#and I never follow these sorts of creators so I just end up checking up on them randomly whenever they come up on my dash or I remember

[forgetful-river]

God. Sometimes a creator has headcanons that I feel are so so so so wrong for characters that I become morbidly fascinated with how they'll warp the characters next, like. He would NOT fucking say that but I am fascinated how you came to the conclusion he would

[hotxcheeto]

Hiii bby ! ☺️ i’m literally obsessed with your chloe fics <3 may i request rachel x fem reader smut with soft dom rachel <3 i love her sm

━ 𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) - Rachel Amber x Fem!Reader

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Smut, cursing, v fingering ( r! receiving ), kissing, sweetness and FLUFFFF, compliments, girlfriend!rachel, top rach, bottom reader

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ? - Yeah/Nope ( I did spell check tho... kinda )

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - AHH ty for the request!! and I'm glad you like my other fics ily sm!!

REBLOG MY WORK! I WORK HARD & IT'S APPRECIATED!!

Your dorm room was silent, blinds clattering every few minutes from a blow of the wind. Rachel didn't seem to notice like you had though, too busy sorting all of the photos she'd taken in the past few weeks while muttering criticisms to herself. Tossing her least favorites aside.

The golden glow from the window complimented the four walls that you called home currently. Your eyes dancing from each of them as you thought, stretched out and comfortable while pondering what to have for dinner.

The sudden flash of a camera took your mind away from the thoughts of ramen or tacos. Flickering your pupils to the golden haired girl looking at the screen of the camera in her hands with a grin.

"Sorry, you just looked so... majestic."

You rolled your eyes at her dramatics, running your hands down your face while hiding your smile in the process.

"Nothing about me is majestic right now, I can promise you that."

Rachel gasped, placing her hand on her chest. Suddenly a faux expression of shock and horror crossed her face and invaded her irises.

"I didn't take you for a liar and a promise breaker, Y/n."

"What can I say? I'm truly a horrible person at heart."

Rachel stood up, laughing on her way to sit beside you on the mattress. Climbing over your body which made you painfully aware of how little clothing she'd been wearing, having spent the night. Choosing her underwear over her jeans which... who were you to disagree... or complain, for that matter?

"Majestic as well." She joked, resting her head on the pillow next to the one you'd been laying on. "Even if you're blind to your beauty." "Is that a line from one of your plays?" You then asked her, rolling onto your side to face her.

"No, it's a line from my heart." The way Rachel spoke always sounded like she was reciting a poem, making it hard to believe yet entrapping and enticing you all the same. She sounded like a Goldrush, and it matched her appearance as well.

"You should be a poet, if your other career plans fail." You blurted out quietly, listening to her melodic chuckles. "I get that a lot." It was your turn to find her funny, blinking while watching her take in a breath.

"Have been considering it, but I'll need a muse." You listened to her voice, the bed moving as she shifted to lean over you, laying her head against her palm, elbow keeping her raised.

"Something... someone... majestic? To, y'know, get heaps and floods of inspiration from. As those movie artists say, you cannot be a creator without finding something to love that's been already created."

You stared blankly at her, admiring the way her jaw and mouth moved as she spoke. It sounded like she was both joking and serious.

"You just made that up didn't you?" Your question came out before you could think it back in. Her laughter filling up your ears.

"Yeah, but it was hella poetic, right?"

You agreed quietly, smiling up at her while she continued to wonder. Her nail running along your leg making you shift as it had tickled. Though it began feeling less and less ticklish the closer she got to your inner thigh.

"Maybe I should be a poet." You said something to follow up that but it trickled away as she moved closer and closer towards where your shorts had ridden upwards.

"But all my poems would just end up being about you." She muttered, content with the way you squirmed under touch but didn't pull away. The little flicker of a flustered state never passing slowly across your features which made her increasingly bold.

"Oh really?" You spoke just above a whisper, trying your hardest to ignore the thumping in your underwear. Breaths light and shuddering her baby hairs from how close she truly was to your face.

Rachel spared no seconds though, leaning down to kiss your lips, tasting like the fruity drink she'd bought from the convenience store. The half drunk can still set on your side table across the room.

"I love you.." You said happily, muttering it to both yourself and her. Feeling the tips of her fingers inching towards where the seams of your panties met your leg. "Hm... tell me again."

She grinned as she said this, sneaking her way into your shorts and tugging them aside while you gathered yourself once again.

"I love you..." You spoke again, spreading your legs in just the slightest to give her more room to work with. "I love you so much..." A grin crossed your face when speaking, only for it to be replaced by a gasp, her fingertips brushing over your clit before moving in a soft circle.

Rachel just continues to take in every inch of your face, each little curve and indent. Each line and little blemish, her fingers working whilst she tried to paint your entire existence into her memory.

"Do you love me?" Your question was silently answered but was followed by an audible, "Of course I do.." from her. Rachel then leaned down to kiss you again and again while teasing and pleasuring your bundle of nerves. Rolling it against her fingers while you tried your hardest to stay in the same spot and not jerk away or shut your legs.

"You're my muse..." She gave you a smirk, referring to herself earlier while simultaneously picking up her pace and making you whimper. "...what's not to love?"

You focused on how she worked skillfully, yet barely broke a sweat. Too busy nipping your jaw or nuzzling your cheek to hear your sweet yet low moans increase. A light wet sound meeting your ears from inside of your bottoms, making you look at her with big eyes while she only basked in your adorable pleas that fell on deaf ears.

Your eyebrows furrowed and mouth jittered, biting your lip to give your neighboring students ease of not having to listen to your girlfriend fuck you.

Her digits then found their way to your hole and without warning, two fingers soaked with your slick invaded your cunt. A choked, strangled noise following up from your throat which she pressed a kiss to.

"Rach.. oh fuck..." You hummed, chest heaving up and down, eyes moving back and forth between her hand and her face. Both such sights to behold but she helped you make the choice of which to actually focus on.

"Look at me..." Rachel practically sang, giving you no room to deny her request. "M'gonna-" "I know, now tell me how much you love me, Y/n."

You were rocking against her to meet her knuckles, reaching out to grab at her forearm which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy.

"I- I love you- I really do- I love you so much-"

She giggled as you repeated yourself over and over, muttering and babbling nonsense to her as you came around her. Shuddering and shutting your thighs on her hand, but she kept moving, not letting her unfortunate new position hold her back from fucking you through your blissful state.

Everything then coming to a halt, your shaky breathing being the only sound in the room besides her amusement.

"Fuck, now that was majestic." She spoke first.

You looked up at her, smiling big and leaning for a kiss which she gave. Rubbing her nose against yours and making you pull back, laughing sweetly.

"Now... be my muse for a little longer?"

How could you say no?

a/n: watching kennie rn - stan bad movies and a beat y'all

[maleyanderecafe]

Flowers of Evil (Visual Novel)

Created by: boyinajar

Genre: Romance/Horror

Just like a lot of games, I've been having my eye on this one for a bit. Flowers of Evil was made for the #yanjam, and I think as of writing this, the current demo could just be an entire game if some of the options were removed. It's really cool to have non human yandere characters in games, so it was pretty fun playing this one and seeing Wither in action. If you are curious about this game, please check out more at @flowersofevilvn, and they are creating another game called @darlingdollhousevn if you enjoyed this one.

The default name for the MC is Buttercup, so I will refer to them as such through this review.

Buttercup wakes up one day like any other to head to their class in university. Walking through the forest to get to campus, the find out that class is not in session, with a note that states there won't be class today instead of an email. With their new free time, they decide to head into the library and starts to read some poetry when they are interrupted by a man named Wither, who seems interested as well. Buttercup can either try to converse with him or try to leave after first meeting with him.

If Buttercup decides to converse with them, Wither will ask them out on a date. Buttercup will initially refuse because of their classes, though coincidentally, the class is cancelled due to car problems relating to plants. With this, Buttercup accepts Wither's invitation, and the two go walking in the town. After going through the flower shop, Wither suggests going into the woods next. As the two walk, Buttercup suddenly feels really anxious, and tries to leave, however, Wither grabs them. They realize too late that he's not quite human, and Wither explains himself as some sort of lichen. Wither drags Buttercup into the meadow, stating that he created it just for them, just to protect them from the rest of the world.

If Buttercup attempts to leave, Wither will be annoyed, stating that this isn't what was suppose to happen, attempting to sing more poetry to lure them back in. As they leave, they get a notification stating that their next class is cancelled due to some plant problems with the professor's car. Here they can either decide to go home through the path or through the town, freaked out by Wither's presence.

If they decide to go through town, Buttercup feels rather unnerved, and they see Wither following them around. They start to freak out, believing that he might have been following them for some time, even before their initial meeting. Buttercup decides to run home to safety, paranoid that no one can help them, not even the police. After falling asleep, they wake up to the sound of breaking glass only to find Wither, breaking open the window with their hand which has turned into a sharp branch. As the plants capture Buttercup, Wither ends up taking them with him, likely back to the forest.

Going through though the path, Buttercup starts to realize that they've been walking for a lot longer than they should have, and noticed that the path behind them is completely gone. Not able to try to go back, Buttercup tries to keep on going forward, until they reach a meadow that they've never seen before. They end up meeting Wither there, who reveals himself as a lichen. The plants grab at Buttercup onto the floor, with Wither happily lying down with them. Wither captures them, happy that they will be together.

I gotta say that this creator makes pretty good creepy designs, whether it be purposeful or not. I think it really adds to the dangers that yanderes have, and it's especially good for the scenes where Wither breaks into Buttercup's house or when he's stalking them around the town. I think that the design with it's leaves is pretty neat too, though it does kind of look like he's fallen down in the forest and forgot to clean himself up a bit. If he does have a more monstrous form, I think it would be neat to have holes in his face or hands to show off the more decayed side to him, but that's just an idea.

I think that this game does a pretty good job of horror, especially the idea of the plants coming to basically take Buttercup into the meadow, and the way that they're not able to escape. The choice of music makes some scenes feel very tense, especially when Wither reveals himself to not be what he seems. I think the notions of using poetry are pretty nice and it does make me wonder where he learned all of it or how he was able to make a human body in the first place. I assume that he fell for Buttercup because he saw them walking in the forest and tried to make something that would appeal to them.

In terms of yandere behavior, Wither pretty much made their physical appearance based off what Buttercup likes, cancelled two classes to get them to hang out with him (possibly killing one of them, considering the note), stalks them in certain endings, breaks into their house with one and kidnaps them to a meadow filled with their favorite flowers. There's actually quite a lot going on in terms of yandere things, and it does make me curious how Wither was able to pick up on what kind of things Buttercup likes and again, how they got into poetry in the first place. From what I recall reading, it is stated that he has a bit more of chivalrous personality that he bases on the books that he's read, thus leading to all of the ways that they act towards Buttercup. That kind of idea is always pretty cool, with a yandere that tries to become what their lover wants to be.

Overall, a pretty fun and short game. This is technically a demo (though I feel that it could just be it's own full but short game if the other options were removed) and I am curious to see what will happen next. I am excited to see how this one and their other game will develop in the future.

[a-sparrows-melody]

The Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare

DISCLAIMER: These are my opinions. I do not mean harm - neither to the creator of this wonderful series, nor to the fandom and any of its followers. If you do not agree with my opinion, please do not engage merely to fight with me (I don't like it).

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare is a mixed bag of brilliance and flaws, particularly when revisited with a more critical eye.

I'd started reading this during a reading slump, so the books seemed absolutely perfect - filled with fast-paced action, vivid world-building, and a character-driven plot that never felt dull. The relatable flaws of the characters, especially Clary's ideals and Jace's identity crisis arc, made them endearing (at least in the first four books).

The first three books stood out, reflecting Clare’s meticulous research and captivating writing style, which skillfully incorporated advanced vocabulary. These elements created a strong and powerful narrative that resonated deeply, making the books a joy to read (especially during a reading slump, when you want nothing serious).

Simon's character was sort of relatable as well, and Magnus and Alec's relationship was really sweet. Isabelle was fairly fine as a character (mind you, I'm only talking about the first three books) - so no qualms for any of them (they were written as well as they could have been written).

However, the series' latter half falters. The fourth book was fine, merely as a check-in on beloved characters, but by the fifth and sixth installments, the story had fallen apart. The writing style had lost it's grip on me.

Clary's transformation into a Mary Sue (reminiscent of Bella from Twilight), was particularly disappointing. Her character became obsessed with Jace, reducing her personality to just her relationship with him (you know those high-school couples that make dating their entire personality?). Additionally, Clare’s portrayal of Clary’s victim complex was frustrating; in every battle, Clary does so little yet ends up needing the most care - which felt unrealistic and annoying.

Sebastian was just straight-up psychopathic (which was great - I love psychopathic antagonists) but he should have remained dead, in my opinion. The Lilith plot-line was just an unnecessary appendage.

A significant shortcoming of the series is its superficial treatment of human emotions. Despite being a character-driven story, the emotional depth of characters like Clary and Jace is often glossed over. Their traumas are mentioned but never fully explored, making their reactions feel shallow and disconnected from their experiences. For instance, the death of Jordan Kyle, a close friend, is barely acknowledged, with the characters quickly moving on without much reflection or grief (literally they're like: oh, that's sad. Hey, those are funny, undersized pajamas!).

The series also became repetitive, with a recurring plot cycle involving Jace getting possessed -> shutting down/running away -> Clary attempting to "save" him (read: putting more people in danger).

This redundancy, coupled with the lack of emotional realism, made the latter books feel like a letdown. Ultimately, the series should have ended after the first three books - which delivered a powerful message about a neglectful government and a flawed revolution. The decision to extend the series only diluted its impact, turning it into a disappointing follow-up to an initially strong start.

Yeah, I don't think I'll read the rest of the Shadowhunters mega-series

-X-

Trying books reviews for the first time! Yay! Any thoughts?

[erroramended-blog]

Sketch dump extravaganza!

So, the end is near. The end of the owl house that is. I’m excited, and nervous, and happy and sad, and all sorts of other feelings all at once. This show really meant a lot to me, and this is the first time I’ve ever been THIS involved in making stuff for a fandom. It really helped me grow in both my art and my writing, so as a sort of sent off, I put together this! It’s a look back on my Owl house journey in the form of sketches I never posted, process pics, and unfinished works, along with some creator commentary!

Starting it off with a ton of Hunter! Hes been my most drawn victim subject, and one of my top faves. Above is a number of sketches I never finished and a few alternate goof arounds. Sometimes when I feel stuck trying to capture an expression I draw the most basic version of what I wanna get across, both for my amusement and to get out of the funk. More to see below the cut.

This next one was started during the hiatus after Yesterdays Lie and never finished. It proved a bit too challenging at the time.

That background was waaay above my skill level at the time, so this is as far as I got. You’ll notice, Willow is the only fully drawn character. I just really liked how she was coming out.

I already wanted Hunter to be part of the friend gang before he’d even met Willow and Gus, and I wanted them all to have a fun human realm adventure hiking and having a picnic. Here are some sketch highlights.

Hunter found a good walking stick, and then Flapjack found one too. Ghost in a cat backpack, Gus with a dandelion.

Next up is an early imagining of what Belos’s final form might look like.

With a scared Hunter for scale. It was also related to my long running fanfic (good days bad days and all the days in between)  written during that same hiatus along with a few other arts.

Hunter was not the only character I liked to make suffer. Here are a few Raine sketches related to that fic (on the right) and a few unfinished pieces from after we met Terra (On the left)

Next up, in a continuation of the Raine suffering. (And my terrible goofy looking thumbnail sketch on the upper left.)

Sketches from my happy then sad Raine and Eda fanart, featuring dead (or mostly dead) Raine. Fun fact, both the content, and style used here were inspired by the short animated film Fuelled, in which a cat wife seeks revenge for the murder of her cat husband. (Ok, it was actually inspired by a Fuelled fan AMV set to Mitski’s Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear, but still, beautiful film, go check it out.) For a change of pace, here’s something cute.

Big happy family with young bats, and baby Hunter. This was going to be for an unfinished fic I started in which the bats are already Raine’s adopted kids, and, unable to let baby Hunter suffer, Raine kidnaps him, and goes to Eda for help. Happy family shenanigans ensue.  Here’s a chunk of that fic. (and we’re back to suffering for both Raine and Hunter, so be warned) -- “Eda, I-I am so sorry to show up like this, but—” Raine swallowed hard, and looked over their shoulder into the distance. Fear in their eyes, like something was going to pop out of the woods and get them. “I did something...and I am in so much trouble and...and I didn’t know who else to turn to.” The kids behind them looked up at her with a mix of fear and hope. One of the younger ones clung to Raine’s pant leg, looking especially weary. “You owe me an explanation.” She said, stepping aside. “But it can wait. Get in here.” “Thank you,” They said, sounding beyond relieved, and absolutely exhausted. The kids followed them inside, and Eda paused in the doorway, looked out into the night, unsure what she was expecting to see. Nothing was out there. “Hey, Hooty.” Eda said quietly. The house demon sleepily gave a hoot of acknowledgment “Keep an eye out. Let me know if you see anything.”  With that she shut the door, and turned to face the...complicated situation she was suddenly faced with. Raine had set the youngest child down on her couch. There was a wad of bloody gauze secured to the kids ear. “Do you have any healing supplies?” Raine asked, firmly focused on the injured ear. “Anything for pain?”  

“Yeah.. uh, I’ll grab um.” she said, moving to fetch the kit. The whole situation was bizarre and confusing, but getting everyone taken care of had to be the first priority.

One of the kids followed her. 

“Do you have any food?” The little pony-tailed kid asked. Truth be told, no, she didn’t. Not much anyway. She really needed to keep more around, especially now that she had— oh, she should mention that. It’s a good thing he was a pretty heavy sleeper.

“Kitchens that way” She said, pointing “Don’t burn the place down. Help yourself to what you find. What are you, five?”

“I’m ten” The kid said “Hunter is five. I’m not five, I’m not a baby.”

“Good for you.” She said, digging through the half depleted healer's kit. “Don’t touch the bottle with the apple on it.”

“Katya,” Raine called, worry in their voice “Where did you go? Come back here please.”

“Sorry!” said the kid whose name was apparently Katya. The kid ran back to the living room, and Eda followed. She handed over the kit.

“It’s not much,” She said. “I can see about whipping up a pain potion. I gotta look up the doses for a kid — how old is...”

“I told you, Hunter is five!” Katya said, exasperated. 

“Katya, please.” Raine said, sounding more tired than frustrated. “Yes, he’s five.”

--

Next up, an unfinished crossover between Owl House and Hades Town

Set to the song Doubt Comes In, with Raine as Orpheus and Eda as Eurydice. I never finished it because I didn’t like how it was turning out (and it was way to much work, lol.) But I still love the crossover. Some highlights below.

Next, sketches from things that did end up finished.

And a few alternate poses and expressions from finished stuff.

Here’s King, and an itty-bitty Eda.

And some post Kings Tide sketching.

Another happy family type sketch from waaay back

and lastly, me!

Its me as an owl house character, featuring a spider beast form, and non-binary cape! So there you have it!

In it’s final secret title message to us, Owl House thanked us for watching, so I want to thank it back for all the entertainment and inspiration it gave me (And thanks to those who have followed, liked, reblogged and commented on my art and writing along the way.). I’m gonna miss it, and I wish it hadn’t been cut short, but I’m looking forward to its last episode. Goodbye Owl House.

[gvtted-ratz]

BEFORE YOU READ:

- Read all tags/ratings if there are any. They are important and give you all you need to decide if you want to actually read. If you do not like the tags/rating, please do not read.

- We ask that anyone who is FEM aligning/identifying to not read our MLM fics. You can still send requests, however, we do not do FEM readers.

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Want to request? Find the rules: here!

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Hoon Man HCS with a GN!Doppelgänger!Doorman!S/O

Last Edited: 27/08/2024

TW: none

Requested: No.

Word Count: 882

AO3 LINK -> HERE

Notes from gvtted-ratz (writer/creator): Welcome back. Take our thoughts like a rock from a field. These headcanons are based off our fic: Do You Have The Guts? Feel free to check that out. Rppik is hornier than us for this man, we swear.

@rppik (editor/co-writer):  I am a monsterfucker first and foremost but I did try to tone down the horny,

rppik hcs: 

• Hoon never perfectly mimics humans, or acquires the ability to speak, and you gather through his non-verbal communication that that's part of what drew him to you— you're capable of what he's not, and he admires your mimicry skills, wanting to learn from you while doing what he can for you in return.

• He rests throughout parts of the day so that he has energy to hunt for you both at night— it isn't that you're incapable of doing so yourself, by any means, but it's a welcome change from having to work all day and then fit in both sleep and hunting at night.

• Besides, despite you having particular tastes, he always seems to bring you back flesh that you're more than willing to eat and all but vibrates at your resulting approval.

• Expect him to want to lick your face and fingers clean afterwards,

• When feeling particularly affectionate, or just wanting your attention while you work, Hoon 100% hangs out under your desk while you work with his head on your knee for scritches.

• He likes to watch you work, also— he finds a darker corner of your office to peer over from, taking in the different Doppelgängers and humans that go through, and will playfully mimic the notable ones to you at the end of the day as though amused at the variety.

• All Doppelgängers have an innate interest in learning from example by watching humans, but you find he seems more curious in the “whys” of it all than most— his pin-prick pupils catching on certain fashion choices or mannerisms you yourself would just brush off or imitate without further question.

• You wind up taking after him in that regard as time goes on, if only because it makes your monotonous job a little more interesting to take in the details of the residents that change throughout the days while still remaining themselves. Differences in clothing, expressions, that you now take note of not just for the sake of your job but because it makes you understand your mate’s perspective of the world a little better.

• Meanwhile, Hoon immediately picks up on your disdain for Doppelgängers who are less adept at mimicking humans than average— the way your tone gets exasperated, or clipped, when you call out the flaws in their disguise and press the call button with more force than you do for others.

• You notice that he gets a little clingier after the first few times, and while it takes a few times more for you to understand the correlation you feel a funny sort of feeling in your chest— your hand immediately going to his hair as you wonder how to assure him that he's the exception to your disdain.

• In the end, while communication is difficult when only one party can fully speak, he does seem to look at you with an appreciative understanding in his eyes as you explain the difference between himself and the others you so readily send to their deaths. The monstrously unconvincing Doppelgängers on the other side of the window pose a threat to your dwelling here, and have come only to feed without so much as passing as a human. He came here for you.

gvtted-ratz hcs:

• Hoon likes to grab onto you, touching your skin and clothes, just to feel close.

• While Hoon isn’t able to blend into human society, he does try his best with his attempts.

• Besides continuos touching, he also likes to hover near you; he’s a believer in “being close shows how much you love the other”.

• The both of you curl up in your pile of miscellaneous cloths when your shift is over with; he clings to you and makes a low “oooooooo” sound as you both relax.

• There are times when he mimics you, trying to appear more human— this does not work well as you are not human, meanwhile, he’s evolutionary period seems to have been stunted.

• Will take your clothes to wear them; whether this is because he wants to feel closer to you or appear more human is unknown— it’s more likely to be a combination of both.

• Likes to cover you in blood from his kills or inky-black goo he secretes from his mouth and eyes on occasions; it’s almost like how animals rub their scent on each other to mark what is theirs.

• Hoon likes to point out different characteristics between Doppelgängers and their human counterparts— he may not be able to verbalize it, but he does try with gestures between the two of you.

• He only ever leaves your office to hunt for the both of you, deciding that since you’ve accepted his courtship, he will keep offering you kills— you are keeping him safe and sound by keeping close and hidden, after all.

• Overall, Hoon enjoys his time with you, going out of his way to show that he relishes in the moments the two of you are together— this includes bringing you kills, wearing your clothes, touching you more often, hovering around, and trying his best to improve his actions to that of a human’s to win you over more than he already has.

[thevindicativevordan]

What do you think about these rumors about Scott Snyder launching some sort of ''Ultimate DC''? And also, if you were tasked with such a job, what would you do?

Alright so for those of you not obsessing over DC rumors, Bleeding Cool claims that the word going around NYCC was that Scott Snyder has signed on to curate an "Ultimate DC" line of books. Quoting them:

Whatever this DC Ultimate Universe-style publishing line is, it is expected to be bigger and more comprehensive than Marvel's Ultimate line was – or will be. And it will also encapsulate a lot of classic DC Comics continuity, reshaped and refigured for the modern day, and emphasising creative freedom. Earlier attempts to mirror the Ultimate Universe with the Earth One graphic novel didn't go entirely as planned. But this… whatever it is… is meant to be very different.

Do I think there's merit to these rumors? Surprisingly yes. Now I have two other things to add to what BC shared: First off, I think Scott Snyder seeded the base for this at the end of Death Metal.

Remember "Earth Alpha", the Elseworld introduced at the end of Death Metal? Set up as the replacement for Earth 0 as the center of the Multiverse? It had a twin, Earth Omega, which became Darkseid's prison and was followed up on in Infinite Frontier. Earth Alpha however was seemingly forgotten and never touched on again. Apparently Williamson was asked about that and all he could say is that it was another creator's story to tell. Given Williamson is the one who brought back the Parallax Hal from Convergence when everyone else had forgotten the guy, he's not one to just ignore huge loose ends like there being another Earth which is at the center of the Multiverse. Snyder probably left this as a backdoor for him to do his "Ultimate DC" line if he ever came back, which is why Williamson never brought it up.

Second, someone on reddit shared that they had talked to Snyder around the time Death Metal was wrapping up, the two of them went to the same LCS, and he shared that Snyder told him he was pitching this. Seems Snyder was talking about his plans for Superman under this initiative, which that person thought sounded cool. Rando making unverifiable claims for attention? Maybe, but Snyder has always been bad at keeping secrets. I stopped reading his interviews because he would spoil entire lines of dialogue word for word. Doesn't feel at all unbelievable that he would share something like this.

I bet Snyder pitched a "Alpha Universe" starring the classic heroes while Didio did 5G with the main guys. We know Snyder was not on board with the 5G plans, to the point he asked Morrison to help him stage an "intervention". This likely was envisioned by him as an alternative: Didio could do his radical reboot, while Snyder and co reimagined the classic heroes on a new Earth. Understandable why Didio would reject that - if all your big names are working on the classic heroes, who would want to read the 5G guys? Who would read Luke/Jace Fox Batman while there's a new Bruce Wayne ongoing? Much like Earth One got rendered pointless via the New 52, 5G would have been overshadowed by the "Alpha DC".

Now though, I could see something like this happening. It's a chance to do the New 52 right, the mainline continuity is all fucked up, DC needs an easy way in for new fans. Gunn is about to reboot DC in theaters, perfect time to roll out a new onboarding for casuals that everyone hopes are going to check out Superman: Legacy. And just like how Gunn is going to start his new universe with Superman, I bet Snyder is going to be writing the "Alpha Superman" book. Towards the end of his tenure at DC, he was on something of a Superman kick: Supes and Lex both had very key roles in Last Knight on Earth, Lex was obviously a big part of his JL run, he gave Supes a lot of cool moments in Death Metal, etc. I think he finally clicked with the character and had an idea for what to do with him. Might be he is finally coming back to do his shot. I noticed he was taking lots of pics with other DC creators at NYCC this year: King, Taylor, Aaron, Kaminski, Williamson. Perhaps those were the guys he was talking to about this line? Hope he brings in some new blood, confident he will since in the past he either directly brought in creators like Tynion, or mentored those who eventually found their way to DC like Rosenberg and PKJ.

TL:DR I do believe this is happening, I think it will be called Alpha DC, I think Snyder will be writing the Alpha Superman book, and I expect we will get an announcement at SDCC 2024 if I'm right.

As for what I would do, part of why the original Ultimate Marvel line succeeded was that they kept the line small. Four books at most: USM, Ultimates, UXM, and UF4 with the occasional mini here or there. Hickman's new line seems set to maintain that number. BC claims that this will be much larger in scope, which frankly I think is a mistake. Copy the number of Ultimate Marvel books at 4, and here's the lineup I would do:

Alpha Superman - Do the basic concept of the New 52 Superman as envisioned by Morrison again. Clark Kent is just starting out in his career, around six months in. He's wearing an outfit with a Fleschier style symbol, it can be either the t-shirt and jeans or a proper suit, I don't care. He can't even fly yet merely leap, he's working at the Daily Star not the Planet, he's roommates with Jimmy Olsen, and he's not dating Lois yet. Do not pair Clark with Lois or with Diana, do something else. I'd pair him with Leslie Williams, they both co-host a podcast for the Daily Star and are dating, with the relationship going south after Leslie becomes Livewire. Since they're alive on Earth 0, kill the Kents here. Pa is likely going to be dead in Superman: Legacy anyway. First year should focus on Superman fighting Ultra-Humanite, Intergang, Toyman, and Bloodsport. Brainiac and Lobo show up for Year 2. Scott Snyder writing and Miguel Mendonca on art.

Alpha Batman - Don't envy anyone trying to launch yet another Batman reboot, but I guess the appeal of this could be seeing Bruce actually start off alone, recruit Dick Grayson for Robin, and get to grow from there? It's Batman there's nothing new left to do with him, but a gritty realistic Batman book could compliment the over the top nature of the main Bat book. Get Christopher Priest to write and Ivan Reis to draw.

The Alpha Authority - The big twist of this universe under me is that Superman does inaugurate the age of superheroes - but not the age of superhumans. Those have been around for a while, but metahumans are forced to serve their governments as WMDs. A new kind of war has covered the globe - the Super War. Everyone is racing to create the most powerful metahuman, and the Authority serve as America's metahuman defense under the umbrella of Stormwatch. Their current mission: retrieving the Century Baby Jenny Quantum, reincarnation of Jenny Sparks, who has just manifested her powers in Singapore, before rival nations can acquire her. Si Spurrier writing, Jorge Jimenez on art.

Alpha Shadowpact - Our magic team composed of Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Constantine, Dr. Fate (Khalid), Deadman, Detective Chimp, and Etrigan. Khalid is the new guy and point of view character for the audience. He just recently finished training with his grandfather Kent Nelson, and has inherited the mantle. For ages magic has slumbered, but the birth of Tim Hunter has changed all that. The Books of Magic have manifested and every magician and sorcerer across the world is seeking them out, for they hold secrets of magic long forgotten, as well as the way to unlock new magical sources of power. And of course Tim himself has drawn the attention of everyone, for he is fated to be magic's brightest hero or it's darkest villain. PKJ writing and Rafa Sandoval on art.

In this new world, Superman and Batman are the first of a new kind of breed: superheroes. Outlaws with powers or tech who refuse to bow to governments. Ultimately I would have the World's Finest first team-up come about to bring down the Authority and Stormwatch, which threatens to turn the Super War hot as now America no longer has it's metahuman protectors. A new team must form to replace the Authortiy - a Justice League Alpha. The Authority book would last for about three years, and then give way to the Justice League book. I could see a Wonder Woman book happening later if the sales are good, but everyone else would just get minis. You would have to read JLA to get updates on Aquaman, GL, The Flash, Vixen, and Martian Manhunter. Is that would Snyder is going to do? Probably not. I expect he will have all seven of the Leaguers get books, but I hope he holds off on a JL book for a while. Build the universe up first, then do the big team up.

[alluralater]

hey<3 I'm thinking about making a blog similar to yours, do you have any advice for bashful beginners and keeping safe online 🌸

hi there! ahh yay! how exciting! i'm not sure how much like my blog you mean so [takes off my silly hat and puts on my serious hat] buckle up cause this is gonna be a long one and quite in depth <3

if you're looking to make a blog like mine i would definitely encourage you to keep up conversations around consent, communication, and safety. make sure others are reminded that you are a person, not a fantasy or an object for fantasies to be projected upon. we're on horny tumblr, getting excited is normal. what is not normal or healthy is to forget that we (nsfw content creators) are real people with feelings and consent, preferences and boundaries. creating content like this whether text posts, pictures, audios, or some combination thereof— is a vulnerable position to be in. yes we choose to do it, yes we enjoy it. but no, it does not mean that we are ringing the bell for everyone under the sun to imagine we have no limits past those in their fantasies. i am a very reasonable person and i am also swift in my handling of something when i understand that someone is more interested in disregarding my boundaries, because consent and personal limits are non-negotiable. your boundaries mean something.

check your following!!! i vet every single follow on my blog. people might think that's tedious but personally i can't feel comfortable posting unless i know the people who are consistently seeing my content (following me) are of age. if you have a lot of minors reblogging your content— [projectile vomits and then wipes mouth] it's because they're passing it around with some sort of idea that they're welcome in an adult nsfw space. so yes i block follows in batches and do around 60 every 12 hours or so. some men, some weirdos, some blank blogs, and ones without age in bio/theyre a minor. yes i know this is a lot but i started doing it when i made my blog because unlike other people i am posting my face and my name and my life so it matters a LOT to me that they be kept safe faaaaar far away from my blog. of course i cant do anything about people (adults that reblog my content to their blog where they have minors following) disregarding my consent in the matter aside from reporting their account but that just says more about them than it ever will about me.

i encourage you to truly keep your wits about you when making mutuals as some (while publicly popular) are quite privately harmful. remember that no one is entitled to you and you owe no one anything more than simple civil human decency. never feel bad about blocking someone or not following someone. never feel bad about not messaging someone back. your time and your choices are your own. remember that if you start a blog like mine, you may end up having quite a bit or reach when it comes to informing people on certain topics. to imagine i have no platform whatsoever is silly, because i do. i can randomly post about whatever i want but if it harms someone, i cant just be like "tumblr is a silly site and my blog is just about me i'm so quiet and smol pls dont look at me anymore now that i'm in trouble" like no. my voice matters and the people who connect to it matter to me because they're part of my community. so remember when you enjoy the benefits of a large audience, you will also bear the responsibility of a large audience.

i personally conduct myself the same way online as i do irl (yes including the sexual stuff) and that's why my irl friends follow me on here. i would recommend you be genuine. if you're shy and deeply very sexual, be that! be yourself :) authenticity creates balance. on that note, keep whatever info to yourself that you so choose! do not give out your location. i cannot stress this enough. only one person on this site knows where i live and that's it. sometimes people from here (tumblr) see me out and they're like hey! and im like hi! and that's cool but i will never disclose my location or go beyond a quick little hangout because you just never know. on occasion i will become actual friends with people from tumblr and they'll become my irl friends but i'm careful. people see me on tinder and they're like hey i know you from tumblr! and im like oh yay how fun! but i once again have to be very careful because people will hold these preconceived notions about my consent without actually... knowing or asking. so i deeply encourage you to never and i mean never give out your address and be careful of what little details about your life that you allow out there. i use my real name and obviously i post pictures of myself on here along with my voice because i think of tumblr like any other social media and i have no problem with any of the things i post being known to anyone in my life. if you want to start a blog like mine, figure out how much of this you're willing to let into other parts of your life. be very safe and figure out what your boundaries are when it comes to online vs. irl.

[puts back on my silly hat]

okay now onto the fun stuff! posting content!! what's your style? what is your vibe? stick to your strengths and dont be afraid to try new things :) personally i wanted to start a pic series of me jumping in front of my mirror and posting one with me in the air and another with me on the floor/bed cause i thought it would be funny but i forgot and just now remembered it. or like cartoon foods that look better in cartoons than irl. okay so maybe this isn't about sexy content but still lmfao!! post whatever you like and do so with the understanding that you are SO fucking hot. i encourage you to be mindful of the way you talk about yourself. it's okay to be nervous or honest about how you feel about your vessel but don't just go around bashing yourself. if someone has a body similar to yours and they see something like that, they're sure to be incredibly disappointed/sad with themselves even though they too are lovely! i hype myself the fuck up on my blog and keep up with making sure i'm regarding myself as a beautiful creature of mother earth, as well as telling others the same :)

[clicking my tongue] uhhh. hm. lemme think. because my blog is more than just an nsfw blog i do a LOT of things here, including giving advice or addressing important topics. personally i believe sex encompasses many things so it all fits comfortably. and most importantly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dont forget to be silly about it :) you are not one-dimensional. you can be multifaceted and fun and goofy about things. i love having fun and doing good at the same time. remember things like empathy, honesty, kindness, communication, safety, aaaaand yeah! i think you'll do wonderfully <3

p.s. personally i've gone through a horrendous amount of grief in the last two years and it has certainly shaken me a lot. my blog is much different than it was a year ago. it makes me tear up when people regard it as something still worthwhile, so thank you

[bdekurecs]

Fire Lily by EtherealBeing

Rating: E Status: 21/21 Chapters Word Count: 278,245 Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

There he was: sitting splay-legged on the altar, one muddy combat boot propped up on the edge, with a self-satisfied grin on his face and a relaxed aura, in spite of the war raging outside. Izuku wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see his first day evacuating humans from the Rapture zone, but it sure as hell wasn’t a Demon with the same goal. A story about falling, in more ways than one.

author has a tumblr here, so make sure to give them a follow if you like this fic!

my notes: every day i cry that i'll never be able to read this for the first time ever again. jkjk, it's only been a couple days. this is definitely SUCH a good way to do demon!katsuki and angel!izuku. the worldbuilding is INCREDIBLE and i was waiting to be right about a lot of stuff. purely to encourage people to read this one, i'm not gonna say if i was right or not about any of those things, but this one is popular for a REASON. AND!!!! the author just posted a new bkdk fic according to my email i use for my ao3 account! honestly, i legitimately hadn't checked what else the author had written until writing this rec, so expect another bkdk fic rec from this author soon!

the author has a really really fun way of capturing how izuku and katsuki (and others) would most likely act in this sort of au. it feels so realistic, and there's some really fun twists and turns in this one. it's absolutely angst with a happy ending. the hurt comfort is REAL with this one, as well as the more... rating specific tags tumblr will get mad at me for using lol.

i'm still remembering little easter eggs after a couple weeks, if only because those easter eggs are woven into the story so well you don't really think of them as easter eggs. and honestly i might be wrong about some of them, but i 100% blame that on ME not being caught up in the anime yet haha. remember to leave kudos, comment, etc on this one if you liked it, and...

remember to read the tags on ao3, be respectful and always follow the golden rule of fic: don't like, don't read.

[aquanova99]

Remember your Roots

Felix x Reader

Part 4

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Next >>

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A/N: I’m back bitches. Bet you never thought I would finally update this series jesus it’s taken me forever. I am still struggling with those lovely messages but after getting a few more I realized they are just fans of other creators so whatever.

A/N: anyways how are you guys? I hope I can get back into a rhythm. School is finally letting up and I miss writing but inspiration is hard to come by. Also I worry about repeating things so if this is familiar idk I tried lol thank you guys for the patience 🤍

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In the following weeks you began to feel more and more like yourself. Or what you remembered as yourself. It frustrated you that nothing in your past life came to mind. You had appreciated the extra help from Felix. Both with training and with trying to help you remember anything past you waking up with instructions from Riley. You hadn’t gotten much farther than knowing it was some kind of vacation or break. You knew you had gone with friends but you couldn’t even remember their names much less their faces. Felix offered to take you back to the location someday when everything had calmed down with the Cullens. You had been so against helping Victoria’s coven but now, I mean how many enemies can one family have? You had lessons from Heidi and Demetri about what rules the volturi had and why they had to track certain covens just to check in. You would think following what, maybe two actual rules wouldnt be too hard to follow.

            You had begun to get curious. You asked Aro and Caius about officially performing any guard duties, apparently they thought it was best to keep you hidden unless necessary. A surprise for any possible battle. That was alright. You enjoyed being around Heidi and Sulpicia and Corin had showed you several old plants long gone that you had practiced growing when you had a chance. But you wanted to be out with Demetri…and Felix. You felt like you owed him. And you had begun craving his company. It was getting harder when he went on missions. Not that it was that often, but it freaked you out. There was a pain when he was gone for long periods of time. You had come to know he had never lost a fight, learned about the scars he bore, the little memories of his life before the volturi. His stories were in a word, sad. He was forced into a life of fighting to survive, anything he made was sent to his family from what he remembers, but he couldn’t remember faces either. They’re memory fading even in his human life, sending any kind of winnings was more out of obligation. Aro recruited him and he pretty much continued servitude in a different magnitude. He had left for a few years as a newborn, he smiled remembering how his strength now paled in comparison to that first year. Ironically, he said that was the most peaceful time of his life. You weren’t surprised, even now, there were few people who challenged him, besides Demetri and Santiago.

The scars. The scars were so much worse than you had imagined. He had explained about the children of the moon. You were almost 100% sure the person he saved was Demetri, but you didn’t ask. It wasn’t your business. What he hadn’t told you is that unlike most vampires his scars refused to fade. Any scratch from the children of the moon, vampire or otherwise had left some sort of mark on Felix. The trials he’d faced when he had come back to the volturi were harsh. Caius testing exactly how much he could handle had ended up with too many vampires on him at once. He had told you that test had left him plenty of scars all over, you had stayed silent watching his face. It remained unchanging. You worried asking anything more would cause him to stop confiding in you so you chose to stay silent whenever he would recount a story in his life, as if he was telling it about someone else. As if someone else had lived it. You chose only to ask if he was okay and he had only shrugged saying it no longer bothered him. That was the first time you’d seen him lie. You’d think hed be better at it.

It had been a long process. After the night he convinced you to come back to the volturi, he was only slightly more social. Nodding, maybe offering small casual conversation. He had found you in the library once after he had come back late from a mission. It had been the first time you found yourself wondering if he was doing alright. You were grateful he opened up at all. But his stories… you wondered if he would ever process them.

You began integrating yourself more into the large coven. Becoming closer to the guard members. You found a protectiveness growing inside you, it was becoming more glaringly obvious that you would be willing to protect anyone in your new family. No matter the cost. I mean, it’s not like you had anyone else. Nor did you care too much about your own life either, considering you knew so little about yourself. You began to leave the room to your quarters open, so if anyone needed anything it was clear you were available. It seemed to work well for the most part. It was a sort of unspoken agreement that went on in the castle, if your door was open you were available to talk or to help with any trials. Not that you were ever able to go. The queens had helped hone your gift and you enjoyed learning the things they had mastered over the centuries they had been alive. If you weren’t with them or Heidi you had enjoyed spending your time reading many of the books the volturi had accumulated over time. The only one who would still knock to ask how you were doing was Felix. Still, you enjoyed that he would try and make time to visit you when he wasn’t busy.

You were deeply invested into an old horticulture book, Sulpicia told you it was a book known for plants with healing properties. Sulpicia had once gained a piqued interest into the women being persecuted long ago, she discovered their knowledge went beyond what people were ready for and continued to study it over the millennia to see if anything had changed or improved. When Aro had told her about your gift she was quick to want to experiment to see if there was anything that you could do to help their kind, the two of you mainly focused on different plants and herbs known for healing pain and testing whether crossbreeding would prove to someday help any vampires with lasting pain from wars fought long before your time. You knew she meant Caius, but you also secretly hoped you could possibly help Felix. You had noticed he greatly under exaggerated the pain in his arm. You found him putting pressure on it often or would massage it as if it was sore. You knew he had more scars he didn’t feel comfortable talking about, but those scars ran deep inside him. You might as well do something useful if you were going to be stuck in hiding.

You could feel a gust of air pass you as someone rushed past your room. You heard a door slam before Felix’s scent hit you. You knew if he really wanted to that door would have been obliterated, which meant he was trying to restrain himself. That in itself was terrifying. You poked your head out of the room to see if anyone else seemed to know what was happening. Demetri came up soon after.

“Is everything okay?” you felt the need to whisper as quietly as you could

Demetri lips were a tight line, hesitant before he nodded towards your room. You let him in and closed the door to offer him some privacy, “I didn’t mean to worry you Y/n but you should know today’s trial was a bit unexpected. We haven’t dealt with an immortal child in ages.”

You felt the wind get knocked out of you, the transformation process was no walk in the park. To subject any child through that…leave them endlessly unable to grow. It seemed cruel. And the rules. Being caught guaranteed a swift but presumably painful death to both the creator and child. Your mouth felt dry, what was there to say?

“I’m sorry.” Was the best you could do.

Demetri half chuckled, “It isn’t your fault cara. But it certainly doesn’t seem to get easier. We weren’t able to bring them in before the transformation process was complete for the child. Its creator was trying to calm it on their way, as if they could appeal what he did.” You could see Demetris body stiffen, his teeth gritted together. If it was up to him he would let the vampire rebuild itself just to kill him again. You pulled him into an embrace. It couldn’t be easy, feeling guilty at cutting a child’s life so short, even if had been doomed from the moment they were taken from its family’s arms. Demetri was slow but receptive to your sympathy. His arms wrapped around you as he gathered himself together. When he pulled away he made sure to face you,

“Y/n you should know Felix had the unfortunate task of taking care of the child…”

“Is that why he was so upset?”

Demetri sighed, “As long as I’ve known him… he has always been quite good at masking what he’s thinking. When immortal children first became a problem it was made clear no one person would be the ones handling them. Still, the guard assumes Felix is fine with handling it because he is known as our executioner….Though I doubt his pride will ever let him admit it, there are some things that weigh on him more than other.”

You’d only begun to realize the tone he spoke at was so low you could barely make it out. Demetri was still working, still protecting his friend, “What happened?”

“…some of the guard tend to not have much of a filter. They simply see this as a job. Which normally is fine but regardless, the child calmed down the second Felix held them. He hesitated. Someone mentioned that he needed to get on with it, questioning when he began caring about things like this.”

You didn’t want to hear anything else, you felt a pressing need to see him. Demetri held your arm back. Your voice rose to barely a whisper, “Let. go.”

He shook his head, “Believe me I saw Caius handle said member. It isn’t—its not safe for you to see him right now. He needs some time to relax.”

You shook him off of you, “I’m not scared of Felix.” You left before he could protest anymore. You weren’t sure how much he heard. Demetri had centuries to improve how quiet he needed to be in certain situations. You did not have that luxury.  You expected to hear no response at your knocking against his door. When you realized you were and were met with silence you opened the door ever so slightly.

“Hi, are you okay?”

He seemed surprised at your presence, his head lifting up from the small couch he was sitting on. Other than that he didn’t move a muscle, his head had turned back to glare at the fire roaring through the silence and you debated how much you could actually do to help.

“I’m fairly confident you’ve been warned by my friend that today wasn’t a great day.” He looked so…tired. The centuries of not sleeping seemed etched across his face. You stepped into his chambers and as gently as you could closed the door behind you. The soft click of the door, causing him to look at your direction. Clearly, no one has ever tried to push for an answer after his immediate and probably, automatic refusal to talk. For indestructible beings you found the lot of them to be cowards.

“I guess I’m a bit worried.”

“I didn’t mean to sca—”

“You don’t. That wasn’t what I meant.” Felix seemed taken aback by your irritation. You walked towards him slowly, until you stood give feet from where he sat. Ahi’s eyes never left you, he seemed worried as if he doubted whether his anger would get the best of him. You hadn’t had a moment to think Felix was ever someone to be afraid of. You suppose that he probably should have frightened you at least a bit, but thus far, he gave you no reason to worry, “you promise you’re okay?”

He opened his mouth to say yes, you surprised him when you reached your hand out extending your pinky. It was a simple act but you both seemed to understand exactly what you were asking him. Daring him actually. Daring him to lie to you again. He sighed and scooted over to one side of the couch he was sitting on. You were sat next to him in an instant. You waited for him to continue, refusing to say anything else before he changed his mind.

“A pinky promise? Really?”

“Strangely effective though, don’t you think?”

He chuckled, but even that seemed to pain him. Both of you remained silent for a while, “You can ask, I promise to answer.”

It was as if he was already separating two parts of himself. A process in which he would remove any emotion from the events that unfolded today. It was heartbreaking to see him like this. You supposed the coldness was what the people in the throne room saw. An effective mask, to say the least, “What do you need?”

“I- I’m sorry?”

“I would never force you to talk about something, it sounds like today was really intense. If you do want to talk I’m here. But I can just keep you company. Or we could go do something to get your mind off things. Like back to the sanctuary place I found and play with the dogs. Or if you really want to be alone that’s fine. But I need to know what would help. And I mean actually help, not just telling me you need space because that’s what you’re used to.”

“Help.” He quietly echoed, he seemed to be in a kind of daze. You reached out and grabbed his hand. There was in reality, nothing you could say. If and when you had to deal with an immortal child… it would have you tatters for weeks, if not months or years. The touch seemed to somewhat snap him out of it, “can I ask you to do something for me?”

There was a desperate tone in his voice that made you hesitate, “I can try…”

“Would you use your gift on me?”

“What do you mean?” You asked but really, you both knew that you understood exactly what he wanted

“I need to not think about it.”

“Felix. Falling asleep does not mean you will be able to rest.”

“Y/n please,” he begged, “I feel like I’m losing my mind, I need a break.”

“Felix I can’t control how long you’ll be out for. You could have over two days of terrible, horrifying nightmares which would be infinitely worse. What about the leaders, they need you. They would be furious. What if they punish you? What if—”

“Y/n please. They owe me a break at this point. I trust you.”

“Felix. I can’t control anything besides knocking you out.”

“Y/n I don’t think I’ve had a break in centuries. I could care less about what happens. Regardless all I am going to think about is that crying. I can’t… separate this one. She was so tiny, so…helpless? I’ve never had that moment where I’ve had to question what kind of life I could have had. Even as a human that wasn’t in the cards. That was never going to be my life. I feel like I can’t breathe and i need a—”

“Break. I know.” His pleas had worked. He had his limit. You doubted you would be able to say no to him regardless, “okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll figure out how to explain it to the others. I’ll find Aro after.”

You saw panic in Felix’s face, “I-I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you—”

“Felix relax. The more stressed you are the worse sleep you’ll have. I’ll be fine. Besides I’m faster than you so eventually I’ll win anyway.” You managed to get a small laugh out of him, before you gestured for him to go towards his bed. Before he laid down he brought you in an embrace you didn’t hesitate to return. It was sad really, seeing someone so strong look so weak. So tired. You only hoped sleep would bring him some kind of respite. You couldn’t bring yourself to let go first. Finding that somehow you were feeling comforted by his touch instead of the other way around. You both seemed to realize that you were holding on much too long for a friend helping another friend out. Still, you both seemed slow to pull away.

“Ready?”

“Remind me when I wake up that I owe you.”

“Let’s call us even for the time at that wildlife place.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You did a lot more than you think. But if you really want to pay me back you can take me back there when you have time.”

“Sounds like a date little one.” You felt yourself smile like an idiot. It took everything inside of you to not scream. Reminding yourself the way he spoke may mean something entirely different.

“Sweet dreams.”

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Felix

It was a strange experience. Sleep. You wondered how long you had been out. Your senses being overwhelmed for the first time since your transformation. Your eyes were slow to open, your brain still scrambling to get a bearing on your surroundings. Most of your thoughts consumed by wondering if y/n was alright.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, my friend.” Demetri closed the book he was reading

“How long?”

“A few days.” He shrugged, “How are you feeling?”

“Rested.” You grumbled, “Is y/n..?”

“She’s alright. Taking a rest in the garden. She has been working pretty hard to keep a variety of plants alive around you.”

You took in the sight of various plants forming an arch of sorts around your bed. You had a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, “What happened?”

“Your mate is a bit weary herself. The second you fell into your slumber she rushed to inform the kings. The whole castle could hear Caius screaming. I had given them a heads up but he was still less than pleased. She was pretty silent, just held her hand out to Aro. After that she was excused as Aro wanted to talk to Caius. The queens also were not very excited about how Caius showed his concern. After about six hours Y/n began worrying about how restless you seemed. Sulpicia and her were talking the second she left the meeting with the leaders. Afterwards she began bringing in various vases.” He gestured to the various things in your room, “She has been growing a variety of them. Supposedly calming. But she has been trying different combinations, it’s been pretty draining on her so Caius told her to try and relax so she took a walk.”

You tried to remember anything at all from the past few days. You had a vague memory of wanting to wake up early on. But it didn’t last. You weren’t exactly fond of that short time but Y/n had warned you it could be a miserable time. And afterwards you remembered nothing. Well, you certainly felt calm upon waking so whatever she did must have worked to an extent. You wished you could remember. Either way, while the feeling over that trial still lingered it didn’t seem so overpowering.

“I should probably find her.”

Demetri sighed, “Oh? You think so? And are you planning on telling her about the high chance of the mate bond yet?”

His question stopped you dead in your tracks, “Dem. I can’t.”

“Oh, come on Felix. You spend every second you can with her. You don’t think everyone has noticed you trying not to rush into her room just to talk to her. The only one clueless to how bad it is, is … well her. It’s starting to affect her too Felix. You honestly think she would be that worried about anyone else in the castle?”

Yes. “Actually—”

“It was a rhetorical question. Would she care of course, would she spend over forty hours continuously growing things to make sure you slept as soundly as you had, likely not. You’re hurting her more by not saying anything. And I am starting to grow quite fond of her so if you could, just move on with it.”

“It’s only been a few months. Its too soon. She is still adjusting.”

“Who is?” Jane interrupted, followed by Alec. “What? we heard you wake up.” She said in response to your clear confusion.

“Y/n apparently. Felix doesn’t want to tell her about the mate pull.”

“That’s dumb.” Alec stated, “If she finds out about it won’t she think you just dislike her?”

“A very good point, thank you Alec.”

You were absolutely not awake enough for this conversation, “Is she still in the garden?”

Demetri just nodded and you left to find her. Demetri or the twins could inform the leaders if they wanted to. You were in no way quiet but Y/n seemed completely unaware of your presence. She seemed to be taking in the sun as if she were a plant herself. The guilt that racked your body was immediate. You should have been more cautious in your plan. Had Aro not been there…you worried what Caius would do in his fits of anger, you’d seen it. And no matter how much the queens seemed to favor y/n…. The fact that she gotten herself to a point of exhaustion herself…

“Y/n?”

“Felix, you’re awake!” The sun was barely out. Autumn brought more clouds to the small town. Yet the light reflected off of the diamonds on her skin, you’d never been so enchanted by the prisms glittering her body. You spent the first week avoiding her like a fool, and the last month trying to spend any excuse to see her. You found yourself telling her things you’d never spoken aloud. It was as if your mind was waiting to meet her so it could unload everything you had ever wanted to talk about. She never pushed for more than what you were ready to share, and it made it easier to want to keep talking. Had she done so well, you worried about how deep you’d bring her into your world. You worried she would see you for the monster everyone else saw you as. You worried you were putting too much on her plate. And still it felt so easy to not worry about upkeeping a certain persona.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better than I have in years if I am being honest. Though I don’t remember much.”

“That’s probably my fault. I was trying to work with some plants that have been known to cause amnesia. I probably overstepped, I’m sorry.”

“Y/n believe me you have no reason to be sorry. I was not in the right headspace and it was a lot to ask of you.”

“I mean its kind of understandable. If you ever do want to talk about it, you know where I live.” She seemed to dance around saying anything on the actual subject. You wonder how scared you must have made her when you all but forced her to use her gift on you. You remember the warning Demetri had given her on that day. He of all people knew not to mess with you on those kinds of days. You would use any excuse to pick a fight. Y/ns voice still rang clear in your head. You wondered if she had changed her mind.”

“Y/n, would you still like to go see that place you found?”

She tilted her head as if debating on what kind of excuse could get her out of your question. Or perhaps regarding you for what you were, the executioner of the volturi. Dangerous by all accounts. The silence was making you crazy, it was taking everything to not retract your initial question.

“Are you asking me as a friend or as a date?”

“Would my answer change yours?”

“No.” Her certainty out measured your unease.

“Then I do believe we had made plans for a date.”

➽───────────────❥

Taglist: @adaydreamaway08 @artaxerxesthegreat @aunt-pipie @heartrise @imtoanonymousforyou @lacychick @quarthly @venusdelaroix @volturiwolf @xcastawayherosx @jelly-fishy-babie

[0perfectimperfections0]

Reunited Pt. 1

Me and my friend @natalie-the-writer made a deal that if I wrote THIS, she would finish the AU she's been working on..

ALSO, I'm posting this as well because she's amazing and a genius and did so great on her test.

PROUD OF YOU BESTIE!!!! YOU'RE AMAZING!

Some of this also belongs to her, as we passed around this story ideas. Lots of credit to her as well!

<><><><>

"He needs to be taken back for repair."

"You're not touchin' him." Ox held the blonde doll closer to his chest. Yeah, he knew Lou hated him at the moment. At least, he thought he did. The millions of letters and files that arrived this morning at his office from Lou himself on how to run the Institute properly-- five months after his dethroning and the letters addressed to him (and everyone else)-- on Lou's living room table begged to differ. The limp form in his arms couldn't exactly respond to all the questions Ox had, his head in the green doll's lap and eyes shut for who knew how long. He was completely unresponsive to his or anyone else's calls.

They found him collapsed on his bedroom floor after not seeing him for days. The only thing that spurred everyone to come and not just him was the mountain of letters that arrived, apparently held back in the post by other dolls due to Lou's current outcast status. Letters written with care and files for months filled out. His skin was burning. Something in his neck was sparking from a rip in his seam. Nothing could rouse him. "For all we know, you'll take him to recycling. Wherever he goes, I'm taking him." Ox finished, running a hand across the doll's forehead in hopes he

would stir. Nothing.

"We'll all come." Moxy said, surprising him. When they met eyes, she tried for a smile. "Its clear something else is going on and you'll need back up. You and Lou."

The robots eyes flashed once. Twice. "You all may follow."

Ox easily hoisted Lou up into his arms. It'd been years since he carried the doll around while he was asleep (never in this coma-like state where he had to check and make sure Lou was breathing every few seconds), but his body never forgot. Lou's head rested easily against his shoulder. Mandy's hand came into view, gently pressing down and closing the rip. The sparks didn't affect them. Only Lou, who jerked a little every minute when a particularly harsh shock went through his body. "Lead the way."

It turned quickly and began its route. The Uglies exchange glances before following behind. Ox looked down at the limp form in his arms. Another shock made his back arch slightly in the midst of his coma. "Don't worry, buddy. We're gonna get you some help." It could have been a shock of smaller proportions, but Lou's hand twitched slightly. Fingers clenched onto Ox's short fur before going lax again.

"Where are we going?" Nolan asked the robot, wringing his hands together nervously as he looked at Lou.

The response was monotone, and even more so vague. "To the creator."

They were led through a pipe at the far end of the Institute. Ox had never traveled this far in his earlier years of founding Uglyville. The only pipe he remembered -- and that was now blocked off -- was the one that led to recycling. Nevertheless, he trusted this robot knew what it was doing. Most likely it was following a protocol of some sort anyhow, so there wouldn't be much room for error. Ox stayed at the front just behind the robot. It lit the dark recesses of the pipe with its eyes. Babo supported the back of the group with a flashlight of his own.

Mandy squinted through the darkness. Something was reverberating through the pipe. The further they walked, the more the source of the motion could be deciphered. Voices. Two distinct baritone voices were heard somewhere farther down. The robot suddenly stopped and Ox barely managed to not run into the back of it. There was a metal door in front of them. From where they were now, the voices were much louder. The robot placed its hand on the surface, eyes shining red for a moment before turning blue. The sound of air being suctioned out and the door clicking became the secondary sound within the pipe. Ox cautiously followed the robot into the open.

Before much of anything could be registered, the voices from earlier spoke up again. The words were much clearer now. "He's fine!"

The dolls collectively flinched at the tone and sheer volume of it. It wasn't much of a surprise when they found its owner to be a human man standing rigidly in the center of the office they had wound up in. His jet-black hair was combed back neatly and reflected the condition of his grey suit as well. His face wasn't nearly as becoming. Blue eyes glared brightly at another man -- presumably much older if the silver hair was any indication. This man's voice was softer, yet there was plenty of emotion behind his dim blue eyes. "He's clearly not if you won't let me see him! I have left him in your care for years, not questioning when you said he was 'thriving,' and then I come to see him for myself!" His voice rose as all the accusations seemed to dawn on him as he said them aloud.

"Don't you have a company to watch?"

"I have a doll to protect, Greyson. My Louis is hurting."

All the dolls gaped at that. So Lou had been their topic of conversation. That changed the importance of what they were saying. Any other time, Ox would have been quick to disregard the argument. But this changed things. Were one of these men the creator? Ox hoped it was the older man. He looked nicer and would be much more pleasant to talk to about this dire situation.

The younger man spoke up again, exasperated that the conversation was going on for this long. "He is perfectly fine, Father. I have watched him for years. He's fine. Safe and working." The dolls quickly maneuvered to the side of the desk as the man walked to lean against the bookshelf. Another jolt came from Lou. How could they safely get these men's attention?

"Then why did I look at his emotional stability and see that he's been suicidal and depressed?!" The man slammed his fist against the desk, overlapping the sound of their gasps. Ox's arms trembled as he pulled Lou closer to him, looking down at his brother's face.

Suicidal and depressed.

That…That wasn't because of him was it?

And how long had he been that way? Ox felt a wave of guilt crash over him. All these months and Ox had been none the wiser about what Lou was going through. The others looked surprised too, casting distraught looks to the blonde.

Goodness, brother…What have I done?

"He's just going through something!"

"That report on him was from months ago." He leaned forward on the mahogany desk. "I will say this one last time: bring me back my Louis. If you don't, you'll be fired."

Greyson stilled, eyebrows coming together. "You wouldn't dare."

"I will if you don't give me my doll."

Greyson spluttered for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Father, he's just a prototype! Why do you care about him so much? He's literally worthless on the market, you know. Worthless to this company, especially now that those other dolls have ruined everything."

"Those 'other dolls' are a success. That's at least something right that's been going on in that Institute. Whatever you've been doing to my Louis, however, is disgraceful. His emotional state has been declining for years now, long before the UglyDolls came into the picture. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't matter--it still doesn't! You're wasting your time with that prototype. He's made to expire after a while. If my memory serves me right, it should only be a few more days. I guess those Uglies are good for something, as fast as they're selling. Maybe we won't need another prototype."

The unnamed man, Greyson's father, looked ready to scream at the other man. Possibly punch him. It was the robot flying up that broke the fight before it could start. The younger man's face went pale with fear while his father stared coldly at the robot. A small brow rose in little curiosity as the robot spoke. "Mr. Everett. Mr. Everett, Sir." It waved a claw through the air hurriedly. "The Model 12 Prototype needs repair."

The silver-haired man immediately spun to look at them. His eyes flew wide and he practically slid across the floor to get to them. To Lou. Soft hands reach out gently, "Oh, my boy." Ox allowed him to take Lou from his hold. If the argument was anything to go by, Ox could reasonably assume that this man could be trusted with the precious cargo. "Son, what have you done to him?" The man demanded.

Greyson leaned back in the desk chair, face schooled. "Well, look at that. I guess his expiration date came up sooner than expected."

The man's eyes hardened quickly, gaze never straying from the unconscious doll in his hands. "Get out."

"Excuse me?" Greyson sounded affronted.

"I said get out." The man stood now, shoulders squared. "I'll deal with you later. Right now, I need to take care of Louis." He was cradling the doll like a mother would a newborn baby. His eyes on the doll held the same love as well. It did little to assuage the anger burning through his tone, "Greyson, get out."

Greyson's tongue rolled in his mouth, a fiery retort poised on it. Thinking better of it, he clenched his jaw instead and stood up from the chair. The wheels slid harshly against the wooden floor, "Fine." He waved a dismissive hand behind him and slammed the door shut on his way out.

The older man walked over to the desk, replacing the chair's occupant with a more welcoming countenance. The Uglies scrambled their way up the desk, seemingly forgotten by the man. "E-Excuse me," Ox pushed himself over the edge of the desk. Dull, blue eyes landed on him, seemingly just now acknowledging their presence.

Before Ox could get another sentence out, the man profusely apologized. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Forgive me, I saw Louis's state and--"

"No, no, we understand," Ox was quick to assuage the man. "That's why we brought 'im here. The robots said he needed repair."

Nolan looked up at the human with wide eyes, "Are you his creator?"

A fond smile played on his lips, "I wish. No, my son takes that credit, unfortunately. It wasn't an issue until he started neglecting the poor boy." Relinquishing one hand to extend to the dolls, "The name's Henry Everett."

Nolan shied away from the greeting at first, but gingerly grasped one of the man's fingers to shake. "N-Nolan."

"Ox," the bunny answered next when the hand came his way. They each gave their greetings. This man was, in fact, nicer. The second he drew his attention back to Lou, quick work had been initiated. They watched him roll the desk drawer out and retrieve an elongated rod with something awfully sharp at the end. Once the dots connected at to where that object was headed, Ox bristled and rushed over to the man, "W-Wait! Don't hurt 'im!" The man had seemed so nice. Why did it look as if he was about to cut the blonde open?

Henry blinked down at the doll and gave a soft smile. "It won't hurt him at the moment. He's unconscious. I have to remove the chip, though, in order for any progress to be made." Ox still looked skeptical. He took a step back, warily glancing between the man and his brother, lips pressed in a fine line. Henry gently pushed the scalpel down on Lou's neck, "Trust me, this isn't the first time I've done this."

"This has happened before?" Mandy stepped up beside Ox, arms wrapped around herself. It was a…a very existential moment to see a doll like herself in the hands of a human. It made her realize how vulnerable they really were around such giants. Around the very people that made them -- well, made the machines that made them. Her eyes stayed glued to the scalpel as it carefully tore into the side of Lou's neck. Her stomach clenched at the sound.

There was a controlled nod from the man, not wanting to jostle the precious doll in his hand. "Not with Louis, no, but with the other prototypes."

"There's more?" Ox's ears perked up. Maybe Lou wasn't alone after all.

A heavy countenance fell over Henry. He barely spared them a glance, focusing primarily on Lou. "There…were more. I created the first two prototypes for the company. The first one had a few issues, as is expected with anything you do for the first time. Poor guy…I still hate myself for not finding other solutions. His chip had malfunctioned terribly. We didn't have the technology back then like we do now and so there was no for-sure way I could fix it. The uh…The chip ended up combusting inside him." Mandy's stomach dropped so hard she nearly fell. Nolan sheepishly moved behind her, squeamish from the mental image. "The second prototype was given a new chip. After my first mistake, I made sure modifications were made. She did well for a few years…and…," Henry sniffed, blowing out a sigh with a mirthless laugh, "Sorry."

"Something bad?" Moxy was almost scared to ask.

Henry nodded, blinking away the tears so he could focus on getting the chip out. "Awful. She…she was everything this company needed, honestly. We had figured out how to refine the emotions processor in the chip which made her the closest thing to AI before Louis came along. It sounds robotic and terribly dehumanizing, I know, but we don't have a more fitting term for it."

"Special," Ox offered, eye trained on his brother with a fond sadness.

A smile finally graced Henry's features, "I like that a lot better, yes. She was special. Incredibly smart and so in tune with her emotions that she easily related to the dolls. But…after a few years…her emotional stability started going south. I don't know what happened. The computers weren't set back then to give us specifics on the problem, only general reports. I had brought her in to ask her one day and she completely broke down in front of me. She was alone and scared. She felt abandoned and terribly isolated from all the dolls that kept leaving. It was miserable for her. I gave her what solace I could and encouraged her to keeping pushing on. That was a big mistake on my part. Barely a week later…the robots came back to report she had thrown herself into the recycling."

"Oh my gosh!" Mandy put a hand to her mouth. Ox swayed, doing good to not fall from the thought that overcame him. They said Lou had been depressed and suicidal. Would…Would he have gotten to that point to? Would he have thrown himself--

Ox took a few steps back, half certain he would be sick.

You monster.

You drove him to that point.

You left him.

You almost killed him.

That last thought was what had him tugging harshly on his ears. He spun on his heel, pleading to the man, "Please tell me you can fix this! M-Make 'im happy o-or somethin'! Make 'im forget the past!"

Henry looked offended, "Make him forget everything he's learned? Everything that's made him who he is today? Bunny, I don't think you know what that would mean for him."

"It would mean life!" Ox flung his arms out desperately. "It's my fault that all this happened! I…I left him! I told 'im I'd always be there for 'im and I left him!"

Brows cinched. Henry softened his gaze at the bunny, "You didn't do anything. Greyson ordered the robots to destroy you. I saw it in the computer system. When I asked about it, he said Louis ended up taking care of it. You didn't leave him, bunny…he let you go."

Ox looked down to the unconscious form. "He did?"

"Greyson was livid when he found out a few months ago that Louis didn't actually get rid of you. Not in the way he wanted, anyway." Henry set the scalpel down and grabbed a pair of tweezers. Some of them had to look away as he dug for the chip. "By the time Louis was made, though, the computer systems had been updated to show specific readings from the chip. Only this is, after Grace -- the second prototype -- ended…well, the way she did, Greyson and I came to the decision to prohibit emotional understanding. So, our IT team manufactured a new chip that wouldn't allow emotions to be processed or learned. We didn't want to risk another incident like that happening. And thus," Henry held up a small green square in between the tips to the tweezers, "Louis was born."

They stared with wide eyes at the chip. Henry delicately lowered it down, "If you would hold this for me please. I need to get him situated." Mandy glanced at the others, but they stepped back. Even Ox looked wary to hold it. She held her hands out and it was placed gently. "Don't worry. As long as you don't hurl it across the room it won't break." His attempt at humor was lost as Mandy gawked at the chip. Blue dots of light streamed through the individual wires inside. It was oddly beautiful.

"So…this is…," she looked up at Henry through her lashes.

"That is Louis, my dear. Everything he's ever learned, been programmed with, felt, and every memory he's every made is all contained inside that tiny little chip."

She looked back down at the chip. "Wow," she whispered breathlessly. The others gathered enough courage to look at it as well.

"Do we have chips, too?" Moxy asked.

"No, the chips are only needed for prototypes. They are what we base the rest of you on. Think of it like…a folder. All the information we intend to put in you is first stored in a prototype's chip, or folder. This gives us an idea as to how much information one of you could handle without risking a malfunction. The folder isn't necessary in order for the information to get to you all, however, only for the prototype so we know how much you can handle. Once we have an estimate, that data is automatically transferred into your microfibers and spread out inside of you. Those little lights you see in the chip? You have lights like those -- barely visible to the naked eye -- coursing through the microfibers of your stuffing. The difference between Louis's chip and you all, is that we reserved the extra space for you all to have emotions. Since your purpose would be better served with them."

Nolan watched, mesmerized by the lights coursing through the small wires. That was in them? The revelation would take time to truly settle in their minds, but it was a fascinating thought to contemplate. Gingerly, he traced a finger along the course of one of the blue lights. It traveled quickly, but his intention wasn't to race it. "Why weren't we made with chips? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Henry lolled his head side-to-side, as if weighing the idea, "It would, in a way. There are consequences to consider, though. Microchips are fragile. If a child were to throw a doll with one, it could possible damage or entirely break it. By distributing the same data in your microfibers, we essentially cushion it to where we eliminate that issue."

"So, if this were to break…?" Nolan traced another light curiously.

"Louis would be -- in laymen terms -- dead."

With wide eyes, Nolan withdrew his hand quickly, as if his actions alone posed a risk for Lou's safety. Mandy swallowed thickly and held the microchip to her chest. She carefully sat down, legs crossed. The less distance between the chip and the desk, the better. Nolan sat down beside her. She traced a finger along the surface. Such a precious and fragile part of Lou. It was Lou, in a way. As difficult as it was to comprehend. Lou's body was in Henry's hand, yet the very bane of his existence laid in hers. Despite everything that had transpired between her and the blonde within the last few months, an overwhelming sense of protectiveness filled her. It made more sense why he had kept his nature a secret. If she harbored a delicate -- yet vitally important -- piece of herself, she would be careful as to who found out about it.

That day at the Gauntlet…when the burst of the portal had flung Lou and Ox back, the impact could have killed him if he landed wrong.

If that baby had thrown him…

Mandy shivered. That was why he had reacted so brashly. What was a natural circumstance for the rest of them had been a life-or-death moment for Lou.

Her eyes shrunk in fear at the next thought--

"W-What," she couldn't fight the slight quiver to her voice, "What would happen if he were put in the wash?"

Henry hummed, as if the thought pained him, face scrunching, "No. That's another reason why he isn't made for the real world. If water were to seep through his felt and reach his chip, it would electrocute him before dying."

"Oh my doll!" Nolan whispered frantically. He looked at Mandy, tears beginning to roll down his face. "Mandy, I could have killed him!"

"But you didn't--"

"But I almost did!" Nolan dug his hands into his hair, "I-I almost killed him a-and he would've d-died and been…been electrocuted! Mandy, oh m-my gosh, what the heck was I thinking?!"

"None of us knew, Nolan," Mandy tried assuring him. "We…w-we all had a part to play in that. Oh my gosh," she had to hold the microchip out carefully when she realized she was crying too. Her tears could do damage to it as well. Her mind suddenly flashed through all the moments leading up to his demise that they could have accidentally killed him. The dog. The washer. The baby. All the times that perturbed dolls would take the water bucket and dump it over Lou's head just out of spite. That proposed another question. "Does he know?" She looked up at Henry as he got out something else from the drawer. "Does Lou know about how fragile the chip is?"

"Oh, of course, yes. We explained it to him from the beginning and it's in the rule book." Henry set a small chair down on the desk. One fit for a doll.

So, that fear in his eyes when Nolan had suggested the wash as an apt punishment. That wasn't about the suit at all.

And yet, Lou still never told them anything. He never told them about the chip. Never told them about the risks. Even as they continued throwing him in the wash…he kept silent. Even as dolls mocked him by throwing the water on his head, he said nothing. It made her wonder if he was attempting to do exactly what Grace had done, just by different means.

Mandy let out a shaky breath, rubbing a thumb across the chip. "I'm sorry, Lou," she whispered. A green light trailed in the place of a blue one this time, catching her attention. It followed along the wires before disappearing. Blue was all that appeared afterward. Sniffing, she looked back up at Henry, "What does a green light mean?"

He was hooking up the chair to something under the desk. "Green? That means new information has been collected and stored." Mandy looked back down at the chip, perplexed. "Alright, there we go." Henry announced. He gingerly placed Lou into the chair and snapped his wrists and ankles into place by metal cuffs attached to the chair. It didn't give off a very comely appearance.

"W-What is that?" Nolan didn't seem to like the look of it either.

"The cuffs are for precaution. I'd have one of you hold him down, but I feel like that may be a bit emotionally disturbing for some of you." He gave a sympathetic look to them, noticing the many tears on their faces. Mandy looked over and found Moxy at her other side. The pink doll quickly wiped at her eyes, looking away. Wage tried to sniff quietly, crossing her arms and faking a stoic look. "I'll have the new chip connected to the computer to transfer the existing data from that one."

"What about this one?" Mandy asked.

"It will still be running. A duplicate, essentially. It's broken and nearing its end, so it won't remain that way. But for now it will serve as a backup conscious for Lou if he rejects the new chip. If he accepts the new one, that one can be destroyed."

Mandy bit her lip, looking back down at the chip. "Could…we keep it?" That made Henry pause to watch her curiously. She spoke in a nervous rush, "I-It's just that…I mean this is Lou. A-And no matter how the other chip works out for him…i-it just…it feels wrong to destroy it. W-We've already hurt him so much…This is almost like killing him too, isn't it?"

"It will die eventually," he said.

"Yeah, right, of course," she wiped at the tears on her cheek. "Please? I just don't feel right destroying it intentionally."

Henry smiled, eyes downcasting, "Of course, dear. Bless your heart, Louis is lucky to have friends like you all." The group exchanged remorseful glances. Only Ox could truly say he had been Lou's friend at one point. Not so much now, but at one time. They each made a silent promise within themselves to change that.

Moxy shyly sauntered over to the chair, "You said something about Lou accepting the chip. What if he doesn't accept it?"

"Well," Henry sighed, "the memories and information we'll be transferring won't be pleasant for him. Trauma will be the bulk of it, honestly. He might reject the information because of that. If he does…then the old chip will be our only option."

"But you said it will die," Mandy stated. Henry pursed his lips, silent.

Moxy frowned at the unconscious prototype. His head was limp against the back of the chair, tilted on his shoulder, hair falling in loose waves around his face. She shuddered at the thought of him staying that way. Unmoving. Unresponsive. But he was connected to the chip. He was the chip. She walked over to Mandy, reaching out, "Can I try something?" she nodded to the device in her hands. With visible hesitation, Mandy slid the microchip into pink hands and watched the doll carry it back over to the chair. Moxy glanced between the device and the prototype, "Lou?" Blue lights continued circulating. "I know it's gonna hurt…b-but we need you to accept the new chip, okay? We need you back. You gotta wake up for us. C-Can…Can you do that?" After a heartbeat, a green orb of light birthed within the circuits and followed its course in the circuits before vanishing. Something new had been stored. Moxy gave a watery smile at the device, "I think he can hear us," her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Moxy you're a genius!" Ox hurried up to her. "If Lou don't want the bad memories, we'll give 'im somethin' good to outweigh 'em."

"That just might work," Henry hummed. "While you dolls do that, I'll get the new chip from fabrication."

"How long does it take to make one?" Nolan asked.

"About 4 months." The group startled. "But, maybe there will be a pre-made chip. One that will at least by us time until a permanent one can be made." He stepped out of the office, making sure to lock the door behind him. The dolls joined Moxy and Ox around the prototype. Ox sat on the arm of the chair, combing the stray hairs from Lou's face.

"What should we tell him?" Moxy looked at the device with new vigor as she sat on Lou's lap.

"Let him know we're here for him. Henry said Grace had felt isolated. Lou needs to know he's not alone." Mandy suggested. She gingerly hovered her hand over the incision made on Lou's neck. Wincing, she placed her hand on it in an attempt to aid any phantom pain the blonde might be in. He probably couldn't feel it, but the thought disheartened her.

Moxy reclined back against the blonde, holding the microchip in her lap. "Hey Lou, it's Moxy," she smiled. She might as well have been on a normal phone call. The mental image humored them. Ox smiled and watched her elevate the chip so Lou could "see" her better. They didn't completely understand how it worked, but they knew it was a precious device. Moxy adored precious things. She gave a toothy grin to the lights streaming across its surface, "We're all here with you. There's Nolan--say hi, Nolan!" She turned the device to face the brunette.

He quirked his mouth, peering at her from around the chip, "I don't think he can see us from it."

"Party pooper," she stuck her tongue out. "We don't know that. Just say something to him!"

"Um," Nolan looked at the ground in thought. "I'm sorry about the washer…I swear I wouldn't have done that i-if I'd known what could happen." Another green light trailed across the surface. Nolan smiled hopefully, "And when you wake up I want you to sing again. I miss hearing you sing." Another green light.

"Aww," Moxy turned it back toward her. "I miss hearing you sing, too. We'll just have to find some better songs for you. Oh my doll! I know just the song--"

"Hold on, girlie," Wage interrupted her, leaning over the chair to look at the device, "let me say somethin' before you go ramblin' on." Moxy rolled her eyes but obliged, handing the device to Wage. The orange doll pointed a stern finger down at it, "Listen blondie, you better wake up so I can get this weight off my chest. We're gonna be friends whether you like it or not."

"Very sweet, Wage," Ox rolled his eyes.

She huffed and scratched the back of her neck, "And…I guess I miss you too. Don't die on us, got it?" Another green light showed she had been heard.

UglyDog hopped up on the arm of the chair, leaning two paws against the orange doll, "I can hook ya up with some music! We'll have a party when you wake up!"

"Guys, don’t overwhelm him," Mandy shook her head fondly. It was her turn with the microchip now. "Take your time, okay? We'll have a party later," she sent a look to the two. "You just focus on waking up. We'll be right here waiting for you when you do." She held his hand, giving a gentle squeeze. A green light.

Babo smiled and poked his head in beside her, "And don't worry about the files. We'll figure those out too." Green light.

"We'll try, anyway," LuckyBat added. "And I've got some techniques for handling trauma. We'll work through it together." Another green light.

The chip was handed to Ox. He grasped for words, staring down at the blue lights as they danced in coordination with one another. "I'm sorry," he swallowed through the tightness in his throat, "f-for everything that happened 'tween us. Please…Please wake up so I can tell ya how sorry I am. Wake up so I can tell ya how much I love ya." It took a second, but a green light glowed and trailed delicately down the chip, parallel to Ox's tears. He smiled shakily and soon handed it back to Moxy.

"We all care, Lou," she slowly traced her gaze to the unconscious doll. "We're sorry, but please…wake up so we can have the chance to make it up to you. We aren't leaving until you do."

The office door opened and Henry walked in with a small box. Ox's ears perked up, "Ya found one?"

"Greyson already had a chip made, apparently, specifically one for the Model 12 Prototype's." His voice didn't sound enthusiastic. "The lead fabricator told me Greyson ordered for one to be made months ago for when Louis quit working."

"For when he died," Mandy's eyes burned. "He was just going to do that? Let Lou die?"

"I guess he thought it wouldn't be a problem. The robots have a protocol set up for when a prototype…dies. Louis would've been blissfully unaware when the time came." The computer was set up and the thinner lines printed onto the microchip in Moxy's hands glowed blue. "I've got the data. Now he just needs the new chip." Tweezers gently picked up the new device. It was a dull chromatic color, not yet activated with the beautiful light show that Lou's current chip adorned. Mandy cupped one side of Lou's face while helping Henry guide the chip into his neck. She tried to ignore the muffled shifting of the stuffing as the hallowed spot was again filled. Nolan took her place a second later when he noticed Henry leaning forward with a needle and thread in hand. He aided in gently sewing the gap. Taking a step back, he looked…almost back to normal. Still incredibly dormant for their liking. Too…still.

"I advise you all to stand back a good distance. Um…," he hesitated, giving them his full attention. "This part isn't for the faint of heart. He'll be in a great deal of pain during this process and will be activated, so he'll be reacting to the pain. You all can wait in the other room--"

"We'll stay," Ox set his mouth in a fine line. "I will, anyway. Ya'll can go. I ain't forcin' ya'll to do anything."

No one moved.

Henry gave a curt nod and pressed a button on the computer. In an instant, the chip in Moxy's hand glowed green and a faint light of blue could be seen from Lou's neck. A scream broke through the silence in that very moment. Lou's back arched on reflex in the chair and his fingers dug into the wood. His head tilted up, pressed as far back into the head of the chair as it would allow, throat tightened as he screamed. Mandy squeezed her eyes shut, praying. Ox forced himself to watch the pain he still believed to have been his fault. To engrave this memory into the fiber of his being so he wouldn't hurt Lou again. Moxy closed her eyes tightly, mouth pressed close to the chip that glowed in her hands as she whispered. "C'mon, you can do it. Please. I know you can do this. Please accept it." Nolan wasn't as strong as he attempted to be for the first few seconds. It wasn't long before the screams got to him and Mandy pulled him to her, letting his head rest on her shoulder so he wouldn't have to watch.

The memories were vicious. They came with a new kind of pain that Lou had never been conscientious of before. It was as if he had lived with blinders on his whole life, never knowing the full extent of the emotions he felt. As if they had been muted. Images flashed through his mind.

Lou screamed and jolted quickly away from the portal. The rippled continued their course along the surface before dying out. A shock had been the source of his pain and the reason for htis scream. The second his hand had made contact, an electrical current had wound its way through his stuffing at such a high voltage. Lou panted, sitting up on the ground as he stared at the portal with wide eyes. A robot rolled forward, scanning him. "Model 12 Prototype. Greyson Everett has ordered you to not touch the portal. This has been your third warning. Pracautions will be implemented. With that, two metal walls slid over the portal. The sound echoed across the empty Institute once they connected. That was the last time the portal had been open all the time.

"Stop!" He pulled against the arm of the robot. Its eyes glowed red down at him. "Y-You can't do this!"

"The defective doll must be recycled." It was talking about Ox. "Greyson does not tolerate imperfection in his Institute."

In a rush of panic, Lou put his life on the line. "I-I'll do it! Tell Mr. Everett I'll take of the doll!"

"Failure to complete the task will result in harsh punishment."

"I understand," Lou panted through the rush of his speeding heart. "I-I understand the consequences. Please, tell Mr. Everett I'll take care of it."

He stared into the dark void of the pipe. As brightly colored as that bunny was, he was now lost to the darkness. Lou grit his teeth, fingers digging into the palms of his hands. He swallowed down a sob as the robots rolled up behind him. "Greyson Everett is requesting an update on the whereabouts of the deformed doll. Has the issue been resolved properly?"

Lou's eyes fluttered, unable to fully blink lest the tears find their freedom upon his face. "Yes…Tell Mr. Everett the doll is gone." Metal wheels rolled away. Lou didn't have the strength to turn around, only to see that he was once again alone in this prison.

Tears he didn't know were there pooled from his eyes. The body's natural response to this kind of torture. He didn't want this. He didn't want the pain. With a mental force, he pushed against the memories. Against the emotions. Against it all. His head snapped quickly to the side, arms tugging against the restraints. Henry watched the coding file onto the system, "He's rejecting it."

"No," Mandy whispered. She kneeled down beside Moxy, gingerly cupping pink hands to guide the chip toward herself, "Lou, please, don't fight it!" she cried over the screams. "You're okay! You're safe! They can't hurt you if you don't let them!"

Whispers echoed around him. Lou furrowed his brow at the pipe. That wasn't Ox speaking.

"I'm sorry, Lou" a feminine voice whispered. Lou whirled around, eyes darting in every direction. Why did is sound familiar?

"Lou?" Another female voice spoke up, this one higher pitched than the other. The blonde startled and spun around again. Nothing. "I know it's gonna hurt," he frowned at that part. What was going to hurt? "B-But we need you to accept the new chip, okay?" Lou touched the spot on his neck. How did this voice know about his chip? "We need you back," the voice sounded close to tears. "You gotta wake up for us. C-Can… Can you do that?"

Lou stared down at the ground, brows cinched, "How?" He touched the spot on his neck again. Wake up…Wake up from what? He finally focused his eyes on the distance. There was nothing but a vast landscape of metal and houses that had been copied and pasted into rows. It was barren. Empty. He was alone. What was there to wake up from?

"Hey, Lou. It's Moxy." He startled again. Moxy…that sounded familiar. "We're all here for you. There's Nolan-- say hi, Nolan!"

A curious smile crept onto Lou's face as he listened to the peppy voice. A deeper one followed hers. Male. "Um…I'm sorry about the washer." Lou blinked at the ground, confused.

In a flash, the world around him changed. He was somewhere dark. What little light there was to offer came from a glass door in front of him. Lou's breathing began to pick up speed. He was in the washing machine. Something cold reached his feet and he saw water beginning to rise as it poured down from the top of the machine. He scrambled to his feet, nearly falling as the cylinder began to sway from his movements. He banged and pushed on the glass door, but it wouldn't budge.

The voice spoke up again, "I swear I wouldn't have done that i-if I'd known what could happen." The water reached his knees and Lou screamed as his fists pounded against the glass. "And when you wake up, I want you to sing again. I miss hearing you sing." Lou looked at his reflection in the glass, tears streaming down his face. This voice was talking about waking up, too. Wake up from what?!

Lou cried, pounding the glass again, "I don't understand!" More voices echoed around him. All different. Ones he didn't recognize. The water reached just below his chest now and he rammed a shoulder into the door to try and open it. Nothing worked. "Please! Help! Someone get me out! I don't wanna be here! I don't wanna die!"

"I'm sorry." Lou froze. Ox. "f-for everything that happened 'tween us. Please…Please wake up so I can tell ya how sorry I am. Wake up so I can tell ya how much I love ya." Lou looked around frantically for the green bunny.

"Ox? Ox! Please, help me!" The bunny wasn't anywhere. "Ox, please! Where are you?!" The water felt cold to his neck as it reached under his chin. Lou struggled to stay above the water. His chip would get wet. He had to keep it dry.

"We all care, Lou." That bright voice spoke up again, the female. "We're sorry, but please…wake up so we can have the chance to make it up to you. We aren't leaving until you do."

"I don't know how! Please, tell me how!" Lou sobbed. He choked as the water entered his mouth. Something hit the top of his head and his dropped to his stomach when he realized he was at the top of the washer. There was no more room to go. The water kept rising. He thrashed and struggled to keep his mouth above the water for air. He was going to die. No one was going to help him--

"Lou!" One of the voices screamed. "Lou, please, don't fight it!" He spluttered and the water reached the top. Hands shoved relentlessly against the top before he tried swimming to the glass door again. Nothing budged. He screamed through the water.

Despite its density, the voice spoke as clearly as it had before, panicked. "You're okay! You're safe! They can't hurt you if you don't let them!"

There wasn't anything he could do. He stared at his reflection again, warped now by the water around him.

They can't hurt you…

Lou shut his eyes tightly, fingers pressing against the glass before he let himself drift away from the door. He was okay. Whoever those other voices belonged to, they were with Ox. He could trust Ox. His brother. His heart raced wildly. Tilting his head down and forcing his eyes shut tighter, he let out what air was left in him. The water rushed around him at a slower rate than it had before he was submerged. Funny…everything was calmer underneath the rising water. He was safe. Everything was okay. Ox was somewhere….waiting for him. Waiting for him to wake up from whatever nightmare this was.

They watched with baited breaths. The blonde had stilled, tousled hair stuck to his forehead and chest heaving. His face was still scrunched up a little, almost in concentration. After a moment, a small ding came from the computer. "He accepted it," Henry smiled. The restraints were unlatched and the group instantly hurried over to make sure everything was as it should be.

"Lou?" Ox hopped up onto the arm of the chair again. He brushed the damp bangs behind the blonde's ear. "Bubba? Can ya hear me?"

Fingers twitched. Nose wrinkled for a second. Before long, sapphire eyes peaked open, "Ox?" His voice was raw from screaming.

The bunny faltered on a sob, wrapping the other in a hug, "Yeah, I'm here, Bud. I've always been here." Lou's head fell limply on his shoulder and he brought a paw up to the back of his head. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, Lou. I love ya."

"L-…," the blonde murmured, "-ve…too." Ox smiled. He understood.

"He'll be very out of it for the next week or two," Henry came over to the other side of the desk. Ox moved as Lou was gingerly scooped into the man's hand. "Hey, kiddo. You still with us?" Lou could only muster a hum in response. Henry gently turned the doll's head. The chip wasn't doing anything weird. "Everything looks fine. The computer is reading normal. He won't be able to do much of anything for two weeks. I can always keep him here if you all don't have the time."

"We've got it," Mandy assured even before Ox could say anything. The bunny tilted his head at her, receiving a genuine smile. Her arms were stretched out, and she carefully let Henry slide the doll into her arms, letting his head lean against her shoulder. "Don't let him exert himself. Plenty of rest. Anything else we should know?"

"Keep an eye on that chip. Make sure it doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. The robots will be alerted as an extra measure if the computer gives off some bad readings. It should work fine, but I don't want to take chances."

"You have our word," Ox nodded. 

[m1d-45]

ME WHEN. MNE WHEN RED. WHEN HE. GODDDDD.

a fun thought for you: eventually you and nikki n the rest of the gang are going to have to return to miraland - i mean, teyvat can survive without its creator for a while, but miraland is literally on the fucking brink of destruction. it needs you.

this means you'd be leaving your acolytes behind, except, of course, the reflections-turned-living. red, night, barbatos, morax... they all get the choice of staying in their homeworld or following you back to miraland. you're not sure when you'll return, or even if you'll ever return, but you also don't want to drag these people into a strange new world. they all agree to come, by the way. of course they would; they would never turn away from their creator!!

(also update on the almond tofu: i got a better ratio of agar powder this time and it actually solidified this time!! the texture is a bit. hm. not sure how to feel abt it but it tastes good so next time i'll use less powder so it'll hopefully be silkier) - teddy anon

ME WHEN RED TOO

also! good job i the tofu! progress is progress, and even if it isn’t perfect, you’re learning

now. this is interesting for a few reasons. one being that the imposter suddenly vanishing with no reported kill? strange. two, teyvat is 100% likely to kinda “dim” after you’re gone, which may raise alarms. it “dimmed” in this way after your original vanshing, but returned when ‘you’ descended to your throne in teyvat. but now the leylines were sluggish, the slimes less energetic, as if the world was a little less motivated than before- but ‘you’ were here, weren’t you? they.. didn’t make a mistake, did they?

finally, three, the reflections in a new world is just ASKING for trouble. new place, new people, new powers, new dangers. miraland may need you, but that’s not gonna stop them from checking every single inch of your room for any sort of trap before relaxing, nor insisting that they cook your meals or act as your guards. their true natures probably shine a bit more here, but it would be funniest if readers like “they’re just nervous <3” meanwhile you’ve two gods and two near-gods glaring at everyone and everything over your shoulders. as always, they’re your perfect little angels when you’re with them or interacting with them, but more than one citizen has ended up with an arrow shot startlingly close to their neck after a stray comment about you.

and if someone were to flirt with you, however joking? forget about it.

[bahamutgames]

SAGE 2023 Postin' PART 2!!!

Hello! I'm back again! It's the weekend so I figured... why not? Why shouldn't I play more SAGE demos? So that's exactly what I did. Play lots of SAGE demos until 2 AM like a normal person. Here's what I played today that YOU should check out!!

Susan Taxpayer - by Punkitt

I've had my eye on this game for a bit now, and was totally blindsided when I randomly found out it was a part of SAGE 2023! I wasn't planning on playing demos today but when I saw this was there, I had to go for round 2. This game is lovely so far! Wonderful art, cute characters, and nice music that I swear to god is using a Rugrats soundfont sometimes? Regardless it's good. It's pretty neat because to me it sort of feels like a fusion between Wario Land and standard Mario fare (probably because it runs in SMBX2 which is neat.) This whole game is already looking great and I love all the office themed stuff and Susan is a little hot I won't lie. Looking forward to seeing this game more in the future!

Bun 'N' Gun - by Sharb

An interesting one I'd never heard of before! This is a game all about a cowboy bunny collecting bats in big open areas! It's all about speed but you also have a grappling ability that lets you swing from walls Spider-Man style as well as a gun that stuns the bats you catch. The best I could probably compare it to is the Knuckles/Rouge stages in SA2 just with a lot more speed focus. It's pretty neat! My only issue is that it can be SUPER dizzying running around super fast while the camera shifts around so quickly, which makes it hard to play. But it looks fantastic and has very catchy music in the few stages I played (didn't beat this one cause it's a little intense lol). With some more work I think this one's gonna be really cool! I think they should also add a radar to let you know when you're close to bats. It has Bunny Customization so 10/10 though.

Cosmogelica - by CyanSorcery

Every time I think I've seen everything you could possibly do in a bullet hell, someone comes along and shows me new ideas I never thought of before! This genre really is just evergreen! Cosmogelica is a delightful Bullet Hell with WONDERFUL graphics, fantastic music, tight controls, and hot furry girls. But don't let that cool you off because the most interesting thing about this one is the gel gimmick. Different stages are covered in gels with different properties (the ones I saw were gels that ignite when shot, gels that stop bullets, gels that damage you upon touching, ect ect) and both you and the enemies have to play around these gels as you go. But you can also use the gels yourself if you have certain weapons! This is SUCH a neat idea that I think has TONS of potential, especially where using the gels as a weapon is concerned. Absolutely gonna have to keep up with this one!

Croaking Around - by Scallybag

This is an interesting one. It opens with an ADORABLE cutscene and a really good story too that genuinely made me chuckle a bit lol. And I really think the gameplay has a lot of potential! But it also has a lot of odd quirks I'm not so sure about. First off, I LOVE that you use your tongue for grappling, and while I think the blue grapples work lovely. The main red (orange? I forgor) ones are super clunky and I think some sort of arrow that shows you the trajectory you'll travel after launching from them would help this game TONS! Also, it has a weird auto walljump feature that bugged me. BUT, it's a super cute game and I also think this one has a lot of potential. The creator makes some amazing Sonic art on twitter too I had to follow them immediately when I went to get their link lmao

Pangolin Cassowary - by Ocotilloisland

I'll admit straight away, I almost had to give up on this one. I could not figure it out for a bit! But I'm SUPER glad I stuck with it cause I actually REALLY loved it once I figured it out. You play as a Cassowary who can kick their Pangolin Pal around like a ball and then fly to wherever they end up. There's no jumping, you HAVE to kick the Pangolin around and trick shot them up walls and such in order to platform through the level. Again, it takes a bit of getting used to but it actually RULES once you figure out how it all works. I'm SUPER interested to see more of this. Cute art style too and for some reason I found the chip crunching noises to be oh so satisfying.

Yark! : A Kobold Adventure - by YarkDev

A GAME ABOUT A LIZARD GIRL??? YES PLEASE YES PLEASE YES PLEASE! This is a stealth game all about stealing stuff as a cute kobold! What more could you ask for? It took me a bit to figure out the controls, so if you try it I really suggest you go with keyboard + mouse and don't bother with a controller. But it's actually a super fun game. I sadly could not find the rod lol but sneaking about the castle, avoiding gaurds, and feeding the treasure chest random treasures was genuinely a blast! I think there's a TON of potential for this game, and I think if the controls can be smoothed out or allow for full custom mapping this game is gonna be sweet! Also, I'll admit, I'm absolutely head over heels for Rhiri SHE IS ADORABLE so 10/10

---

Today's selection were other games from the SAGE 2023 trailer I forgot about until today, as well as additional random picks that caught my eye with cute characters! Also no fan games today but I played so much Sonic Battle Rush yesterday that it makes up for it I think. Like last time I encourage you to play some stuff if anything catches your eye! And also if you submitted anything to the event let me know cause I'd love to see your work!

Now I am drop dead tired and can smell smoke in my brain (kidding) so I think I'm off to bed! Bye-bye!

[popculturebuffet]

Monthly Muppets: Bear in The Big Blue House Special (Share, Bear, When You Gotta Go, And a Berry Blue Christmas)

Welcome to big blue house, greetings from this large orangutan man. I'm Jake and this is muppets monthly, my monthly morsel of muppet madness comissioned by my good friend Emma. This months we're doing things a bit diffrently in two ways. The first is that this won't technically be monthly as we're doing TWO for you! This article and a suprise one i'll announce at the end of this one that's a big deal.

Neither however is what was previously announced in my last Monthly Muppets review: Follow That Bird. So for those of you who read these monthly, hopefully at least one of you but if not that's fine too, a quick explination: life happened while I was busy making other plans. And while normally that sets me back work wise and sometimes causes me to cancel reviews outright, here it was a good thing and a rare thing too: Disney actually put a show from the archives on disney+!

This is notable because while EVERY company hoards one or two shows and dosen't put them on streaming wether it's the plug another service, make money on tax writeoffs because their dickheads who somehow make disney look dignified, or

Disney is still one of the leaders in hoarding a decent amount of cartoons and a few other shows for no reason and has released them at a rate of

So when one finally happens, it's an event. Now to me this was neat, but not a huge thing, as while I love any muppet stuff getting published and this show had always seemed decent, I hadn't grown up with it the way many of you probably have and while I watched plenty of Nick JR as a kid even in elementary when nothing was on Cartoon Network, and geninely enjoyed some shows like Blues Clues i'm not ashamed to admit, I just never checked out playhouse Disney.

Emma however grew up with the show, and it was osmething she brought up any time I brought up the fact Disney realyl needs to pry open that vault. So since she pays for these I suggested covering a bunch of episodes, so I could experince the show myself since not being in the target Demo's never stopped me before. She agreed easily, and here we are.

For this I had her pick 4 episodes, since my usual going rate is 5 dollars an episode and since she was picking three (the equilvent of a movie) she got a fourth episode free. So I watched the Season 1 ep Share, Bear, the season 2 ep When You Gotta Go, and the Season 3 two parter a Beary Blue Christmas. What did I think of this very vibrant, mildly weird, show? find out under the cut.

Big Blue House Things

So before I get to the episodes themselves I wanted to break down my impressions on the shows style itself. I would break down it's history but I got VERY little: a little googling turned up nothing, and while the DefunctTV episode for Buzz Lightyear of Star Command was super helpful for that review, the episode for Bear in the Big Blue House, one of the few things I could find, only covered that it was made as part of Playhouse Disney, now Disney Junior's humble beginnings and was it's first big hit, and that the creator of the show wanted to make the show a calm peaceful place, the opposite of what he grew up in. So there you go.

Like most preschool shows, the show sticks to a very tight formula: after the very catchy theme song welcoming us to the blue house and everyone inside it, the titular bear, a kind, gentle fellow played by Noel MacNeal welcomes the viewer.. .then sniffs them

He then does something with one of the four children in his house. Naturally this being a kids show why Ojo the Bear (Vicki Ebner) , PIp and Pop future walter Peter Linz and Tyler Bunch) the twin otters, some sort of horrifying demon in the body of a lemur named Treelo who hangs out with Ojo lest it eat her soul,

Tutter (linz). I did far more thinking than is sane or acceptable on this topic to try and figure out who was actually living here, why they were all here if some of them have relatives, what the fuck Treelo is and if their going to kill me in my sleep while the last one will likely haunt me into madness, I did come up with the answers to

What's Bear's Legal Guardian Status For These Children

Ojo I assume is Bear's daughter, adopted or otherwise, who he shares custody with someone else, as she apparently sleeps over in one episode, so she dosen't apparently live there for whatever reason. Maybe he and her mother divorced, maybe she died and her grandparents take her on weekends, maybe hse does live there and they just played sleepover. I don't know, i'd have to watch more episodes. I"m going with Emma's suggestion for Tutter: that he just came with the house and while he does have a grandma and uncle, they may just not be able to take care of him full time or knew he was squatting in a big blue house, and let Bear adopt him. He is the only one fully confirmed to live in the house, as he has a tiny hole with a tiny toilet and everything. For the twins, I assume Bear simply looks after them: they do have grandparents who show up in the intro for the christmas ep and then in no other part of it and their otter pond is nearbye. My guess is since, according to wikipedia, the two run the town library, they need someone to look after their kids during the day and bear being basically jesus but a bear in both senses of the word, gladly does so. Finally we have Ojo, some ratty squeaky voiced nightmare. Picture elmos voiced but pitched up, on a mountain of cocaine and nigh incomprehinsible. If your not recoling in terror your stronger than I. Ojo I see as kind of like the collector from Owl House: a cosmic entity with the mind of a child. And as such while my reaction to her screeching voice and desire to take all things from everyone is

Bear is trying to raise her right so she dose'nt kill us all one day. He truly is our own personal jesus. Our star jesus given his parents are the sun and the moon. Don't ask questions.

Anyways after that cul de sac…

Back to the Formula

So bear usually visits shadow, a living shadow whose owner.. died I guess? I don't know, but she and bear are close friends and she might have a thing for him given she gives him a smooch in the christmas ep. We'll never know. Shadow usually brings a video for bear, they watch it , and she saunters off. I like shadow a lot being adorable, kind and energetic.

Bear will then get back to the topic/problem of the day, stuff sure does happen, then we end the episode with Bear visiting what I assume to be his mom the Moon as she's known him his whole life. Otherwise it's just creepy. He recaps the episode, they sing an adorable goodbye song and now you knwo the plot. IT's simple and while it got a tad repetitious after four times, though the christmas ep helped with it's serious overarching story, I get that younger kids LOVE repetition as much as Bear loves honey, and that this seris ultimately wasn't aimed at grown men. It's perfectly lovely to watch, having great puppetry, fun characters aside from that thing lurking in the dark waiting to summon it's brothers the lords in black, and beautiful music. It's just aimed at a much younger audience and wasn't made with multidemographic appeal in mind like most cartoons I watched. It was made to edcuate and soothe young children without talking down to them, with a calm wise mentor doing so. It does that excellently. As for what I thought about each episode and what dumb jokes I can make about each episode… let's see

Share, Bear (Season 1)

Share Bear follows Bear as he collapses finding out the tragic bloody history of Bear Sauske's older brother while he prepares to burn the world and Ojo, realizing she can't fix his bloody path, prepares to sacrifice herself ot kill him. Oh wait tha'ts something else i've been consuming. No this one follows the kids as they have various squabbles Bear breaks up through compromise getting them to share. The first is Ojo and Mouthface, the beast of a thousand nightmares, who are arguging as Green Machine wants to consume Snow Bear, Ojo's cuddly toy. Bear uses a game I swore he was making up but didn't, snow bear in the woods, to get them to share.. and to teach Ojo not to consume the innocent I assume.

Next up is Tutter who makes a big sandwich that sure looks good. Bear wants to eat it, but Tutter says no so like the cool dude he is, Bear backs off. Pip and Pop, being two little schemers, do not back off and keep pressuring tutter. Bear, not getting boundaries forces Tutter to share, but agrees to get Pip and Pop to share their apples. As you can see i'm not really fond of this one as while I belivie sharing is nice, sometimes your stuff.. is just your stuff. Like a sandwich that probably took you two hours to make because your a tiny little guy. It's okay to OFFER to share and good too, but you shoudln't force it on someone.

Finally he has to break up a fight between all four as they all want the attic, because to a kid the attic is either spooky as hell and full of crown molding spiders… or the coolest place ever and full of crown molding and spiders. Bear gets them to visit the picnic, all is well, this episode is pretty good. The next two are better but it has a simple lesson it mostly dosen't botch. It is nothing however compared to the next episode which is paticuarlly famous why…?

When You Gotta Go (Season 2)

BECAUSE THIS ONE'S ABOUT THE BATHROOM

… i'm not exaggerating. This one has Bear teaching kids about the potty. They use the term potty more than your average episode of Rugrats. It is everywhere. It's valid for the target audience and done with care, teaching kids not to hold it and that accidents happen to everyone. And look i'm not usually a big toilet humor guy.. but a bear singing about the potty for two minutes broke me. I suppressed a laugh so hard not because I had to but because my mother who works from home (and yes who I live with at 30), was downstairs and can hear it when I laugh loudly as this deserved. There's also Shadows song which is just singing about how good the potty is. This episode wasn't OUTLOUD hilarious but it's hard not to.

Like I said though the aseop is well done and relatable even at 30: Everyone's held it for stupid reasons, everyone had an accident as a kid (and sometimes as an adult when your sick), and it's valid to tell little kids that you NEED to just take a break and pee when you gotta or that if you miss the toilet it happens as long as you tried, and HOW to go about both things. It's not something that really takes a lot of depth and nuance from me to disect, but it's well done tv and I can see why this stuck with emma.

Despite the subject I can't even riff on it TOO much as it meant well and was trying to edcuate kids. Sure hearing that "your mom and dad" had a potty made me giggle like a child, but MOSTLY this episode avoids any sort of weird stuff.

That being said.. there is one thing we have to talk about in detail: Bear's toilet. Now he has a toilet sized for Ojo, for the otters, and one in tutter's mousehole. A little guy toilet. But as far as I can tell the rest of the bathroom is not sized for bear. And bear is well.. bear sized. Like the puppet is a guy in a full body suit. It's how he showed up on many things including hollywood squares, which I will HAVE to review next year as a clip of one ep he was on showed it also featured Macho Man randy savage. I never knew Randy Savage interacted with a muppet, but now I do it's all I can think about.

Point is he's a big boy. At best if he poops in this toilet it's going to cause a disaster that goes down in the history books and my therapists notebook. I get as Emma postulated he's probably too polite to make a fus about it but it's his house. Just install a fourth toilet bear. The cleanup isn't worth it. We all love and worry about you bear! Quit shitting on a toilet too small for you! You deserve better! your raising four children and the spawn of chtulu. GET YORUSELF A GROWN BEAR TOILET.

Or maybe he poops in the woods. I dunno. Solid episode. Could've used one more song.

A Berry Blue Christmas

Our last ep for today is a great one and a Christmas one. Yes it creeps in earlier every year don't it?

This episode got way more serious than I was expecting.. and it's not like say, the bear gets scabies and the kids all have to deal with the ramifications, it's more that it tackles an issue I didn't expect a show for toddlers to tackle, but one i'm glad it does and does so with maturity, grace and civility some shows meant for way older viewers lack on the topic: homelessness.

The episodes center around Jack, an elderly dog who Bear finds howling in the woods and takes in, and who turns out to be of course homeless. It's done well with the kids being confused and shocked and poor tutter being terrified by the idea, even singing a whole song about it complete with an utterly heartwrenching black and white vision of a homless tutter worrying if his friends can find him. Bear assures him of course he'll always have a home here, but it's still sobering and tackles what most kids probably would feel at that age realizing this is a thing that happens and it's horrible.

It's also nice just how much compassion the show has: not suprising, it's a very lovely show, but it shows that someone whose homeless is what they are: just a person without a home struggling to get by and who needs warmth and love. Jack consequently is a good boy, being kind to the kids, and fine they didn't get him a gift as gladly welcoming him into their home, feeding him and including him in thier activities is enough, and he even helps the kids make a present for bear as they didn't know what to get the man who has everything. The story was all out of alien dream plants.

Another thing I can give the show over MANY adult shows tackling the same topic… is that they DON'T just abandon Jack after this episode. While he gets a happy ending, Doc Hog, a local hog I swore was the show gaslighting me when they opened with half a dozen characters we hadn't seen before, many ff whom barely factor into the episode or in the case of tip and tup's grandparents, not at all, adopts him and gives him a home, he dosen't just vanish. Looking into it he shows up at least once next season running the fire station. Most episodes that do an aseop tend to forget the character exists for convivences sake but it took a show aimed at toddlers to realize "Hey people will notice this person vanished".

Jack is also played by David Goetz, aka Gonzo, and I had to look up who as while Goetz uses that voice a decent amount, I didn't know who did it exactly. I did recognize it from this threatning pig who lives rent free in my head though.

The special also welcomes all holiday cultures. While primarily about christmas, like most specials at the time it also covers Hannukah and Kwanza. I honestly miss that and wish more shows would do more than just christmas, with The Ghost and Molly McGee being the only one in recent memory I can think of. If you know more please feel free to tell me. Nothing wrong with christmas, as my usual holiday deluge of reviews will show, it's just said deluge also shows it's the most covered of any holiday and there are others like ramadan that have'nt gotten a special i'm aware of. The songs are both for diffrent holidays and it's nice.

We also have bears own bearcentric tradition the winter berry hunt, a hunt for one berry based on a bear long ago finding only one berry and splitting it. It's also how jack gets a home as the twins use their wish for him because he's a very good boy.

Some final notes the twins ask for millions and millions of clams in the christmas gift asking song. THEY NEED CLAMS, INFINITE CLAMS, CLAMS TO DROWN OUT THE SCREAMS AS THEY BUILD THEIR CLAMOCRACY. THE FUTURE. IS. CLAM.

Also the Goodbye Goodbye song includes, depsite it's joyful tone, homeless tutter and the kids worrying about not having a present for jack. I couldn't stop laughing

Finally we have our ranking as thanks to Letterboxd having this special, I can include it in our list along with the toilet episode since they both had vhses!

So that's goodbye goodbye from me, and i'll see you pretty soon I know… as next time we cover MUPPETS FAMILY CHRISTMAS. Muppets, Seasame Street, Fraggle Rock. All under one roof. Be there and thanks for reading.

[danboman]

Podcasts

So my friend got into fiction podcasts during the pandemic, and because he and I are physically incapable of not sharing an interest, I am now hooked on them as well.  I’ve got twenty or so in my subscription queue right now.  Some I haven’t listened to yet; others are done and I keep them around in case I want to revisit or the creators use the feed to plug new projects; still others I’m caught up on or desperately hoping for more.  And since I’m feeling loquacious, I thought I’d share some reviews.

It’s worth noting, possibly, that it’s not as though I just discovered podcasts.  Hell, I co-hosted* a podcast in 2007, and when I started a data entry job in 2008 I listened to them for 40 hours a week.  But those were all information or entertainment-based:  comic book review shows like iFanboy, educational shows like Stuff You Missed In History Class, comedy shows like The Bugle.  I did get into Welcome to Night Vale, but when my day job stopped being full of free time, a Culling occurred and, until recently, I was down to only iFanboy as a regular listen.

Which brings me to my friend, and the first podcast he shoved down my throat.  I was bored, I was caught up on iFanboy, and I finally relented and asked him for a recommendation.  His immediate response: ars Paradoxica.

It’s very difficult to describe ars Paradoxica without getting into spoilers, but I’ll do my best.

aP is a hard scifi story about time travel, espionage, and the desperate attempt to do good when all your options are bad.  It’s about history and shifting cultures. It’s about friendship and found family.  It’s an incredibly intimate story and a sprawling epic simultaneously.  As it grows, it also becomes something very representational, which I appreciated.  The characters come from all sorts of backgrounds, tick every box, and do so in a context I’m not used to seeing.  It had my attention from the first episode, and when it ended I was heartbroken that there wouldn’t be any more (while simultaneously being very satisfied with the ending, of course).

Of particular note is the sound design, done to perfection by show runner and co-creator Mischa Stanton.  Everything from the audio quality to the ambient noises puts you in a specific time and place, and it’s no wonder his list of credits is a mile long.  The guy is good.

I also want to point out a couple of performers.  The entire cast is amazing, but Robin Gabrielli and Kristen DiMercurio (the latter being the lead) are particularly outstanding.  They embody their characters so completely that you genuinely forget you’re listening to fiction.  I fell in love with these fictional people I’ve never even seen, and was completely invested in their stories.  DiMercurio, in particular, is someone whose name on a project means I will most definitely be checking it out.

Part of the power of ars Paradoxica is that the next two podcasts on my list were just me following creators/cast members to their next projects, which led directly and indirectly to other shows.  The vast majority of my audio fiction library traces back, in some way, to the fact that I started with ars.  If you haven’t listened to it yet, do yourself a favor.

5 stars, two thumbs, already planning to listen again soon.

*”Winter Is Coming,” the first podcast about A Song of Ice and Fire.  Many followed, but we planted that flag, damnit.

[curestardust]

hiii~ i'm trying to migrate from tiktok to tumblr because i heard that the precure community is way larger here [and i refuse to use twitter] your blog and another blog are always posted on tiktok but the other one doesn't have anonymous questions or whatever on so i wanted to ask you!! what is the etiquette here for interacting with content creators and also what blogs are the ones to check out and which ones should i avoid because i'd really hate to follow someone and then find out all the tumblr girlies think they're a creep?? OTL sorry if this is like a dumb obvious rude question it's just i've never used tumblr before so i don't want to interact with a content creator the wrong way and end up blocked lol thank you if you respond and also i love your cure butterfly icon it's so pretty <3 <3

i...get posted on tiktok? wha- how does that even work oml

i do think tumblr might be the 2nd biggest platform for precure after hell twitter indeed

for CCs... it's a bit difficult to know whose stuff you'd be interested in. i don't think there's anyone who posts exclusively precure (i don't either) so if you only want to see that you can browse the precure tag. if you like someone's stuff give them a follow though! i don't know anything about "creeps" but i've been on this website for over 10 years so my blocklist and blocked words is massive lol. i'm just chilling over here making gifs.

tumblr etiquette:

i see a lot of new people be confused about this but reblog NEVER repost someone's content. there are those 2 arrows at the bottom of every post, that's a reblog. downloading someone's gif/art then posting it to your blog is a repost and it's VERY frowned upon.

generally people like to add extra commentary in the tags instead of on the post itself, though there's a sort of comment section under posts now but not many people use it.

general rule of thumb (for any social media site really) is to stay away from takes you disagree with. just scroll by, don't say anything, don't insult them. if you REALLY disagree with what they are saying, block them.

CC interaction is kinda odd here, most people are pretty introverted. usually creators will appreciate if you send them a nice ask that you really like their stuff (though they might not post your ask) but the most common way of doing that is by putting praises in the tags cause they'll see it in their activity feed.

hmmm, i dunno if i answered everything properly but it's super late here so mb, you can shoot me another ask if you have more questions~