#and figure out how to think without a robot feeding you the answers

[boardboxes]

i cant deal with the way people so casually talk about their frequent use of AI for basic tasks. “Yeah i have it curate a grocery list for me!” “I have it write a thesis for my paper!” “It drafts emails to my boss for me!” Hey so fun fact all of those things are basic life skills that people should have by the time they are an adult. You should not need a robot to be making you a list of what to get at the store. you should not be having a robot write your papers, you need to be able to formulate your own ideas and opinions and arguments. AI might be “helpful” but its making society dull and lazy. What is there to life if you make AI do every human thing in the world.

[lambda-core]

7 and 17!!! the combiner!!!!!

I'm going to take this to mean their combined form (whose working name is Inductus, as a pun on inductance) because it's easier than answering this for all of them.

Put under a readmore because it got really long LOL

This one is fun. Really fun. So its parts have human friends and coworkers who Inductus has at least a working relationship with, because he's okay serving as a guardian figure for the city. So he definitely has people to lean on for support when it comes to figuring out how to care for a human child. But if you actually asked him? Combined? To care for a HUMAN CHILD?

Points to the child's safety:

If anybody tries to hurt them on purpose he will kill them

He isn't senselessly violent enough to be the person hurting the child on purpose

He has a support network who will help keep the child safe, buy them food, etc

He has enough sense not to try to lift up a human (he understands we are squishy and don't survive huge falls)

If his support network DOES fail him, he can use intimidation to get the child whatever it needs (would you turn down a giant robot made of trains if he told you to let an 8 year old crash on your couch for a night?)

Points against this:

If they're living at his house, they are living at a rail yard (that he can't even hang out in without decombining) (but at least they might have vending machine or break room snacks?)

Most children left to the care of a giant robot made out of trains will try to climb the giant robot made out of trains (source: I was a child)

A well-meaning ~100ft tall giant robot trying to care for a child is still a ~100ft robot. He's ungainly and huge even by transformer standards, and I can't even begin to imagine the practical problems he's going to run into trying to keep them safe, get them to/from school, feed them, help them with homework, and all the other things you have to do caring for a child.

I actually think he would be better at caring for a human child than most animals or plants. He wouldn't be able to stop a cat from wandering places they shouldn't, for example, because they're too small and get into tight spaces he can't get them out of. (I struggle with this and I'm small for a human LOL). Depending on the size of the plant I don't even know if he would be able to water it without drowning it. Kids need attention, food, water, shelter, etc. but they have self preservation instincts and can follow complex instructions, and read warning signs. They will not literally run in front of another train at the yard, they will be okay.

Inductus spent almost the entire war taking orders and/or listening to his parts, and recently discovered that being his own person means he can make his own decisions. He really, REALLY does not know how to handle this. He's either passive to a fault, or makes rash decisions that affect his entire gestalt negatively, sometimes to the point of putting them all in danger.

The Munibots are ex-Decepticons, but the thing I haven't mentioned publicly yet is that the Munibots didn't defect; Inductus did. The stuff that led to that decision are beyond the scope of this post. He was acting on the Munibots' interest in defecting, but the decision to rip the band-aid off was 100% Inductus acting against the wishes of his parts. The fallout of that decision really fucks all of them over for a long time and it's a main point of tension for them.

[sroloc--elbisivni]

2, 22, 24?

2. a character whose POV you’re currently exploring Hm. No one new, recently--current active wips are being narrated by Carly transformers and Trafalgar Law, and I've messed around with both of their perspectives in other fics.

22. do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that? in terms of negative reaction--'what if people hate this/think it's gross'--not really! when i first posted an explicit fic I had a whole thing where I was trying to do it as anonymous because I was mildly embarrassed that it was robot pregnancy porn, but it was for a fic event and I couldn't figure out how to get it in a collection and remain anonymous, so i just took it off. and then it was just like...okay, that's out there, i am cringe and i am free. for all my jokes about 'no one tell my mom' on the turtles kink ot3 fic, i think a lot of it is just approaching things from a place of...i'm not ashamed of this, in the context of being in fandom. if I was trying to hide it, I might then be ashamed of being outed, but if i own that yeah, i wrote it, why should i be ashamed, there's nothing that can hurt me about it. i do realize a lot of that is just me being a small fish in a big pond here to vibe, but it's worked so far. i'm simply not big enough for people to bother getting mad at. in terms of positive reaction--'will anyone like this??'--i do wonder about that, especially when branching out to a new fandom, but i try not to worry about it. my goal with any fic tends to be 'i want at least one person to Get It+I want to have a conversation with Someone about it.' Which has consistently remained a nice, achievable goal.

24. how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative? i go do whatever else i'm actually supposed to be working on. lately, that's been academic projects, or reading, or french practice, or whistle practice, or answering comments, or chores. something productive that doesn't need creativity. if i need to actually make something on a deadline, i go back and read old brainstorming and try to find the spark of the idea and keep feeding it. i listen to music and play sudoku/go for a walk/embroider/do some other task requiring no thoughts and try to just let myself think about it without pressure.

[iviarellereads]

Exit Strategy, Chapter 8

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Murderbot Diaries, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which we have the technology.(1)

Murderbot's consciousness returns slowly, and its memory is shattered. (Some voices discuss whether they should have let the company put it in a cubicle, but no, that would let them study it and how it broke its governor module.) It follows its neural pathways to a memory storage of… what the hell is The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon?(2)

Then, more pathways blossom, allowing it to start accessing, sorting, organizing its memories much faster, as well as initiating its own diagnostics and data repair codes. (A voice cheers that it's showing increased activity, putting itself back together. MB identifies the voice as a client.)

It knows it's in a room, not a cubicle. It remembers Art, but a ping goes without response. No, it sorted Tapan and left Art. (Ratthi asks how it's feeling. It finds Ratthi tagged "my human friend" which seems unlikely,(3) but it figures "Fine." is a safe answer. Ratthi asks if it knows where it is. It asks him to wait while it searches for that information. He says okay.)

It recognizes that it's in a MedSystem. It wonders if they think it's human, and how stressful that would be. Then it remembers that a MedSystem would diagnose it with "a terminal case of being a SecUnit." (It says it doesn't want to be a pet robot. Gurathin says nobody wants that. It has him tagged that it doesn't like him. It says so. Gurathin sounds amused(4) when he says he knows. MB says it's not funny. Gurathin says he'll mark cognition at 55%. MB says "Fuck you." Gurathin ups his estimate to 60%.)

Finally, MB remembers the gunship. The terror paralyzes it, until it realizes it's not on the gunship, which was so clean and new, but a much older vessel. Still, its emotions are speeding up the repair process on memory storage as it accesses things to feel about them. Its diagnostics show its governor module is still hacked, and its data port not repaired. (It says it doesn't want to be human. Mensah says humans mostly won't understand that, believing that anything that looks human wants to be human. MB says that's dumb.)(5)

It's been ignoring its operational code in the rebuild, so it starts rebuilding that now that it remembers how important it is. Its organic bits remember how to walk, so it checks the room out. It picks up the sensor data from the flight deck, knows they're on approach to a station of some kind. The station is built around a big, old-fashioned ship.

Cautiously, Murderbot reaches out, and feels the edges of the station feed's reach.

Dr. Mensah said, “Do you know where you are now?” Home to her meant a planet. I knew that because I’d shipped memory clips to her family there. Important memory clips. Memory clips that had almost gotten us killed. I said, “I don’t like planets. There’s dust and weather, and something always wants to eat the humans.(6) And planets are much harder to escape from.” Behind her, Gurathin said, “I think that’s a yes.”

Mensah asks if it knows what happened. It knows it had a catastrophic failure. Mensah says it extended itself too far, does it remember? MB does, but doesn't want to talk about it.

Instead, MB asks why the ship is so old and shitty. Ratthi gets defensive, saying this ship came in the hold of the bigger one that became the station, with their grandparents. MB is skeptical about humans being packed in the hold, but Mensah smiles and says they were in suspension, because the trip from their former, failed colony took two hundred years. In Preservation, they allied with other systems settled in similar fashion, and rejected Corporation Rim aid, leaving them independent.

MB accesses information on Preservation, and finds that its status is better than equipment, but it still needs an owner, and it'll have to be a happy pet bot. Whether it said that aloud this time or some other time, Mensah reassures it that everyone else on the ship believes it's a person with more than usual augmentation, being brought to Preservation as a refugee. It turns, and finds Mensah, Gurathin, Ratthi, and Pin-Lee.

Pin-Lee says it fits the definition of a refugee, after all. Ratthi says it's all very dramatic, the crew think it's a spy who defied the company to save them. MB compares that to an adventure serial, right down to the inaccuracies. Mensah says they have options, now that its appearance has been changed, and it's had some success at… she doesn't quite want to say pretending to be human, so settles on "not being noticed." She's going to keep those options open, until MB decides what it wants.(7) On Port FreeCommerce, she underestimated its ability to fit into human society on its own, and she apologizes.

MB doesn't want to go to the planet. Mensah says it can stay on the transit station. It asks, in a hotel? Mensah says, if that's what it wants. It asks for a big display surface, and Mensah says that "can probably be arranged."

The memory rebuild continues, up to and through docking at the station. Mensah and Pin-Lee leave first, to distract the crowd. When the coast is clear, Ratthi and Gurathin walk MB out and to a hotel, adjacent to the station's admin center. They get a suite intended for diplomatic guests, and MB gets a whole set of rooms all to itself, connected to the others' rooms.

It doesn't like it.

An hour after it locks itself in the bedroom with the big display, Ratthi taps it in the feed, and says they set up a little network, and he hopes it helps.

Carefully, MB reaches out, and finds that they set up cameras in the suite lounges and hallways, so it can see everything coming and going except the private areas.

I had a complex emotional reaction. A whole new burst of neural connections blossomed. Oh right, I often have complex emotional reactions which I can’t easily interpret.(8)

Murderbot adjusts the code, so nobody can hack it from outside, then unlocks its door.

Mensah has quarters elsewhere on the station, and some of her family has come up to visit her, since she can't go planetside just yet. Pin-Lee, Ratthi, and Gurathin are staying on the station for meetings about what's been going on.

About twelve hours after they get settled in on the station, Arada and Overse come to visit. MB finds its memories of them and remembers that they're clients, a couple, they like each other,(9) and they like it. After twenty three minutes watching them on the cameras, MB comes out of its room to see them.

Arada doesn't hug MB, but bounces and waves her arms excitedly. She says they're going on a survey in a few months, it's not company or bonded, but she'd like for it to come along as security, though she's not sure how to pay it… Gurathin says it likes hard currency cards, and when MB looks at him, he says the obscene gesture is understood. Pin-Lee says it can't sign any contracts until its memory rebuild is complete. MB asks if its owner said so, but Pin-Lee says no, because she's its legal counsel, calling it asshole, maybe affectionately.(10)

After everyone else has gone to sleep, Pin-Lee goes back to MB's room with it, and gets its bag. It had double checked it, once it remembered the bag existed, and found Wilken and Gerth's unused ID cards and the hard currency it hadn't used yet, all intact. Pin-Lee says this is illegal, so MB can't tell anyone, and gives it three additional fake IDs, made by Gurathin, and more currency, the funds she and Ratthi gathered for the trip to TRH and didn't use. Preservation doesn't use currency, and they were drawn from the citizen travel fund.

Murderbot asks why.

Pin-Lee says, they want it to know they're serious about its freedom. It's not a prisoner, or a pet. Then she stomps out.(11)

MB spends a lot of time just sitting in the room, door closed, letting the rebuild processes run.

Twenty nine hours after arrival, Ratthi comes to get it to watch a newsburst with the rest of the team. It has a lot of interviews, but essentially, the bond company has declared war on GrayCris, and other corporations and entities are getting involved because of GrayCris's illegal strange synthetics trade. The newsburst refers to the data from Milu, and some of the videos are from Gerth and Wilken's blackmail collection.

Gurathin says they're out of it now. Mensah says, they still have to interact with the corporates sometimes, but this is a relief. Arada asks how MB feels.

The rebuild process was increasing in speed again, and I suddenly didn’t have any space left for talking to humans. I got up and went back to my room. *** Rebuild Process Complete at Cognition Level 100 percent *** At thirty-seven hours since arrival, I sat up. I said, aloud, “That was stupid.” Everything was clear, sharp. Note to self, never, ever jump into a gunship with a bot pilot and fight off a construct Attacker code again. You almost deleted yourself, Murderbot.(12)

It gets off the bed and sweeps the suites in its network. The humans are at a dinner event, except for Overse and Arada, sleeping, and Gurathin reading in the feed in his room. MB gets its jacket and bag, and slips out.

The station's security is like Milu's, concentrated where things are likely to go wrong.(13) Nobody notices it. Its camera-erasing scripts worked so well, there's almost no footage of its current configuration to be used in the newsbursts, and the common assumption is that it helped the humans off TRH but hasn't been seen since, so nobody expects to see it as it currently is.

The station mall seems to have limited feed advertising distance, and they're using two different currencies: hard currency for travelers, and barter for locals. Fortunately, passage booking takes hard currency. It's got time to kill, so it goes to the "Welcome Center", bemused. It's never seen anything like it before. There are kiosks, pamphlets, real humans ready to answer questions, and a holographic recreative play of the journey by the first colonists. When it's over, there's still no increase in security presence at the docks. It buys passage with one of the cards Pin-Lee gave it, and pretends to sleep in a transient area while watching the station's security feed.

The ship calls for boarding. It doesn't get on.(14)

It finds Mensah's quarters in the station directory, thinking what a bad idea it is to have private quarters listed publicly. It doesn't want to see her family, so it goes to her office instead. It breaks in, and spends eight hours laying on the couch, watching media, still waiting for security alerts that don't come.

Eventually, it picks up Mensah arriving with two humans and a juvenile who looks like her in miniature. MB stands and waits. Mensah is surprised to see it, but hides her reaction. She asks it for a moment, and it steps outside onto the balcony while she talks to the others.

It hears footsteps, and realizes the small one followed it out. She says hello, and it says hello back, and that it's her mother's security consultant. She knows, and says Mensah said if she asked its name, it wouldn't tell her. MB confirms it. Mini-Mensah says her mother also said MB saved her from corporate goons. MB calls that out immediately, Mensah did not say goons. The girl says it should know what she means. MB admits it saved her, and asks if the girl wants to see. She's surprised, but agrees.

MB has a lightly edited down version of the flight through TRH, at the end. It sends it to the girl, who is awed but tries not to show it. MB says Mensah saved it, too: shot a SecUnit with a mining drill.

The girl asks if it's weird that it's a SecUnit. MB says it is weird.(15)

Mensah comes out and finds them, and points back inside. The girl waves goodbye and goes to sit inside. Mensah says she was afraid MB would leave. MB says it thought about it. Mensah asks if it's thought about what it wants to do. It wants to watch media, it says. Mensah gives it a skeptical look, and says if that's all it wanted, it wouldn't have gone to Milu. MB says it watched a lot of media on the way.

Undeterred, Mensah says Gurathin showed her the video it sent him. MB was helping people, even people it was too late to help, it wanted to help. MB says it's programmed to help humans. Mensah points out that it's not programmed to watch media. MB privately concedes the point.

Mensah says MB has a job offer from GoodNightLander Independent. MB says it thought it was illegal to buy SecUnits in those territories. Mensah says they want to hire someone who may or may not be named Rin, who they think is based in the Preservation Alliance, whose citizenship is immaterial. Or, that's about how she remembers their request.(16)

MB is still in disbelief. They want to hire a SecUnit? Mensah says they want to hire the person who saved their assessment team, whoever that is. She's also been talking to Bharadwaj, and they think MB should consider making its story public, as a documentary. Preservation has a movement pressing for full citizenship of constructs and high-level bots. A full account of Murderbot's history might be a grand contribution, even if it was just allowing Mensah to share the account it gave at Port FreeCommerce as it left. MB is equally terrified and attracted to the idea.

Mensah nodded. “Again, there’s no rush about any of this. I just want you to know you already have options here,(17) and I expect you’ll have more offers for your services or advice as a security consultant. And that you have friends here you can discuss things with, whatever you decide to do, or wherever you decide to go.” I had options, and I didn’t have to decide right away. Which was good, because I still didn’t know what I wanted. But maybe I had a place to be while I figured it out.

=====

(1) Yes, as in, "We can rebuild it". (2) It accesses the show so often, its human neural tissue literally leads it there first. My heart weeps. Whomst among us. (3) It gets annoyed by Ratthi but it still had him tagged "friend". (4) I wasn't entirely alluding to this in the other chapters, I think the text supports my assertions that Gurathin stopped hating or being suspicious of Murderbot some time between its disappearance and its offer to help get Mensah back. But this gives me the warm fuzzies. I just love how they interact. Something something under a microscope rotating in a jar. (5) It's true, we are self-centered like that, we do believe ourselves to be superior and worth wanting to be. It's a failing we may have to reckon with someday. (6) I am internet poisoned because I can't read this passage without thinking of "I don't like sand." I wonder how much of that was intentional. (7) She knows it chafes at the idea of being a pet. She's made sure it doesn't have to. (8) Someday it'll learn to recognize the emotions, maybe even come to terms with them, learn to acknowledge them directly instead of stepping around them because it's got no desire to deal with that mess just now. But for now, we get these lovely, flowery dances. (9) Not always mutually inclusive with being a couple! I love that little acknowledgement. (10) At least, I like to read it affectionately. (11) I find this emphasis on stomping fascinating. She doesn't just leave suddenly, she stomps. What made her angry about that interaction? I might be a little too like MB to tell. Having her motives questioned? Or something else? (12) Do you think that's going to stick? Or is MB going to keep getting itself into trouble, and overextending its abilities? (13) I love that that's still the first thing it checks wherever it goes. (14) The point was never leaving. It was testing the boundary. (15) It's certainly within its rights to say so! (16) Murderbot, friend, pal, comrade, you are worthy regardless, but you have done good in this universe and people recognize that. It's so quick to dismiss its accomplishments in its grief at not being perfect, because it could never be perfect, both because it's not fully a bot and can't be bot-perfect, but also because it's not fully a human but it's operating in a world run by humans who make imperfect situations that necessitate messy reactions. But people resonate with you, with your compassion, with your desire to help. (Sorry I'm just having a complex emotion too.) (17) And there's that word again. They all understood that MB's reaction at first was, in part, affected by the fact that it didn't think it was allowed to do things. It spent who knows how many years not allowed to think freely. And to learn that it had been bought by a person in a political entity whose laws necessitated that it was property… Of course it still felt confined. So they've all done the work, to make sure that it knows their intentions and their intent to follow through, no matter what it chooses.

[connectxira]

"Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Transforming the Future

🤖 The Real Talk About AI & Machine Learning – From a Curious Mind

We hear the buzzwords everywhere—AI, Machine Learning, Neural Networks... but let's be honest, most explanations sound either too technical or copy-pasted from textbooks. So here’s my take, in plain and simple words.

🧠 What Really Is AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just robots or sci-fi anymore. At its core, AI is about building machines or systems that can think, learn, and make decisions—kind of like a human, but faster (and without getting tired).

Imagine giving a computer the ability to understand language, recognize your face, or even predict what you’ll buy next. That’s AI at work.

🌀 Where Machine Learning Fits In

Now, Machine Learning (ML) is like the brain of AI. It’s the part that teaches machines how to learn.

Let’s say you want a machine to recognize cats in pictures. You don’t write one giant program telling it what every cat looks like—you feed it thousands of pictures of cats, and it figures it out on its own by spotting patterns.

The more data you feed it, the smarter it gets. That’s machine learning.

⚙️ Not Magic – Just Really Smart Math

Here’s the fun part: AI isn’t magic. It’s just crazy-smart math and logic running behind the scenes. It finds trends, predicts outcomes, and learns from mistakes faster than we ever could.

Think of it like a chef who’s never been to your kitchen but learns your favorite dishes just by watching you cook for a week. Creepy? A little. Cool? Definitely.

🌍 How AI is Already In Your Life

Your Netflix recommendations? That’s ML.

Google Maps showing you traffic updates? AI again.

Chatbots answering customer questions 24/7? Yep, that too.

Even if you don’t see it, AI is already making your daily life smoother, faster, and sometimes even more fun.

🧩 Final Thought: AI Isn’t the Future. It’s Now

People think AI is something far away. But the truth is, it’s already happening—quietly shaping how we shop, talk, move, and decide.

The real question isn’t what AI can do—it’s how we choose to use it.

[grasshopperdoingdogpaddle]

Analyzing the chosen pics for this because I am going nuts over it

The song itself is already a perfect choice for these two!

A song portraying a complex ups and downs of love, the duality of losing and gaining in life, and the importance of holding on to connections and cherishing it, even in the face of those inevitable losses and pains. The comfort and bonds that make life worth living, and the purpose and meaning in existence found in the simple act of two individuals choosing each other despite everything.

Soup with no real sustenance. A food that makes Chase hungrier every time he indulges in it.

It doesn't satisfy or sustain him, but he'll only ever need it more and more to hold onto this form he gave up. Despite being food, it's not filling or nourishing.

The idea of a pot that can never be filled because it has a hole has vibes of the tale of Danaïdes, where the curse entails an eternity of carrying water to try to fill a perforated sieve. The futility of a repetitive task that can never be completed.

A hunger that will never be sated, that in fact, is just feeding into itself.

Lao Mang Lone is the perfect choice for this line! And it's even in the original tureen that Hannibal served it to him in!

And on the reprise of the line at the end,

Where we see the same bowl, completely emptied. No meat, no anything in that vessel.

Likely set right after the scene where good Chase drinks it in the other timeline, but it could just as easily allude to any time the bowl would be empty. After a mealtime. Before it's been filled at all in between meals. After it's been abandoned if Chase really does ever give it up. I like the lack of concrete answers in this reprise.

It's not filled because, there are seconds to have?

Second chances to have, encounters to have

The same line shifting from a scene where Omi and Chase are standing back to back, and Omi's just staring up curiously at the inscrutable figure of his back.

to a scene where Chase is kneeling down to meet his eyes, and they're both smiling face-to-face.

Omi being less filled in with color and matching Chase in just being shadowed in the outlines of his color.

Seconds to have. There's still some kind of future there, and it's unwritten. And who better to write it than you and me?

An unfulfilled relationship

The scene of Omi mourning the robotic corpse of Mrs. Crud for the unfulfilled relationship of the family Omi finally thought he'd found...

These lines are definitely from Chase's point of view.

An empty shampoo bottle showing over the temple, because as far as Chase sees, there's nothing for either of them there. Nothing of value, at least. There's supposed to be, but there's not. It's meant to have a purpose, but it's incapable of fulfilling it. Unfulfilling.

A completely filled trash bag both because Chase looks down on the other monks, and to convey the feeling of alone in a crowd. Something that's filled to the brim, but with things you don't need or can't use. Things that were always fundamentally only ever going to be good for throwing away. Things that it's harmful to let accumulate without tossing out. Empty.

Two different manners of uselessness. That's how Chase sees it.

And Chase already threw both of those away for himself long ago. And as he sees Omi as his little echo, he thinks Omi should expedite the process, if anything.

(And yet, these mundane showings of emptiness and lack of fulfillment Chase sees would reflect back just as well if not better at the pot with a hole in it he's been eating out of for centuries,)

The scene of Chase taking Omi by the hand and helping him stand up the first time he invites Omi to join the Heylin side, and the scene from The New Order of Chase patting Omi's head and reminding him that the offer still stands, are such perfect choices to match the lyrics about how the two of them standing together could mean something greater than themselves.

A declaration that the meaning that's lacking in everything around them can be found in the two of them together. A declaration that what's still left unfulfilled and incomplete could be whole, if the two of them were side-by-side.

As a result of finding, of forgetting, of loving, of losing, of living...

All over an unchanging backdrop of Chase just smiling, unmoving. It describes his full story, but it's so far in the past now, or he's suppressed it so deep now, there's nothing to react to about it. He's loved and lost, and through it all, he's still alive.

The Sphere of Yun Omi freed Chase from. The Mosaic Scale that released Sibini, which prompted Chase to give Omi their first lesson.

And...

A piece of chalk?

Maybe symbolizing the lessons and the teacher-student bond, or maybe referencing the scene in Year of the Green Monkeys where Omi realizes Jack is acting as someone's puppet?

Or maybe it's a compressed staff?

And the pose, with one hand posed like it's either hesitantly reaching out or pulling back, and one hand covering one eye. An incomplete view with no depth perception.

Because he's searching for something? Because he's fixing his aim? Because this is before Omi knows much about Chase yet, and was trying to get a simple answer on what he was and where he stood?

The Orb of Tornami and Shroud of Shadows, from their first showdown.

A yo-yo, and though it's impossible which one, it is still just one of the matching set. And just one yo-yo won't work properly on its own.

All sinking into the rising tides of both their elements.

And then the transition that shifts the narration from Chase's perspective to Omi's, lining up with Omi's time travel to the past. Omi's hands clutching the Orb of Tornami from inside the iceberg makes for such a striking transition!

The missing half, outlined in yellow. The words, outlined in blue.

The boundaries that get the set meaning, the yin and the yang.

The chopsticks and shoes, Wu that can only activate when they're together. (Also, they're the Monsoon Sandals, the same shoes that were in Chase's introductory episode. How fitting.) Not to mention the Wu being used as this metaphor when Chase already regards them as mostly useless.

The broken sands of time, the same way the real sands of time were destroyed by Hannibal, and the same way the timeline itself was torn apart by Chase and Omi's efforts to be together.

The imperfections, the powerlessness, the missing things, the meaningless things in the themselves. The sort of lacking that led Chase to accept the soup, the acknowledged helplessness that led Omi to go to Chase for backup when he had no one else to count on and knew he couldn't do it alone.

A persistence.

The reprise of an unfulfilled relationship being a show of how either he's good or evil, Chase interacts with Omi in the same way.

How there's something genuine there that transcends alignment and time, but it's still unfulfilled because it's still ultimately star-crossed.

"But you see, that's not correct. Because you have chosen and as a result, it's ironic how you're here being shunned like you're a monster. But you see, that's just fine. Don't gloss it over and say it's terrible. Because you and I, we're all monsters. Very selfish monsters." "Therefore?" "Therefore!"

This whole little color-coded dialogue fits them so well, too.

I'm reminded of their little "The good/evil in you is stronger than you know exchange."

Omi trying so hard to be better than he is, Chase trying so hard to be worse than he is, when really, they're both neither saint nor demon. Just two monsters somewhere in the middle, and that's what makes being together special.

And the specific scenery that cycles by while Omi's outline slowly smiles.

New York (Jermaine's home), Urban Japan (Kimiko's home), Rural Texas (Clay's home) the mountain in the Land of Nowhere (Chase's home), the mountain range that has the Xiaolin temple, Omi Town (Omi's false home). Different ideas of a home, of places people belong.

The beach full of shells where they had to find the real, true Mind Reader Conch among all these natural fakes.

The waterfalls where they fought Sibini and Chase first watched Omi pull off Repulse the Monkey.

The lighthouse, a guiding light to those lost in foggy darkness and uncharted waters. The ruins, a shell and testament to something that stands even after what it stood for has died.

The cracks seeping in and the waters rising and Omi disappearing from the alternate timeline with this reassuring smile on his face as he gradually puts his hands behind his back in acceptance.

The cracks appearing at the edges, like when they broke the other Omi out of his iceberg. Or like when the timeline broke apart.

The waters sinking instead of rising this time. Like it's seeping through those widening cracks.

Good Chase not having the veil of nonchalance that evil Chase managed at this part. Slowly coming to terms and just covering his face

Good Chase having been betrayed by his best friend Guan being an inversion of the main timeline. Good Chase not noticing how much has been changed for him to exist as he is until now.

Good Chase having to basically give up who he is and die for the greater good, but still asking if he can live or die.

This part seems to mirror good Chase's last words from that timeline, about how the future and past and present can still always be changed, and he hopes Omi won't give up on him, even when things go back to normal.

Omi's unwavering smile even as he's swallowed up in the light. The answer to the question "What will you choose" still being "you and me" because despite everything, he hasn't given up on some eventual somehow.

The flashes of little things outlined in yellow and blue.

Like their staffs clashing in their first fight.

The Mosiac Scale that marked the first time they worked together.

The Sphere of Yun that represents the first time Omi bent the rules to save Chase.

One of the yo-yos.

The dots swapping orientation, even turning into Chase's blue when they're in the Heylin diamond form.

Omi's hand in Chase's when he helped him stand back up.

Even the colors, the signature blue good Chase and signature yellow of Omi. Even evil Chase is only highlighted in the blues from his former self instead of the greens of his present self.

Therefore You and Me || Xiaolin Showdown

Song: Therefore You and Me - Eve

Inspos: Atena and Kiwi (reupload) on YouTube

the emotional turbulence i had to go thru while making this pmv was wild dude. i miss these two so much.

[paigelts05]

Coffee Date [FNAF, Renegade AU]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/Coffee-Date-FNAF-Renegade-AU-915460098

Renegade File Server Location: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858029

Published: May 8, 2022

After noticing that his and Ness's devices have had employee tracking software left on it by thier previous employer, Luis knows that something shady is going on. Wanting to speak in person, away from the prying eyes of any devices, he inconspicuously asks Ness if she'd like to go out for a coffee. She accepts, hoping it's a date, and hoping that he knows what's going on. This takes place after 'Obviosly Obsessed', and before 'Thanks for the coffee, dear', so this is before all holds become unbarred for talking about her situation regarding being posessed by William. =°•.🌹 Story 🌹.•°=

°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•🌹•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*° "You know, I actually forgot what I wanted to speak about here, but, anyway, are you doing ok?" Luis didn't forget. As he spoke, it felt like there was a pit forming in his stomach. He didn't want to bring up that there was more breached in the maintenance firms systems than just a few emails. He didn't want to think about what Fazbear Entertainment left on his computer, left on her computer, Trojan'd into their systems. It was awkward, horrible, and he didn't want to bring it up - it made him feel sick either way, but he had seen her signals for help and he couldn't just leave her, so he invited her out for a coffee, away from anything that may be feeding information right back to big bear. They had been talking for a while, and he had already finished his coffee, but words swilled in his head as he didn't know how to approach this situation. "I- " Ness seemed a bit flushed. This date had been going well so far. He looked so cute when he was gushing about computers, but something was off right now. He seemed jittery, paranoid. Did he have a stalker? Did he need her help as much as she wanted his? She had to stop thinking and start answering his question though, lest he thinks that she was just oogling him again. "I'm not really fine. Something... Happened at my old job. And it's still affecting me... Mentally. I don't even know if I can talk about it without it hurting me." 'Or anyone around me.' she thought to herself. She had to be vague. She didn't want that thing to catch on that she was talking about it. She didn't know if it was in her head right now or if it was doing something elsewhere. Luis nodded, "Is it in your head or in your blood?" Ness paused for a moment. Her mum's friends used that kind of phrasing when talking to Cassey, Sylvia, and Jeremy about Glitchtrap. It was a code language that former Freddy's employees had put together without thier bosses knowing. Ness knew Luis had connections to the small robotics company ran by a pair of ex-Freddy's employees, so that's probably where he picked it up from. "I think it's in my head." She replied. Her mum never taught her this coded language, but she figured that it would be easy to respond to. "I see," Luis replied, "do you want to talk about it?" "I don't know if I can." She replied. She figured she was getting the hang of this, even though she had only replied twice to this coded language. "Have you been able to talk about it before, or should I stop asking. I'm so sorry if it's something I shouldn't be asking about-" "No no, please, keep asking. I - not being able to talk about it is... Recent. I want help." She didn't want Luis to feel uneasy about asking, even if it was probably a part of the encoded language. She wanted, no, needed his help. She had been able to talk to Anna about this a little bit, refering to Glitchtrap as 'Brad' and being vague enough and subtle enough to leave a breadcrumb trail to help her find the identity of Brad, but she didn't know how to let Luis in on the loop in the case that word hadn't gotten around to him yet. There was a slight silence between the two. Ness saw that Luis seemed shocked, and Luis saw that Ness seemed a bit flustered. "I want to tell you, but he'll hurt me if he knows I did..." Ness thought she mumbled under her breath, but apparently, she had spoken that out loud. "Is there anyone I could ask about this." Luis's face was stricken with concern. This question was more litteral. "Cassey." Ness could see gears turning in Luis's head as he strung together everything he knew. Brad was not a person, but was a real entity, stalking Ness. This was likely the 'he' she had just mentioned. She was searching odd things, and then searched for help, as if she already knew someone had the other end of the software thier former employers had installed. She said that her problem was in her head and a danger to talk about, and that Cassey would know. Luis had met Cassey as a friend of a friend. They had talked quite a bit - being computer geeks and all- and she mentioned a certain problem. A certain problem with a certain game that Ness had beta tested. An issue that Cass had been through yet was able to fend off herself. He had it. Ness was posessed by William. Why else would Anna have left that page up on his computer back when they started the Fazbear contract. "Right. I think I know what you're going through. I think I can help" Luis didn't even have to say anything else or the specifics, but Ness knew he had it bang on. Ness nodded. "Thank you." She reached out for his hand. It was warm from holding a cup of coffee, and she felt comforted by it. "I knew you'd figure it out." Luis smiled back and let Ness take his hand. He was relieved that she seemed to at least knew of the ex-guards coded language (and the one sided conversations typical of the cant's question and answer format), and now that he knew who and where Brad was, he figured that he should try and make thier conversations about other things Glitchtrap related encoded too. Just as a safety precaution. Sending off an email saying 'hey did Glitchtrap make you hurt yourself again' only for it to wind up in Fazbear Entertainment's hands was the last thing he wanted. It was safer to talk about a creepy stalker ex boyfriend. "Ness, I was just thinking, you know, if Brad makes you do anything, we should have some kind of way of signaling it." He paused for a bit. William was in her head. He may be hearing this. He needed to throw him off his scent; imply that he doesn't know who Brad is. He had it. "You know, the creep may be some exec's kid or something." Ness paused for a bit, but her eye soon widened. Luis was helping more than she could ever have hoped for! And he was throwing the suspicion of knowing off of himself! This was perfect! (For her. Not Glitchtrap.) "Yeah! I think ... a screenplay." "Great idea!" Luis replied. His smile was captivating, and Ness couldn't help but smile back. They didn't need to ask when they were going to use this new code word; that had already been implied. She knew Luis would use it soon enough, and Luis knew exactly the way to use these new codewords to keep up the moron façade. Ness knew she had made the right choice. This was the one who would save her. °*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•🌹•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°

[yeenybeanies]

For the Tiny Whumpee prompts. 14. Fleeing for their life. Any one of your robot characters and their human(oid)

come get yer WHUMP

14. Fleeing for their life

transformers ( ocs ) | bask & erickson moore

1,284 words

some mild vorish themes and mentions, but nothing present or graphic

thanks for reading!!

Erickson ran. He ran faster than he'd ever run before––faster than he knew he could run. Adrenaline was a helluva thing, especially when he was running for his life. He sprinted over the dirt and the earth, ignoring how it clung to his soaked clothing.

He'd just been barfed up by a giant robot monitor lizard.

His boss had fed him to said giant robot monitor lizard, it had barfed him up after holding him for about an hour, and now he was running for his life.

"Wait!" A voice he'd never heard before called from behind him. Erickson dared to glance back over his shoulder, but he didn't see anything but––shit! The lizard was following him! Its red eyes stared him down. What looked like a forked tongue, just as red, flicked out from between its teeth-packed jaws.

Erickson did not wait. He pushed himself to run even faster. His lungs burned, and his muscles shrieked, but he was in survival mode.

"Please––wait!" The voice called again. Erickson didn't look. He took a sharp left, figuring that to be as good a direction as any in this unfamiliar landscape. Any direction that would get the lizard off of his trail was fine by him.

Unfortunately, it did not faze the lizard any. It followed after him, trotting, rapidly catching up. Erickson could feel his heart racing, pounding against his insides much like he'd been pounding against the lizard's.

"HELP!" He yelled hoarsely. Panic cracked his voice further, making his cry sound more like a desperate squeak.

"That's what I'm trying to do, if you'd just calm down a moment––!" The strange voice was right behind him, and so was the lizard. Erickson screamed, hands over his head, and tried to duck away from its jaws. It wasn't jaws that came for him, though: it was claws. He caught sight of the lizard's clawed hand at the last moment, just before it swept his legs out from under him. He fell forward with a shout, landing hard on his front. He dared not look up, not wanting to face whatever brutal death the lizard had in store for him.

"Are you quite finished?" Erickson tensed. Who the hell was speaking? Whoever they were, they sounded exasperated. He waited for another minute at least before peeked out from his curled-up position on the ground. Seeing the lizard looming over him, staring him down with those wicked eyes, understandably, did not bring him any sort of comfort. He yelped again and buried his head back into his arms.

"Doctor... Moore, was it?"

His name? The voice knew his name? Erickson peeked out from under his arms again.

"Who's there?" He asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Um... me?” The lizard tilted its head to the side, almost reminiscent of a puzzled dog. Its mouth didn’t move, but... the voice was definitely coming from it. “Yes, I can speak,” it said, as if sensing his confusion.

“You... you ate me!” Erickson blurted out, then immediately shrank back. His confidence had terrible timing when it came to standing up for himself. Shouting at a giant robot lizard that had already consumed him once was not the time.

The lizard, however, averted its gaze. It looked almost sheepish, if anything could be read on its face. “Er... yes. I apologize if I gave you a fright. You were never in any danger––not from me.” It sat down with a heavy thud and sighed. (Robot lizards could sigh?) “I chose not to reveal the extent of my intelligence to your people to protect myself, which turned out to be the correct course of action. If your organization––sorry, former organization––was willing to feed one of its own people to an unknown organism, I shudder to imagine what it would have done to me had it known that I am sapient.”

As the lizard spoke, Erickson slowly uncurled himself from the protective ball he’d formed. There was a lot going on. This being could speak. It (should he be calling it an “it”?) spoke with a clear intelligence, and showed emotion. It was alive. He’d suspected from the moment it was brought into his former organization’s facility that there was more to it than a mindless beast, but he hadn’t expected it to hold this much... humanity.

“Again, I apologize for startling you,” the lizard continued, “I also figured that, if you were being presented to me as something to consume, you were not on good standing with your organization, and it would be better for you if you were safely removed. Once I had you contained, I forced my way out of the enclosure and escaped.” It turned its head back to face Erickson. Being subjected to its gaze still sent chills down his spine, but he forced himself not to flinch away. “If I might ask: what prompted your former comrades to toss you into my enclosure?”

Erickson blinked and glanced down to his hands. He flexed his fingers, balling them into fists and easing them again. “I... was a whistleblower. Or I was planning to be one. Someone must have found out....”

“A... ‘whistleblower’?” The lizard settled down further onto its belly. Despite its distinctly robotic body, it moved with an uncanny fluidity and grace like that of an organic being.

“Um––I was going to snitch. I was going to report the unethical, illegal stuff that they were doing,” Erickson clarified. The lizard nodded in understanding. “Er... so, um, do you have a name? I mean––I assume you have a name....” 

The lizard perked up. “Ah! Yes, I am Bask of Altihex. I am a Cybertronian spacecraft engineer, though I, unfortunately, crash-landed on your planet.”

Cybertronian... Erickson’s jaw dropped. “You’re––wait, you’re Cybertronian?” Bask blinked, taken aback by his outburst. “You’re one of those transforming robots that turn into, like, cars and planes?” 

Bask couldn’t exactly frown, but he still somehow managed to relay the gesture. “No, I am not a vehicular Cybertronian. Cybertronians with beast modes, while uncommon, do exist.” 

Erickson was learning so much. While his fear and his discomfort with being eaten hadn’t left him just yet (as he was painfully aware that he was still covered in giant robot lizard stomach goo), his awe and curiosity were gradually taking over as the dominant feelings.

And then another feeling hit him like a train. Erickson’s blood ran cold. He smacked his hands to his head and stared down at the dirt caking his pants. “Oh my god. My family, my friends––everyone is going to think that I’m dead.”

How Bask managed to be so expressive without a human face was a mystery, but he clearly relayed a grimace. “Er... I suppose so. I’m afraid I hadn’t thought of that in the moment.”

“No, no, it’s not your fault. It’s just...” He dragged his hands down his face, only to immediately regret it. The goo and dirt were wholly unpleasant on his skin. “Eugh. And I still need to expose them. There was just... awful stuff happening in that building.”

Bask lowered his head to the ground to meet Erickson at eye level. While they were still intimidating, Erickson could now clearly see the intelligent liveliness in those red eyes. “If I can, I would like to help you. I feel like I owe it to you after giving you such a fright.” 

Of course. Erickson looked over Bask’s face, thinking. Of course! Bask was another witness. Bask had testimonials of the things done to him at the hands of the organization! (And Bask was currently his only way of getting anywhere in and out of this remote location.)

“You know what? I think you can help.”

[thespamman24]

So, I know this is really long, but I worked very hard on it and I think that it might just be the best thing that I have ever written, so I would really appreciate if you read it, thanks.

I wish that I was a dog.

If I was a dog then I would sneak into my owners fridge and eat all of their bananas. All of them. I would keep doing it, over and over again. They would have to start keeping their bananas in secure places, but I would always find them. They could put the bananas in a locked safe and store it on the highest shelf, but somehow I would still manage to get those bananas into my big dog mouth. They would probably take me to the vet and ask the vet “Why does our dog keep on eating bananas?” but the vet would have no answer. The bananas didn’t seem to be making me ill, in fact I was more healthy than ever. Despite being a corgi, I had the strength of a rottweiler.

Eventually, they would just stop buying bananas. But that wouldn’t stop me. I would break into neighbors houses and steal their bananas. My hunger for bananas would consume my every thought, my every desire. I would grow and grow until I was twice the size of an English mastiff. Eventually, they would tie me to a stick like one of those naughty dogs but that wouldn’t stop me. I would still manage to break free, and then in a mad rage I would destroy the entirety of my owners furniture. 

My owners would have no choice but to take me to a pound. “It’s such a shame.” they would say “He used to be such a good boy, but then he just got really into bananas for some reason.” But no pound could be able to hold me. I would escape, and run all of the way back to my owners house. I would smash right through my owners door. My owners would scream as I snarled and raged and dashed across their house. Then I would plant myself in the middle of the living room and snarl. 

What could they do? They would rush off to the grocery store and grab as many bananas as they could. But that wouldn’t even be enough to satisfy me. They would have to start getting bananas in from the truckload. Spending thousands of dollars shipping in hundreds of bananas in, just to feed my appetite. I would get bigger and bigger, till I was 5 feet tall. “Surely, he’ll get sick of them. “ they’d say “either that, or he’ll die.” But I wouldn’t die, I would just consume and consume. Eventually, my owners money would start running dry. They would have to move out as my appetite grew. They would have to sell their house, which they worked so hard to afford to a woman named Patty so she could turn it into a thrift store. But I wouldn’t mind, all I wanted was bananas. Eventually, they couldn’t afford a home at all and they had to move to a large junkyard where they slept by snuggling me for warmth. It was in this junkyard that I would spend the entirety of my days, consuming more and more bananas. I would grow and grow till I was 8 feet tall. Then 10 feet. Then 20 feet.

Eventually, my owners would run out of money. “Please,” they would say “please buttons” (buttons would be my name of course) “We can’t get you any more bananas, don’t you think you’ve had enough?” but that would not sway me, and in a fit of rage I would swallow my owners whole. Then, I would leave my home city of San Francisco and make my way South, stopping at grocery stores to get my fill of bananas. I would sleep seldomly, with my only stops being to consume more bananas. I would run and run till I arrived in Costa Rica. 

Oh, what a sight that would be. A group of poor Costa Rican banana farmers toiling away, when suddenly from the horizon appears a 25 foot tall Corgi. “?Que Carajo?!” They would say “!El Perro Es Gigantesco!”

Then I would snarl and they would run away in fright and I would gourge myself on the bananas. I would gorge myself on all of the bananas that Costa Rica had to offer till I was 40 foot tall. I would indulge myself ina  feat of bananas never seen before and then eventually the government would hear of this and they would be enraged! They would send helicopters to shoot me down but I would bat them out of the sky. They would tanks and planes and all sorts of weapons of war but I would squanch them without hesitation. 

Eventually, the american banana companies would get worried, because their sales were dropping, so they would lobby for something to happen. They would obviously be successful, and then for the first time in history the united states government would declare war on a single dog. They would send the finest weapons that the world had to offer, all sorts of fighter jets and helicopters. They would send wave after wave after squandron of men and machines armed to the teeth. They would launch missiles and drop bombs and rain down everything they could on me save for a nuclear bomb. They would throw all of their military might at me, but they would fail. 

 At this point I would have become almost a hundred feet tall. I would tower over buildings and skyscrapers. People all over the world would begin to worship me as a god. The banana workers of Costa Rica who had slaved for so long began to see me as a savior, someone who had come down to rid themself of the oppressive yoke of the banana industry. But, I would be no savior, I would just be one big corgi that wanted bananas.

I would gorge myself on all of the bananas that Costa Rica had to offer, until there was no more. Then, I would move to Nicaragua, then to Honduras, then to Belize,then back to Nicaragua, then to El Salvador, then back to Costa Rica, then to Panama. I would scour my way through all of Latin America, devouring every bananas I saw till I was 150 feet tall and growing.

Eventually, the U.S. government would have no other option then to build a giant robotic mecha corgi.

This mecha corgi would be deployed, with some sort of trained pilot inside and me and this mecha would have the fight of the century- possible even the decade. We would pounce and fight and tear at each others throats- and then- we would lock eyes and something would take over me. Something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. My owners had previously neutered me but all of my banana eating had them grow back. Next you knew, the mecha would become pregnant with my son- a half corgi- half mecha corgi. A cycorg, if you will. 

But, I would not be around to see his birth, because I left my mecha girlfriend. I loved her, but I loved bananas more and so I left. I journeyed to Colombia and Venezuela and all throughout South America, always on the hunt for bananas, no amount of that sweet yellow fruit could ever quinch my eternal hunger.

The U.S. government would send more mechs after me, and I had some close encounters but, whenever things got to bad I would run. Eventually, things got so serious that I had to dog paddle my way to Africa. Thankfully, I managed to end up in Cote D’Iviore which was a country that the U.S. didn’t have any treaty or whatever with. I was safe. I gouged myself on bananas for many years sometimes I would think about that one true love I had, but my bananas kept me destracted. I didn’t even know that I had a son, or that he was growing up in a  secure facility in Nevada.

I grew and grew. At first, the government tried to stop me, but then they stopped. Eventually, they started to like me, they would bring me bananas and in return I increased tourism by 2,000%. In fact, I actually helped the economy of Cote D’Iviore. This allowed for many schools and hospitals to be buildt, massive reforms were passed in the government, infrastructure improved massively. Eventually, Cote D’Iviore became one of the most successful countries in the world and all it took was one giant dog. 

People would come from all over the world to see me, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was bananas. When I wasn’t eating bananas I was sleeping or killing people who were trying to kill me. Sometimes I would eat them, but people didn’t taste as good as bananas.

Cote D’Iviore started to run out of bananas so they had to ask Ghana and Cameroon for help in exchange for economy. This eventually lead to all three countries becoming one country, and this country became a prosperous nation. I quickly became the national animal of this nation. I was on the state flag and all of the coinage. Massive statues were buildt of me and the countries name was Terre De Chien Geant (land of the big dog). I payed no notion to this. After all, I was a dog and I didn’t even understand politics. All I understand was bananas. And now, the country was working very hard to get me as much bananas as I could eat because the tourism money was huge. I feasted on bananas until I became 400 feet tall. 

However, across the sea storm clouds were brewing. The United States government had no interest in killing me anymore. However, my Cycorg son was a rarity and of great interest to them. They figured that they could use him as a weapon to take on foreign threats. They got people to pilot him. I don’t know how it worked but the Cycorg needed a pilot.

Many years passed. Eventually, I grew till I was over a thousand feet tall. My Cycorg son did the same. 

My Cycorg son gets deployed on his first mission, destroying a military base in Libya. However, the U.S. government was foolish in thinking that they could control him. He turns away from the military base and instead goes in search of me. The pilot that is inside my Cycorg son is helpless to control him as he moves through Africa in search of me.

He eventually catches on the hiff of corgi and bananas and follows it through the Sahara desert till he arrives at the Northern tip of the country I live in. There he travels East, till he finds me. I’m laying in the field I usually am in when I hear the sound of extremely large paw prints and cock my giant corgi head. Then, I meet his gaze. He growls at me. I am the man who abandoned him. His worst enemy. He leaps forward and pounces on me.

Needless to say, I kick my dumb furry sons butt. I stand over him, my paw pressed on his metal exoskeleton. Then I sniff him and I realize who he is. And in that moment, I realize I was fighting my son! I have a son! I never even knew! But… I don’t care. All I care for is bananas. Why? I do not know. All I know is that I crave bananas, and I am a two thousand foot tall corgi so no one gets to challenge my authority.

I pick him up by the ear, and in a feat of corgi strength I carry him to the ocean and drop him in.

My son paddles away, ashamed.

 Then the Romulans show up. “Oh shit! It’s the Romulans!” Says everyone.Then the Romulans leave because the only reason why they were there was because they got their directions wrong. 

 Anyways, I go back to my usual resting place and my son, ashamed, dog paddles away. But, this feeling of shame quickly turns to anger and this anger quickly turns to rage. And so, when the U.S. helicopters show up to collect him he swats them down. My Cycorg son then goes berserk. He swims over till he reaches Florida. There, he goes ona  mad rampage.

First he arrives at Orlando, where he rips through the city. He reaches Disney World and Mickeys and Snow Whites turn to bloody pulp within his jaws. He journeys to Miami, and to Jacksonvill, and to Tampa Bay, and to Inglis. All fall before his wrath. Millions of people are slaughtered and billions of dollars are lost in property damage and thousands of cheese shops are destroyed. Mozzarella and blood lines the streets of multiple major metropolitan areas, and it’s all because of one kaiju cyborg corgi.

 The U.S. government throw everything they can at my Cycorg son, but they do not succeed. Eventually, they realize the only way to defeat him is me. But, how do they get me to come over to the U.S? First, they try a massive dog whistle. This does not work. Then, they figure it out.

I am chilling out in my field. When, suddenly in the sky I see the most beautiful sight that I have ever seen. A giant cat, made out of bananas. I leap up and run after it. Truly, this must be the most delicious thing ever created.

I dog paddle after it till I reach the coast of Florida, only to then realize that it was not real, but actually just one of those Macy's thanksgiving day parade floats. This enrages me immensely. I am about to go back to my home when suddenly I am tackled from behind. It is my Cycorg son! I don’t even have time to react before my Cycorg son chomps me directly in the paw. We tussle, and I could easily win but he has grown stronger and one of my paws is hurt. 

We fight and fight, our fight taking us out of Florida, to Georgia, and then to South Carolina. Eventually, after 78 days I stand over my son. I have won. But, right before I am about to make the killing blow, I hesitate. This is my son after all. And, in that moment of hesitation my furry son does a hecking chomp. I fall off a cliff and into the Atlantic. 

 I float through the Ocean, till I eventually reach the South pole. There, the water around me freezes and I am trapped in an iceberg, still alive.

 Meanwhile, my furry son has won. He howls victoriously. And then continues his rampage, going north. He knocks over the Empire State Building and shits on the Washington memorial. He humps the leg of the statue of liberty and pees on the white house. He demolishes the Sears tower and destroys Cleveland, Ohio. All fall before his wrath. All is helpless before my massive Cycorg son. Millions upon millions are killed. The U.S. lies in ruins. Meanwhile, I am literally chilling inside a block of ice.

My Cycorg son continues West, and some strange desire compels him to go to Los Angeles. He arrives there and moves towards Hollywood. There, right in front of the Hollywood sign. He digs. He digs and he digs till he reaches an underground chamber. There, in that chamber he finds Al Capone, the inventor of movies. 

Meanwhile, at this very moment I am being discovered by scientists. They find my body and put it on a plane. They then take my body and put in a giant truck. This truck is currently carrying me to a museum, which just happens to be in San Francisco, the place where this all started.

 My son finds the body of Al Capone, spread on a massive movie projector. He then picks him up in his jaws and bounds out of the chamber with Al Capone in tow. However, this ends up causing The Job Apocalypse, where people become abstract representations of their jobs. Lawyers turn into law books, doctors turn into medicine, and politicians turn into the flags of countries that they represent. And, the driver of the truck that I am on, turns into a truck. This leads to the truck I am on having a massive truck sticking out of the driver's seat, with one of it’s wheels on it’s pedal. This causes the truck to keep on moving forward, towards its destination of San Francisco, with me in tow.

But, my Cycorg son doesn’t have a job, so he is unaffected. He takes Al Capone's form and bounds up North. Eventually, he makes it to San Francisco, where he lays down Al Capone and lays down beside him. He then falls asleep, Al Capone right beside him.

Meanwhile, the truck I am in enters San Francisco from the East while my son sleeps soundly by the side of Al Capone.

Then, in the middle of the night comes Patty. Patty was there when it all began. She was the one my owners sold their house to, and thanks to that she turned the house into a thrift store. So, when The Job Apocalypse came she turned into a whole bunch of knick knacks in the shape of a human form. Patty makes her way towards my son and Al Capone. Then she sticks out what could be called an arm, and wacks Al Capone. But then, right as she does it she gets run over by the truck that is carrying me.

Or, in other words: knick knack Patty wacks EVA dog's Al Capone, his old man's come rolling home.

[heliosthegriffin]

Jaune’s Big Breakout Pt 2

Part One

------

“Ack!” Jaune yelped as he halfway fell off his cot.

He had failed another attempt.

“So much for breakout number 30...”

He sighs and slides to the floor.

“This is getting depressing, I wondering how everyone else is doing?”

He frowns. “Nah, no use worrying about them, they’re probably better than ever without me there.”

“Why are you talking to yourself?”

“Ah!” Jaune jumps up and looks at the door, which had been cracked open, where a scraggly looking man leaned against the wall. Jaune could smell the booze on him from across the room.

“Ha, you gave me a heart-attack, who the heck are you?”

“You didn’t answer me question,”

“And neither did you, why are you in my cell?”

“You call this a cell? If it is, it’s much nicer than any other cell I’ve been in.” The scraggly alcoholic pulled up the only chair in the room, the one that was for the desk.

“Ok, my containment room I guess.”

“Well, anyway I’m the guy that dropped your butt in here, so lets see if that can turn the gears in that blonde box you call a head.”

Jaune frowns. “You’re trying to figure out why I’m trying to escape, aren’t you?”

The drunk smiles. “See, you didn’t need to be a genius to figure that out.”

Jaune climbs back on his padded cot, it was actually really comfy. “You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Why’s that?”

Jaune leans back on his bed looking at the ceiling, where the only window was, and the skylight, watching the blue sky. “You’d just think I’m crazy,”

The guy just sighs. “Fricken teens, man. You’re all so damn self-important, you know what? Whatever, you do you, kid. I’ve seen the feeds, you don’t have what it takes to escape Beacon.”

Jaune frowns. “Is that why you haven’t taken Crocea Mors? You think I’m too pathetic to be a threat?”

“Your words not mind kid, but, I’d also say that we couldn’t take the sword from you.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, try to be a little less destructive in your attempt to leave, Goodwitch is getting prissy about having to do reconstruction.”

Jaune gave the man a smile. “Oh, it makes her mad, does it?”

“I don’t like that look on your face, way too sinister for a kid.” The drunk gave a smile in return. “But, yes. It does make a her day harder. Go buckwild, kid.”

The man turned to leave, opening the door.

“It gets lonely in here, talking to myself helps.”

The man paused. “I guess it would, names Qrow by the way.”

“Jaune Arc, you’re pretty alright for a guy who imprisoned me.”

“Don’t take it too hard, kid. I’m just trying to do right by me and mine. It’s not forever either, we just got to keep you out of the spotlight till after Vytal, after that we’re shipping you out, maybe home, maybe Atlas, maybe something different. You’re just a kid, so we’re going easy on you, so don’t worry about real prison or anything.... But, anyway here’s some advice from a veteran though, don’t make waves, the attention is not worth it.” 

Jaune let out a sad laugh. “I think it’s a little late for that, the whole school, Haven, Shade, and Atlas all know. Everybody knows team JNPR’s leader is a fraud, and they’re laughing at me, and they’ll keeping laughing at me as long as I’m around.” He rest’s his head in his hands. “Ah man, I hope their doing alright, my team I mean, well my former team. I doubt they want anything to do with me, now.”

Qrow looked at Jaune from the hallway, gripping the door in a reverse grip, and shrugged. “That’s for them to decide, not you. I can’t imagine many people are allowed to visit you. Even I’m a special case.”

Jaune sad nothing and looked at the ground. “Why would they even consider wanting to see me?”

“Why not find them and ask if they want to?”

Jaune looked at Qrow. “I thought you said I’d never breakout of Beacon?”

The older man smirked at him. “I said out, I never said anything about this little tower or getting into the campus.”

A slight smile breaks across Jaune’s face. “I’m not trying to breakout of Beacon anyway, I’ve got somewhere I want to get to on Beacon soil.”

“Hmm, maybe.” Then the man closed the door.

Jaune got up and stretched, loosening up his body for his next escape attempt once his aura recovered in a couple minutes. Then focused his semblance, rapidly regenerating from any exhaustion and damage he’s taken.

His aura full, he sighed contently as a feeling like a warm, fuzzy blanket settled over him. “Lets do this, try 31.”

--------

Attempt Third-One, The third floor in front of the stairs.

Jaune had once again cleared out the first two floors of the drones and was sitting comfortably at the seventy-five percent mark, it was getting easier.

Hopefully it would be enough to defeat the tank on legs.

Jaune opened his shield and stared at the metal giant in the center of the room.

“Lets do this,”

< TARGET SIGHTED, SURRENDER OR BE EXPOSED TO MAXIMUM ALLOWED FORCE > 

Jaune took a determined look at it and assumed a combat stance.

It’s singular eye glowed a blue-white and fired a lance of burning light at Jaune, who hastily raised his aura charged shield, which absorbed the light with burst of aura, the shield’s glow diminishing by at most half.

The two rocket launchers on the robots shoulders then pointed at Jaune and he got the message and started to run away as rocket exploded behind him, heat burning his calves and shrapnel cut at his aura on his back and legs, still it was better than enduring rockets to his arm and getting pinned.

He kept running till he heard a click as the last of the rocket were fired, or at least he assumed so.

Jaune made a sharp turn in his run to the robot, he wasn’t going to escape and let it be on his tail while he fought whatever dangers blocked the next floor, and held his shield high as another laser hit him.

The energy hit the shield and broke the aura coating on it, Jaune tsked and kept running forward, recharging the aura into the shield to give it extra oomph.

The robot seemed stunned at Jaune ran into it’s legs shield first and unleash a shock wave into it’s pillar like legs, only briefly though, before bringing an enormous fist down on Jaune, who was too jarred from the impact he delievered to dodge the blow.

The fist the size of a bucket hit him on the shoulders and knocked him to his knees hard enough to feel a buzz in his teeth and chest.

He snorted and tried to rise, pooling aura into his legs and arms, to push up against the mechanical menace. But the robot threw it’s other arm down on him, pushing him to the ground on his knees.

Then he gulps as he heard a mechanical whirring, and buzz coming from it’s head.

< INITIATING RELOAD >

It’s cyclopean eye then begin to glow as it’s shoulder rockets turned towards him.

His world became a explosion of light and fire for the second time today.

Attempt 31 failed.

Defeated by Mark IV Sentinel  

[scattered-shadows]

Past-Present-Future Black Dahlia

Two major tragedies bring Lee Mirae closer to the edge as she goes through the stages of grief in a more violent manner that would affect not only her relationships with her boyfriend Jeong Yunho and her half-brother Choi San, but also has her becoming closer with the immortal mutant Kang Yeosang. Fueled by rage, grief, and pain, along with a very rude awakening that has Mirae spiraling out of control and questioning everything she holds dear.

Group: ATEEZ Member: Yunho Pairing: Jeong Yunho / OC Genre: Action, adventure, angst, fantasy

Watch Out! : Violence, blood, death, grief and loss, major character deaths, use of weapons

Anything else? : Mentions of other idols of course as well as other characters. SuperM, Dean, Chanyeol, Zelo, soloist Park Jihoon to name a few.

Author’s Note: So, here is the end of the series! Sorry if the ending was a little blah -- I really couldn’t wait to finish this whole story already. Thank you for reading it if you have. 

Listen to: All About You - ATEEZ, Halcyon + On and On - Orbital

Masterlist

Chapter 10

“Where did he go?” San looked around. The being transformed back into Mirae, whose hair, except for the streak, had also turned partially white at the ends. 

“Not to be that kind of person, but as long as he’s away from here, I don’t care where else he goes,” Jongho said. 

“What now?” Hongjoong turned to her, noticing the change in her appearance and the vacant expression on her face. “...Mirae, are you okay?” 

She glanced at them, all of whom were looking at her with hopeful eyes. Mirae was trying to process everything that just happened. Did she really just do what she did? From the looks on Junhong and San’s faces it seemed to be the case. She didn’t feel any better, but she realized that she had come a long way from where she was. If Hyuk and Chanyeol and even Jihoon could see her now. 

“I’m fine,” Mirae said. “I-I never thought I’d get to what you told me before,” She glanced at Junhong. 

“Grief tends to do that to people,” Junhong replied, a small assuring smile on his face. “On the bright side, everything is fixed, save for this window,” He looked at the broken glass behind her. “And the fact that we’re in someone else’s building.” 

“By now, people know who we are too,” Seonghwa spoke. “Our pictures, videos of what we did, would be going viral by now.” 

“I don’t think there’s a way to stop it either,” Yunho shook his head. He held out the gem in his hand. “But we need to do something about this.” 

“There’s no doubt they’ll come for that when they get around to showing themselves again,” Wooyoung said, looking at all of them and then at the gem in Yunho’s hand. “We need to put that away, that’s too powerful for any one of us to handle.” 

“Where do you suggest we put this away?” Yeosang questioned. “It’s too much of a risk to keep it around here.” 

Just then, the jewel glowed and after a moment, it disappeared. They stared at Yunho’s empty hand, amazed. “Well that answers your question,” Mirae pointed out. “The jewel is sentient. It knew that we didn’t want it, so it disappeared.” 

“If there was a way to understand how that diamond moves, I would’ve found a way,” Junhong said quietly. “If it left us, let’s hope that it doesn’t come back, or at least is in the right hands.” 

“That’s all we can do?” San spoke, a slight frown on his face. 

“That’s all we can do, Sannie,” Mirae replied. “Those people outside that we tried to protect will be coming back in here now that it’s over. I hate to imagine what they’d say when they see us going home.” 

“Me too. If it was anything like what happened to me in Morocco,” Yunho shook his head upon remembering. “It wouldn’t be pretty.” 

Mirae sighed and looked back out the window. “It’s getting dark, there’s nowhere else to go but home, now that it’s all over, and we all need to shower.” 

The rest of them laughed. “Can we get something to eat first? I know a good barbecue place,” Wooyoung suggested. 

“By all means,” Yeosang waved his hand at the broken window, the shards of glass putting itself back together. “No doubt people will recognize me now, I might as well do what I want. I will need to keep myself from doing any more magic if I don’t want to feed on people as constantly as I might do so now.” 

“Where do you think those guys went?” Hongjoong mused as they walked out of the office, seeing the shocked expressions of the employees who seemed to be aware of the ruckus that occurred moments ago. “Do you think they tried to make their own little world again?” 

“It is possible,” Yeosang replied. “However, I must reveal that I can’t guarantee Mark won’t come back if I’ve killed him not too long ago.” 

The mention of the immortal made Yunho glance at him. “We can’t really kill him for good?” 

“We are immortals, Yunho. If we kill each other, we get reincarnated. It’s something I forgot to tell you,” He said. “You will never really be away from Mirae if Mark tries to go after you, same as me.” 

“You mean we can’t get rid of you at all even if we tried?” San chimed in. 

“I’m afraid not, I’ll always be here to torment you and ruin your day,” Yeosang replied with a sly smile on his face. “Admit it, I must have proved myself to be a valuable member of… this cabal of people.” 

“And I never thought we’d have executive Kang on our side,” Hongjoong said. 

Yeosang glanced at Mirae then cleared his throat when he noticed Yunho caught him. “Well, since I helped my dear Mirae the first two times, three times the charm, isn’t it?” 

Mirae sighed. “Service elevator might be good for all of us to go down at the same time. We just have to figure out where it is.” 

“We don’t need to,” Yunho shook his head, gesturing to a dimly-lit hallway that likely led to the store rooms and the janitor’s closet. “I don’t know where we’ll be, but at least we’re out of here,” He said, as the rest of them grabbed onto him and they vanished. 

~ 

It was the ten of them in the almost empty barbecue restaurant Wooyoung suggested, with Yeosang paying the owners to allow them to stay late while they ate. The owners turned on the television, paying attention to the news that was on. 

“In what was one of the most disastrous attacks since the goblin invasion five years ago, robotic machines caused chaos. While there were no casualties, there was some property damage. However, shortly after the attacks, the damages caused from the chaos were easily repaired, all thanks to ten unidentified people who risked their lives to protect the citizens that were caught in the crossfire,” the news anchor said, and photos and video footage of the attacks. The restaurant owners gaped upon seeing their faces on the television. It then switched to the news correspondent, who was talking with some of the people who witnessed the incident.

“On behalf of the citizens, we would like to thank them for keeping us safe,” One person said to the camera. “They just left like that without telling us, and they repaired everything too.” 

“Superheroes! Those were superheroes!” One kid said, almost excitedly. “They saved us!” 

“Just another day,” San muttered in between bites of rice. He could sense that the restaurant owners were staring at them after realizing who they were. 

Yunho glanced at Mirae, hearing what she was thinking while they ate. “Do you really want to leave this place?” He asked quietly, making the rest of them look. 

“I’m thinking about it,” Mirae said. “We’ve been exposed somehow, and even with those people saying thank you, I feel like I’m too dangerous to be around here.” 

“They could say that about each and every one of us, even Junhong hyung,” Hongjoong said. “Was this what it was like from the train station incident? I remember Chanyeol hyung talking about it.” 

“Yeah. People didn’t take too kindly to what happened even after the whole thing,” Mirae nodded. “We’ve had coffee thrown at us. They don’t like this kind of thing, that’s why I live quietly. That’s why we’ve been living quietly.” 

Junhong put his chopsticks down. “You know, maybe times have changed. Maybe people who didn’t like things back then would’ve changed their minds now.” 

Yeosang sighed. “I believe he is right. Times have certainly changed, there is a chance that people of our kind would be received well, but that doesn’t mean we should go around showing off.” 

“Then they’ll really hate us,” Wooyoung ate a big piece of meat. “So, after this, what’s next? We go back to our homes and move on, isn’t it?” 

“That is the plan, there’s nothing much else we can do, is there?” Mirae replied. 

Seonghwa waved his hand and the bottles of water and soju poured themselves into their respective glasses. He raised his own glass, making them do the same. “Can I say something?” He asked, the rest of them nodding. “I haven’t been a mutant for very long. Actually, I haven’t been the type to do what we just did for good for very long, and I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I do want to say that we did well out there.” 

They clinked their glasses and took sips. They suddenly heard the sounds of something cooking from the back and after a moment, the restaurant owner came back out, bringing over a large pot of ramen to their table. “This is to thank you, for keeping everyone safe out there,” They said.

They stared at the pot, then glanced at her. “You really didn’t have to-” Mirae said. 

“But it is the least that could be done. All of you are owed a great debt that seems impossible to pay off by the rest of us. Please, have some of the noodles, it’ll go well with the meat you’re eating too,” They said. 

“We will eat this well. But for the record, we didn’t do what we did to get something in return,” Mirae said quietly. 

“That’s even more noble,” The restaurant owner said. “All of you are heroes in a world of flying men and monsters. The goblin invasion seemed to reveal to everyone that humans and animals aren’t the only living things walking the planet, this one seemed to be another reminder that we’re not alone. Please eat and enjoy. You are all welcome to return here as much as you want,” They bowed before walking back into the kitchens. 

Mirae turned back to her food, as did the rest of them. Yunho kept glancing at her and he put his spoon down to hold her hand. “We’ll be okay. You’ll be okay,” He whispered. 

She laced their fingers together. “I know I will be, as long as you’re around, as long as San is around. I took you and San for granted all this time.” 

Yunho shook his head. “You’ve been learning, and I won’t stop reminding you that you aren’t alone. You don’t have to bear the weight by yourself.” 

“Jihoon, Hyuk, and Chanyeol would’ve been proud of you, Mirae,” Junhong said. “I know they would be. Just like how the rest of us are proud of you.” 

“And you even got a dye job from your powers too, with your hair now being the way it is,” Mingi pointed out, making them laugh. 

“It’s the mark your powers are leaving on you, through your hair,” Junhong explained to her, seeing her confused expression. “When you tapped into your ability to trap souls, that white streak on your hair appeared. When you turned into an energy spirit, even more white appeared. Who knows what else you can do.” 

“Hang on, does that mean my hair’s going to do the same?” San stared at the elder. 

“Well, you are Mirae’s brother, it’s likely you will go through the same changes in your appearance, mainly your hair, if you push your abilities to the fullest extent,” Junhong shrugged. 

“Then there’s hope for the rest of us,” Hongjoong grinned. “We’d look cool with those kinds of changes.” 

~ 

The rest of them, including Yeosang, stayed inside the apartment bases later that night. “Now that everything’s done and over with, I guess it’s back to training for the rest of you, isn’t it?” Junhong said to them. 

“This place is quite plain,” Yeosang seemed to examine the interiors. “I know someone who can do wonders with redecorating.” 

“Speaking of redecorating,” Jongho poured himself a cup of coffee from the kitchen. “Are we still considering the old base that we went to with those goblin corpses?” 

They all looked at each other. “If I may be permitted, we can develop the place, make it nicer, I can have a clean up crew get rid of the blood and corpses but I am afraid I’m not sure where we can dispose of those goblin bodies,” Yeosang suggested. 

“That place does seem like a good choice,” Junhong shrugged. “There’s room in that tunnel for some of you to train using your powers, but no more simulations, just practical training courses.” 

“Good, I think we’ve learned from what happened that set everything off in the first place,” San nodded, glancing at his sister, who raised a brow at him. 

“What do you think, Mirae?” Hongjoong turned to her. 

Mirae looked back at all of them. They still had the same hopeful expressions. “...Me? I mean, there are all these passageways in there that are waiting to be used over and over, and since we took care of the goblins years ago, it would make sense that we’d have that place as a kind of headquarters.” 

“Can we get rid of the rats too? I don’t want to have to run away in the middle of a training session because Remy and his clan are busy going back and forth,” Wooyoung spoke. “Then again, he might be on his way to some kitchen, cooking soup…” 

“Someone’s watched Ratatouille for the recipe of that soup,” Jongho teased. 

“So then it’s settled, we can use that place, we’ll just get rid of the bodies and the blood,” Mirae nodded. 

“Now that I’ve eaten my fill and we’ve come to an agreement, my dear Mirae, it has been a pleasure working with you,” Yeosang turned to her, then paused to see the rest of them watching him. “And...I must admit, even the rest of you. With Ino gone, this whole… operation of ours will need funds, and I am happy to back this up, within reason. As always, my dear Mirae, if there is anything you need, if another investigation comes up again, don’t hesitate to come to Kang Tower. Gentlemen, it’s been nice, but not too nice,” Yeosang gave the rest of them a nod before seeing himself out. 

“Well, I think it’s time for me to shower and turn in, I’m starting to feel the exhaustion sink in,” Mingi got up from the chair, making Hongjoong and Jongho do the same. 

“We better get some rest now too, and I also need a shower. I’ve been in these clothes for a while, I didn’t realize how fast the days came,” Mirae looked down at her now dust and soot-covered clothes. “These also happen to be very expensive.” 

“Looks like it too. Yeosang got you that?” San noticed the details on her sleeve. 

“Yeah,” Mirae shrugged. She followed the rest of them to the door, seeing Junhong clear out the cups of coffee and put back the couch cushions in between waving at them. There was something she still wanted to do now that it was all over. She turned to Yunho. “Don’t wait up for me, there’s still something I need to do,” she muttered. 

Yunho got the idea and nodded. “Alright,” He kissed her cheek and watched her go down the stairs. 

~ 

With a small bouquet of flowers in hand, Mirae arrived at the graves of Chanyeol and Hyuk and put half of the bouquet on each of their grave stones. “I miss both of you so much,” She whispered, reading the epitaphs. “We could’ve been on this adventure together, the three of us. Then again, I realize that both of you were with me this whole time.” 

Mirae’s eyes were welling with tears as she looked at the two gravestones. She heard a whoosh from the nearby tree and out stepped Yunho. “Junhong is right, you know. Hyuk and Chanyeol would’ve been proud of you, even if you destroyed some things along the way,” He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. 

Mirae leaned on him as she looked at the gravestones again, and at the flowers she put down. “I hope they are.” 

Yunho kissed the side of her head. “I love you, you know that, right?” He whispered, and she nodded. “I love you and I’m not going anywhere.” 

“I love you too,” She said quietly, wrapping her arms around him.

Yunho kissed her. “It’s always us,” He murmured. 

“Always.” 

“Come on, let’s go home, hmm? We’ve had a rough few days,” Yunho held her hand, lacing their fingers together as he led her towards the tree. Mirae smiled to herself as she followed him, the two of them disappearing. 

A moment later, a glittering object appeared in the space between Chanyeol and Hyuk’s gravestones.

[2manyfandoms2count]

You and me against the world (especially sliding doors)

Me: I will not write any fics based on the NY special. Not yet, anyway.

Also me, seeing @emsylcatac‘s post: Fine, you’ve convinced me

Here, have a sliding doors reveal one shot, hope you enjoy it! (New York Special spoilers ahead)

Read on AO3!

---

“Are you sure there’s no way for me to swing in from the roof?” Ladybug asked, anxiously fiddling with her yoyo string as she looked at the building that stood before her. 

“If you were available later this week, you could, but unfortunately the scaffolding is staying up until the works are officially finished.” The event organiser answered apologetically.

“From a window, then, perhaps?” She insisted.

“Unfortunately the bay windows that give inside the main hall don’t open.”

“Is there a back door of any kind, then?”

Her interlocutor looked at her confusedly. People had told him working with Ladybug was easy, that she was very down to earth for someone who spent most of her time fighting on the Parisian rooftops. So far, though, she seemed like a bit of a diva. He agreed that having her make a grand entrance would be better for the press, but today was the only day that fit both her and Chat Noir’s schedules for a daytime event until the next month. Was it too much to ask that they both just entered through the main door, like normal people?

He looked at his watch. The opening was starting soon, and there was still no trace of Chat Noir.

As the organiser fidgeted, Ladybug was starting to regret ever agreeing to inaugurate the new Children’s hospital, which was opening with a flourish after months of works. The superhero and her partner had been specially invited to cut the red ribbon, located inside the building. She had been very touched that they’d thought of them, and had awaited the event excitedly. 

The trouble was that, in an effort to provide the best innovation, the only way of getting inside said building was through automatic doors. She wouldn’t have been bothered by this fact had the event occurred before her trip to New York City. Unfortunately, the field trip had left scars -well, bruises- that made her weary of any door she could not open traditionally. 

It had been embarrassing enough that she’d been stuck with Adrien in between two automatic doors, making a fool of herself as she ran into the transparent panes time and time again. She wasn’t willing to repeat the experience in front of the Parisian public. Not when she’d let them down so recently.

There was a small thud next to her, and the sound of Chat’s baton retracting as he walked towards the event organiser and herself. She turned towards him with relief. Chat was very good at thinking out of the box, maybe he could figure a way to avoid the main entrance. She’d just continue pretending her concerns were for the image of the event, and not because of a personal fear.

Chat Noir’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of Ladybug’s wide smile when he approached. He still wasn’t quite over her words in New York. The way she’d hugged him like he was the most precious thing in her life. Maybe all hope wasn’t lost.

“My Lady.” He bowed and kissed her hand, making sure to keep eye contact with her. “Sir.” He then shook the organiser’s hand. 

“Good afternoon, Chat Noir. We were just discussing your entrance.” The latter replied, hoping the leather-clad teenager was a little more sensible than his partner. 

“We usually come in via the rooftop.” Chat Noir looked up, squinting to see the top of the building which was drowning in sunlight. He spotted a flapping piece of tarp, revealing the scaffold underneath. “But I’m guessing that’s not going to be possible this time.”

“Indeed.” The man acquiesced. “I’m sure the shots of you two coming through the main entrance will be great, though.”

Chat Noir’s gaze followed the man’s, landing on the sliding doors. He visibly paled at the sight.

“Are you sure there isn’t another way in?” He asked as his heart beat rose in his chest. His thoughts immediately went to Marinette and their common experience with automatic doors. Even his fencing bruises weren’t as bad as the ones he’d gotten when failing to go through them in New York. He didn’t care to get more, not to mention the fact he really didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Ladybug.

“All the doors are automatic.” Ladybug brought her hand up to her mouth out of habit, but bit her suit fabric instead of her nails.

“How… modern.” Chat took a minute to think. He couldn’t possibly make a scandal about going through the main entrance without attracting attention to himself. Inspiration struck. “What if you went to get the horse Miraculous and we entered through a portal? That would look very cool. I’m sure the kids would love it.”

“Chaton, you genius.” Ladybug kissed his cheek. “How long until the opening, sir?” She turned towards their host.

“Two minutes.” He said, barely glancing at his watch.

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir’s cheerful faces dissolved. Even using the horse superpowers to come back, there was no way Ladybug could reach wherever she hid the Miracle box, return and feed Kaalki before they used his Travel power again to get in, in under two minutes.

“Well… I guess main entrance it is, then.” Chat Noir gulped as they faced the sliding doors.

“Yay.” Ladybug cheered weakly. Had he known better, Chat would have thought she was also dreading it.

The event organiser smiled, and headed inside to sort out the last details. The two heroes waited anxiously outside. 

When they received the thumbs up from their host, the two advanced cautiously, almost robotically towards the entrance. The first set of doors slid open and they stepped inside.

Ladybug let out the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding; the doors had been cooperative. She let a smile invade her face as she and Chat Noir continued their path. The entrance airlock was quite a big space. Nothing to do with the American ones. 

She started to wave at the children she spotted on the other side of the second set of doors. 

Chat hung back a little, observing her. She really knew how to work a crowd, he noted with a smile. Seeing his partner so relaxed helped his shoulders untense a little. He was with Ladybug, the bringer of Luck; nothing bad could happen to him while they were together. 

He’d barely registered that last thought when she slammed into the transparent panels that separated them from the main hall. 

“Ow!” She rubbed her nose. She heard laughter coming from the other side, and gave the children two thumbs up. They thought it was a skit. Excellent.

“My Lady, are you okay?” Chat rushed to her side to examine her, taking care to exaggerate his movements so as not to worry the people on the other side. 

“I’ll get over it.” She scrunched up her nose. 

“Do you want a magic kiss?” Chat Noir wasn’t actually kidding. Maybe it would help Ladybug’s reddening complexion.

“No thanks, Chaton.” Ladybug sighed and approached the door again. It didn’t budge. She stepped away, came forwards. Still nothing.

After waving at what she assumed was the movement detector for what felt like an eternity without any results (were there no technicians around to come and open the door for them? Or even just a kind soul?), she let out a frustrated sigh and stalked back to the middle of the hallway, turning her back to her audience. 

Chat took over trying to open the door, jumping around to try and trigger the motion detector. He made faces at the crowd inside the main hall, which earned him many a giggle from the children. They didn’t seem concerned about their predicament at all. 

He turned towards his partner to get her to join him in the clowing around, but his smile died on his lips as he took in her slumped shoulders.

“My Lady? Is everything okay?”

“I just…” She tucked her bangs behind her ears, shaking her head. “I don’t get why this is happening.”

“I’m sorry, Bugaboo. It’s all my fault.” He embraced her in a half hug, before elaborating for Ladybug’s raised eyebrow. “It’s not the first time this has happened to me. It must have something to do with the fact I carry the Kwami of destruction. It somehow messes with technology.”

Ladybug sighed. “I doubt it’s as simple as that. I’ve been stuck between two sliding doors before, too. If we go by your logic, then they should open by the holder of the Creation Miraculous just looking at them.”

“Any door should do that for you, really.” He winked, and it brought the hint of a smile to her pouting lips. “Really though, you’d think Paris’ superheroes can operate sliding doors. It’s a good thing Hawkmoth can’t akumatise objects.”

“Not too loud, you’ll make him figure out a way to do it.” She punched his arm lightly. 

“I’m sure we’ll manage to get out eventually. We just need to work together!” 

Ladybug smiled and held out her fist. “You and me against the world?”

“Always. And especially against automatic doors.” He fistbumped her.

They turned around and walked back to face their new nemesis. 

“Now, it can’t be a matter that we’re not heavy enough, because otherwise kids wouldn’t be able to come in or out of this place.” Chat noted. “A little awkward for a children’s hospital, if you ask me.”

“You forget they probably wouldn’t be coming in alone; they’d have some kind of adult supervision.”

“Hmm.” Chat stroked his chin as he thought. “What if we tried jumping at the same time? Maybe it would trigger something?”

“Doesn’t hurt to try.” Ladybug shrugged. “On the count of three?”

“One… Two… Three!” 

Both tried to put as much power as they could in their landing, to no avail.

“How about I try and Cataclysm it?” Chat kicked the door lightly, checking its resistance.

“Not sure how good an idea that would be. Remember Reflekdoll?” Ladybug made a face. “I think I’d much rather be locked in than face wild doors.”

“Good point.” He crossed his arms over his chest and resumed his observation. “What about a Lucky Charm?”

His partner’s eyes lit up as she considered it. “You know what, it’s not like we have anything to lose, or like they’re trying to help us get out.” She nodded towards the inside of the building. The guests all looked at them and waved; the event organiser tapped on his watch. “Lucky Charm!”

A small Statue of Liberty keychain landed in her hand. Ladybug rolled her eyes. She knew it was just like New York, Tikki didn’t have to taunt her like that.

“We probably would need that if this door opened with a key.” Chat shook his head. “What are we supposed to do with it now?”

Ladybug looked around, hoping an idea would impose itself as she scanned their surroundings. Apart from throwing the keychain at the door and hoping the glass would shatter upon impact, though, nothing seemed to come to mind.

“Wait a second.” Chat picked up the Lucky Charm and watched it twirl in the air. “Isn’t that the same object you got when we were fighting Techno-Pirate?”

“Doorman!” They both exclaimed at the same time, a smile brightening their faces as they looked into each other’s eyes. “Do you have his number?” 

They slumped a little at their synchronicity. What had appeared like a perfect solution clearly wasn’t one if they had no way of contacting the New York superhero.

“Well, I guess that confirms my theory that you’re stuck with me, my Lady.” Chat gave her a small smile.

“You know what, I don’t mind being stuck anywhere with a friend like you.” She tapped his shoulder affectionately.

“Hey, that’s my line!” Chat frowned.

“What do you mean?” Ladybug asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Yes, she’d stolen the line; but from Adrien, not Chat Noir.

“That’s what I told my friend when we were stuck together in the same situation.”

“Huh. That’s what my… friend told me when we were stuck between sliding doors!”

“Would it be too purr-sonal to ask when or where that happened to you?” He asked almost shyly.

“It was in New York.” Ladybug replied cautiously.

“No way, me too!” He paused. “What are the odds that we’d each get stuck with someone else in the same city?”

“New York is pretty big. With a lot of automatic doors.”

“True.” Chat looked at his feet. “And it’s not like it also happened twice to you, anyway.”

“Actually, it is like that.” Ladybug paled slightly.

“I’m guessing that reduces the odds quite a bit.”

“We’d need Markov or Uncanny to calculate them, but yes, I’d say they’re quite slim.” 

They stared at each other, Ladybug becoming increasingly red as the seconds ticked by.

“Marinette?” Chat whispered, a smile spreading on his lips.

“A-Adrien?” She stuttered back.

Before any of them could move or add anything else, the doors slid open. Both turned their heads towards the sound.

The event organiser stood in front of them, and cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but we really are running late now.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir blinked, remembering what situation had brought them there in the first place. 

“Right, of course.” Chat Noir extended a hand, which Ladybug took shyly. “Shall we, my Lady?”

“Let’s go.” She smiled weakly. She was holding Adrien’s hand. Which was also  Chat Noir’s. Which meant she’d been avoiding Adrien’s advances. The same ones she’d been seeking ever since his apologies in the rain. Adrien was in love with her. Like she was with him... The avalanche of thoughts that invaded her mind made her feel light-headed.

The event organiser moved aside and announced their arrival. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir moved forward, walking hand in hand. Maybe the Lucky Charm had been for them to finally find each other. And they had. Everything was going to be just fine. 

Together, they picked up their walking pace. 

And crashed into the clear door panels, which just had to close as they were strolling through them.

“Guess we really are destined to be stuck with one another.” Chat chuckled as he rubbed his sore nose.

“You know what, Chaton? I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

[i-used-to-wear-the-fedora]

NSR Beauty and the Beast AU, Lost in the Woods

Based on @chiquitabanana5 's AU!

"I want you two to know that as your manager, I think this is a terrible idea."

"Don't worry so much Kliff, we'll be fine!" Mayday waved the older man off. Zuke was tying their backpacks onto their moped with some difficulty. "We'll go through the abandoned district, bring back help and boom! No more energy crisis!"

"Mayday, that's not a plan as much as a vague outline not accounting for all the things that could go wrong in the process." Kliff frowned. "I'm worried about you kids."

"We'll be fine." Zuke spoke, his voice sounded half hearted. "Just some snow and maybe a decommissioned robot or two..."

"And what are we supposed to do if you don't come back? Who'll take care of Ellie?"

"She can take care of herself. I mean, she knows how to pilot a helicopter, I'm sure she can find some food."

"I-wait what was that about a helicopter?" Kliff asked incredulously but May wasn't listening. Slapping a helmet on before jumping on the back of the moped. Zuke got on, putting the key in and turning it. It took a few tries before the engine sputtered to life and the vehicle began to take off.

"Bye Kliff! We'll be back in a few days!" The two took off into the distance as the red haired man sighed. Trying to figure out how he was going to feed Ellie without losing a hand.

~~

"I-it's a lot colder than I expected...." May shivered as Zuke drove the moped through the overgrown district. The greenery was coated in a thick layer of white snow. "A-are we there yet?" She barely got out as Zuke glanced at his map again.

"Well...the thing is...I don't know exactly where we are...."

"What?" Mayday snapped, snatching the map from his hands.

"It's way too dated, I cant see any of the signs or roads on the map." Zuke admitted. "And there's some bad news."

"How could things get worse?" As Mayday asked this, the moped they were on sputtered to a slow stop.

"We're out of gas."

"What?! But we filled up before we left!"

"And now it's gone. But at least we have a back up." Zuke got up, going to where their bags were and pausing. "Ugh, May?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's that pack I told you to grab?"

"Um...pack?"

"The blue pack. The one I left on the couch? The one I told you was super important and not to forget?"

"Ohhhhh, that one...I...forgot that one..." Zuke made a noise.

"Crap." Zuke shivered as he looked around them. The snow was starting to come down harder now. "Okay, look," Zuke pointed straight ahead to a building in the distance. "We'll just stay there for the night and figure something out in the morning."

"Okay fine, just hurry before it gets too dark." The two shuffled along, not noticing something moving under the brush.

~~

"Huh, what do you think this place used to be?" The musicians walked past the busted open gate doors towards the sprawling estate.

"It's some fancy mansion."

"Ooooo, think a rockstar used to live here? Maybe there's a jacuzzi here!" Mayday looked up at the front door with a huge knocker on it. She pounded on it, yelling out. "Hello? Anyone home?" There was, unsurprisingly, no answer. "Huh, no one home-" To both her and Zuke's surprise the door began to open on its own.

"....ugh...." Zuke gaped.

"Guess we can go in," May shrugged and entered. Zuke hesitating for a moment before following. It was a large foyer, almost completely in the dark. Mayday grabbing her phone from the picket and shaking the flashlight on. "Hello?" She called out again. Still nothing. They walked further into the building, shadows moving around them as they walked further in. "Ugh you doing think this place has any outlets do you?"

"Lemme guess, your phone's dying?" As Zuke asked the light flickered out.

"Maybe." Zuke's eyes squinted ad they adjusted to the darkness before noticing a candle holder on a table close by.

"Here," Zuke grabbed it and pulled out his lighter, setting all the candles alight. "Let's see if maybe there's a fireplace or something to sleep by."

"Can I hold it?"

"Hold what?"

"The candle stick!"

"Candle stick?"

"You know that thing you're holding." Mayday gestured at the object Zuke was holding.

"I believe the weird you're looking for is candelabra." A voice spoke.

"Yeah that!" Mayday paused. "Wait who said that?"

"Me you imbecile." Both turned to the source of the voice. The candelabra in Zuke's hands. A candelabra with a face. "I-''

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

owo owo can I request a scenario of Miss Raven getting distracted and describing (in full detail) Rook and Jade’s abs... (｡･ ω<)ゞ

WOW, I HATE IT HERE.

Censoring most of this piece under a cut, not that there is anything problematic in terms of content, but because I am genuinely embarrassed that I wrote this.

“Oh~ If it isn’t Raven Crowley-san!”

She glanced over her shoulder, finding a pale-faced boy floating above the musty rug of the library. His flaming hair cast him in an eerie cobalt glow, though his eyes were just as bright as any star.

“What are you researching today?” Ortho asked excitedly, circling her.

“Ah, it’s...” Raven hugged her notebook to her chest, obscuring the pages she had written on from view. “Just some...anatomy notes.”

“Anatomy, the study of bodily structures?” Ortho’s face lit up. “Ooh...!! Because Raven Crowley-san is not human, correct? Hehe, how cool! Learning about your new form must be fun. I know I always do when Nii-san updates my systems or builds a new body to test.”

“Er, something like that, yes...although in my case, it is more like I am studying it in hopes of coping with my own frustrations.” Raven pursed her lips, slowly prying the notebook away. She held it out, offering it to the little robot.

“Eh?”

“Perhaps you can understand my plight, seeing as you are not human yourself. Answer me this, Ortho-san...” Raven jabbed a finger at her book. “Why do humans at this institution have such...such defined musculature?!”

“Eeeeeeeeh?!”

Ortho stared at two full pages littered with detailed notes and diagrams. The margins were decorated with crude doodles of a worm-like creature and a stick figure in a feathered hat.

The abdominal muscles support the trunk to allow for movement and regulate internal abdominal pressure. The deep abdominals contribute to the core muscles, which keep the body stable and balanced while also protecting the spine.

Human media seems to romanticize and glorify abdominal muscles, but not for any practical purpose. The focus seems to be on how taut they are...however, the preferred terms seem to be “rock hard”, “washboard abs”, and “glass cutting”.  Would the word “firm” not suffice?

Well-defined abdominal muscles are referred to as a six-pack, which is, coincidentally, also a human term for a collection of six cans of a beverage...

“Why do human beings even have these?!” Raven crowed, despair and anguish dripping from her tone. “It’s not fair that they have prominent abdominal muscles!! It’s not as though they need them for support when flying...! I-It is absolutely ridiculous. Even birds that are able to fly for hundreds of days without rest don’t parade around displaying those...those things!!”

[Subject is in a state of emotional distress.

Probable Cause: Cognitive dissonance.

Proceed with caution.]

“Doesn’t it frustrate you too, Ortho-san?! When humans have no need for them?!”

“Eeeeeeeeh?! B-But Raven Crowley-san...humans are in need of abdominal muscles. You even acknowledge this in your own notes.”

“Yes, well!! There is no need for them to be so well-defined!” She huffed, slamming her notebook shut. “I can manage perfectly fine without having them be so...in-your-face!”

“According to my databases, this is due to a difference in conditioning. Individuals that engage in heightened levels of certain physical activities are able to develop peak abdominal musculature,” Ortho recited. “For example, seasoned athletes such as Rook Hunt-san--”

“NOOOOOO, DO NOT SAY IT!! I REFUSE TO PERCEIVE!!” 

“Shhh.”

A single, harsh hiss rang out in the archives, silencing her. Poking his head out from between two rows of shelving was a familiar eel, a finger pressed to his lips. The raven’s heart leapt up and lodged in her throat.

“Oh...! Jade Leech-san!”

“Good evening.” He wore his usual pleasant smile, but the glint in his eyes was wholly malicious. “You two must remember to remain quiet in the library. Really, Miss  Raven. Surely you know to set a better example for the youth.”

“As though you are any better of a role model...!!” she retorted.

“My, such a hard tone. Whatever has you so riled up?” Jade’s lips curled into a mirthful smirk. “Is human anatomy that difficult for you to perceive? Perhaps you should study a bit more.”

Eavesdropping. He was definitely, eavesdropping, she realized, flushing a bright pink.

“I...I must go. I think I hear Uncle calling...!!”

“Are you certain, Raven Crowley-san? My audio-sensory simulating components do not sense any--”

“YES, I AM CERTAIN, ORTHO.”

Another excuse, one Jade was all too familiar with.

“Fufufu. Then run off, Miss Raven. I’m sure that scurrying away will help you develop those muscles you seem to be so keen on obsessing over.”

“I--” She willed herself to snap her mouth shut, to not feed the Leech any more information. Instead, she jerked her head to Ortho and forced a smile.“...Have a good night. Thank you for listening to my troubles.”

The raven gathered up her notebook and swept away with a curt wave.

What an abs-olutely terrifying experience that had been.

[michaelevans27]

I've got to leak somewhere at this point regardless of the vulnerability of the dodgy 1 way mirror that can exist. When you're in a position of trust with another person and depth of entanglement and deliberate growth around and with someone and yet consistently have the vines of life leave the sunlight and spread sidewards and pull the sweet fruits/berries into the shade or start to find this vine you are building with help question where you can flourish and blossom it leaves you with so much uncertainty with what you have left when the growth works to pull apart. Sometimes plants have to be seperated for the benefit of their respective health. Sometimes they take too much of each other's sun or they struggle to work synchronously. Sometimes plants will grow and find themselves tangled again. Vines and gardens and plants all beautiful but all unable to know their own needs. It takes a skilled gardener to know what's best and sometimes even then it's not an absolute.

Humans are not plants, we are far more complicated, we are filled with emotion, judgement, issues and conscious thought. Who are we to know what in the fuck we want? How are we supposed to trust in others when we can't even trust our own opinion or struggle to form one? Whether through my own twisted lense of perception, gaslighting or struggles and moments of first experiences and dealings with the many complications to any moment with many people and feelings and topics all that came to my mind was feeling like a robot like maybe my emotions aren't with as much depth or good enough or come out wrong. Yet without the comparison of the past and the need to be clear and therefore properly understood, with the simple and only requirement being to myself... well it doesn't get easier to know your own thoughts but at least it's clearer the depth and strength of feelings one has. The kind of feelings that make you question what feelings are and how you might interpret them.

The ones that are so fiercely strong that you can't tell if you're angry because you're upset or upset because you're angry, whether you're upset because you're thinking about a happiness or upset because you're thinking about the pain, the kind of feelings that tell you you're an idiot for not protecting yourself sooner while also telling you that you ought to not need to protect and all emotions and thoughts between. They say pain makes you stronger but they fail to ever say how it makes you stronger. How one converts or ignites strength from or through the pain, whether pain is to be replaced or forgotten or constant. At what point do you stick true to who you are or maybe were, possibly either foolishly trusting and quick to do so whimsically or refreshing and positively quick in trusting or maybe even both at once since it comes with benefits and goodness but through enough exposure and unfortunate chance you'll be able to have it taken advantage of.

Are there any right answers in the end? Any correct paths to take? In such a perfectionist world high on emotions low in patience and so particular and picky in tastes will there be any humanity able to step back and be hopeful but not condemnful? Any chance of understanding and fair expectations while not sacrificing oneself and not settling for less than ideal but the composure and treatment one would hope in return in this world? I want to be myself, my ideal self in this world, the young man with dreams to do it all and be around for all, to be interactive and caring and trusting with all as I can be, to do as much as I can with my time and to build a pure family with no distances with energy to spread something further with cosiness and trust and openness I was so ready for all of that, I was so ready I took on more than I could, I rushed about the place, I grew tired and pulled in my sphere expanding from a quiet furnishing floater to much more too quickly. I saw my vision in even the worst of times even with each moment of collapse where it would feel like there was a poisonous atmosphere out to get me, with little mind of my mind but there was always enough to keep me going. Didn't matter whether it was external or internal when it mattered most it was internal, when my mind and opinion wavered on whether my feelings were in need internally if needed I'd smooth over and repair as best I could whether I was reckless and blind excusing the damage or smoothing over without the proper external material or against external or internal counterparts is a matter somewhat. What matters to me the most though is having a hold on understanding, ironic how often it can be to feel misunderstood and to not quite understand the new or unknown around you and yet worst of all not have enough perspective and capacity or perhaps too much of the capacity to think so much and not understand yourself.

So much blabber that might not make sense but ultimately it comes to this, I've felt deeply, and strongly regardless of how many times I've felt empty from depression and of the opinions of others. How do I know I've felt that strongly about something? Well for starters I already knew it in each moment where there was effortlessness and yet knowing the moments that had and would take all the effort which meant so little amounting to effortless when achieved. It was clear in the way I'd feel when things would seem to co-incide literally with moments that would match and I'd tell myself that it's a tie at a level deeper with fate, souls, voodoo whatever shit you can think of that becomes your own metaphor keeping minds and states and moments as one or close to one. It's so much more that told me so much about myself and my insides that it'd be a disservice and silly to bother for many reasons to go on.

The biggest thing that told me about the strength of my feelings and opened the Pandora box and decided to make me feel like I finally understood my robot belief and build the knowledge of not knowing what I know or feel or what to trust even within my feelings as to which is central rather than which is in control, the biggest thing that ripped it all open was playing to my biggest weakness, my desire to help anyone that needs it, especially those important to me. My eagerness to drop everything for now and focus on what matters to me most, being there for someone that I trust and I see as positive as a person who simply feeds that fuel of what's good and feeds into a future I know I can keep working for because those people can show me or make me feel there's a positive world and that I am not fighting against an ocean but a stream wide as you want but never endless. I trusted and eagerly took into place the most important and sacred and meaningful things to me in being there and I always will trust in even people that in now way or form have had a chance to earn it, but yet that trust was broken, it isn't often I let my upset take control of me, I keep my emotions in check as much as I can so I'm not hurting others because you can be upset and share upset without doing harm. The most important thing and pure thing I can ever feel like doing, something I struggled to do in moments that I was never prepared for, something I'd do without even noticing in smaller moments, something I do no matter the distance or the positional issues and yet my trust was taken freely advantageously whether maliciously or not, my feelings plain and simply feeling shit on all the while sharing the best of them freely.

Knowing what you truly are feeling and thinking, wanting or needing is hard enough on a basic unaltered state, figuring it out while having no real trust on your own understanding or trust in your ability to trust alongside the deservedness or maybe the potential usage of that trust is an entire different level. People will do all sorts of things in life and may change who they decide they'll be whether it follows their best version of themself, their best vision for themself or just what they feel they ought to be or can only be. There's no way of ever knowing whether someone is reaching out to you and asking how you are to simply do their part in the world, to spy on you and judge or wonder and simply update their info on you, potentially care about you, keep you at arms length as a controlled growth that's simply a body to have contact upon just due to having been part of their life or hell anything under the sun. There's no knowing if it's in your interest to respond and be accomadating to become the next generic and used person in their life that is simply kept up on tabs to know for the sake of knowing or if you'd be accomadating the a simple position where you'd be simply supplying gratification or comparison to their journey, maybe it's in your best interest to share with them regardless since it's progressive in some way? No idea what way or maybe through accomadating the asking of how you are and asking back it would do some good to them and you or even just good for them and it'd be better to do the non-selfish thing and likely what you'd want being good for them by helping them out by doing so but leaving yourself with no betterment from the exchange maybe even worse off. You're supposed to wish people well if you care about them but if you care about them that much don't you also know that it'll hurt ever knowing that would be a case.

Maybe I'm more emotional than I ever realised or maybe people would call me emotionally immature or say that I'm toxic or selfish to not immediately stray towards the most beneficial befitting accomadation of another but last time I did that it made me feel like an object a used object. When it's constantly on loop and stuck on your mind is their a reason? Is there a purpose or direction the universe is pushing you deliberately with all this stuff all these strong deep entrenched thoughts and feelings never giving any long pause of rest? Is it supposed to be a reason to go against in spite of it and trust and respond and engage or is it to follow and close up to, is it stupid to trust someone without constant proof and effort from them showing trust? Is it supposed to stick around and be the way it is for any connections made? Or is it a shitty curse among a strong memory that keeps so much in long term storage that never let's you forget anything. Am I supposed to avoid or forget about or hate or enjoy or be indifferent of little details that I couldn't forget even if I tried, should I be able to forget details. Thinking about it a robot was never a good representation of myself because it focused on a lack of or a disconnection with emotion, feeling miles away from emotion capable and shared by so many more normal people who fit into society or whatever dodgy society may be around, it didn't focus on the confusion of and difficulty with emotion, it didn't focus on the overly believing attitude the childlike expectancy to things working out no matter what and to everything being possible without any sacrifice, the sensitivity to even some violence and small issues among bigger moments thinking everything can be perfect with some ease the rarer of the idealistic over the top optimism moments. At least a robot can know or think and decide in a certain way. It will always make a decision based off of something and wouldn't be unsure of itself. At the end of the day I don't care about it's label because it's the outside world or the stagger into the dark that'll eventually tell me something about my thoughts even if it never comes or my mind is changed more than once. I do really hope it being the first birthday I'll be so seperate from that it'll somehow be as personal and enjoyable as any before, I wish I could somehow have any factor on it but I also wish I'd stop wishing because there's plenty of reason or stories I'm sure to explain that there's nothing good from such stuff being wished since it's at my own detriment maybe. I think that's enough to look back at and know roughly my own thoughts and hopefully give me some peace on it all for a while. Maybe I'll not have to use this ever again.

P.S Michael you might not even understand half the crap you're writing but at least it's been written also there's a wasp and who cares about readability or thinking more about this until it has a reason to be thought about more with a wasp

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Chapters 25-27

This is the first leg of the “D” arc.   I had originally planned on trying to do the whole thing in one post, but it’s pretty long and meanders in places, so instead I’m going to break it up, starting with the part that wraps up volume 4 of the collected editions.

Much of these first three chapters just showcases Millennium preparing to depart their secret headquarters in Brazil.  They have three blimps, maybe more.   We already saw the Graf Zeppelin III, but there’s also a Graf Zeppelin II and a Hindenberg II.   Also, the Major refers to all of this as “Operation Sea Lion 2″.  The original “Operation Sea Lion” was Nazi Germany’s plan to invade the U.K. during World War II.   It was never enacted, however, because the Germans couldn’t establish air and naval superiority over the British.  Basically, the Major is declaring that he has finally achieved what Hilter could not, thanks to his “Last Battalion” of 1000 vampire soldiers.

The bridge of his flagship (flagblimp) has this big comfy chair on a robot arm, and a panoramic world map.   The arrows on the map point in all sorts of nutty directions, including the United States and other European nations.   I could have sworn I had heard some mention in Hellsing Ultimate of Millennium sending forces to the U.S., but the international angle was never mentioned again, and I assumed that I must have imagined it.  In any event, the Major made it clear that his target is Alucard specifically, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to invade places where Alucard is not.

The Major prepares to take his seat only to find Warrant Officer Schrödinger sitting in his chair.   Remember, Schrödinger inexplicably teleported himself to London to address Hellsing and Iscariot, and then he got shot and killed for his trouble.   But now he’s back, alive and well.   He mocks the Major for being to slow, and the Doctor scolds him for his insolence, but the Major orders Doc to back off.   This is a running gag throughout the rest of the series.  The Doctor keeps trying to chastise Schrödinger, but the Major lets him do whatever the boy wants, almost like he’s some favorite pet.  

Meanwhile, an unidentified helicopter tries to land on a British carrier, the H.M.S. Eagle.   The Captain orders his crew to open fire, but the first officer suddenly does this:

So yeah, the first officer is a vampire now, and he’s sold out Queen and Country for Millennium.  He and a handful of vampire crewmen kill the rest of the crew and turn them all into ghouls, allowing the helicopter to land, making way for...

This lady, Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle.  I should point out that in the pages leading up to her boarding the Eagle, she was singing Engelandlied, a German war anthem from World War I.   She’s nutty, is the idea.

So, I’m gonna go ahead and put forth my fan theory that all the bad guys we dealt with prior to Rip were just patsies for Millennium, and not actual members in their own right.   This includes Tubalcain “Dandyman” Alahambra, because, for all his powers, no one ever said his rank, leading me to think he didn’t have one.   Same with the Valentine Brothers and any of the vampires Alucard and Seras were sent to fight during the first dozen or so chapters of this manga.   Millennium may have turned them into vampires, and in some cases they even let them in on Millennium’s inner workings, but they were never more than cannon fodder.   Jan seemed to understand this, although Luke and Dandyman seemed to believe they were genuinely created to represent the new pinnacle of vampiric power.   Even the Doctor thought Dandyman had a strong chance of beating Alucard, but in the end they were just experiments meant to test Alucard’s mettle.

And, really, the rest of Millennium is not much different, except Rip and the others actually know why they’re being sacrificed, even if they don’t necessarily understand how or when.

Meanwhile, Seras still won’t drink blood, and she keeps trying to eat regular food instead, even though she struggles to swallow every bite.   I’ve never been very clear on whether vampires in Hellsing can eat non-blood food or not.  Seras is doing it, albeit painfully, but I don’t think she really gains anything from it, except whatever coping mechanism this is supposed to serve.   

So in walks Sir Integra, who dumps a bag of medical blood on her table.  Seras never really answers Integra’s question, but she already told Walter, and it’s not much of an answer.   The heart of the matter is this: Seras really doesn’t want to be a vampire.   Or, maybe, more accurately, she doesn’t want to stop being human.   The trouble is that she already lost that battle way back in Chapter 1. 

In many ways, Seras has accepted her fate.   She works for Hellsing, recognizes Alucard as her vampire master, and so on.  I think she understands that this is the only life she can have now, and her will to live is strong enough that she appreciates what Alucard and Integra have done for her.    At her core, Seras is a public servant, and fighting monsters for Hellsing is not so different from fighting crime as a policewoman.  I think she sees her current condition as a means to that end.   She doesn’t crave power like the evil vampires we’ve seen thus far.    Seras views her abilities as a means to an end.   Alucard biting her gave her a way to stay alive and continue fighting the good fight.

However, she doesn’t want the baggage that goes along with that.   She wants to retain as much of her humanity as she can, and drinking blood is the one thing that she has some control over, or so she believes.

But Integra’s far too practical for that dilemma.   Alucard was willing to respect Seras’ relucatance, but she needs her troops on their toes and ready for action.  So she takes a knife and cuts open her finger, and then orders Seras to lick the blood off.    This is... disturbingly sexual, and one of a number of scenes that reminds me that Hirano Kouta had done a lot of, er, adult comics before Hellsing.   I think he did a lot of uniform fetishy stuff too, which is why Seras and Schrödinger’s uniforms look so similar to each other.   Both are meant to resemble German WWII gear.   I’m willing to grant some leeway here, because there’s probably only so many ways to do a finger-licking scene like this without sexualizing it a little, but the last bit with the saliva trail is just revolting. 

So, what’s bugged me for a long time was that if Seras drank (a little) of Integra’s blood here, why did this subplot not get paid off until much later in the story?  She drank blood, didn’t she?   Well, yeah, but Integra ordered her to do it, so it doesn’t count.   This came up a couple of times earlier in the story, when Walter and Al mentioned that she wouldn’t drink blood willingly.  It’s not just an ethical issue for Seras, or she’d simply chow down on the medical blood.  I guess Integra could force feed her every night, but that wouldn’t solve anything.   This is about Seras accepting her transformation as a fait accompli.   I think this is why she very nearly drank Alucard’s blood back in Northern Ireland, when it sure looked like there was no other way for her to survive.  But if she’s just sitting there with no one making her do it, and no urgent need to do it, she’ll refuse every time.  

I think Hellsing uses the premise that a vampire has to do more than just bite a human to turn them into a vampire.  That is, Alucard had to put his own blood in Seras’ body to complete that transformation.   I think that’s how it worked in the Dracula novel, and Seras herself mentions it in the Gonzoverse anime.   But that wouldn’t count either, because it’s part of the change itself.  The idea is for the new vampire to partake in blood-drinking by choice, and until that happens, they won’t get all the cool powers.   

One other thing, Integra takes this opportunity to mention that she’s a virgin, which is a weird flex for this situation, but okay.  In Hellsing, that means Integra could become a vampire herself, but not if Seras bites her, because it has to be a vampire of the opposite sex.   In any case, Tegs warns Seras not to bite down during this creepy finger-licking KFC-hentai thing.   

Back in the damn ocean, Lt. Rip van Winkle is welcomed aboard by the traitorous crew of the Eagle.   She asks them how it feels to be a vampire, and causally reminds them of their treachery.   Then she gives them new orders, which are to die by her magic gun, which fires a bullet that can turn around in midair.

And so the First Officer and his lackeys learn the same lesson as the Brazillians working for the Dandyman, and the Dandyman himself, and the Valentine Brothers and whoever else.  Millennium might turn you into a vampire, but that hardly means that you’ll live forever.   Millennium always demands treason as payment for their help, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they might betray you sooner or later.

Besides, Rip doesn’t need the British crew, because she has her own henchman on board her chopper.   While she waits for them to wake up, she paints a swastika on the deck, just to make it clear that they’ve taken control of the Eagle, which she renames the Adler.  That’s German for “Eagle”, you see.

Back on his blimp, the Major cuts this twenty-minute promo which basically amounts to “I love war, we have no particular agenda except to wage endless war for the fun of it.”   Back in England, Alucard is eagerly awaiting their arrival.