be chewing, however, and incapable of drinking while doing so. Or perhaps they didn’t require water. Though, now that Logan was watching, he didn’t believe they were chewing at all. Certainly there was no jaw movement. They could be massaging the food with their tongue, and have particularly effective saliva perhaps.

Logan started eating a roll, setting Virgil’s cup down and filling the other for himself.

A minute later Virgil’s tongue unrolled again and drained the cup, seemingly effective as a massive straw.

“You really are fascinating,” Logan said softly. “Were we not in such a situation I would love to learn more about you.”

Virgil responded with a series of clicks and whistles.

“As it is though, we probably ought to attempt an escape. They haven’t tried to get anything from us, which makes me think they intend on trafficking us further. Most likely they don’t have the power to force us into work like the last ship did, so I think, despite the danger, that this will be our best chance. Of course, the danger is greater for you, the teleportation seems to hurt you much more than it does me.” Logan thought for a while. “I think our best bet would be to try forcing our way out the door the next time it opens. Perhaps one of us could knock the remote away. It is enlightening to know that the remote only works on one of us at a time.”

Logan sighed. “Of course we don’t know when or if they’ll enter again. It’s possible we’ll be held here until we reach wherever we’re going.”

Virgil made a low, soft whistle.

Logan laid on his back. “I can’t even properly ask you for your partnership. It’s infuriating to not be able to succeed at anything I attempt. There’s such a wealth of knowledge that is necessary, and I have no idea of any of it. Nor a way of learning, save through painful experience. I can’t become complacent, I have to effect change, but I never know when my efforts will be simply overturned.”

Virgil nudged his arm with their own.

Logan turned to look at them. Virgil chittered at him, bobbing up and down on their legs.

“What is it?”

“Logan.” Virgil said, still bobbing up and down.

Logan sat up. “I don’t understand.”

Virgil tapped his legs with their arm. “Logan.”

Logan stood up. “Is this what you want? Oh. If you don’t lay down to sleep, you must’ve been concerned when I did. I’ll have to sleep sometime though, and surely you’ve been exposed to aliens that lay down to sleep.”

But rather than relaxing, as Logan would assume Virgil would do if they were concerned, Virgil stepped closer, almost over Logan. Their antenna tilted towards him.

“Oh I see, this would be how you would confirm that I’m healthy, by feeling with your antenna, yes?” Logan remained still, unsurprised when there was a soft touch on his head.

But he was not at all expecting the sudden mental image of himself tackling the alien who’d delivered the food. It was so vivid it was as if he was already doing it, seeing the door open, tackling the alien, smashing the remote, and running forward to climb onto Virgil’s back as Virgil ran them both through the hallway.

Logan jerked back, falling on his butt. “What was that?! You have telepathy??”

Virgil made a movement that could be best described as a shrug.

Logan stood up again, reaching his hand out, battling his speed from excitement in an attempt not to scare Virgil. “Can we do it again?”

Virgil brushed his hand with their antenna, and the same scene flashed before his mind’s eye.

“Yes, yes I’ll do that! Can you understand my answer?”

Virgil made a whistle that Logan was almost certain was affirmative.

Logan paced back and forth excitedly, thinking out loud. “So you can communicate with me even if I can’t communicate with you well. And you very much want my partnership in escaping. We have a plan now. And a form of communication. Virgil, this is amazing!”

Virgil made an almost trilling noise.

•^*^••

“No, it hurt the Scraascik,” Roman said, already changing the ship’s course. “We can’t hold them safely, we have to get to the Embassy.”

“We didn’t even ask them to join us yet!” Remus protested.

“Would you join a strange crew after they hurt you?” Roman retorted, sending a message to the engine room to increase speed.

“Well what about the other one?”

“Remus. It won’t work.” Roman glared at him. “I don’t want to take chances with deathworlders.”

Remus sighed. “Fine. But let me try talking to them before we get there.”

Roman’s face went hard. “You have until we arrive,” he finally conceded.

Remus hurried down to the cargo bay.

He burst the door open, and it slammed shut behind him. Both deathworlders jolted, staring at him.

He then realized that he’d entirely forgotten the remote and the duplicate, and also that he was locked in a room with two deathworlders.

Well, there was a reason people joked he was addicted to adrenaline.

“Hello!” He said, waving. “I’m wondering if you’ll join my crew.”

The human moved first, standing up to a height decently taller than Remus was. And the Scraascik was even larger.

Perhaps he really was in serious danger.

“We just want to leave,” the human said, sounding rather threatening.

Probably telling them about the plan to hand them over to the Embassy then wasn’t a good idea until he was sure that he wasn’t in attack distance anymore. “You can, leave with us. Join our crew and you can adventure with us, raid ships, explore planets!”

“We want to leave alone,” the human said firmly.

“We? So… you bonded then? I guess that rumor is true, deathworlders all really do bond super fast.”

The human bared its teeth at him. “I will not be bonding to your crew based on your desires. I will not remain here, I want to leave. We want to leave.”

The Scraascik agreed in some of the most heavily accented Common Remus had ever heard. No wonder the translators hadn’t picked up any of his yelling when they’d boarded the ship. He’d probably need a translator to touch his antenna, but good luck getting a Scraascik to let anything touch their antenna.

“So you won’t even consider it?” Remus asked, not yet daunted.

“You’ve essentially kidnapped us, and both can and have hurt us! Why would I consider it?”

Yikes, the human sounded angry.

“Well we didn’t mean to hurt you, really, it’s not meant to be that bad. And we only kidnapped you from other kidnappers, and also I can’t hurt you cause I forgot the remote.”

The two deathworlders looked at each other, and Remus knew he really had gone and shoved his whole fist in his mouth. The human shifted position to a much more threatening crouch, as if it was going to pounce on him.

Remus held his arms out, claws at the ready. He might not have a hope of winning against deathworlders, but he could certainly make himself a pain of a target.

“I know I’m a pirate, but this was supposed to be just a talk,” Remus said, wondering if he’d be able to hit the communicator in time and if rescue was possible. Violent deathworlders in an enclosed space was not something he wanted his crew walking into, even for a rescue.

“It’s not much of a talk when we don’t have a say,” the human said, looking more and more threatening every second.

Iaoth , he wanted this human on his crew.

“Of course you have a say!” Remus said. “Name it, what position do you want, what pay, days off, I’ll give you whatever room in the ship you want as your quarters.”

“I fundamentally disagree with joining people that would knowingly traffic other people,” the human growled.

And then it leapt forward.

Remus yelped, swiping at the human and hitting the communicator with his other hand. “Roman!”

He was tackled to the ground, and the Scraascik pinned one arm while the human sat on his middle and held his other arm down.

“Remus?!” Roman’s voice came through the communicator.

“Let us go,” the human growled. “Once we’re out we’ll let them go.”

There was a tremor to the floor that Remus recognized. Roman must have been overloading the engine, they’d arrived and were docking.

“Is Remus ok?” Roman asked, sounding terrified.

“I’m fine, just a little stuck,” Remus said, trying to not sound scared so Roman wouldn’t get even more worried. “Laying under a deathworlder~ not quite as fun as I always imagined.”

Roman made a sound somewhere between a sob and laugh. “I’m coming to let you out. Don’t hurt him. Please.”

Remus was honestly a bit surprised that he was only pinned. The human was leaking blood from its shoulder and across its chest where Remus’s swipe had connected, but it hadn’t retaliated.

“Hurry,” the human said coldly.

The communicator turned off, and Remus had a strong suspicion Roman was calling the Embassy to have guards outside the ship when the cargo hold was opened.

“You sure you don’t want to join us?” Remus asked. “I know it won’t look like it from your end, but we don’t traffic, we take from ships we attack, but we’d either let them join us or take them to the authorities, we don’t just continue the traffic. And we could use people like you, you could help us take down so many more ships.”

The Scraascik leaned harder on his arm, and Remus grimaced.

“What would the authorities do?” The human asked.

“Uhhhh… well with the Scraascik, probably drop him back on his own planet, or with a Scraascik colony. Your planet though is still restricted, so they’d probably keep you until it’s opened.”

The human’s face contorted into something that did not look good for Remus.

“We’re on our way there, aren’t we?”

Remus wasn’t sure he dared lie, not when he was pinned to the ground with two very angry-seeming deathworlders over him. “Yeah.”

The human hit the communicator. “Listen.”

“I’m listening,” Roman said warily.

“Don’t open the cargo hold,” the human ordered. “You’re a pirate ship. You have smaller ships for scavenging, yes?”

“…yes.”

“Give us one.”

There was a long pause from Roman.

“Put food and fuel and translators in it,” the human said firmly. “We’re taking this one with us until we’re safely inside.”

This was probably wrecking Roman’s plans. There would be authorities involved and now no deathworlders to give them.

“Alright,” Roman said.

•^*^••

The door to the cargo hold was opened. Logan had the bear-alien in a tight hold, and Virgil was above them, looking like they were ready to strike out at anything that got within range.

They managed to walk along the halls until they reached the smaller ship. Logan had no idea how he was going to fly it, but it was the biggest chance by far that he’d had yet.

He shoved the bear alien away and slammed the door shut.

Virgil went immediately to the pilot’s seat, and Logan was amazed to see that there were places in the ceiling that fit their antenna. Soon there was a fast and loud humming, and the tiny ship lurched into motion.

•^*^••

Patton was being sent, since they didn’t really believe that there could be a Human and a Scraascik on the cobbled-together ship that had docked. So it was just him and Janus.

Janus wrapped his long tail around the back of Patton’s neck for balance as Patton walked back and forth, waiting for the ship to open its cargo bay.

It sure was taking a long time. They’d seemed so rushed when they called, but now they just wouldn’t open.

And then there was an engine powering up.

A teeny little scavenging ship took off from the bigger one, flying off. Patton scanned it, alarmed to see that there was indeed a Scraascik and a Human signature on board.

“Hey! Hey wait!”

He pulled out his radio, quickly setting it to the bigger ship’s frequency. “Let me in and go after them! We can’t let a Human go flying around unattended!”

“If they don’t let us in fast, go take the SC Meteor,” Janus said.

Patton wasn’t too surprised when the ship started undocking without answering him.

“We’ll get them!” He yelled, running for the Meteor.

#Forgot I meant to post this on tumblr and never did 😅#my own work #sanders sides #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #patton sanders #humans are space orcs

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