#alternatively he could actually “attack” with whatever he has left

[justletmeon12]

Thing that Definitely Isn't Going to Happen That'd Be Cool to See

So, whoever Alastor's puppetmaster is (probably almost definitely Lilith) is going to attack the hotel and/or Lucifer and Charlie, which means he's going to have to fight everyone. He knows this, and Nifty and Husk know this, but all anyone else knows is that some enemy's going to attack. Nifty and Husk want to defend the hotel, but they know that if Alastor has to fight, they'll have to fight for him.

Now, Alastor doesn't like Charlie or his servants or want redemption or anything, but he does want to fuck this person over for controlling him.

So, he offers Nifty and Husk some modifications to their contracts. Specifically, he gives each of them a lot more of his power and a lot more freedom to do as they will (basically, he can't order them to fight for him), with the "catch" that he can take the extra power back whenever he wants or if their contracts are broken, plus they can't talk about the deal or why it happened. It's an obvious win for both of them, so they do it.

Leading up to the fight, Alastor lets Charlie know he'll be calling in his favor: he simply has to do his radio show on time today, and he'd appreciate it if she could make sure he makes it no matter what happens.

Cut to whatever battle happens. Alastor pops up, the villain gives some kind of dramatic monologue about how their precious little puppet will destroy them all, reveals his chain to the horror of all, and commands him to attack with all he's got... Only for him to have jack.

He politely explains that, while he knows it's rude, he's "regifted" their power.

While Charlie, Vaggie, Angel, and Lucifer are still picking their jaws off the floor, this person starts wiping the floor with him and Husk and Nifty leap into action with suspiciously-familiar powers. And because Alastor signed them away, they aren't "his," so unless his mysterious benefactor knows exactly how to make him reclaim them, he won't take them back.

Then Charlie realizes that his "little favor" was a cute way of telling her to literally save his ass and get him away from the battle back to his (presumably somehow safer) radio tower.

[doitforbangchan]

All Bark and No Bite 08

Another early chapter to celebrate my birthday 🥳 i am now a 25 year old child 👧 please enjoy and let me know what you think 💕

Masterlist

Series masterlist

Chan x reader (y/n) x ot8

ABO!Nonidol!SKZ Alternate Universe

Previous - Next

Series Warnings: Fem reader, Smut, verryyyy nsfw, chan x reader, OT8 x reader, A/B/O, m/m/f smut, possessive! SKZ, possessive! Reader, anxiety and depression, reader is a CRYBABY, fluff, angst, virgin!reader,  cursing, violence, pet names, dom/sub dynamics, Sub reader x mostly dom SKZ, misogyny and sexism, Ateez are depicted as terrible people (sorry Atiny!) 

Chapter Warnings: Smut, oral (f receiving), fingering, Hard dom! Chan, suggestive, kissing, dirty thoughts, cursing, fluff, mild dissociation, traditional gender roles, crying (as usual)

WC: 4.1k

MDNI 18+

Hyunjin could, in fact, carry you up two flights of stairs. Now you know better than to doubt his physical prowess. It seemed almost effortless to him to make the trek up with you on his back. The whole time he had you hoisted up you were able to see the muscles in his arms rippling. 

It honestly made you see him in a different light. You had thought he was an attractive man- of course you did- but knowing how strong he was… It made you want to ravish him. See what other muscles he has hidden from you. 

Good thing you were behind him or he would be able to see the gears turning in your mind and the flush in your cheeks. 

He took you right to the closed door of your room. It was concealing whatever your ‘surprise’ was. Hyunjin gently set you down on your shaky legs, grabbing your hand once your feet touched the floor. He lifted your hand up to his mouth, placing a kiss to your palm, then leaning in close as if he was going to kiss you. Your heart was thumping out of your chest, anticipating his next move. Instead he only kissed your cheek and whispered smugly, “Don't ever doubt me again, Baby.”

You had a look of ‘wtf’ on your face but he just ignored it, choosing to turn on his heels and head back down the steps. 

Before he went down he turned to you one last time. 

“Oh, the surprise is from Min.” With that he gave you a wink and descended the steps. 

From Minho? That felt slightly odd to you. You had gotten a feeling the beta didn’t care for you much, but maybe you were wrong. Maybe it just took him a minute to warm up to someone. Either way you weren't going to dwell on it, he had gotten you a surprise after all. 

Opening the door to your room you saw many bags sitting on your bed. Not just any bags, they were bags from Euns shop! Walking into your room and closer to the bags you noticed that there were many more than the 5 bags you had before your.. Mishap. There now appeared to be at least 10 bags. 

‘Did Minho get me more clothes?’ You wondered, suddenly overcome with gratitude. While you loved wearing your alphas clothes it would be nice to have some of your own, especially after Chan had literally destroyed your original outfit. You looked through the items left for you, and half of them you definitely didn't pick, but you loved each thing he had grabbed for you. You had been so worried when you were shopping that you would spend too much money, that you didn’t get all the things you had wanted. Looks like Minho paid you great attention though because he had picked things you had desperately wanted. So many pretty dresses and sets. And lingerie? 

Looking at the matching bra and panty sets you just knew there was a dark red blush on your cheeks. What was new though. There were also a few strappy numbers you would usually be way too shy to buy for yourself. It made you remember that you were expected to be shared amongst the pack. 

‘Did Minho want to see me in these racy outfits?’ You might actually have a heart attack at the thought. 

After looking through each bag you sped yourself down the stairs to find Minho. You went down to the second floor where you remembered his room being, finding the door open and him not there. 

You did take a moment to peer inside, though. His room was decorated in deep purples, and had a thick shag rug that almost surrounded the entire room. The space felt very mature and had a lingering scent of the beta. 

Your eyes were starting to close at the intense smell of him, a musky spice that was almost intoxicating. You snapped yourself out of it before you fell too deep into a subspace. No time for that you were on a mission! Next stop was the kitchen. 

You barreled down the next flight of steps, almost tumbling a few times due to your still weak legs, and onto the main floor. You could hear a few soft voices coming from the living room but none sounded like the man you were after. There was a smell of something cooking coming from the kitchen, and when you stepped into the large room there was Minho. He was there stirring some vegetables on the stove. 

He seemed to have heard you enter but before he could greet you, you launched yourself at him pulling him into a hug and smothering your face against his shirt. He seemed stunned for a moment- putting his hands in the air like he was afraid to touch you. It took him a second before he felt himself relax in your hold. 

“Fank you fo the clofes” Your words were almost incoherent against him but he managed to understand. With one hand he patted your head while the other leaned past you and continued stirring the food he was preparing. 

“You needed them. It’s no big deal.” He responded evenly, as if his heart wasn’t beating wildly. 

You pulled back from him with those signature tears “No big deal? Of course it is! You went out of your way for me! And got me even more! I am so grateful to you Minho! I don’t know how to thank you for your kindness.” 

He gave you a small smirk, “You know how you can thank me?” You looked at him with hopeful eyes, shaking your head no. 

“Wipe those pretty tears off your face.” He responded with a small pat to your cheek before turning his attention back to the food. 

You sniffled one more time before nodding and using your palms to wipe your face. It was then that your omega brain noticed he was cooking. That was your job! 

“What are you doing?” You demanded. “I’m supposed to be cooking for you!” You then tried to shove him out of the way but he wasn’t budging. He was surprisingly sturdy. All he did was laugh in response. 

Your lips curled into a pout and you crossed your arms angrily, giving him your best evil eye. It did not phase him at all, instead he just laughed again shaking his head and continuing to cook. You wouldn’t give in though! If the glare wouldn’t work you would try being sweet. 

Unfolding your arms you clasped your hands out in front of you and gave him your best puppy dog pout. 

“Please Min.” You stepped closer to him and rested your head against his shoulder. “It makes me feel useless if I can’t provide something for you guys.” 

Minho felt himself tense up when you touched him again. For some reason your touch was making him nervous. That is until he registered your words.He turned to you with a sternness on his face. 

“Don’t say that.” His voice was borderline harsh. You looked up at him shocked when you heard it. He continued a little softer after seeing your expression, “ You’re not useless, you provide enough” 

‘Or you're going to start soon enough.’ He thought to himself. 

“I like cooking, it's calming to me. If you really want we can split it up and I’ll let you make breakfasts and the occasional dinner.” 

Your eyes shined at the prospect of being allowed to contribute, nodding your head rapidly. You would take anything you could get. “Yes! Thank you Minho!” You hugged him again quickly before skipping out of the kitchen, happy with the agreement. 

The beta called out after you “Tell everyone 5 minutes til’ dinner!” 

“You got it!” 

Wandering back into the living room Felix and Jisung were still lazily strewn on the loveseat but now Changbin and Jeongin were also in there, the group playing Mario kart on the switch that was hooked up to the tv. You stood in the entryway for a moment watching them play. 

It brought back memories of you playing games with your siblings, back when things were simpler. It felt like they were, anyway. You had a pretty normal childhood all things considered. You had a good relationship with your siblings, you had friends, you were doing well in school- fuck, you were even planning on going to college to become a zoologist. You were happy. 

That all changed for you the second you turned 16, when you presented as an omega and had to forget about ever having a normal life. 

You must have been stuck pretty far in your own mind because you didn’t hear Changbin calling your name until he touched your arm in concern. 

“Huh?” You asked as you snapped out of it. 

The alpha had a look of worry etched on his face, “You’ve been standing there in a daze for a few minutes, Baby. Are you ok?” His rough hand cupped your cheek and you leaned into it comfortingly. 

You nodded, “Mmhmm. Sorry, just thinking.” Then you looked past him at everyone in the room, “Minho said dinner was about done.” As you said Changbins stomach let out a loud gurgle, causing the other boys present to burst into chuckles. 

Changbin released your face with a wide grin, “Why didn’t you say so!” Then he cupped his hands over his mouth to project into the entire house. 

“DINNER TIME EVERYONE!” 

You giggled at his antics and everyone made their way into the dining room to enjoy a meal together.

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

Dinner was a quieter affair, it seems like everyone was still mellowed out since the joint nap you all took, the tiredness still present. That's not to say it wasn't full of jokes, that will never stop. By the time you had all eaten and cleaned up it was now quite dark outside, the light completely disappearing behind the mountains. 

Even though you slept away most of the day you could still feel the drowsiness behind your eyes. You were sitting in Chan's lap with your head resting against his chest while he joked with the other guys, the tv on in the background but no one was paying any attention to it. 

Your alpha had his hand on your thigh, rubbing slow circles into your warm skin. He could sense you slipping away every now and again, and had decided it was time to take you to bed. You had a big day tomorrow, anyways. 

“Are you ready for bed, omega?” He whispered against your hair, placing a kiss there. 

You gave him a slow nod, “Mmhmm.” He scooped you up into his arms and stood from where you were both seated on the recliner. 

“Say goodnight to the boys, baby.” 

You lightly lifted your hand and gave them a wave, “Goodnight boys.” 

“Goodnight, Baby!” They chorused, with Jisung adding in a little “I’ll miss you!” there at the end.

The tired giggle you let out almost made their hearts stop beating. It was so cute. “Miss you too Ji.”   

Chan carried you up the stairs and into his room where he set you gently in his bed. You immediately nuzzled yourself into his comforter. He spoke softly to you, “Before you fall asleep there's something we have to talk about, Baby.” 

There was a sudden inkling of anxiety in your stomach. Have you done something wrong? Were you being too much? What if he- You were brought out of your thoughts by Chan placing a chaste kiss on your mouth. 

“I can almost see your brain running a million miles an hour, nothing is wrong Omega.” You felt yourself relax at his reassurance. “I was actually going to check in with you, about how you are feeling about the pack. And about what we had discussed a few days ago.” His hands were back on your thighs,  the heat of his strong hands igniting something inside of you. “The other boys are quite fond of you, you know that baby?” He was staring deep into your eyes, smirking as if he could see how his hands were making you feel. 

“I-I like them too.” You stuttered. you kept your answer vague, scared if you revealed how they make you truly feel it would upset the Alpha. 

He hummed, his hands hiking up even higher-inching closer and closer to your core. He paused his movements, “ How much do you like them, my love? Do you like them enough to let them touch you like this?” 

You were apprehensive to answer him, so he pressed further. “You know, if you're worried I’d be mad or jealous, that’s not something you have to be concerned about. In fact, I would prefer it if you wanted them like they want you.” He smirked at the hitch in your breath. 

“And how do they want me, Alpha?”  The words were almost a whisper as they left you, your tone breathy. 

Chan let out a purr, “ They want you in all the ways I do.” His hands inched up ever closer but still not reaching. He leaned in close, his mouth almost on yours. 

“Will you let them have you? Will you be a good omega and please your pack?” 

The hesitancy was gone from you as you rapidly nodded at his questions, desperate for him. 

“Yes Alpha. They can have all of me. Whatever they want I will give to them.” 

“Good girl.” He praised, slotting his mouth over yours and finally letting his fingers find your core. The rough pads of his fingertips lightly rubbed over your (his) underwear, feeling the accumulating wetness that was making a dark spot. You let out a stuttering moan at his touch, hips instinctually raising to meet the touch. 

He hummed, grinning devilishly “ Does my sweet omega like that?” He pressed harder against your pussy, pushing the fabric between your folds. 

Nodding quickly you responded “Yes Alpha.” 

Chan then placed his lips back on yours, his hand pulling away and finding the band of the underwear. He hooked his thumbs under each side and slowly dragged the garment down your thighs, his tongue running along the inside of your lips begging for entrance. You gave it to him gladly. 

Once he had completely pulled the boxers from you he pulled his lips back slightly, still touching but not kissing. “You’re still too sore to take me, but I just have to reward my baby for being such a good girl.” His lips starting trailing wet kisses down your throat and continuing down your stomach where he lifted his shirt to reveal your breasts to him. 

You were squirming in at his touch, eager to feel his mouth on you where you needed him most. 

The alpha settled himself between your legs, spreading your thighs to make room for him. You were absolutely leaking. The crystalline liquid drips out of you causing the room to fill with the scent of you. 

“Who made you like this, Baby?” He asked in between sloppy kisses to your thighs. 

“Yo-you did, alpha.” You responded, panting in anticipation. 

“Hmmm just me?” His eyes found yours, as if challenging your words. “ Are you sure about that?”

You paused, trying to find an answer. “Umm..” 

He nipped at your soft thigh skin, leaving a red mark in his wake. “ You can be honest with me, omega. Have you thought about any of the other boys this way? Thought about any of them putting their mouths on your wet little pussy?” His tongue stuck out and he gave your clit a teasing lick. 

“Alpha please.” There was no way you could answer that. You were too mortified at the prospect. 

He growled at your avoidance “ Answer me, omega. You will get nothing if you don’t tell me what I want to hear. Do you think about them eating you like this?” He gave you another bite on the opposite side. 

“Yes!” You couldn’t take it anymore. Morals be damned. “Yes, Alpha I have. m’ sorry!” Hands gripping the sheets below you. 

At your honesty Chan licked a long strip starting at your hole up to your clit. The moan you let out was otherworldly, your hands finding his dark hair and yanking on the strands. 

You tasted divine. Like the sweetest nectar from the ripest fruits. Chan felt his eyes roll to the back of his head at the taste. 

“Please, alpha.” You begged, wanting- needing - to feel him again. At your pleads he dove into you, his tongue shoving its way into you looking for more of your sweetness. His lips found the little bundle of nerves and wrapped around it giving it a harsh suck. 

“FUCK!” You bucked your hips, shoving him further into your pussy. 

In retaliation he nipped at your clit and let out a deep growl, a glare in his eyes as they found yours. “Stay still or I will stop and leave you here with nothing. Do you understand me?” 

You let out a quiet “Mmhmm” and his fingers came up to replace his mouth, rubbing tight circles on you. 

“Tell me who you’ve thought about this with, baby?” 

Your own hands left his hair and covered your face in embarrassment. “I can’t. It’s too much.” 

Chans other hand that wasn't on your core reached up and roughly yanked your hands from your face, him now gripping the underside of your chin to turn your head to face him. Your eyes now locked on his as if he was seeing into your soul looking for answers. 

“You will tell me, omega.” He was using an alpha command on you, since you were bonded to him you couldn’t refuse no matter how much you wanted too. 

“Jisung.” You cried. “Was t-thinking about it earlier, Alpha.” More slick was leaking out of you at your admittance. This display of dominance shouldn’t turn you on as much as it does. 

Chan gave you that predatory grin, pleased with your answer. “Sungie huh? How did 

I know it was gonna be him. Good omega.” 

He returned his mouth to you, this time with renewed vigor. His finger found its way inside of you, rubbing your walls with the calloused digit while his lips sucked you into the next dimension. 

You were squealing and moaning, unable to contain the animalistic sounds that escaped you. The knot in your stomach was starting to form, all you needed was one push and you would be a goner. As if he could sense it, Chan slipped another finger inside of you causing you to topple over the edge. 

You came with a long drawn out moan, Chan not letting up for even a second until your convulsions ceased. He wanted to drain you dry and that's what he had done. 

Once you stopped shaking and were finally able to catch your breath Chan pulled away from you-  his face soaked with your essence. “You taste so good, omega.” His fingers slipped out of you and he lifted them to your mouth. “Go on, taste yourself.” He urged. Your mouth opened wide enough for him to stick the digits in. Your tongue swirled around them, collecting the wetness. He couldn't help himself, he shoved his fingers further down your throat holding them there while you gagged around him. You didn’t fight him though, and just let him do whatever he pleased with you, like the good little doll you were. 

Chan pressed a sweet peck to your stomach before  removing his fingers from your mouth and crawling up to be face to face with you. When he was at eye level you grabbed him forcefully, connecting your lips with him and tasting more of your juices that lingered on his mouth. 

He was the first to pull away after a few seconds, nuzzling your noses together and just breathing each other in. 

“You did so good for me, baby. Thank you for being honest with me.” He was running his hands softly along your sides. 

“You’re welcome alpha.” You responded quietly. “You’re not mad are you?” 

He would have scoffed if you weren't so fragile right now. 

“No baby of course not. It makes me happy you want him like that.” 

Your shining eyes looked hopeful, “It does?” 

“Mmm yes baby. You are theirs just as you are mine. Soon you’ll come to see it that way too.” You nodded at his words, the exhaustion now taking over. “Let's get you tucked in. You have a big day tomorrow. We have a few things to do in town tomorrow.” You nodded once more and let him tuck you in under his blankets. He placed a delicate smooch on your lips then forehead, and you were out like a light. 

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

Once you were asleep Chan sent a group text for a pack meeting out on the back patio. It was a warm night and he didn’t need you snooping in on this conversation if you were to wake up. He watched you slumber for a moment, taking in your peaceful features. He really did feel so lucky to have you. Everyday you proved yourself to be his dream girl. 

He gave it another moment then made his way down the steps and outside where the other members were waiting for him, lounging on the outside furniture.A few of them gave the elder sly smiles, they could all hear exactly what the alpha had just been doing with you. Chan just rolled his eyes and smirked at their looks. 

 Chan took a seat on the ottoman by the sliding door, “Alright, I was wondering if anyone had any more problems we need to work through.” He scanned everyone's faces, “ I know it hasn’t been the smoothest of sailing the last few days but I think from here on out it will be better for everyone.” There were nods of agreement at his words. 

Changbin was the first to speak, “How is she settling in? I hope we haven't been too.. Abrasive.”

Seungmin snorted, “That's rich coming from you.”

The alpha looked at him incredulously, “I am not that bad! Not as bad as your other fellow betas!” and pointed to Felix, Jisung and Hyunjin who all looked at him in disbelief at being called out. 

“Hey, that's not fair! We’re a sensitive bunch and she's a sensitive girl! She needs us!” Hyunjin protested, the other two nodding furiously in agreement. 

“Yeah she likes our kisses!” Jisung chimed in, then looked to Chan for confirmation. “Right hyung?”

“That’s another reason I wanted to call you all out here. Turns out she’s not as innocent as she lets on. She’s been having quite naughty thoughts about you boys.” Chan's smirk never left his face as he spoke. He watched each one of them have a reaction at his words. 

Jeongin sputtered out “Is-is that okay with you Chan?” He was nervous his leader would change his mind and now be mad about it. 

“Oh more than ok Innie.” Chan reassured him. “I have a feeling soon enough our little omega is going to be pretty insatiable and to be honest it would be a lot easier for me to have others to help take care of her needs. I mean, fuck, especially during her next heat it will be nice to have some help. My dick is still raw from that little minx.” 

There was a collective groan at the prospect. They would have given anything to be there for the first one. 

“While we’re talking about it there are a few things i want to discuss. As far as a claiming bite goes, it would be ok with me if you did bite her. Just not on the neck. And no cumming in her until we get her on some non-harmful birth control. I’d like to have time with her before we bring kids into the equation.”

They all nodded in understanding, agreeing with the alpha.

“Has she said who she's thought about, Channie?” Felix questioned with a dark flush on his face. 

Chan tosses his head back and forth as if pondering the question, before answering teasingly “I may have gotten one out of her.” The beta looked hopeful. “Buuuuut I think I’ll let you guys figure it out.” 

Felix pouted, crossing his arms. Minho was sat next to him and pinched his cheek, cooing at the younger beta. 

“Aww lixie don’t pout. You know it's probably you.” 

The red in Felixs’ cheeks darkened even more as he smacked Minhos hand away. 

“I think it’s me!” Changbin boasted 

“Nah, you should have seen her face after I carried her up the stairs earlier. Gotta be me.” Hyunjin said convincingly. 

 The boys just went back and forth, all trying to figure out who is the first one to catch your attention, not knowing it was literally all of them. 

It was pure entertainment for Chan and Minho as they watched the others bicker. 

Comments and reblogs are very much appreciated!

©doitforbangchan

Tags - Closed

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[hell2gay]

Imagine if Angel Dust’s resentment (?) of Sir Pentious persisted through the show beyond episode 2 & 3. If Cherri were introduced earlier (say episode 4) and we saw her an Angel hanging out. Angel complains about Pentious to her, wishing he’d leave to who fucking cares where because if Pent stays around and actually does the things Charlie expects, it puts pressure on Angel to do more or face eviction. Even when Sir Pentious isn’t doing the exercises Angel is antagonistic toward him or just refuses to engage, leaving where possible. 

Then in episode 6 where Cherri takes the gang to a bar, she gets to meet the snake for herself. And she finally pieces together that the snake she blows up every week is Sir Pentious (building upon the same joke with Alastor vs Pentious; alternatively she could know the whole time). She’s hostile and aloof to him, a mix of her experiences and Angel’s influencing. But she caves to his attempts at talking, he’s so pathetic she might as well throw him a bone. And it’s not bad. He’s kinda funny and likes talking about his eggboiz and his airship and— no dude i can destroy it every time because you don’t fortify the right bits, use angelic steel, might take a while to get enough but it’ll make you the most powerful snake of the skies, nothing’ll take ya down! I’ll help you if you get enough. It’d be fun to see how that thing ticks when it’s intact.

And Angel sees. Sees that Cherri is talking and smiling and laughing and there’re no explosions. His best friend’s getting along with him. Huh. Oh Nifty no—

Episode 7. While Charlie, Alastor, and Vaggie are out doing what they do, the rest do the preparations or whatever. By this point Pentious has gotten the hint with Angel and acts as coldly to him as he’s been treated. Or tries to, he’s still so obviously forcing himself to not apologise and is giving Angel any chance to leave he can. But he doesn’t. Cherri told me about your egg things. How’d those things come to be then, eh?

They genuinely enjoy the last night in the hotel before the battle. No one notices how Angel’s been nursing his drink all night, prioritising sharing stories and jokes with Pentious and Husker when he joins. 

Then the battle starts. Pentious goes to attack the enemy’s leader directly. Adam responds with an angelic beam. And Pentious is no more. He left the Hotel at least, hey? The same snake of a man who joined as an act for his own gain… The snake of a man who tried to bug the place for someone else! Who joined the hotel after being sincerely sorry for his duplicity… The snake of a man who… was a good person…

[pedge-stuff]

Fic request: Pedro or reader has an intense panic attack in a public. Reader has to talk him through it and calm him down enough so they can leave the event. Holding each other in bed.

clean up, aisle 4 (pedro pascal x gn/m!reader)

a/n: same vague universe as “marked," per usual.

thanks, as always, for everything.

summary: sometimes, you deal with the downsides.

——————————————————————————

"I feel like we tried this and didn't like it."

Pedro inspects the back label on the box— some kinda chickpea flour protein pasta 'alternative' that came less-than-highly recommended by his personal trainer— before re-shelving it alongside the other sad, fake noodles.

The grocery store has become a little bit of a minefield. Gladiator 2 prep was exciting, until the rigorous hours in the gym started requiring a specialized diet. He can't eat carbs, you don't eat meat, both of you love frozen pizza, and neither of you really want to participate in the whole classic disordered Hollywood eating thing. And yet, here you are.

Home-cooked meals have consisted mostly of roasted vegetables and dry, baked proteins. You're attempting to eat "clean" in solidarity with him, but...

"We don't need pasta," Pedro laments, turning away from the shelving altogether. "What's left?"

You pull the notes-app list back up. "Whatever kind of frozen fruit you want for smoothies, plus pitted dates. I'd love those wasabi almonds from last month, but I dunno if they have them again. We could get Skinny Pop, if you want it?"

A grimace. "That's fine."

"We don't have to get it, Pedge."

"It's fine, really. We need something for the movie tonight, right?"

His shoulders slump as he pushes the cart onwards. The back right wheel is making a little squeaking sound, sharp and grating on your last damn nerve. This grocery store feels more and more like a minefield with every aisle turn. The balance between supporting Pedro in his training, and wanting him to just say fuck it and be happy, feels entirely precarious.

"Almonds," Pedro mutters, veering right, around an obnoxiously large Goldfish display and the toddler sobbing loudly in front of it. An obstacle course of bright lights and loud sounds. "Almonds, almonds—"

"Ohmygod, Pedro Pascal."

Immediately, no. Two college-aged, tri delta-looking, fresh-from-the-salon type girls, grinning like they'd won the damn lottery. Fans— no one he actually knows says "Pay-drow."

The wheel squeaks again as they grind to a forceful halt; the girls are standing directly in the path of the cart.

"Should we ask for a picture?" They speak at full volume, to each other, as if he isn't standing right in front of them.

"We have to, for the gram. Oh my god."

"Maybe Deuxmoi will pick it up."

Pedro grimaces as they start rummaging for their phones. He's always generous with his time— sometimes a little too generous, so concerned with hurting peoples' feelings that he'll take selfies through the drive-thru window, or walking the dogs. Even one memorable time, pumping gas.

Only at night, lights off, tucked away, does he ever confess his frustrations. As though he should not want privacy; as though being grateful was more important than being safe. Guilt eats him in ways that you alone cannot heal. All you can do is hold him a little tighter.

A phone is thrust towards you. "Can you take a picture of us?"

Before either of you can react, one girl has her arm over Pedro's shoulder. The other, on his waist. He's never been one to shy away from affection— had been pushing the cart single-handedly, with the other on the small of your back, since the dairy section— but that intimacy does not extend to strangers.

They are laughing, chattering— something about Game of Thrones. You distinctly make out so sexy and slay.

But you hardly register them, instead frowning at your partner as you snap a couple pics without looking. He is frozen, eyes fixed somewhere past you, though he offers a wan smile for the camera. Answers a question you can't hear with a half-hearted laugh, before gesturing to the next aisle. A polite gesture, too far from the fuck off on the tip of your tongue.

Pedro attempts to move away, but the girl's arm is still snaked around his waist. Trapped. She reaches to wrap the other around, attempting to encircle him in a teddy bear-style hug. This, here, is the limit.

With a rough, jerky motion, he forces her off of him. "Sorry, sorry," he says quickly. "We need to go."

"But—"

If you push the cart, and it happens to roll over a perfectly manicured foot, well...

Pedro is a few paces ahead of you, stalking towards the almonds like they owe him a grave debt. His fists clench and unclench at his side.

Not good.

His tells for a panic attack are well-catalogued in your brain. You push the cart to one side, mouthing an apology to the man you almost plow down, before approaching Pedro with caution. His chest heaves as he frowns at the Blue Diamond display, breaths noticeably shallow.

"Pedro." Fighting muscle memory, you don't touch him. Don't want to startle him, though concern burns a hole in your own diaphragm.

"Mm."

"Baby, look at me."

His eyes squeeze shut, instead. "I'm good. I'm good."

"Why don't you go to the car, I'll finish up quick."

"I'm good," he insists, voice cracking.

"It's OK if you're not good."

A hitch in his breath, and Pedro's face crumbles. "Just startled me, is all," he whispers, brown eyes pooling remorsefully. "So stupid. Can't even make it through the fucking supermarket to get my fucking fruits and veggies."

You reach for his hand, lithe fingers prying his clench fist apart. Soothe the red-crescent divots in his palm with the pad of your thumb. Wait for him to continue, as if you're not both standing in the middle of the nuts-candy-and-coffee section.

"Everything is just a lot right now," Pedro says, dragging in a shaky but deeper inhale. His other hand swipes across his cheek.

Mentally, you catalogue how difficult it would be to return the items in your cart; how fast you could retrace your steps, and rush the man home.

You bring his palm to your lips, instead. "Go take a smoke," you suggest. "And then we can get the fuck outta here."

"Someone's gonna post it online again. Everyone's talking about how I reek of cigarettes."

"You have reeked of cigarettes as long as I've known you. They are late to this." Tugging playfully on the hand you still hold, you wait for him to crack the barest, thinest of smiles.

"You still love me, though."

"Enough to fight off anyone else who tries to dry-hump you in this Whole Foods."

Slowly, you both retreat to the abandoned cart. "Can we—" Pedro stops himself, unsure of how to ask.

"Whatever it is, babe, yes."

He pushes forward. "What if I was asking if we could get naked right now and run through the supermarket parking lot so people would think we were crazy and leave us alone forever?"

"Then I'd start untying my shoes. It'd be hard to pull my jeans over 'em."

The wasabi almonds are, finally, pulled from the shelf. You proceed to the freezers. "That's not what I was gonna ask," he admits, grabbing a bag of chunked mango.

"Bummer."

"Can we just get some normal fucking popcorn? If one night's worth of fake butter is what does me in, someone else can be the Gladiator, I give up."

For him? Anything.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Ough augh uhm uh. Any of the mandela catalogue victims (you can pick!!) with a long-distance friend reader who keeps an eye on them and opens their home up to them and their family they would want to evacuate? They just want to help in anyway they can :(

Yeah! Also in terms of "long distance" we'll say Reader lives in a different county with no Alternates or Alternate activity reported (but they're still aware of the invasion bc they keep up with the news).

......

Adam

As much as he appreciates you keeping in touch, he's dead set on staying where he is and and investigating Alternates.

He refuses to leave. Like ever.

After hearing about Jonah's death your concern over his safety only grows, and you even tell him he can bring Evelin should he change his mind-

Only to quickly learn they broke up a while ago, with him not even caring about her either..

Still, you insist that it's not too late for him to leave, though part of you fears that M.A.D already got to him (or you weren't actually speaking to Adam anymore).

His "obsession" with the Alternates has gone too far and you even threaten to drive down to Mandela yourself to convince him.

But he snaps that he doesn't want to be found by anybody before hanging up.

You haven't heard from him since, as he ignores your phone calls and PMs. You presume he's dead.

Cesar

He trusts you a lot despite the long distance and would 100% take you up on that offer.

But only if his mom is allowed to come along, of course. Though you assure him there's plenty of room for them both!

As much as he hates to leave the town and school, it's simply too dangerous for them to stay any longer.

He thought the broadcasts were just fear-mongering tactics if anything, but if you believe they're serious enough to warrant an evacuation...he'll take it seriously too

He hoped Mark would come with them, but unfortunately he doesn't trust you, an online "stranger", 100%. You understand though.

So he's left behind in Mandela.

And Vol 1 plays out as normal.

If Cesar ever learned that his friend died to an Alternate...he's gonna hold onto that guilt for a while, wishing he could have convinced him more.

Jonah

Your late night texts/calls have stopped him from having one too many panic attacks about everything that's been going on in Mandela.

He confides in you about the pressure he feels running from the law and BPS missions, and you simply listen. You reassure him he doesn't have to keep doing this.

If he ever wanted to leave, you'll let him and his dad stay with you; you give him your address and tell him just to consider it.

Let's say he survives Vol 2 by destroying the radio so Six stopped talking, before driving nonstop until he reaches your place, frantically knocking on your door.

When he finally sees you face-to-face for the first time....he immediately cries into your arms, exhausted.

It takes him a while to calm down, and even longer for him to confess that he abandoned Adam.

He's torn whether he was selfish or not for leaving, but just like always you're on Team Jonah, reassuring him that he did the right thing.

Adam, on the other hand, was like a lost cause. He could've gotten both of them killed.

Mark

Besides Cesar, you became a good friend of his despite only ever hearing your voice through calls and online chats.

You sound like a genuinely kind person, always looking out for him and up for talking into the late hours whenever he felt stressed or depressed.

When broadcasts of the Alternate invasion came out, you invited him to stay with you in your county--which was completely free of those "demons", as he called them.

He jumps at the first opportunity, not caring about school or anything anymore, packing whatever he needed.

Poor guy's far too paranoid to live in Mandela anymore.

He feels kinda awkward staying in your guest room, often asking you if it's alright for him to pray.

Whether you're religious or not, you reassure him it is. He's safe.

[melanodis]

What's the garden au tell me about it I'm intrigued

@valkyrkinnie feel free to add onto this because I'm braindead atm

just pasting the entire document here to be real

Garden of Afton au or just, "the garden", is just an excuse for every diverging continuity we make up.

The reasoning behind every continuity is that Michael is in a time loop, beginning from the moment Ennard decides to leave its flesh suit and he wakes up on that warm sidewalk.

To get out of this time loop, he's got to fix all the mess his father made by destroying every animatronic related to the incident.

If he dies, he starts over, left with only an incredible sense of unease and deja vu if he goes towards the wrong path once again.

But no matter the continuity, there's always one thing that's always there; the garden.

Before everything, the Aftons had a prize winning garden that Mrs. Afton kept up with mostly.

It's also where she and Elizabeth are buried, with Ballora burying her own corpse and the latter by William.

The garden has always existed, and will always exist no matter its dilapidation.

Commonly, Ballora will be drawn to it and will realize her identity as the late Mrs. Afton.

This all acts as an alternative to Pizzeria Sim; it never happens.

Here's where we get nightmare gas leaky. The time loop? it's fabricated.

At the end of the final, completed loop, Michael wakes up from a medically induced coma he was placed under by Henry. By Michael destroying everyone in this hyperrealistic dream, he frees them from the real world also. They agreed that this would be the end of it.

All Michael remembers is the very last loop that in his mind lasted years, when in reality it lasted about 2 months. Needless to say, he regrets ever signing those papers.

However, there were some loops where Henry seriously considered killing Michael so that he never would've known that this was just a dream.

Loops where he was finally happy. where he brought them together and made them whole. Because at least then, the end goal was still achieved; they could never hurt anyone in the real world again.

And Michael himself would finally have peace.

Michael waking up can ALSO segway into him brutally attacking Henry for this sort of torturous 2 and a half month long nightmare, with Henry agreeing to put him back under for good and they both pass on.

Which THEN segways to Michael accidentally possessing Glamrock Freddy years later while he's in the parts and services protective dome. And Gregory is playing Simon Says on his FACE.

The universe hates Michael so he exists only as a foil to his father. To clean up his mess and ultimately live in his shadow.

So if Michael is here now after dying 6 years ago... so is he.

But Henry could've never even anticipated William returning in the form of Glitchtrap.

The whole time traveling part requires Henry to die here, because then his soul is freed to literally fuck around and find out. Retaining information he's gained from different timelines and continuities, bringing them to others, trying to find *some way* to patch things up. Something typically always goes wrong, yknow butterfly effect and chaos theory bullshit. But he can dream, at least.

It all boils down to "what if he could save them all?" He can't, and he realizes this. but DAMN he will try.

The first thing he does is stop Michael from ever signing those documents. He doesn't need him anymore. There's no point in putting Michael through all that torture again.

He doesn't DESERVE any of that.

Whatever time to quantum suicide to the gay reality.

-

My favorite is when Henry shows up to Fazbear's closing in 1993 to stop William from having a workplace accident (eviscerating himself inside Springbonnie).

William being completely shell shocked because HIS Henry completely denounced ever wanting to see his face again and here he is just, nonchalantly walking up to him. Takes a drag of a cigarette and goes "yeah don't do that".

1st - The actual fear gas experimenting time loop shit. The "canon" timeline.

2nd - Michael getting trapped in The Good Timeline after Henry kills him (Michael refurbishes all the animatronics of his family himself, runs fazbears, etc)

3rd - Henry dies and his soul is freed to fuck around and find out.

Hell, all of this is more just a prologue to everything considering I mostly fuck around with 3rd continuity Henry anyway.

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 2 Watanagashi pt. Final

Guess this is all tied up in a neat little package.

Ah man, so much for everything being tied up nice and neat.

I miss the simple days of when murder victims, and the dead killers stayed dead. It's like a bad horror series where they have to contrive reasons for why and how Michael Myers survived being locked in a burning building with no avenue for escape. "He survived because he hid where the guns are hidden." Bullshit, I don't think hiding in an impromptu oven will stop you from being cooked to death. Maybe the dead Mion and dead Takano are also friends with the writer and convinced him to spare their lives for a smidge.

There's a quote from an old crime writer named Mickey Spillane. "Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy any more. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book." You might think this is a jab at Ryukishi07, but I like to think that he's heard this quote and has ingrained it in his soul. Come to think of it I'm pretty sure a lot of writers use this trick, even if they don't like to admit it. The mystery of how people who were apparently dead days before their corpses were found is an intriguing mystery. Now, of course this isn't the end of the chapter, but it's close enough.

It is a pretty good joke, shame Mion didn't see the comedy in it. Also it's tragic that the two were attacked and lost their faces. So how much of this was actually real do you think? I'm going to guess everything after the stabbing is all in Keiichi's mind and he did die of his stab wound. You don't twist the knife if you don't mean to make sure your victim is absolutely dead. I'm not a huge fan of the "everything was just the main character's dying dream" trope because I generally feel that's just people interacting with the book/game/VN/whatever at the absolute laziest possible level.

But this can't be real, up until this point ghosts haven't existed in the narrative at all. Not even as a one-off casual mention. I suppose you could argue that spirits exist because of the notion the god Oyashiro exists, and demons, but that could just as easily be counter-argued with the explanation these are just fairy tales.

I have a backup theory. My main bet is everything post stabbing is entirely in Keiichi's head, and he died from the wound. But the alternate theory I have is that everything up until Ooishi left happened, and that's when Keiichi died. His wounded body couldn't handle the mental strain of being told Mion, Shion, and everyone else had died, and as such it simply gave up. Which is extremely bad luck for Ooishi, that the last witness of the entire Sonozaki/Watanagashi Incident died shortly after he saw him. Which I guess would kind of make Ooishi the grim reaper.

I enjoyed it a lot better than Onikakushi. It was much more intriguing of a read.

Rika, just vibrating with fury.

Sorry Satoko, I'm pretty sure everyone's gonna be put through the wringer before all's said and done.

Ah, they have fun.

No.

Anyway, I do have a question, please feel free to answer it, but be mindful not to spoil please. Should I bother reading these All Cast Review Sessions? Do they actually contribute to the overall narrative? Or is it just a decompressing lighthearted discussion about the chapter? Would I lose anything if I just jumped directly from the end of say Chapter 3: Tatarigoroshi and went in immediately to Chapter 4: Himatsubushi? Basically, I'm wondering if these Review Sessions are like the Tea Party segments from Umineko, and will add large amounts of plot details to the overall narrative.

I ask this like it'll make a difference, I know myself well enough that I'm just going to read them regardless. Still, I'm curious.

[ladyluscinia]

and okay okay okay i know you said you're done, i KNOW. but i've been discussing this with my friend and your post about how to rethink the kraken era and i think you could probably still do the leg with that if you made it, weirdly, more historically accurate? like. as far as we're aware, the real life israel hands was shot by accident when blackbeard meant to shoot someone else. that's why when he asked "why the fuck did you just do that" he got the nonanswer of "if i didn't they'd forget who i am"--because teach didn't actually have a reason to shoot hands, it was a mistake. you could absolutely keep izzy losing the leg as ed's darkest moment in a friendly fire situation--up until then he's targeting other people and is mostly mopey and neglectful and just not really a fun boss to the crew without being outright abusive, and then izzy gets shot by accident while ed is wildly ignoring gun safety and waving a pistol around on deck or something and ed. or izzy says "we shouldn't attack this ship, that's a terrible idea" and loses the leg during the attack, thus making it more indirectly ed's fault while still kind of being enough of ed's fault to make the plot go forward. either of those would be much more compatible with a "sorryboutyourleg" apology if you kept that or with izzy just brushing it off and moving on because he's knd of fucked up like that, because he could very easily compartmentalize that as not ed's fault. you could even get some interesting plot out of "izzy insisting it's not ed's fault and ed wanting to take that and just leave it be and also not being totally willing to do that because he does still recognize that it is in fact his fault"

(Post being referenced)

Yeah, an accident was one of the scenarios I was thinking could work if you really wanted to keep Izzy losing his leg in the story without having to deal with the fallout of it as something that Edward chose to do. Which has positives and negatives. It is easier and in-character for them to brush it into the past, as you point out, which might reduce the impact of it in the Edward-Izzy relationship. But the Crew-Izzy relationship using his leg as a point for them to all gather around and support was pretty well liked as an arc. Good addition of disabled rep, or bad look majorly disabling the S1 antagonist with "karmic" bad luck in what's still a romcom to everyone else? Things to consider.

Alternatively, Izzy lost his toe in S1 because that was Edward's response to getting pulled out of his hardcore denial/depression phase of Stede-grief. It sorta seemed like shooting Izzy's leg in S2 was an echo of that - what with it being prompted by Izzy confessing his love AND bringing up Stede again - but with everything else going on it didn't really hit like a true snap so much as an inevitability where Edward was waiting for an excuse. I do wonder if, in reframing Kraken Era a step to the left (no crew abuse / active pursuit of dying by mutiny) but still fundamentally as another form of avoidance via 100% focus on externalizing his pain without addressing it, that action as part of an actual "pressure has been building and finally snapped" point could still work?

It would probably need to be a real fight between them - something built up to where Izzy decides they need to yank down the curtains and address that thing they aren't talking about and damn the consequences, because the situation has become untenable for some reason. Maybe it is Edward spiraling into suicidality for real? Idk. I haven't actually figured it out, but I do think you could potentially go that way and have Izzy lose his leg due to a completely in-the-moment action that spurs whatever rock bottom moment Edward goes through in a way that doesn't feel like a premeditated strike or part of a pattern of abuse that we need to worry about repeating in less fraught circumstances. It would probably depend on how exactly Edward's mindset was framed, and there would be pitfalls to watch out for re: POC and abuse (and just sympathetic romance protagonists and abuse). Like my first instinct would be that Edward should probably pull the trigger for a reason that makes sense with something he's trying to do (even if that goal is clearly a mental health spiral like killing himself), not just to hurt Izzy. Again, things to consider both at a character level - how is this reflecting on Edward's characterization / arc? - and on a broader story level - what will this take to resolve and will it be worth the genre shift required?

I really just can't say for sure, other than, like, general writing advice, don't include limb loss as a character beat unless you have worked through the big implications of that with all characters involved? 🤷‍♀️ Which I do not think the S2 that we were given did.

And I guess dealer's choice for fix-it fics?

[themosthatedbeingg]

"You know i just cant understand how you don't get mad seeing your kingdom, I understand now that as a reformer as a fighter a general, whatever. I am different to you, how you see sinners, hellborn, goetia, etc. we are not the same. I do not judge or hate you for it. however I cannot understand how a man like myself sits in this castle looks upon his kingdom through his balcony and does nothing."

"You could rule as a dictator an absolute monarchy, rule with an iron fist, turn the place into a madhouse with you at the top, ANYTHING. but you don't. You don't get angry at least from what I've seen of heavens yearly attacks you arent angry at the fellow icons for bringing the kingdom to a decaying standstill. I can understand that your rebellion wasn't like mine, mine being an actual psychical revolution if you will. but how do you not sit here and grow angrier and angrier at what your kingdom is becoming."

"you are a king. the apex of your kingdom if you say that your kingdom will become this, it will follow, if it refuses it is your right to lead legions to force it that way. Make me understand how one can be strong HELL YOU CAN TURN INTO A FUCKING POWERFUL DRAGON NIGHTMARISH MONSTER. make me understand it."

Comparing always comparing he could never escape it could he, not in heaven everyone comparing him to his twin and now not even here in hell , fuck even his other alternate selves were comparing him to them .

A low growl left him, claws digging into the throne he was sitting on, for a minute something crossed his face .. something ancient and sinister— before it disappeared quickly .

He took a deep breath trying to collect himself . “Just cause I don’t look angry doesn’t mean I’m not angry ..” he spat.

“Trust me I’m angry but I also care about my family ..” he sighed a bit of fire leaving his mouth.

“I don’t know what’s like for you .. but have you ever met a being called Roo, or Root of all evil, I did , I met her when I was young and stupid and blinded by heaven . We were supposed to create a new better realm for humans .. but it was a lie .. “ he chuckled .

“She’s the reason I can’t .. I can’t get too angry if she has control— nowhere will be safe and I rather let this kingdom go to ruin then hurt my daughter ..I already drove Lilith away I refuse it let her take Charlie from me too”

“I’m doing what I can in the boundaries I’m stuck in so so sorry to be a disappointment to myself now which really isn’t a new concept for me.. “ he said sarcastically .

[halfbakedspuds]

Thanks so much to @honeybewrites for the tag!

WIP Questionnaire tag

Ya know what? Let's do this for 11 Past Midnight.

What's the first part of your WIP you created?

Actually the setting itself. 11 Past Midnight takes place in the same universe as Children of the Stars, just several centuries earlier (before humanity got its collective shit together). Originally the 'Fall of Earth' as this period is referred to was just meant to be a fun little worldbuilding thing, but then I realised the story potential it holds.

And boy, 11 Past Midnight is shaping up to tell the story of a very important part of the lore.

If your story was a TV show, what would the intro be?

'Wherever I may roam' by Metallica would both have some symbolic value to it, and would fit the whole 'Heavy Metal Apocalypse' vibe of the setting.

Alternatively: 'Odyssey' by The Flight could also work quite nicely given that it's a song Kat actually plays in the story from time to time and that holds some significance to her.

What are your favourite characters you have made and why?

Yekatarina 'Kat' Mezhova has definitely been the most fun to write purely because she's (and excuse my wording) FUCKING UNHINGED.

I've never really written a protagonist like this before so I'm definitely having a lot of fun just writing the crazy things she gets up to by being herself.

What other pieces of media do you think your fanbase would share?

I think any fans of Mad Max and the first two Metro games would probably like 11 Past Midnight.

Actually some Star Trek and Star Trek: NG fans might be drawn to the whole 'show up, find x, help, and leave' setup of the series as Kat and Artur find holdouts of humanity in the wasteland and try to help them for whatever reason.

What has been the biggest struggle with you WIP?

Research. The majority of the story takes place across Siberia, and figuring out what life is like there and what their cultures are so I can extrapolate for a setting that's both post nuclear and post total ecological collapse has been... interesting, to put it lightly.

Also actually having to put my knowledge of geographic systems to use to figure out the climate of this brave and hellish new world.

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Actually that's a major part of the setting: humanity's mistakes killed off everything. In many places you can't even breathe the air unless you've found a little pocket where plants have somehow survived the collapse, and the only things left in the wasteland are the hardiest things: Humans, Roaches, and Tartigrades.

In about ten years, the Empire will be formed, and in a century a madwoman by the name of Doctor Kalmyk Balkhyr will create the Eden project to clean up Earth and will resurrect about 80% of the species that went extinct during the Fall, but for the time being: Earth is dead.

I mean by some metrics, Artur can be considered an animal (given that he gets mistaken for a mutant) but that's a bit iffy of a statement to make.

How do your characters travel/get around?

Kat is a driver for an old Supply Rig that saw action in the Ruso-Siberian war just before the world ended. Although she's not nearly old enough to have fought in that conflict, her grandfather did, and she inherited the Rig from her mother who inherited it from him.

The Rig can best be described as a truck designed to slog it through snow, mud, and those weird sub-terranean ice-sheets of northern Siberia and provide a living space for two or three people for months at a time, as well being decently defendable if attacked.

Most of the story takes place either in the rig while on the road, or trying to get the rig back on the road, so it's the most common source of transport by far for our protagonists

What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

'Episode' one (idk if it's still called that in a written medium), basically just establishing why Kat and Artur are travelling across the Siberian wasteland and why they're sticking together.

What aspects/tropes do you think will draw your audience in?

Probably the trope of an Odyssey, maybe even a stranger in a strange place.

What are your hopes for your WIP?

Mostly just that people will read it. I'll probably just post the parts on Tumblr because it's not really set up to be written as a publishable book

Open tag for anyone that wants it!

[ambrossart]

I have kind of a weird question about DWM… it’s an alternate universe/ending kind of thing. It’s totally fine if you don’t want to answer it, because it’s such a derail from your already perfected storyline and the characters’s arcs.

What if Reader hadn’t gone back in Part 10? Would Eddie have sought her out the following Monday and still tried to get her back? Or would nothing have changed except for some added tension between the two?

They’re both so helplessly in love in the epilogue, where would all of those feelings have gone if she didn’t go back in, you know?

Anyway, just something that occurred to me today while I was reading Part II for the millionth time wondering how they’ve kept it together for six years?!

Happy weekend 💗!

Oh yes, let's go down that rabbit hole. 😈

I was actually going through a lot of different scenarios in my head while I was writing the finale, including one where Eddie doesn't make a grand gesture at the end and instead goes home. The Reader then realizes her mistake, leaves the dance after Chrissy's coronation, goes to Eddie's house, and finally does what Chrissy wanted her to do all along: be honest with him about everything. That was almost the actual ending because it would have echoed the Reader going to Eddie's house in middle school after his father forces him to quit playing D&D, but that's an upcoming short story and I'm not spoiling any of that.

Anyway, let's play worst-case scenario! This is gonna be really long, so get comfortable, everyone. The train is now leaving the station.

I wanna preface this by saying there's NO WAY IN HELL Eddie was ever going to let her slip away without telling her how he feels and what she means to him.

This was one of his biggest regrets about that summer in middle school. She was feeling scared and insecure about the future of their friendship, and Eddie didn't reassure her when he could have. Instead, he kept his feelings to himself. He let her push him away and left her there to cry downstairs in the basement alone. That mistake haunted him for years and was a major driving force behind his decision to go into the restroom in the first place. Eddie knew she was in there crying by herself and he refused to leave her like he did back then. No matter how repressed his feelings for her were at the time, his instincts wouldn't let him abandon her then and they wouldn't let him abandon her now, so one way or another, Eddie was gonna get her to listen to him. He would go to her house. He would track her down at school on Monday. First class they have together, he's locking her in that classroom and pinning her to the desk if he has to. He's gonna do whatever he has to do to get her to stop running long enough to listen to him. 

But since this is the worst-case scenario, let's assume that doesn't happen. Instead, let's assume Eddie gives up and goes home. The Reader doesn't have her big epiphany and she just leaves the dance after Chrissy's coronation. In this scenario, the reader allows her anxiety to completely consume her; Eddie, now heartbroken, is faced with a potentially life-altering decision; and they both ultimately spend the rest of their lives secretly pining for each other while being haunted by the big What if? 

Just for fun, let's explore what that could look like in greater detail. Feel free to hop off my train of thought at any time because I'm not stopping until I run out of track.

READER

Instead of overcoming her anxiety, she surrenders to it completely and goes home to cry while listening to Journey and flipping through her old D&D journal. On Sunday, Chrissy comes over and tries to put her back together as best as she can. The Reader does what she always does: deny and deflect. She says she’s over it. Chrissy doesn’t believe her, but she can’t force her to do something she doesn’t wanna do. They spend the afternoon as they normally do and everything seems relatively fine. 

Then Sunday night comes, and she has a full-blown panic attack. The thought of going to school and having to face Eddie is enough to cripple her with fear. She can’t do it. She won’t do it. She doesn’t do it. She fakes sick and skips school on Monday, Tuesday, and even Wednesday if she can get away with it. It doesn’t matter if she has a quiz or a paper due. She’ll deal with the consequences later. Right now, she just doesn’t want to deal with the anxiety of seeing Eddie after what she did. When she absolutely has to go back, she will beg her teachers to let her change seats in the classes she shares with Eddie. If they say no, she will spend the entire period hiding inside herself. No talking. No eye contact. She’ll be the last to arrive and the first to leave. The last few weeks of school are absolute torture and graduation can’t come soon enough.

When she finally gets to college, there is a brief period of euphoria. She’s out of Hawkins. She doesn’t have to see Eddie anymore. No more stress. No more anxiety. She can finally relax and breathe again. During this time, she becomes weirdly social. She’s like a social butterfly on steroids. She meets a lot of new people. Joins a lot of random clubs. Goes to a ton of parties, drinks pretty heavily, probably even has a couple drunken one-night stands. It’s a little reckless, but who cares? She’s enjoying her newfound freedom. 

Then, inevitably, the high wears off and she levels out. She quits all the clubs she joined because she’s not really that interested in any of them. Her social circle shrinks to a few close friends. She still talks to Chrissy whenever she can. They don’t see each other as often as they would like, but they make sure to stay in contact. She does well in whatever field she chooses, graduates, gets a job. All in all, life is pretty good… but it could be better.

Her romantic life is complicated and she seriously struggles with intimacy: physical and emotional. The men she dates find her very aloof and intimidating, and most don’t seek out a second date. A small few keep at it, thinking they can crack through her shell if they try hard enough, but ultimately it’s just a big waste of their time. For her, intimacy is a constant battle and nobody is worth fighting for… because they aren’t Eddie, and if she couldn’t overcome her anxiety for him, how could she possibly do it for some other guy? 

Eventually, she might find love again. It would have to be a very patient and persistent person who’s willing to wait for her to open up (Chrissy x Reader shippers, here's your chance to go crazy). This could take months, even years, but it’s definitely possible. Regardless of whether or not she finds someone, she’ll always be deeply in love with Eddie and she’ll always regret walking away from him that night. If he ever does anything with his music, she’ll be his number one fan just like she was in high school. She’ll buy all his albums and be at every concert, but she’ll always keep her distance, and he’ll probably never know she’s there. 🥺😭

EDDIE

Before jumping into Eddie’s side of things, I should note that I’ve already fully absorbed this post into his backstory. It’s in my notes. It’s burned into my brain. It’s now canon as far as DWM is concerned. 

Eddie is the product of a one-night stand. His parents weren’t soulmates. They barely even knew each other. His dad was a hopeless romantic who foolishly thought he’d found love at first sight with Eddie’s mom, but it was completely one-sided and he was never able to accept that. After she left, he spent the rest of his life searching for her and hoping she would come back. He put his career on the back burner. He put his relationship with his son on the back burner. He threw his entire life away on a woman who wanted nothing to do with him and it absolutely destroyed his life. 

Eddie, having grown up around this, decides at a fairly young age that he’s never gonna make the same mistake his dad did. He’s not gonna waste his life chasing after someone who doesn’t want him. That’s why he retreats and represses his feelings after the Reader rejects him in middle school. He sees himself heading down the same path his dad did, so he pumps the brakes and tries to reverse course. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done, especially when so much of who Eddie is now is because of her.

So with this in mind, let’s fast forward to the Monday after prom. Eddie, still reeling from the Reader’s rejection, walks into class and sees her desk empty. For three days, it’s empty. To him, that would send a pretty strong message. Clearly, this is all one-sided. She can’t possibly feel the same way about him as he does about her because, if she did, she would have at least tried to meet him halfway. She would have made some kind of an effort.

This realization would leave Eddie absolutely gutted. He went against his better judgment and made one last attempt to get back the girl who broke his heart, and for a second, he thought it actually worked. They pulled down their walls, they admitted their feelings, he kissed her, she kissed him back, and somehow it still wasn’t enough. Why wasn’t it enough? 

So from here, Eddie’s life can go one of two ways: he either goes the way of his dad and completely self-destructs or he accepts the loss and moves on as best as he can. 

Worst-of-the-worst-case scenario, Eddie lets this rejection completely take hold of his life. As a result, he loses sight of all his other goals. He can’t focus in school, so he doesn’t pass any of his finals and he doesn’t graduate high school. He could get his GED, but he doesn’t do that either because what’s the point? He doesn’t try to pursue his music because he figures he won’t make it anyway. Eventually, he probably gets busted dealing drugs and gets sent to prison. Once he’s in that cycle, he’s never getting out of it. He’s gonna be in and out of prison for the rest of his life just like his dad. Yikes! 😬

Okay, let’s assume that doesn’t happen. Let’s assume the best of the worst. Eddie takes the loss on the chin, allows himself some time to grieve, and then picks himself up and shifts his focus back to what’s really important. He passes his classes, gets his diploma, and then pours all of his energy into his music. Eventually, all his efforts earn him a moderate amount of success. He’s not a rockstar by any means, but he carves out a pretty decent living for himself. He might be in a band or he might be a touring guitarist or a session guitarist. Regardless of his exact profession, he’s doing what he loves and he’s getting paid to do it. Win-win.

If Eddie does fall in love again, it won’t be until much, much later in life, if it happens at all. Romance isn’t a priority for him. He dates casually, occasionally, but feels largely misunderstood by women. Much like in high school, nobody seems willing or able to see past his outward appearance. But that’s fine, Eddie decides. In fact, he prefers it that way because he’s not sure if he’ll ever feel safe enough to show his truest self to anyone else ever again, and he doesn’t really wanna try because nobody else is worth the effort. What he had with the Reader was lightning in a bottle, and he’s never gonna be able to recapture that ever again. He still loves her. He'll always love her. And now he has to live without her. Simple as that. 

So to answer your question in way too many words—no, their feelings for each other won’t ever go away. Their connection is one of those rare once-in-a-lifetime connections and nothing else will ever compare. Tragic as that may be, it still leaves some room for hope. If they were ever fortunate enough to cross paths again, whether on the street or at one of Eddie's concerts, they could rekindle their relationship, and if they did, they’d be surprised by how quickly and easily they fall back into step with each other. 

/end rant

Okay, I basically just wrote a whole ass fanfic, and now I'm just sitting here talking to myself like a loony toon.

tldr; if Eddie never went after her, if she never had her big epiphany, the two would suffer through the rest of high school and then go their separate ways. The reader finds some peace in college. Eddie either self-destructs and winds up in prison or he moves on with his life and throws himself completely into his music. Neither of them is very successful in love because they're both unable and unwilling to be vulnerable with anyone else, because they're still in love with each other.

[xaeyrnofnbe]

here’s the general plot i have in mind for my ZTHAB (Zeros To Heroes And Beyond) au. (so far. think of this as a first draft)

because i’ve been meaning to get around to it. i’m organizing it by arcs bc that’s the best word i can think of off the top of my head for this. you could also think of them as chapters. or episodes. yeah 👍. also i do not intend to write this as an actual fanfic because every time i try to do something like that i lose so much steam and excitement for my idea.

characters will be prefixed with mana! or prime! at the beginning of a paragraph, so assume i am talking about that version until i explicitly mention the alternate version of them.

oh and important detail: albatrio are basically platonic soulmates. so keep that in mind.

this au is based on a single just roll what-if. i have had too much fun with this. well, me and @theblacktiecacti who has suggested SO many good ideas that i have since incorporated.

(also, even though this is an alternate universe where things play out wildly different, there are still a LOT of spoilers for the riptide campaign, so i wouldn’t recommend getting into this idea if you aren’t caught up. not really any spoilers for prime defenders though.)

anyway

ARC ONE

mana!gillion, after attacking mr. ferin, is hauled off by guards. but instead of being banished from the undersea no forced to swim to the surface, (like in canon riptide,) he is brought to a room with a portal, which activates, and he is pulled through. he then falls from the sky in the world of prime.

previously on the prime side of things, prime!chip and prime!jay meet for the first time. this happens in a police station in a very tall building. flying cars are present. chip has been arrested, jay works at the station but isn’t officially an officer yet. she just kinda gets to hang around and do the jobs bc of who her dad is. she questions chip, who is having none of it and highly suspects her of having powers, much like himself. she denies this. but when he teleports out of the building while she isn’t looking, to sit on a narrow ledge, jay impulsively flies out the window to go grab him, blah blah, “so you DO have powers,” he invites her to join his new team of superheroes. she accepts begrudgingly. it’s basically like their first meeting oneshot, just in a different context.

back on mana again, mana!chip and mana!jay are blowing up the navy tower on zero, but things don’t go exactly to plan. they barely make it to the big chipper before they’re captured by marshal john, and taken to a holding cell until jay’s dad arrives, and takes her away. this solidifies in her mind that her undercover pirate thing never would have worked out anyway. she decides her best option is to climb navy ranks until she can find and kill her sister’s murderer herself. and chip? he’s left for days, stewing in irritation and building up a heavy grudge in response to jay’s betrayal, and he escapes before he can be taken anywhere worse, and sets off on a stolen ship looking for some real pirates.

ARC TWO

mana!gillion wakes up on a kitchen counter in prime!chip’s little apartment. prime!jay is also there. gillion, at first, is disoriented and lashes out, but he’s quickly calmed down by his new companions, who are incredibly curious about whatever the hell this fish guy’s got going on. the two wannabe heroes catch their new friend up on where he is and what’s happening, (at least, as far as what they’re aware of; they won’t find out about his banishment for a long time.) at some point, it turns out chip’s been training some kid who also has powers, (ollie,) and thus, the oneshot what-if this is based off of, occurs. nothing comes of that, they still aren’t prime defenders.

mana!jay is, indeed, rising in the ranks. she’s becoming a formidable soldier. and mana!chip finds mana!lizzie, and joins her crew, the grandberry pirates, with the end goal of getting back at the navy and by extension, jay.

ARC THREE

in both dimensions, something isn’t right.

mana!gillion finds himself at home and at peace with his hero friends, but something isn’t quiet right. he’s like a puzzle piece that fits perfectly, and yet is from the wrong set entirely. additionally, there’s an individual, labeled a supervillain by the news, that’s been stirring up trouble in the very city the three friends live in, and gillion can’t help but find the mechsuit of this villain incredibly familiar. gill also gets some new clothes, and some more futuristic armor. pretzel keeps her hero mask.

mana!chip is falling into old patterns from his time with reuben price, and is becoming nearly as ruthless as his captain.

mana!jay talks to her friend, kira, who voices some concerns. jay brushes these off and continues training and barking orders at the people around her. but when she is faced with a portrait of her sister, she starts to wonder if this is worth it. she spends a lot of her time alone crying.

ARC FOUR

mana!chip and mana!jay meet for the first time since zero in a tavern on neutral soil. jay doesn’t think of her leaving chip as a betrayal, but he does. she talks to him like an old friend, even tries to invite him to join her in her cause. but chip is angry. his hurt bubbles and boils under his skin, manifesting in an off putting display of lava cracking between his skin around the edges of his face, and he attacks her. the two fight, and when jay inevitably beats chip, she spares him, but leaves knowing exactly what they have become*, and exactly what she needs to do about it**. (*arch enemies) (**kill or throw every single pirate in the deepest darkest prisons, including chip.)

mana!gillion and prime!chip and prime!jay attempt to stop the new villain that has finally become enough of a threat for heroes to be an adequate force of retaliation. the robotic figure is about fifteen feet tall, and greatly resembles gillion, with black, turquoise, and pink plates and pieces, like a full suit of armor. it is called The T1d3str1d3r, or The Tidstrider, or just The Strider. the names it is given are varied. it also has a pink, octopus-like robot that breaks free of it’s surface in order to join in on the fight.

at a certain point during the fight, the heroes are split up, and mana!gillion goes searching for his enemy in an alley, only to be met with a single glowing blue eye in the darkness, and a voice not unlike his own. this is where he properly meets the prime version of himself. when his foe steps out of the shadows, prime!gillian introduces himself. he’s working with a group of vigilantes, with the goal of doing good for the city, even if they have to do bad things to get there. but that’s not the whole of it, as prime!gillian is onto him. he knows that mana!gill isn’t meant to be on prime, he knows he’s from another world. and he’s barely able to finish his monologue before mana!gillion slams into him and they fight, now with prime!gill at much more of a disadvantage, having sent his mech off to fight prime!chip and jay.

ARC FIVE

after a few more, uh, incidents, the two gills come to a truce of sorts. they’re both the same person, kind of, so they’re kind of the only ones who Get It. and eventually, mana!gill takes prime!gill to meet with his friends properly, who much to his surprise, (and kind of disappointingly,) they really hit it off. mana!gillion isn’t sure why exactly he’s upset at this, but he suddenly feels like a fourth wheel to a friendship he had helped happen. and it doesn’t feel good.

eventually, though, prime!gillian takes his new allies to his secret base. (i have not decided what the secret base is yet.) they meet the prime versions of lizzie, (who keeps everyone on task,) caspian, (lizzie’s #1 supporter and enabler,) marshal john, (the muscle,) edyn, (here called eden, she’s an inventor and mechanic,) and finn, (resident weird old guy who’s really into biology, zoology, writing romance novels, helping his granddaughter with her tech, and, finally, the multiverse.) chip is incredibly excited to see lizzie, since they were really good childhood friends, and he hadn’t seen her since the black rose heroes all split up and retired. mana!gillion talks to prime!gillian and finn, and learns about what they’ve been doing (studying the multiverse and trying to steal the tech they need to travel between dimensions, without success,) why he shouldn’t be here, and why his home dimension needs him.

over on mana, mana!chip and mana!jay have gotten to the point where they command great numbers of their respective people, and have been sending letters back and forth in an attempt to negotiate territory and resources, to no avail. they’ve also both had some pretty wild makeovers.

ARC SIX

tensions are rising.

mana!gillion is feeling more and more distanced from his prime friends. he realizes just how alone he truly is. at the same time, prime!chip and prime!gillian are having a fight on a high rooftop, (mirroring riptide episode #15 but with a more angry-looking gill,) but they do work things out eventually, and the two have a tender moment looking out over the city lights. mana!gillion starts helping prime!finn seek out facilities to rob that might have the stuff they need to send gillion home. gillion doesn’t know where his morals and beliefs lie in a world so alien to him.

mana!chip and mana!jay are at war. at this point, they’ve had some sailing scuffles. but now they’re planning the big thing, a huge battle. jay is an admiral of the navy, and chip has command over all the pirates lizzie, his captain, has recruited to their cause. both have had family and friends feeding into their drives of vengeance, both, at this point, want the other dead. the location for the final battle between pirates and navy is set: a large island that used to be home to a bustling civilization, now mostly abandoned and overgrown. all that’s to be done now is to prepare the armies for the fight.

ARC SEVEN

prime!finn has warned mana!gillion of how dangerous it is to be away from who should have been his friends. neither have any idea of what’s actually happening on mana, but they have clues that it can’t be good. all gillion knows is that the people he’s SUPPOSED to be with, are in grave danger. and his friends on prime? they have their own gillian. they don’t need him. he feels unwanted. so he, accompanied by the grandberries as well as prime!chip and prime!jay, break into the place with the parts, beat up some guards or something, steal the things, and return to base so eden and finn can begin building the portal to mana.

unfortunately, the battle is beginning. pirate and navy ships gather on opposite sides of the island, countless people waiting for their leaders to send them out onto the soon-to-be battlefield.

ARC EIGHT

with the portal built and tested, (tested at least according to finn, when a lot of water came out,) mana!gillion steps through, and falls from the sky once more, this time into his homeworld.

it takes him a great deal of time, but eventually he finds out what’s happening, and realizes he has to move quick, or else he’d lose the two people he’s never met, and yet matter more to him than either of his whole worlds.

don’t ask how he gets there, idk, but when he arrives to the battlefield, the fight has gone on all day. the sun is setting, blood is seeping through the grass and dirt, and he lunges forth into the fray, parrying some blows and dodging others, in search of HIS chip and jay.

he finds them and uhhhh. stops them from killing eachother? yeah the ending is something i’m still very much unsure about. group healing arc is required though. yeah

again, this is a very rough first draft. in a more realized version of the story, there would be a villain, some actual subplots, a big conflict that is actually properly resolved on prime, and more stuff going on on mana. yeah 👍

[hunterwritesstuff]

How do you write the victims of Mandela Catalogue?(Mark, Cesar, Adam, and Jonah)

Ahh, Victim crew! Sure!

🔫 Mark is a quiet man, but when he gets comfy around someone, he can be pretty excited!

🔫 Him and Cesar have known each other since like, 2nd grade and have been close ever since!

🔫 When he was a kid, Mark was the typical shy kid, hiding behind his mom when Cesar first met him, scared of the outgoing boy.

🔫 He's used to being dragged around by Cesar for things. He tried fighting it at first, but Cesar is a LOT STRONGER THAN HE LOOKS.

🔫 Doesn't help that Mark is built like an Iphone. Er...Blackberry? Whatever mobile phones they had back then, Mark has that build.

🔫 Aroace. I don't make the rules.

🔫 Classic Catholic boy. Prays, goes to church, confesses his sins, probably has trauma, yk.

🔫 He's given himself a heart attack with his left-out laundry on multiple occasions.

🔫 Doesn't really talk much with his parents, as both work a lot.(Mom works at the church, dad is elsewhere.) Thanks to this, his personal hygiene isn't the best.(He doesn't wanna risk contact with them.)

🔫 Honestly, he probably sees Dave as his dad more than his actual dad.

🔫 Oh yeah, I see Dave as his Uncle btw. Do with that what you will.

📞 Cesar is pretty much the opposite of Mark, being very outgoing and friendly with other people.

📞 Like, sometimes, Mark has to drag Cesar out of church to get his ass home levels of outgoing.

📞 Cesar is very much cishet. Don't be weird about it.

📞 He will fuck up anyone who gets on Mark's ass. Again, he's stronger than he looks.

📞 If the bowtie comes off, heaven help you.

📞 or Hell.

📞 God and Satan will turn the other way if that happens, probably.

📞 Aside from that, he's a great cook!

📞 If he hears you say something bad about one of his friends, he's just gonna. kick you out.

📞 I don't remember if this is canon, but idc, Cesar and his family is hispanic, I don't make the rules.

📞 That's why he's so good at cooking! His mom gave him some good recipes!

📞 If he's having a bad day, he'll just sorta. Grab himself some orange sorbet out of the freeze and go through it until he feels better.

📞 Alternate Cesar, however...

📞 Alternate Cesar is a bit of a cunt.

📞 Manipulative, emotionally devastating, lying, and cunning, Alt Cesar is pretty much everything that Cesar himself isn't.

📞 If by some chance, he gets attached to someone, heaven help them, because Gabriel sure as Hell can't control him.

📞 Not in a bad way, mind you, he still has enough cognitive thinking that he knows not to hurt someone he cares about.

📞 He'll just be overly possessive and protective of them.

🍎 Adam Murray! Oh boy, my favorite Victim! :D

🍎 Not gonna show too much favoritism here though.

🍎 Low empathy. RIGHT OFF THE BAT, THIS GUY HAS LOW EMPATHY.

🍎 Alternate or not, he's got low empathy and it SHOWSSS.

🍎 He has an AFFINITY for apple flavored shit.

🍎 Apple pies, apple cobblers, apple juice, apples, apple pudding, apple sauce, apple candy, candy apples, apple tarts, ANYTHING APPLE, THIS GUY LOVES.

🍎 That being said, if someone gives him anything SOUR that's apple flavored, he'll feel betrayed and never forgive them. He doesn't like sour shit.

🍎 Because "that shit hurts my mouf :("

🍎 He did care about Evelin, he just had issues showing that.

🍎 He tried sharing his interests with her, it sucks that his interests are vague prophecies and hunting down demons or ghosts.

🍎 Has a weird dislike for sports.

🍎 Probably because he can't wear his hoodie.

🍎 Seriously, Sarah swears this guy never washes his hoodie.

🍎 He does well in almost no classes aside from like, history.

🍎 This guy could tell you NOTHING about the Pythagorean theorem, but he could tell you JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED IN WORLD WAR ONE.

🍎 He has morbid interests.

🍕 I don't write much with Jonah, but like, dude is UNIRONICALLY A HARDCORE SHAGGY KINNIE.

🍕 He tried pitching the idea of getting an animal mascot for the Bythorne Paranormal Society.

🍕 This didn't work.

🍕 Jonah was very sad.

🍕 Bakes on occasion.

🍕 One of said things he can bake is probably easy to guess.

🍕 Pizza connoisseur.

🍕 The only way to get this guy to lay off your pizza is to order pineapple on your pizza.

🍕 Pothead, I'm sorry.

Sorry there ain't much for Jonah, I don't know how to write him much. I hope you enjoy the stuff! <3

[uniquezombiedestiny]

10, 24, 7, 1

for owen and vera :3

1. What memory would your OC rather just forget?

vera - hmmm... the million memories of her friends deaths. whether they be corrosion, abnos, mechanical failures, or like. really anything in the corp. anything could kill you. she's probably learned to be vigilant all the time bc of it, and hates the paranoia she's developed (even if death is meaningless, it still hurts :()

owen - t589. what do you mean only one? thats all one to me

actually i got it. when he has to escape breaches in t589 with bella. they were terrifying + in retrospect just. fucked up as hell, considering a) owen and bella were kids and b) sometimes the breaches were corroded kids. not to mention the more gory ones and the memories of bella just losing her shit/breaking down/etc etc. same goes for him ofc, but he'd rather forget seeing bellas pain more.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

vera - her hair! it began as 2 buns, then became the pigtails. they always had those little tails though. + the estra back hair she has sometimes wasnt there originally

owen - he and bella used to not be siblings until around like d25 where i noticed they were similar (hair color and ppodae gift), now its a big part of their stories

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

vera - oooohh... maybe a sephirah au. ive been thinking of it a bit but i think itd be genuinely inch resting to see how they react to their new circumstances (robot body, new job, cant die, The Horrors). she does have one already but she's not very developed so. yeah. and ofc she'd take malkuths place.

owen - slaps him into dnd. go, my boy. cause a tpk

but i think thatd be pretty interesting. he and bella would be half-elves or humans corrupted by some kinda monster like they had been originally. would make for some interesting attacks and combat. and The Lore :3 and party interactions too.... man. dnd is fun

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

vera - not leaving the index, and becoming a proselyte or messenger. she'd wind up like her mother - someone whose empathy and stubbornness and such - the fire in them - being curbed in order to survive the index, with regrets she cant pursue. stuck in a middle ground until something breaks - she either gives into the index and loses herself, or gives up on the index and dies/leaves/etc. if she left, she'd likely join an office and become a fixer from her previous experience.

owen - not joining t589 and never getting into l corp (vera doesnt either in this scenario but still). they'd have to fend for themselves on the backstreets, which is. hard as fuck i assume. they'd turn out more ordinary, working whatever jobs they can to get into the nest. either that or they'd join an office or syndicate - maybe turning to one to survive.

[cobaltswriting]

So, I, admittedly, am not a huge 'theory/meta making' person. I have a few theories and ideas here and there, but I don't deep dive into it like some of my friends.

So, instead, I'm going to raid TVTropes! Grab some stuff from the 'Foreshadowing' and 'Alternate Character Interpretation' sections, and give my opinion on it.

As Duke dies, he grabs onto Miles' shoulder. Looking back, it was possibly an attempt to attack Miles or leave a Dying Clue that Miles was the killer due to him being unable to speak.

I doubt it. Duke is not a very intelligent person, let's be honest here. The way Miles handed him his glass was pretty slick, distracting him by telling him to look at Birdie, and then sliding it into his hand as he was reaching for it. I don't know if Duke even noticed the glass wasn't his after the fact. I think he was just grabbing Miles for support, because the next moment, Duke fell over.

I don't think Duke knew who murdered him. He likely didn't even notice the glass was not his, my first reaction upon having a severe allergic reaction would not be 'wait who's glass was this?'

Miles backs away from Peg as she approaches, seemingly out of fear she's the killer. He was actually preventing her from noticing he has Duke's phone and gun.

Half right. By this point, he had already swiped Duke's gun, if I remember right. I COULD be wrong, but I think he put it in the ice bucket when he was getting himself a drink, and putting pineapple juice in it. The phone, though, was in his back pocket, he didn't need to worry much about that unless she was going to go behind him, and since she was looking for Duke's phone, he didn't need to worry about that.

Was Miles' interest in Klear out of a well-intentioned effort to launch an environmentally-friendly fuel, or did he only care about the fame and money he will be lauded with?

Definitely the fame and money. He likely heard someone saying that hydrogen is the fuel of the future, due to being effective and clean, so when someone came to him with a hydrogen fuel, he jumped on it, knowing that he'd get fame and money for pioneering the first effective hydrogen fuel. Which is also why he was pushing for it to be used before it was properly tested. He was worried that if he didn't, someone else would figure out a way to use hydrogen as fuel and put it out first.

Additionally, he never mentions wanting to leave the future generations a clean planet. He never gives any real hint that he cares about the environment, other than the smoke free guardian and not to dirty the waters, but that island is specifically HIS world, not THE world.

We know she didn't share any of her Alpha wealth with her sister, but why? Was Helen not interested in the money or did Andi refuse to share?

I do remember that Helen said that Andi left for New York and never looked back. So they likely were not even really in contact.

Let's say they were, though. I think Helen would not have been interested in the money. Remember what Helen is like, she seems perfectly happy being a teacher, and doesn't seem to have any money problems that we can really tell.

I think if they were in contact, and Helen mentioned that she had money problems, Andi probably would have sent her whatever she needed. But beyond that, I think Helen didn't really care about the money, or she might have made some attempt to reconnect with Andi after she left. But she was content just watching her, she said.

Did the remaining three Disruptors have a genuine change of heart because of Helen's actions? Or did they change their minds because by the end they had nothing to lose and Bron was no longer useful to them?

I'd honestly believe a bit of both. They were, quite clearly, horrified by the fact that Miles murdered both Duke and Andi. They were all aware that Miles was not good for them, that much was quite clear throughout the movie. The only reason they stuck with him was because by then they were in too deep and because he was basically funding them. Lionel worked for him directly, Claire's campaign was funded by him, he was the main investor in Sweetie Pants…

They had nothing to lose at that point, since Miles was going to lose it all, and decided that if they were going to do down with the ship, they might as well go down doing what's right. Lying for the truth, as Helen put it.

Did Whiskey cry over Duke's death solely because watching your boyfriend die is traumatic, even if the guy was a louse? Or did she hold at least a little genuine affection for him? She's obviously distraught when talking with Helen about it, worrying over how to break the news to his mom, suggesting she does care.

I have stated before that I think Whiskey is a decent person, with a good head on her shoulders.

I think she did have some affection for Duke. Consider that she was willing to 'cheat' on Duke to try and further his career, and definitely seemed distraught and devastated over it when talking to Helen about it later. To the point of pulling a weapon on Helen when she thinks Helen did it, and firing it at Helen when Helen had done nothing to threaten her.

I definitely believe that she had feelings for Duke. Maybe not quite as strong as they had once been, partly because of all the mandom stuff, but she definitely liked him. Or maybe she liked the question he used to have been before the mandom stuff.

On that note, how much does Duke actually care about Whiskey? While he pressures her into seducing Miles, he obviously isn't happy about it; is that because he feels ashamed at essentially being a 'cuckold' and having to rely on his girlfriend's charms to get what he wants, or does he feel regret at pimping her out and worried that she's going to end up leaving him? It's worth noting that he does start to say "I love you" before she hangs up on him at one point. Manipulation, or a Pet the Dog moment? Furthermore, did Whiskey cut him off because she doesn't like Duke that much, or because she's (justifiably) pissed that he's pimping her out?

On this part, I am less sure. Would you push your girlfriend to do that if you loved her, whether you're happy about it or not?

I… do believe that he cared for her, though. The 'I love you' seemed to come naturally, like it would between people who have been together for a while. Like, from what Whiskey had said, they'd been together for over a year, she had been to one of the Disruptor weekends before.

Is Whiskey going along with the plan to seduce Miles willingly to help Duke (and herself), out of pragmatism for her own future career, or because she's genuinely interested in Miles? Is she afraid of social and financial repercussions the men could exact on her if she refuses, since her career is tied to Duke's and Miles is one of the most financially powerful men in the world? As a Social Climber, does she see Miles as a potential step up from Duke if she does end things with the latter? Given that Miles surprised her with a lavish birthday celebration and a gift, and she tells Helen she thinks Miles is a good guy deep down, does she actually have feelings for him? If that's the case, did she start to cheer on Helen's destruction of the Glass Onion because she felt personally betrayed by someone she actually cared for?

If anything, I think Miles is the one who has feelings for Whiskey. Unfortunately, I think those feelings are mostly just lust.

I think she was just fooled by Miles like everyone else was. To an extent, at least. The illusion was starting to wear off for some of them, but Whiskey was relatively new. It could be that she still saw Miles as an eccentric, brilliant genius rather than an idiot pretending. But having feelings for him… I don't think so.

At the end, Whiskey is the first to join in Helen's destruction of Miles' sculptures, openly cheering her on. Is it because Miles killed her boyfriend? Because she genuinely admires Helen? Because she's grown disgusted with Miles and the Disruptors in general? Or because she was the first to realize Miles was no longer of use?

A mixutre of admiration and friendship with Helen, once she realised that Helen didn't kill Duke, and because Miles killed her boyfriend. And Benoit had pointed out that they wouldn't likely be able to prove Miles murdered Duke after the napkin went up, so this was her only way to get back at him.

Just how much is Birdie a genuine dumbass versus Obfuscating Stupidity? Yes, she's prone to social faux pas like the "Beyoncé tribute" and her antisemitic tweet. But it's entirely possible her assistant actually is missing that she's a much more cold and calculating, bigoted businesswoman than she gives her client credit for. After all, when asked, she explains that her support of Bron is based around him buying out her shares at $30,000,000 in exchange for taking the fall on his behalf social media-wise.

I doubt it. Obfuscating stupidity can be a hard act to keep up. To keep it up for the majority of ten years? When Peg has been with her for most of that, right by her side, basically?

The fact that Peg was able to believe that Birdie thought 'sweatshop' meant 'a place where they make sweatpants' says a LOT about Birdie's (lack of) intelligence.

It does also show her in a slightly more positive light, though: She doesn't mean to be offensive, she is simply ignorant. So it's not MALICIOUS, at the very least.

Has Claire always been a hypocritical Corrupt Politician who's more concerned about holding office than the effects of her policies? Or did she start off as someone who honestly wanted to make a difference and found herself forced to compromise her principles thanks to Bron?

I'd definitely lean towards the latter. She's going to know that the whole 'environmentally friendly' thing isn't going to be popular with a lot of people. And keep in mind, hydrogen fuel is supposed to be clean, and she didn't know for certain that Klear was bad until after talking to Lionel in the pool. She had suspicions, Andi had said it was dangerous, but Claire did not know FOR CERTAIN. Miles basically had her arm twisted, refusing to fund campaign unless she cleared the Klear plant.

Well, that's it for now.

Maybe another time I'll take a look into the 'Wild Mass Guessing' and 'Your Mileage May Vary' sections, but that's all I really have time for for now~!

[randofics]

Fox in the hen house

Cat burglar Tony & Southern reader

This is just a random short story I came up with. Alternate reality Tony thats a cat burglar. It's more of a funny one. I hope yall enjoy this little story! Also I put in a cameo of my rooster Tulip!

Tony thought he'd found an easy steal, oh how wrong he'd been. The small ranch he thought just kept horses, had a couple large bulls in separate pens aswell. He'd been just a few feet from certain trampling by an exceptionally large and aggressive black mottled bull. He'd been jumping the fences to get to the house when the bull started chasing him. After he fell over the fence into the dirt he looked back at the animal. It let out a loud call as if asserting that this paddock was his territory. The ski mask he was wearing was hard enough for him to breath in normally so as he tried to catch his breath he yanked the thick fabric off leaving his hair a mess.

He got up dusting himself off and he flipped off the huffing bull. It just yelled at him again and he winced looking up the hill at the dark house. He waited a moment watching for any lights or movement inside but he didn't see anything. He sighed in relief and continued on his way to the house. Suddenly a flurry of feathers hit him in the face and sharp claws scratched his skin. He pushed the animal off and got a glimpse of the bird attacking him. It was a big rooster with exceptionally long tail feathers and long spurs. It screeched as it flew at him again. Sharp pain bloomed on his cheek after receiving a slap by its wing and a small gash appeared on his arm from one of its spurs. He kicked it off and ran around the side of the house. The bird didn't follow him and he slid down the wall catching his breath again.

Suddenly he realized his mask was missing. He patted himself down looking for it and cursed when he realized the rooster made him drop it. This just wasn't his night it seemed. He hoped he'd have better luck inside this place. Looking up he realized there was a window above him and he grinned. He stood and tried to push it open. It actually worked and he quietly slipped inside. He landed on the hallway floor which he thanked whatever gods could hear him that it was carpet. When he cased the place he hadn't seen a dog at all but he'd be careful just in case. Very slowly he walked down the hall. There were four doors, two on each side. The one on his right was a kids bedroom which was left open and no one was inside.

He skipped over it and looked to his left. A bathroom which just had the usual bathroom stuff. He checked the cabinet anyways but nothing he wanted was inside. Moving on he checked the next room on the left. Another bedroom but this one seemed to be a guest room as it was too neat and tidy to have been regularly used. Checking the next room he found the door open and inside was a girls room, or at least what he thought was a girls room. The contrast in pink and more boyish stuff confused him a bit. But movement in the bed caught his attention and he froze. It was dark so he had a hard time seeing who or what was in the bed. A cat stood stretching and jumped down but as soon as it saw him it hissed and clambered back onto the bed disturbing whoever was there. The sleepy voice of a girl met his ears and he stepped sideways hiding against the hallway wall.

"Cat what in the world has you so spooked." The bed creaked as you sat up. Your eyes adjusted to the darkness and you could see your cat looking at the doorway it's back arched and tail poofed up. The sight had you spooked too and you as quietly as possible got out of bed and grabbed your baseball bat. You looked into the hall at an angle that you could see anyone up against the wall right next to the doorframe. You spotted the edge of a dark body and prepared to jump into the hall. You jumped out and swung at the intruder hitting him in the arm. He held the spot you hit and bolted into the living room. You flicked on the hall light so you could see and saw him run into the kitchen. You slipped back into your room and grabbed your phone and the lasso off your wall slinging it over your shoulder.

He hadn't expected you to just have a bat in your room so when you jumped out swinging all he could do was protect his face. He'd ran into the kitchen to possibly get out and spotted the rooster on the porch. He could either stay and go up against you or brave the attack rooster and who knows what other animals were lurking outside. The loud barking of a dog caught his attention and he spotted the crate in the corner. The medium sized dog snarled and growled at him and he shoved open the screen door. The rooster flew at him again as he fled and you released your dog. You ran after him and prepared to lasso him. Your dog was on his heels and you slung the rope around him yanking him off his feet. Quickly you jumped him and tied him up as your dog pulled on his pants. "Let me go!" He struggled in the tight bindings as you stood over him. "You thought it was a good idea to steal from a ranch of all places huh? For somebody wearing glasses you're pretty dumb." The rooster came running down the path and flogged him again. He yelled in pain as he got another claw to the face. The bird was snatched up and held by you like a football. The aggressive feather duster struggled for a moment before relaxing in your arms. You stroked its head as it panted from running so far. "Heh fox in the hen house buddy. You don't mess with the master and her guard animals." You pulled out your phone and dialed 911 talking to the dispatcher.

When the cops got there and saw the strange scene they started to laugh hysterically. Once you told them how he'd ended up like that they laughed even harder. You had security footage of the whole thing and they took a copy with them. You waved smugly to the guy as they loaded him into the police cruiser. He gave you a glare and you shoved your rooster at him making him fall back into the seat. They shut the door and said goodbye. You laughed as you took the rooster back to the coop placing him on the perch with his hens. "I suppose it was a good thing I left your door open tonight huh?" The chatter of your birds made you smile and you locked them up. "Let's go back to bed pupper." Your dog happily walked with you back into the house and you went back to bed.