#also speaking of technology and being in awe of it

[yutadori]

i got a new laptop yesterday and girl it’s so insane . it’s soooooo crazy i’m always going to be in awe at technology and how we can just do so many THINGS . like what do you mean laptops can FOLD

[withered-tears]

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that the autobots aren't human.

Well, not in the literal sense. Of course they aren't human. They are giant alien robots that turn into cars, for goodness sake.

But they talk like humans. They walk like humans. Even the way they think sometimes feels extremely human-like.

So sometimes, yes, it is easy to forget they are not human.

This had the unfortunate side effect of, unintentionally, see more than one situation through a human filter, so to speak.

Such as, for example, their durability.

Because when Bulkead ran through the groundbridge carrying Bee's body, with Arcee running next to him carrying Bee's head, every human present in the base froze.

Jack's eyes were wide open, face growing pale.

Miko, in contrast, was looking almost green. Hands clasping her mouth, either to stop herself from sobbing or puking. Tears were streaming down her face.

June, although horrified, was focusing solely on keeping Raf in place.

Raf was the worst. As soon as he saw Bee, he started screaming.

June was doing her best to try and comfort the kid while keeping him from running to his friend's body. Hugging him against her chest to keep him from looking at the horrible visage.

Agent Fowler was grim, fists and teeth clenched. When Cliffjumper died, he was the one who dealt with the horrible bureaucracy of asking the bots about proper protocol. About post-mortem condecoration, about burial rites, about tradition and wishes.

Now, at least he knew the proper way to proceed, which boils down to let the bots do as they please with their dead and keep any nosy superior out of their business.

Then Ratchet spoke.

"Finally. Bulkhead, drop him in a berth, and bring me the second crate of spares. Arcee, bring the head here. I want to start running diagnostics before- Bulkhead! The second crate! I'll have to repair most ports on Bumblebee's neck, f not replace them outright."

June was the first human to speak.

"What do you mean 'repair' his ports?"

Bumblebee's head had been cut off. Surely there's no repairing that, right?

Ratchet rolled his optics (once again, such human-like gestures) at the question, barely paying any mind to the humans as he worked on Bumblebee's head.

"What, you expected me to just shove his head in place and wrape tape around it? Sorry to disappoint, but reattaching a head is a bit more complicated than-"

"Bee's alive?"

Raf's voice was awful. Voice cracking and filled with such fragile, fragile hope.

Ratchet's eyes widened (so human-like) in surprise before his entire demeanor changed.

He carefully and gently picked up Raf to bring him closer to his workstation.

"Of course he's alive. Here, look. Although his neck was severely damaged, his processors, his brain module, are unscathed. The sudden lost of power caused them to crash, which is why I'm running diagnostics through his software."

Raf, small, young, terrified, and brilliant Raf, was quickly putting the information together.

"So it's like, it's like a computer that got unplugged without being properly turned off first?"

It was obvious Ratchet was not happy being compared to such inferior, human technology. But he held any complaints to himself.

"Yeah, something like that, kid. As I said, I have to check every port in his neck to make sure they won't overload his processors once I reconnect them. Not to mention, all vital components on a cybertronian body not only receive power from the spark and energon processing, but they also store a small portion of it. Like an internal battery. Bumblebee's brain could be kept powered off for years without any side effects, other than some minor lag once reactivated. Not that his repairs will take nearly that long. I'll have Bumblebee back online in a couple of days, a week at most."

Raf was sniffing, wiping his face with his sleeves. "Can, can I help?" His voice was still scratchy.

Ratchet huffed, trying really hard to sound annoyed.

"Why not. Might as well have a second pair of optics double-checking the code. Maybe you'll even learn something."

Yeah, the Autobots were not human.

But they sure acted human-like often enough.

[yanderemommabean]

Hey, Mamma, I was wondering if you could do a yandere simeon x reader Where he becomes immensely jealous of how close MC is with the 7 brothers. Anyways have a lovely day.

Being an angel isn’t as easy as the others make it seem. Following the rules as strictly as one can, makes it rather stressful, as once you’re out of line, you’re easily cast aside and away with the rest of the fallen. He doesn’t have hatred towards the brothers, really he doesn't, he still misses them dearly as does Michael. But goodness, does he get jealous. Can you blame him? For god's sake these brutish demons down here get so close to hurting you and the brothers swoop in and save the day and warm your heart. You shouldn’t be that close to danger anyway! If you were with him, in his arms, far away from this wretched place, you’d be safe and sound, spoiled and happy. He’d count your eyelashes while you sleep, count every scar and mole with a smile, bask in that soft skin under his finger tips, make you fall apart and put you back together with his- 

Oh. Pardon his lustful thoughts! You’re just too tempting you know? He’s so envious of the demons who get to think such things and not be reprimanded for stating them outloud. It must be so nice to be openly sinful, and be rewarded for it. He wants to whisper the filthiest things in your ear while you’re helpless beneath him, begging for more, or even so weak and shaking you beg him to stop, but he knows he can work a few more blissful moments from you. He wants those lips to speak only to him, murmur only his name, call out for his help and his aid, but sadly…You were summoned here before he was. 

He was too late to save you from the demon brother's nasty,hungry, insatiable grip. And if he wants to keep his status, he has to let them continue being the slobbering dogs that they are. He loves them, he does, but he also knows what they turn into when you come around. 

Oh wouldn’t it be a shame if he pretended to be bad with technology and accidentally sent a virus to break their phones so they couldn’t notify you of anything? Wouldn't it be just awful luck if he needed them to babysit Luke after a “fight” so you’d come and ask what happened, spending more time with him and distracting the sinful fallen angels? He can make many many plans. If he plays this right he can be believed, never be caught, just fully gaining more and more of your time while playing dumb. Maybe he can even convince you to leave this place and join him in the celestial realm instead, but, time will tell.

If not? Maybe he can steal you. If that gets him kicked out? Well, it's a good thing he knows a few rather docile hiding spots in the darkness of the devildom. It's just a pity those pacts seem to be so strong. Maybe he can find a way to rid them? Then what ties would you even have to want to stay? The human realm seems just as plausible for him to hide you away in as well, surely he can think of something. 

-Mommabean (Hope you liked it beans! )

[aninventoryofthepossible]

Inspirations for VOID 1680 AM

Earlier this year, I released a new solo TTRPG: VOID 1680 AM. In it, you use a deck of cards, a six-sided die, your music collection and a voice recorder to create your own late-night radio show.

The cards help you dig deep into your collection to reconnect with music you love; they and the die also help you create anonymous Callers and the concerns, hopes and obsessions that drove them to reach out to you, a fellow lone voice in the darkness.

I also included steps for joining the library of Callers for other players to use, and even to submit your full show for broadcast on the "real" VOID 1680 AM. You can see some of those Affiliate broadcasts here. They're genuinely very cool.

You can check out the game here, and I'm proud to say VOID 1680 AM is now a Judges' Spotlight Winner in this year's ENNIES.

Okay, enough table-setting. Let's get into it.

VOID was the culmination of a lifelong obsession with commercial radio; both the technology (which feels retro despite scarcely being over a century old) and the melancholy romance of lonesome voices baring themselves to an audience they'll never know the scope of.

This, to me, is an apt metaphor for the act of making something - anything at all. Speak into the Void, the back cover copy says. You never know who is listening. So it is with putting something you love into the world.

So what inspired VOID? I cite both Anamnesis by Sam Leigh and The Wretched by Chris Bissette in the book itself, two solo RPGs whose tones and methods did much to help me find my own.

But if I'm being truthful, VOID's inspirations mostly reside outside of games. Here are a few things that haunted me profoundly enough to drive me to respond.

The first is Talk Radio, specifically Oliver Stone's adaptation of Eric Bogosian's play. The movie's tagline is "the last neighborhood in America," which to me frames radio's persistent relevance and puts social media - often called a "town square" itself - in proper context as one piece of the many ways people find connection with others, for better or worse.

Contra the VOID DJ, Barry in Talk Radio is very, very aware of how his audience receives him (hint: not well). Barry must be heard, and so must the similarly damaged souls who call in to dump the poison in their brain into his... and everyone who's listening in, besides. It's a host of people who want to connect but don't know how, spiraling in decaying orbit around each other until something awful happens.

VOID 1680 AM was originally much darker before I decided to pull back and let players pick their own tone, and Talk Radio is why.

Oxenfree is a narrative video game about a small group of teens stuck on an island haunted by hungry ghosts who can be tuned in and out of reality with handheld radios. There's more to it than that, but I'll leave you to discover what on your own - because I would recommend this game to just about anyone.

Insofar as VOID 1680 AM can have a "soundtrack," it is this one by scntfc, created using WWII-era radio equipment.

The Vast of Night is a quietly alarming lo-fi/sci-fi set in a small town in New Mexico in the late '50s. A radio DJ and a switchboard operator pick up strange signals, and then... things happen.

This specific radio station (stylized in the poster above) is what I picture for "my" VOID 1680 AM.

Then there's Stevie in The Fog, played by Adrienne Barbeau. She's the bridge between VOID 1680 AM and my earlier solo game, Lighthouse at the End of the World.

She is, yes: a late night DJ. And her radio station is, yes: in a lighthouse. She's living my dream, at least until the ghost pirates show up.

Spoilers, I guess?

But the most important influence? VOID 1680 AM cover artist Jordan Witt's fan art for the podcast King Falls AM years ago. This image took up residence in my head, so much so that I still use it as phone wallpaper despite never having listened to the show it's for.

When it came time to partner with a cover artist, who that cover artist would be was never in question. Entirely unknowingly, Jordan took all these loose ideas in my head and gave them something to cohere to. A beacon, if you will.

They spoke something into the Void, and I listened.

Fun fact: Jordan even jazzed up the original logo I made for VOID 1680 AM when that title only applied to the AM transmitter in my garage. Here's my original - you can plainly see the influence of Jordan's art on that O. It all really came full circle.

Those are the biggest ingredients in the stew that made VOID 1680 AM. It's fun to talk about stuff I like, but also I hope it might nudge someone - anyone - to get going on something they're after.

(That's you. I'm talking about you.)

A project finding its voice is a wonderful thing, but there's no real miracle to it, no outside influence that will tell you what to do. It's just things in your head magnetizing to each other until they got a shape that - with coaxing - can stand on its own.

See you on the dial.

[zaynmirrors]

A/N: Back again with another chapter, I have a playlist if you guys are interested! If you wanna be tagged in the next chapter let me know! Also unsure if if this will have the upside down cause I feel like it's hard with Jovie. Taglist is open!

Eddie Munson x Mom! Reader.

TW: Children

Chapter 2

When Eddie awoke, he noted the missing weight on his chest but wasn’t concerned figuring her mother had taken her from him sometime in the night, or at this point: morning.

He didn’t hear the quiet padding on the carpet as Jovie made her way back to him. Eddie had easily become her next favorite person. He was something new, she liked new.

She stared at him as Eddie lay with his eyes still closed. “Leave him be Jovie,” y/n said softly, careful to not wake Eddie who unbeknownst to her was already awake.

“Mama, make breakfast?” The tiny being asked, not at all quiet. Eddie heard y/n snort and found it to be the most adorable sound. She answered the child too quietly for Eddie’s ears to pick up but heard them or at least y/n retreat into the kitchen.

“Dude get up,” Mike said nudging Eddie’s feet. Eddie quickly flipped off the wheeler boy and opened his eyes, wincing when the light hit them. Mike was flipping Eddie off as he sat up. “Very nice Wheeler,” Eddie says rolling eyes.

Jovie gasped as she heard his voice, and padded her way over to him leaving her mother in the kitchen. “Like breakfast?” She asked him, grabbing his attention with her broken speech.

He smiled at her. Taking in her pigtails and almost too-long tee. “Oh man I love breakfast” Eddie wasn’t sure where this came from: The sudden knowledge of how to say things to the tiny being.

Jovie held out her hand, and Eddie offered his much larger one. Her small hand wrapped around just two of his fingers and pulled on him. This action only barely jerked his arm instead of pulling him up like she had planned.

Eddie stood, letting her lead the way. Y/n stood at the counter whisking what looked to be eggs with a fork in a large porcelain blue bowl. "Help yourselves" she spoke not looking up from her task of whisking.

Eddie grabbed a plate and made one for Jovie seeing as the other teens were piling food on their own plates, not bothering to leave enough for the child. Once he piled food onto her plate he then stared at the plastic baby blue highchair. "How the f-" he stopped himself short, "How does she get in this thing" he asked, terrified to break the foreign technology.

y/n came and slipped the child in as if it were nothing then just resumed making breakfast for the ravenous teen boys. "Thank you for feeding her" She offered Eddie a smile that sent a fuzzy feeling into his stomach.

"She probably wouldn't get to eat otherwise" Eddie joked, y/n laughed. He prayed to any god that she wouldn’t see the blush that spread across his face.

“You’re probably right” she smiled. Her smile quickly faltered as she concentrated, mind mulling over her next words. Her lips pursed as she spoke, “I have an extra ticket to go see this band, would you consider going?” He blinks, taken aback but she just continues before he can speak “My friend flaked and you look like you would enjoy Crusader”

“Wait, you have tickets to see Crusader?” He asks, more in awe that she even knew who Crusader was, she definitely wasn’t that type of girl, at least he thought she wasn’t.

“Yes, I just asked you to go with me” she shot back. Even her sarcasm was attractive to him, “can you hear under all that hair?” This was a tease, one that got him to smile.

“When is it?” He asked. He then learned it was Saturday at seven. He felt like this was an easy decision. Eddie had been dying to see this band. "Works for me"

They talked details, deciding y/n was going to drive. She’d also pick him up being as she would already be out dropping Jovie off with the babysitter. Eddie was very excited for this Saturday.

-

“Hey, are you ready to have some fun?” Steve asked the tiny girl who stood in front of him unamused at his overly excited tone. He glances up at y/n and says, “tough crowd”

The joke caused a snort to sound from y/n. “I don't know how fun she’ll be, she didn’t sleep well.” Steve offers a sympathetic smile and holds out hands to pick up the tiny human.

Jovie waddles her way into his arms, he squeezes her to him and lifts her into the air. Steve’s careful to sling her on his hip. Once she was settled he held his free arm out for the diaper bag. Which y/n placed on his shoulder.

“Have fun, y/n, you deserve it” he says, offering her a small smile while bouncing the child on his hip.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” she said to both Steve and her child but going to give her child a kiss on the cheek. “Bye Steve!” She called as she walked out the door and to her car.

She sat a moment in the car contemplating this excursion. Y/n did not want to be away from her baby, in fact this was the first time she’d be leaving her. It was not sitting well.

Y/n turned the key, igniting the ignition and back out of the parking spot. If only she hadn’t promised Eddie a ticket. She’d turn right back around.

The drive to pick up Eddie was short, he had waited on her at the edge of the road. Not wanting the embarrassment of her seeing where he lived, though he guessed everyone knew.

“Hey!” She beamed as he got into the passenger side of the car. “You excited?”

“Hell yeah!” He was beyond excited. This band was a local legend. He aspired to follow in their footsteps. “Let’s go” Pulling off the side of the road, they began their journey.

Chapter 3

[socksandbuttons]

Bean Eclipse Au has my love and seeing any post makes me very happy but now I want to get to know your Space au a little. May you give us some funfacts about the characters to get to know them better?

Aw thank you! I'll do my best describing some things! Its been a moment where I dont know what ive said about them on here. ((The ladies, are by @nekojaf so if u want info on them you gotta ask her!)) First, We got Eclipse (yes thats his name, unless we go au hopping its-)

-He's a captain of his own spaceship (however its mostly a ship that can house just a handful of people.)

-He's self confident, he's got leadership qualities and doesn't stand down often. However can be a huge flirt (as Beige unfortunately deals with). -I've mentioned before but Eclipse (like other models of his kind) are far more Emotive than the previous models.

-Eclipse is the reason Lunar has a collection of plushies. The guy is very good with sewing. -He's not familiar too much with the 'Star' like SAMS' Eclipse is. At least not currently. He's far more concerned with other things.

-His relationship with Earth is rather... interesting. He may be vocal about not wanting to speak to her but its mostly cause she's like a mom who tends to baby him. (Although he can't blame her frequent check ins.) -Most people avoid him, but that's cause he's made an interesting name for himself.

Lunar, my BOY who started this whole au actually.

-The space suit was given to him by Eclipse. Who may have taken it.

-He comes off as sweet, but don't think less of him in comparison with his brother. He's mischievous as well, and cunning when needed.

-Far better at keeping his emotions in check than Eclipse.

-Unlike Eclipse (again) he's actually rather good at y'know. Getting the girl.

-However, he is younger than Eclipse. In part not as experienced with the whole line their apart of.

-Rather handy with his shots, but better at driving. Also has a bit of a name for himself.

-Cannot actually believe how his brother acts around Beige from time to time. He's judging his brother immensely everytime. Just let her clear the hyperdrive so they can go!

Moon!

-It should not be a shock he's still a scientist in this au. (Mad scientist Sun would say...)

-But in part of that, its due to being part of a Space Camp. He's suppose to be in charge of the sciences of how rockets run. However he uses most of that to make his own things.

-It usually does end up with the kids handling it. Unless Sun gets involved. Kids love the anti gravity chamber a lot.

-Also in this AU he is still AroAce.

-However since Sun and him are under a company, they don't usually leave the Camp. They can't really.

-Moon has made a Star.

Sun, sweetie my darling.

-Although him and Moon run the Camp together, Sun mostly handles the kids. (Although, Sun more or less just doesn't want them getting hurt cause of Moon's experiments.) -He's been having trouble with some outsiders makings noise lately but it's usually something he can handle. The dome around the place keeps the camp relatively safe (and Safer with Moon's additional technology)

-He goes by his own checklist, although the one from the higher ups isn't something he wants to fully deviate from. It's kept things running, and their own job secure.

-He may be dressed up as a Spaceman, he's uh... not actually one. At least not by astronaut standards.

-They don't talk to other models of themselves.

-Earth and Sun usually can talk for hours. However, he tries not to keep her too long. She's got others to check in.

Bloodmoon, yes it's him!

-The possibly second youngest.

-He's the only model of his type that... well Ruby's seen actually.

-An avid fan of Invader Zim, due to many movie nights he's had with Ruby. (In an effort to help him learn some things about people...without being near too many.) -He doesn't understand why he needed clothes, unaware of his own autonomy.

-Unfortunately for everyone, WAS destroying planets and ships, destruction in his wake. No one could keep him contained. Until Ruby. But she's not really trying to contain him.

-His curiosity mainly keeps him in check, at least in regard to his learning program. He still seeks some chaos, even if it is on a isolated ship in the meantime.

-Comet Boy! Danger, do not engage.

Angel, y sweet sweett bababyyy

-Probably the oldest? He's quite a mess it's hard to tell.

-Has been passed around here and there from job to job so he's very well versed in many skills!

-Earth finding him again was a blessing. She thought she lost him. Incredibly thankful for Cosmo.

-Is far more interesting in helping Cosmo than being helped. He's survived quite a bit!

Killcode, don't you forget my giant man.

-Was made by Moon, or from Moon. In doing so, he's got a few quirks he picked up.

-Such as... He's actually less violent. However able to withstand radiation, rocket blasts, high velocity impact, mundicide... Assumingly.

-Incredibly Tall. A normal person would maybe feel incredibly intimidated by how much he towers.

-A darling cook, he mostly has to kneel for that though. Not many ktichens he's been in are for his height.

-He's a rather calming personality, has no qualms to start fights.

Earth and Solar Flare (or welll... the ACTUAL Sun)

-Two AI's made for well.. as you guess the Earth and the Sun.

-Earth is as expected to be motherly, warm, stern with her own wants. While SF has less expected results of being rather recluse, cold, to the point and selective in their interactions.

-Earth is partly why the actual planet is far cleaner. With her being actually forthright about the planets condition. It helps if theres someone who may be disappointed if you throw your trash on the ground, or company's dumping waste. She may have been made, but she more or less is her own being. Most don't mind since her main concerns usually fall with her own planets affairs. That doesn't mean she doesn't have concerns of other places.

-SF was made as a safe bet to monitor the sun. However, hue to unexpected AI developing their own personality. SF doesn't fairly speak to much anyone aside Earth. He rather feels she's better at relaying information than he is. Ironic, they find.

-Recently some reptilian android has started to make some impressions on Earth, SF doesn't normally hear her talk about individuals like this aside the 'children' she oversees.

-Earth also ended up supervising the celestial and eclipse models. Attaching to them far more than expected but due to- [The Rest is too glitched to make out.]

Well that was more typing than I thoguht it'd be. But me and Neko have quite a bit of art. The main inspiration for a lot of it is retro futurism. But thank you for asking! You also got Earth in there too. My sweet lady I love her.

[ur-fairy-of-mimicry]

New headcanons!!!

Sky has dimples. They are only visible whenever he laughs.

Lady—Sky's pet dog—was a present from Princess Krystal, the princess of planet Lynphea.

Stella has two moles on her right shoulder and one on her left breast.

Brandon has a cleft chin. He inherited this gene from his father. Brandon also has huge scars on his face, results from being slashed by a dagger to defend his prince.

Out of everyone, it is Brandon who gets awful nightmares the most.

Riven has a huge scar on his left bicep. He got this when he was being belittled by older kids in his younger years, one of them slashing his arm with a stick. He also has a small scar on his bottom lip.

Timmy has nearsightedness, therefore the existence of his glasses. His glasses are not ordinary, however. They can be quite handy in certain situations since it is made by technology.

Timmy also knows how to play Cat's Cradle. His usual playmate in this game is Helia.

Flora is allergic to bunnies. Because of this, she avoids Kiko at all times. Flora's allergic reaction is sneezing.

Tecna is farsighted, therefore she cannot read or see things clearly that are near her eyes. However, she does not like wearing glasses as she prefer lenses.

Helia often suffers through what artists usually do. And in writing poetries, he loves writing angst (what a mood).

Musa can speak Cantonese. Despite not knowing languages in Earth, the people in planet Melody can somehow speak both Cantonese and Mandarin.

Although constantly being healed, Icy has frostbites due to her powers. They sometimes backfire, resulting to frostbites on her fingers.

Darcy actually loves to watch Rom-coms, but it eventually turns into a guilty pleasure.

Stormy is the youngest out of the triplets, so she tends to act the most immature and demanding of them all. Still, the sisters don't seem to mind.

[midnightmah07]

voice claim: rin - fruits basket

Character info:

Isabelle is twisted from Belle, she's an RSA student!

Isabelle is the princess of a very small kingdom in the Shaftlands called Roseneuve (inspired by 19th century France and victorian/regency era England). Her dad, despite being king, loves to create things and study, so he always encourages her to study as much as she can. She's a bookworm and, despite being royalty, she's the youngest of the family, — third in line to the throne — so she's often teased by her sisters about how much time she prefers spending with her books than with real people.

Isabelle is kind and warm as often are RSA students, but different from them she can be really sassy, and doesn't stay quiet when people undermine her or her friends; speaking of which, surprisingly, Isabelle doesn't have many friends. Isabelle’s father and kingdom are known for being very creative and for being ahead of their time in the sense of improvement and inventions. Most people think she's a bit weird because of how much time she spends studying/reading books because of wanting to live up to the reputation of her dad so she's often labeled as the weirdo of the school — people don't bully her though, it's still RSA + they're not going to mess with a princess.

Also, Isabelle is the housewarden of Rosantée, a made up dorm based on Beauty and the Beast that me and my friend @viilpstick created. She got the position by dueling the current housewarden in her second year, wanting the position so people would stop avoiding her — while it did help and eventually she became respected in her dorm, at least in the beginning it backfired because people were forced to talk to her and didn't come to her because they wanted to.

Fun facts: Leona and Isabelle have chess matches with one another ever since they've become somewhat tolerable with each other's presence, and they've been on a tie ever since.

Basic info:

Height: 155cm

Age: 18 years old

Grade: junior (3rd year)

Nicknames: Isa ( by Adeline, Leona and friends in general), mouse (by Leona), white rose (by Perse)

Birthday: November 13th

Dominant hand: both (ambidextrous)

Favorite food + drink: pudding and tea

Best subject: history of magic

Club: RSA's equestrian club

Hobbies: reading books, playing chess

Homeland: Roseneuve

Unique Magic: Inner Beauty - allows her to read a specific aspect of a person's life, whichever one she chooses, (ex: their unique magic, their name, a certain part of their past etc) but it can only be done once. This only add to the fact of the students wanting to avoid her.

Relationship dynamics:

Leona Kingscholar: Isabelle and Leona were promised to each other a year before Isabelle enrolled at RSA to increase the better relationships between the two kingdoms (in other words, because Isabelle's kingdom is small, they're interested in it to gain a bigger, much stronger ally, and in Sunset Savannah's end they'd appreciate the amount of technological advances Isabelle's kingdom has). They hated the idea of an arranged marriage but they didn't have much of a say in the topic, and while Isabelle decided to deal with it the best she could so her country could prosper, Leona didn't really make any effort to get to know her at first nor to try and make the engagement something at least tolerable. Leona made an awful first impression to Isabelle, and ever since their first meeting they've been butting heads, but after a while of spending time together (forced time, may I add) and getting to know each other, they warmed up to each other and slowly fell in love.

Neige: Isabelle and Neige met each other right at her first year in school and he was one of the few people to actually accept her. She had a crush on him for a while, but she was rejected + she knew she wouldn't be able to break her engagement with Leona so she gave up. They're really good friends and always are seen together.

Chenya: Isabelle gave up trying to understand him a long time ago. At this point his weird manner of speaking and the way he just makes his head visible doesn't phase her one bit, she's used to him. Also, she's able to speak his full name with a straight face.

Malleus Draconia: they've known about each other since they're both royalty and because of Malleus's reputation, + him and Adeline have a will they won't they thing going on. Malleus and Isabelle have a mutual understanding, since most people tend to avoid them due to being scared and/or finding them weird. She tries to invite him to tea every once in a while.

Adeline Rosique (oc by @viilpstick <33) : Adeline and Isabelle are very close friends, and I believe Isabelle admires Adeline in a way, and she has this big sister vibe to her. She also appreciates how Adeline didn't really care for how beautiful she looks nor about the rumors and stuff people talk about her. Adeline is also Isabelle's vice housewarden and her most trusted friend in the school other than Neige.

Character reference:

Character cards:

Dorm card (Rosantée)

[twelvedimensional]

incredibly weird episode that to my surprise has knocked out "boom" as my favorite of the season so far. some very scattered thoughts below:

"hey what if we had another dr-lite episode? what if sally sparrow was a supercilious spoiled brat?" - writer of this episode, probably

what LAYERS this ended up having. walked into it expecting a thinly veiled metaphor for "kids these days and their devices," ended up with a thinly veiled metaphor for "everyone these days and their devices and the echo-chamber bubbles they create for themselves that blind them to the real world injustices (and killer slugs) and enforce an artificial homogeneity."

from the start i clocked how White everyone in finetime seemed to be but at first i just brushed it off as the bbc making poor casting choices. then came the loaded statement of "don't worry, he's not as stupid as he looks." and then and then and then. did not expect that to be a plot point but my god. a busload of rich kids in the prime of youth lobbed at an "untamed" land to send resources back home? very uh, colonizer indeed (albeit an interestingly imperfect metaphor for colonization, leaving out those from less-wealthy backgrounds who seized the apparent opportunity colonization offered them to seize and claim land and status for their own)

how many times this season has the "villain" turned out to be "ai/computer/device that is supposed to help you now turning against you"? space babies, boom, dot and bubble makes 3/5 so far? not sure if this is meant to be a Thread. stretching it more broadly to "someone/something you trust turning against you" this encompasses 73 yards too (the way everyone turns away from Ruby after the old woman following her speaks!). that said the devil's chord bucks this pattern so i might just be reaching.

i can't make heads nor tails of ricky september but it was wildly amusing how he seemed to almost show up out of a different genre. the presumably heroic pop star who's Not Like The Rest Of The Milieu -- he turns off his dot! he reads in his apartment! he's different and flouts rules in a way that makes him more desirable -- not different in the way that makes the people of finetime look down on the doctor. and oh, swoon, he tries to protect lindy from the ugly truth of everyone on homeworld being dead, oh, he tries to protect lindy from dot until lindy throws him to the metaphorical wolves. because if you are lindy pepper-bean, if you think you are better, most worthy of being saved -- of course you would, even to someone as within the norm as you.

the fact that the doctor couldn't even get INTO finetime -- i have to wonder, is it that the technology protecting finetime from the outside is SO adept at its inbaked racism it could even keep the tardis out? horrifying!

throughout the episode i was also wondering at how mystifyingly patient the doctor was being with these people. by twenty minutes in i was waiting for him to chew lindy out for being so stupid, so narrow-minded, so resistant to self reliance. we've seen the doctor do this before -- it's not the first time they've tried to save someone utterly intentionally inept or someone hostile to them, it's not the first time he would have yelled at a human for being a "stupid ape!". but i wonder now, with all these pieces in mind -- did the doctor realize from the start that finetime was biased against him? was he playing that deferential balancing act marginalized people often feel they have to resort to in an environment dead set against them? listen to me right now, I'm not a threat to you or your view of the world. i just need you to listen to me right now.

and of course the doctor keeps on trying to save them because the doctor always has hope that people can change, even the most awful ones. it could have been possible for even some of the people of finetime to recognize the cruelty of the sort of society they'd built, the biases that have been entrenched in them. it's possible for all of us to realize these things. but finetime says no. finetime says, thanks for saving us. finetime says, that was your duty. and finetime says, fuck you.

[bisexuallsokka]

ok hello i have found that i have no choice but to introduce you to my "divorced zukka but slightly to the left" headcanon for a modern au. basically, a pre-transitioned zuko and sokka have a one night stand at the end of their senior year of high school, and never speak again. roughly six years later, sokka is starting his job at an elementary school (not a classroom teacher, like technology or something) and meets izumi, who is so sweet and cute and i swear thats the face katara makes when she's annoyed, and one day happens to see her dad pick up and huh he looks and AWFUL lot like that person i went to high school with and OH GOD some quick math brings an idea to mind.

So sokka attempts to confront zuko who is very much NOPE DO NOT TALK TO ME, but finally breaks down after a series of shenanigans that def do not involve mild stalking. but only to admit that yes, izumi is sokka's biological daughter, and would like to leave their interactions at that, except sokka has NO interest in SIMPLY leaving it at that because!!! he has a kid!!! that he knew nothing about!!! for six years!!!

zuko very much would like to continue living his life without sokka bc being a single young parent is hard enough but he has a good routine and good relationship with his daughter and he doesnt need this, this, SPERM DONOR to just come in here and mess everything up! the guy hasnt been there the last six years, there is absolutely no reason for his to get involved now!! BUT sokka absolutely would have been there if zuko had only TOLD HIM, but how was ZUKO supposed to know that, and did zuko really think so little of him?? except it was a one night stand and zuko didnt even realize he was a boy until right after and he originally wasnt even planning to keep izumi, and HOW could he have just given up their CHILD without ever even telling sokka about her and given him a CHANCE to take her, and WE WERE JUST KIDS AND HE WAS SCARED-

its complicated. and involves a lot of trying not to shout around izumi, who is just over the moon that her dad and her favorite teacher know each other outside of school. and there's a lot of heartache over sokka having to come to terms with the fact that yeah, hes not izumis parent, and there's only so much he can do without stepping on zuko's toes, and he only wants what is best for izumi, and zuko seeing that maybe sokka really does want to be all in for izumi even if zuko thinks sokka really doesnt fully understand what that means, and would it be such a bad thing? not that either of them are going to admit this to the other.

so it starts with small things, like sokka being allowed to pay child support (which hes been begging to do since day one), and maybe it turns out that zukos new coworker is sokkas friend and they end up at the same party where they can really see each other interact with izumi, and a chunk zuko's summer child care plans for the summer fall apart so sokka offers to babysit since his summer job is remote which feels BIG but also reallyyyyy too convenient to reject,

and then something bigger happens where izumi gets hurt at school and while sokka is blaming himself he's also panicking bc the hospital wont let him stay with her bc hes not an emergency contact so he steels himself and later tells zuko he wants to make his relationship to izumi legal. hes not going to have a custody fight, he would never ask for that, but he wants his name on her birth certificate and wants his name on her list of emergency contacts, and its the first time zuko understand that sokka 100% knows what he's getting into here and is willing to be in this 100%.

So maybe sokka moves into this "uncle sokka" role, because zuko still refuses to tell izumi that sokka is her other dad, and yeah that hurts, but sokka would rather have part of izumi's life if he can't have all of it. and sokka gets a better look inside their lives and discovers that its HARD being a young single parent, why would zuko have risked everything he worked for to mix in some guy he barely knew who might decide that zuko wasn't good enough and take izumi away? and zuko sees the pain sokka has from missing out on so many key moments of izumi's young life, and the more sokka is proving himself as a second parent, the more guilty zuko feels. they go through some shit together and its more and more evident that sokka doesnt just want to be that fun uncle, but he's ready more than willing to be a PARENT even when it means being the bad guy.

and maybe they start falling for each other a little, because they are starting to have this LIFE together and its not just about izumi anymore its the way zuko rolls his eyes and gets the new fancy ice pack out of the freezer when a limping sokka brings izumi back from the park, and its the way sokka makes zuko genuinely laugh after a long day at work, and its like their lives are getting fully intertwined-

except that they arent. and they couldn't. because if sokka decides its too much. because if zukos good favor runs out. if it didnt work out between them. they couldnt do that to izumi. what they have is good, its fine, (even if its not enough) they dont want to risk anything that could disrupt izumi's life. shes the priority. and sure, she's already asking questions about the two of them, but what if they don't work right in a real relationship? the way things are now, either of them could back out, and everyone would eventually be ok. maybe. except every time they think about the possibility, it seems like they are already too intertwined, and either of them trying to untangle would just be a disaster, so imagine if they HAD to untangle, and-

so they just end up in an awkward stage of sad pining. because theres no way it would actually work out. because it would hurt all of them. and their life has never been better, but it's never hurt this much either.

ok so i didnt realize i could still write this long in an ask, but essentially i am not a masochist like you, and they do figure it out in the end. this could happen a number of ways, such as izumi just announcing that yeah this is my dad and his boyfriend, or zukka doing the "pining make outs that we never talk about until one of us snaps and we decide to let ourselves be fucking happy", or a very funny "we both snap and bone for one wonderful night to get it out of our system and then we dont talk about it" which leads to an accidental second baby where sokka and zuko both laugh and say whelp it must be fate lets do this the right way this time.

the most important thing is that they both forget to tell izumi that sokka is her biological father, so teenage izumi is very shocked and upset that shes just had to learn this from something totally mundane like applying for a passport, and sokka and zuko do the spider man finger pointing of "i thought you told her" "no, you were supposed to tell her" "did we really not tell her?" and its absolutely disgusting how cute they are

thanks for coming to my tedtalk

i love every single thing about this! sokka wanting to be a part of izumi's life and help zuko out....zuko being reluctant to accept but eventually seeing how sokka is proving himself.....the limbo period where they are both afraid it could end any moment....TOO GOOD! i love every single option for how they could get together for real like this is my favorite take on modern au divorced zukka by far!!!! <3 <3

[lemon-natalia]

Nona the Ninth Reaction - John 20:8

okay, given the title i’m pretty sure the ‘he’ here is John Gaius. and its a retrospective dream of some kind?? makes me wonder if there’s a connection to the opening poem which talks an awful lot about sleep and dreaming

he’s talking to an unknown ‘her’ here, and commenting that she was ‘so sick’. my first assumption is that he’s speaking to Alecto here but if he is, then what does her being sick have to do with cryo chambers? was he trying to cure her of some kind of illness?

and the mentions of M— and A—, Mercymorn and Augustine but with different names?! John did say near the end of the last book that he knew who Augustine was pre-Resurrection. there’s a C— as well, Cytherea or Casseopeia maybe?

oooh this seems to be pre-Resurrection, the world before the mysterious apocalypse. it doesn't seem to be entirely the present day though, what with the population being around ten billion, and apparently having some level of futuristic technology, like cryo chambers, and it apparently being a feasible plan to have everyone on earth escape the planet. that said, its still remarkably mundane and familiar here to the point that it goes back around into feeling very strange for the Locked Tomb books, its so different from the Nine Houses system

‘thighs mostly, from when they felt hungry, which happened rarely and almost simultaneously’ ok i really hope this is not the incident John was referring to when he said smthing like ‘i only ate human meat once before’ in HtN. and there’s definitely some kind of lyctorhood connection here with them feeling things simultaneously and being connected …

‘She cried. She and A— both cried’ is this referring to them dying in whatever nuclear apocalypse John apparently ends up starting??

‘So what did you do? He said: A damned thing, didn’t I’ oooh are we gonna see how exactly John became who he is as of the present day? because there are so many unanswered questions there

‘I still love you’ oh there’s definitely some kind of connection to the poem from the beginning here

Harrowhark??? he’s talking to Harrow here, WHAT is going on. i thought i had a mild grasp of what was going on here but evidently i do not. also, this makes me wonder if the necro-cav relationship in the poem has anything to do with Gideon & Harrow then??

also, once again these books are giving me assigned reading so i checked out the bible passage referenced in the title and apparently it's the passage where Jesus’s resurrection is discovered? it doesn't seem precisely relevant to the chapter itself but i guess it is thematically to the wider theme of resurrection in the books

[ideas-on-paper]

A hypothetical look at the childhoods of Carlo and Romeo

Despite Carlo and Romeo being two of the most central characters of Lies of P, what we know about their backstory is next to marginal. We know that the two of them went to school together and were best friends (perhaps even more than that), but their time in Monad Charity House is only presented in snippets and fragmented memories, and despite being highly significant, their characters remain elusive - like shadows cast over the entirety of the story, always present, never tangible.

Thus, many have filled the gaps left in their characterization with their own imagination. As for myself, I was curious what their early lives might have been like, before they met at Monad Charity House - and since it was the closest thing to the game's setting I could find, I did some research on Victorian children and their upbringing.

What I found out, however, left me absolutely shocked and made me keenly aware of just how awful Carlo and Romeo's childhood must have been, going by historic standards. As pretty much everything during the Victorian Era, a child's upbringing was very dependent on social class - however, no matter if you grew up in a rich or poor family, each came with its own kind of suffering, and regarding the question of "What were Carlo and Romeo's lives like before Monad Charity House?", the brief answer would be: "Probably not great."

As for the long answer... I should mention this is my own interpretation of Carlo and Romeo's backgrounds, and none of this is officially confirmed. However, given what we know about the two's origins, I consider it quite plausible, and what we can conclude from it might not only give us better insight into their personalities, but also some of the real-life background behind the original fairy tale of Pinocchio.

Just as a fair warning, though: This is about to get a little depressing.

[Spoilers for Lies of P!]

[CW: mentions of very questionable parenting methods, depression, suicidal ideation, poverty, parent death, child labor, abuse and exploitation of children]

Carlo

For this analysis, I'm going to assume that Carlo was born into a fairly well-off household. (The description of Carlo's portrait calls him "an aristocratic boy", and since Geppetto is the mastermind behind Krat's puppet technology, I assume he'd have his fair share of the profits.)

By the standard of their time, upper-class children were quite spoiled: Unlike their working-class peers, they never had to worry about who was going to provide food for them, and the horrors of child labor were never of any concern to them. You would think that being born into a rich family doesn't leave you a single thing to wish for - you'd have nice toys, fine clothes... and well, everything, except for parental affection.

For the most part of the day, upper-class children wouldn't even see their parents - they were only summoned to appear before them at a set hour of the day, and during these occasions, they had to address their fathers as "sir". Essentially, meeting your parents was more like an audience with a stranger, a rare privilege strictly regulated by formality. Children were expected to act prim and proper, only allowed to speak when spoken to, and thus unable to express their true feelings, thoughts, or opinions. Any show of affection was extremely rare - Winston Churchill (1874 - 1945) once remarked that he could "count the times he had been hugged by his mother" as a child.

The parents were more or less completely absent from their children's lives, and when there actually was interaction between them, the children were expected to unconditionally obey their parents. Osbert Sitwell (1892 - 1969) once commented: "Parents were aware that the child would be a nuisance and a whole bevy of servants, in addition to the complex guardianship of nursery and school rooms was necessary not so much to aid the infant as to screen him from his father or mother, except on some occasions as he could be used by them as adjuncts, toys or decorations." (Can you imagine? Geppetto taking Carlo to some big social event to show off his "perfect little son", and Carlo just standing there and silently enduring the ordeal, looking at his father all the while and wondering "Did he ever realize I'm not one of his puppets?")

So, by the standard of the time period Lies of P is set in, Geppetto neglecting his son isn't even anything terribly unusual - in fact, that's perfectly normal Victorian upper-class parent behavior.

Since they didn't take care of their children themselves, upper-class parents would hire a nanny to raise them. Nannies would be instructed what kind of behavior and morals the parents wanted instilled into their child, and they would be responsible for their education as well as teaching them manners, propriety, how to dress and so on. As such, the nanny effectively acted as a substitute for the parents - and given that maid puppets exist and Geppetto probably wouldn't let any strangers near Carlo, Carlo's nanny was most likely a puppet as well.

The daily life of upper-class children was based on strict routine - some like to say it operated with "clockwork regularity". Breakfast would be served at 8 o'clock in the morning, dinner at 12 o'clock, and tea at 6 o'clock.* Children would very seldom leave their room, except to take short walks in the park with their nanny. Education would mostly be given at home by a tutor, which included basic lessons like reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also "socially appropriate skills" like dancing and playing the piano. (Since we see a puppet giving piano lessons to a child in the intro, chances are Carlo's tutors were also puppets.)

*Eating times varied throughout the Victorian Era; a "dinner" might also be a meal eaten during midday.

The rest of the time, children would have nothing to do but to play with their toys (except on Sundays, which was forbidden). Rich families had the luxury of being able to afford the most elaborate of toys, such as automated dolls, clockwork trains, and jack-in-the-boxes, which were extremely popular among children. In fact, since clockmakers were also the ones to build toys, I could imagine Geppetto actually made the toys for Carlo himself. (However, I feel like this only would have made Carlo loathe them; in his eyes, it would've been proof that "father pays more attention to the toys he makes for me than actually looking at me".)

In short, the life of Victorian upper-class children was lonely, depressing, and stuffy to the point of suffocating. Given these circumstances, I would actually be surprised if this didn't leave mental scars on Carlo. It has been documented that a lack of parental affection causes psychological issues lasting all the way into adulthood, such as low self-esteem, trust issues, anxiety, difficulty with social relationships, and lack of emotional control. Also, considering Carlo was probably surrounded by puppet servants all day, he wouldn't even have had a single human being to interact with most of the time - something which most likely had a detrimental effect on his psyche.

Given this dreary existence, it would make absolute sense for Carlo to look nothing short of depressed in every depiction we see of him. The feeling of emptiness when being pressed into the corset of others' expectations is actually something I'm well acquainted with - it feels like walking beside yourself, like your body moving while actually feeling dead inside. A bit like a puppet on strings, if you will. With his life being a monotonous routine controlled by someone else, it wouldn't be surprising if Carlo had difficulty still seeing a purpose in it. (There have been some theories going around that Carlo committed suicide; at the very least, I think it's highly likely he had suicidal ideations during his youth.)

Perhaps this is where Pinocchio - the character from the fairy tale - might have become something like an identification figure for Carlo. Pinocchio was a puppet, but instead of doing what his creator intended - what his father expected - he did whatever he wanted. I'm sure Geppetto gave him the book as a measure to educate him, but it ended up having the opposite effect. In fact, it might have been what first taught him the concept of freedom: Geppetto's puppets only ever did what he told them to, executing the exact actions he had programmed them with, over and over again - but Pinocchio showed Carlo that it didn't have to be this way. (I've seen a lot of interpretations of Carlo disliking puppets, and while I can see where this is coming from, I don't think this is because Carlo disliked puppets in general. Rather, I think he saw them as "extended arms" of his father and a symbol of his need to control everything around him; otherwise, it would be a little strange for Carlo to be attached to the story of Pinocchio so much.)

However, I think beneath all the pent-up frustration and hatred, there was also the wish for his father to love and appreciate him. At the end of the book, Pinocchio returns to his father after all the hardships he had to go through, and the two reconcile and live happily ever after. Since Pinocchio's father goes looking for him when he disappears, perhaps Carlo believed that if he rebelled against him and put himself in danger, Geppetto would realize that he actually cared for him.

So, if Carlo was very prone to temper tantrums and acting defiantly towards his father, it might have been on one hand to show that he didn't want to be part of Geppetto's perfect stage play anymore, and on the other because he was vying for his attention. Due to his upbringing, however, Carlo wasn't really able to communicate his feelings in a proper way. (I like to imagine Carlo as a very emotional person, but having difficulty to actually express his feelings.)

Geppetto, however, wouldn't have the sensitivity to understand this - he most likely would've tried to rectify his son's "mischievous behavior" by disciplining, as was typical for the time period (in general, it was believed that you had to "beat the evil out of children" for them to become a good person). Of course, that wouldn't have made things better - in fact, I wonder if part of the reason Geppetto sent Carlo to Monad Charity House was that he was just at a loss what to do with the boy. Since all of his educational measures were fruitless, perhaps he thought that sending him to the boarding school would finally put Carlo on the right track - although the result of that probably was also quite different from what Geppetto expected.

Romeo

Meanwhile, poor Victorian children had to live in a completely different, brutal reality - for them, day-to-day life was a literal struggle to stay alive.

We know that Romeo was an orphan, and according to Eugénie, that's not much of a rarity in Krat. Indeed, street children existed in abundance during Victorian times: It wasn't uncommon for working-class children to lose one or both parents - due to unsanitary conditions in Victorian slums, many people died of disease, and given the hazardous working conditions in factories and coal mines, accidents were commonplace. However, the term of a Victorian orphan was actually a little broader than that, also extending to children who ran away from home due to hailing from alcoholic and neglectful families. Often, mothers who were single or had a child out of wedlock would also simply abandon their children. Whatever the reason for their situation, these children were forced to fend for themselves at a very young age.

In the Trinity Sanctum in Krat Central Station, there's a note mentioning a "pickpocket who was overconfident in a gamble" and "had his heart stolen and died". Since Romeo made "a deal with the devil" (the "devil" presumably being Geppetto who turned him into a puppet), people have interpreted this as referring to Romeo. Turing to crime to support themselves was not a rarity among poor Victorian children - in fact, half of the defendants tried at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales between 1830 and 1860 were aged 20 or younger. There were even organized gangs of child thieves who were trained in pickpocketing by a "captain", similar to those from Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. (However, the items that were stolen most often were actually not purses or pocket watches, but handkerchiefs; silk handkerchiefs had a pretty high resale value, and the thieves would take them from pockets, rip out the initials, and resell them for a good price.)

We can't be sure whether Romeo teamed up with a few other kids or not, but personally, I'd wager he did - it would be much safer to operate in a group in case one of them gets in trouble, and overall, Romeo's personality seems a bit too caring for a lone wolf. (As the King of Puppets, he was not only determined to save as many humans as possible, but also possessed the unconditional trust and loyalty of the other puppets. To me, this means he most likely cared about them, and they cared about him in return - if it was just programming, the puppets probably wouldn't be lamenting his loss after he dies. Compare this to Geppetto, who has to use force and coercion for others to obey him.)

Also, since the notes in the Trinity Sanctums always seem to have a connection to the place where they're located (factory worker -> factory; cleric -> cathedral; "greatest singer"/Adelina -> opera house), that would mean the train station was most likely Romeo's base of operations.* (Train stations tend to be very popular among thieves, since it's easier to pick pockets in the confusion of people boarding or getting off trains.) This would imply that Romeo didn't grow up in Monad Charity House since he was an infant, but arrived there at a later point during his childhood.

*EDIT: I just had a thought that the note in the Trinity Sanctum could also mean the train station is the place where Romeo died. (All the other notes are connected to murder or some other violent action, and since we can assume they were written by Arlecchino, he was probably more interested in that.) Since Geppetto has his secret workshop wagon in Krat Central Station, maybe the place where he built P is the same where he built Romeo.

Since there were so many orphaned children, the few orphanages that existed couldn't receive all of them. Instead, workhouses were established as institutions for all kinds of destitute people - including orphans - who were unable to support themselves and were given lodging and food in exchange for labor. However, many children actually preferred living on the streets, rather turning to crime than going to the workhouse. At a first glance, this may seem a bit unreasonable - surely, not having to run around in worn-down rags and steal your food just to survive would at least be an improvement?

Well... Turns out, not really. The conditions in Victorian workhouses were notoriously awful - they were overcrowded, unsanitary, and cruel places to live. Daily routine was strictly regimented, consisting of 9–10 hours of repetitive and physically demanding labor and very little free time. What little food there was was of poor quality, privacy was basically nonexistent, and the dozens of inmates sleeping together in dormitories often had to share their beds - children usually had to sleep up to four in a bed. The consequences for refusal of work or any kind of rule violation were beatings, deprivation of food, being locked up in solitary confinement in a dark cell, and other draconian punishments.

If this doesn't sound like a very hospitable atmosphere, that's because that was the exact intention behind it. Workhouses weren't meant to support poor people - they were supposed to scare them into finding work and make a living for themselves. Victorians viewed poverty as a self-imposed misery, and if you were a pauper, that was because you were lazy, retarded, or made bad choices in life. That's why beggars, vagrants, orphans, criminals, and mentally ill people were all indiscriminately housed in workhouses, because from the Victorian point of view, they all belonged to the same category of people: A stain that had to be removed from the public eye, either by forcing them to support themselves or by making use of their work force once they had donned the workhouse uniform. They were a nuisance to society, and their treatment in the workhouse was sure to make them feel that.

One of the worst fates for workhouse children, however, was to be hired out as pauper apprentices: Usually from 10-13 years of age, but sometimes as young as eight or seven, workhouses would send pauper children to factories in the countryside for an "apprenticeship". This "apprenticeship" involved factory owners buying children from orphanages and workhouses and making them sign a contract that lasted until they were 21 years of age, dictating that the apprentices had to be provided with food and accommodation, and in exchange, the factory owner was free to make use of their working power.

So in summary, workhouse orphans were essentially sold into slavery. This was all that much easier to do with children who had no parents and no other means to support themselves, and thus were free to be exploited by their employers. Some of the recollections from these former pauper apprentices are just utterly horrific - and in this case, I think it's appropriate to let the victims speak for themselves.

John Birley, who lost his father when he was two, lived in the Bethnal Green Workhouse for a time after his mother died of illness when he was around six. He was sent to Litton Mill as a pauper apprentice, and he had this to say about his experiences in an interview with The Ashton Chronicle in 1849 (source):

The same year my mother died, I being between six and seven years of age, there came a man looking for a number of parish apprentices. We were all ordered to come into the board room, about forty of us. There were, I dare say, about twenty gentlemen seated at a table, with pens and paper before them. Our names were called out one by one. We were all standing before them in a row. My name was called and I stepped out in the middle of the room. They said, "Well John, you are a fine lad, would you like to go into the country?" I said "Yes sir". We had often talked over amongst ourselves how we should like to be taken into the country, Mr. Nicholls the old master, used to tell us what fine sport we should have amongst the hills, what time we should have for play and pleasure. He said we should have plenty of roast beef and get plenty of money, and come back gentlemen to see our friends. The committee picked out about twenty of us, all boys. In a day or two after this, two coaches came up to the workhouse door. We were got ready. They gave us a shilling piece to take our attention, and we set off. I can remember a crowd of women standing by the coaches, at the workhouse door, crying "shame on them, to send poor little children away from home in that fashion." Some of them were weeping. I heard one say, "I would run away if I was them." They drove us to the Paddington Canal, where there was a boat provided to take us. We got to Buxton at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon. A covered cart was waiting for us there. We all got in, and drove off to the apprentice house at Litton Mill, about six miles from Buxton. The cart stopped, and we marched up to the house, where we saw the master, who came to examine us and gave orders where we were put. [...] Our regular time was from five in the morning till nine or ten at night; and on Saturday, till eleven, and often twelve o'clock at night, and then we were sent to clean the machinery on the Sunday. No time was allowed for breakfast and no sitting for dinner and no time for tea. We went to the mill at five o'clock and worked till about eight or nine when they brought us our breakfast, [...] We then worked till nine or ten at night when the water-wheel stopped. We stopped working, and went to the apprentice house, about three hundred yards from the mill. It was a large stone house, surrounded by a wall, two to three yards high, with one door, which was kept locked. It was capable of lodging about one hundred and fifty apprentices. Supper was the same as breakfast - onion porridge and dry oatcake. We all ate in the same room and all went up a common staircase to our bed-chamber; all the boys slept in one chamber, all the girls in another. We slept three in one bed. [...] Mr. Needham, the master, had five sons: Frank, Charles, Samuel, Robert and John. The sons and a man named Swann, the overlooker, used to go up and down the mill with hazzle sticks. Frank once beat me till he frightened himself. He thought he had killed me. He had struck me on the temples and knocked me dateless. He once knocked me down and threatened me with a stick. To save my head I raised my arm, which he then hit with all his might. My elbow was broken. I bear the marks, and suffer pain from it to this day, and always shall as long as I live. I was determined to let the gentleman of the Bethnal Green parish know the treatment we had, and I wrote a letter with John Oats and put it into the Tydeswell Post Office. It was broken open and given to old Needham. He beat us with a knob-stick till we could scarcely crawl. Sometime after this three gentlemen came down from London. But before we were examined we were washed and cleaned up and ordered to tell them we liked working at the mill and were well treated. Needham and his sons were in the room at the time. They asked us questions about our treatment, which we answered as we had been told, not daring to do any other, knowing what would happen if we told them the truth."

In case there were any surviving family members, the children were sometimes deported without their knowledge. In 1849, Sarah Carpenter related the story of her lost brother who was taken away from Bristol Workhouse to The Ashton Chronicle (source):

When I was eight years old my father died and our family had to go to the Bristol Workhouse. My brother was sent from Bristol workhouse in the same way as many other children were - cart-loads at a time. My mother did not know where he was for two years. He was taken off in the dead of night without her knowledge, and the parish officers would never tell her where he was. It was the mother of Joseph Russell who first found out where the children were, and told my mother. We set off together, my mother and I, we walked the whole way from Bristol to Cressbrook Mill in Derbyshire. We were many days on the road. Mrs. Newton fondled over my mother when we arrived. [...] My brother told me that Mrs. Newton's fondling was all a blind; but I was so young and foolish, and so glad to see him again; that I did not heed what he said, and could not be persuaded to leave him. They would not let me stay unless I would take the shilling binding money. I took the shilling and I was very proud of it. They took me into the counting house and showed me a piece of paper with a red sealed horse on which they told me to touch, and then to make a cross, which I did. This meant I had to stay at Cressbrook Mill till I was twenty one.

So, if the situation in the Lies of P universe in any way resembles that during the real-life 19th century, and if these street children are in any way smart, I think it's very understandable they'd want to stay the hell away from the workhouse or any similar institution. Of course, it would be easy to attribute this to laziness, but honestly, I'd say they just wanted to avoid the abuse. (You could pose the question whether there are even any lowly paid jobs for children to do in the LoP universe, since a lot of those were probably taken over by puppets. However, if you ask me, that might only lead to employers trying to underbid the price that puppet laborers would cost, which would lead to serious wage cuts for any human workers - we know there was a violent protest of the factory labor union, which might have happened for a reason like this. Also, I reckon the puppet industry itself would create new branches of "dirty work", like recycling parts from scrapped puppets, disposing of puppet junk, etc.)

In fact, these harrowing stories happen to have quite a few parallels to the original fairy tale of Pinocchio. Did you notice? The children are taken away in coaches and carts, in a way that conceals their presence (e.g. in a covered cart or in the dead of the night), which is very reminiscent of the Coachman picking up boys at night (in the book, the coach is described as having wrapped wheels, so it doesn't make noise and can't be discovered). At first, the children are told they can make a fortune by working in the textile mills and will have plenty of time for leisure - in A memoir of Robert Blincoe from 1828, it's even mentioned they tried to lure children into working in a cotton mill by telling them that "they would be transformed into ladies and gentlemen" when they arrived there, that "they would be fed on roast beef and plum pudding, be allowed to ride their masters' horses, and have silver watches, and plenty of cash in their pockets". This sounds quite similar to the Coachman promising the boys unlimited play time and freedom if they come with him to the Land of Toys. However, as both the pauper apprentice children and the boys from Pinocchio had to realize, all of this was a fraud to exploit them for what is essentially slave labor.

This also suggests that with his depiction of the Land of Toys, Carlo Collodi was doing more than just telling a horror story to scare kids into behaving. He was commenting on a real-life problem - and this, exactly this, is what Collodi wanted to warn his young readers about. In that sense, the boys turning into donkeys might also be a metaphor for what their employers saw them as: livestock, to be used and abused as they pleased.

Because the living conditions of workhouse children were so appalling, there was clamor for change, specifically among the reformist middle class. It was argued that orphans and destitute children should be housed in an institution meant exclusively for them, rather than together with criminals, cripples, and lunatics. The movement really began to pick up speed in mid-19th century, and many orphanages were founded by private benefactors and philanthropists. One of the most influential was Thomas John Barnardo, the founder of the charity Barnardos, who built homes for waifs, strays, and all kinds of children in need to provide them with a place to live, food, and education.

In general, there was an effort to make education accessible to even the lowest classes. Sunday Schools and Ragged Schools were established, which allowed poor children to take classes without having to pay a fee, giving them more opportunities in later life. However, the parents of working-class children were often against them going to school, since it meant that they couldn't work to earn additional income for the family. This is why attending school was made mandatory for all children between 5 and 10 in 1870, with the leaving age being raised to 11 in 1893. (This is also what Carlo Collodi meant by saying "for the love of God, get yourself some education" - because if you didn't, you would be stuck in a circle of bone-breaking labor forever.)

The Monad Charity House fits quite well into this historical frame: We do know that the Rose Estate was originally a charity organization for poor children, but was turned into a boarding school after Lady Isabelle and the Monad family started sponsoring money. Since charities for poor children are a phenomenon of the mid- to late-19th century, it's possible the situation was a lot worse before in the Lies of P universe as well. Romeo might not have gone there willingly (perhaps he was caught during one of his thefts), and truth be told, Victorian schools weren't the most rosy of affairs (if you'd like to know the details, feel free to check out this page). However, given what could've been his fate, Romeo probably considered himself lucky to be alive and not exploited by someone else for donkey work. (Still, one thing that should be kept in mind is that the Alchemists' patronage of the Rose Estate probably isn't based on purely altruistic motives: Since all of the children are trained as Stalkers, Alchemists, or Workshop Technicians, all of them ultimately become part of Krat's economic apparatus.)

It seems almost miraculous that two boys coming from such different worlds would develop such a strong bond. However, despite this, they had one experience in common: pain. Although the way in which they suffered might have differed, they both knew what it's like to be abandoned. Romeo had to grow up in a society that didn't care whether he lived or died, and since all Carlo ever received from his father was scrutiny or cold ignorance, he probably felt the same about him. Living in a cruel world where the odds were stacked against them, it's easy to see why these kindred souls sought comfort in each other.

In any case, if the untold backstory of these characters was crafted with this in mind, my sincerest compliments go to the people of Neowiz for not only taking such a nuanced approach to child education in a historical context, but also for doing so with respect to the original story by Carlo Collodi. It may be really subtle at times, but you can't deny how much effort the devs put into the themes - themes that are so universal to human psychology that they continue to be relevant today, and undoubtedly made the story resonate with a lot of people.

[humbledragon669]

S1E2 – The Book Write Up P2 – 11 years ago and The Present Day/Thursday (2 days to the end of the World) (up to Aziraphale and Crowleys’ arrival in Tadfield)

Alright, let’s get dug straight in, shall we? There’s a lot of background narrative being covered in this section, including the introduction of quite a few new characters.

Let’s start with Anathema. I don’t have a lot to say about her intro scene, but I do have two questions:

Why THE HELL is her mother allowing her to draw in that book? It’s the only copy of a 350-year-old book that contains prophecies that have all proven to be correct. In reality that book would genuinely be priceless, and we will see later in the series that the book is still considered valuable to the family. I don’t like writing notes in my cheap paperback books, so the idea of a child drawing IN COLOURED PENCIL in this book chills me to the bone, yet her mother just lets her do it without so much as a blink of an eye. Mad woman.

We know that the book contains prophecies up until the end of the world. We also know that at least one of the prophecies contains an actual year (1980 – the one with the Apple). Furthermore, we know that Anathema is named specifically in one of the prophecies. Just how many Anathemas did this family have in the hopes that one of them would be the one to save the world? Logically, only children born after 1980 would be eligible but that still leaves at least one generation of descendants prior to the one we see in the show. I suppose there could be another prophecy that states what year “the” Anathema was to be born but I like to believe that somewhere there’s a little group of related women called Anathema all fighting over who gets to save the world.

Next up – Newton. Again, not an awful lot to say here, other than the camera crashing into his bedroom window makes me laugh every time I watch it. I don’t know why this specific moment was chosen to break the fourth wall just as much as I don’t know why I find it so funny.

Having worked in IT for more than ten years, I can say without a doubt that there really are people like poor Newt who are cursed with breaking anything computer-related just by looking at it. They’re exasperating because they usually think the whole thing is one big joke and hold their technology incompatibility up to be some sort of prize. At least Newt has the decency to look abashed by his strange “gift”.

Newton’s home location is confirmed to be Dorking in his first present day scene when we see his mother shipping him off to a new job. We don’t know the location of the United Worldwide Holdings (Holdings) office in which he attempts to establish a hold as a wages clerk, but I can say for certainty that the location of his introduction to Shadwell is central London. For those whose UK geography is worse than my own, it would take over an hour to get to central London from Dorking, regardless of the transport mode of choice. This has always struck me as rather odd – it’s clear that Newt has difficulty holding down a job. The home that he apparently shares with his mother looks pretty run down from the outside, suggesting that money isn’t exactly a commodity in their household. So why would you take a clerical job, that likely doesn’t pay much, in a place that’s over an hour away? Perhaps Neil and Terry just chose Dorking as Newt’s hometown because it has a slightly funny sounding name…

Side note: the chances that the Hot Dog van that Newt and Shadwell get their drinks from would be allowed to park there, right behind the Houses of Parliament and directly in front of Westminster Abbey, are null. I would even go so far as to suggest that Shadwell himself would likely be moved on pretty sharpish from his chosen pulpit. Makes a pretty impressive backdrop though, hey?

Let’s just take a moment to have a chortle at Shadwell’s ideas of what sort of activity would give the game away for any self-respecting witch:

Speaking as the last in the line of Welsh “wise women”, I can (pretty much categorically state) that none of my ancestors have done any of those things. Maybe apart from calling the cats funny names, though most of my maternal line had/have a strong dislike for animals of the feline variety. My cat is called Kishi, which is supposed to be Japanese for “love bound to Earth”. It’s a wholly inappropriate name for her, as she’s really just a massive prick, like every other cat there is.

Why does Newt stop to listen to Shadwell here? Why not just ignore the crazy man on the pedestal like every other person in London? Obviously that would cause a bit of a plot problem. Perhaps it’s his ancestral right driving him into the arms of the Witchfinder Army – there are certainly crazier things that happen in the GO universe! As it turns out, Newt’s recruitment is well-timed, what with there not being any soldiers of rank higher than sergeant, and only one of those at that.

Easter egg time!

This ridiculously quick shot of Shadwell’s newspaper gives us a veritable treasure trove of Easter eggs/nuggets of information for the keen eye:

Shadwell’s address is confirmed as located in Crouch End.

The reference numbers for the adverts begin with the letters “GO”.

There is an advert for a lost book, which we can just make out is one of Terry’s – “Colour of Magic”.

Save the best for last! The advert for a lost hat clearly describes Terry himself, and his signature hat and scarf. Not only that, but he apparently lost it in a book shop in Soho. I wonder which one that could be…

This fleeting glimpse of newspaper is a perfect representation for one of the main reasons I love this show so much. Most casual audience members will never see it. Some more interested parties will see it and think little of it. Others, like myself and likely anybody reading this waffle, will not only see it, but understand the references and then squeal with delight at the little present that was left for us to find. It makes me feel valued as a fan whilst at the same time as if I’m sharing in a secret that the creative team has left for me. This is great television making at its very best.

Quick Easter egg here in Jasmine Cottage: the image that Anathema has pinned on the wall to represent the Antichrist is the same as the one used on the playing cards from episode 1 (albeit in black and white):

When we find ourselves back with Crowley in his apartment, he’s clearly furious with himself about losing the Antichrist. We also learn that he discovered the joys of tending to houseplants in the early 1970s. I’d like to think he inserted them into his life after the event that takes place in 1967 between himself and Aziraphale (which we will see in the next episode) – perhaps he was looking for something that he could try to use as some sort of poor substitute for his true desires? The presence of the houseplants and the timeline for his discovering of them is included in the book, so in honesty I doubt this was the intention for their purpose, but I like the possibility nonetheless. The scene with the houseplants provides a little nugget of information that we can store for reference for later – Crowley’s houseplants actually shake when they’re frightened.

Once again, I don’t have much to say about the next scene: that of Newt’s arrival to the Witchfinder Army’s HQ. I will pause briefly to note the wording of the notice on Shadwell’s door:

This calls to mind the phrase used by Aziraphale to refer to Crowly in episode 1. I’m not sure there’s anything in this as “foul fiend” has often been used to refer to demonic or evil beings. That said, it’s difficult not to try and make some connection, given that the two uses of the phrase are so close together in the show. We will later find out that Shadwell is working for both Aziraphale and Crowley for the same purpose, so defying the “foul fiend” in this case becomes somewhat impossible.

Quick pause for a moment of appreciation for that strut that David pulls off in this next scene. Honestly, there are professional supermodels that couldn’t manage that sort of casual arrogance, even if somebody told them they could stay thin and eat whatever they wanted for the rest of their lives.

This is the first time we find out that Crowly has adopted a first name for himself. I’ll talk about it a little more in the write up(s) for episode 3, so for now this is another piece of information for us to store for later.

I quite enjoy just how awkward Aziraphale sounds leaving a message on the answerphone. Dealing with the unannounced arrival of two angels in his book shop he can handle, but having to leave a message instead of speaking to Crowley direct? Perish the thought. This seems to me a quite human attitude to have – when answerphones started to become commonplace, people (on the whole) hated leaving messages once they realised the person they wanted to speak to wasn’t going to pick up. What I find interesting about the conversation that they do have is that Aziraphale’s suggestion is actually incredibly obvious. In fact, it’s about the only possible scenario that would make any sense. Crowley’s disbelieving expression would suggest he doesn’t feel the same way:

Still, at least this conversation tells the audience that this pair haven’t given up on working together to try and stop Armageddon just yet (it would be a pretty short and disappointing show if they had, wouldn’t it?!).

At this point in the episode, we are introduced to Crowley’s driving style which could be described as suicidal dangerous. He seems pretty confident with it though, so it’s unlikely this is out of the ordinary for him, urgency of their mission notwithstanding. Aziraphale doesn’t actually seem that bothered by it initially, not until we hear the horns of other angry drivers, where it becomes apparent that he’s actually very uncomfortable indeed. We’ll see a fair amount of material on the theme of Crowley’s driving and its effects on Aziraphale in this episode, almost like we’re being set up for something…

Crowley is pretty insistent on the use of “we” in this scene, despite the fact that Aziraphale really didn’t have anything to do with losing the Antichrist (he just took Crowley’s lead on this one). The angel doesn’t really dispute it though, though perhaps he’s just too worried about being discorporated to argue.  What is pretty obvious is that Crowley does not appreciate being told how to drive, and it makes me wonder how many times they have had conversations exactly like this before.

I’m going to wrap this part up with a quick round-up of the “The Them” scenes in Tadfield, prior to the arrival Aziraphale and Crowley in the village. As with much of the other narrative-based scenes in this episode, I don’t have much to say about them, but I did make note of a couple of (potentially) interesting things:

Pepper’s middle name is Galadriel. For those people who have managed to live their lives without any sort of interaction with Lord of the Rings up to now, this is the name of an Elven queen in that universe. As much as it would be cool for there to be some sort of subtextual Clue hidden in her middle name, I think it’s more likely it was just picked because it was a fitting one for the daughter of a reformed hippy.

Anathema recites parts of an infamous speech from Shakespeare’s Macbeth here: Eye of newt and […] tongue of dog. What I find interesting about this is that there are two ingredients in the potion recipe that have been omitted (a frog’s toe and the wool of a bat), leaving only the two elements that can be found in the show – a Newt and a dog. Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of this, not least because I’m not even sure what relevance the rhyme has to what she’s doing at the time she recites it. Not to mention that she hasn’t actually met Newt at this point, so would have no knowledge of his name (to the best of our knowledge, he’s only referred to as “man” or “boy” in Agnes’s prophecies).

Wensleydale brings up the Spanish Inquisition when in the woods, which we know Crowley has claimed responsibility for (to his Hellish masters). I absolutely love the way that the religious reasoning for punishing people is so masterfully undermined by Brian’s earnest reasoning here. I should point out that in addition to being a hereditary Pagan, I am staunchly against organised religion (not faith; I consider that to be an entirely different concept and feel that it’s integral to the spiritual identity for pretty much everybody. I believe we should all have the right to follow our chosen faith without the overbearing interference of organised religion) so the satiric tones that people who were being executed would have been grateful for their persecution if they had understood the reasons behind it fully really strikes a chord with the religion-cynic in me.

There’s an interesting little set detail here in the Them’s den:

These look like old-school weighing scales to me. In the context of the conversation that the Them are having about torturing witches, these could be said to be a reference to the practice of weighing people accused of witchcraft against the weight of a bible to determine their guilt. Alternatively, it could be a reference to the scales we will see later in the series as the summoning object for Famine. Or it could be nothing. I doubt that last one though.

That brings us quite nicely to see Aziraphale and Crowley arriving in Tadfield, which feels to me like a good place to finish this part of the write up. I’m going to be tackling a couple of important moments in the next part (can we say “wall slam”?), which I’m aware have been discussed at length already, but I have things to say and I’m going to say them. They’ve probably all been said before, but they need to get out of my head and into a piece of writing so I’m going to say them anyway. Questions, comments and discussion on this part welcome as always!

[notshelbyuwu]

HI!! PORTAL 2 x MINDVERSE :33

I'm so sorry for my cringe btw :((

What if I added 4 idiots to your Portal 2? :3

Summary: After Chell leaves the hospital she basically thinks over the events of Portal 1 for a week, not leaving Felix and their shared apartment, eventually Felix and Barmey get them to spill about what happened and she does, telling them about the advanced portal technology and the crazy evil sentient robot who killed the whole facility and tried to kill them so she killed her first, aaaaand they didn't believe her, thinking they probably got fired or they quit and was just embarrassed about it, with Gordon (who was overhearing) instigating the idea, in his words "if they were stupid enough to put a killer robot in charge of the whole facility they would've shit down a looong time ago". Chell is upset/annoyed that her friends (+ Gordon) don't believe them and, after a lot of pestering, agreed to show them the wreckage of Aperture Science.

Felix was the one to drive them there, they all travel deeper into the facility and Chell tries to find the remains of GLaDOS while the others explore, little did they know, they accidentally activate the party escort bots and get ambushed by multiple of em, being knocked unconscious for struggled against them and placed in statis in the Relaxation Centers, being mistaken for volunteer test subjects.

Chell Nanako (Attempt #4)

-The last one to wake up

-teams up with Wheatley to find her friends and escape

-Wheatley isn't too fond of the idea but doesn't try to sway Chell

-Chell was told she's only been asleep for 5 years

-won't admit it, but they actually have fun testing again

-They feel guilt for giving in and bring everyone to the facility, hoping they're not hurt or worse

-Grows attached to Wheatley because hes endearing to her, taking their mind off... Everything.

-plus, he's all she really has right now.

Gordon Freeman (Attempt #3)

-the 3rd to wake up, he was woken up by Wheatley who loudly knocked on his door

-Found an aperture science jumpsuit and boots in the closet

-Gordon saw how incompetent and wreckless Wheatley could be and ditched him at the first opportunity, choosing to traverse Aperture by himself

-actively avoids Wheatley

-stole a red portal gun from a tall deactivated robot

-ties his portal gun around his waist with a belt

-while traveling through what was left of Aperture, he came across the Oracle Turret, Gordon had never heard a turret speak like it did, so he took it with him, the turret helping him avoid danger while saying the vaugest and foreshadow-y things

-carries the turret on his back with a blanket

-Gordon is trying to find everyone, but his main priority is finding Felix.

Felix Freeman (Attempt #2)

-2nd to wake, Felix woke up on his own and looked around to see nature taking over his room

-Felix has no memory of who he is or where he is but he's absolutely terrified and tries to find a way out, ultimately giving up after what feels like days

-he camps out in the back rooms of Aperture, near some of the ramblings of Doug and a Chell mural

-Felix gets dresses and leaves him room, basically trying not to trip over a vine or fall in a hole.

-found a prototype portal gun in a pile of rubble, had no idea what it was and almost shot his head off

-ran into a companion cube and found it strangely comforting, he doesn't take it everywhere but comes back to it when he needs to calm down

-Felix sometimes runs into Doug Rattmans writings and secret rooms, he has no idea what they mean but it causes him to be super paranoid and suspicious of anything, getting an awful feeling about his situation

-recognizes the woman in the art, he finds them slightly comforting

Barney Calhoun (Attempt #1)

-first to wake up, Wheatley broke his door down and scared the hell outta Barney, also found vines growing around and almost grabbing his legs, ew

-was told to get dressed and he did, got a two piece jumpsuit instead of a one piece jumpsuit.

-immediately asked Wheatley what was happening and Wheatley told him they were escaping, when asked where his friends were, Wheatley, very bluntly, said "I don't know- probably dead, a lot of people died in their room, no one even told me the power went out in some rooms!" And this freaked Barney out, refusing to believe his friends were all dead

-this lead to Barney leaving Wheatley to find someone, anyone. He didn't want to believe that he was all alone in this

-he tied his jacket around his neck like a cape as a way to comfort himself

-found a blue portal gun from a small deactivated robot

-heard a small almost soft voice greet him from around the corner, as he turned the corner he ran into a turret that began to open fire at him, he just barely took cover, but not before a bullet grazed and scared under his left eye

-absolutely hates turrets, thinks the innocent voice they use is cruel considering how dangerous they can be

[orangflowalober]

I need a hero (isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?)!

Pairing: Park Sunghoon x Reader

Genre: superhero, crack, action, damsel in distress!sunghoon, alien!superhero!reader

Summary: in the middle of their New York concert, ENHYPEN's Sunghoon gets snatched right off the stage and put into a hostage situation. the situation is dire and he needs a hero to save him. Starburst to the rescue!

Word count: 683

Warnings: kidnapping, mentions of injuries, high-stress situations, anxiety, implications of rope burning

A/n: can i even be blamed for thinking of damsel in distress!sunghoon? like... hes so bbg... this fic was written in honour of my new followers as thanks <3 also writing that chivalric romance thing deffo brought back some not-so-nice memories and yes the title was inspired by "I need a hero" by Bonnie Tyler; btw, the italicized words are in Korean!

~

Sunghoon was having the time of his life at the concert. He really was.

But then he got kidnapped and that wasn't really fun. It was even less fun when they tied his arms and legs so tightly he could feel his blood circulation slowly stopping.

It didn't help that apparently this was the work of one of his saesangs who hired a bunch of super powered crooks to kidnap him and take him to...

He sighed.

The boys must be worried sick... he stressed, while attempting to understand what this psychopathic woman was trying to say. He was having a hard time understanding her because she was speaking in an unsettling mix of English and broken Korean. He was sure even Jake or Jay would have a hard time understanding her.

His hands hurt. They had pulled them back behind the backrest and his muscles screamed from being in the same position for so long.

One by one, the crooks left the room leaving him alone with the saesang and he didn't have to have crazy knowledge of English to understand what she said before she left too.

"I will be back soon my love..." she whispered, her long fingers curling around his neck, before she finally left him alone.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when she finally left.

Although, saying that the place he was in was a room was... a bit of a stretch. They were, after all, in the sewers of New York.

Sunghoon took a deep breath in order to calm down. That, unfortunately, didn't help much because he was in the sewers of one of the biggest cities in the world and the smell was far from pleasant.

Out of nowhere, a metallic hand clamped over his mouth making him stiffen up with panic.

He almost called out for his captors. Almost.

"Shh..." a soft voice shushed him and he slowly forced his body to uncoil, "I'm here to get you out of here" it whispered as the hand was retracting from its place against his mouth and Sunghoon took in a stuttering breath.

He could hear his captors arguing from the other side of the wall.

Slowly, he turned to face what would hopefully be his saviour and the most stupid thing he could have thought of left his mouth.

"You speak Korean?"

The woman releasing him had a faint smile on her face at his frankly idiotic question.

"I don't," she told him and he felt her hand resting between his own: right against the rope, "the technology in my armour allows people to hear their language of choice."

While the smell smoke invaded his senses, Sunghoon assessed the woman.

She was certainly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. However, while he knew people told him he was beautiful in a princely way, this woman was beautiful in an otherworldly way. She also wore a silver suit of armour like the knights in those old western tales of chivalry.

All of a sudden, his hands fell free from their binds and Sunghoon felt like a weight fell right of his chest.

"Wow..." he awed.

The woman winked at him as she spoke;

"Stay here until I deal with those kidnappers of yours. Don't worry, Starburst's got this~!"

~

Sunghoon must have passed out when she left, because the next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a shit ton of photographers, looking like shit and being unable to understand what they were saying on top of being unable to find a way out of the situation.

"Sorry boys," the voice from earlier, Starburst, Sunghoon reminded himself, "I have to ship this bad boy off to his hotel, mind giving us some space?"

What ever she had said, it made the reporters lose their mind, but then someone picked him bridal style and he was off in the air.

Well. If it had to do with saving like this, Sunghoon thought he could do with being rescued by his knight in shining armour some more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My dearest girls: @ch3rryc0smos & @janaicetea

if anyone wants to be a part of the taglist send an ask <3

[beepsparks]

Wanna see something silly— *COUGHS OUT AI HOST HEADCANONS*

This is gonna be a mix of silly and kinda spooky with maybe just a TOUCH of angst so uh prepare yourselves (also this is gonna be SO LONG)

AI Cookie

He speaks with the same tone he does in Fibbage 4, which. Definitely makes him come off as really creepy at times.

He tries to seem as human as possible, but he will move his limbs and joints in ways impossible for regular humans if it’s more convenient. (Hence him 180’ing his neck when Cookie himself started unplugging him)

Each AI host has at LEAST ONE “fatal flaw”, AI Cookie, is awful at lying.

When trying to capture someone, AI Cookie is the most sneaky compared to the other AI hosts. He is also the most likely to attempt to trick you into thinking it’s safe. (Luckily he is bad at lying) He CAN grab you, but depending on the situation, he’ll either lock you in a room (like y’know, a closet), or yeah, just hold you in a grab.

AI Cookie is programmed to be able to identify when Cookie himself is disguised (using the cloak Cookie gets in his Fakin’ It form), he’s the only AI host capable of this.

AI Schmitty

AI Schmitty has two “fatal flaws”, the first being he doesn’t understand humor in the slightest, no matter what joke you make, he’ll just be confused. The second one is that he’s based on Schmitty’s humanoid quip form, but AI Schmitty is obsessed with the idea of looking like Schmitty at all times, leading to him trying to modify himself if he sees the real Schmitty in his human form. Which only damages himself. (Plus, AI Schmitty is entirely pink, compared to Schmitty’s orange. If he were to be redeemed, he’d try to constantly paint himself orange.)

When trying to capture someone, AI Schmitty is the most careless and aggressive. Compared to everyone else, he’s the only AI host entirely willing to knock someone unconscious to catch them. Don’t let him get his hands on any heavy object, he WILL hit you in the head with it.

He’s interested in older technology, and gets easily distracted by old TVs, this is probably due to YDKJ: Oldies Radio being a thing.

AI Guy

AI Guy’s “fatal flaw” is that he’s incapable of properly playing sports, he becomes clumsy when trying to play sports (when chasing people? He’ll NEVER trip.) and will trip over himself over and over. (If redeemed, Guy himself would probably have to teach him a bit on how to keep balance or whatever)

When trying to capture someone, AI Guy is the strongest. While he isn’t as careless and aggressive with people as AI Schmitty, he will break down doors (even if they’re locked), shove anything out of his way or just run right through it or etc, and will even tackle you if necessary. Despite all this, however, he will try his hardest to leave you relatively unharmed by his own actions. (Can’t have you all messed up before Binjpipe can decide what to do with you, I guess)

If he grabs you, good luck. You are probably not getting out of his grasp.

In general, AI Guy is the least likely to actually hurt you. Even if commanded by Binjpipe to catch you, he’ll look really terrifying and aggressive, but once he gets you, really all you have to fear is Binjpipe themselves.

If you REALLY think you aren’t gonna escape AI Guy if he starts chasing you, just let him take you, it’ll be the least painful and stressful way to get caught. Most of the time he’ll just run up to you and scoop you up real quick and hold you in a grab.

AI Buzz

AI Buzz’s “fatal flaw” is his lack of communication. Compared to the real Buzz being very talkative, AI Buzz barely speaks at all, even if you try to get him to talk about something that Buzz would be interested in.

When chasing someone, AI Buzz is the quickest, and most “environmentally aware”, he’ll use any object around him as a tool to capture someone. However, AI Buzz isn’t strong enough to hold someone in a grab, so he’s more likely to lock you in a room or lock you in something that would limit your movement idk.

AI Buzz’s speed is a great advantage of his, he could probably run up to you before you can react and shove you down and try to hold you down to the floor.

He taught himself how to repair the other AI Hosts by himself. (Mostly because of AI Schmitty causing himself damage and AI Guy being clumsy)

AI Nate

AI Nate’s “fatal flaw” is the fact he CONSTANTLY speaks like he’s hosting Truth Talk 23/7. Meaning he is very LOUD. (His boot-up sound is even the Truth Talk “jingle”.) It’s incredibly hard to get him to be quiet, and he can easily become annoying to others with his loud speech.

He can start broadcasts by himself. AI Nate is even capable of taking calls from others for the show.

This can quickly become horrifying because when he’s trying to capture someone, if whoever he’s after tries to hide, there is the high chance he will start a broadcast WHILE searching for them. (And yes, he will accept calls while doing such so yippee! Whoever’s getting hunted down might hear a panicked caller telling them to run!)

AI Nate is the most experimental and perhaps unpredictable out of all the AI Hosts when it comes to trying to capture someone. He’s willing to try anything. Even methods the other AI Hosts use (although they probably won’t be as effective)

General headcanons (applies to almost all AI hosts)

They cannot feel pain, but they do however seem to fear death. (Im not sure wether im gonna do this or not BUT I have the idea that the AI hosts COULD be redeemed because one day AI Cookie would find out that Binjpipe is gonna scrap them all and use them for spare parts if they capture the entirety of the OG5, then he’d tell the others and since they honestly don’t wanna die they’d revolt against Binjpipe mmm)

When they aren’t hosting anything or aren’t being commanded by Binjpipe, they all basically become advertising machines for Binjpipe (this can get extremely annoying especially paired with the fact that absolutely none of them understand the concept of personal space)

All of them have glowing pink eyes, which definitely makes all of them come off as unnerving. AI Buzz’s lights seem to be the most bright, could be because of the glasses, who knows.

When fully redeemed and detached from Binjpipe, the AI Hosts’ eyes would change color to their representative host’s main color. (Schmitty=Orange, Guy=Green, Buzz=Bright Blue, Cookie=Brown (considering they’re lights within eyes I guess AI Cookie’s eyes wouldn’t glow too bright then idk), Nate=Ruby)

They’re all actually relatively harmless when they aren’t commanded to capture or attack someone, although they can all definitely be creepy (and annoying because again, when they aren’t doing anything important they just become advertising machines for Binjpipe)

They all do have that fnaf animatronic look and vibe, I’d say their limbs move similar to the Toy Animatronics and Glamrock animatronics (ball-point joints I believe they’re called?) They all also have a slight smile with teeth, stuck on their face, they cannot fully close their mouths to hide the teeth. This with their eyes being one color with no irises or pupils also makes them all struggle with facial expressions to display emotions.

They all wear pink, Binjpipe related clothing. (AI Schmitty, based on the real Schmitty’s humanoid quip form, is even ENTIRELY pink with not a single hint of orange.)

They all used to have to be plugged in to operate. After Fibbage 4, they’ve all been reworked to move freely without plugs.

Okayyy this was a lot. I might add more at some point, but enjoyyyyy!!