#I've never been popular enough for hate I got excited

[thats-godscomma]

Since rewatching Psych, I've been thinking about how weird and arbitrary Shawn's interests are. Sure, late 2000's writing had something to do with it, and maybe a bit of Henry and Gus's influence, but hearing Shawn be so vocal about how he hates certain popular things or (more importantly) refuses to give them a chance BUT at the same time knowing so many pop culture references, it got me thinking.

What if the reason Shawn has so many pop culture references on hand is because of his eidetic memory, and he doesn't actually have as much of an interest in pop culture? Throughout the show, he actively avoids getting roped into big interests and franchises (see: comic books, soap operas, etc.) despite the fact that he genuinely seems excited once he's part of it. In fact, we don't get to see a lot of Shawn's interests at all unless it's based on an idea.

Take being a bounty hunter, for example. According to him, he's obsessed with the idea, but he doesn't make many references to an actual bounty hunter show or franchise. Instead, he just remembers the one bounty hunter he saw as a child and maybe references a movie or two. Because once he remembers something, he's never going to forget it, or at least not for a very long time.

That's why he thinks in references. Everything is a reference if you have a good enough memory. Everything reminds you of something. If Shawn hears someone make a Spock reference, it's in his repertoire forever. But he wouldn't be caught dead watching the shows or movies because that's just too much information. Why on earth would he endure that?

Of course, it also intertwines with his ADHD. He has bouts of energy and trouble focusing. He can't sit still to save his life, and he hyperfixates...or he would if his memory didn't make him averse to it. So if he doesn't want to hyperfixate on an information-based interest, then what does he hyperfixate on? Physical activities. Instead of learning about his favorite daredevil, he tries to be one himself. When he learns about oil rigs, he doesn't get a book from the library. He tries to find oil in his backyard.

This is also where he and Henry differ regarding Shawn's "potential." Henry is correct when he talks about Shawn's "wasted" potential, but he doesn't understand the toil of having this eidetic memory and ADHD. Here's what I think happened: Henry probably noticed Shawn's stellar memory at a young age, realized he has a gift, spoke with his wife about her eidetic memory, learned that you need to challenge your child's eidetic memory at a young age or it'll go away, started the hat game to make it fun and exciting, but then Shawn's ADHD appeared. Suddenly, it made him much harder to raise (because let's be real, Shawn was not an easy child.) Henry didn't know what he was doing anymore, and since it was the 80's, he didn't have the resources to properly understand his kid's behavior, so he tried to find a common interest, and started training Shawn to be a detective "because kids love cop shows." But Shawn struggled to stay attached to one single interest, and when he grew up, he stopped trying to articulate his problems because his mom (the only person who remotely understood his struggles) left, and he blamed his dad for it.

And academics? Those are a joke because what is the point of studying if he already remembers everything? Until, of course, he needs to apply it to a problem-solving test or writing an essay. Suddenly, he's memorizing a math teacher's answer sheet and copying Gus's report.

Yes, Shawn could have been a great cop. He could be an amazing scientist or anything really. He could have been a national spelling bee champion like Gus wanted to be. Even 15 years later, Shawn remembered exactly what word Gus messed up, how to spell the word, and what letter he made Gus slip up, but he didn't want to be on that stage with Gus because that requires so much learning. And so much time. And so much memorizing. And he refuses to sit still for that long when he knows that overloading his head is going to give him migraines.

Also his "I've heard it both ways" probably comes from the fact that people with eidetic memory can still make lots of mistakes if they don't actively commit something to memory. If Shawn only overhears something, he'll still naturally try to fill in the gaps like everyone else, but because he's so confident in his memory, he just believes what he remembers to be true, leading him to repeat incorrect information with confidence. That could also be why some of his references are incorrect due to mixed-up homophones.

Anyway, this post was supposed to be about how Shawn is just a walking movie reference because his memory won't let him forget quotes, but then I fell into a rabbit hole of the negative effects of having an eidetic memory as a child, and I am very passionate about how Henry actually tried his best, and people need to stop calling him a horrible parent. Love y'all. Let me know what you think.

[hyperfixatedbastard]

do you write hypnosis stuff?? it's not specifically against the rules but idk it's kind of an iffy era for a lot of writers-

if it's okay with you, could you write some Vox x Singer!Reader who he uses his mind control on to sell their soul to him so they remain under the VoxTek label? (im sure remaining with him is an ulterior motive of his as well lol)

thanks :]

I can absolutely do that! I’m a little iffy about NSFW hypnosis, but I can do a SFW oneshot :)

siren songs

Obsessed!Vox x Singer!GN!Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

WARNINGS: Yandere-ish behavior, hypnosis, manipulation, toxic behavior, all that good stuff

A/N: I told y'all I'd be back with some toxic Vox!! I wasn't entirely sure how to end this one, but I've spent enough time rewriting it to stop caring. This one is only romantic in theory - nothing actually romantic happens between Vox and Reader, it's more mutual pining than anything else This is also my first time writing obsessive behavior, so I hope I did it well!

Dividers

You’ve been working with the Vees for years now. You were originally recruited by Velvette, who’s like a bloodhound for new talent. She saw some popular videos of your singing online, and she made you famous.

But you don’t work with her that much, oddly enough. Over time, you gradually started to see her less and less. Vox was the one to take her place. By the time you noticed, there wasn’t much you could do about it—you’re certainly not an equal to the Vees, so there wasn’t much you could do. Sure, you could’ve quit then and there, as you’d never signed a soul-binding contract, but you really liked your job. You were getting to do what you loved for a living! Who wouldn’t want that?

Well, you. You don’t want that anymore. You’re getting burnt out. You feel like you’re out of creativity for writing songs, and singing no longer has the same appeal it used to. It feels like a chore. Getting on stage doesn’t get you excited—it just fills you with dread.

Then you saw the videos of the annual clown pageant down in the Greed Ring. How Fizzarolli, Mammon’s favorite little jester, just…quit. Just like that. 

Can you do that?

You don’t have backup like Fizzarolli did. There’s no Prince of Hell to protect you if the Vees lash out in response to your resignation. But the Vees aren’t Mammon. They’re powerful Overlords, sure, but they wouldn’t kill off an easy cash grab like you. And they don’t have any leverage to use against you—you’re a fucking superstar, you learned to stop keeping secrets a long time ago.

Yeah, you can totally do this!

You spend the next week making a plan. You currently live in V Tower, so finding another living arrangement is a priority. Luckily, your standards are just as low as before you got famous, so snatching up an apartment doesn’t take long. You’ve been building up savings for some time now, just little bits here and there that wouldn’t look suspicious among your bank withdrawls, so you have enough money to last you a while. You’ve made a go-bag, but you’re not too worried about bringing anything with you, as you have enough cash to just buy new shit. By the time the end of the week comes around, you’ve got your escape plan ready to go. All that’s left is to actually quit.

You decide that directly speaking to Vox is your best option. Velvette and you don’t have the same rapport that you used to, and Valentino is just… no. During your time working with Vox, you like to think there’s some sort of friendship there. The two of you chat amicably, and he always makes sure you’re okay when it comes to creepy fans and the like. You feel like there could be something more than just friendship, but you don’t plan on staying long enough to find out. As much as you like Vox, you’re not willing to spend the rest of your afterlife hating every second of your job just for him.

You stand outside Vox’s lair, mentally preparing yourself for this conversation. You take a deep breath, and right before you can knock on the door, it opens.

Okay, here goes.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

You aren’t as sneaky as you seem to think you are.

A normal boss wouldn’t have noticed the small transactions in your bank account, or the little trips you’ve been taking to go look at apartments. But Vox isn’t a ‘normal boss’ by any means. And he noticed.

From the moment Vox set eyes on you, he knew he wanted you. You’re beautiful, and fuck, your voice—he just can’t get you out of his damn head, no matter how hard he tries. And he really fucking tried. But he couldn’t avoid you, thanks to VoxTek being such an integral part of your performances. And you’re like a damn siren with that voice of yours, even though he’s supposed to be the hypnotizing one here. Eventually, he just gave in and accepted that he was more than a little obsessed with you. That’s why he started drawing you closer to him, pushing away Velvette and taking control of your brand. He doesn’t like sharing.

Obsession isn’t a particularly new feeling for Vox. He certainly has… tendencies. But this isn’t like whatever the fuck he’s got going on with that deer-headed, old-timey bastard Alastor. It’s not a lust thing, either. You’re certainly attractive, and Vox most definitely would sleep with you, but that’s not the main factor at play here. This is a deeper obsession than any of that bullshit.

Vox knows that he doesn’t own your soul. He’s well aware that he can’t truly stop you from quitting. Even if he managed to trap you inside V Tower, he can’t force you to keep up the performances. If he had you under a proper soul-binding contract, though…

He would own you.

Now, he’s not Valentino. He doesn’t plan to take that kind of advantage over you. He doesn’t want to change a damn thing. He just wants you to stay.

And he will make you stay.

He knows when you approach his office, and he opens the doors with the touch of a button on his desk. He plasters that casually perfect smile on his screen and turns to face you as you enter. The doors shut behind you.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you today, my dear,” he lies easily, the charismatic mask fitting into place like it was never absent in the first place. “How can I help you?”

You hesitate, your anxiety starting to get to you. But you’re determined to do this. You clear your throat and step forward. “I’m resigning.”

Vox’s smile doesn’t falter, nor does his screen glitch. His demeanor is…unnerving, to say the least. You’ve known him to be temperamental, emotional. You expected some kind of reaction. But he’s just smirking at you like he always does.

“I don’t suppose there’s anything I can do to change your mind,” he replies smoothly, tilting his head to the side just slightly.

“No,” you confirm, trying to sound confident in your answer. You’re not sure if you succeed. “I’ve already made my decision.”

Vox sighs, though he doesn’t sound very defeated. His smirk hasn’t gone away, either. “Well, then. It’s been a pleasure working with you, darling.”

He holds his hand out for you to shake. The gesture immediately worries you, as it’s the well-known sign of a deal. But you reassure yourself that there’s no deal being made here. Hell may be chaotic, but there’s rules when it comes to these kinds of things. Neither of you have offered anything, therefore there’s no harm in shaking his hand. It’s just a respectful gesture of a boss wishing their employee farewell. It all feels too easy, but you’re too relieved to think too hard about it.

You go to take his hand, but as you lift your head up to meet his gaze, everything goes fuzzy.

Vox grabs you by your wrist before you can shake his hand. He’s not rough with you. He’s careful of his claws, ensuring they don’t put too much pressure on your skin. Not that you’d notice, either way—your mind is far gone at this point, thanks to those spirals in his eye.

“In exchange for your soul, you’ll remain under the VoxTek label and continue working for me. Your work will remain the same as before. You’ll forget about leaving. You will want to stay here. You will want to stay here with me.”

A golden scroll appears out of thin air, and it floats in front of you as it unfurls. “Sign it.”

Your body moves on its own. You sign your name on the line at the bottom of the page.

Vox releases your wrist, and takes your hand in his own as his eye reverts back to its normal state. When you come to just moments later, he’s shaking your hand with calm professionality.

“I’m glad we got that sorted out,” Vox remarks smoothly, his smirk looking almost proud now. “I look forward to your next performance, my dear.”

You blink a few times as you become more lucid and aware. “Uh, yeah. Can’t wait!”

You smile, and Vox releases your hand, seemingly satisfied with your answer. You don’t remember what exactly you came in here for, but you’re happy with the outcome.  “Perfect.”

[bigification]

Whale Beach

I heard it was a popular vacation destination. Men flocked to it to help speed up their bulk because it was said to increase the weight of anyone who entered its waters. I guess the name whale beach is a little on the nose, and a little offensive but I don't really care. What I care about is the part where it makes you fat. Most people who want to bulk a little bit only go in for a minute or so and that's enough to make a significant change in their weight. But some brave, or horny, souls have tested what happens if you stay in the water for an extended period of time. That's where the name 'Whale Beach' was coined. I heard that the people who went in at around 160 pounds came out 30 mins later at 400 pounds. This is exactly why I was going to take a trip to whale beach. Not for myself, no, for a 'friend'.

Dan. Dan was a friend from work, but calling him a friend would be an overstatement. I've grown to despise him, mostly from envy. I know it's not healthy but I can't help it. It's gotten to the point that I just get annoyed whenever he's around. He's so perfect. All the ladies, and the men for that matter, flock to his side. They go along with anything he says cuz he's hot. I've tried working out and dressing better to live up to him, but I never will be able to. I miss the days before he showed up, when everyone would kiss up to me. When I was the hot guy in the office. That's why I'm gonna invite him to whale beach. I want to see the look on his face when he comes out of the water and realizes he's twice the size he was going in. Even the thought of it makes my dick tingle. Anyway, tangents aside. I've got it all planned out and he just agreed to go, so all there is left to do is get him in the water.

Time flew by the next few days, while I was waiting for my trip. The mix of excitement and anxiety made the time move quickly. Soon enough I was already at the beach with Dan. I had gotten good at acting nice around him, so he wouldn't suspect anything. I got into my dark blue bathing suit and watched him change into his light blue board shorts. Even now, I couldn't stop staring at his perfectly toned body. I hate it.

We both sat there talking for a little while. We had a few beers and actually had a nice conversation. But while that was going on, I was also trying to pay attention to the other people on the beach. There was no one in the water, but I wanted to keep an eye on anyone who went in to see what happened. I eyed down a group of three young men, hopefully they'd hop in and I could see if what I heard about this beach was true. They were all quite skinny so it should be easy to tell any weight gain when they come out.

I almost missed it as the group of men ran into the water. I was so engrossed in the conversation I was having with Dan. I was starting to question my decision to bring him here. But I caught the men in the corner of my eye, I need to keep track of them.

I spent the next 45 minutes or so going between talking to Dan and glancing over at the men in the water. They were there for a long time. Did they not know? It didn't matter, but I was getting impatient and it seemed like Dan was getting antsy to get in the water. Soon enough, the three men started to return to the shore. I almost did a double take as they walked out. There's no way those are the same guys. They must have been nearly 400 pounds each. They all hate giant bellies that spilled over their swim shorts, sagging man tits, and asses that threatened to rip right through their shorts. I watched in awe as they hobbled their way out of the water and went back to their spot on the beach.

I had to stop myself from staring and I curled my legs up to hide my growing boner. I turned back to Dan and he was giving me a funny look. He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my chair. He kept pulling me towards the water, I had to think quickly. I wanted him to go in the water but I didn't want to go in myself. I didn't think fast enough and he quickly dragged me into the water with him. I played it off cool, just don't stay too long. I swim around with him for a couple minutes and then make up an excuse about the water being too cold so I can leave. I run out of the water and stop right at the edge of the water. I look down and to my horror, I see a flabby belly in front of me. And it's right under my swollen moobs. I started freaking out, I thought it would take longer. I stood there for a few minutes just poking and prodding at my soft body. I could lose this pretty quickly right? What will I tell my family? My mind started to wonder.

I'm interrupted by a splashing sound coming from the water. It's Dan approaching me. I can't tell he's put on about as much weight as I have. He's got a round belly and moobs, but he's still got big arms and a pretty face. He continues marching towards me and grabs my hand again. His hands are so big, I think as he drags me back into the water, "Come on you big baby, the water's not that cold." How has he not noticed either of us growing? I question. I tried resisting a bit, but he was way stronger than me anyway so I gave up.

We spent the next 40 or so minutes just swimming around in the water and chatting. I had given up on trying to leave early, but I was still aware of the fact that I could become so fat that I would be immobile. That wasn't a concern yet though. As time went on, I noticed myself getting more buoyant, and I also noticed Dan's hair started to recede. I guess the water has more effects than just weight gain. I started to feel folds forming around my body as I swam, and I kinda liked it. My growing boner would have been obvious if my large gut hadn't covered it by now. I also saw Dan's outline under the water grow and grow and grow. He didn't seem as flabby as I did though, probably because he had more muscle, but it made it so he had a large round belly that floated in front of him.

After a while, he floated over to me. Our guts collided as he got close. "I like us like this." He whispered in my ear. He knew!? Did he know the whole time and just wanted it to happen, or did he realize later? "I feel so strong and manly" he said as his hands wandered under my belly and to my crotch. I let out a moan as his hand pulled down my shorts and grabbed my cock. "Did you really think I didn't know what Whale Beach was?" I didn't respond. "I just couldn't wait for the moment we would both return to work as obese pigs. I couldn't wait for the chuckles behind our backs as co-workers talk about how we let ourselves go. Oh and the sex, I couldn't wait to hear the bed creek under us as I fuck you like the pig that you are." He said between heavy breaths. His hand sped up with every sentence. "Call me a pig again" I yell. "You're a fucking pig" he growled. "I'm gonna feed you until you can't move, held down by your enormous pig body." He continued. I let out a loud moan as I shot my load into the underside of my belly. Afterwards, I reached around his gut and into his shorts. I wrapped my hand around his dick, pushing into the fat pad that engulfed it. It didn't take long for him to shoot his load all over my hand.

After a moment of silence, we made our way back to the shore. It shocked me how much heavier I was on the ground. I was basically weightless in the water, but now I have to put effort into every step. My stomach made me feel like I was gonna fall forward. We both managed to hobble over to our chairs, but I couldn't fit in mine, my love handles stuck out too far. Dan can barely fit in his, but only because his fat was all in his gut so he was not as wide as me. I decided to sit between his legs with my head essentially under his gut. I don't know what came over me back then. Maybe the water just does that to you, I was just so horny. I looked over and saw the group of three men in a threesome on the beach. Maybe the water does have that effect on people, maybe that's why there are so many love stories from this beach. My hand instinctively reached down to my crotch as I couldn't turn my eyes away from the three men. It seems Dan saw them too as I could feel his dick harden against the back of my head. I felt his hand begin to rub my shoulder and it sent a tingle down my spine. I turned around and got on my knees. He opened his legs as I pulled down his shorts with my mouth. I licked the end of his dick as it entered my mouth. My face was pressed against his fat pad and my forehead pressed against the underside of his gut. His large hand pushed on the back of my head as I went back and forth. The feeling of the hair on his belly rubbing against my head was almost soothing. His moaning got louder and louder until a warm liquid filled my mouth.

I sat back down in the position I was in before. Dan stretched my head and ran his fat fingers through my hair. I wondered how he felt about being bald. He did say something about feeling manly, and maybe that added to it. His big biceps and round gut sure made him look manly though.

We sat there for about an hour or so. The three men were still going at it, oh what I would give to be young again. I wondered what it felt like to be obese in your twenties, it couldn't be that different from being obese in your forties right? Maybe just a little less back pain. It had only been a couple hours in this body and I already couldn't remember what it was like being skinny and fit. How the only thing I could think about was being fed like the pig that I am by my big man.

Eventually, we grabbed our stuff and made our way to my car. We confidently left the beach with our tiny clothes. At this point, our shirts looked like bras and our shirts looked like speedos. After a lot of waddling, we made it to the car and put our stuff into the trunk. Dan gave me a kiss before closing the trunk and getting in the car. I got in the car and we both slid our seats back at the same time. "Do you have a bed that can fit both of us?" Dan asked. "Do you think we can fit in a king size?" I responded in a flirty tone. "Only one way to find out." He smiled at me.

We made it home to my place, I was shocked at how hard it was to get through the front door. I had to put some stuff down to even get through. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

Wow. I thought I would look more like Dan, but I was far more flabby than he was. My tits sagged into my armpits and my gut spilled over my waist. My arms and legs were riddled with rolls of fat and my jawline has disappeared under a thick double chin. Even my nipples were swollen and sensitive.

I walked out of the bathroom and saw that Dan had stripped down to his underwear. It was probably the closest thing he had to fitting him, but it still looked like a stretched out speedo.

His big arms and even bigger gut made me shiver. I couldn't believe how much hotter he was now.

"It's been a long day, how about we hop in bed and call it a night." Dan said

"I'd want nothing more." I replied.

We both curled into bed, barely fitting on it. He laid facing me and wrapped his arm around me. He could barely reach around my shoulder though because his gut pushed us apart.

"Love you." He said as he drifted off to sleep.

"Love you too."

[duckiemimi]

i wonder if gege's biggest problem (likely bc of the push to prolong jjk) is that they just threw out the original storyline the second the gojo vs sukuna fights started. i mean, there were definitely problems with the ever expanding cast and spreading them all too thin still, but (as someone who's only loosely been following the leaks since a little after gojo's death) the entire story feels so meaningless now 😭 the build up for everything gojo wanted holds no meaning and i get that gege hates gojo for overshadowing the other characters but like⎯excuse my lack of knowledge about manga culture⎯gojo's been the main character ever since megumi was taken over. yuji's been sidelined for so long and even yuta⎯who's ridiculously powerful and the only special grade in his generation, i believe⎯not making a difference just leaves the story falling flat.

(also: i've never understood the whole push for gojo to be front and center just bc he's the most popular. the mc is *rarely* the most popular character in a manga⎯bakugou (and even sometimes todoroki) overshadowed deku so much in bnha but the story still managed to center deku as the main character. i think people give gege a little too much credit for this⎯it just feels like bad writing or an attempt at fanservice when they write gojo like *this* when they're clearly sick of him.)

(also x2: literally none of the characters have a purpose anymore and sukuna's just screwing around so there's no one with a strong enough narrative left.)

(also x3: shoko deserved better. but that's a whole other rant.)

i think that's possible actually, considering how well-anticipated (and prematurely hyped up) the gojo vs. sukuna battle was! and it was a long and drawn out battle, too, so i have a feeling that was done out of request from publishing (or a third party) rather than something gege actually wanted to linger on!

the culling games to me read like an exploration in worldbuilding. remember when kenjaku started talking to and dealing with world leaders and when the US army (failed to) intervene at one point? it seemed like gege was playing with the boundaries of the jjk universe and while it was messy and convoluted at times, it was still pretty enjoyable for me! it felt like a writer who still wanted to write. it's a shame that gege took on more than he could chew, because there were so many aspects that could've been built upon, even if it would've been inconsequential to the ending message of jjk.

this arc...felt like something owed. to who, i could only guess, but it doesn't read like something he was excited to write. ever since gojo got unsealed (another well-anticipated scene), things have become rather stale. and that's probably why we have an influx of polarizing scenes—to get us to keep reading. gojo being brought up constantly (even after his death) also seems like a request or a push from publishing (or a third party). like you said, it feels like fanservice. (which is so demeaning to a creator, especially if it's put above all else.) i think he's too tired (and now he's sick) to actually attempt to properly tie everything he wrote together, let alone do anything about characterization! which is just such a shame :')

[linabirb]

INMF ENG Translyrics

i totally didn't forget to post these

so inmf won in the poll i've made and!! here it is! i will most likely post the purge march later since it got the second place

(actually maybe it's for the best that ily got the last place bc tbh.. i don't think my translation of it is that unique or interesting? :'D)

uhhh you can suggest songs to translate?? if you want??

i will talk about it more in the notes but yes i tried to make the lyrics closer to the original jp version. official eng translation scares me and i can talk about it for hours but i am probably not supposed to use my linguistics major privileges for this

i hope it's not too similar to the other inmf translations?^^'' i've tried to make it sound unique but idk idk..

Ah yes, you see, I knew I'm gonna win

That's how it's always been all this time

I was born under a lucky star

That's why no matter what everything will be mine

My gentle sting is enough to control them all

Can't get enough, this is so exciting!

But if you envy me and wish to run away

Better listen to what I've got to say

You know what's gonna happen to you, right?

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

I could never be wrong, I never make mistakes after all

Do you see it?

Come on and bring it

Bring all that honey to me

And worship me forever

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

You wanted to forgive me, it's true, I've seen it all

Glad to hear it, I can't help it

Go take a look at me and say how pitiful I am

(You know it's not my fault

You know it's not my fault)

Sorry, sorry

It hurts, doesn't it?

I swear, I didn't mean to wound you so bad

You're just a little annoying and I promise that's all

So we're even and now I can leave you alone

My gentle sting is enough to control them all

Can't get enough, this is so exciting!

But if you envy me and wish to run away

Better listen to what I've got to say

I've told you about the consequences, right?

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

I could never be wrong, I never make mistakes after all

Do you see it?

Come on and bring it

Bring all that honey to me

And worship me forever

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

You wanted to forgive me, it's true, I've seen it all

Glad to hear it, I can't help it

Go take a look at me and say how pitiful I am!

Hold on a minute

Let's imagine, hey, what if

I'm really guilty, so what am I supposed to do from now on?

Tell me, tell me

That you won't hate me

What happened after all that pain, it doesn't matter at all

Just wait a little, you know it's not my fault

You get it, right? Actually, maybe you're the one in the wrong

Glad to hear it, I can't help it

Go take a look at me and say how pitiful I am

(You know it's not my fault

You know it's not my fault)

Ah yes, you see, I knew I'm gonna win

That's how it's always been all this time

I was born under a lucky star

That's why no matter what everything will be mine

Translation notes:

You know how like. You know the official eng translation is going to be fun to read (or painful. depends on how much you care about the character) when it literally hits you with the very first sentence being translated in a weird way. I respect the queen bee symbolism, but like.. Maybe it's just me, but "I told you I'm queen" and "I knew it! See? I win!" give off very different vibes to me?

The original mentions Muu being talented, but I went with "I was born under a lucky star", kind of like a reference to her being pretty, rich, popular, all of that, and her "natural talent" can count as that too.

I overall tried to make these lyrics sound more.. maybe playful? Maybe more like a teenage girl? I didn't really want to make Muu sound like a villain, so I kinda. Made this translation more soft compared to the official one, maybe?

"You know it's not my fault" is also kinda supposed to be sort of like.. Muu is sort of going "Don't you know it's not my fault?" in the beginning of the chorus, but then she sounds more assertive and goes "No, actually, you KNOW it's not my fault". That was my vision.

"You wanted to forgive me, it's true, I've seen it all" is kind of a fun fourth wall thing. If I'm not wrong, the original mentions everyone wanting to forgive her as well, but here I also kinda. Made a little reference to the voting system. As a treat <3

THE ORIGINAL DOESN'T MENTION MUU "DOING THIS JUST BECAUSE SHE'S BORED"?? I THINK?? Instead, the original mentions someone who Muu ended up hurting doing something to offend or annoy her, so i tried to include that. AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE ARE JUST THE SAME MUU. The original makes so much more sense, since it's like. an eye for an eye and all that stuff..

"What happened after all that pain, it doesn't matter at all" just a reference to "After Pain" just like in the original and in the official translation!

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Gestation 1.1 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

He was animated, clearly excited about what he was talking about, and for once, the class was listening.  He was the sort of teacher who tried to be friends with his students, the sort who went by “Mr. G” instead of Mr. Gladly.  He liked to end class a little earlier than usual and chat with the popular kids, gave lots of group work so others could hang out with their friends in class, and had ‘fun’ assignments like mock trials. He struck me as one of the ‘popular’ kids who had become a teacher.  He probably thought he was everyone’s favorite.  I wondered how he’d react if he heard my opinion on the subject.  Would it shatter his self image or would he shrug it off as an anomaly from the gloomy girl that never spoke up in class?

Well, certainly does a good job of making it clear what sort of character we're starting with, and what sort of character they're looking at.

Knowing where it goes, knowing how it ends.

Sure is a start, isn't it?

“Let me wrap up here,” Mr. Gladly said, “Sorry, guys, but there is homework for the weekend.  Think about capes and how they’ve impacted the world around you.  Make a list if you want, but it’s not mandatory.  On Monday we’ll break up into groups of four and see what group has the best list.  I’ll buy the winning group treats from the vending machine.”

Jesus Christ.

Though, I'm not sure if High School me would have found Mr. Gladly insufferable or not. I would have liked the lack of real homework, maybe. Hard to say. I wasn't a popular kid he'd have liked tho, and plenty nerdy and I didn't hate homework (for subjects I liked). Also, while I was bullied sometimes, hardly to the extent some people could be, let alone Taylor, so... very different perspectives.

I didn’t deck myself out in bright colors like a bird showing off its plumage

A very... odd phrasing, IMO. Maybe it felt less odd in 2011, or within a specific space of reading/writing. Or maybe I'm just reacting weird at this line because I had untoasted bread with jam for breakfast or what. Who the fuck knows? It stands out for some reason though.

The only book in my bag that I hadn’t already read was called ‘Triumvirate’, a biography of the leading three members of the Protectorate.  I was thinking I would spend as long as I could on Mr. Gladly’s assignment before reading, because I wasn’t enjoying the book.  Biographies weren’t my thing, and they were especially not my thing when I was suspicious it was all made up.

Obviously it's a little different reading the story when you know what things are, then when you go into it not knowing who the Triumvirate are, or the Protectorate or what a 'Cape' is (hasn't actually been explained quite yet). But I do. Still, trying to appreciate it cold, I do like the way the worldbuilding starts. The capital letters and the context makes it clear it's important in-universe, the reference to 'suspicious it was all made up' does as much worldbuilding by reference as mentioning the Triumvirate's existence. It's certainly nicely done.

I do wonder, obviously at some point this made it to Space Battles and got put up all over TV tropes, but how did it first start finding an audience? Where did Wildbow talk about it/share it/etc to first start to get traction?

Like, from what I gather, he was not prepared for the way Worm took off, and got so popular, and he sure wasn't prepared for the fandom he got, but I'm curious what he had been expecting when he started?

I could taste it as it ran down to my nose and mouth.  Cranberry juice.

I've heard about the juice incident and had it referenced in enough fics, etc, to know a lot about it, but no one, to my knowledge, ever said it was cranberry juice. Is there a reason Wildbow picked that? Or just because he needed to pick which juice and he picked it partially or totally at random? If there was a reason, how complex was it?

I'm definitely overthinking, more than I usually do when reading shit, but fuck it, why not?

Still. Odd that the detail of it being cranberry has literally never made it into any fic or reference to this event in discussions, etc, that I've seen.

Sophia and Emma were the types of girls that fit the ‘prom queen’ image.  Sophia was dark skinned, with a slender, athletic build she’d developed as a runner on the school track team.  Red-headed Emma, by contrast, had all the curves the guys wanted.  She was good looking enough to get occasional jobs as a amateur model for the catalogs that the local department stores and malls put out.  

I have to admit, while I don't really have a strong mental image of 'prom queen' anyway, 'slender, athletic runner's build' is not what I associate with prom queen. The way Emma is described seems to fit better.

“What the fuck!?” I screamed to nobody in particular, my voice echoing in the bathroom.  There were tears in the corners of my eyes. “The hell am I supposed to do!?”  I wanted to hit something, break something.  To retaliate against the unfairness of the world.  I almost struck the mirror, but I held back.  It was such a small thing that it felt like it would make me feel more insignificant instead of venting my frustration. I’d been enduring this from the very first day of high school, a year and a half ago.  The bathroom had been the closest thing I could find to refuge.  It had been lonely and undignified, but it had been a place I could retreat to, a place where I was off their radar.  Now I didn’t even have that.

ooooof. Just.

Ooof.

The buzzing at the edge of my consciousness was getting worse.  My hands shook as I bent over and gripped the edge of the sink, let out a long, slow breath, and let my defenses drop.  For three months, I’d held back.  Right now?  I didn’t care anymore. I shut my eyes and felt the buzzing crystallize into concrete information.  As numerous as stars in the night sky, tiny knots of intricate data filled the area around me.  I could focus on each one in turn, pick out details.  The clusters of data had been reflexively drifting towards me since I was first splashed in the face.  They responded to my subconscious thoughts and emotions, as much of a reflection of my frustration, my anger, my hatred for those three girls as my pounding heart and trembling hands were.  I could make them stop or direct them to move almost without thinking about it, the same way I could raise an arm or twitch a finger. I opened my eyes.  I could feel adrenaline thrumming through my body, blood coursing in my veins.  I shivered in response to the chilled soft drinks and juices the trio had poured over me, with anticipation and with just a little fear.  On every surface of the bathroom were bugs; Flies, ants, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, earwigs, beetles, wasps and bees.  With every passing second, more streamed in through the open window and the various openings in the bathroom, moving with surprising speed.  Some crawled in through a gap where the sink drain entered the wall while others emerged from the triangular hole in the ceiling where a section of foam tile had broken off, or from the opened window with peeling paint and cigarette butts squished out in the recesses.  They gathered around me and spread out over every available surface; primitive bundles of signals and responses, waiting for further instruction.

I do like the slow build up to the reveal that she's controlling bugs.

No one (well, no, not no-one, I've seen the claims that Wildbow is a hack but I've never believed they were correct, my other opinions on his character based on his reddit comments notwithstanding) ever said Wildbow was a bad writer.

Its not the most innovative of choices, revealing information the way he is, very tried and true techniques and tactics, but hardly makes them either bad, or tired or not do the job well.

It would be so easy, so easy to just go Carrie on the school.  To give the trio their just desserts and make them regret what they had put me through: the vicious e-mails, the trash they’d upended over my desk, the flute –my mother’s flute– they’d stolen from my locker.  It wasn’t just them either.  Other girls and a small handful of boys had joined in, ‘accidentally’ skipping over me when passing out assignment handouts, adding their own voices to the taunts and the flood of nasty emails, to get the favor and attention of three of the prettier and more popular girls in our grade. I was all too aware that I’d get caught and arrested if I attacked my fellow students.  There were three teams of superheroes and any number of solo heroes in the city.  I didn’t really care.  The thought of my father seeing the aftermath on the news, his disappointment in me, his shame?  That was more daunting, but it still didn’t outweigh the anger and frustration. Except I was better than that.

Yeah, I don't think I'd have Taylor's self-control.

Like, maybe not full Carrie, fear of getting caught might stop me, but using my powers to make them suffer? Absolutely would give in to that temptation, hard.

I was going to be a superhero.  That was the goal I used to calm myself down at moments like these.  It was what I used to make myself get out of bed on a school day.  It was a crazy dream that made things tolerable.  It was something to look forward to, something to work towards.  It made it possible to keep from dwelling on the fact that Emma Barnes, leader of the trio, had once been my best friend.

A powerful chapter ending, but also one that almost feels like it implies Emma will end up being more important, long-term, to the story.

On the other hand, for all that work is 'one work', it's really not. 1.6 Million Words is not one book. It's a whole series.

It's not so simple as each arc being it's own book, conceptually, I'm sure, but equally -

:thinking_face:

[good-beanswrites]

sorryf im being mentally ill about hallucination event right now SO in the LCSyS au, would there be something like it :o? Like after all of it's over or something, how crazy would it be if Jackalope tried to get them all together just to do one last concert?

Never apologize for being mentally ill about Milgram content 😌👍 We are all in it together 😔👍I'm combining this answer with a reply to @kikithedeceiver (and spiraling out of control from both)

I've had a lot of ideas about the project being public in LCSyS, but was holding off including it for few reasons – the audience’s voices would conflict with Es as their own character. Knowing the public was watching would change the way the prisoners acted (even if they thought they were acting natural). It’s a long time that the families would have to deal with the public knowing about their loved one’s almost-crime. I also like the idea of this au ending with the prisoners returning to very normal lives. 

Buuuuut it is such a fun idea, and popularity seems an essential part of an actors au. So, I’m not naming this as canon, but here’s a pitch if you liked that idea and wanted to run with it :3

The team doesn’t tell the participants that they’ve been recording/collecting certain material to release. If a translation is left out by accident, the prisoners just assume it’s for a foreign team member – they have no idea how close/far Milgram reaches. 

The third trial begins. The prisoners are inside the prison, and on the final stretch of the trials. On the outside, Jackalope contacts families for signatures to release the material publicly. The team thought about censoring names and things, but seeing current fans’ investigation skills, they knew it was a matter of time before they put pieces together anyway. This may be super illegal but for the sake of the story I’ll say that family consent is enough lmao.

Some of them are easy to convince to sign off on everything, since it can raise awareness for their loved one’s struggles. Muu’s family takes the longest, as it would risk ruining their reputation. (They’re only swayed because it truly is a great opportunity to show off Muu’s talents for those modeling scouts, and she didn’t actually kill anyone in the end.) Kazui’s family refuses to release his info, but Hinako uses sway with her marital status to sign off instead (I pictured things happening fast enough where she hasn’t gotten an official divorce yet). Hinako still struggles with what he did, but she thinks he’s doing something incredibly brave now. I’m not 100% sure what’s going through Amane’s father’s mind, but if the murder really was in line with the cult’s beliefs, maybe he believes that Amane will be be a shining representation of their religion. He wants to show her off as their little golden child.

The experiment is published in its current form: music videos, voice dramas, timeline conversations, interrogation questions, etc. It’s brought to more than just science/psychology circles, though. Jackalope has no shame in marketing it as entertainment, hence the stockholders mentioned. He assures the sociologists that this will be a major breakthrough for them. He tells music labels he's got the new hit thing for them. He leans into the excitement of releases and merchandise in the hopes of gaining attention for the experiment. Needless to say, it works. Even though the audience has no sway over Es’ decisions, they are encouraged to make decisions for themselves on what they would judge each prisoner. There’s the same types of theory/analysis/discourse posts passed around. 

When the trials end, the prisoners are released into the world to find they’re famous. Instead of trudging back to their lives feeling that society hates them, they find tons of adoring fans telling them how much they understand and forgive them. Even if their final verdict was guilty, they have hundreds of voices assuring them that they are loved. That they are not alone. This attention really helps Haruka, Amane, (and maybe Es) who don’t have a good home to go back to. Not only can they reenter society, they are welcomed with open arms. They are looked after and showered in love. Some of the adults realize they want to use this popularity to lead the charge of social change. They create/support projects meant to help people who are facing their struggles.

And of course, there’s the other type of fame as well. Yuno loves answering fanmail and turning her karaoke hobby into a music career. Kazui goes from a life of feeling rejected and disgusting to scrolling through comments upon comments of men oogling him. Mahiru gets offers from fashion magazines and blogs to write up sections about self-love. Amane gets to live out her dream of being a performer, hinted at in her first two mvs. Fuuta is flustered by all the positive attention his appearance/voice is getting. Mikoto… well, I just wish him luck when he opens tiktok…

Which brings us to the live event! The prisoners have tried to keep in touch while adjusting to their new lives as almost-murderers-turned-idols. They’re amazed at how well-recieved the trial songs were. Those were some of their most personal, shameful secrets, and people relate to them? People love singing them?? People want a concert featuring them??? Jackalope encourages them to get together for one last encore. Some are thrilled with the opportunity, others are still nervous about the whole thing. Some think it’s in poor taste, that Jackalope is milking them for entertainment. But with a bit of conversing amongst themselves, they realize they all want a chance to sing like that again, and see each other in one place again. (It’s ironic because in my head Mahiru is the one to convince everyone to come ;--;) 

It’s strange putting on the uniforms again. Es is unsure about putting on their guard’s cloak. But the minute they stop onstage, they’re met with wild applause. They can sing their fears and dreams to a huge crowd and see in real time how it’s reaching others. They hear the cheers after each song. They hear that it’s streamed all over the world. All of them have an absolute blast, and pour their heart and soul into their performances.

[strangethings-everywhere]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @sassyandclassy94, thank you so much for tagging me in this kind of stuff!

How many works do you have on AO3? Five

What's your total AO3 word count? 135,767

What fandoms do you write for? Marvel (specifically Spider-Man), Lockwood and Co, and The Boys in the Boat. I do have a 1917 fic on there, but I'm not currently working on it

Top five fics by kudos?Proof That Harley Keener Has A Heart - 381 The Injury of Finally Knowing You - 234 Star-Crossed in the Worst Way - 135 All I've Ever Known - 78 When Our Fingers Touch, I Feel My Way Back Home - 4 (I weep)

Do you respond to comments? I want to and I'm trying to get better at responding! A lot of times, I just get distracted lol

What is the fic you wrote with the angriest ending? I've actually never finished a fic (yikes) but I predict it'll probably be my WWII coxstroke AU, just because of war and stuff. As much as I want the ending to be happy (and a lot of it will), I want to be realistic to a soldier's mindset at the end of a grisly war.

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Again, never finished a fic, but I think it'll be my Locklyle fic. They need a happy ending and I'm also still mourning the cancellation of Lockwood and Co., so yeah. Probably them.

Do you get hate on fics? Strangely, I haven't. Maybe not enough people have read them, but I've never really gotten a mean comment. Shoutout to what haters I might have though, love you guys

Do you write smut? Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe. I've never really written any sexual content until recently. I'll probably write some sexual content but not like full on smut. I don't think I'd be good at it lol

Craziest crossover? I've never written one!

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge, thank goodness

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but I'm absolutely open to it!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I think it'd be fun! Especially now that I'm mutuals with a lot of fic writers in the tbitb fandom

All time favorite ship Oooooooooooo, it's probably Harley Keener/Peter Parker. They've had a special place in my heart for a LONG time

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Probably something I haven't written yet. I'm trying my best to finish all the stories I have posted except my 1917 one, just because I'm no longer super involved in that fandom. I'd like to do a Joseph Liebgott story or maybe a Joshler/Twenty One Pilots fic, but I don't know if I will.

What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and a lot of angst. I gotta make my characters suffer lol

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? As long as y'all are good with it obviously coming from Google translate, then sure

First fandom you wrote in? It was Once Upon A Time when I was in like seventh grade. I had a OUAT Peter Pan fic on Wattpad that actually got pretty popular. I'm sad I never finished it (it is gone forever, sadly).

Favorite fic you've written? Definitely Proof That Harley Keener Has A Heart. That fic has been a labor of love for almost five years and I'm very excited to finally finish that slowburn

There's no 20th question apparently lol

Tags: @seasidesandstarscapes @sparrow-in-the-field @kcsplace @arokel @dogwooddiaries @crushribbons (love you guys <3) and anyone else who wants to play!

[taegularities]

i mean this in the nicest way possible because i truly love you, but i wish writers in general wouldnt try to force reader engagement. i often reply with feedback, but at the end of the day, you should be writing because you want to, not because you want validation. i dont know if its just me who feels this way, but when writers constantly mention needing feedback or they wont write/will stop writing a popular series, it feels like a threat. i dont want reading to feel like a chore, where i need to constantly be validating my favorites so they dont get taken away from me. i love you and your writing and i wish my likes were enough. sometimes i, as a reader, dont feel like engaging/leaving notes. sometimes i just want to read and move forward. i feel like many writers have turned appreciative comments from readers into an obligation.

again in no way is this meant to be hateful towards you, i feel like this can apply to many of my favs. i just needed to get it off my chest and hopefully assure you that we like your writing, even if there's less engagement. if you disagree with any of my points, please tell me/ask me to clarify. i dont want to hurt your feelings and i would love to hear from the writer's side!

hiii! no worries, thank you so much for being respectful and wanting to hear my opinion, as well. i know some people let these things out in the rudest manner possible, so i appreciate that <3

so, the reason i haven't been writing atm is because i lack the time and energy to write :') this year has been crazyyyy busy, so i just don't get to it anymore – and since i've been away/less present for a while, i guess i also drifted away from tumblr, too, and then felt like people might've forgotten about taegularities, and then i wasn't sure if the effort would still be worth it (i get insecure at times, but that's a me-problem). now, the reason i (and many other writers) have this worry is bc writing requires an insane amount of energy and brainpower – when i tell you that so many of us actually slave over just a scene or even a paragraph for ages 😭 (example: the last cmi update was far shorter than what i usually drop, but it took me days to just edit one scene). we ache to write all the time, but life also gets in our way – i barely get time to sit down and work on my fics these days… so when i do get time, i want to put it out there into the world and then see the reactions, too… i write for myself, ofc, but for you guys, too, so i can share that joy; or else i'd keep the fics in my docs, right?

and in that sense, when we write something in the rare free time that we get and that we hope others will love just as much as we do, we do seek some sense of validation, even if that sounds odd. it's like – imagine you studied for a test for like 2 weeks, but then don't get the results you hoped for (which might be a weird example, but effort-wise, it's similar, even if fics don't affect writers' lives in that sense). i know there are many who just write and don't care for feedback (even tho i've seen even those who say this be sad about reader engagement which – very valid), but i think that most who expose their soul and heart like this, do want to see people enjoying it/speaking about it/hyping it up. every creator, be it in the movie, music or art industry, loves to see reactions! and think about it – most writers get so genuinely excited when someone sends an ask that doesn't say more than "i loved this so much!! you're such a good writer!!" which is insane?! like, i know that i do – i get so happy and remember these comments 5ever, and it's a 2 sentence review as opposed to thousands of words. the effort here is unbalanced, but we still love it so much. and you don't need to write an essay, you never never do!! i swear, it's always enough to even get a few words or sentences <3 which, in the end, isn't a lot to ask for, you know?

i'm not saying i will stop writing my series. i would stop if it got 0 reactions OR if my life stood in its way too much; i'll keep loving what i write and write out of joy, no doubt. and tbh, i don't care about notes either. like, i remember "ruin you" getting way less notes than cmi but GOSH we had so much fun back then bc of the interaction and the craze made me so happy hahaha and yeah that's what it's essentially about – community. does that make sense? it's tumblr where likes don't make a post circulate – reblogs do, so yeah, unfortunately, likes are not enough :( i wish they were. i totally get what you mean, though. even feedback shouldn't be an obligation, but if you truly like somebody's work, it never hurts to send a tiny message. it really means the world to us when something we adore and are so proud of – creating art, sharing our heart, wanting everybody to see this love – is met with so much joy. and it's fics, you know – we love love love writing, but it's something that can be read. and we want people to read it and we're legit sitting there like "👀 and?? aaaand?" lol it's so nice to know when someone truly appreciates something… ofc you don't have to comment on my stuff, but i promise feedback makes a difference. it's why so many do leave :/ i hope that made sense!! once again, thank you for being respectful!! i love you, too, and am truly grateful that you're here and enjoying my stuff!! <3

[gojoest]

I'm still so tired, jet lag is a real thing 😭

Went to japan last week, this was actually my 2nd time. The first time was when I was still in uni, about 19/20 years old? Which was a while ago 😅

If anyone is planning to go japan, do NOT go during september or the summer if you cant handle humid heat. It got as high as 36°C and it was unbearable! The sun is so hot and air was so thick 😭 Nearly died, I've never used my asthma pump so much before lol

Anyways, enough about that! I was lucky enough to visit 3 cities! Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto ✨

In Tokyo, visited the Meiji Shrine, went up Tokyo Tower, went to a jjk0 themed cafe, tbh this was kind of a let down. It was just a cafe with like the official cafe photos plastered on the walls and themed food. I was expecting it to be more like those kpop group cafes with standees and like a table of official merch to take photos with. I did buy a satoru acrylic stand and a keychain gacha. When I opened the gacha pack, it was CHIBI SATORU 😭💙💙💙💙 I was so happy! Made the whole trip worth it ✨ Also went Shibuya Crossing! Last time I went, it was already busy back then but omg, this time, its waaaaaaay more busier! Like the streets were full, there were no gaps in between people. You just had to keep moving to your destination (No wonder kenjaku chose this place 😭)

In Osaka, went Dotonbori, Denden town, and Sumiyoshi Shrine. Idk if you know about this very popular store called Don Quiote, but Bruno Mars is promoting it, and he has an ad/song that plays on tvs throughout the store. It was so random to see him but then again, he does have that Las Vegas debt to pay off 🤭🤭

Kyoto 💖 This place has my heart 🥰 Its so beautiful and relaxing. So easy to travel, everyone there is so lovely, the food is delicious, the landmarks are breath-taking. If I ever go back, I would stay there longer. I visited the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine, Tenryuuji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera - which the tokyo jujutsu tech college is (supposedly) based on!

I had such a great time! Spent so much on food and souvenirs, I am now broke, but worth it 🤣

I hope you've been doing well Ai, I saw some posts about someone/some people bothering you. Don't let them get to you, you're such a lovely person, I can't even imagine why they would send hate to you. Always put yourself first, and if that means taking breaks from tumblr or turning off anon, then do what you need to. Be selfish, and take care of yourself before anyone else.

If you ever decide to permanently turn off anon, I will literally make an account for satorus soft cock anon to keep interacting with you 🤣

Love you loads girl 😘💙💙💙💙

- satorus soft cock anon

i hope you were able to rest beloved, i can only imagine the toll it’s taken on your body :( but on the bright side, you’ve made so many precious memories!!!

i will note this down! i love summer and i usually don’t have issues dealing with heat but humid heat is an entirely different story 😭 glad you’re safe and sound though, please take care of yourself 🥺🤍

i want to visit japan so bad, the two cities i’d die to see are tokyo and kyoto and reading about your experience there makes me all the more excited >~< (side note, you’re a lucky one for getting chibi satoru waaaaaaah, it must be fate actually and not luck, i swear!! he was meant to be in your possession heheh)

i am sitting here, reading and vigorously taking notes of what to see and where to go AHAHAH i am so happy for you, glad you had such a lovely time there and thank you for dropping by to share your experience and impressions 🤍

i have been well! i appreciate your kind words so much, you and other lovely ppl like you make being here worth it all the more! love you and sending the biggest ever hug your way 🤍

[rnoonpie]

For almost a month, I've been working retail for the first time as an electronics department sales assistant in a popular bulk warehouse chain. I was so afraid I was going to hate it, that customers were going to make me lose my faith in humanity, that children were gonna be unbearable.

But I don't. They didn't, they aren't.

I love meeting people and talking to people and I love knowing about the products I help sell. I love helping a customer figure out what's best for their needs, not just directing them to the biggest and flashiest, most expensive phones or laptops.

But most surprising to me, I think, is a reminder that I do really get along with children and love talking to them, even little babies. They're so funny and just make me smile. I love little babies in carriers with stout little fat frog legs dangling in the air, with so much fat on their faces they look like a bulldog when they close their eyes. I love the ones who don't have enough hair to style but they've got one little tuft sticking straight up in a bow anyway. I love waving to the ones who stare very intently while they're figuring out how their eyes work.

But most of all, I think I really love getting to be someone I never had for me in public spaces as a child, and that's treating them like a customer just as much as their parents, asking them what they're looking for, if they have any questions.

The transformation is so complete every time. I see how braced they are for an adult approaching them while they're using the display iPads, expecting to be scolded or told to leave it alone. But when I ask with a smile how they're doing and if they're looking for anything in particular, if they have any questions, they transform into such excited and curious things.

"Um! Um, I was wondering, um, what the difference is between the iPad Pro and the others!" this little girl said nervously, her voice high and thin.

So I told her, in simpler terms, but with the same cadence I would have used with her mother.

"So the Pro line tends to have a better processor, which means it's going to be able to handle a lot more apps at the same time. They're really good for games and I know a lot of artists who like to use this app here — " I tapped the demo Procreate icon and opened it up " — to make art! The Pro also has a very clear and bright screen with a pretty huge amount of colours it can display, which is why a lot of artists like it so much. So the Pro does all these things more efficiently than the other iPads do."

Her eyes were enormous. "That's so cool," she whispered in breathless awe. "That's so cool."

"Isn't it?" I agreed. "This stuff amazes me every day."

Her parents came and collected her not long after that and apologised for the trouble.

"Not at all," I said in deep surprise.

Like her parents were afraid their child's mere presence was annoying or bothersome to employees? Like… nah, man. Kids want to know what the electronics can do, too. They're just people learning how to people.

Adults are the ones who annoy me on a daily basis more than children. You know who love to connect to our demo Bluetooth speakers to blast rude music as loudly as they can? Grown ass men, every single time, without fail.

Children are generally very reserved and polite when they need my help with something, saying "excuse me".

It was another grown ass man who saw me counting inventory, decided it would be hilarious to go "forty-nine, twenty-two, eighty-six…" as he passed by.

The stare that I gave him must have been completely dead-eyed because he immediately flushed and mumbled an apology before hurrying away.

But, as a disclaimer, that's not to say that all the adult men who come into the store are annoying or rude. In fact, the vast majority of them are lively and polite and friendly! Even the ones that fuck around with the speakers haven't given me direct trouble (I deal with the speaker issue by just muting it via the laptop it's actually connected to) and no one has ever been overtly aggressive or abusive to me.

I know it's only been a month. I know that getting a Karen is going to be inevitable — people will always be people, after all — but I know that, broadly, people are good and I love them. I love watching them and talking to them, of all ages, gender, background.

People are fundamentally good.

[cboffshore]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for the tag, @fabrowrites!

Tagging: @basicallyjaywalker and, uh, I'm not really sure. NWOD buddies, if you see this, you're all welcome to hop on too!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

Twelve! One is technically a mini essay collection and one is a poem, though, so ten proper fics.

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

122,397!!! Which is.... wow!!

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Ninjago. That's it. I don't really engage with other shows enough to write fic for them, and I think writing fic for IRL bands and such is weird as hell, so I don't that at all.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Oh boy, let's see:

A Disappearing Act (Done Poorly) leads the race, which makes sense - she's been around the longest!

It Doesn't Take Much (To Cover Up Small Cuts) is a bit of a surprise, but so worth it.

The Splinter in the Blind Man's Eye: An Unofficial Revision . What a great group project. Too bad Tommy wandered off to work on Dreamzzz or whatever... This one is like a tombstone on my account. Or maybe a mausoleum...

Just Cross The Waters my beloved!

Coughing Up Feathers is one that I'm amazed isn't higher - kind of had a spike in activity when I updated OSSAS this year.

5. do you respond to comments

YES. I love to blabber. Please ask me questions!!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Elegy Above Sea Level isn't a fic - it's that single poem I mentioned earlier - but it's really the only work I have that ends on a purely bitter note. I don't deal in unbalanced angst, but I like this one. Goes down like a raw spoonful of cocoa powder, honestly, and I adore it.

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oof, that's... that's a tough one. I would have to say Coughing Up Feathers purely because it's got a miniature "everyone laughs" ending that still makes me smile when I read it back.

8. do you get hate on fics?

No, and you know what? I wish I did, sort of. Maybe not outright hate, though. As much as I love opening my comments to find my readers excited for me, it does get a little repetitive sometimes. Peer review me in the comments! Find an inconsistency and make me justify it! Lord knows I've done my share of criticism (on Tumblr and Discord, though - I'm just nice enough to not do it in the comments) and I think it would be fun to get that energy back. Plus, spite fuels me! If you make me mad, you get more writing. Win-win.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Nope. Never. I would rather eat pillow stuffing.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

Not any more, but my very first fic from middle school was a god-awful triple hit of Star Wars (with total homebrew lore, all I kept were the lightsabers and Force tricks), Ninjago, and - get this - Lindsey Stirling. I abandoned it halfway through the Rise of the Snakes season installment.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! That's the nice thing about focusing on an underappreciated angle - everyone else pays attention to the big, popular stuff, and only the people who would appreciate it even look twice at mine.

12. what's the longest you've spent working on a fic? and the shortest?

If I Can Think (Of Something Clever) took me about three months of on and off writing, plus LOADS of planning, so that's my longest! On the other hand, I wrote Wouldn't It Be Grand? (It Ain't Exactly What You Planned) in the span of a few hours.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! Not sure I want to, either, although maybe someday...

14. what's your all-time favorite ship? from all fandoms?

IT'S THE MISFORTUNE'S KEEP. I don't do romance, not really, although to properly answer that I will confess that I do like Jaya enough to write it now and then.

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't really have any WIPs in limbo right now, so I don't have an answer here? Either I finish a fic or I lay it to rest when the momentum dies. No middle ground.

16. what are your writing strengths?

I've been told that I'm very good at comedic timing and imagery! I love trying to paint the mental image of a room - sometimes I even do floor plans to help me out.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

I worry that my action writing is a little too straightforward - I write like I had to when I was a stage manager, so my actions are VERY cut and dried. It helps me visualize better, so I'm unlikely to change, but I wonder sometimes if my readers get sick of it.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've never done it, but I think it's a cool idea!

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Ninjago. I've never written fic for any other.

20. favorite fic you've written?

My favorite usually tends to be my most recent, so that honor goes to If I Can Think (Of Something Clever). It also breaks a few records - both in personal best fic length, and in the fact that it's the first fic I've ever seen that comprehensively gets to Nya's experience during e63 instead of just nodding at it during the aftermath. That entire series is fueled by that "be the fic author you want to see in the world" idea, because let's be real - there isn't a lot of Nya centric Skybound content. When there is, it's usually aftermath, but I want to see the thick of it! I'm doing my best out here.

[cielpansyhive]

I haven't checked my stats on AO3 in a year or more. I know people rank things different ways. Some people go by hits, others kudos, some by comments, bookmarks, subscriptions, ect. You get the picture. Hits are tricky, I've heard of people getting hits by bots. Which throws everything off, you see 50 hits and zero kudos, like, "fuck, these people read and hated it?" Maybe, but also it could have been a bot. For me hits can be more discouraging than helpful. I go by everything other than hits. So, with that in mind, I want to talk about my most successful works. (This is in no way meant to be me boasting. I'm a small-time writer. My point is, if I can do it, YOU can do it.)

-

I believe my most popular work is Revamp, it has the most subscriptions and comments. It's the work I'm known for. It's a little on the lower end for kudos and bookmarks, but it's not finished. The very fic people know me for is also my first work. (Because of this I'm working on revising what I have before updating another chapter. No worries, it's not abandoned and never will be.) That said, I was terrified to post it originally. Not only was it my first but there were maybe ten other fics at the time with trans Ciel and that was it. I didn't know if there was a reason for that. Lack of interest? People getting hate? I was clueless. But I had a story to tell so I sucked it up and posted and I'm glad I did! I've talked to so many people and befriended some because of that fic. I take forever to update and people still get excited over it when I do update. It really means a lot! My life changed because of posting it and it gave me the courage to pursue writing and share my stuff.

My highest bookmarked and work with the 3rd most kudos is a smut one-shot (That Butler, Sensitive) that I was worried would be "too weird" for people. I know way more people who think hand kinks are weird than ones that are neutral or into it. It was another I was reluctant to post and bam people loved it. I'm still shocked by the feedback.

My highest kudo work, the first couple chapters were awful. They were quick little things I wrote for tumblr, I got enough feedback I decided to post them on AO3. Chapter 1 I wrote drunk, I'm not even joking. Did I have fun with it? Yes. Was it to my standard? Fuck no. I have since revised the first two chapters. The third chapter, Sebastian is so OOC, but once again I did have fun with it. The last chapter has figging, a kink I don't know anyone of really having...at least in my personal life. The work as a whole (Canon Divergent SebaCiel) is just fun debauchery. In the beginning it was difficult for me to post smut. It was difficult to write too, I'd get stuck in my own head. But if you write whatever thoughts flow out, it's so simple! Because I became more comfortable, I was able to write my second highest kudo work (Clathrus Archeri) that was inspired by a fungus. Yep, we get that freaky with it. My readers enjoy it, it's all good.

My fourth highest bookmarked and fifth highest kudo work (Relax) is one that I stated was "the worst smut I've ever written." It was extremely self-indulgent but at the same time I spent so long editing it that at the end I hated it. I thought in comparison to my other smut it was low level. It also had trans Ciel, so I'm glad one of my works with him made it in the top 5. Yet, I wouldn't have that had I not posted.

While most of my works are obviously Kuroshitsuji, I do have works for Voltron too. I have almost zero interactions with the Voltron fandom. I will reblog things and read (kudo, bookmark, subscribe), but besides comments on my own fics I haven't talked to anyone. A big part is that I'm shy. Another is that I'm too old for fandom drama, ship wars, and what have you. If someone wants to chat with me, I'm glad and I will talk, but I'm not putting myself out there. The same will go when I start posting Vanitas no Carte fics. I'm very ship and let ship and that will piss off some people. It's easier for people to approach me rather than me trying to figure out if someone will hate me for my ships or not. Okay, very long intro for my next point. My third highest subscribed work (Atlas Ocean Rescue) is for the Voltron fandom. They don't know me from anywhere, exception the kuro people that also like Voltron, but apparently my work has readers. This fic is super self-indulgent, I love mermen okay? I'd say overall my Voltron works aren't doing too bad considering I basically just post and run. As anxious as I get to post anything, posting for another fandom was really hard. There wasn't the pressure of people knowing my work, but there's the very real feeling of, "oh fuck, this could flop terribly." A few Voltron works have already surpassed my "worst" Kuro works...so success? I think so!

-

For anyone who read all my nonsense, you get a gold star. I hope you also noticed the patterns here. That is, write for yourself and your audience will find you. Don't censor yourself, be true to you and go with the flow, have fun! Write characters how you want to write and read them. Indulge in your kinks, I swear you aren't the only one that has them. Step out of your comfort zone every once and a while. If you post a fic and it flops, so what? It's not the end of the world. What if the fic you think will fail ends up being your best one? You'll never know what will happen unless you post it, it might surprise you. As your skills improve it's okay to go back and revise and edit. But don't let your skill level hold you back from posting in the first place, we all have to start somewhere. You can engage with fandoms as much or as little as you want. (I do encourage reblogs, kudos, bookmarks, ect.) But if you are too shy to talk or don't know anyone in a fandom, don't let that stop you from creating for that fandom. If you only have one work in you for a fandom, do it! If you have multiple? Do it! Rarepair? Go for it! Someone else will probably thank you for it! Vent writing? Dead dove? Extremely therapeutic for you and for others that are more so readers than writers. (Note writing dark stuff just for exploration and entertainment is fine too!! Horror is a well-loved genre for a reason. Fiction is fiction.) Bottom line: don't let you get in the way of yourself.

Will you get hate? You might, I won't lie. That said, people troll everything, any hate you get just shake it off. Odds are it's nothing personal or about your writing, it's they don't like the ship, or any AU, or the dynamics with smut, or the kink, or they're phobic, or if you write intense stuff it's too dark of content for them. If you tag things, it's on the reader if they ignore the tags or they purposely expose themselves to content they know will upset them. I highly recommend if you are concerned about hate, only let registered users leave comments. That's what I do with all my fics and I have had zero negative comments. People are less likely to leave nasty comments if they have to show their face, it's so much easier for them on anon. Some hate I've got on here (tumblr) could be from AO3, but I honestly think it's mostly just other tumblr users that have never read anything of mine.

I'm not as active as I once was on here. It's been years since I updated or posted a kuro work on AO3. I don't have the spoons (energy) to do as much one-on-one as I used to, but know I am cheering on all the creators, new and old. I am here if anyone needs some extra encouragement. But honestly, just write. Even on the off chance you're the only one that likes your work, you have at least one fan. If you don't write for yourself, then who are you writing for? I swear readers can tell the difference when you write something you're into verses something you think will be good, but you don't care about as much. Your best writing is the writing that YOU would read. Don't focus on what you think others will think. Your people will find you.

We all start as that person that's afraid to post our works, it's natural. Tackling that fear was one of the most difficult but best thing I've done for myself. If you want to post, do it! 💖💖💖

[sizzlingsheepcheesecake]

1.My favorite fic of yours:

distortion for SURE. ive been here since the beginning and it never disappoints. but from the shorter ones its the camera speaks the truth that i couldn’t which i keep finding myself rereading. i just loved the tension and damons confusion about their relationship was hilarious ❤️

2.My favorite chapter in my favorite fic of yours:

every single chapter is a smash but early distortion bo(jan)² have a special place in my heart so im gonna say chapter 2. the beginning was so funny and the way you described bokris love/hate relationship was so typical for them haha. and then the balcony scene!!! i could literally feel the vibes of sitting on a balcony at night and smoking while reading it. in combination with the increasing sexual tension and the following smut it was just perfect 🥹

3.The best character you've written for:

bojan!! i love the way you describe him especially from kris‘ or jans pov like the cute little golden retriever boy he is. also in terms of smut ive never understood people who see him as such a manly dominant individual who tops? so i really enjoy the way you write him during sex. its not over the top submissive but just the right amount hihi (tho im still excited for your little subby kris topping bojan action)

8.What I like the most about your writing:

the way you always come up with the most crazy and creative ideas (vampires, edging in a big wheel sauna, damon/bojan/kris photoshoot exhibitionism etc.) and make it work so well! i know you got that comment often enough but i never really liked those fantasy kind of fanfictions and then your vampire fics changed me haha.

Thank you so much for this it made me so happy! 🥺🥰❤️

1.My favorite fic of yours:

That's so nice to hear that you've been following Distortion from the start and are still invested!! It's definitely the one I'm most invested in too and I love to hear people are enjoying it 🥰

and TCSTTTIC is my most popular fic I think based on the interaction for it's length! I really enjoyed it too, it was an idea that was going around in my head a lot before I started writing!

2.My favorite chapter in my favorite fic of yours:

Ahh that's so nice to hear cuz I have such a soft spot for early Distortion Bo(Jan)2 too! And that was my first time writing smut as well so I'm glad is was ok haha! Ugh I'm so weak for Bo(Jan) shotgunning 😩 I'm also glad to hear that the Bokris set up was coming through as well!

3.The best character you've written for:

Haha I feel like I definitely tend to write from other POV's cuz I'm so down bad for Bojan and I'm just projecting hahaha 😂 he's so easy to write people being in love with!

And yeah as an author I'm such a bottom!Bojan believer even though I wasn't so much before I started writing! And it's different depending on who he's with, like I can see him topping Jere but with Jan and Kris I much prefer him bottoming, even though I'm not opposed to him hypothetically topping sometimes (as we see in Distortion) but I've never actually written it haha and definitely prefer getting him fucked 😇 and I don't necessarily tie bottom/top dynamics into sub/dom dynamics so I mix up the latter a bit more I think.

8.What I like the most about your writing:

Ahh thank you! I think I try to bring believability to all my fics even when they're fantasy so hopefully that makes them enjoyable even for people who aren't so into it. And it's always so lovely to hear people say they like something they weren't expecting, it means a lot 🥺

Thank you so much again 🥰❤️

[eyes-of-mischief]

weekly fic recs | 56

fandoms: bnha, knb, tgcf, yoi

bnha

i've been looking sad (in all the nicest places) by dandelion_weed

Saturday finds Katsuki in front of Izuku's apartment, holding a box of expensive snacks for afternoon tea in one hand and Izuku’s goddamn poster in another. In his backpack are his change of clothes and toothbrush for the sleepover. He’s ready for war.

-

Bakugou Katsuki tries his hand at apologizing, being a better friend, and maneuvering both his life and growing feelings for Midoriya Izuku, and succeeds with extreme damage to his pride.

How to Make Bakugou Katsuki a Decent Human Being by drifloon

A how-to by Kirishima Eijirou.

(Kirishima decides to make Bakugou the guy Kirishima knows he can be. Everything else snowballs from there.)

Ignite the Ashes by IceEckos12

The Dragon is said to be one of the worst supervillains in history. His capture and subsequent incarceration was celebrated as a resounding victory for All Might.

Less well-known was that the Dragon had a son. His name is Midoriya Izuku, and he will spend the rest of his life trying to escape the shadow that his father cast.

With his mother's loving support and All Might's careful guidance, he will become a hero.

knb

game face on by umeyori (orphan_account)

miragen boyband au

20 Things Kagami Taiga Hates / Dislikes / Is Slowly Getting Used To, About Living In Japan by Wine Dark Sea (aubreyli)

(mature)

An alphabetized list of things Kagami Taiga has had to get used to after returning to Japan, which includes -- but is not limited to -- grocery shopping, exams, yaoi, and Kuroko Tetsuya: a love story, in 20 items.

tgcf

No Water Is Enough by Boomchick

Once, the emperor of heaven saw that his troublesome successor had what he had always desired so dearly. To teach him a priceless lesson, he took it for himself.

Hua Cheng faithfully serves the god who saved him as a child— the one he has worshiped for 800 years— the one to whom he gifted his ashes: The Heavenly Emperor, Jun Wu.

Xie Lian just wants his beloved back, no matter what it costs him.

lay me gently in the cold dark earth by drifloon

Sometimes, Xie Lian wishes Hua Cheng would call him by his name, would shorten the distance between them. Sometimes, he wishes not to be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Xian Le nor the Flower Crown Martial God, but Hua Cheng will never let them stand on equal footing. Hua Cheng believes Xie Lian to be his god, so far above him he’s nigh untouchable, but Xie Lian knows the truth. Hua Cheng is the one whose power and strength shines through in each calculated movement, who has conquered every obstacle in his path, who is feared and revered across all three realms for his tenacity. Hua Cheng was born of blood and pain and sorrow, yet there is childish glee in the grins he shoots Xie Lian, and the way he takes Xie Lian’s hands contains genuine excitement at the prospect of existence.

Xie Lian is tired, and he is old, and he is weak. Every evening Hua Cheng is away, he digs a hole, and he keeps it a secret, because he knows Hua Cheng would recognise it for what it is.

We Stan Scrap Gege! by PaidSubscription

(mature)

“San Lang…are you sure about this? Life on the road, storage units…it’s not glamorous. There’s junk and there’s gross fluids and roaches and raccoons and meth labs, and one time I got lead poisoning and- oh! Another time I accidentally got locked inside a unit with five families and loaded on a truck and then I think technically we were human trafficked-?” “Gege. I’m in this, all the way.”

Scrap Collector’s cancellation is inevitable.

Once, Xie Lian was the most popular face in reality TV. After the...incident, Xie Lian is banished to 2am cable, and turns to making a different kind of show: storage hunting.

But in his final season, he suddenly acquires a new producer: a Youtube star named San Lang. And San Lang- along with his legion of fans- is determined to save the show.

yoi

No Less Unthinkable by rageprufrock

(explicit)

In which Katsuki Yuuri fights a losing battle with chronic anxiety, the quadruple Salchow, and his own judgment four drinks in — but wins the war.

(i'm) the boy you'd die for by jenmishe

v-nikiforov ✓

[Video: A short clip where Victor is laying dramatically on the couch with miserable expression. “Heartbreaker” by Marina and the Diamonds is playing.]

13,481 likes

v-nikiforov✓ Am I the another one? (((

vitYASS victor,,,, honey,,,, i lvoe you so much,,,, but WHY are you like this.

red-blue-gay but??? does that mean that somebody has broken victor’s heart???? I DON'T UNDERSTAND

christophe-gc ✓ You’re ridiculous.

starsaregay But who recorded it?? Makkachin???

vityathebabe user @/starsaregay asking the real question.

--- The adventures of Yuuri "Heartbreaker" Katsuki, or: how Yuuri became known as a cold player full of himself who doesn't care about anyone. (Hint: it's an anxiety and obliviousness.)

[lostonehero]

Corpse Micheal YouTube continued

The video was glitching, but not enough to ruin the sound.

"I can't believe Mr. Emily agreed to this." Jeremy crossed his arms as he squinted in the dark basement. "Why can't we turn the lights on?"

Micheal sighs and comes into view. "Because it's nighttime, and the lights never turn on at night. I haven't actually been down here since she was put here. I highly doubt she knows who I am or what this even is."

"..... I know who you are, Mikey." A little girl's voice comes through glitched audio in the video, but neither man can hear it.

"Man, I can see why this thing was used for security." Jeremy walks around the crumpled puppet. "I do like the music box, though." He stands up straight. "Hi Miss Charlie, I'm Jeremy. I know you don't know me, but I'm Micheal's boyfriend, and I would have met you if you weren't killed a year before I got to America."

Child like giggles glitch through the audio. ".... you have a weird voice..... Evan says sorry, and so does Fritz."

"I'm sure you both would have been good friends." Micheal sighs. "Uncle Henry made the puppet for her specifically. Charlie loved it, I never paid much attention to it while I was alive. You were my best friend, and I wish I could of saved you."

"....I was looking for you.... Uncle William found me....." the little girl's voice glitches through. "Purple..... looks better on..... Uncle William."

"Do you think the kids talk to each other?" Jeremy winds the music box back up. "I wonder if Charlie talks to your siblings when they were in the same building."

"Lizzie..... says sorry..... Mikey. Evan misses you a lot...... he doesn't believe..... you're..... purple." The childish voice huffs. "I... want..... to.... see.... Uncle William...." the child voice glitches through.

"I wonder if she hates my father for what he did to her. He was her legal guardian if anything happened to my uncle." Micheal pulls down his mask. "Ironic really since well he killed her."

"I mean, they did have a will they won't they relationship." Jeremy chuckles. "I wonder if your father gave him bedroom eyes when they were alone."

"Jeremy I swear to fuck that's enough." Micheal rubs his temples. "They weren't some sort of star-crossed lovers."

"Didn't...... killl....." the little girls voice glitches. "Don't.... hate... him...."

"Also, for the people yelling at me about the dates of when I got my head injury, I'm sorry I recalled it wrong, but again, I have a good excuse." Jeremy huffs. "Sorry, I just wanted to get that out of the way."

"I think that head injury made your adhd worse." Micheal smiles softly.

"Oh, shut up."Jeremy snickers.

"..... Mikey.... fix..... you...." The child voice glitches out and is inaudible.

........

Micheal nearly jumped through the ceiling. It's only been an hour since he uploaded the puppet video, and his phone and computer have been going off like a rocket. His videos never blow up this fast. Well, maybe they did he only just started turning on his notifications because Jeremy asked him to.

Micheal picked up his phone and scrolled down. He pauses and reads through the stream of comments. "Child voice? It was just us in the video." He mumbles and dials a number. It rings for a second before someone picks up.

"You're lucky you caught me on my night shift." Jeremy hums. "What's up? You never call me when I'm working."

"So I turned on my notifications like you said I should, and uh, did you watch the video? I don't watch my own stuff. I really don't like how bad my voice is." Micheal sighs.

"Your voice isn't that bad, but no, again, I'm working." Jeremy hums. "Wait, I'm right by the kids, and I know for a fact some refuse to go to bed."

Micheal can hear some groans and giggles.

"Hey, I've got Micheal on the phone. Did any of you watch the new video? He's curious about why it's getting so popular." Jeremy chuckles as the spund of excited kids and teens start talking over each other. "Hey one at a time, and I'll put on the speaker."

"Mister Micheal!" A teen boy shouts. "Did you add the voice in post? She doesn't sound like anyone here."

Micheal makes a strangled noise of confusion. "Nobody female lives in that house, and Aunt Jen just left with her son like two weeks before we filmed that."

"Micheal's right, Mr. Emily wasn't even home at the time either." Jeremy clicks his tongue. "Cassie, you're next. What did you see?"

"I didn't see anything." The teen girl hums, and Micheal can imagine the smirk. "But that girl talked about an Evan and a Lizzie and how they wanted to apologize and see a Mikey. Wait.... is Mikey your nickname?"

"It's a nickname nobody living is allowed to use...." Micheal freezes and drops his phone with a string of curses as it hits him.

"Hey Mike, you ok?" Jeremy pauses and listens to Micheal, pick his phone back up. "I can watch the video on my break to confirm."

Micheal makes an odd clicking noise that might be stitches popping. "Did Charlie say anything else?"

"Is that who was talking!? She mentioned a Fritz! Oh, oh, and that she said something about fixing you!" Little child Micheal couldn't decern the gender shouted.

"...fix me?" Micheal's voice gets quiet. "I think I have to go."

"Mike, wait!" Jeremy groans when the phone gives a dial tone as Micheal hangs up. "Ok, everyone, how about we go through the video again and play detectives." The children giggle in agreement, not realizing the seriousness of the video or his tone.

......

Micheal takes a breath from his nonexistent lungs as he plays the video again for the 100th time. That was Charlie's voice. He just knew it was her voice. He had too many questions and emotions he long thought dead bubbled to the surface.

The door to his room opened slowly. "Micheal, come on." It was his uncle, he didn't look upset as he thought he would he looked happy.

"Uncle Henry... I'm sorry." Micheal shut his laptop.

"Don't apologize to me, I'm happy. I never thought I would be able to hear her voice again until I was dead." Henry smiles softly. "But that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you. You've been in here almost 24 hours straight. You need to head out and clear your head. We can always discuss what was said later we have the time."

"I have time you don't." Micheal frowns.

"Boy, don't make me drag you outside." Henry raised his brow.

Micheal gets up.

"Also, get some ice, I think you've burned your thighs with the laptop." Henry sighs. "Don't make me call Jeremy."

"I'm going. I'm going." Micheal moves past his uncle. "I'll figure this out I promise."

"Don't kill yourself a second time over this. I just got you back. I refuse to lose another child." Henry frowns.

Micheal matches the frown. "You sure are great at a guilt trip. I'm going I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'll fix myself up, too." He sighs. "I'll take Jeremy on my next job."

"And?" Henry raised his brow.

"You'll be outside in your truck." Micheal sighs. "Love you, Uncle Henry. Thanks for caring about me."

"Of course I care." Henry smiles. "Now clean yourself up."

"Yeah, yeah." Micheal waves him off.

.......

"This is a terrible idea." Micheal crossed his arms. He's in a beat-up tank top that shows off the horrors of his corpse frame and purple hue, along with the stitches keeping him from falling apart. He was also in shorts that could be mistaken for a skirt from how skinny his legs are, just flesh and bone.

"To be fair, you don't need protective gear when you go exploring." Jeremy rubs the back of his neck, putting on a respirator. "However, we are looking for your father, so I mean clothes you used to wear are somewhat a good idea."

"I could have just put makeup on!" Micheal groans following Jeremy into the run-down haunted house.

"But you'll also be even more disabled than you already are. Besides, I think you look fine." Jeremy hums, adjusting his goggles. "It was this or another video with Charlie in the puppet, and when she suggested she could fix you..."

"I get it!" Micheal huffs. "I just wanted to ask where Evan went, and I forgot how much Charlie is like her father with how much she goes from topic to topic." He dusts himself off as he heads deeper into the dust covered attraction.

"I think she's pretty great, and Henry offered to build you a new body." Jeremy snickers when Micheal throws a rock at him. "Yeah, yeah, I know you don't want to be a machine, but I honestly don't think that is what Charlie was talking about."

"Oh yeah? What did you think she was talking about?" Micheal huffs.

"Well.... wait, what was that?" Jeremy pauses and pulls Micheal back. "I think I hear something moving."

"Moving? Jeremy, it's probably some animal that made itself home here, and as much as I would rather not have an animal make it's home in me again, I highly doubt it will go after me." Micheal sighs then stops himself hearing a creak of metal and springs.

"Yeah, that's way too heavy sounding to be an animal." Jeremy pokes his head into the hallway. "Huh, I don't see anything. Maybe this place is actually haunted."

"An abandoned haunted attraction ripped its theme from child murders and fazbear entertainment is actually haunted. Color me surprised." Micheal dryly responds, his voice aced with sarcasm. "This is probably a dead end like the other place Uncle Henry had me investigate. I did scare a few drug addicts though."

"You're not pretending to breathe, right?" Jeremy suddenly asks.

"No? I'm even behind you." Micheal raised his brow as he watched Jeremy look at something he couldn't see. "What did you forget the hallway goes both ways?"

Jeremy steps back out of view down the hall. "Hey, big fella...."

Micheal started to walk to the hall and turned to face Jeremy. "Are you trying to scare me? You're going....to...try...uh" he turns to face what Jeremy was looking at.

A loud distorted glitches voice which has hints of a rough British accent. "BLOODY FUCK IS THAT?"

"FUCK ITS NOT NIGHT." Micheal yelps.

The two just stare at each other not really sure what to do.

Jeremy clears his throat after a long time had past. "So, uh, I have a question."

The giant animontric seemed to motion for him to continue.

"So for shits and giggles, Rabbit creature machine guy, what year is it?" Jeremy stands up straight. The initial shock has worn off.

"Jeremy, why would -"

"It's I believe February 1987." The rough glitches voice responses. "It was oddly warm for February. Why would you want to know the date?"

"You didn't write me the letter to come to Baby's?" Micheal turns his attention back to springtrap.

"I don't know who you are." The glitched voice responds. "Er what you are. I know I am dead. I think I am dead, but I don't think dead people can feel pain nor can speak."

Micheal covers his face. "I'm going to set myself on fire."

"Please don't." Jeremy holds Micheal's shoulder. "Ok, follow up question. Why haven't you left?"

"I don't fit through any of the doors. I also don't know where I am." The animontric stands up straighter. "This is clearly not a certified location, so I suppose I am waiting to be taken for scrap. Then I will go to hell, or is this hell. I am not certain I expected fire."

"I'm going to have a fucking aneurysm." Micheal groans.

"You need to have blood for that." Jeremy hums. "I have so many more questions. Do you know how you ended up here?"

"I was really drunk and I thought I saw something so I hid in the old springlock suit which in hindsight was a horrid idea since it was so humid in that backroom without the fans running and the fact it was abandoned. Why do you want to know?"

"Why are you answering my questions?" Jeremy fires back, making the springlock suit tilt his head and crouch down.

"I haven't seen a person for a long time. I would suppose I missed conversation. Now I really must asleep who is the purple skeleton? Why does he know me, I certainly don't look recognizable unless you saw the old shows or went to the old diner."

Micheal reaches under his tank top, and a soft zipper noise is heard. He pulls out an old stitched up foxy plush. "Does this answer that?"

"..... Micheal?" The springlock suit stands back up straight. "Micheal, what happened to you?"

Micheal returns the old plush to his chest cavity. "Well, apparently not you."

"Why would I hurt you?" William crosses his arms with the scrapping of metal.

"I don't know why you would hurt kids?" Micheal throws his hand up.

"First off, I was drunk, which doesn't excuse my horrid actions, but mentally, I wasn't there. Secondly, what are you even doing? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" William gives a glitched sigh.

"Father, for one, look at me. I literally can't go out in public, and two, it's not 1987 anymore. I graduated high school like ages ago." Micheal groans. "I can't even be mad at you. You've been stuck here, and you didn't do this to me."

"Maybe you should have listened to Charlie. Now you've locked yourself into a trap." Jeremy's mouth was covered, but Micheal knew he had a shit eating grin.

"I fucking hate you." Micheal groans louder. "Fuck. Ok, I'm going to get the chains from the truck. Jeremy get my father by a doorway to the outside."

"Chains? Micheal, what are you doing?"

Jeremy chuckles. "Come on, Mr. Afton, we're breaking you out of this joint."

"Well, I don't want to destroy the building." William still follows behind them. "How long was I stuck in here?"

Jeremy sucks in a breath. "Uhhh well...."

"I'll have Uncle Henry tell him." Micheal walks ahead of them.

"I have to apologize to him. I honestly had no idea who I hurt was Charlie." William stops as they reach the exit. "Wait, Micheal, why do you need a chain?"

Micheal hums. "You won't fit through the door, but we can use a car to pull you through."

"Do you even have your license?" William's voice glitches out as he gets nervous.

"Father, I forget you still think it's 87. I can drive better than you ever did." Micheal sighs. "It's been a bit more than a few months. Just stay still while I fix the chain around you."

"Micheal, why do you need a chain?" William stares at his son.

"Because I don't have Uncke Henry's truck, so in order to take you, I need to drag you." Micheal hums and gives a thumbs up as the car starts, and the chain pulls tight.

"BLOOODY F-" William gives a glitched scream.

......

Henry puts his newspaper down, hearing a distorted glitched yelling. He got up from the kitchen table and made his way to the front, opening the door.

"Hi, Mr. Emily, we found something while we went out." Jeremy waves from the side of the van.

Henry looks over at the giant rabbit animontric and recognizes it almost immediately. "That's the springlock suit..... you found the springlock suit."

"That's not all." Micheal huffs taking out bolt cutters. He moves over and cuts the chains.

"What do you mean by that?" Henry cautiously moves closer and stops when the suit gets up.

"Henry....?" A glitched accent voice comes from the suit.

".....oh." Henry freezes.

"It's not 1987, is it?" William was quiet as he could be with the glitched voice.